[Note: I'm also on the
Indelible's blog today (link).]
I've always loved taking fun quizzes (
not school quizzes).
Like back when I used to get my
Sassy magazine (I had a subscription), I always liked filling out those surveys that told you if
That Boy Was a No! or a Go!
 |
I saw him first.
Neener neener. |
Or if I had a
Bookish Betty personality or a
Bubbling Brooke... (I made those up in case you're wondering. #nerdalert)
So anyway, I've bumped into a
Burning Question, and I've decided to turn it into a fun survey for
YOU, reader-friends! (
whee!!!)
Here, sit down. I'll French braid your hair while I explain it to you.
It's about
Amazon Categories and buying books from online bookstores...
Background: On Sept. 4, 2012, when I hit "publish" on my very first indie book
The Truth About Faking (link), I was pretty ignorant about how to reach readers.
I mean, we're talking about a place where there's no bookstore, no clerk, no nothing.
How do I let people know what to expect? Well, first write a good book blurb, and then there's this...
 |
| Where do I belong? |
Amazon gives indie authors
two choices for where to put their books, taken from pre-established
BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communications) categories.
The Truth About Faking is a light romantic comedy in which a 16-year-old girl falls in love with one guy while chasing another. Several things happen, and by the end of the story, she realizes things aren't always as they appear and not to judge books by their covers.
That's the short version. So, I say...
Category 1: Juvenile > Fiction > Love & Romance
Category 2: Fiction > Genre Fiction > Coming of Age
There's no "Teen" or "YA" category, so my additional search terms (Amazon allows
seven) are: romance, teen, clean, romantic comedy, chicklit, contemporary, young adult
Easy peasy, yes?
Well, it was in September. Readers found the book, it was exactly what they expected, and they either liked it or didn't. Lucky for me, most of them liked it--
yaaay!
Fast-forward six months, and mixed in with the 5-star (happy!) reviews, I'm seeing more 2- or 3-stars complaining either, "I didn't expect this to be so innocent." Or, "High school." Or, my latest 2-star review: "Honestly, this was not a bad read, it was just too young for me. But there were some good messages."
Me = *head scratching*
[Important Note: The reviews are NOT the point. I am NOT slamming these reviewers.]
The Point is finding my
intended audience in this new bookstore setting.
I don't want people buying my book expecting one thing and getting something that makes them feel...
frustrated. But even
more importantly, I want to connect with the readers I'm writing for. I want them to find the book I wrote for
them.
So here's the Sassy Survey! Answering the Burning Question, "How do you buy books on Amazon (or online)?" (
Whee! Let's see what we learn; fill in the blanks are
optional but helpful!)
Create your free online surveys with
SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.
And please
tell me in the comments your thoughts. Is there some other method I haven't thought about? For example, some people only buy books recommended by friends. Is that you?
* * *
Now bring on the Blood & Snow!
Blood and Snow: The Complete Set
by RaShelle Workman
(YA Paranormal)
Every thousand years the Vampire Queen selects a new body, always the fairest in the land, and this time she's chosen Snow White.
Snow isn't an ordinary girl. She doesn't know that yet.
When Snow gets bitten by a Hunter, her life is thrown into a whirlwind of change where instead of worrying about what to eat, she has to fight not to drink the blood of fellow high school students. She becomes a revenant - not quite human, not quite vampire.
With the help of an eccentric old Professor, his seven adopted sons, and her best friend, Snow learns to control her blood craving. Sort of. She drinks a bloodlust tea, but she'd rather drink from her Hunter.
Or, a human.
She also discovers a whole other realm, one filled with fairies, dragons, and magic. And not only does the Vampire Queen want her, but there's a pendant called the Seal of Gabriel created for Snow by the Vampire Queen's twin sister. And Snow's supposed to use it to restore balance to all magical creatures. Including vampires.
ON AMAZON | ON GOODREADS
RASHELLE WORKMAN lives on a mountain with her husband, three children, and three dogs. From her back porch she can see the city lights and imagine...
is being translated into Turkish, and will be available in print wherever Turkish books are sold in 2014), the Immortal Essence series, and the Blood and Snow series.
