Author Topic: UPDATE 5-3 Book Launch Thread -- sweet contemporary romance (Read 2576 times) Tweet

Doglover · « **Reply #25 on:** April 27, 2017, 10:04:18 am »

Quote from: RRodriguez on April 27, 2017, 09:09:48 am

I don't think many people are suggesting that trauma such as hairloss can't be treated without a bit of a light touch. The heroine of the novel doesn't need to be moping and sad and woe is I the entirety of the novel-that just perpetuates the myth that those dealing with trauma or illnesses spend all of their free time dwelling on how crappy they've got it, when real life just isn't like that.

What I, and I think others, are suggesting, is that the "humor" category implies that her hairloss is a punchline, or that the reader is meant to laugh AT her, rather than with her. Jenny, it sounds like you do have an understanding of how to write about this topic and why it's so important for others to see lead characters who are like themselves, even if they don't necessarily fit the perfect model archetype. I don't think the issue here is writing about a character who going through this. Really, it's more than the categories show off the book in a negative light, implying messages I doubt you meant to include. Thankfully that's an easy fix, and I think the new categories you've chosen will do well for you in showing off your novel the way it was intended to be.

Precisely. It's not the subject matter, nor the way the heroine handles her afflication; it is the inclusion in the 'comedy' category that we were trying to warn about. For her own sake.

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S.L. · « **Reply #26 on:** April 27, 2017, 01:24:19 pm »

The book can be humorous and include comedy without the hair loss being the source of the comedy.

Becca Mills · « **Reply #27 on:** April 27, 2017, 01:52:09 pm »

I just read the Look Inside and liked it. Well written! There's not the slightest hint of making fun of the MC or her condition.

Maybe experiment with different ways pitch the blurb, promo-ing each one a bit to see if one works better than another? For instance, you could try a version of the blurb that teases about an unspecified health problem instead of identifying it. Once people start reading and connect with Meg, I don't think they'll be put off by the news of her diagnosis.

I hope it does well. I certainly want to read through to the end, having started.

Justawriter · « **Reply #28 on:** April 27, 2017, 05:52:49 pm »

The writing is really good! I think the challenge will be how to best position and market this, because the hair loss may be a tough sell for some. It's a tough subject and if people are looking for a lighthearted book, it's not a lighthearted thing. Maybe market it as women's fiction?

Becca Mills · « **Reply #29 on:** April 27, 2017, 07:03:35 pm »

Jenny, I finished the book today during gaps between student conferences. Enjoyed it very much! I do think it might be better categorized in women's lit. The romantic relationship doesn't feel that central to the book to me. Meg's struggle to come to terms with her alopecia feels like the heart of the story.

BellaJames · « **Reply #30 on:** April 27, 2017, 11:02:16 pm »

Quote from: Lee Sutherland on April 27, 2017, 09:26:06 am

Don't let the haters get you down. I don't see anything wrong with taking a humorous look at a tough subject. As long as you aren't making fun of it, what's the problem? People use humor to deal with tough issues all the time. And for what it's worth, there seem to be a fair handful of people on this board that walk around with a stick up their you-know-what just looking for something to complain about. I wish you the best with your launch and hope you find your audience.

The 1st part of your comment is

I think some people here have giving fair advice. Even what Doglover said makes sense, romance readers can be very passionate and opinionated. They will let you know how disappointed they are that you put a book in a romance category that is not a romance and if you make light of a serious subject, they will let you know with 1 star novel length reviews.

Do you read romances by chance?

If the book is focusing on an illness or disease and not on the relationship between two people who end up together happily ever after, then the book would do better out of the romance category and certainly not in the romantic comedy category. I read books that are romances where the characters are going through issues but the central theme of the book is about the relationship. Authors like Colleen Hoover writes these sorts of romances.

It would probably do better in women's fiction. There can be a romantic sub-plot but the main focus of the book is on the woman and what she is battling through and how her friends, family and her next partner supports her.

Will Edwards · « **Reply #31 on:** April 28, 2017, 02:55:24 am »

Quote from: Piano Jenny on April 26, 2017, 06:58:58 am

I was all jazzed from watching JA Huss's video course "The Perfect Year" and I spent a fair amount of time setting up image teasers and a Rafflecopter giveaway for both a signed paperback and a $25 gift card.

Yeah, I thought you had watch that course from your plan.

Quote

It is Day Three, and results have been disappointing, to say the least.

It's a pain in the ass that things keep changing. What worked yesterday, gets less effective over time - that's the problem we are all faced with.

It's what you do next that will determine whether or not you succeed. If you are determined to produce a body of work, build your network of supporters/fans and interlink everything, you'll get there in the end.

LadyG · « **Reply #32 on:** April 28, 2017, 03:19:35 am »

Quote from: Lee Sutherland on April 27, 2017, 01:24:19 pm

The book can be humorous and include comedy without the hair loss being the source of the comedy.

Of course it can. What others are saying here is that the categories the book has been been placed in give the impression that the hair loss is the source of the comedy. If potential readers believe that this is so, they might not read the book to see for themselves.

Cheryl Douglas · « **Reply #33 on:** April 28, 2017, 04:32:47 am »

Quote from: Doglover on April 27, 2017, 06:38:30 am

Contemporary women's fiction would be a MUCH more appropriate category.

First of all, congratulations on writing a book you're proud of and getting it out there! But I have to agree with this statement. Women's fiction sounds like the right category for this book. Some people don't realize how important it is to get your book in the right category. Often, that's how readers will find you, by searching their category of interest. Women's fiction are books written about a woman's journey. It sounds like this experience (hair loss) has definitely taken your character on a journey. How could it not, right? Even if her goal is to find love, that is probably secondary to her hair loss issue. I can imagine she dealt with a variety of issues as she learned to cope with this problem (fear, shame, embarrassment, self-esteem, hopelessness). It could make for a very engaging story as long as you are targeting the 'right' readers. This is crucial.
In terms of getting more readers for this book, I would suggest very targeted advertising. Do some research in the women's fiction category. Find books / authors you feel readers of your book would enjoy and try targeting them specifically with your ad. Good luck! I know a discouraging launch can be disappointing, but you have the lifetime of this book to help it find an audience.

Piano Jenny · « **Reply #34 on:** April 28, 2017, 05:33:43 am »

Quote from: Cheryl Douglas on April 28, 2017, 04:32:47 am

First of all, congratulations on writing a book you're proud of and getting it out there! But I have to agree with this statement. Women's fiction sounds like the right category for this book. Some people don't realize how important it is to get your book in the right category. Often, that's how readers will find you, by searching their category of interest. Women's fiction are books written about a woman's journey. It sounds like this experience (hair loss) has definitely taken your character on a journey. How could it not, right? Even if her goal is to find love, that is probably secondary to her hair loss issue. I can imagine she dealt with a variety of issues as she learned to cope with this problem (fear, shame, embarrassment, self-esteem, hopelessness). It could make for a very engaging story as long as you are targeting the 'right' readers. This is crucial.
In terms of getting more readers for this book, I would suggest very targeted advertising. Do some research in the women's fiction category. Find books / authors you feel readers of your book would enjoy and try targeting them specifically with your ad. Good luck! I know a discouraging launch can be disappointing, but you have the lifetime of this book to help it find an audience.

Thank you!
I dont see a category called contemporary women, though. I see womens literary fiction and contemporary womens fiction. Am i missing something, or did you mean one of those?

I set up to write a romantic comedy, but it looks like i didn't. Whattya know.

Doglover · « **Reply #35 on:** April 28, 2017, 06:04:18 am »

Quote from: Piano Jenny on April 28, 2017, 05:33:43 am

Thank you!
I dont see a category called contemporary women, though. I see womens literary fiction and contemporary womens fiction. Am i missing something, or did you mean one of those?

I set up to write a romantic comedy, but it looks like i didn't. Whattya know.

There is a category called women's fiction. If you want to sneak it into a category that isn't listed, put it in as a keyword. Don't forget, keywords can be more than one word. So you could have 'women's fiction adversity' all one keyword. Amazon seem to have a store of categories they don't tell anyone about. Good luck with it and please, don't take offence at anything I said. I have a tendency to be abrupt, but I sincerely wanted you to be aware of what you were letting yourself in for by using comedy as a category.

firstdraft · « **Reply #36 on:** April 28, 2017, 06:23:41 am »

I think your cover is great except for the word 'ONLY;' capitalised and not cursive like the rest of the title just doesn't seem right and throws me off. My brain wants to read the title like 'ONLY' is a name or even an acronym. If the emphasis is meant to be "OMG ONLY," I would personally try something different, maybe just slighly larger front than 'twenty-five.'

To me the word 'only' is a difficult one, cause it does look strange as capitals and with just a capital 'O' haha.

PearlEarringLady · « **Reply #37 on:** April 28, 2017, 06:51:11 am »

Quote from: Piano Jenny on April 28, 2017, 05:33:43 am

I set up to write a romantic comedy, but it looks like i didn't. Whattya know.

Join the club. I was positive I was writing fantasy romance. Took me several books to realise I wasn't.

Writing to market? Not my strong suit.

PS I enjoyed the book. Great characters, great cats and a lovely ending.

Mercedes Vox · « **Reply #38 on:** April 28, 2017, 08:49:37 am »

NOTHING TO SEE HERE.

AnnaBF · « **Reply #39 on:** April 28, 2017, 09:25:27 am »

Hi Piano Jenny,

Congratulations on publishing your second fiction book!

I was pulled in by the blurb and borrowed your book. I haven't read it yet but just wanted to comment on the category discussion. Both Debbie Macomber and Robyn Carr are categorized in Contemporary Fiction and Women's Fiction. They're traditionally published but I would classify their books as romances that also tackle serious subjects such as divorce, Alzheimer's, PTSD, infertility with a light touch and an HEA.

Although I should mention, as a reader, I never use categories to decide what I'm going to read. In romance, the book categorization on Amazon is a mess. If you look at the top 100 in romantic comedy, few of them look like what I would call comedy.

Cheryl Douglas · « **Reply #40 on:** April 28, 2017, 10:56:34 am »

Quote from: Piano Jenny on April 28, 2017, 05:33:43 am

Thank you!
I dont see a category called contemporary women, though. I see womens literary fiction and contemporary womens fiction. Am i missing something, or did you mean one of those?

I set up to write a romantic comedy, but it looks like i didn't. Whattya know.

Given those options, I'd choose contemporary women's fiction. As someone else said you can sneak into another smaller category with keywords too. I would definitely try that if you can find one that would be a good fit. With promo the smaller category could increase your visibility.

Piano Jenny · « **Reply #41 on:** May 03, 2017, 04:11:50 pm »

UPDATE on 5-3:
Obviously nothing is going to happen here unless I run a promo. Since this book is on KU, I ran a two-day free promo.

FREE PROMO DAY ONE
Freebooksy � $100
Hidden Gems Romance � $20
TOTAL: 3925 downloads
403 page reads

FREE PROMO DAY TWO
Sweet Free Books � $7
Ebook Itch -- $20
TOTAL: 913 downloads
203 page reads
1 mailing list subscriber

It hit #35 in FREE kindle store, #7 contemporary fiction � women�s and #8 in wombs fiction � romance

DAY AFTER THE PROMOS

12 sales
Zero page reads
Got as high as 16,483 in PAID kindle store
Didn�t come close to ranking in any categories
1 new 5-star review on Amazon

anniejocoby · « **Reply #42 on:** May 03, 2017, 04:20:57 pm »

Quote from: Piano Jenny on May 03, 2017, 04:11:50 pm

UPDATE on 5-3:
Obviously nothing is going to happen here unless I run a promo. Since this book is on KU, I ran a two-day free promo.

FREE PROMO DAY ONE
Freebooksy � $100
Hidden Gems Romance � $20
TOTAL: 3925 downloads
403 page reads

FREE PROMO DAY TWO
Sweet Free Books � $7
Ebook Itch -- $20
TOTAL: 913 downloads
203 page reads
1 mailing list subscriber

It hit #35 in FREE kindle store, #7 contemporary fiction � women�s and #8 in wombs fiction � romance

DAY AFTER THE PROMOS

12 sales
Zero page reads
Got as high as 16,483 in PAID kindle store
Didn�t come close to ranking in any categories
1 new 5-star review on Amazon

Say, it's still sticking around 17,000. Not bad!

Don't get too discouraged if things don't take off right away. Unfortunately, romance is so saturated. I never even tried to make things work in romance with one book - the only way that I got traction in the genre was to write in a series + get a BookBub ad for my permafree. If you stick with it and don't get discouraged, you can make pretty good money, but this is really a long game.

Good luck! You're off to a good start!

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Will Edwards