Targeting Genre for Big Sales

I’ve been following C.S.Lakin at LiveWriteThrive for several years now. I also hired her for a couple of critiques, and learned a humbling ton about how to write a stronger novel. Susanne is a staunch supporter of self-publishing, but as many of you know, that sometimes gets you lost in millions of competing books. This workshop gives you what you need to improve your ranking and sales. Here is the information about the purpose and content of the course, AND a link to an enrollment site with a significant discount if you enroll by March 15.

WRITING FOR LIFE WORKSHOPS

Want to know the system that has reliably produced THOUSANDS of book sales for even the most discouraged authors?

Face it: with more than 4,000 new books published daily, the chance that your novel will sell big is slim.

99% of self-published novels never sell more than a handful of copies.

Despite extensive marketing and promotion efforts, most authors still fail to get discovered, resulting in frustration and heartache.

There is nothing more disappointing for an author than to write a terrific novel and watch it flop.

Few sales.

Few reviews.

A handful of new fans.

All those months of hard work writing a stellar novel . . . and zilch returns.

Why is it that some authors’ books skyrocket up the best-seller lists, when their books are comparable to yours—often even worse?

Why should their not-so-great books get awards, attention, and TONS of sales, while yours is completely ignored?

You’ve slaved for months—probably years—carefully crafting your novel. And it’s time your book got the attention it deserves.

What Some of These Best-Selling Authors Know That You Don’t

Yes, some writers get lucky breaks.

Others have clout or connections.

Great marketing and targeted promotion can help only to some extent.

But what most undiscovered writers don’t understand is how to take advantage of genre.

Genre plays a huge part in sales. And learning to target the right genre can mean the difference between a novel no one’s heard of and one that sells hundreds or even thousands of copies a month.

Yet, there is hardly anything online or in books that teach you how to write books to a moneymaking genre—one with the potential to get you consistent monthly sales.

Author and writing coach C. S. (Susanne) Lakin spent more than two decades trying to sell her novels, and although they garnered high praise, they didn’t neatly fit into a niche genre slot. Fed up and needing to justify spending years of her life writing books that didn’t pay the bills, she decided to do an experiment.

In 2013, she set out writing a novel in a genre that she learned “sold itself.” Meaning, it was a niche genre that had high demand but little competition. The results?

Using a pen name and with a minimum of promotion, her book jumped to the tops of the genre lists in a matter of weeks, selling thousands of copies per month.

This led her to these conclusions:

  • Genre plays a huge part in big sales, and supply and demand are important to consider
  • You need to learn how to identify these niche genres that sell well but don’t have tough competition
  • Writers need to narrow their focus to target a specific audience rather than cast a wide net
  • Writers need to understand how to deconstruct books in their niche genre and tailor their cover design, keywords, and description copy to position their book alongside best sellers in their targeted genre

Susanne went on to write additional books in her niche genre that sold tens of thousands of copies. Using these same strategies and methods, her nonfiction writing craft books also saw this kind of success:

  • Her books hit the top of the category lists (top ten) within 24 hours of putting them up for sale on Amazon before she sold even one copy.  And in her course, she’ll show you how your books can do the same.
  • Her books populated in the “hot new releases” feature at the top of the search pages for categories before she sold even one copy.
  • Her books continue to populate in the top-ten search results indefinitely when the main keywords are entered into the search bar in the Kindle or Book store.

As a result of her research and experimentation, Lakin has put together a step-by-step easy method for you to write to a genre that will give you the best strategy for high, consistent book sales. While these steps apply to nonfiction as well, she’s launching a unique course specifically for self-publishing fiction writers to learn how to target genre successfully.

This may mean you have to consider writing a novel in a whole new genre. If you already write in a genre that sells well, you’ll learn how to drill down to a more specific niche slot and tailor your story, plot, and keywords to fit in that niche.

Her course—Targeting Genre for Big Sales—is open for enrollment now! It launches March 1, and if you register before March 15, you’ll get $100 off the course price by using this COUPON CODE: TARGET66.

This course has a proven twofold strategy—targeting genre, then targeting Amazon.

You’ll learn not only how to choose a great niche genre and write the perfect book that will fit that genre—you’ll also learn the secrets to optimizing your Amazon product page so your books will come up at the top of the search results when potential buyers search for a book like yours.

While there’s no guarantee that following these methods will launch you into bestsellerdom, applying these strategies will skyrocket your chance at success.

No risk! Susanne stands by her 30-day satisfaction guarantee. If for any reason you don’t feel this course is helping you, you can get a full refund.

Don’t wait any longer to see big sales with your novels on Amazon. Make this the year you hit the top of the best-seller lists!

“This instruction has been a game changer for me personally. I went from selling practically nothing to a couple of thousands books per month just from following the steps you laid out!” —S. D.

“Following C. S. Lakin’s directions, I was able to change the keywords for my book so that every one of them brought it to the first page of results. I expect this to have amazing results when it comes to future sales. I’ve never received such valuable information. Thank you!” —Karen Saari

CLICK HERE TO ENROLL BEFORE MARCH 15 TO GET $100 OFF!

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Targeting Genre for Big Sales

A course for self-publishing novelists who long to see their books hit the top of the best-seller lists – COURSE LAUNCHES MARCH 1, 2016!

Posted in Book Sales, Self Publishing, Self-publishing, Uncategorized, Writing Workshops | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Want Me to Share Your Link?

Each evening I create a post with 10 links to allow my readers to browse those links, visit your page and check you out!  This is a great networking tool and one that I use often to help con…

Source: Want Me to Share Your Link?

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NEXT UP FOR JUST WRITE IT BLOG?

Ah, March 1st. Never has a winter flown by like this one. Credit the mild weather. And a very busy few months.

Most of the month of February was consumed by daily assignments for the Blogging 101 course, an experience I highly recommend to aspiring bloggers. Most of the assignments would have been less time consuming, were it not for my limited tech skills. But I covered that before, so I won’t belabor it.

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Much time was devoted to rewrites of Gram & Me, an exercise still in progress. I’m liking what’s developing. So I’m less conscious (or disturbed by) missing my arbitrary deadlines and more focused on completing a novel that stands out in the avalanche of queries and manuscripts falling into the hands of agents.

vintage books with cup of coffee,magnifying glass, free copy space

In addition to updating my website, I also spend considerable time reading and commenting on other blogs. I’m sometimes overwhelmed by the barrage of posting notices I receive for the blogs I subscribe to. Frankly, reading and commenting on every one would become a full time job, if I allowed it. I’ve adjusted my settings on most to no more frequently than daily. Even with that, I wake most days to 40-50 blog-related emails, so I’m thinking of resetting to weekly. It’s not that I don’t enjoy them—I only subscribe to those with subject matter of interest to me. I simply have to prioritize use of time.

So what’s next for this blog, now that Blogging 101 has ended? Because of my experience with other blogs, I’m limiting my feature posts to weekly, focusing on topics related to writing and publishing. Some may be re-blogs of outstanding posts I’ve read on other sites. Others will hit on personal writing/publishing experiences that may provide insights for fellow writers and useful information I’ve found in other sources. If I’m moved by other subjects, unrelated to writing (Ipostings may be more frequent in some weeks.

What issues/challenges/topics in the broad writing and publishing arena would interest you?

See you next week!

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BOOK BUYERS BEWARE!

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WHERE DID THE TIME GO?

I’ve been asking myself the question “Where did the time go?” for the past several days. I know the answer. I just don’t like it. And I don’t know how to control it.

Take this morning, for example. I planned to make quick work of reading blogs and doing the day’s Blogging 101 assignment. Then I planned to dive back into my revisions and rewrites on Gram & Me that I started Sunday. With 212 pages to review and revise, I’m not even close to done. Still, what I did Sunday was very satisfying.

Time Flies

I was finishing up the last of the blog-related work when a big K warning appeared on my screen. It seemed my Kaspersky security coverage expired today. Groan. I never received any warning. And these days you can’t afford to be without computer security. So I took a deep breath and went looking for my password. What? I didn’t save it? So then I rummaged through my “computer stuff” drawer and found the original Kaspersky CD – with the password! I confidently signed in to My Kaspersky and promptly received an error notice. I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong, so I got on the phone to their tech number. Turns out, the coverage I purchased when I bought my current computer was tied to my Geek Squad membership, which I let expire because the renewal was so outrageous and I hadn’t used it in the year I had it. So of course I had to buy a new coverage package. Long story short, the program loaded but would not let me sign in – again, another obnoxious error message, my password (that was sent to me with the activation number) was incorrect. Back to the phone. Alas, the Kaspersky system wasn’t working, the tech told me, and they would have to put in a work order – for which I received an email confirmation. Fifteen minutes later, I received another email saying they were awaiting customer reply. I responded: reply to what? I’m waiting for your direction! It’s been almost two hours and I’ve not heard again.

In the meantime, I’ve responded to more emails and read a few more blogs, thinking I was marking time until my Kaspersky response arrived. I didn’t expect it to be long, so I didn’t want to immerse myself in writing (where I enter a different dimension) and have to pull back to take care of this.

I could, I guess, just walk away from the computer and leave security until tomorrow. But I worry – what if they send me another email requiring action and I’m not there to respond. Will they put me into a queue of non-responders again? Will a virus attack my computer while I’m awaiting security coverage? Will they cancel my coverage because I didn’t complete the installment process, and I’ll have to start all over again when I come back to it? Bla-a-a-a-a-a-ah!!!!

And now it is mid-afternoon. My productive writing time is between early morning and early afternoon. Should I just throw in the towel? Play a few games of solitaire to kill time and  hope that the Kaspersky dilemma will resolve itself? I took my dog out a couple times, with her looking at me as if to say “Again?”

How about penning another blog post?

And here we are. I feel much better now! (But I still haven’t heard from Kaspersky).

Hmm – maybe I’ll go play on FB or Twitter for a while. The writing day is shot anyway.

Tomorrow will be better. Oh, wait, I have a full day out of the house tomorrow. Maybe Thursday?

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Drawing a Blank Can Be A Good Thing

Better than a destructive, bridge-burning eruption!

Sundown

In early 2015 I wrote about the value of having multiple impartial parties critique and edit your writing. You, as the writer, are too close to see your writing clearly.

At the time, I had just completed what I believed to be my greatest novel, if for no other reason than that it was such a stretch out of my comfort zone. It had become, in essence my creation, my baby. Who wants to risk being told their baby is ugly? But true to my own advice, I had it critiqued by a professional.

OUCH! It was the worst review of anything I’d ever written in my entire life. What I heard (or rather read) was my baby was ugly and therefore I, its creator, was too. Or at least my writing was.

My review took the form of six pages of summary notes and 350 pages of notes in the margin. In that massive volume of feedback, I found maybe one or two positive comments. The rest, essentially, said I should scrap the entire project because it wasn’t redeemable. Well, she didn’t exactly say that. But she said to throw out more than half of the manuscript and, if I really wanted to use any of it, I should turn it into a formula romance.

The suggestion of turning it into a formula romance just about made me lose my breakfast. Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with formula romances. Lots of writers make good livings writing them. But I had set out to write something bigger. My first two books had been romance/women’s fiction – not the usual formula, exactly, but that was at the core. I wanted to write something important. Something people would remember.

Clearly I failed Big Novel 101.

And speaking of 101 – she referred me to numerous books and resources to go back to square one and learn how to write a novel successfully. I’d only taken 15 years of classes in colleges and on-line, and filled my bookcases with how-to writing books. If I hadn’t “gotten” what made for a good novel by now, going back to the learning stage wasn’t going to make a difference.

My first reaction was anger. How dare she imply I lacked basic skills and where did she get off bashing the courses I’d taken. “Have any of the instructors ever written an actual novel?” That’s what she asked. I not only found it condescending, I was insulted for my past instructors – all accomplished, published novelists, some with multiple awards.

I vowed I’d never write again. And I wanted to respond to her with well-chosen words that, essentially would tell her and the writing industry where to go.

Then I slept on it and got up the next morning and started going through the detailed comments. She wasn’t kind – but then, I hadn’t paid her for false compliments. And when I looked at her comments and compared the relevant text, the novel really didn’t hold together. I had tried to do more with the novel than was realistic. I loaded it with political commentary. I sacrificed up close and personal scenes with the main characters in my attempt to write “more than just a romance.”

Seen through her eyes, I had to admit she was (mostly) right. I was still offended by her lack of any positive comments, since I do a good job with dialogue and I personally still think I did a good job with setting some of the scenes. They were just the wrong scenes. I tried to cram so much into the story, I ended up doing a lot of summarizing – the dreaded “telling” vs “showing” that I had learned to avoid in one of my many 101 classes.

This bashed manuscript was not well-conceived and really out of my comfort zone. That was part of the appeal of writing it. But it taught me a lesson. Work from your strength. Use what you do well. Maybe experiment a bit once in a while, but stay the course.

So the blank that I drew when I was so blown away by her critique was replaced by what needed to be said. “Thank you for your courageous honesty.”

Once I reached that point, I knew I would indeed write again. Ideas started ping-ponging in my head. Giving up on writing wasn’t an option. In the months since then, I began working on Gram & Me, a women’s fiction that suits my writing style and skills. I’m happy with the way it is progressing, although I’ve had a few hiccups along the way. I am in the midst of some major rewriting, prompted by another honest critique – this one not suggesting that I throw out the baby with the bathwater. I’m behind on my projected completion schedule, but I’ll forge on.

I am a writer.

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20 Tips For Writing a Captivating Short Story (Part 1)

Source: 20 Tips For Writing a Captivating Short Story (Part 1)

Thank you to A Writer’s Path blog for this useful piece!

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What Will Be Your Story for 2016?

Source: What Will Be Your Story for 2016?

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VALUE OF TAKING TIME OFF

6Studies have shown that people who take periodic vacations – and give themselves permission to leave work behind during those vacations – are more productive than people who slog along no matter how tired or fried they are.

That doesn’t just apply in the corporate world. It also applies (maybe more so) when you are self-employed. Sometimes, when you are plugging away to learn more about your industry (in my case, writing and publishing and blogging), you are driven to keep pushing even when you’re no longer being particularly productive.

I’ve enjoyed and learned much from the Blogging 101 course. But because my learning curve is so steep, I’ve found that work on my novel has suffered, as I’ve put 8-10 hours per day into improving my blog site and interacting with other bloggers. I’ve not touched my novel for days, even though a helpful friend invested her own time in critiquing what I’d written with enough detail to offer comments in track changes. While I should be showing my appreciation by studying all of her comments and getting to work on necessary rewrites, I’ve allowed my time to be sucked up exclusively by blogging, playing with widgets and themes, reading other blogs, and commenting on said blogs, and circulating through the “Commons”, the site for Blogging 101 students where we can find and interact with other bloggers.

Enough already!

I’m taking today off (or what’s left of it) to just play!

And tomorrow I’m taking the day off to immerse myself in my novel and create a rewrite outline based on the recommendations provided. Because they are good comments and well founded, and rewriting with those in mind will make my novel stronger. And will improve my odds of finding an agent who says “Yes, I’d like to represent you” or a publisher who says “Yes, we’d like to publish your novel.”

During this time, I will not be posting or commenting on other posts. That’s not to say I won’t hang on to the notifications for later reading. But not today or tomorrow.

On Monday, I’ll be back in the cyber-classroom of Blogging 101. I will look forward to it, and will return refreshed and regenerated.

See you then!

 

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BLOGGING, TECHNOLOGY, and BALANCE

Seems like an odd combination of words for a title, huh? Read on and you will understand.

True confession: I am technologically challenged.

I can do basics…very basics, that is. My husband even thinks I am a computer wiz. But I am stumped frequently by what many younger bloggers probably consider basics.

As an example, I have now invested at least sixteen hours (over a few days) in trying to individualize the look of my blog and my About Me page. And it’s still not what I want, but I compromised because I simply can’t keep spending this much time on it. I understand that there is a WordPress reference to help clarify the in’s and out’s. But even that left me baffled. I imagine, if I was willing to spend another sixteen hours studying what’s available to me, maybe the light would go on.

I made an erroneous assumption when I signed up for Blogging 101 that things like CSS and widgets and SEO would be part of the learning experience. No fault of WordPress – clearly my own misunderstanding. And I’ve learned huge amounts about the process of blogging and how to reach out and develop a following and keep the action going. I’m grateful for that.

But I still don’t have a clue what CSS is. I have figured out SEO. And I sort of know what widgets are, but not how to use them other than the first level.

I’m guessing all this would be a no-brainer if I was 40-50 years younger and had been raised on and by computers.

For the past two weeks, I’ve spent so much time on the blogging course, I’ve not touched the novel I wanted to have completed this spring. I was fortunate enough to have a brave and honest friend critique what I’ve already written of Gram & Me. The good news: her comments were very detailed and helpful for the goal of making Gram & Me worthy of agent consideration. The bad news: essentially an entire rewrite is necessary. So even if I didn’t have two more weeks in the blogging course and wasn’t plagued by my technology limitations, my timetable still is set back probably several months.

Groan.

One step in front of the other. But I have made a few decisions about how to proceed. First: If I get hung up by technology limits for future Blogging 101 assignments, unless it is a critical component, I will limit the hours I will invest on a daily basis. Second: I will use the weekend break from the course to create a detailed outline of the necessary rewriting of Gram & Me.

And last – and possibly most important to quality of life – I will commit at least four hours daily to doing things with my husband and dog, and to fitting in my much neglected workouts. (Ugh, the scale is a painful reminder to just how neglectful I’ve been about those). As a retiree, I can’t say I don’t have the time. It’s all about how I choose to use the luxury of time.

Balance is critical in everyone’s life. Every time I start to let this or that project or obligation take over my daily life, eventually I get cranky. Okay, bitchy. And dissatisfied with life in general. When it’s really all under my control (in most cases). We need to commit ourselves to balance in our lives and goals. It’s not an option. It’s vital to our physical and mental health – and quite likely also to the health of those closest to us.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in balance, Blogs, Goals, Health, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments