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A Life Less Ordinary

Writing Update November 2021 – The Importance of Word of Mouth & Influencers for Book Sales

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing. A different question is posed each month as a writing prompt. Answering it is optional. For November, the question is:What’s harder to do, coming up with your book title or writing the blurb?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Kim Lajevardi, Victoria Marie Lees, Joylene Nowell Butler, Erika Beebe, and Lee Lowery.

My answer to the question – What’s harder to create, your book title or the blurb?

What a great question! I think most authors struggle with both. If not, I envy them. The title (and subtitle) is of the utmost importance and is not easy to change once you commit to one. For Plunge – One Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary, it took me years until the one-word, punchy title popped up. I loved the fact that it was short and catchy and that it described my personality.

The subtitle was a different story – I’d made a list of about one hundred potentials and eventually boiled them down to three or so (at which point, I involved others to “vote”). None of these made it. As I hit “send” on the email with crucial information for my cover designer, I impulsively changed the subtitle to the current one. There was no turning back.

Writing a blurb is hard work; much harder and less fun than coming up with a book title. I did not enjoy this process and was glad to receive help from fellow authors, whom I thanked in my acknowledgements. It was a work in progress. I ran the drafts by many people. While it took less long than eventually creating a title for my book (one month versus years), it certainly involved more focus, frustration, and actual keyboard time to put the final blurb together.

My book news

Mark, Maya, and I have been traveling, exploring, and camping the entire month of October. As expected, not much promotion work has happened for Plunge.

  • I post the occasional promo spiel, when allowed on specific Facebook groups I’m a member of. Once in a while – even though the guidelines indicate promotion is allowed once a week (on Sundays in this case) – I get booted and my post is removed, even before it goes live. Often, these posts have to go through moderation first and either get ignored or go unnoticed. Oh well.

  • I played around with a free quotes program, but haven’t used anything yet for marketing. All Author offers free banners for certain occasions. I’ve posted a few of those in the past; most recently a Halloween one. These are fun but don’t create sales.
  • Talk about fun, look at this email I received in my inbox recently… For a company that keeps a close eye on who reviews your book and blocks/deletes what they think are inappropriate ratings (always 5-star ones), I find this hilarious.

  • As always, it is rewarding and encouraging to receive messages and/or photos from readers. This photo was sent to me by Ryan from Salt Lake City, UT, a fellow blogger and author. And my dear aunt Marleen shared one of my Facebook posts.
  • I’m excited to show a few more rave reviews for Plunge. What makes these extra special to me is that they have been composed by fellow authors I hugely respect.

I read Hilary Custance Green’s engaging, interesting, and well-written book Border Line a few years ago and left my review on Goodreads and Amazon as well as on my personal blog. You can read it here.

Jackie Parry is an accomplished author of multiple books, circumnavigator, and nautical educator at SisterShip Training. She is the one who interviewed me for her podcast “Cast Off with Confidence” last month.

She occasionally posts snippets of that interview on her SisterShip Training Facebook page, which I then share elsewhere.

And Sue Bavey is a budding author and popular book reviewer, who supports indie authors with features and exposure on her blog Sue’s Musings.

  • And, a biggie for me: I met one of my goals before my book’s first anniversary – one hundred ratings for Plunge on Amazon!

The Importance of Influencers

I have mentioned it before: the best way to sell books is by word of mouth, recommendations, and reviews. If you’ve read Plunge (and enjoyed it), I greatly appreciate your help spreading the word. Our friends and fellow nomads Pete and Ben of Green Global Trek gave this blog and Plunge a shout-out in their last post. Roaming About subscriber and blogger Michele posted her opinion about my book here on her website and answered my call to copy and paste this review on Amazon and Goodreads, so it would encourage more potential readers to consider it. Thank you, everyone!

People who can reach a massive audience are called influencers and I have done my best this year to contact and engage a few. I send them a free eBook of Plunge and hope they will read, enjoy, and mention it to their followers. Those are the three important steps needed to create a wave of interest, none of which are guaranteed. The only part of this process in my control was personally being in touch with them and getting Plunge into their hands and on their radar.

I know this is a far-fetched attempt that is unlikely to succeed – who has time for a book when life is one massive adventure, challenges occur on a daily basis, and engaging social media content has to be created (as that pays the bills) – but you never know. If only one such prospective pans out, it would make a massive difference in book sales. I know this from experience; on a much smaller scale.

In any case, I hope these influencers read Plunge and that they like it enough to recommend it to their followers. Regarding SV Delos – arguably one of the most well-known and popular sailing YouTube channels – 750,000 of them (109K on Facebook alone) and when it comes to MacsExplore – an adventurous family that traveled full-time for a few years in South America (also during Covid) and whose running force, Christina, creates fabulous Instagram content and courses – almost 69,000 souls. Behan of SV Totem, a successful circumnavigator, coach, and author with the popular Facebook page Sailing Totem has over 17K followers. Each one of these personalities is highly accomplished, respected, personable, and popular.

Authors helping authors

When author friends come out with a new book, I make a mental note or I buy it on pre-order. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean I get to read them soon. My life is crazy busy and my TBR pile is massive. On average, I manage to read one book every two months (when not under pressure of helping out with beta reading or editing); pathetic for a so-called author.

That being said, I did start reading the anthology Itchy Feet – Tales of Travel and Adventure, at the speed of one chapter/story every other night before bed. If I keep this up, I’ll be able to read this book in 40 days. 😊

The content grabs my attention so far. The stories are well-written and I am curious about the experiences and writing styles of my fellow contributors. My story in this compilation, curated by the fabulous author and artist Alyson Sheldrake, is called Born with Itchy Feet. Do you recognize me in the author gallery?

Speaking of photo galleries, an album that accompanies all the stories can be accessed for free here.

You can read the introduction and first two chapters of Itchy Feet for free on Amazon US here or via the global link here.

What’s next?

I have an Indie Spotlight feature lined up with Sue Bavey of Sue’s Musings on November 25th. You can find her upcoming interview guests here.

I will keep plugging away on promotion efforts whenever I get a chance. At some point, I plan to contact notable book reviewers.

Some promotion opportunities came up via Draft2Digital. The eBook of Plunge was selected to feature on Kobo in Canada at $1 off the sales price. I also submitted my book to the OverDrive sale, which is the service libraries use to buy and choose eBooks. This promo runs for two months (November and December) and I offered the eBook at a 25% discount. And, just today, I signed up for an Apple promo. Time will tell if sales increased.

Stay tuned for next month’s writing update, as this will celebrate Plunge’s one-year anniversary!

Plunge – One Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary

Available on Amazon and elsewhere

eBook: US$ 5.99

Paperback: US$ 13.99

34 Comments

  1. Well, I’m exhausted now!
    A hundred reviews? That is incredible.

    • I’m pretty psyched about the amount of reviews, Alex, but I am not easy to please. I always strive for more and better. 🙂

  2. Getting feedback when crafting a book blurb can really help bump it up.

    Anna from elements of emaginette

    • One of the nicest things about writing communities is the help we can provide each other. My biggest issue is lack of time – so much to do, write about, improve, help out, experience and so little time!

  3. That’s awesome that you’ve gotten 100 reviews. And I love Plunge as a title for your book.

  4. petespringerauthor

    November 3, 2021 at 12:54

    You are Superwoman! It takes a lot of heart and patience to continue to promote one’s book, especially when sales are dismal. Have you ever considered teaching a workshop on marketing? (I’m serious) Your use of influencers is such a wise move.

    I know I fall into the large camp of people who would rather write than promote, but it’s silly to think that these things happen organically. After an author has an established reputation, perhaps it’s a bit different.

    I don’t remember that you’ve shared your writing plans for the future. Are you working on a new memoir about your life since Plunge? (By the way, Plunge was the PERFECT title of your book.) I’m a big fan of snappy titles that give a reader a clue about what the book is about.)

    • Oooh, I’d love to be a superwoman, Pete. Unfortunately, in order to become one, I’d need much more time in a day, and patience and determination and energy. Haha. I keep thinking I’ll let Plunge “go” and live its own life. But, not yet. A bit more effort is needed to reach a few more goals.

      There is no way that I will ever put workshops together. Sorry. Too time consuming for not much return (is my guess). Plus, my marketing ideas are not proven. It’s a trial and error game. As it is, I don’t have enough time to do what I want or need to do. It’s also the reason I am not working on another book, to answer that question.

      Covid has made our lives super expensive and if I devote any time to another project, it will have to be well paid. Mark and I are even talking about quitting this lifestyle for a bit and finding real jobs.

      What some people find hard to understand is that life on the road – or the water – is challenging, tiring, and time intensive. It’s so hard to combine it with making a living, doing a full-time job, or focusing on income. Sigh… Everything extra, like writing a book or putting a presentation/course together is nearly impossible.

      Talking about “Plunge” as a title… I once talked to a woman at the library where I was posing with my book for a photo as it had just been put on the shelf. She thought the book was about swimming! I guess a blurb is as important as a title.

      • petespringerauthor

        November 5, 2021 at 17:50

        I’m not sure why people should be surprised at how challenging your lifestyle is. Life is tough enough as it is. Being on the road while trying to live on the cheap and bring some income in sounds challenging to me. That’s part of my fascination for couples like you who find a way. Gas prices (always high here in California) just hit $5.00 per gallon. Everything costs an outrageous amount of money these days.

        Hmm. This sounds like a setup for another novel. Returning to the humdrum of life only to miss the call of adventure. Two years later they were back on the road, living the life. Throw in a role for Maya rescuing you, and I can see the movie already.🤣

        • You are too funny, Pete! Come to think about it, I don’t want to “waste” two years being stuck somewhere to then realize we should be back on the road. I think we will stay on the road and deal with the issues as they come up – frequently and vehemently. 🙂 Regarding the cost of fuel, we have to see that as “the price of freedom” without sounding too – you know – American. Or, we could slow down. At some point. Maybe in Mexico. Or Colombia. I just had a three-day break from the internet. It was bliss! 🙂

  5. Congratulations on your 100 reviews and all of the positive comments. Very well deswrved!

  6. Wow, you’re so dedicated in your promotion efforts – well done! I hope the influencers read and love your book. I hate writing blurbs, too. It takes far longer than it should, and it always seems as though “something else” should have been added. Blech. 🙂

    • My little secret is that I contacted those influencers many months ago, when I had the time and resources still to focus on promotion. Nothing is happening now. I have one hundred more ideas and approaches, but I doubt they will happen as – on the road – I lack the time, space, energy, and electricity. 🙁

  7. Liesbet, I admire your ‘can do’ spirit and incredible work ethic. Congratulations on 100 reviews!

    • Thanks, Suzanne. I’m a busy bee. If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that I will never ever get bored! 🙂 But, it’s hard to combine the traveling lifestyle with work and getting all the things accomplished that are on my mental list. And all the other things that would be “nice to do,” like read books and learn Spanish. Priorities…

  8. Well done, all around, Liesbet. I’m proud of you! 😀

  9. You really have your work cut out for you, Liesbet and while traveling no less! Congrats on 100 reviews, they will keep coming! Enjoy your time on the road, my friend.

    • Hi Terri!

      Most of the results I’m getting regarding Plunge – sales and reviews – are due to actions I took in the past, when I was still in Massachusetts. There’s not much I’m able to do from the road. You know how challenging that lifestyle is…

      We had a house sit lined up in Albuquerque, where we planned on completing a lot of projects – camper and promotion-wise – but this has been cancelled, unfortunately. There is a lot I’d like to do, but it’s not happening unless we sit somewhere for weeks. And that never happens.

  10. You always amaze me, Liesbet! I think Plunge is a great title. Easy to remember. Yes, blurbs are important to be sure the reader knows what the book is about. 100 reviews! You go!! Seriously, I hope I can accomplish the publishing aspect of my college memoir. I still don’t know how to market the memoir. All best to you, my dear!

    • Thanks, Vic! I hope you are in the finishing stages of your college memoir. It’s so much work to complete a book. But then, the real work starts – publishing it. And, of course, you need to promote it or you won’t sell any copies and that would be a shame for all the work, energy, effort, time, and money that has been invested. Honestly, I wonder sometimes why authors pick that profession! Well, the writing is fun. But it’s all so much work for little, if any, financial rewards.

  11. The blurb is a big one for many a writer for sure. But you’ve done a fabulous job, and your marketing ideas are great and paying off. Go you! <3

    • Thanks, Debby. I’m losing my steam. One more month (to celebrate the book anniversary) and then I’ll slow down. We just returned from a weekend of no internet and it was blissful and natural. I’m hoping we will be able to repeat this in the future – to live more in the here and now; in the real world. 🙂

  12. You continue to be my marketing template. Wow, just wow.

    • Thanks, Jacqui. I am slowing down tremendously now, being back on the road. Life’s too short and too many places have to be explored to be spending entire days online… 🙂

  13. As always Liesbet I admire your energy and perseverance. As someone else mentioned I am exhausted just reading everything you have done to promote the book! Congratulations on 100 reviews!

    • Hi Sue! And October was a quiet month regarding promotion and effort… 🙂 I know. I am way too busy to enjoy “real life” and therefore, I need to scale down my internet activities and just focus on work that actually makes money to pay the bills. Lots to be considered and decided in the coming months. Thanks for your continued support!

  14. Duwan @MakeLikeAnApeman

    November 10, 2021 at 16:18

    One hundred reviews is awesome! You seem to leaving no promotion avenue untapped. I admire your tenaciousness!

  15. Well done on achieving 100 reviews for ‘Plunge’ on Amazon. That’s amazing. And even though you’re travelling, you still find the time to market your book, which goes to show how dedicated you are to it, Liesbet.

    • Hi Hugh! I love your vote of confidence about my dedication. Unfortunately, I’m not finding time at all to promote Plunge these weeks. I really need to find a balance between work, book promo, social media, errands, and leisure in this lifestyle. Always so little time and so much to do…

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