Promote Your Book: Strategies for Amazon Success

As I shared last week, I have a review on Reedsy for Technomancer. It’s a good review (I think), but alone it has not ignited a flurry of sales.

So now what?

My next step is to promote the book through the Amazon ecosystem. This will take a couple of approaches. One is to run a Kindle Countdown Deal or Free Book Promotion. However, to run a KDP Countdown Deal promotion, books are required to be enrolled in KDP Select and to have had no price changes for 30 days. Since I uploaded a new copy of the text on March 7th, that is the data my pricing was “last changed”, meaning the countdown deal can’t start until April 7th.

The other option is to launch a Sponsored Products campaign. This seems to be a bit more involved. A mentor has suggested I use roughly 40% of my expected sales to advertise, but I’m not ready to pull the trigger on that quite yet. My other books are selling, so I’ll investigate setting up some ads, and then report back here in a regular Marketing Monday posting. 

Until then,I’ve gone ahead and set the countdown deal to start on April 7th, so if you want to get Technomancer at a discount, buy a copy then. 

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Discover Technomancer: A Comprehensive Book Review

A review of Technomancer has gone live on Reedsy today. If you are interested in learning more about the story than I have written here, check it out. Read the review here.

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Overcoming Writing Blocks: Tips to Reignite Your Muse

I’ve hit a little block on my two works-in-progress. Neither is fully blocked, in so far that I know where I want the story to go, but both are feeling more like work to write at the moment. Since the first 25k words in each came almost effortlessly, it gives a pause when it starts to feel like a slog.

How do I battle this stall in my writing?

First, as mentioned in a prior post, I’ve been listening to some podcasts and letting the skills and tools of writing inspire me. I’d give this about a 25%-50% chance of re-energizing my muse.

The other thing I’ve been considering is a re-write of “A New Past” to make it more mainstream by editing out or modifying the erotic elements of the story. I spend several hours migrating the content of Book One into my current writing tool (Ulysses) which allows me to break up the chapters into individual scenes. I’ve then gone through each scene and flagged if it contains explicit content or not.

Book One of A New Past weighs in at 186,492 words, not counting the timeline in the appendix. This breaks down into 19 chapters, and 165 scenes or sections across the book. Of those, 24 (14.5%) of the scenes have some level of explicit content. 

Re-writing 24 scenes to remove the explicit descriptions or acts does not seem too daunting. However, I’m trying to decide if it is worth it. It likely is, from a sales and revenue perspective, since it would enable me to advertise the book more effectively. 

The challenge of rewriting these chunks of the story will be making certain the rest of the tale isn’t affected. I try to make the explicit scenes part of the characters, and some aspects actually drive significant story arcs, so they can’t just be cut. 

What’s interesting, to me at least, is that performing the mundane tasks of importing the novel and breaking it into scenes and reviewing the content has given me some ideas on my works-in-progress as well.

Drop me a comment here, and let me know if you think creating a “PG-13” version of “A New Past” is a worthwhile effort. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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Technomancer Review: A Unique Sci-Fi Fantasy Adventure

Excerpt from a reviewer:

Loved it! 😍

This genre-bending novel is firmly at the intersection of technology and magic, with a solid foot in each world.

Technomancer provides a unique and fascinating story line as the author weaves our technologically advanced world with the magically enhanced yet industrially deficient world of Elysia in such a way that readers may pause to consider the profound implications here. The protagonists learn to look beyond their single-focused perspectives as Finn seeks to mingle the 1s and 0s of his world with the sigils and spells of Elara’s. What would a marriage of these two worlds look like, and what would result from such an action?

Themes of revenge, loyalty, courage, and good vs evil are interwoven with action and suspense playing out in both realms. The stakes are high, and will require significant devotion, faithfulness, and cunning. No two people are better suited for this than the unlikely pair of Elara, the priestess’ young acolyte and Finn, the world class quantum computing engineer. Chaos and order hang in the balance.

Fans of science fiction, fantasy, action/adventure, and even romantic suspense will enjoy this tight-knit novel of power, chaos, and justice.

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Understanding Character Depth Through the Lens of Who

I recently started to get caught up on Writing Excuses, Season 20 while commenting into work. Specifically, Episode 5: Lens 1 – Who. The discussion introduces “the lens of who” — which means talking about characters. This is a great refresher on making characters that are multi-dimensional by showing them through different “lenses”. A key take-away is the idea that our characters have different sets of experiences, which should mean if they each described the same think, they most likely would have different takes on the scene or event. 

While I don’t want to spoil the whole episode, there were a couple ideas I latched onto around crafting a character background or back story. The ideas were questions writers should ask and answer about their characters to give them greater depth and context for how they view the world. The questions are:

“What is the lie your character believes about the world?”

And:

“What is the truth your character is afraid to learn?”

These may be related to one another, or completely different, depending on the character, author, and story. If the author knows the answers to these questions, they can craft details that will make the character more real for the reader. Let’s see how I can retroactively answer these for one of my recent characters, without creating story spoilers.

Finn is one of the main characters from Technomancer. While it is never really said in the book, he believes that an intelligent individual of strong character can successfully battle entrenched evil in the government. This is a lie, though it is open to debate, obviously. The truth he is afraid to learn is that the rational rules of science he believes in cannot explain the world he is transported into. He struggles to learn more, observe more, and make his observations fit this worldview. Unfortunately, the things that happen to him do not actually fit into his view of how the world operates. His view does not address the reality of gods and chaos that permeate Elara’s realms., though he continues to try and shoehorn things into a scientific mindset.

I think these two elements come through in the tale, but you readers will have to weigh in and let me know if I’ve succeeded. 

I’ll be adding these questions to my Character Template available for download by subscribers. I encourage you to listen to the podcast as well as subscribe here to get the templates.

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Technomancer is available on Kindle

Technomancer is available for Kindle.

I am working with some reviewers to get more marketing material and reviewer comments, after which I will enroll it in KDP Select for three months. The KDP Select program is supposed to reach more readers, since Kindle Unlimited readers can read your book without buying the full Kindle edition. KDP Select works can also be advertised and promoted on the Amazon platform. Stay tuned for updates as these next steps are taken for marketing the book.

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Balancing Real Life and Fictional Worlds

Sorry for the break in posting. I’ve been busy working to make ends meet with my real job and fallen off the writing bandwagon a little. Now that I’m being productive in the real world, I’m ready to jump back into the fictional worlds in my head. 

I’ve been toying with two story ideas that I think could make interesting tales. Both are set in more of a modern fantasy genre with heavy elements of the real world, which means the characters, settings, and conflicts are going to have to be something readers can relate to. 

“Skipper”

The most advanced idea (I’ve gotten about 35,000 words written) tackles the trope of time-travel/reincarnation where the main character dies at the beginning of the story and is sent back to their younger self with a chance at doing things over. This is the same macro-plot I used in the A New Past trilogy. However, this idea takes a different twist where the main character doesn’t go back to their younger self, but rather to a family member in the previous generation. So, instead of reincarnating in themselves, they are born as their uncle, or father, or grandfather, etc. 

This obviously creates a possibility of them creating a paradox, which can be a form of conflict. If they change things, maybe they won’t even be born, so the stakes are high. However, there are a few other twists I’ve got in mind that may make it more interesting.

”Small Powers”

The second idea is based on a random thought about superheroes and special powers. In all of the comic book tropes, some event happens that transforms the character into a super-powered hero or villain. My random thought was what powers would look like if they were more naturally emergent. What if they were little powers that could not do all that much on their own? 

I think this has the potential to make the characters much more relatable and interesting. Obviously, if they are in our contemporary world, they will have enough paranoia to not reveal their powers unless they want to risk the government swooping in to study them, or recruit them for some secret cabal. At the same time, they will feel isolated since they can’t share what is happening to them. I’ve written about 25,000 words on this story, so it is developing as well.

Long forms

Both of these tales are running long for me. Each are roughly a third or a quarter of the length I would like the final novels to be (roughly 120,000 words or less). I’m worried I’m not editing enough as I go, but decided after grinding through Technomancer in four months at 117,000 words, that I would let my muse take me where she will.

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Marketing Mondays: The Synopsis Conundrum

Yesterday, I shared some of my efforts at creating a marketing synopsis for Technomancer. While the book is not posted for purchase yet, I need the summary for the sales pages on various sights, and also want to have a slug I can share with potential reviewers.

A synopsis can be a writer’s nemesis but also the most sought-after selling tool. But how do we do it justice without sacrificing the integrity of our story?

In today’s digital age, a well-crafted synopsis is more crucial than ever. It’s often the first impression potential readers have of your book, and can make or break their decision to buy. So, how do you write a synopsis that will entice readers without selling them short?

The Challenges of Writing a Synopsis

  1. Compression vs. Clarity: How much information can we realistically include in 500 words (or less)? The danger is in losing the essence of your story or oversimplifying it to the point of clarity.
  2. Tone and Voice: A synopsis should be written in the same tone as the book itself, but this can be tricky to achieve. Do you stick to a formal, objective voice or inject some personality?
  3. Avoid Spoilers: You want to entice readers without giving away too much of the story. This delicate balance is crucial.
  4. Focusing on the Core: What’s the heart of your novel? Is it a character’s journey, a plot twist, or a world-building concept? Make sure you highlight these key elements.

Tips for Writing an Engaging Synopsis

  1. Start with a Hook: Grab readers’ attention with a compelling opening sentence or two.
  2. Focus on the Main Character: Introduce your protagonist and convey their drive, motivation, and conflict.
  3. Highlight the Stakes: What do the characters stand to gain or lose? Make this clear to create tension and urgency.
  4. Use Active Voice: Keep your writing concise and engaging by using active voice instead of passive.
  5. Emphasize Themes: What themes does your book explore? Give readers a sense of what they can expect from your story.

Examples of Effective Synopses

  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813)
    Jane Austen’s 1813 romantic novel Pride and Prejudice follows Elizabeth, the second eldest of the five Bennet sisters, known for her wit and intelligence. The Bennets live comfortably in the English countryside, but there’s one big problem: Since Mr. Bennet’s estate can only be passed down to a male heir, it’s imperative that at least one sisters marry before their father dies. Things get complicated when Mr. Bingley, a wealthy bachelor, moves into town and appears to take an interest in Jane, the eldest Bennet sister. The friendly Mr. Bingley stands in contrast to his (even wealthier) friend Mr. Darcy, who snubs Elizabeth, earning a reputation for snobbishness that is seemingly confirmed when he later discourages Mr. Bingley from proposing to Jane. Meanwhile, Bingley isn’t the only man with desires for the Bennet sisters. As they navigate proposals, friendship, and family, both Jane and Mr. Darcy begin to realize they may have judged one another too harshly. (Link to original post.)
  • Look at this concise, engaging synopsis for The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, which captures the essence of the story in just a few sentences.

Conclusion

Writing a compelling synopsis is an art form that requires careful consideration. By focusing on your core story elements, using active voice, and crafting a hook-laden opening, you can entice readers to buy your book without sacrificing its integrity. Remember, the goal is not to summarize every detail but to capture the essence of your novel and pique their interest.

A well-crafted synopsis can give readers a glimpse into your world, and they might just fall in love with your story.

Share Your Thoughts!

What challenges do you face when writing a synopsis? How do you approach this task? Share your experiences and tips in the comments below!


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Crafting a Compelling Book Summary

Summarizing a novel always feels tough for me. Maybe I’m too close to the content and want too many details in the summary. Maybe I don’t know what really engages potential readers to attract their interest. Now that I’ve finished polishing my first draft of Technomancer, I need to come up with a punchy summary that will make readers want to buy the book. This post will cover these attempts.

First Pass:

The first teaser I drafted was simple, straight forward, and utterly un-engaging (even to me):

Sinister forces have captured Elara in her magical realm and forced her out into a world of strange technology. Finn, an engineer in that world is fighting his own shadow-battle against the surveillance regime he once helped build. Together, they face overwhelming odds to fight for justice.

At least the teaser is short, under 300 characters and about 50 words, but I don’t think it really tells much about why readers would want to download a sample and eventually read the novel. Time to try again.

Second Attempt

Elara, a young priestess of the Moon Goddess, is captured, cursed, and transported to a technologically advanced world to search for a person of power. Thrown together with Finn, a brilliant but reclusive engineer, she joins him to expose the corrupt forces exploiting technology for gain and bring about justice. A thrilling tale of intrigue, magic, technology, and self-discovery.

This isn’t bad. It stays under 400 characters (60 words), and makes some promises about the story that should appeal to readers. It may be a good enough summary, but I don’t think it really covers the breadth of the story. I want a few more details to engage readers, so will give it one more go.

Third Time

Immerse yourself in a world where ancient magic collides with cutting-edge technology.

In a realm where magic, balance and caring reign supreme, a young priestess named Elara is ripped from her sacred duties and transported to a strange, technology filled land. Her connection to the Moon Goddess – the source of her power and guidance – is shattered by a dark and powerful spell, leaving her vulnerable to the whims of an evil magician.

As Elara navigates this unfamiliar world, she must confront the sinister forces that seek to control her every move. But she’s not alone. Finn, a brilliant and enigmatic engineer, joins her quest, bringing his expertise in the fight against
corrupt forces that exploit technology for their own gain.

Together, they embark on a heart-pumping adventure to expose the truth and bring justice to a world on the brink of chaos. With the spell whispering dark instructions in her mind, Elara must confront the shadows within herself and decide where her true loyalties lie. Will she find the strength to overcome the magician’s control and forge her own path, or will she become a pawn in a larger game of power and deception?

Dive into this electrifying tale of magic, technology, and self-discovery, where the boundaries between good and evil are tested, and the true meaning of courage and loyalty is revealed. Join Elara and Finn on their perilous quest to reclaim their world and uncover the secrets that will change everything.

This is obviously quite a bit longer (250 words), but I think it also does a better job of focusing on one of the main characters and introduces several of the conflicts that are involved in her journey.

I’ve shared the opening chapters of Technomancer in prior posts. I’ll be opening up a beta reader process soon for people who have subscribed to my blog. The beta reader process will include free access to the completed book in trade for specific feedback on the story. What do you think? Leave a comment and subscribe if you are interested in signing up as a beta reader. Stay tuned to learn more!

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