I've been an Amazon indie writer for three years now. I have six books published, a seventh release coming this spring, and I just started a new series. I have plenty of material and I'm going to keep on writing. But marketing has started to feel utterly pointless. I am still a total unknown, even after trying basically everything an indie is encouraged to do. I realise that if there was a surefire formula for success there would be no unknowns, but...
I've tried Facebook ads.
I've tried Goodreads ads.
I've tried Goodreads Giveaways.
I've tried Amazon ads.
I've tried mailing lists.
I've tried blog tours.
I've tried ad banners.
I've tried Twitter.
I've tried getting interviewed/reviewed by bloggers.
... and more. Nothing has EVER coincided with the tiniest blip on my sales chart, save for posting about new releases or offers on Reddit. And while I got my hopes up about Reddit for a little while it doesn't last.
I got a little burst of hope recently, contacted some folks, and actually got two bloggers of some mild note to feature me. The first one was the other day, and it had the same effect as everything else. This is not to slight the blogger in question, and I mean that. This stuff just doesn't work. The market is utterly flooded.
Nothing is going to happen by itself, but nothing is happening through my efforts either. It feels like effort entirely wasted.
The one thing I haven't done is socialise to any real degree on Twitter or Facebook. I tried it some, back in the day. But Facebook responses were a total flatline, and anything I put up on Twitter got two or three shares and two or three likes. And I find social media in general an utterly soul crushing exercise.
I don't know what to do or feel.
I've tried Facebook ads.
I've tried Goodreads ads.
I've tried Goodreads Giveaways.
I've tried Amazon ads.
I've tried mailing lists.
I've tried blog tours.
I've tried ad banners.
I've tried Twitter.
I've tried getting interviewed/reviewed by bloggers.
... and more. Nothing has EVER coincided with the tiniest blip on my sales chart, save for posting about new releases or offers on Reddit. And while I got my hopes up about Reddit for a little while it doesn't last.
I got a little burst of hope recently, contacted some folks, and actually got two bloggers of some mild note to feature me. The first one was the other day, and it had the same effect as everything else. This is not to slight the blogger in question, and I mean that. This stuff just doesn't work. The market is utterly flooded.
Nothing is going to happen by itself, but nothing is happening through my efforts either. It feels like effort entirely wasted.
The one thing I haven't done is socialise to any real degree on Twitter or Facebook. I tried it some, back in the day. But Facebook responses were a total flatline, and anything I put up on Twitter got two or three shares and two or three likes. And I find social media in general an utterly soul crushing exercise.
I don't know what to do or feel.