Harnessing the Power of Book Series: My Self-Publishing Journey
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Chapter 1: A Surge in Sales
Recently, I've experienced an unexpected surge in book sales. This began with a promotional giveaway of my latest devotional centered on the Gospel of Mark. I offered this book for free on Amazon while also reducing the prices of my other devotionals for a limited time.
During this promotional phase, many readers downloaded the Gospel of Mark for free and noticed the discounted prices on the other two devotionals, prompting them to purchase those as well. Initially, the earnings were modest, but this strategy led to all three books reaching the #1 bestseller status in various categories simultaneously.
As readers completed the Gospel of Mark devotional, they began exploring my other titles, leading to increased sales post-launch. This is where the real financial benefit lies—despite the promotional discounts ending, readers continue to buy the print and Kindle editions at their original prices.
Section 1.1: Momentum Beyond the Series
Moreover, I've noticed that readers who enjoyed my devotional writing are now discovering my other works. This has resulted in a steady stream of purchases for my non-series books, which in turn has influenced Amazon's algorithm to promote all my titles across different categories.
The buying activity I've observed in the past month was previously on a smaller scale, but it's now growing consistently.
Subsection 1.1.1: Key Insights for Aspiring Authors
Section 1.2: Essential Lessons Learned
From my recent experiences, I've drawn several important conclusions that all authors aspiring to build a self-publishing business should consider:
- The Importance of Writing a Series: I define a series as comprising three or more books. Until recently, I had only two books in my series, which performed adequately. However, with three titles, I've seen remarkable growth.
- Effectiveness of Free Promotions: Running free book promotions, especially for a series, can lead to increased sales. This approach encourages readers to explore the entire collection, enhancing visibility through Amazon's algorithm.
- Writing More Books: The more titles we produce and add to a series, the greater our overall sales will be. In today's market, where readers often prefer shorter reads, it is feasible to write and publish more books in a shorter time frame.
By harnessing the potential of book series, we can elevate our writing endeavors to new heights. If you're uncertain about how to begin crafting a series, I recommend exploring my story on this subject—it will also feature in my upcoming book!
Chapter 2: Join the Self-Publishing Community
J.R. Heimbigner, a #1 Bestselling Author on Amazon, specializes in faith-based literature and writing guidance. He has self-published ten books and offers valuable resources. Check out his recent publication on leveraging Medium for book writing: Transform Your Medium Stories: A Complete Guide to Turning Your Medium Stories into Money Making Books.
The first video details how I became a published author swiftly, building a readership along the way. It also introduces my new Serial Fiction Boot Camp course.
The second video highlights a breakthrough success snippet, encouraging writers to abandon blogging in favor of focusing on book writing instead.
P.S. This post may contain affiliate links, which means I could earn a commission if you make a purchase. Thank you for your support!