Don't Make My Mistake

So, I wrote and pubbed a book, The Golden Key, that I'm really proud of.

It had three beta readers, two of them from AW. All of them amazing.

I bought a copy as soon as it released. Still looked good.

Then I advertised. I went with a guy from kboards who other folks there had used in the past, and he seemed to have good results.

But I forgot to check the Look Inside until the advertising run was over. Epic fail on my part.

This was the first book I've pubbed that included a map. The first thing potential readers saw when they pulled up the Look Inside was my map, stretched beyond recognition. I had to scroll down something like three pages worth to get to text.

At least the experience wasn't a complete loss, and it was money I could afford to lose. As part of the package, I got to use the Hidden Gems reviewer service much faster than I otherwise would. (Normally, they have something like a six-month waiting period.) The reviews were overall positive, and a few were incredible. My favorite: "Not what I expected. It was so much more."

But otherwise, I spent $230 to net about 25 sales. I figured I wouldn't break even because it was a novelette, and I was selling at $.99. Novelettes have much smaller potential audiences. But I was expecting to do better than that.

Then I checked the Look Inside. Aargh!

It was no problem to get the Look Inside fixed. An email to Amazon and a day's wait.

So, whenever you publish a book, buy a copy, and CHECK THE LOOK INSIDE. Learn from my mistake.

Thanks everyone.

I'm over it, and it was no big deal in the long run. Like I said, Golden Key was never going to be huge because of its length, and it was money I could afford to lose. I'm hoping I can spare someone else the same mistake, though, especially if their advertising was every last dime they could scrape up.