Totally Free Ways To Promote Your Self-Published Work:

 

First published 12th Sept2022

 So, you’ve written your book and uploaded the eBook to Amazon KDP. You’ve sat back and waited, and nobody’s bought a single copy yet. Okay, what went wrong, and what can you do to fix it?

If you decide to continue as a self-published author, here are a few tips to help get you started without spending a single penny.

Develop an Online Presence:

Do you have a website? When starting out, I wouldn't go throwing money at a flashy multi-page site with a dotcom domain name. All you need is a landing page to begin with, telling people a little bit about yourself and your work. You can use a free Wordpress site for this, as long as you have a page where people can find you. You can also create a blog, if you have the time and the inclination. With luck and good content, you may well build up a following; some of whom may decide to buy your book.

Offer Multiple Formats:

Firstly, if you have only uploaded an eBook version of your book, go into your KPD account and make a paperback version available. It doesn't cost you anything to format a paperback or a hardback, and for a lot of people, being able to get a hard copy of a book appears more professional than just having an eBook on there (even if they end up buying the eBook version when they finally click the ‘buy’ button), and of course, if you have a hard copy of your book, you can show it to potential customers without having to keep playing around with a phone or laptop. Also, there are still people out there who prefer to read an actual book.



When Putting Out Your Hard-copy Versions:

At Brindle, we usually use 5x8 inch for paperbacks and 6x9 inch for hardback versions of the same book. Have a look at the various options on Amazon to decide which template you want to use. Just copy and paste the text of your original manuscript into one of those but remember to check what pages your chapters start on and then check again once you've saved the document as a PDF. After it's been saved as a PDF, there shouldn't be any movement of text even when you've uploaded to Amazon (but check the entire document on Amazon's previewer, just to be on the safe side).



Formatting Your Book Covers:

For book covers, I use a program called Scribus (it's a free desktop publishing program), if you type into Google (or whichever search engine you use) 'Scribus Free Download', you should find it without too much trouble. It can take a little getting used to, but it produces pretty good results, especially for a free program.



Of course, you don’t have to design your own book covers. Even without spending any money. If you’re trying to put out your book without spending any money at all on it, using Amazon KDP’s own cover creation tools can produce results, but you’ll still have to provide the artwork if you want a standout cover.

ISBN Numbers:

As a small Publishing House, Brindle Books buy ISBN numbers in bulk so that they can be assigned to new releases as we put them out. If you buy individual ISBN numbers, however, the cost can really mount up. If you are going to self-publish without going to all the trouble of setting up your own publishing company, I'd even be tempted to let Amazon assign the ISBN number.



Free Press Releases:

Do a bit of publicity for the book, starting with some press releases. We've used paid press releases and so far, have found that they haven't been cost effective - the sales of the book we pushed haven't increased enough to cover the fees for the paid press release. There are some free press release companies out there though.

We mainly use PRLog.org to put out free press releases, (although, I do believe that you need to have a business email address to set up an account with them). Don't stop at PR Log though. There are many free press release sites out there.

Here’s a link to our own page on PRLog.org:

Brindle Books Ltd - Latest News - BrindleBooksLtd | PRLog


If you type the words ‘Free Press Release Sites’ into your search engine of choice, you will find countless articles listing them.

It’s also worth sending out a press release (with the offer of a free review copy) directly to a few local news outlets, such as your local Newspapers, Radio and TV Stations. Try to find out the name of someone at the publication who deals with things like book releases (usually a quick polite phone call will get you this information).

Free Book Promotion Sites:

Next, get your book listed on some book promotion sites. Again, use the free sites rather than paid ones, as with a lot of these sites, paying them is just like throwing money down the drain. Try Selfpublist, awesome gang, and Best Book Monkey, all of which are free.

Links for free book promotion sites:

Selfpublist: Selfpublist

Awesome Gang:Awesome Gang – Where Awesome Book Readers Meet Awesome Writers

Best Book Monkey: Best Book Monkey - Book Deals & Promos: Email • Website • Social Media (sur.ly)

Many people recommend signing up to Goodreads as a Goodreads author (it's free), and interacting there with readers, so that people review your book. You might also find it worth gifting a few copies to friends and colleagues and letting them know how important Amazon reviews are to a writer, in the hope that they will put one on there.

Goodreads: Goodreads | Meet your next favorite book

Choose The Right Keywords on Amazon:

There are countless articles for writers on the subject of choosing the right Keywords and Categories for your books, and countless tools out there to help you in this endeavour. Some of these tools are free and some or not.

Until you have seen an increase in sales from your keyword research, I would recommend starting off using only free resources. Some great advice on keywords, and indeed, most aspects of self-publishing can be obtained from kindlepreneur. They do offer paid resources, but also some which are free and very useful. For instance, their Kindle Sales Rank Calculator can be accessed for free, and can give you a very useful insight into roughly how many copies certain books on Amazon are selling, based on their sales rank.

Telling People Where to Find Your Book:

Don’t forget to put direct links to the book’s Amazon sales page in any correspondence and share it to social media. If you use a platform that doesn’t allow clickable links, a picture of the QR code for the book’s sales page can at least make it easier to find for potential customers.

QR Codes Straight to Your Book’s Sales Page:

Remember that it’s human nature to be lazy. When you’re telling people about how great your book is, do you tell them the name of it and hope that they’ll remember it and go looking on Amazon when they get a minute? They won’t! Most people will have forgotten the conversation by the time they get home.

It would cost you practically nothing to have the books details ready on a pre-printed piece of paper (you can do that at home if you have even the most rudimentary computer and printer).

What would be even better, in terms of getting engagement, would be a slip of paper containing the book title, author name and the QR Code that will take a potential buyer straight to the book’s Amazon Sales page. The idea here is to remove as many steps as possible in between your potential buyer being told about your book and being able to buy your book.

Here are a couple of example QR Codes:








Keep Writing:

Lastly, the best advert for your book is your next book, so, hopefully you're working on your next project already. Don't just sit there worrying about whether your nest book will be as good as your last; just get on with it. Always remember: “Don’t get it right – get it written!”

In Summary:

Although none of these methods will automatically ensure that your book becomes a best-seller, they will all help your book reach a wider audience and, therefore, increase the potential for sales.

There is, of course, no substitute for producing the best quality work that you can and providing a product that your potential audience will value.

Brindle Books Author Interview with Mark Bridgeman

 First published 11th September 2022

Perthshire based writer Mark Bridgeman is the author of several books, three of which, ‘The ‘Lost’ Village of Lawers,’ ‘Erased 1: The Missing Millionaire,’ and ‘Erased 2: The Empty House’, are currently published in eBook format by Brindle Books Ltd. He is a member of the Federation of Scottish Writers, the ALCS, and The Thomas Hardy Society.


We caught up with Mark to ask him about his writing process and his inspiration for our latest Brindle Books Author Interview.

BRINDLE: In about three sentences, what is your book about?

MARK: Erased is a series of mysterious missing persons stories from around the world. Each chapter is a standalone story, relating a real-life individual case. Some are solved, some are unsolved. That’s the beauty of them – the reader has no idea what the ending will be, and you’ll be as wrapped up in the investigation as the police and families were at the time.



BRINDLE: When did you first get involved in writing/ When did you first become involved in this subject?

MARK: I’ve always wanted to write and always believed that I had lots of untold stories to share. Writer’s block is never a problem for me! My father was a writer too, and I guess my love of history and bringing it back to life set me on the road. Living where I live, history is all around me too.

BRINDLE: What got you interested in this subject in the first place?

MARK: I wanted to discover some of the lesser-known or unknown personal stories and bring them to the public. It’s so interesting, and we can learn so much, from the day-to-day social history of people’s lives.

BRINDLE: What’s been your highlight/biggest achievement in this field?

MARK: Perhaps unearthing the life of Francis Metcalfe for my book The Nearly Man. Either that, or discovering a story lost for over 200 years that helped me put together The Lost Village of Lawers.


BRINDLE: What is it that drives you to write?

MARK: A desire to share stories that I think will genuinely interest people; helping us connect with our past.

BRINDLE: Can you tell us about your research methods?

MARK: I could, but I’m sworn to secrecy! Seriously though, we have the internet of course, but there’s no substitute for getting out there, meeting people, and getting your feet dirty – which I do (a lot!!)

BRINDLE: What are the best and worst things about being a writer in this field?

MARK: Best thing – deciding in which direction I will travel each day

Worst thing - Agents

BRINDLE: Which authors etc. are your biggest influences?

MARK: Thomas Hardy, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. I look to write my historical stories in the style of that era, it helps to immerse the reader.

BRINDLE: What do you think is the most important quality/skill for a writer in your field?

MARK: Patience, thoroughness, and a belief/pride in what you’ve achieved.

BRINDLE: What are your future plans?

MARK: An historical novel, based on fact, but partly fictional, which will try to explain a perplexing mystery from a century ago. I also intend to add to my canon of stories in the Erased series.



BRINDLE: Can you tell us a bit about your writing process? ( location/time/words per day/schedule etc.)

MARK: If I’m writing for the day, probably about 2,000 – 3,000 words per day. However, non-fiction writing can take longer as you spent an inordinate amount of time checking and re-checking facts. I mostly write at home, but occasionally I’ll find a quiet corner in a café somewhere. Research can also take up lots of time, so very writing is achieved on those days.

BRINDLE: What advice would you give to new writers in your field?

MARK: Write something. Leave it for two weeks, go back to it and reread it. I bet you’ll be able to improve it.

Soak up the work of great writers and leave your pride at the door when you finally send it to a publisher!

You can find out more about Mark’s work on his website:

Mark Bridgeman Author - Writer of the Best Selling Book



There are Amazon links to some of Mark’s books below:

On Amazon UK

The Empty House (Erased Book 2) eBook : Bridgeman, Mark: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

The Missing Millionaire (Erased Book 1) eBook : Bridgeman, Mark: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

The 'Lost' Village of Lawers eBook : Bridgeman, Mark: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

On Amazon.com in the USA

Amazon.com: The Empty House (Erased Book 2) eBook : Bridgeman, Mark: Kindle Store

Amazon.com: The Missing Millionaire (Erased Book 1) eBook : Bridgeman, Mark: Kindle Store

Amazon.com: The 'Lost' Village of Lawers eBook : Bridgeman, Mark: Kindle Store



If you are a published, (or self-published), author, and would like to be the subject of one of our author interviews, please feel free to drop us an email at:

 contact@brindlebooks.co.uk


Brindle Books Interview with Patrick Sacchetti, author of 'Heaven's Assassins.'

 First published 27th August 2022


Welcome to the first of our Author Interviews, where we will put 12 questions to a different author to find out a little more about them, their work, and their writing habits.

We hope that these interviews will become a regular feature, and we are seeking new authors to feature. If you are an author (either self-published or signed up with a publisher), and would be interested in being included in our interview posts, details of how to be included can be found at the end of this post.

Our first author interview is with Chicago resident Patrick Sacchetti, author of Heaven’s Assassins, a new thriller, shot through with dark humour and satire; a cry of anger at the injustices of the modern world.



So, let’s hand you over to Patrick to find out more:

Brindle: In about three sentences, what is your book about?

Patrick: Heavens Assassins is about average, middle class working people tired of being used and abused by the 1% ruling class. They don’t trust politicians from either side of the aisle and don’t believe in mass violence or guns. Using their brains instead, they figure out the root causes of which of the ruling class holds down their workers, pollutes the environment and takes advantage of the religiously ignorant and decides to confront those root causes directly.

Brindle: When did you first get involved in writing?

Patrick: In grade school I wrote a story about animals that ended up on a local news broadcast. In high school and college, I wrote album reviews – when there were albums and not CD’s or digital downloads. I read fiction and non-fiction throughout my entire life and realized that I can write at least as well as some of the published authors, so I gave it a go.

Brindle: What got you interested in this subject in the first place?

Patrick: The rise of Trumpism in America got me riled up, but I didn’t want to write another Trump book since there are so many already. I wanted to write the other side of Trumpism, about the people who are tired of the fascist, ruling elite and don’t buy into the political fascist propaganda machine that is spinning out of control in America right now.

Brindle: What’s been your highlight or biggest achievement in this field?

Patrick: I don’t know if I have a particular business highlight in this field. I take personal satisfaction and pride from people who check out what I have completed and tell me it is interesting, entertaining and funny, at the same time. I consider those compliments as my biggest achievements.

Brindle: What is it that drives you to write?

Patrick: Writing gives me an outlet to express myself and creating a book is a legacy of sorts. When I am dead and gone at least Heavens Assassins, and my first, Specialty Meats will be still be around in some format.

Brindle: Can you tell us about your research methods?

Patrick: I read a lot of books. Fiction and non-fiction, for my entire life. Thank God for Google by the way.

Brindle: What are the best and worst things about being a writer in this field?

Patrick: There is stiff competition, and it is easy to get lost in the field of writers. Since I have never been good at self-promotion, that is a drawback. What is most satisfying is getting an idea and watching it grow onto the pages. It is great when people realize where I am trying to be funny and tell me that certain parts of the book are very humorous.

Brindle: Which authors etc. are your biggest influences?

Patrick: Stephen King is someone I have always admired. Murakami is a modern-day genius in my opinion and there have been several Thomas Pynchon books that I totally devoured.

Brindle: What do you think is the most important quality/skill for a writer in your field?

Patrick: First, there is no better way to see formats of books than by reading a lot of different authors. Also, I like listening to what other people have to say. I try to get other people talking about any subject. For my first piece, Specialty Meats, about the human organ black market trade, I had a discussion with a pharmacist about how crazy this country, and world, was getting and he mentioned that there must be a more advanced civilization someplace in the universe and I responded, “Yes there is. We are probably their reality television programming that they watch when they want to see how the lower form of human life interacts.” That is a concept used in Specialty Meats, especially at the end of the book.

Brindle: What are your future plans?

Patrick: I would like to do more travelling. Go to some beaten, off the path places to visit. Like to see where the Salem witch trials were held on the East Coast and see a couple of the Civil War prison locations, just to see and find out what I can see and find out. Maybe a visit to Alcatraz off San Francisco. Not exactly glamorous vacation spots but areas of interest. I also need a real good Las Vegas vacation to get that out of my system.

Brindle: Can you tell us a bit about your writing process? (location/time/words per day/schedule etc.)

Patrick: I don’t do any words per day type routine although I know that is what Stephen King teaches in his book on writing. Lately, I have been doing a lot of reading and research type of work for my upcoming work. Another take on the Reality Television politics that are ruining America. I am 40,000 words into that one and write furiously whenever idea’s or topics come to mind.

Brindle: What advice would you give to new writers in your field?

Patrick: Read and write often and have fun doing it. Write for fun and if the profit comes, that is great. Write for your enjoyment and if other people enjoy your writing and come along for the ride, that is great. If monetary gain comes along that is great also.



Heaven’s Assassins by Patrick Sacchetti:

They were angry over the hypocritical lies espoused on their brothers and sisters. They were enraged by the power elite who made jobs dangerous and poisoned community waterways. They were upset with people pledged to look over the community and instead poison them physically and spiritually with toxic ideas. The hypocritical, self-righteous, alleged morality keepers who picked the pockets of and poisoned the brains of their flock – this was damning most of all. A surprise shock ending that will amaze the reader. Do not reveal the ending to any other readers.

Heaven’s Assassins is available now on Amazon.com:

Heaven’s Assassins - Kindle edition by Sacchetti, Patrick J. , Korol, Anna, Maus, Shirley. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

 


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