No Pressure Book Advertising

#indieauthors #writerslife #amwritingromance #RomanceReaders #paranormalromance

I ran across something interesting the other day, and I wanted to try it. I have used excerpts before as ad cards. The one here is from Fire and a Gryphon. They are on Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram and on occasion I have even put them on Twitter and Facebook. The more involved storyboard tiles have been turned into book trailer videos on YouTube. I like them because they offer a taste of my story style and an opportunity to glimpse a bit of my work so that they reader can become acquainted with the dream. But cards like this one have a limited scope. I have to hope that someone stops to take the time to read the message and becomes intrigued enough to desire to purchase the book. Obviously, my target audience would be readers of adult fantasy and paranormal romance. So I can hope that they might choose to read.

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I had not thought about single quotes before. I mean I have seen them, but it had not actually occurred to me that they too might be useful. You might think it is strange, but I have learned that I can't know everything at once. Sometimes, what would seem so obvious just gets overlooked. So I crafted a quote card for A Pack Forms, but if you read the series, you will come to know that Eli says that phrase in other books too so it is not wasted words.

​Quote cards serve a similar purpose as excerpts. For those who have read the first book, it might remind them of the series again. For those who have not yet stepped into the dream, maybe they will be curious enough to check it out. So now I think I need to craft more quote cards and start putting them out. Just one more thing on the list of ways to 'no pressure' sell fiction. Who knows? Quotes might just be the thing for some readers who don't have a lot of time to read a blurb or a full excerpt when they are idly scrolling through Twitter or Instagram. But it might be just enough to spark their interest. That is what low pressure advertising is supposed to do, make an offer to someone for something they already desire in the hopes it will be a good fit for both the reader and the author. I want a genuine relationship with readers who value my stories. I don't want to be a used car salesman, and I get that my stories might not appeal to everyone all the time. That's good. Different and diverse are good. No one wants to live in a boring world.

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Once again, the imagery I choose needs to be good too. I deliberately choose not to cover my books in flesh because while my stories have a decidedly sexy element, there is more romance and fantasy involved. High quality images like the cover of the forbye novel Synner and Sainte grab people's attention in a good way. What I never want to do is lie to any of my readers about my books. I don't want anyone to feel misled. So I try to remember to note important details like the fact that my work is adult fantasy and some of the themes are dark. Synner and Sainte, for example, explores a strange harem situation based on a dead witch's words.​ Sure, I might earn royalties from the sale of one book, but I will never sell a second book to the misled reader. I also might hurt my sales because that one misled reader might counsel others not to consider my work. Selling fiction is a long haul slow build up business in my experience. ​No get rich quick. Just a labor of love that the author wants to share with others, and the basis of any relationship needs to be honesty. My books must be high quality in order to compete with books from traditional publishers, and I need to be honest about what I write as much as I am honest about how I operate my business. 

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I hope you enjoy seeing some of the behind the scenes from the dream. If you have only just found me, welcome. Don't forget to grab your FREE short read before you go. If you have been following me for a while, allow me to take the opportunity to remind you that Dragon Masters is launching March 23. If you have not grabbed your copy, get it while it is at the debut 20% off price. Blue and Torch have returned, but this time they are in the starring role. Their Valkyrie arrive, but institutionalized slaves present some serious issues for the two red dragons.

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This weekend, the Storyboard Preview for Filth and Death will be uploaded all over social media. If you have not read it, it might be the best book currently published. (But I am a bit biased. LOL) It was a massive work and a great story. So watch for the preview and see if you like it. I have to run. Work calls. If you read please leave your kind reviews. 
Be Careful!
Happy reading,
​Ophelia Kee