[Ali Cooper]

My second book, Cave, was published to kindle two months ago. My first book is popular and continues to have good consistent sales but the second book is very different and, though I'd expect some overlap, won't appeal to all the same readers.

Basically it's a story about someone who splits with his wife, meets up with old university friends and resumes his hobby of caving. It's the story of how this person gets to be stuck down a cave and their struggle to escape. It's about relationships and reunions as much as it's about caves.

The problem is whenever it gets mentioned on a forum, readers come and post that they'd never read a book like that as they'd be scared of getting claustrophobia. I'm wondering if the film The Descent is working against me, portraying caves and caving as scary dangerous places rather than fun and magnificent.

I've reduced the price to 99c just for this weekend and would really appreciate suggestions of how I can entice readers in - at the moment I'm getting the impression around 99% of people suffer from intense claustrophobia!

 

[25803]

Hi Ali! I just read your blurb (product description) on Amazon and I'm thinking that might be part of the problem you're having.

Right now it emphasizes the storyline (which isn't a bad thing), but the most effective blurbs tend to emphasize the book's marketing hooks. To me the middle-age coming of age story is what will draw in most readers since that's popular. Also readers love learning about new things -- and the caving is a very rich and interesting setting. And the relationships between the protagonist and the secondaries sound very interesting, so you might want to do something with that. I find the recent split from the spouse at the opening a little off-putting, especially since he appears to be already interested in another woman. From one of the reviews, it sounds as though it's a fabulous story.

I'm not the best blurb writer (just ask my critique partners!), but you might want to start with something like:

A middle-age coming-of-age story.

When Marty falls to the bottom of a cave while on a spelunking adventure, it's life or death as he attempts to discover another way out. With each twist in the cave's subterranean depths, Marty must explore his relationships, past and current. If he survives, will he reunite with his estranged wife or find new love with an ex-girlfriend? Will he learn that his relationship with his best friends isn't as it appears to be? In finding himself, will he find the way to the surface? Set in the richly beautiful caves beneath the Welch mountains at the turn of the millennium, it will take stamina, guts and determination for Marty to find himself -- and stay alive.

Hope this helps!

 

[Guest]

No real advice, but when's the offer for 99c starting (the book still shows as $2.24)? If you can give me some details I'll spread it around a few forums.

 

[Ali Cooper]

No real advice, but when's the offer for 99c starting (the book still shows as $2.24)? If you can give me some details I'll spread it around a few forums.

Thanks, that would be great! It was showing 99c to me last night but I'm in UK. It could be that I'm not seeing the sale price for US customers. I do wish there was a foolproof way for authors to see how there books are priced in different markets.

 

[Ali Cooper]

Kathy, that's a brilliant blurb! Thanks .
The way you've incorporated a complex plot structure and made it sound simple is genius. I will test it out on forum pitches.

I don't normally have a problem with writing that kind of thing but I think because I am (or at least used to be) a caver, my perception of it and its place in the story is different from someone outside the sport. I had a great blurb when it was on a critique site but there were a couple of words considered acceptable in UK that amazon wouldn't like!

 

[25803]

Ali: So glad you found it helpful. I was worried about butting in when I should have kept my fingertips zipped

 

[Carol (was Dara)]

Hi Ali. Since the story is about relationships and not just caves I'd think about putting a different cover on it. The cover you have right now makes me think it's a nonfiction book about exploring caves.