By: Daniel Hickey
After a slew of very polite rejection letters, I accepted what I suspected all along, nobody is going to publish a self-help book for teens by a debut author without credentials. I always wanted to test the internet marketing machine anyway, and I know that a publisher isn’t going to shower my baby with the same love that I would. Not able to throw a lot of money at the endeavor, I did manage to afford to pay some friends for fine illustrating and editing work.
Both have expertise in their fields, understood the book’s message, and wanted to be part of the project. Not having to search for those services made the creation process much easier than it might have been. My total outlay over a few years, for work worth far more, was about $5,000, mostly for the illustrations. The rest of the project was on me.
That began with learning how to make a website. I have a lame one for another business, but needed AClassicPath.com to explain my unique book and engage readers to want to buy it. This has been the toughest task, and the one I most look forward to hiring out, if the book sells enough to warrant my continued efforts. I’m using a name brand managed WordPress product which isn’t the cheapest, but there’s someone to call when I have a problem. I paid a little extra to have them install the SSL certificate rather than scale that DIY mountain.
Entering the blogosphere
Next came blogging, to give readers a taste of what to expect in the book (beyond the online sample). This has been the fun part, and writing makes anyone a better writer. The blog has given some people an appreciation for the book’s message, and hopefully they’re sharing it with friends. I’ve gotten good comments but getting them to appear correctly on the website is a continuing frustration.
I’ve never been a social media guy, but I know that needs to be an important component, so I established myself on Facebook several months ago and began adding friends from hometown through college and my professional life. Instagram remains mysterious to me, and the links to my blog posts don’t work as I expect.
Then came the Facebook business page, and I’m still trying to figure out the best way to distribute my blog. Post a link, type it out, on my personal page, my business page? I’ve been spending $10 or $15 to boost each post over four or five day periods hoping to get people to click on the website and subscribe to the blog, only a few have, but each one generates a little more traffic.
Learning online marketing
Advertising is supposed to work better as it goes on, so this has been interesting to learn firsthand. I haven’t been too impressed with Facebook ads. It seems like an ecosystem where everyone is accustomed to getting stuff for free. I’ve used it to download several low content books about various stages of the self-publishing journey, and I found a very vibrant and helpful self-publishing Facebook group.
One of the enduring challenges has been sifting through so much irrelevant information available online. Reading enough free digital books and watching enough YouTube videos, you learn who the best resources are. A lot are geared towards novels, but I found plenty relevant to nonfiction.
So many decisions had to be made. I spent a lot of time considering vanity publishers, etc. and concluded that I had already done most of what they do. And again, who’s going to love my baby more? Wanting to test the internet marketing premise, it made sense to cast my lot with Amazon and go all-in with Kindle Unlimited. I also want hardcovers available, which I set up on Lulu. I’ll make a separate direct hardcover link from my website to avoid the substantial Amazon handling fee.
My research suggests that Amazon ads will be most efficient in the early going. So, focusing entirely on that platform will simplify the initial campaign. Now I’m researching how to construct effective keywords.
Get your free ebook of A Classic Path Through High School
So here I stand ready to launch, a nervous wreck about whether all these efforts will bear any fruit. The pertinent information I’ve consumed says that paying for a professional editor and cover designer were good decisions. I’m still trying to get the blurb exactly right, some brutal Facebook feedback convinced me it needed a serious rewrite. My mailing list isn’t where I want it to be, but there’s no point in waiting to reach some arbitrary number.
My ducks are lined up enough for me to take the leap and finally publish. Although I haven’t put the book out to enough reviewers yet, those angles can be worked after publication, but I wish I had been doing it for the past few months. Laura’s site has resources listing independent review sites like the one where I found https://laurasbooksandblogs.com. I’m spending time on their platforms to find the right ones, and that’s where you come in.
If all of Laura’s followers would download a free ebook in the five days beginning on March 7th, it will be off like a rocket inside the Amazon algorithm. If a few of you also wrote a review, not only would it be the kindest compliment, but it would provide the further sustenance that books need to thrive on Amazon. I’m happy to discuss my journey with any fellow travelers, so please reach out through my contact page if you have any questions.
Kids need to read
The most important reason for doing all these things myself was to save money for the advertising campaign. Ideally that will get to a self-sustaining point, and I’m prepared to spend some money to get there. If it doesn’t happen, I’ll accept the assessment of my 14 year old who read the book last spring and said he liked it but didn’t think anyone else would.
He’s off to a great start as a freshman honor student at one of NYC’s top prep schools. In addition to the wonderful discipline his Mom has instilled in him, I think the book has helped him make the adjustment into high school. Overcoming the pandemic restrictions, he has joined clubs and sports and made new friends. More importantly he is maturing into a fine young man who knows himself and loves others, which is enough satisfaction for me.
His brothers in fifth and seventh grades aren’t yet ready for high level philosophy, but they will be eventually. So even if nobody else ever reads my book, at least it will have been worthwhile for them. I hope it’s also worthwhile for an exceptional early teen in your life. So please download a free copy, and if you read it, please leave an honest review!
Many thanks to Laura for letting me share my story with you.
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