This week marks the anniversary of the release of my novel The City of Earthly Desire and though I am not attempting to assign this time any particular significance, I thought it might be interesting to reflect upon the year that has passed and share some experiences and thoughts:
- Since its release, 62 copies of the novel have been purchased through Amazon and other online vendors. This figure includes both paperback and ebook versions of the novel. In addition to this, I have sold 23 copies myself to some friends and acquaintances. This brings the grand total to 85 copies over the past twelve months. Not a monumental figure by any stretch of the imagination, but somewhat comprehensible when I factor in the limited marketing I have done and the general, overall difficulties self-published books encounter in finding a viable market and audience. As a side-note, I recently stumbled upon a statistic that claims that ninety percent of self-published books never sell more than fifty copies, so it is assuring to know the novel has at least passed that hurdle. All the same, I would like the novel to reach a much wider readership at some time in the near future, so I'll have to discover ways to build that larger potential readership.
- 240 free Kindle copies of the novel were snatched up during the five-day giveaway promotion I offered in July. The figure left me with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I was happy so many people were interested in a free copy of the ebook. On the other hand, I found it troubling that so many people only became interested in the ebook when it was free.
- The reviews and ratings that have been posted on Amazon, Goodreads, and various blogs thus far have all been positive. I am pleased by this, but I also realize some of the positive reviews have no basis in reality. For example, some of the blog tour reviews I received were so vague and general it's obvious that the reviewer had not read the book at all. On a brighter note, the novel has received some glowing reviews from readers in faraway places like India and Indonesia who actually read the novel. I hope to receive many more reviews and ratings in the coming months. It would be nice if at least a fraction of the free Kindle editions were read and reviewed.
- Since the novel does not fit into any of the popular genres, I have had a difficult time discovering venues, places, sites, etc., through which to promote the novel. For example, the blog tour in which I participated was a positive experience overall, but I quickly realized that the blogs where the novel appeared were geared almost exclusively to adolescent audiences interested exclusively in young adult, new adult, paranormal romance, etc. Finding more appropriate venues to promote the novel is something I will have to work on in the future if I ever hope to find an audience for the book.
- In respect to finding an audience, I have decided to focus on opportunities to have the novel translated and published in Hungary where I believe the premise of the book would be well received and, more importantly, more widely received. I have been fortunate enough to make a connection with a very talented translator who is currently querying established Hungarian publishers on my behalf. If a Hungarian publisher were to express interest in the book, I would consider it a major development and a fantastic achievement.
Overall, the year since I published The City of Earthly Desire has been a good one. I entered the process without any real expectations, therefore I have very few milestones to measure any sense of progress. Regardless, I am grateful for the opportunity to have my work out there in the world and I am curious to see what the next year brings.
- Since its release, 62 copies of the novel have been purchased through Amazon and other online vendors. This figure includes both paperback and ebook versions of the novel. In addition to this, I have sold 23 copies myself to some friends and acquaintances. This brings the grand total to 85 copies over the past twelve months. Not a monumental figure by any stretch of the imagination, but somewhat comprehensible when I factor in the limited marketing I have done and the general, overall difficulties self-published books encounter in finding a viable market and audience. As a side-note, I recently stumbled upon a statistic that claims that ninety percent of self-published books never sell more than fifty copies, so it is assuring to know the novel has at least passed that hurdle. All the same, I would like the novel to reach a much wider readership at some time in the near future, so I'll have to discover ways to build that larger potential readership.
- 240 free Kindle copies of the novel were snatched up during the five-day giveaway promotion I offered in July. The figure left me with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I was happy so many people were interested in a free copy of the ebook. On the other hand, I found it troubling that so many people only became interested in the ebook when it was free.
- The reviews and ratings that have been posted on Amazon, Goodreads, and various blogs thus far have all been positive. I am pleased by this, but I also realize some of the positive reviews have no basis in reality. For example, some of the blog tour reviews I received were so vague and general it's obvious that the reviewer had not read the book at all. On a brighter note, the novel has received some glowing reviews from readers in faraway places like India and Indonesia who actually read the novel. I hope to receive many more reviews and ratings in the coming months. It would be nice if at least a fraction of the free Kindle editions were read and reviewed.
- Since the novel does not fit into any of the popular genres, I have had a difficult time discovering venues, places, sites, etc., through which to promote the novel. For example, the blog tour in which I participated was a positive experience overall, but I quickly realized that the blogs where the novel appeared were geared almost exclusively to adolescent audiences interested exclusively in young adult, new adult, paranormal romance, etc. Finding more appropriate venues to promote the novel is something I will have to work on in the future if I ever hope to find an audience for the book.
- In respect to finding an audience, I have decided to focus on opportunities to have the novel translated and published in Hungary where I believe the premise of the book would be well received and, more importantly, more widely received. I have been fortunate enough to make a connection with a very talented translator who is currently querying established Hungarian publishers on my behalf. If a Hungarian publisher were to express interest in the book, I would consider it a major development and a fantastic achievement.
Overall, the year since I published The City of Earthly Desire has been a good one. I entered the process without any real expectations, therefore I have very few milestones to measure any sense of progress. Regardless, I am grateful for the opportunity to have my work out there in the world and I am curious to see what the next year brings.
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