The Summer Publishing Doldrums

If you’re fairly new to indie publishing, you may not have encountered what I call the "summer publishing doldrums." That’s my term for the fact that book sales often fall during late spring and don’t pick up until fall. What causes it? Generally speaking, it’s because summer is when many of us would rather be outside doing things other than reading. Summer is the time for vacations, gardening and yard work, outside play, barbeques, and other things that take our attention away from books.

Many indie authors may begin to experience some doubt about themselves and their efforts if they fall victim to this phenomenon. Take my word for it. A drop in sales does not necessarily mean that your books are being rejected by readers. They’re just busy right now. They’ll be back in the fall. And so will you.

Here’s how I’m planning to position myself for the return of readers this fall. I’m going to use this summer to expand the reach of my books. They are currently offered through Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook book programs. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be uploading them to other bookseller sites. I’ll also be looking at marketing plans. A lot of you have some great ideas in the marketing area, and I am really grateful that you’ve been generous in sharing your expertise online.

I’m also going to be focusing on creating more evergreen books. I won’t be rushing my next knit book into print even though it’s nearly ready because I already know sales will be disappointing. I’ll release it in the fall, when crafters are looking for winter projects.

Please don’t be disappointed if your sales are dropping a little right now. And don’t get discouraged. Keep creating, writing, and publishing. It will be worth it in the end when the snow starts flying and readers return to evenings with their books and e-readers. And keep marketing your work. Nothing could be worse than to have current and potential readers forget that you’re out there.

As for me, I’ll be out in my back yard with a nice cold iced tea, reading, writing and taking care of my garden.

Here's a Great Site for Freelance Writers

I’m constantly on the hunt for marketing ideas, so when I ran across this site I dropped in for a visit. I’m glad I did. The site is called Inkwell Editorial but it’s a lot more than that. Its creator, YuWanda Black, describes it as "The Authority Site on How to Start a Freelance Writing Career."

It won’t take long to figure out that she’s very successful. She’s authored 50 ebooks on freelance writing and small business topics in a single year. Her website is loaded with advice gleaned from her own experiences, and her credentials are impressive.

If you want to enhance your freelancing career, you want to visit this website. I recommend signing up for her free newsletter, if for no other reason than to download her free ebook titled "Living the Freelance Life."

This is one of the best writing and marketing resources I’ve found so far. Go check it out here

You’ve Got to See This Squidoo Lens

I was searching for help ebook writing websites the other day and ran across a Squidoo lens. I took a few minutes to glance through it, then went back and read it more thoroughly. Then I bookmarked it and printed out a copy. It’s that good. Author Dahlia Valentine literally guides you from title to publishing with her 57 tips (there are actually many more than that). Her advice is straight forward, down to earth, and effective.

The information and advice doesn’t end with this lens. She’s posted numerous other articles and resources for you to use as you need them. Inexperienced ebook writer/publishers will find lots of helpful information here, and seasoned writers will benefit as well. In short, everyone should take a look at this site.

As a bonus, this lens is an excellent example of a great Squidoo article. It’s here

OPPORTUNITIES is Back (And Better)

OPPORTUNITIES: How to Find Them and What to Do With Them is back. There were so many formatting errors that the book was basically unreadable. So we spent two days correcting, testing, and finally uploading it to Amazon. Then we checked it again.

So what’s next? We lowered the price of the book to $.99 and are planning another free giveaway. We realize we can’t make up for the error, but we’ll do everything we can to ensure that we never repeat this problem.

We still believe OPPORTUNITIES contains valuable information for our readers. The book is designed to help people of all ages and walks of life to improve their lives by finding new ways to take advantage of the many opportunities that come along every day.

If you’re interested in looking over the book, go here, or go to our Amazon Author Page. We think you’re going to like what you see.

Thank you for your patience with us, and for your continuing support.

An Apology

Our newest book, OPPORTUNITIES: How to Find Them and What to Do With Them, did not translate properly at Amazon.com. In fact, it was an absolute mess. Thankfully, no one paid for a copy. We sincerely apologize to those readers who downloaded free copies of the book. We’re in the process of correcting it, and will be offering it free next week.
We learned a valuable lesson with this release. Check, double check, and check again. We are also lowering the price from $1.99 to $.99 for a limited time, in case you miss the giveaway.

On the positive side, we’re making great progress on two books, Knit & Crochet for You - Vol 2, and 30 Remarkable Women You’ve Probably Never Heard Of. These books are currently scheduled for release in May and June.