Advertising for self-publishing when you want to keep your identity a secret.

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android415

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Hey all,

I realized that I've reached a crossroads here.

Just some info, in case you all were wondering.

I self published my novel over the summer. I've had mild interest. I've done mostly free promo (in preparation for the second book in the series) but for several weeks I had the book priced at 2.99, totaling about 1000 books sold (downloaded?) and $15 made (yay! haha). I got posted on a couple of free for kindle sites, which is where the interest comes from, I guess.

I have 5 ratings on Goodreads, but no reviews.

The crossroads I am at is that I write under a pen name, and have no intention of attaching my face/real life to this work. It's just not what I want to do at this time. Maybe in the future, but not now.

But I feel this may be inhibiting my sales, because my about me is super generic. No picture, yet, etc. I do have a tumblr account with some followers though.

So, my question is, to anyone out there who is self published but intends/hoping that their work remains separate from real life names, is a good middle ground possible? How do you navigate this?
 

thothguard51

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There is no written rule that says your picture must accompany any profile you have on the internet.

I would not worry about it until one of the big five offers a 7 figure number and wants your picture on the back of the book jacket.
 

Parametric

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I have an anonymous pen name and I've just kept it generic. No picture, no details. I mention that I'm from the UK because of the British English spelling, but that's all. Nobody's ever asked for a picture, and if they did, I'd just use a book cover.
 

Polenth

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My identity isn't secret, but I dislike using my photo, so I usually don't (it's there if people search my website or look at my Amazon profile in more detail, but I don't use it as an avatar). You want some sort of picture for online sites though, as having nothing makes accounts look generic and not serious. It doesn't have to be you, but you need something.

You can make an about me look specific without giving away any details. "Bob is a fantasy author who dreams of owning a pink dragon with green polkadots," is specific. But it tells you nothing about Bob's real life.
 

J. Tanner

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But I feel this may be inhibiting my sales

I wouldn't worry about that. Readers generally don't seem to look and those few who do don't seem to care.

Mine has been professional(ish), straigtforward, and completely outrageous and it makes no measurable difference. (Since it doesn't matter, I enjoy the outrageous I have now on Author Central. My photo indicates I'm a goat, and my profile claims I invented the moon.)

Discovery is the big obstacle, and your online profile isn't a significant inhibitor to that challenge regardless of what it contains (within reason). Do whatever you're comfortable with.
 
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android415

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I wouldn't worry about that. Readers generally don't seem to look and those few who do don't seem to care.

Mine has been professional(ish), straigtforward, and completely outrageous and it makes no measurable difference. (Since it doesn't matter, I enjoy the outrageous I have now on Author Central. My photo indicates I'm a goat, and my profile claims I invented the moon.)

Discovery is the big obstacle, and your online profile isn't a significant inhibitor to that challenge regardless of what it contains (within reason). Do whatever you're comfortable with.

I guess I should specify then. I would like to get interactive with my readers to stir up interest. A lot of self published authors say that doing so can help drum up sales--interviews, blogging, etc. How can I do that if I'm protecting my identity?
 

Rina Evans

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Many self-pubbed authors have blogs, Twitter accounts, and so on, but only use pen names. They just make up an identify and establish it.

If you already have followers through your real name, I guess that's a drawback of going with an anonymous pen name. You obviously can't tie your real name to the pen name to help you out, so you'll just have to register pen names and start from the ground up. You don't have to give your personal info, and you don't have to lie either. It's been done.
 

Old Hack

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I'll move this to our book promotion room.

Android, once the thread reaches its new home take a look at the "How To Promote Your Book Like A Human Being And Not An SEO Dweeb" thread there. It's very good.
 

bearilou

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I'm sort of in the same boat myself.

I have my self-publishing identity and I have to keep it separate from the real me. This puts a hamper on a lot of things I can do and purchase. Like getting covers made. I have to give them my paypal account which has my real name.

Or if I wanted to get professional editing. Paying requires real name.

Now I'm not suggesting that someone would use that to nefarious advantage but it does create a link, however remote and obscure, that I'm seriously trying to avoid.

So, I'm squatting in this thread for any nuggets of info as well.
 

J. Tanner

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I guess I should specify then. I would like to get interactive with my readers to stir up interest. A lot of self published authors say that doing so can help drum up sales--interviews, blogging, etc. How can I do that if I'm protecting my identity?

Okay, that indeed is different from your "about me" (or bio) that you mentioned before.

But I don't see how that's a problem. You just do so using your pen name, don't use a photo, and don't go into detailed personal information. You can still talk pretty much anonymously on social media or other internet outlets just like you are doing right now here.
 

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My problem is writing - fairly hardcore - erotica I don't want my family, work colleagues and so on to read it and I don't necessarily want to be connnected to non-erotic works that I write in the future. However, I view myself as slightly literary and I want to show it to people, and feel that the people who know me in real life and on numerous internet forums are exactly who I need to give me that initial push. I don't know, maybe it's my imagination ... but I really hate the anonymity angle, so I wanted to sympathise!
 

J. Tanner

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I have my self-publishing identity and I have to keep it separate from the real me. This puts a hamper on a lot of things I can do and purchase. Like getting covers made. I have to give them my paypal account which has my real name.

Are you sure about that? You can set up a business account on paypal using your business name (pen name) and business email address and that's all the info the payer/payee sees about you. The only link would be within PayPal itself without going the extra step of starting a business.
 

bearilou

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Are you sure about that? You can set up a business account on paypal using your business name (pen name) and business email address and that's all the info the payer/payee sees about you. The only link would be within PayPal itself without going the extra step of starting a business.

No, I'm not sure. So, the only people who'd know my real name and tie it to my pen name is paypal? If so, that would be just fine.

I'll investigate that angle. Thanks JT!

edit: I didn't mean to make this all about me.

android, for my pen name I have a facebook, twitter and blog all set up and in use. I interact a little bit every day, using mostly my blog to talk about writing, my plans for the 'brand', general news and business in the self-publishing field, and writing in erotica specifically. I have the gmail address and all the signup email addresses and back up addresses going through yet another email address and I use googlechrome so it's all set up in a separate identity and tab so when I open it, I effectively 'step into that persona' and haven't had any cross pollination yet. So far, it hasn't confused me.
 
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MumblingSage

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Lots of people, especially in erotica, manage a separate writer's identity. Sometimes working anonymously can be a selling point (adds an element of mystery).

For my part, I keep getting frustrated when I'm logged into Real Me on Facebook and try to do Pen Name Things on Goodreads...web integration is not always a perk. But so long as you double-check who you are before doing anything, it's easy enough to keep straight (I did once advertise my pen name's erotica on my personal Facebook...nobody seemed to find it strange. If I'm ever confronted, my pen name is "a friend".)

For a complete thread derail, I confess I'm wondering how 1,000 books sold at $2.99 only nets $15?
 

android415

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Lots of people, especially in erotica, manage a separate writer's identity. Sometimes working anonymously can be a selling point (adds an element of mystery).

For my part, I keep getting frustrated when I'm logged into Real Me on Facebook and try to do Pen Name Things on Goodreads...web integration is not always a perk. But so long as you double-check who you are before doing anything, it's easy enough to keep straight (I did once advertise my pen name's erotica on my personal Facebook...nobody seemed to find it strange. If I'm ever confronted, my pen name is "a friend".)

For a complete thread derail, I confess I'm wondering how 1,000 books sold at $2.99 only nets $15?

Thanks for this info.

Oh, I did not explain that well. I was saying that my book was mostly free. I had a couple weeks (maybe like 3) where it wasn't, aka initially before it was price matched by Amazon. That's where I got my $15, which I spent promptly on some moscato.
 

android415

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No, I'm not sure. So, the only people who'd know my real name and tie it to my pen name is paypal? If so, that would be just fine.

I'll investigate that angle. Thanks JT!

edit: I didn't mean to make this all about me.

android, for my pen name I have a facebook, twitter and blog all set up and in use. I interact a little bit every day, using mostly my blog to talk about writing, my plans for the 'brand', general news and business in the self-publishing field, and writing in erotica specifically. I have the gmail address and all the signup email addresses and back up addresses going through yet another email address and I use googlechrome so it's all set up in a separate identity and tab so when I open it, I effectively 'step into that persona' and haven't had any cross pollination yet. So far, it hasn't confused me.

Also thanks to JT, I'm going to look into that. I totally bought the cover of my book with my ~real name~. So now, that person knows.

Anyway, thanks for responding. I think I will move into a twitter account yet. I just....am not that interesting though. Well, "me" as in my pen name. My real life is fascinating & I would have tons to tweet about in that case.
 

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No, I'm not sure. So, the only people who'd know my real name and tie it to my pen name is paypal? If so, that would be just fine.

That's what it looks like to me. My friends set up an account to take donations for a group project, to which I later donated. I know who's behind it, but I can't find any trace of their real names through the Paypal transactions. All I see is XYZ Group which is the "business" account they set it up under. I don't see a reason why XYZ Group couldn't be Sue D. Nim.
 

MumblingSage

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Thanks for this info.

Oh, I did not explain that well. I was saying that my book was mostly free. I had a couple weeks (maybe like 3) where it wasn't, aka initially before it was price matched by Amazon. That's where I got my $15, which I spent promptly on some moscato.

That is an excellent choice of purchase.

And thanks for the info! I know Amazon royalties can drop pretty sharp once you're priced for less than $2.99, but it seemed a bit weird to me!
 

K.B. Parker

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Android, what was the rationale behind listing your book as free? Free can be a very effective tool, if done right. Otherwise, it may just be wasted. The power of free comes when you have other books available for purchase, preferably in a series. The first book can serve as a loss leader, leading readers to purchase your subsequent books.

Without those subsequent books, I think you're working against yourself. I don't remember where, but I read a survey that suggested that most free books go unread. I don't remember the exact figures, but I've got about 50 free books sitting on my kindle and I've only read one to date.
 

android415

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Android, what was the rationale behind listing your book as free? Free can be a very effective tool, if done right. Otherwise, it may just be wasted. The power of free comes when you have other books available for purchase, preferably in a series. The first book can serve as a loss leader, leading readers to purchase your subsequent books.

Without those subsequent books, I think you're working against yourself. I don't remember where, but I read a survey that suggested that most free books go unread. I don't remember the exact figures, but I've got about 50 free books sitting on my kindle and I've only read one to date.

Well, I guess the rationale is just I am a new author, and I'm not convinced anyone would take a chance on me. I don't think I have enough reviews, or really, any sort of following for people to pay for it.

The idea is that if I can drum up enough positive reviews (and I don't have any yet), I will then price it higher. Believe you me, I would have loved to charge for all 1000 of those books.

I am working on some more books, but they are simply not ready yet.

edit: Also, by being free, I get free publicity, essentially, for my kindle books, especially if a lot of people download. I'm in the top 10 for one of the sections, too. I don't know how to get people to see and buy my book if it has no reviews, and is number 789,999 in paid.

Is this bad?
 
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merrihiatt

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I don't believe it's bad. There are several reasons to offer a title free, the biggest for me has been exposure. As you said, it can be difficult to get someone to read an unknown author. Offering a title free gets eyes on your work. As KB said, it works better if you have additional books available. Generally, if folks like the first title, they'll come along with you on the journey for the rest of the series and might even pick up other titles not in the series. There are benefits beyond sales, in my opinion.
 

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I don't know what most readers like but I do like seeing an author photo and feel a bit put out if there isn't one.

I use a pen name and my real photo but changed up a little bit. You can easily wear a wig, sunglasses, etc. so you won't be easily recognized by your photo. Same with the bio. It's not a job resume, you aren't required to tell details that identify you.

But then, even a pen name is just one barrier and no guarantee of absolutely secrecy. I prefer my privacy but if anyone finds out, well, I guess I could have bigger skeletons in my closet than that. :)
 
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