This past year, I’ve spent hours and hours marketing Stones Corner, Turmoil.  It must be said there’ve been days when I’ve opened my email with eyes full of hope, eager for any response from the numerous news agencies, magazines, radio stations, book distributors, authors, you name it, I’ve contacted in the hope of recognition or promotion!  It has to be said that – at times – it’s sooooo depressing, BUT once in a while, I get a positive response and that warm gooey feeling sets me off for the day! 

In between all this, I’ve been reading so many marketing and sales books.  My God, there’s so much information out there – it’s mind-blowing!  And me being me, I find myself lying awake at night thinking, “How do I know if my book is a success?  How many books do I have to sell?  What else can I do?”  In the end, I found I was driving myself (and my husband) crazy!  With so much advice, it was getting too much, so I made a decision.

I decided to step back for a moment and re-think my whole approach to marketing and promoting.  And so, rather than send numerous emails to Tom, Dick and Harry, I’d focus on the core but fundamental rules.  I’m told one of the most important steps in promoting a book - and I know I’ve had you all tortured in asking you to do it - is to get reviews.  Reviews are extremely important, but I’ve come to the conclusion that “word of mouth” matters as much.   How many of us have asked family or friends, “Did you see such and such on Netflix?”  Do we read reviews on Netflix?  Not always, but we listen in anticipation when someone tells us excitedly to watch something.  It’s the same with book buyers!  The experts predict (and of course, they must be right!) that out of every 100 readers of my book, I’d be lucky to get between 5-10 reviews :( So everyone, my point - spread the word about Turmoil AND, if you feel like it, make my day and do a review! 

The SC Turmoil e-book is now waiting and ready to purchase on numerous online platforms including, Good Reads, Bookbub, Booksprout, Amazon and many more.  Given I’ve self-published, it’s proving almost impossible to get onto the “biggie” on and off-line distributors like Gardners that’ll allow me to sell to local and national chain bookshops.

As a result you can only buy a paperback copy of Turmoil and pre-order Darkness (by the way this is coming along nicely!) on my website.

And finally…

I’ve tried to tidy my desk up this week, and from the image here, you can see I’ve failed miserably :( Another task to add to my unending “To Do” list.  This is where it all happens, this is where the next book begins very soon, Stones Corner, Light. 

All day, I’ve been printing off the labels and preparing packages of Stones Corner: Turmoil, ready to fulfil my outstanding orders and my goodness, I’m on a high! 

I can only thank you for reading my book, signing up for my newsletter, reading my blog, buying Turmoil and for your continual support.  I don’t say thank you because I can; I say it because I mean it - I couldn’t have gotten this far without you.

Have a peaceful weekend, everyone, and a Happy New Year!

J.

Jane Buckley

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