How do YOU make sales in the UK?

1103 Views 19 Replies 17 Participants Last post by cecilia_writer, Mar 9, 2013

ChristopherDavidPetersen

Discussion Starter · Mar 8, 2013

Hi All,

I've been doing this for two years now and am still confused at how some US authors make great sales in the UK (and now Canada). I never concentrate my efforts on non-English speaking countries, but I do promote to English speaking ones. The only promoting I have time for (currently) is on Twitter. Unfortunately, the only sales I see are on the US side (with the exception an occasional sale in the UK/Canada).

Question: If you're making sales in the UK/Canada, how are you making them? Are you promoting? Is it luck? Divine intervention?

Thanks in advance for the info!

1 - 20 of 20 Posts

Millard

· #2 · Mar 8, 2013

My UK sales are 5x what my American ones are. My secret?

I'M BRITISH!

But really, I don't get why that is. I guess more also-Brits follow me on Twitter, but the reality is probably that American hates me. Possibly they blame me for Piers Morgan.

48306

· #3 · Mar 8, 2013

Being in KDP Select (those free 5 days) seemed to help gain me some UK readers...since all the Amazon sites can d/l the book for free during those 5 days.

valeriec80

· #4 · Mar 8, 2013

Write about college students getting nekkid.

Get the first book in a series price-matched to free. (It took--no lie--two years for Amazon UK to pick up the price match.)

SEAN H. ROBERTSON

· #5 · Mar 8, 2013

ChristopherDavidPetersen said:
Hi All,

I've been doing this for two years now and am still confused at how some US authors make great sales in the UK (and now Canada). I never concentrate my efforts on non-English speaking countries, but I do promote to English speaking ones. The only promoting I have time for (currently) is on Twitter. Unfortunately, the only sales I see are on the US side (with the exception an occasional sale in the UK/Canada).

Question: If you're making sales in the UK/Canada, how are you making them? Are you promoting? Is it luck? Divine intervention?

Thanks in advance for the info!

I wrote a U.K. based teen vampire series based true facts about my family name. It's a huge hit in the U.K. and I'm grateful for it. Share your U.K. links on social media more. Just my two pence.

Millard

· #6 · Mar 8, 2013

valeriec80 said:
Write about college students getting nekkid.

It's true. If there's one thing we Brits love, it's the Girls Gone Wild series.

...

Probably.

LuisSamways

· #7 · Mar 8, 2013

I concur! Got to love college girls getting naked!

Ardin

· #8 · Mar 8, 2013

>>It's true. If there's one thing we Brits love, it's the Girls Gone Wild series.

What's that Millard?

Andrea Harding

· #9 · Mar 8, 2013

Release a UK English edition - it's not especially hard to do

You'd be suprised how many Brits appreciate that in a book.

Millard

· #10 · Mar 8, 2013

Ardin said:
>>It's true. If there's one thing we Brits love, it's the Girls Gone Wild series.

What's that Millard?

Is that what it's called? Lucky guess, I suppose. Personally I'm far too busy urbanely reading Shakespeare in a gently rocking chair by an open fireplace, like Oscar Wilde.

Raquel Lyon

· #11 · Mar 8, 2013

How do YOU make sales in the UK?

I don't! And I live here! 99% of my sales are in the US and my books are written in British English!

Shalini Boland

· #12 · Mar 8, 2013

Rlyon said:
How do YOU make sales in the UK?

I don't! And I live here! 99% of my sales are in the US and my books are written in British English!

Ditto

I'm British and my books are VERY British, but they mainly sell in the US. I'm guessing because the ebook market (or any market for that matter) is bigger in the US.

TexasGirl

· #13 · Mar 8, 2013

I make about 10% of my sales in UK/Canada. I ALWAYS double link for US/UK Amazon everywhere I can control it. If you provide UK links to bloggers, they will post them!

Make sure you have set up your UK Author Central. It's a separate gig.

And when you're doing promoting, look for UK sites. I have a couple UK advocates who share on FB and help drive sales. I watch for fans from other countries and make sure to stay in personal contact. They realize how important they are, and that their reviews and likes and shares are very important!

LilianaHart

· #14 · Mar 8, 2013

My UK street team is amazing. I make enough just from my Amazon UK checks to live very, very comfortably.

Lisa Grace

· #15 · Mar 8, 2013

Millard said:
It's true. If there's one thing we Brits love, it's the Girls Gone Wild series.

...

Probably.

Before that, it was Benny Hill.

ChristopherDavidPetersen

Discussion Starter · #16 · Mar 8, 2013

LilianaHart said:
My UK street team is amazing. I make enough just from my Amazon UK checks to live very, very comfortably.

Hi Liliana, care to share the secrets of your "street" teem?

Lady Vine

· #17 · Mar 8, 2013

I don't know what the secret is, but I'm going to give you my take as a British reader.

If a book feels too American, or too [insert nationality here], many times I find I can't relate as well to it as I would to a story that could have happened in any country -- a story that's not country dependent. Secondly, we've all heard the debate about the difference in British and American humour, and how that humour is received by the countries' respective citizens. Well, I believe there is a difference, but I don't think it's limited to humour, I think there's a distinct tone that exists in British writing. It transcends genre and resonates with British people because it manifested from someone who has lived the "British Experience" (whatever that is). And I believe that this tone is what UK readers will or won't pick up on when they're choosing a book to buy.

Of course, if a book has an amazing and novel plot, or the rest of the world is talking about it, things like tone become less of a consideration. Genre, too.

I think the books that do well internationally are those that, a) have wonderfully unique plots, b) are widely discussed, for any number of reasons, or c) are written in a tone that doesn't "betray" the nationality of the writer.

But take my crap with a pinch of salt. I represent only one reader and don't speak for anyone else.

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sarahdalton

· #18 · Mar 8, 2013

I'm British too! Not sure how British my books are though - apart from the fact they are set in Britain with a few dialects (mainly Scottish) - the genre I write is more popular in America and my sales are way better in the US than the UK.

Sometimes I wonder if the UK is a bit behind in terms of number of eReaders. Only a small number of my family and friends have kindles etc.

Error404

· #19 · Mar 9, 2013

Millard said:
...Possibly they blame me for Piers Morgan.

so you're the one responsible!

cecilia_writer

· #20 · Mar 9, 2013

I sell far more in the UK than anywhere else - I think my humour and settings just appeal more to UK readers, and I also keep the prices down which I think UK readers may be more sensitive to.
My second best market is Canada via Smashwords/Kobo.

As a reader I do read across a variety of genres and the fact that something may be written in 'American English' doesn't necessarily bother me too much except when it appears much too anachronistic in something historical. Yes, whoever wrote about a verandah on a London town house in a Regency romance, I'm looking at you.

1 - 20 of 20 Posts

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