Book Club Read, Book Marketing, Books for boys, Books for Teen Boys, Books for Teens, Books to Read, Cantos Chronicles, CL Walters, Coming of Age, Fiction, fiction - mental health, Independent Author, New Fiction, Swimming Sideways, Teen Books, The Bones of Who We Are, The Ugly Truth, writing process, YA Contemporary, YALit, Young Adult, YA Series Cami Book Club Read, Book Marketing, Books for boys, Books for Teen Boys, Books for Teens, Books to Read, Cantos Chronicles, CL Walters, Coming of Age, Fiction, fiction - mental health, Independent Author, New Fiction, Swimming Sideways, Teen Books, The Bones of Who We Are, The Ugly Truth, writing process, YA Contemporary, YALit, Young Adult, YA Series Cami

Indie Author Marketing: Update No. 5

The new covers are here!

The new covers are here!

The covers to The Cantos Chronicles are out! Swimming Sideways, The Ugly Truth and The Bones of Who We Are look glorious both online and in person, because guess what came in the mail this week!?!? The books. The reveal video is an agenda item for this coming week.

The cover reveals and the book trailer were the biggest agenda items for this fifth week on the Indie Marketing Journey. It was a giant mountain with several switch back hairpin turns, but we made it! Several days removed, I’m happy, hopeful and grateful for the reception of the covers and the trailer reinforcing the efforts I made this month, though gains will remain to be seen.

What else did I work on this week?

  1. My March Newsletter has been written and scheduled. One of my goals with the newsletter is to make it beneficial for people to sign up, so I offer items that only subscribers are provided. This month my subscribers are automatically entered into the next giveaway promotion as well as receive a deleted scene from Swimming Sideways that didn’t make it into the final version. I hope that things like this provide subscribers with the “extra” they are looking for by being subscribers.

  2. After making sure the March blitz is planned and ready, I’m in the process now of planning out the content for this coming month. If the first four weeks was about building the bond between readers and the characters of the books, this second four weeks will be about maintaining the connection, trying to create visibility, and generating excitement.

  3. My social media goals have also shifted some. While I am maintaining my author support system on IG, I am activity working to connect with my target audience. Last week, I wrote about posting to wattpad unsure about the cost-benefit analysis, but I can provide anecdotal evidence that I have had more people reading. Has this translated to people interested in committing to The Cantos Chronicles? I’m not sure yet, but I am hopeful.

Are you enjoying the journey with me? What have you tried? What are you thinking about? Talk to me so I don’t fall asleep at the wheel. Be sure to leave a comment. Oh, and would you turn up that song on the car radio too: “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee.

Next Week: Indie Author Marketing Update No. 6


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Book Marketing, Books for boys, Books for Teen Boys, Books for Teens, Books to Read, Cantos Chronicles, CL Walters, Independent Author, New Fiction, Swimming Sideways, The Bones of Who We Are, The Ugly Truth, Young Adult Cami Book Marketing, Books for boys, Books for Teen Boys, Books for Teens, Books to Read, Cantos Chronicles, CL Walters, Independent Author, New Fiction, Swimming Sideways, The Bones of Who We Are, The Ugly Truth, Young Adult Cami

Indie Author Marketing: Update No. 4

Making a quick stop to take in the sights before I continue down the road.

Making a quick stop to take in the sights before I continue down the road.

I’m pulling off the road for a quick pit stop; a quick respite to take in what I’ve accomplished before March Madness Blitz swoops in and speeds this journey up to the Cantos Chronicles release day on March 31, 2020. This isn’t because I’m tired, but more because I’ve made it across that map I bought at that convenience store down the road a ways, marked up with goals and got to them. Now, there’s a space for a short rest before the next leg of the journey.

  • I uploaded an old (really old version) of the first book in The Cantos Chronicles when it was still a paranormal story called Upside Down: A Fallen Novel to Wattpad. There’s a lot of conflicting research out there about offering content on Wattpad. Here was my thinking behind the decision: I want to find readers. Where are readers? Wattpad is a place. Granted, the story in this version is funny. I laughed and cringed and wanted to change it as I went, but that wasn’t really my point in uploading it. I wondered if perhaps I was doing myself a disservice in offering a product of quality that is “less than” what this control freak would normally offer. I decided, however, that this version - and all of its flaws - offers a picture of Abby, Seth and Gabe in a different way. And that’s kind of cool even if it’s cringey.

  • Using Instagram story, I set a countdown for two marketing materials: the new cover reveals and the book trailer premier. Hopefully those go well. These were shared on every social media site of which I’m a part.

  • Using Canva and iMovie, I created 10 second snippets for the New Cover Reveals to use this week for my social media platforms.

  • I have publicized the Premiere of The Cantos Chronicles Book Trailer on Facebook by creating an event.

  • Along with all of the new marketing materials, I also maintained the creation and implementation of existing and new content for The Cantos Chronicles on Instagram and Facebook.

This week will be all about those new covers and that trailer. Keep an eye out these next three days!

I would love to know, if you’ve been following the journey: What has stood out to you? What captured your attention and made you interested? Please let me a comment below, or check out my story on IG and share your thoughts.

Join me for the book trailer premier on YouTube on February 27, 2020 at 6PM Pacific Standard Time.

Up Next Week: Indie Marketing Update No. 5

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Book Marketing, Book Playlist, Cantos Chronicles, CL Walters, Fiction, Independent Author, Playlist, Swimming Sideways, The Bones of Who We Are, The Letters She Left, The Ugly Truth, Writer, Writer's Life, Young Adult Cami Book Marketing, Book Playlist, Cantos Chronicles, CL Walters, Fiction, Independent Author, Playlist, Swimming Sideways, The Bones of Who We Are, The Letters She Left, The Ugly Truth, Writer, Writer's Life, Young Adult Cami

Indie Author Marketing: Update No. 3

There are peaks and valleys in every journey. The rise toward the viewpoint and the turnout that allows for us to park the car, check out the vista with a deep breath of appreciation and think: Wow. Look how far we’ve come. Conversely, there are valleys, the dips in the journey where we drive into the depths of the unknown where doubt has the opportunity to creep in and make us wonder if we’re on the right road? It’s a good time to pull out a map, except we don’t have one.

So Nevada…

So Nevada…

I’m in a valley on this marketing journey this week, spinning my wheels in the muddy terrain and wondering if I’m going to make it to the next peak. (Anyone got a song for me to cue up? Right now, I’m listening to our Spotify playlist “Indie Author Marketing Road Trip” to keep me moving forward “Grow as We Go” by Ben Platt. Drop it in the comments to give me a song of encouragement. :)

I am discouraged.

Allow me to be clear. I’m not discouraged by the support (family, friends, IG community is wonderful). I’m discouraged that engagement is down and I keep thinking “What more can you do? There must be something!” But I’m lost in this dark part of the valley where I don’t know. This doubt is rooted in the work I did for The Letters She Left Behind - the clue game giveaway which was a fun marketing idea that didn’t inspire as much engagement as I had hoped. I’m certainly grateful for those that did participate and two awesome winners resulted. Engagement has been worse this month as I attempt to build connection to The Cantos Chronicles with new and existing content. I’m terrified my spinning wheels are only making me sink deeper into the muck.

What does this all mean in the larger picture of being an independent author?

Upon reflection, I don’t think the answer is black and white but shades of variation. Here’s some thoughts I had this week:

  1. I’m being impatient. The perfectionist in me is also looking at the effort and expecting a specific outcome. Truth is, I’m new at this. Why would I have expected The Letters She Left Behind Clue Giveaway to create more engagement when people are only beginning to learn about me & my writing? In all of the research I’ve done about marketing of anything, instant success isn’t a thing (even if I want it to be). I need to be patient and persistent.

  2. Social media is only one tool at my disposal. Perhaps I’m not using all of the tools available effectively enough? I spend a lot of time on Instagram, but maybe that isn’t where to find my readers (even if I’ve connected with a wonderful community of writers). In considering my target audience: where are they? Maybe instagram, yes, but maybe I need to widen the search.

  3. Set backs - being stuck in the mud - isn’t a reason to give up; time to dig deeper and find the work around.

So what did I get to this week:

  1. I maintained my February approach to The Cantos Chronicles, offering new content interspersed with existing excerpts from the three books. I’m using a mixture of Instagram, Tumblr and Facebook, but as I mentioned earlier engagement is low and I haven’t found the magic elixir. Though I’m using a variety of hashtags rotating different ones, posting consistently I haven’t found a way to engage a majority of the followers I have.

  2. I did research on 301c Charities in my area. This is because my local Barnes and Noble is interested in using the charity as a draw for book sales. It’s a great idea. The charity benefits by bringing in patrons because they get a percent of the proceeds. Win-win-win for all three parties. My next step will be to craft letters to the charities are a good fit.

  3. I finalized the letters to teachers in my area. Now it is a matter of determining forward action: selecting schools, teachers, and timing. With the school year drawing to a close, timing might be an issue.

  4. I finalized plans for the March Social Media Blitz. Now it’s time to draft the information my March Blitzers will need and get it to them.

  5. I finished the Book Trailer. I plan to unveil that after the covers are revealed February 25. Look for the trailer next week.

That’s the week in review. While I might be stuck in the muck as an independent author marketer, I feel like I’m standing on top of the world as a creator: I finished my fifth book! And that reminds me why I am doing this: so I can keep doing this.

Until the next peak, my friends. Could you help me push the car out of the muddy terrain so we can get back underway to find it. Happy writing.

Next Week: Indie Marketing Update No. 4

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Book Marketing, Books for boys, Books for Teen Boys, Books for Teens, Books to Read, Cantos Chronicles, CL Walters, Fiction, fiction - mental health, Independent Author, New Fiction, Swimming Sideways, Teen Books, The Bones of Who We Are, The Ugly Truth Cami Book Marketing, Books for boys, Books for Teen Boys, Books for Teens, Books to Read, Cantos Chronicles, CL Walters, Fiction, fiction - mental health, Independent Author, New Fiction, Swimming Sideways, Teen Books, The Bones of Who We Are, The Ugly Truth Cami

Indie Author Marketing: Update No. 1

My planning and writing space.

My planning and writing space.

This week marked the first steps into the eight week marketing blitz for the Cantos Chronicles, a completed YA Trilogy that’s undergoing a complete rebrand: new ISBNs, new covers, new interiors. With a ton of work (and money) invested in the rerelease, marketing and publicity to spread the word is even more important and has never been clearer how in over my head I am. But when has that ever stopped me?

Here’s what I did this week:

  1. My newsletter went out this week with the new covers of the trilogy. Lots of information out there insists that newsletter subscribers are an indie author’s most important asset. There is a definitive need to build this list and cultivate that relationship by providing subscribers with benefits that no one else is able to access. So - they were the first to have access to the new covers (which I’m ecstatic about) as well as new content of my work in progress. And wouldn’t you know it, I got a few emails from subscribers excited about them. Hooray!

  2. The second thing I did is begin the calling and planning of various events (book stores, media outlets, podcasts, etc). I’m not going to lie - this feels a lot more like doors slamming in my face than opening. The difficulty of this step is the lack of relationship which is really what a publicist provides. But without that added cost in my budget yet, I’m going to have to build these relationships on my own. Slammed doors aren’t enough to stop me; I’m searching the work around - the secret door. I’ll keep you posted.

  3. On instagram @cl.walters, I’m using an IG month challenge to begin connecting the Cantos Chronicles stories with followers. I have two months until the rerelease happens (March 31) so with eight weeks to go, I didn’t want to create brand weariness or blindness. Instead, I’m hoping this provides the ability to connect, think, and link reader interest with the writing and the characters. Additionally, I want to maintain current momentum with readers who have already enjoyed the series by offering new content. I chose #onewordpromptchallenge hosted by @mjvaughn1_author because of the way the challenge is open ended and I’ve found it inspires me creatively. The prompts have offered me a way to mingle new content with existing content. The hope is always to invite engagement on IG because that is what creates visibility. I’ll keep you posted on the effectiveness of this method. Two days in, engagement is low (big-eyed worried face).

With this week in the books, there’s a sliver of myself that’s worried. What if this is an epic fail? What if I sunk a ton of money into something that is dead on arrival? As a perfectionist, I’m putting a ton of pressure on myself - I can feel it. And then there’s a part of me that recognizes this journey is several marathons in succession - nothing worthwhile is built overnight. Even as cliche as it is, the cliche exists for a reason. That is why I wake up and try again everyday, because I know this dream is worth it. The hope, however, doesn’t necessarily calm the fears that I’m going to fall flat on my face. That’s the risk, though, I suppose. And I’m not sure I’ve been one to back down from the challenge, fear and all.

Next week: Indie Marketing Update No.2

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