C. M. Skiera's Blog

Do you use online promotional websites to advertise your book giveaways and Kindle Countdown Deals ? If so, you've experienced the tedium of filling out practically the same information on all these online forms. And if you haven't used these promos yet, but intend to, the template below may save you some valuable time. I assembled this guide for myself to have all the necessary information at my fingertips to easily complete the promo forms for my book events. This simple resource allows me to easily cut-and-paste the required text to fill in the boxes. Feel free to copy and modify the template (i.e., delete my info and insert yours) for your own books, if this looks like something that may save you some time. It's also handy for submitting book review requests, blogger guest posts, etc. KDP Select Advertising Form Information Author Name: C. M. Skiera Author Website:   cm@yourresearchhelp.com Book Title: Mirrors & Mist Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/...

I originally started preparing this post when I began writing the first draft of Warlock & Wyrm over a year ago, but the article languished and before I got around to completing it, I'd finished the book instead. So, as I prepare to send Warlock & Wyrm to my editor, my thoughts drift to planning my next novel. Right now, this new story exists primarily in my head and on a MS Word document containing thoughts and ideas. The next step is to begin using some of my favorite writing software to morph this collection of ideas into the start of a first draft. Because I'm a plotter (and not a pantster), the planning stage is integral to my writing. You don't need these programs to write a book, but I've found through trial and error that they benefit my writing process greatly. For my first step, I'll use Dramatica to set up my story and ensure my characters have proper motivations and the plot is solid and well-developed. I've used the Dramatica software for...

For my most recent Amazon KDP Select ebook giveaway, I decided to purchase a promotion to help advertise the event. I reviewed the results of other authors' book promotions on IndieListers  and chose to give Bknights (on Fiverr ) a try, based on their reasonable prices and results. I purchased a $10 promotional package for Bknights to market my ebook on their site ( digitalbookspot.com ) that has over 4,800 active readers. I ran my Mirrors & Mist Amazon giveaway on June 3 and 4, 2016. In total, I gave away 320 books, which was about three times the amount during my last KDP event in April, 2016 (95 ebooks), where I only promoted my giveaway on free websites . In addition to giving away 320 ebooks, I also sold 10 copies of my first book, Crimson & Cream , during the two-day promotional period (which is 10 ebooks more than I sold in the days before and after the promo). These indirect 'offshoot' sales covered the cost of the Bknights ad, and then some. I actuall...

Did you know there are over 250 websites where an author can promote their book deals and giveaways? To me, that number is daunting. How do you create a strategy to advertise your books with so many options and so little data on actual performance results? I recently read a guest post on Indies Unlimited by Jason B. Ladd of IndieListers , a new website that features a free database of book promotion results. You have to sign up to view the results (and to enter your own data to share, if you wish), but registration is free, so I joined the site. The  IndieListers  database displays actual performance results uploaded by authors on their advertising purchases. Currently, there are over 300 entries posted by authors on their various ad campaigns. What kind of results are posted? You can find the following information (depending on the level of detail the author provides while entering the data): The name of the advertising service(s) used, The fees paid to run the a...