# The YA writers support thread



## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Hey all, those of you who have been dropping into a few YA centred threads will know that I decided to set up a thread for us guys to chat, share tips and do some cross promotion.  

I really want to get to know more YA authors because I want to do a lot more cross promotion this year. It's also great to keep up with what's going on and connect on our social media platforms. 

So, to get the ball rolling, what are everyone's goals for 2015? What are you working on? 

I'm updating all my front and back matter because I haven't got great read through rates beyond one series. I really should have done this before my Bookbub ad earlier this month but I didn't get time. I'm working on developing my Google + page but I feel like I haven't got a clue what I'm doing! 

I want to write at least three novels this year, one YA fantasy and two YA horror novels. 

I also want to set up a big multi-author giveaway in spring - has anyone done anything like that before? I'm not sure where to start! 

I'd love to get my books in some more multi-author boxed sets but I really don't want to organise one again, so if anyone is looking for more YA authors *waves*.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Hiya  *waves back*

One plan that I have for during 2015 is to feature a Young Adult author every month on my website. I want to create a page where there will be a book review and an author interview.

This should hopefully be of good benefit to the other authors as I get a surprising amount of traffic to my website, and it would be nice to be able to point my fans at other authors in my genre that I enjoy (mainly because it is the No.1 question I am always being asked by fans!), but hopefully I will also get back some good karma cross-promotion stuff if their fans happen to come accross my website while searching for that author! That's the idea anyway. I don't know if it will work, but if nothing else then at least I get to big up some of the YA indie authors I enjoy reading.


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

Hi all!

My plans for 2015 include finishing a novella, a spin-off of Grunge Gods, and starting my new YA mystery series.

I have done a multi-author giveaway. I set up it up on weebly and used Rafflecopter. You can check it out here: http://back2schoolgiveaway.weebly.com/ 
PM me if you want more information.

Before I stayed home with my kids, I was a YA librarian. I live for YA.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Hi! New YA author here. 

Just published our first book a few days ago. I'd like to have a draft of Book 2 in the next couple of months. 

Who do you all use for beta-readers, and what is your editing process like? Do you have one editor or multiple editors?


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

Hi there! I need to get my next book finished in January and hopefully out the door in February. Then the final one in the series out by June. Then it's a new YA fantasy series with book 1 out before Christmas - that's the plan anyway! We'll see if I achieve it or not. I spent too much time with writer's block and then the companion novella  - book 2 should have been out in December. Oh well, spilled milk and all that.

I also want to start another series in another genre and am contemplating whether or not to use a pen name. On top of that all, I need to pay more attention to my website. 

I'm very interested in giveaways too!

C. N. Crawford - I noticed your book when you published - love the cover! I have 4 beta readers and hands down the best is my 14 year old daughter. She finds every inconsistency, plot hole, etc. Not only that, she's a great proofreader too. Thus far, there isn't a single proofreading error that an editor has found that my daughter didn't find first LOL. I've been telling her she needs to go into business!


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## smikeo (Dec 1, 2014)

CN_Crawford said:


> Hi! New YA author here.
> 
> Just published our first book a few days ago. I'd like to have a draft of Book 2 in the next couple of months.


Congratulations on your fresh published book!

I'm currently preparing my first book for publishing, and my website which I want to be ready to intercept users who buy my first book. Hopefully I'll publish the book in the next two weeks.

My goals for this year is to publish two more sequels for my soon to be published book. I already have the draft for the first sequel.


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## donna callea (Dec 25, 2009)

Thanks for starting this thread, Sarah.  So glad to find it!
In 2015 I think I need to get a new cover for my YA Bristles.  Don't know if that'll help, but maybe. I also have to figure out ways to promote it. I completely suck at social media. 
Wishing everyone much good luck in the new year.


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## Windvein (Sep 26, 2012)

Hi All!

I'm planning to launch a YA serial on Feb. 1st. I have no idea how it will do, but I live in hope. Output is the goal this year. Along with the serial, I hope to put out 2 more Scary Mary books. 

@CN_Crawford - I've used various paid proofreaders for my books. And placed a call on my website for betas. I got a pretty good response with that. There are all sorts of ways to do this though. 

@SarahDalton, I participated in a giveaway that Elle Casey set up. She did all the heavy lifting. From what I could see, it was pretty complicated. You'll want to figure out how many authors you want to participate and how to promote it. While I promoted the giveaway, I think most of the participants came from Elle's own fanbase. Maybe you can shoot her an email for advice?


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> I also want to set up a big multi-author giveaway in spring - has anyone done anything like that before? I'm not sure where to start!


I have done that several times. I think the key to doing one is to have experience with whatever platform you're going to use. For example, I recently did one with Instagram and another one with tumblr and they were very successful--mostly because we were all familiar with the platforms and used what we knew about them to our advantage. Using a medium that allows each author to share as well as fans to share seems to be the best method for this. Let me know if you need any help!

While I think I'm going to continue self-publishing short stories and novellas (as well as a how to write YA book), I'm focusing my novels on my traditional publication career. It just makes better financial sense for me. I've got one book contracted, and I really hope to go on sub soon with another soon. It looks like I probably won't have any novels come out in 2015, but if things go well, I hope to have two out in 2016.

For beta readers: it took me years to find good beta readers who I trusted. This forum would be a great place to look for some, and don't be afraid to reach out to people--one of my best beta readers what is a reader of my blog, and she sent me a blind email offering to be a beta reader. I suggest that when you approach people to be a beta reader, don't send your whole manuscript. Instead send a query letter and the first 50 pages of the manuscript to see if you are both compatible working with each other.

As a fun side note, one of my goals this year is to learn how to use Dragon Naturally Speaking in writing. And this entire post was made doing just that!


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> C. N. Crawford - I noticed your book when you published - love the cover! I have 4 beta readers and hands down the best is my 14 year old daughter. She finds every inconsistency, plot hole, etc. Not only that, she's a great proofreader too. Thus far, there isn't a single proofreading error that an editor has found that my daughter didn't find first LOL. I've been telling her she needs to go into business!


Thanks - i was going to ask about covers. Do people find that they sell more with covers that feature a person? I saw this cover in a Goodreads Giveaway, and I was thinking it looked appealing in part because there's a person on the cover.










Wow, your daughter should go into editing! My son is only 11 months so he'll need a few years training first. I had some great beta readers, but I don't know how to find readers who will finish it in a short time frame. Most people took months.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

bethrevis said:


> For beta readers: it took me years to find good beta readers who I trusted. This forum would be a great place to look for some, and don't be afraid to reach out to people--one of my best beta readers what is a reader of my blog, and she sent me a blind email offering to be a beta reader. I suggest that when you approach people to be a beta reader, don't send your whole manuscript. Instead send a query letter and the first 50 pages of the manuscript to see if you are both compatible working with each other.


That's a good idea. I'm also wondering about finding other authors who need readers at the same time to exchange critiques, so we could agree upon a deadline and also agree to be totally honest.


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## Moist_Tissue (Dec 6, 2013)

I'm entering the YA market with a 4 part series inspired by Irish folk songs. I was going to release the first book on January 19th, but I thought it would be better to release 2 of the books in February and the other 2 in July.

I'm also thinking about a multi-author giveaway, but I think that I will focus on minority authors who might appeal to the book club audience instead of a YA focus.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

I participated in one of Elle Casey's mammoth giveaway contests too. She had about fifty authors lined up. All with clickable book covers and then entrants could enter to win a copy of whatever books they liked. In both paperback or ebook format. Then she sent all the authors the emails of the people who signed up to win a copy of our books.

It was a brilliant marketing tool. In the end I didnt just send out the ten promised copies to the winners, I sent a copy to every single person who had signed up for one of mine.


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

Hi Everyone,

After spending the whole of 2014 on my NA books, I plan to get back to my YA roots in 2015. I've just started a new trilogy (a spin-off from my Foxblood series) and, being the slow writer I am, I envisage it taking at least a year before the world gets to see any of it. (I'd like to have most of it done before publishing the first book so the releases aren't too far apart.)

So this coming year I'll be trying to get as much interest in the first trilogy as possible to build up my fan base in readiness. I've already got new covers and redone my website, and my new year's resolution is to be more active on social media.
My plan is to go permafree on book one as well as the prequel, and I'm definitely going to keep pestering Bookbub until they accept me. I've joined a few cross promotions before, so I would love to do some more of that, and it would also be a dream to be in a multi-author boxset, so if anyone's looking for participants I'm game.

Looking forward to connecting with you all.


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## JTCochrane (Feb 6, 2012)

Hi Everyone,

Long before I found kboards and how to advertise ebooks, I used to visit schools.  It was my best marketing tool.  I actually have a few lined up for after the New Year.  I also plan to write 2 full length novels and a couple of parts to my novella series.  I have a new book that will be out in January which I'm very excited about.

I just recently made a discovery which I am planning on posting in the main but will share it here first.  I have a perma-free first book and I used to have the sequels prices at $2.99.  About a year and a half ago when the fourth in the series was released, I raised the prices to $3.99.  A few weeks ago, I noticed a thread here where the woman had her numbers up and she showed a significant decrease in her sales when she went from $2.99 to $3.99 so she changed it back.  I went back and looked at my numbers and sure enough, I sold more and made more money at the lower price.  It wasn't obvious to me as I have more stuff out now.  I switched the prices back about two weeks ago and sales are going up.   Just info.


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## Small Town Writer (Jun 11, 2014)

I will finally publish my first book in 2015!! I'm SO EXCITED to get started on this publishing career! I've been researching, working, and planning for a long time now and 2015 will be the year to kick it all off!


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## Moist_Tissue (Dec 6, 2013)

Someone here once recommended hospital waiting rooms as the perfect place to leave your paperbacks. I haven't done it yet, but I've scoped out a few places.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Elle's giveaway was awesome. I wonder if the page is still viewable to have a look and get some ideas. I'll drop her an Email as well. 

@KGGiarratano - I love the idea of creating a new website just for the giveaway. Perhaps I could collate all the info from authors via Google docs and feed it into a webpage that's interactive for readers. 

@bethrevis - Ooh Instagram and Tumblr sound cool. I must admit I'm not hugely familiar with either. And I'm a little worried about managing to get people to interact with a medium. It requires a lot of readers to get behind it, and I'm not sure I have enough of a following yet. It could end up a bit of a damp squib if not done right. 

@Windvein -  yeah, Elle's giveaway is definitely the kind of thing I want to do, but I don't have the fanbase she does. Hopefully, with enough authors involved it could still work out well. Also, I've been meaning to read your Scary Mary series for so long! And we totally need to do some sort of cross promo with our two ghost hunter Marys. 

Hello everyone else! It's great to get so many YA authors participating in one place.


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## JTCochrane (Feb 6, 2012)

Moist_Tissue said:


> Someone here once recommended hospital waiting rooms as the perfect place to leave your paperbacks. I haven't done it yet, but I've scoped out a few places.


What I've done is donate books to school libraries and tell them you do author presentations. I have now visited over 80 schools from 8 different states.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

JTCochrane said:


> What I've done is donate books to school libraries and tell them you do author presentations. I have now visited over 80 schools from 8 different states.


I think that's a great idea. I'm not sure I'd do it though, because I work full time in high schools. I'm not sure I want my full time career connected to the book, because parents might object to some of the content (supernatural violence, a pot-smoking scene).

As far as leaving paperbacks, there are these free little libraries that you can drop off books to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Free_Library


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## JTCochrane (Feb 6, 2012)

CN_Crawford said:


> I think that's a great idea. I'm not sure I'd do it though, because I work full time in high schools. I'm not sure I want my full time career connected to the book, because parents might object to some of the content (supernatural violence, a pot-smoking scene).
> 
> As far as leaving paperbacks, there are these free little libraries that you can drop off books to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Free_Library


You should just donate to schools not in your area.


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

Moist_Tissue said:


> Someone here once recommended hospital waiting rooms as the perfect place to leave your paperbacks. I haven't done it yet, but I've scoped out a few places.


My book is horror which has some fairly graphic descriptions of death, and intense grief is a big theme. Might not work too well in the hospital waiting room setting.


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> @bethrevis - Ooh Instagram and Tumblr sound cool. I must admit I'm not hugely familiar with either. And I'm a little worried about managing to get people to interact with a medium. It requires a lot of readers to get behind it, and I'm not sure I have enough of a following yet. It could end up a bit of a damp squib if not done right.


The principle in these sort of giveaways, in my mind, is to gain a greater social media presence in one specific place and also gain greater exposure of the book. For example, in the Instagram contest, the leader got 10 or so authors in YA to agree to send out one signed book, then made a graphic featuring all the covers. To enter the contest, you had to follow all 10 people and share the photo on your Instagram feed. This meant:

(a) Everyone got more followers; those who had a larger following to start with helped spread the word more to those with a smaller following.
(b) All the readers followers got to see about the books--even if they didn't enter (and many did), they at least saw the book cover. It was like a recommendation from a friend.

It was also a very simple way to do this, and basically ran itself. At the end of the contest, you just pick a winner from those who followed the rules--it was all in one place, and easy to follow.

__
http://instagr.am/p/v83TDUhRpV%2F/

In my experience, simple is better. Decide what you want to go along with exposure for the book--more social media followers? Newsletter subscribers?--and then gear the contest to match that. I don't really think making a whole website for the contest is necessary (unless you're doing something as huge as the YA Scavenger Hunt, which I also helped organize)--but having a graphic is important.


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

Those of you doing school visits: 

1. Do you charge for the visit? If not, why not; if so, how much?

2. On average, how many sales is this getting you?

I see "successful," but it's been my experience with this board that some people consider one sale a success, and some people consider fifty sales a success.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

JTCochrane said:


> You should just donate to schools not in your area.


That's a good idea. It's set in Boston, so it would have local appeal


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

I'm planning on releasing books 2 and 3 in 2015 in my YA fantasy coming of age series. I'd love to network with you all, do promotions together, group sales, etc. Always fun to connect and learn from colleagues in YA! 

P.S. Donating books to school libraries = genius!


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

CN_Crawford said:


> Thanks - i was going to ask about covers. Do people find that they sell more with covers that feature a person? I saw this cover in a Goodreads Giveaway, and I was thinking it looked appealing in part because there's a person on the cover.


Traditionally, YA readers do tend to prefer covers with people on them, usually girls. But there are always exceptions. I think your cover hits the right notes and you do have two figures in the background. High Fantasy and sci fi/dystopian often get away without people too. Contemporary fantasy is more likely to have a figure on it.

I pay two of my betas now - not a lot, just $50, but it compensates them for their time and encourages a timely response. Originally, I took them out to dinner instead.

If you have a local writers group - my municipality has a very active writers organization - you can often find betas there.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

bethrevis said:


> The principle in these sort of giveaways, in my mind, is to gain a greater social media presence in one specific place and also gain greater exposure of the book. For example, in the Instagram contest, the leader got 10 or so authors in YA to agree to send out one signed book, then made a graphic featuring all the covers. To enter the contest, you had to follow all 10 people and share the photo on your Instagram feed. This meant:
> 
> (a) Everyone got more followers; those who had a larger following to start with helped spread the word more to those with a smaller following.
> (b) All the readers followers got to see about the books--even if they didn't enter (and many did), they at least saw the book cover. It was like a recommendation from a friend.
> ...


That sounds very cool. Instagram isn't really a big priority for me, but a graphic to share on Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter or TSU would be great. The only issue I can think of is collating all the entries. If I ran it through rafflecopter or a spreadsheet of some kind then all the entries would be collated automatically. If you have to physically take note of all the shares, well that would be very time consuming.

Here's the page to Elle's giveaway from a few years ago. I think the main goal is finding new potential fans and getting some extra reviews, rather than building up social media.

http://ellecasey.com/promotions/elle-caseys-springtime-indie-book-giveaway/
http://ellecasey.com/clickable-book-list/

There are lots of ways of doing this and lots to take in. The YA Scavenger Hunt looks amazing, Beth. That must be a lot of work to pull off!  I have taken part in something similar before and it was a lot of fun.


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## Jake Parent (Dec 5, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> Hey all, those of you who have been dropping into a few YA centred threads will know that I decided to set up a thread for us guys to chat, share tips and do some cross promotion.
> 
> I also want to set up a big multi-author giveaway in spring - has anyone done anything like that before? I'm not sure where to start!
> 
> I'd love to get my books in some more multi-author boxed sets but I really don't want to organise one again, so if anyone is looking for more YA authors *waves*.


Great ideas. I would definitely be interested in being a part of that conversation.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

I also pay for betas. I usually hire Alain Gomez (who posts on Kboards). The main reason is because I don't have the time to swap reads anymore. I find it draining, and I don't think I'm a particularly good beta reader.


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

CN_Crawford said:


> Thanks - i was going to ask about covers. Do people find that they sell more with covers that feature a person? I saw this cover in a Goodreads Giveaway, and I was thinking it looked appealing in part because there's a person on the cover.


I've posted this before, but I think it's probably a good time to repost. Take a look at this site and then tell me what you think.

http://theyacover.tumblr.com

A lot of these covers do have people on them but many do not. I think your cover is pretty great, personally. But I'm not a teen. You should ask some teens if the cover would attract them maybe. I think it's just right for attracting your particular audience, but you could go for something that has a more magic/fantasy feel to it. You know, if you wanted.


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> That sounds very cool. Instagram isn't really a big priority for me, but a graphic to share on Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter or TSU would be great. The only issue I can think of is collating all the entries. If I ran it through rafflecopter or a spreadsheet of some kind then all the entries would be collated automatically. If you have to physically take note of all the shares, well that would be very time consuming.


It's really not that hard. For example, in the IG one, you just look at everyone who shared the graphic (or whatever other requirement you had for the contest)--they're all listed right there--and pick one. Done. If you're using one specific branch of social media, all your likes/shares/followers are listed right there for you.

With a Rafflecopter--and don't get me wrong, I love them--but to use them, you have to go outside the social media site. You can't do a Rafflecopter specifically on Instagram, for example, but need to host it on a physical site. That said, if that's the method you want to go for, they work, too. But different goals--if you just want to boost one level of traffic, doing it on-site with share is better, imo. If you have a bigger prize that people are willing to go an extra step for and you want several methods of entry, doing it on a Rafflecopter or Google Doc makes more sense.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Teens really appreciate great art. Bright, complementary colours, great composition and a great font that are appropriate for your genre. I think they are the most important factors for a YA cover. 

Loving that tumblr page. I've just found a new way to procrastinate!


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## Moist_Tissue (Dec 6, 2013)

I've come to realize that I have a thing for faces. Both of the covers for my February releases have faces in them.


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

artofstu said:


> A lot of these covers do have people on them but many do not. I think your cover is pretty great, personally. But I'm not a teen. You should ask some teens if the cover would attract them maybe. I think it's just right for attracting your particular audience, but you could go for something that has a more magic/fantasy feel to it. You know, if you wanted.


Asking a teen is key. I'm grateful to have one in my home! She'll take a look at a bunch of covers, or peruse a few blurbs, and tell me immediately what appeals and what doesn't. Of course, she's an individual, but I've found that she's pretty good at spotting a winner and pointing out what's going to crash and burn when perusing trad books LOL.

The downside of this is that she doesn't like my cover for Book 2. She loves Book 1 and 1.5. I love the Book 2 cover, my husband loves it, but not my teenage daughter......and I know I should listen to her! But I worked so hard!


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## JTCochrane (Feb 6, 2012)

bethrevis said:


> Those of you doing school visits:
> 
> 1. Do you charge for the visit? If not, why not; if so, how much?
> 
> ...


If I have to travel for the visit, I charge. I try to be good to local schools and I don't charge. I haven't visited any for 2 years as I lived where travel was a huge expense. I just moved 4 months ago and am starting to get back into it.

I used to average around 100 books a school as far as sales go. On thing to keep in mind when visiting schools is to plan and go back the next morning to sale books. I have visited schools where they prepared for me by reading my books in the classrooms. I would sell over 200 at those schools. Then there are schools you just visit. I will usually read the first chapter of my first book to the kids. The reason for going back. At one school I visited, I sold 1 book the day of the visit. I went back the next morning after reading the first chapter to them and sold about 100.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

artofstu said:


> I've posted this before, but I think it's probably a good time to repost. Take a look at this site and then tell me what you think.
> 
> http://theyacover.tumblr.com
> 
> A lot of these covers do have people on them but many do not. I think your cover is pretty great, personally. But I'm not a teen. You should ask some teens if the cover would attract them maybe. I think it's just right for attracting your particular audience, but you could go for something that has a more magic/fantasy feel to it. You know, if you wanted.


Oh yeah, a lot of those don't have people on them necessarily. I guess the downside to having the "girl in a dress" cover is that it would alienate the guys who might read it. Also it doesn't fit with my book.


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## AnnHunter (Jan 21, 2014)

Hey, guys!  It's good to find "my people".  I write YA, and just launched a New Adult fantasy series.  Goals for 2015:  10 new books added to the roster, bringing it up to 15 total.  Half of them will be my NA series, which are super short.  Also launching a third series next year (the first 2 are fantasy) which is a YA contemporary horse racing series.  Yes, I have a death wish.  Normally I'm super panicky, but as long as I don't think about writing 10 books in 12 months, I remain calm


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

CN_Crawford said:


> Oh yeah, a lot of those don't have people on them necessarily. I guess the downside to having the "girl in a dress" cover is that it would alienate the guys who might read it. Also it doesn't fit with my book.


Your main protag is a boy, so yeah, that probably wouldn't work for you. But you could do a combo thing, like with Toby/Fiona. But I don't think it's necessary.


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## AnnHunter (Jan 21, 2014)

Enjoying reading the threads about visiting schools.  I plan on donating a few copies to my daughter's school library.  Anything else I should know about the whole school thing?


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## SA_Soule (Sep 8, 2011)

Hi! What a great thread.

I wrote a popular YA paranormal romance series and started work on another this year.

Despite positive reviews of my Sci-Fi YA series, LOST IN STARLIGHT: http://sherrysoule.blogspot.com/p/starlight-saga.html, book sales for this title have been disappointing, so I decided to redo the book cover. And yes, I think YA covers that have a person/model on the cover do appeal more to younger readers. I want to write the sequel sometime in 2015, but between editing for other writers, my writing time has diminished.

I would love to do a few book sets, too for my Spellbound series: http://thespellboundseries.blogspot.com/ in the new year for 2015.

I don't use beta readers because I found the feedback vague and unhelpful, but my CPs are awesome.  You can find betas here: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,183566.0.html

One of my main goals this year is to get one of my books featured on bookbub.

On prices: my YA books are mostly listed at $3.99 and they sell better at this price than at $2.99 or lower. The first book in my series is lower for January http://www.amazon.com/Beautifully-Broken-Book-One-Spellbound-ebook/dp/B0058DE8YI/ref=asap_B00596ANCA  in the hopes of gaining new readers who received Kindles over the holidays. In Feb, I'll raise the price back up to $2.99

And last year, I left a copy of one of my books at the hospital clinic where my daughter received chemo treatments.  I only donate books to my local libraries.

I will bookmark this thread and visit again. _Happy New Year, everyone!_


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## KatrinaAbbott (Jan 28, 2014)

Hi everyone! 
My 2015 goals? Well, I haven't actually set them yet, but I'm planning to get at least three books, maybe 4 out this year in my Rosewoods series. Book 6 is set for January already, but the rest, while scheduled in my head, aren't started yet. If that goes well (and my resolution to waste less time online pans out) I have an idea for adult rom-coms, but that will be back-burner.

I was involved in a multi-author sampler that featured 7 contemporary YA indie authors - http://www.amazon.com/Love-Firsts-Sampler-Contemporary-Romances-ebook/dp/B00OZUF8IK and it was a great way for us to cross-promote. It was put together by my VA on behalf of one of her other clients and we quickly got it set to free so we didn't have to worry about money (the one author took the lead and she did the upload via her KDP and other retailer accounts). It was a wonderful opportunity with very little hassle and we all promoted each other. I am fairly sure all involved got a lift from it.


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## A Woman&#039;s Place Is In The Rebellion (Apr 28, 2011)

2015 is the year of kicking my own ass.  I'm now working on book 3 of my YA series with the intent of publishing in Feb.  I also plan to redo the covers for books 1 and 2 to coincide with the publication of bk 3.  I've never been involved in a multi author promo but would be interested for next year.  I'd also like to take time to learn Tumblr.  I've dabbled on occasion just for fun but haven't figured out how to use it properly.  I'd also like to root out YA-friendly promo sites (if they exist) because they seem to be few and far between.  As sales-tastic as BookBub is, it doesn't appear to generate the same level of interest for YA books as it does for other genres/markets, not to mention you can't rely on it as a promo tool if you can't secure a slot!  I'm bookmarking this thread in an attempt to stay in the YA loop.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

A multi-author box set. Yes, I would be willing to participate -* I will even volunteer to organise it if you would like.* But only on condition it was free, because I couldn't deal with the hassle of trying to split the proceeds (though I believe there are companies who do all that for you?) My idea would be if all participants were to put in a book that was already perma-free then no-one would lose out financially and we could all hope to gain some new readers from the cross-promotion.

I think we need an entire new thread for this school thing, as I am really interested in learning more as well. Could someone start one?

In terms of a massive YA Giveaway, if we all tweet and all send mails out to our mailing lists etc, it should work.


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## A.A (Mar 30, 2012)

*Hands out virtual cake & cookies*
Hello to new YA writers to Kboards! 

I'm going to be trying a lot of Facebook stuff in the new year. Mostly unpaid, but will test out a few paid promotions here and there.
At the moment, I'm giving this a go: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnyaAllyn/photos/a.347183942032933.84692.274153826002612/757505231000800/?type=1&theater

It's just a fun thing for exposure and for me to work out how the Facebook ad thing works. Too early to say whether it will be successful or not.

Most of my readers seem to be older than teenage, so I think that for me, Facebook might work better than Tumblr or other options where there are a lot of teenagers. I definitely want to target horror readers, rather than just a broad range of YA readers. (Those who like books that are centred on romance would be very disappointed with my series, as the focus is on sci fi & horror.)

I can't do multi-sets (being that my YA series is tied to a publisher and I don't have any other full-novel series). I'm not totally sure what I'll be writing in the new year. I only have one serial to wrap up and that's it. 2015 feels full of lovely possibilities!


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## amyates (Feb 17, 2014)

Hi all! *waves* (And thanks to Sarah for starting this thread.)

On the school visits things, many of the writers I know who have done them do get paid a small fee. I also know one writer (a bit more in demand than others) who often does skype "visits" with schools. 

My goals for the year are to publish the second book in my newest YA series and to write the fourth book for that same series. I have some goals related to my adult books, but that's not for this thread. I plan on hitting the marketing world with more regularity and wandering over to the book blogger realms. A goodreads giveaway is probably in my future. I've also promised a gaggle of wattpad readers a sequel to a novel I published over there, so that too is on the agenda.

I've been curious about participating in or setting up a multi-author box set, as they seem a great way to attract new readers. I already have one book permafree that would work well for that, but finding other authors seemed a bit overwhelming.

I have a strong core of betas and I pay for editing and proofreading, but even still, I've had a couple of typos slip by *grimace*. But at the moment, my biggest concern is that I'm not pushing myself to become a better writer like I was. So much of my focus this last year as been on the publishing side of things and so tackling craft as sort of fallen by the wayside. I'm a firm believer that there is always room for growth, no matter how good or successful you are. After leaving my critique group a couple of years ago, I've definitely felt like I might need to find some new writers who are interested in reading/critiquing/discussing craft issues in a professional manner. Although I have enough experience with it to realize there are bound to be hits and misses, but I'd certainly be up for giving it a go if anyone is interested.


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## Tim_A (May 25, 2013)

Hey peeps! *waves*

My goals for this year are to get Flick Carter 3 finished and published, and Socko 4 (I'd be brave and say Flick 4 too, but based on past experience and my slowness of writing, that's unlikely. I'm also trying to grow my mailing list, which is woefully tiny, and to that end, my just released Socko 3 is being given away exclusively to people that sign up. Since I launched earlier this week, my mailing list has nearly doubled, with only a few mentions on FB. (Both my series are set in the same universe, although they're quite different tonally. The free book is a crossover) Genre is Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic.

I have a couple of decent beta readers, and paid for editing, but getting more teen readers is always difficult, particularly since I'm an official old fart...

I don't really have enough out there to do a permafree.


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

A few additional notes here:

Firstly, I'm interested in interviewing / having guest bloggers at my blog (and returning the same), so if you're a fantasy or a YA fantasy author, hit me up sometime and we can get the ball rolling. Like David said in another thread, I'm looking for people interested in talking about their journey as well as their book.

Secondly, I did a major thread a while back here on kboards passing on tips I learned. Rather than reposting the thread, I'll link you to my blog on the matter (second post down), as I recently updated the info and clarified it. It's long, but I think worth sharing with you all 

Thirdly, I'm experimenting with assorted paid adverts for a 7 day kindle countdown sale, starting tomorrow, for my book Arcane. I booked no less than 11 promos for it, and if you guys are interested, I can let you know how it goes.

_EDIT:_ Compiling a text file of all contact info for people interested in fantasy / YA fantasy guest blogging. So pm me or leave a message here


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Evenstar said:


> A multi-author box set. Yes, I would be willing to participate -* I will even volunteer to organise it if you would like.* But only on condition it was free, because I couldn't deal with the hassle of trying to split the proceeds (though I believe there are companies who do all that for you?) My idea would be if all participants were to put in a book that was already perma-free then no-one would lose out financially and we could all hope to gain some new readers from the cross-promotion.
> 
> I think we need an entire new thread for this school thing, as I am really interested in learning more as well. Could someone start one?
> 
> In terms of a massive YA Giveaway, if we all tweet and all send mails out to our mailing lists etc, it should work.


I have a permafree novel. It's YA dystopia, so I don't know if that will match with your genre, but I'm more than happy to include it if you'll have me.

Right, I've got a few ideas for the giveaway. I think I'll get to work on setting up some Google Docs and stuff. I think I'll aim for it to be up and running in March. 

@Sever - I have a YA fantasy series so would love to be interviewed or write a guest post on your blog.


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## rachelmedhurst (Jun 25, 2014)

Thanks for this thread. I've not actually put my book in the young adult categories on the platforms because I wasn't 100% sure if my writing was young adult or new adult. I'm planning on making a change in the new year.

My books are aimed at 16-25 year olds and I'm trying to find my audience still, so hopefully this will help.

My aim for 2015 is to write 6 novels and some serial episodes of Avoidables.

Great to meet you all and happy to do some cross promo.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

artofstu said:


> I've posted this before, but I think it's probably a good time to repost. Take a look at this site and then tell me what you think.
> 
> http://theyacover.tumblr.com


What a frustrating site! There is no indication of who designed the covers at all


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## amyates (Feb 17, 2014)

Sever, definitely interested in hearing how your promos go. My books are mostly urban fantasy, but if that works for you I'd certainly be glad to try my hand at a guest blog--for whatever it's worth. 

If there's a box set being put together, then I'd be happy to participate or help organize or whatever.

Cheers!


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

Evenstar said:


> What a frustrating site! There is no indication of who designed the covers at all


As far as I know those are all trad pubs. They might be in-house designers. I don't know how it works with those guys. Whoever they are, most of them are probably really expensive.


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

@Sarah: Got you on the list! 

@AM Yates: Put you on there too. Urban fantasy is a bit on the border, but we can make it work, I'm sure of that 

Yeah, the thing is I purposefully overbooked the ADs. This is the current lineup:

Dec 30th: Major fivverr promo ($80)
Dec 31st: Another Fivverr $5 promo
Jan 1st: Patty's Mad science-fiction $ fantasy sale
Jan 2nd: Bknights
Jan 3rd: bestebookreaderlovers.com & Booksends
Jan 4th: Fivverr 50 kindle promotion
Jan 5th: Bargainbooksy

I've also booked ebooklister (thanks Pauline!) and Awesomegang.com. There's one other I've booked but, like an idiot, I forgot the name lol.

P.S. EDIT: Oh and my goal for the kindle countdown is to beat Harry Potter for just _one_ day, haha. I'll take for a few hours even =P
I know, it's ludicrous, and I'm behind on the chart by a few spots, but we can dream, can't we?


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## amyates (Feb 17, 2014)

Sever, great! Look forward to it. PM me or email at [email protected] when the time rolls around. Good luck on the promos! Can't wait to hear the results.


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

Got it, A.M.!

This is awesome, I really look forward to getting to know everyone here in turn. Feels like we're on the same team, and I'm really excited to travel on this journey together


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## Scott Pixello (May 4, 2013)

Hi there YA bods,
I don't post much (busy with a sucky day job) but plans for 2015 include my first stab at sci-fi, entitled Losers in Space, which will be my 10th book!!! 

I'm going to aim for four titles a year- might not make that but the general rush to publish often leads to poorer quality work & if I want people to discover me when I'm dead and hate themselves for missing out, then I need to keep the quality high.

The fifth instalment in my Keith trilogy, Attack of the Scones, should be out in the summer. Oh, can you guess yet what the last one will be called?

I'm also working on a book, which could really annoy some religious folk. Cages will be rattled. Be warned, I'm putting the 'fat' in 'fatwa'.

Happy New Year


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## amyates (Feb 17, 2014)

Step aside, Mr. Potter! Ah... To dream the dream.


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## tknite (Feb 18, 2014)

I'm publishing my first YA novel next week.   Although that will probably my only YA title for a while. I have to jump back into Echoes and Arcadian Heights (and finish the latter) before I can start working on any more YA (or anything else in general). My next YA adventure will be a sci-fi/dystopian/action quartet though. This time around, though, I've got some soft sci-fi (fantasy-ish) time travel family drama going on. 

My current goal is just to finish this book by Sunday. I already had to delay it once because I got sick right before I started my proofreading read throughs. I was so mad.  

I'm going to see if I compare/contrast my Adult fiction vs. YA experience once this book is out and about. Should be interesting.


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## Midnight Whimsy (Jun 25, 2013)

Hi everyone!

I published my debut novel in mid-October, the first in a YA urban fantasy series. I launched a pre-order at the same time, which releases on January 9. Publishing has been a really fun experience so far and I'm super stoked for the Book 2 release. I'm a little panicky about Book 3 though, since I decided to launch another pre-order so I could include the link in Book 2. Not a lot of time to get that book finished, revised, edited, and proofread. 

I don't have a permafree book so I don't think I would be able to participate in the multi-author boxset. Maybe next time! 

Bookmarking this thread for future lurking. 

M.W


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Evenstar said:


> A multi-author box set. Yes, I would be willing to participate -* I will even volunteer to organise it if you would like.* But only on condition it was free, because I couldn't deal with the hassle of trying to split the proceeds (though I believe there are companies who do all that for you?) My idea would be if all participants were to put in a book that was already perma-free then no-one would lose out financially and we could all hope to gain some new readers from the cross-promotion.
> 
> I think we need an entire new thread for this school thing, as I am really interested in learning more as well. Could someone start one?
> 
> In terms of a massive YA Giveaway, if we all tweet and all send mails out to our mailing lists etc, it should work.


I'd love to be part of this!

I'm publishing my first novel--a YA Fantasy--in February. It's the first of a planned trilogy. Besides finishing the trilogy, my goals include learning all the promo, giveaways, and Amazon keyword strategies.

Thanks for starting this thread, Sarah.

I'm twitter-hunting you all down. If I missed anyone, post your twitter here. I'm @wibbs_ink


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## harker.roland (Sep 13, 2014)

What a great thread! Taken me out of the fringes 

I'll be publishing my first YA work in February, an 8-part Serial tentatively titled Infinity Breaker.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Does everyone here have the same meaning for Young Adult?

For me Young Adult means around 15 - 18.

New Adult would be 18 - early twenties.

But some of my reviews say that they think my books are more aimed at teens than young adults and I furrow my brow thinking "but young adults_ are_ teens!" I know that older teenagers themselves would consider they were "young adults".

I have pondered on the question of whether it is a UK/US thing, because you are considered completely Adult at 18 in the UK, and I think American's would say not until you are 21? But when I posed this question elsewhere on another site 90% agreed that it meant mid to late teens.
Would you agree or is your definition different?


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

Evenstar said:


> Does everyone here have the same meaning for Young Adult?
> 
> For me Young Adult means around 15 - 18.
> 
> ...


I think in publishing these days YA means teen. But in the world outside publishing, young adult means new adults, maybe 18-25. People don't understand what the genre YA refers to, I guess.


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## elizafaith13 (Sep 22, 2014)

Holla!

My YA Fantasy series is published with a small press, and I'll be self-pubbing a YA Contemporary Romance this year--the content falls in between the ABA & CBA markets.

I'm due in June--with kids#3--and I'm planning to have book#3 finished and sent to my publisher before then. Wish me luck!

@BethRevis I was always surprised that Kriston Cashore writes all long hand, then uses Dragon to input into word. Seems like so much work!


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

elizafaith13 said:


> I was always surprised that Kriston Cashore writes all long hand, then uses Dragon to input into word. Seems like so much work!


What, really?! OMG that sounds so painful! That said, Dragon has been actually decent in getting words in--I've done about 4k of a short story, almost all of it in DNS over two short writing sessions.


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## Wansit (Sep 27, 2012)

1. My 2015 goal is more YA books and AN awesome YA-centric bundle.

2. I don't do school visits or conferences. Waste of a large amount of money if I'm paying for it.

3. I'm hoping to build my Instagram/Tumblr readership with monthly giveaways but it's not my priority. Having a great social media following is awesome but I can't say having thousands of FB followers or hundreds of tumblr followers affects my sales anywhere as much as putting a new book out.

4. I don't pay my betas.

5. Cashore's long-hand IS painful as a reader who wants another Fire STAT.


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## amyates (Feb 17, 2014)

Evenstar, I would agree with your basic assessment of the age range for YA vs. New Adult generally. Although, I always saw the difference between the two to be less about the age range of readers. Instead I thought it was the age characters in the story/the content that distinguishes the two. I'm not sure the general reading public has much sense of the 'New Adult' category yet


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## amyates (Feb 17, 2014)

Sorry that sent before I was finished. My point being, I think there's a lot of cross over in readership between the two, but I don't think all of the readers have yet to realize that there's a reason for the YA or the New Adult label. They're just reading and saying 'Oh, this book seems younger than that other book I read.' I've gotten similar reviews, even though my book is labeled YA. Some people have felt the need to say that it's for older teens and one person just wrote, "young." OR in other words, YA.


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

A YA thread - awesome! I have 2 YA series which I consider upper YA or YA/adult crossover - Emily Chambers Spirit Medium and Freak House. I have both teens and adults reading them. They're historical paranormals which makes them somewhat niche, but I do OK as long as I keep promoting them. The 1st books in both series are permafree.

I recommend Wattpad for some exposure to real teens to see if your work gels with that age group. I've had some success there, mostly with The Medium after it was featured. here's my profile if you want to check it out: http://www.wattpad.com/user/CjArcher

I would LOVE to be involved in any promos going around. Re the permafree idea - I'm currently in a 14-author box set of all 1st-in-series permafrees. It's working well, but mostly for the authors near the front. I'd be interested in being involved in another one if it was less than 10 books. I do think the market is currently saturated with boxed sets, however, so their effectiveness as a promo tool appears to be waning, unless you have some big names in there.

Beth - The Instagram or Tumblr promo sounds like a great idea! I have Tumblr but don't do much there. I plan to do more on it in 2015. I'd love to get involved in something if you're organising a promo. I want to increase my presence away from Facebook and go where the teens are. I really need to get an Instagram account - put that on the list for 2015 too.

Writing goals for 2015 - finish my Freak House series, bringing it to a total of 9 books. Start a new YA series. The ideas are currently percolating, but I do know it will be something similar to my current series as my readers enjoy those.


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## A.A (Mar 30, 2012)

Evenstar said:


> Does everyone here have the same meaning for Young Adult?


I'd put Young adult as ages 12-17, but as far as the books themselves are concerned, they can be for all ages over 12 (or 14+ depending on content).


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## Moist_Tissue (Dec 6, 2013)

I have seen YA divided into Lower YA (13-15) and Upper YA (16-1.


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## amyates (Feb 17, 2014)

CJArcher said:


> I'm currently in a 14-author box set of all 1st-in-series permafrees. It's working well, but mostly for the authors near the front. I'd be interested in being involved in another one if it was less than 10 books. I do think the market is currently saturated with boxed sets, however, so their effectiveness as a promo tool appears to be waning, unless you have some big names in there.


Fourteen books does seem like a lot. Anyone have any thoughts on how many would be an ideal number?


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## altyler (Aug 12, 2014)

A.A said:


> I'd put Young adult as ages 12-17, but as far as the books themselves are concerned, they can be for all ages over 12 (or 14+ depending on content).


I like this as a general definition, although I know that there are some different meanings across the industry, and even here on kboards. Some of mine are aimed more for the middle teens, and some for later teens, though I wouldn't quite put them in the NA category.

2015 plans? I have ambitiously scheduled myself to write nine novels in 2015, and release one at least every three months. After finally admitting that I don't know what I'm doing, I've also sought help in creating a marketing/advertising/branding plan and schedule. As a part of that second piece, I am now committed to doing one blog post a week. It should be fun to see how things turn out.


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## SB James (May 21, 2014)

Ha, just found this thread and finally read through it!
My plans for 2015:
1) I want to finish Book 3 ASAP
2) I want to revise my permafree book to add a bit more content so that I will hit over 100 pages and then may qualify for a Book Bub ad at some point.
3) I want to get print versions of my books done.
4) I want to get books 4 and 5 finished.
5) Once sales improve, I'd like to look into audio versions of the books.
6) I want to get my website up and running, and I'm considering porting my existing blog there, I just don't know...
If a boxed set with too many books is a problem, maybe do more than one? Especially if they're all permafrees.
I'm loading my permafree, one chapter at a time, up on Wattpad. Then I may do a few short "one-shots" featuring the younger characters in my books to attract more teens. Right now, I've got a feeling my books are being read mostly by older readers, which isn't a bad thing, but teenagers tend to "ship" a book and their characters more than adults do. Older readers like to download books from Amazon, I still think younger readers like a print book and use their phones for other things besides reading. That may change, but that's what I'm seeing now. As for Wattpad, those readers are the exact same crowd who reads fan-fiction, and they are even willing to sit in front of a computer to read stories.
If I had the time, I'd get some artwork up on my website and Deviant Art. 
I've always considered YA for ages 13-17. "New Adult" didn't even hit my radar until last year. I think what I've written are described as "YA Crossover," and having older readers probably reflects that.


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## Kenosha Kid (Jun 23, 2011)

* * *


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## tknite (Feb 18, 2014)

Moist_Tissue said:


> I have seen YA divided into Lower YA (13-15) and Upper YA (16-1.


This is actually how I see YA, really. And I wish there was a simple way to get that across when I'm categorizing stuff on Amazon and foes.

Technically, my upcoming novel is Upper YA -- I honestly don't think it's suitable for readers much under 15/16 or so. Unfortunately, the only way I have to indicate that without eschewing the YA category altogether is to put a warning in the synopsis. Which I hate doing -- I find it rather tacky -- but I don't want to end up in one of those situations where a parent buys the book for a young teen without realizing the content level and then angrily one stars the crap out of me.

-groans- Why does this always have to be so complicated?

But really. I think just "YA" by itself is a bit too broad. There's a MASSIVE difference between 13 and 18, but, in terms of available categories at most vendors, there's no way to get that across.


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## Jake Kerr (Aug 6, 2014)

I tweaked my keywords and am now in the top 60 of "coming of age." My goal is to be right next to my bro Sever in the top five. 

Love this thread/community!


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## Midnight Whimsy (Jun 25, 2013)

tknite said:


> This is actually how I see YA, really. And I wish there was a simple way to get that across when I'm categorizing stuff on Amazon and foes.
> 
> Technically, my upcoming novel is Upper YA -- I honestly don't think it's suitable for readers much under 15/16 or so. Unfortunately, the only way I have to indicate that without eschewing the YA category altogether is to put a warning in the synopsis. Which I hate doing -- I find it rather tacky -- but I don't want to end up in one of those situations where a parent buys the book for a young teen without realizing the content level and then angrily one stars the crap out of me.
> 
> ...


I don't think it's necessary to warn readers. After all, some readers are OK with different things at different ages (and same for their parents). I put 14 as the minimum age for my YA book in the Amazon settings, but it also has several F-bombs in it, which you would not find in teen-friendly TV, as an example. I included them because it was the applicable response for the character, and anything less would have lacked realism--and I believe YA readers would have seen that as well. I don't have any warnings anywhere, but I've received no complaints so far.

Keep in mind this teen generation lives on the internet -- they've seen everything. I think the line to be concerned about is disturbing content, such a graphic violence or rape. Even then, it's been done in YA before, but it needs to be approached carefully.

M.W


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

jakedfw said:


> I tweaked my keywords and am now in the top 60 of "coming of age." My goal is to be right next to my bro Sever in the top five.
> 
> Love this thread/community!


There's lots of room here, Jake! *Elbows neighbors* There we go, saved you a spot 

And love to see this community grow. We don't have anyone looking out for us--all we have is each other


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

No need for warnings with YA. Seriously. Short of graphic, detailed sex (which would put it up to NA anyway), there's really no need for any warnings. 

I think most people assume "upper YA" when they see YA.


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## Ceinwen (Feb 25, 2014)

Hey folks! I published one YA novel this year, and due to some personal stuff am still only a quarter of the way through the first draft of my next book, which will be Book 1 of a YA scifi/dystopian trilogy.  Ideally I'd like to finish book 1 & 2 this year, and publish a book of all-ages fairytales on the side.


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

There is definitely a division between upper and lower YA and crossover books are generally meant that they crossover to adult readers of all ages. NA seems to have a fairly definite meaning of books that tackle that stage of life which includes college, first job, first serious love etc....

So even though the ages might overlap between upper YA and NA, the stage of life is different. And given that most teens read up, kids who are actually in middle grade tend to read lower YA, young teens tend to read upper YA and older teens tend to read NA or skip straight to adult genre fiction.

If you're a member of SCBWI, there's a lot of info and discussion there on the categories as it's important for trad pub authors to pitch the book correctly to agents, and thus agents to publishers as they have fairly clear definitions because bricks and mortar book stores do. So maybe it's not so important for indies to worry too much about NA vs YA? And maybe NA is biggest in ebook format anyway. I know my local bookstore experimented with an NA section, but they took it down as no one seemed to know what it meant LOL -  and now I see NA randomly in YA and in adult genre.......


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## ceciliagray (Jun 29, 2011)

Oh yay, a YA thread!!! Thanks for starting this!

2015 goals: Write. Book. (pretty simple, right?)

As to YA and age ranges, I know it's easy to get caught up in age range, but really for me YA is about a character undergoing a first-experience 'loss of innocence' in the vein of a experience where they strike out on their own as a protagonist without the help of parents and find themselves tested therein….covering the range from 12-18 across lower and upper YA. I <3 YA!

Hope to see more from everyone, and good luck on the 2015 goals!


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## EarthGirly (Jun 17, 2013)

Hiya! 
Great stuff on this thread! Bookmarked to lurk upon later. 

I just started a YA paranormal serial last month under the pen name Dagny Darkwood. My goal for it is to make enough money in 2015 to pay for professional covers...although that might end up being a catch 22. :/ Ah well. For now, I'm using it as a learning experience and deadline driver. It's working pretty well for both, so I'm happy. Plus, YA is just fun to write (and after too many years of chasing the trad contract, fun is important)!

I generally consider YA to be 14-18, by age of the protagonist. Reader age is a lot more difficult to pinpoint, especially now that YA has gone mainstream. I read Upper YA when I was 11; my little sister still reads exclusively Upper YA at 27. I think there's also a gendered difference in age range, too. So, like others have said, I think it's more about the content than the age range. For me, it's the transitionary period between "kid" and what society considers "young adult," and learning how to handle adult-type situations for the first time (whether that's a first boyfriend or saving the world  ).

Thanks for the thread! I will be watching it with enthusiasm.


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## Selina Fenech (Jul 20, 2011)

Great thread! Nice to see so many YA writers, and be able to discuss the particular issues that come with writing and marketing YA work.

I'm slow going with writing lately. Writing has been delegated to "hobby" priority timing as I have to focus more on my main creative career as an artist. But I'm almost about to FINALLY release the last book in my YA fantasy trilogy.

Speaking of YA fantasy and cross promotion... I own the domain name http://yafantasybooks.com/ which Emily Ward and I set up years ago for some other group promo and has been sitting around doing not much since. If anyone has any bright ideas for how YA fantasy writers as a group could use and benefit from the domain, I'm happy to free it up or help set something up there. I figure YA Fantasy can easily encompass paranormal, horror, sci-fi, etc as well. The domain name is worth using, even with basically nothing there it gets a few hits every day just from the good keywords in the domain name, but I just haven't known what to do with it to really get it going.


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

SB James said:


> Right now, I've got a feeling my books are being read mostly by older readers,


I have to say, I totally thought from your covers that your books were adult.



Evenstar said:


> Does everyone here have the same meaning for Young Adult?


In the shop where I work we have a teenage section and a YA section. The teenage section is seen as pretty safe to recommend for all: full-on action, mysteries, comedies, the quest to achieve that first kiss, etc. The YA section was born when Twilight became the big thing, and for a few years, pretty much contained only that style of fantasy book: House of Night, Mortal Instruments, Dark Materials, Beautiful Creatures, Hunger Games, Vampire Diaries. (I could go on.) Now it has branched out into different genres and is recommended for older teens. Books are put there if they have grittier storylines: violence, death, sexual themes, pregnancy, abuse, dealing with grief, suicidal themes, etc.

Personally, I've always thought of YA as aimed at the 15-20 age range, and that's the age I write for. My books may now be considered NA by some, due to the sexual content, but at the time of writing them, I merely thought I was filling a gap in the market for YA readers who didn't want the relationship to end at the bedroom door. (They do exist, I assure you.)

The debate about what is middle grade (not a term in England by the way)/teenage/YA/NA will probably never go away. The varying opinions in this thread alone substantiate that, but it's still a discussion that, as a bookseller, I'm extremely interested in.

And Selina, you should totally do something with that website.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Selina Fenech said:


> Great thread! Nice to see so many YA writers, and be able to discuss the particular issues that come with writing and marketing YA work.
> 
> I'm slow going with writing lately. Writing has been delegated to "hobby" priority timing as I have to focus more on my main creative career as an artist. But I'm almost about to FINALLY release the last book in my YA fantasy trilogy.
> 
> Speaking of YA fantasy and cross promotion... I own the domain name http://yafantasybooks.com/ which Emily Ward and I set up years ago for some other group promo and has been sitting around doing not much since. If anyone has any bright ideas for how YA fantasy writers as a group could use and benefit from the domain, I'm happy to free it up or help set something up there. I figure YA Fantasy can easily encompass paranormal, horror, sci-fi, etc as well. The domain name is worth using, even with basically nothing there it gets a few hits every day just from the good keywords in the domain name, but I just haven't known what to do with it to really get it going.


Selina that website is gorgeous! Perhaps you can just adapt it into something with more regular features or book spotlights? It's a great site, it would be a shame for it to go to waste. But I know how much work it is. I'm terrible for not updating my own site enough.


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## hs (Feb 15, 2011)

Hi, everyone! Thanks for setting up this YA thread, Sarah! It's great to see all the responses it's received in just one day. 



Selina Fenech said:


> Speaking of YA fantasy and cross promotion... I own the domain name http://yafantasybooks.com/ which Emily Ward and I set up years ago for some other group promo and has been sitting around doing not much since. If anyone has any bright ideas for how YA fantasy writers as a group could use and benefit from the domain, I'm happy to free it up or help set something up there. I figure YA Fantasy can easily encompass paranormal, horror, sci-fi, etc as well. The domain name is worth using, even with basically nothing there it gets a few hits every day just from the good keywords in the domain name, but I just haven't known what to do with it to really get it going.


Your site looks great, Selina! One suggestion is to follow the model that The Speculative Fiction Showcase uses in asking for submissions for new releases, interviews, guest posts, etc. (See http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,193539.0.html) It'd be great to have a similar site for KBoards authors that's geared toward YA, but I know it's a lot of work to update it.

As for my 2015 plans, I'm going to focus on shorter fiction (short stories and a novella) in the first half of the year, and then work on my next novel after that. I'm a slow writer, so the novel probably won't be done until 2016.


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## donna callea (Dec 25, 2009)

So glad to have found this thread!  I've learned so much just lurking here.
I now know that the first thing I need to do is get a new cover for my YA Bristles.  It's the only one of my three books that's YA.  It's a dystopian reimagining of the Cinderella story set in a sort of steampunky society.  But it's not really steampunk.  I'm trying to find a premade.  Any suggestions re: premade sites would be much appreciated.

I'm also working on a YA historical.  Is there such a thing?  Mine is set in the mid-1700s in Florida, and features pirates, genital mutilation, slavery of all colors, and young love.  I know.  Bound to touch a cord with teens everywhere.  But what can I do?  It's the story that's in me.

Anyway, I'm just glad to be here.


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## Jill Nojack (Mar 7, 2014)

bethrevis said:


> No need for warnings with YA. Seriously. Short of graphic, detailed sex (which would put it up to NA anyway), there's really no need for any warnings.
> 
> I think most people assume "upper YA" when they see YA.


I have always assumed the 12-15 age range when I see YA, and think more of a "Teen" label for upper YA. It's inconsistent across retailers as well.

That said, my current plans are to continue writing books in my current series this year with at least two additional books. I have a huge number of books in the series already sitting around in my head waiting to be written, but it has always been my intent to write for adults, too. (Although the primary audience that reads my series as far as I can tell actually is adults--so while I intentionally write for teens, that's not who reads it.)

I'm currently finishing up an adult trilogy but will return to YA for the next two outings with two upper YA series. Everything I write is "Urban Fantasy with a smirk" whether it's YA or adult. I have a goal of writing six books next year. That is probably achievable for me because my life is currently structured to leave me lots of time to do as I please once the forty hours a week job is done.

I'd also be interested in any promotions or box sets, but I think that a "YA" theme for a box set is too broad. Since YA covers all genres, the most effective promotions are genre-specific, even within YA. I would also be happy to contribute my time and whatever talents I have for anyone who is putting a promotion together. I'm not an organizer, but I'm great at the drudge work 

Jill


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## ShayneRutherford (Mar 24, 2014)

Jill Nojack said:


> I have always assumed the 12-15 age range when I see YA, and think more of a "Teen" label for upper YA. It's inconsistent across retailers as well.
> 
> That said, my current plans are to continue writing books in my current series this year with at least two additional books. I have a huge number of books in the series already sitting around in my head waiting to be written, but it has always been my intent to write for adults, too. (Although the primary audience that reads my series as far as I can tell actually is adults--so while I intentionally write for teens, that's not who reads it.)
> 
> ...


When I worked at Chapters, if the book's MC was 12-14 then the book was usually put in upper MG for readers in the 10-12 range, because kids generally like to read up. If the MC was 16-18 that was YA, and was geared more for 13 and up. Strangely, there seems to be a lack of 15-year-old protags, or at least there were back when I was working at the book store.


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## Pauline Creeden (Aug 4, 2011)

Wow awesome info already in this thread!

I'm an author of supernatural suspense for the YA/NA market. My stuff is squeaky clean except for the violence, but it's not too graphic. My goals for 2015 are to publish 3 novellas and 3 novels (sequels to the other stories) I also got in on one of Elle's giveaways and it was great!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## amyates (Feb 17, 2014)

"Strangely, there seems to be a lack of 15-year-old protags, or at least there were back when I was working at the book store."

That's interesting. I bumped the age of my protagonist from 15 to 16 because betas felt she was too young at 15 for some of the what was happening in the romantic plot. Maybe 15 is a bit of a dead zone age wise, like 1.99 price wise. 

I agree that a boxed set would need to be grouped less broadly than just YA.  Not sure if some new threads need to be started for more specific projects on that front.


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## ShayneRutherford (Mar 24, 2014)

amyates said:


> "Strangely, there seems to be a lack of 15-year-old protags, or at least there were back when I was working at the book store."
> 
> That's interesting. I bumped the age of my protagonist from 15 to 16 because betas felt she was too young at 15 for some of the what was happening in the romantic plot. Maybe 15 is a bit of a dead zone age wise, like 1.99 price wise.


I did the same thing with the protag in the YA ghost mystery that I'm working on, because when he's forced by circumstances beyond his control to break a promise to his mother and tell her flat out that he's going to do so, I needed him to come off like a young man making an adult decision, rather than a kid, because I needed it to be believable that his mother would actually allow him to do what he needs to do. Sixteen felt like I was in pushing-it-but-doable territory, while fifteen just felt too young.


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## 69959 (May 14, 2013)

I'd love to be a part of this, but will have post more after I get over this flu.


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## SB James (May 21, 2014)

Raquel Lyon said:


> I have to say, I totally thought from your covers that your books were adult.


Originally, these books were supposed to be more for adults. Since my books' main character starts the series as a 12 years old boy, and since there is no graphic sex, and the violence is there but it's dramatically toned down from my original concept, which was Game Of Thrones level of violence, some thought it would be a good idea to categorize in both YA and Steampunk.
However, the covers are always able to be changed, aren't they?


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

Agreed with HS, Selina! It would be great to have an indie-specific YA-centric website. ANd by the way, your site DOES look amazing!

Here it is, people, in case you missed it:

http://yafantasybooks.com/

My characters start at 14 years old btw.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

It is a difficult definition, I have recently had one of those "blastings from a parent" on Amazon. She reviewed saying that her eleven year old daughter came to her saying the book was full of "bad" things, then went on to say that there was boys massaging girl bits under their shirts etc, and I was like "What? Where?" It was a bit upsetting because the reviewer had clearly not read the book. She went on to say how inappropriate it was for a girl of eleven. But I totally agree with that - it quite clearly says 12 + in the blurb! So why did she buy it? I basically seem to be walking a very fine line with the flirting. There is absolutely no sex at all, just one innocent first kiss, but there is some suggestive banter. Sigh... which the teen readers seem to find realistic, which is important to me!

So basically I have stopped using the YA tag so much and started to put "Teen" instead. But I am still confident that my books in fact ARE Young Adult, certainly the promotional sites all put me in that category.

I'm not sure it is necessarily about the age of the characters though - look at Twilight, she was 17/18 in the books, but the majority of readers were definitely 12 - 15. The books were kept completely clean, no sex at all. I think it needs to more about the age of the readers rather than the characters.

On the other hand, I read "young adult" and I am in my thirties, so maybe it _is_ the age of the characters rather than the reader!

I think it could be summed up more *at what age reader the books are aimed at *regardless of the characters?



Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> NA seems to have a fairly definite meaning of books that tackle that stage of life which includes college, first job, first serious love etc....
> 
> So even though the ages might overlap between upper YA and NA, the stage of life is different. And given that most teens read up, kids who are actually in middle grade tend to read lower YA, young teens tend to read upper YA and older teens tend to read NA or skip straight to adult genre fiction.


I think this is very true too.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Regarding box sets, I think 6 is a good number, or 8 maximum! Definitely no more.

I would suggest that if people are interested in participating then we make a list of how many there are, and if it is over 8 then we split into two box sets. Grouping similar books together as much as possible.


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## hs (Feb 15, 2011)

Evenstar said:


> Regarding box sets, I think 6 is a good number, or 8 maximum! Definitely no more.
> 
> I would suggest that if people are interested in participating then we make a list of how many there are, and if it is over 8 then we split into two box sets. Grouping similar books together as much as possible.


Good idea! You can count me in.


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## amyates (Feb 17, 2014)

Evenstar said:


> Regarding box sets, I think 6 is a good number, or 8 maximum! Definitely no more.
> 
> I would suggest that if people are interested in participating then we make a list of how many there are, and if it is over 8 then we split into two box sets. Grouping similar books together as much as possible.


Both of those ideas seem spot on to me. I was thinking 5-8 as well. Maybe we should start a separate thread for that . . . Yes, no?


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

I think my new permafree would be a good fit for a YA paranormal set. I'm definitely interested.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

I have no idea how it works but count me in as well! #yafantasy


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## Stewart Matthews (Nov 21, 2014)

Hey thread! Just popping in to say that I'm following everyone here on Twitter.

My goal for the year is to finish books 2 and 3 in my YA Scifi Thriller (book 1 is in my sig). I'm not sure if I'll continue to write YA after that or not? To be honest, other than the age of the MC (17), I'm not sure if We Are Watching qualifies as YA.


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## Ronny K (Aug 2, 2011)

Selina Fenech said:


> Great thread! Nice to see so many YA writers, and be able to discuss the particular issues that come with writing and marketing YA work.
> 
> I'm slow going with writing lately. Writing has been delegated to "hobby" priority timing as I have to focus more on my main creative career as an artist. But I'm almost about to FINALLY release the last book in my YA fantasy trilogy.
> 
> Speaking of YA fantasy and cross promotion... I own the domain name http://yafantasybooks.com/ which Emily Ward and I set up years ago for some other group promo and has been sitting around doing not much since. If anyone has any bright ideas for how YA fantasy writers as a group could use and benefit from the domain, I'm happy to free it up or help set something up there. I figure YA Fantasy can easily encompass paranormal, horror, sci-fi, etc as well. The domain name is worth using, even with basically nothing there it gets a few hits every day just from the good keywords in the domain name, but I just haven't known what to do with it to really get it going.


Nice! I ran www.youngadultfantasy.com a few years back, but I let it die in favor of other projects (now it redirects to my author site). I think most people just assumed it was some sort of porn, sadly.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Evenstar said:


> It is a difficult definition, I have recently had one of those "blastings from a parent" on Amazon. She reviewed saying that her eleven year old daughter came to her saying the book was full of "bad" things, then went on to say that there was boys massaging girl bits under their shirts etc, and I was like "What? Where?" It was a bit upsetting because the reviewer had clearly not read the book. She went on to say how inappropriate it was for a girl of eleven. But I totally agree with that - it quite clearly says 12 + in the blurb! So why did she buy it? I basically seem to be walking a very fine line with the flirting. There is absolutely no sex at all, just one innocent first kiss, but there is some suggestive banter. Sigh... which the teen readers seem to find realistic, which is important to me!


I have a feeling that parental outrage only helps sell the books to teenagers.


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## Ronny K (Aug 2, 2011)

CN_Crawford said:


> Thanks - i was going to ask about covers.


Can't help mentioning that your cover reminded me a ton of the first Dark Tower book, which isn't necessarily YA, but I think it hits a lot of the same readers. Which is to say I think it works without having a sexy lady on it


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Ronny K said:


> Can't help mentioning that your cover reminded me a ton of the first Dark Tower book, which isn't necessarily YA, but I think it hits a lot of the same readers. Which is to say I think it works without having a sexy lady on it
> _0.00_jpg_srz[/img]


Oh cool! I've never seen that before - it does look very similar!


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## Jill Nojack (Mar 7, 2014)

That's an excellent site. But rather than listen to what writers say, find out what content YA Fantasy readers would like (in addition to giveaways, etc). As authors, we often come up with ideas that readers would have no interest in. As a reader, there is nothing more boring to me than to


Selina Fenech said:


> Great thread! Nice to see so many YA writers, and be able to discuss the particular issues that come with writing and marketing YA work.
> 
> I'm slow going with writing lately. Writing has been delegated to "hobby" priority timing as I have to focus more on my main creative career as an artist. But I'm almost about to FINALLY release the last book in my YA fantasy trilogy.
> 
> Speaking of YA fantasy and cross promotion... I own the domain name http://yafantasybooks.com/ which Emily Ward and I set up years ago for some other group promo and has been sitting around doing not much since. If anyone has any bright ideas for how YA fantasy writers as a group could use and benefit from the domain, I'm happy to free it up or help set something up there. I figure YA Fantasy can easily encompass paranormal, horror, sci-fi, etc as well. The domain name is worth using, even with basically nothing there it gets a few hits every day just from the good keywords in the domain name, but I just haven't known what to do with it to really get it going.


With a great domain name like that, why not do a poll that asks readers what would motivate them to visit the site or sign up on the mailing list? Obviously, giveaways/promotion happen. Everybody likes those. But as writers (particularly grown-up ones), our suggestions may not be what YA readers really want. Teen culture changes quickly. I know when I was a teen, an interview with a writer would have bored me unless I was interested in being one. They actually still bore me for the most part. I'd rather spend my time reading a book than an interview.

Just my two cents.


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## amyates (Feb 17, 2014)

OK, I started a new thread for those interested in putting together a boxed set. See you there!

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,205568.0.html


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Do people select "Juvenile - Fiction" as a category? I've just added that instead of "fantasy - contemporary," which I think was doing nothing for me. But I'm not sure if Juvenile is a younger age range, or if a book aimed at Upper YA should be called a children's book.


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

CN_Crawford said:


> Oh cool! I've never seen that before - it does look very similar!


Wait! Are you saying you've never seen that cover before or you've never read The Dark Tower? Cuz if not, you should definitely consider remedying that post haste.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

artofstu said:


> Wait! Are you saying you've never seen that cover before or you've never read The Dark Tower? Cuz if not, you should definitely consider remedying that post haste.


I haven't read it! I've read and enjoyed other Stephen King books, but not that one. I'll add it to my list! Your book is on my list before that one...


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

CN_Crawford said:


> I haven't read it! I've read and enjoyed other Stephen King books, but not that one. I'll add it to my list! Your book is on my list before that one...


Omigosh! One of my all-time favorite series.

Finished yours. Really liked it. Definitely will read the sequel. Left reviews on GR and Amazon under my secret identity. I saw that K.M. Alexander read and reviewed your book on GR. That's cool. He's a super nice dude. Don't think he's on Kboards, though. I've never noticed him anyway. I'm halfway through Old Broken Road and expect to finish it tomorrow.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

romance me said:


> I choose juvenile fiction for one category, and use YA and teen in my keywords. It gets me into the categories I want.
> 
> ETA: just picked up your book, CN - loved the preview.


Oh thanks! Let me know what you think!


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## Midnight Whimsy (Jun 25, 2013)

Sever Bronny said:


> P.S. EDIT: Oh and my goal for the kindle countdown is to beat Harry Potter for just _one_ day, haha. I'll take for a few hours even =P
> I know, it's ludicrous, and I'm behind on the chart by a few spots, but we can dream, can't we?


This made me go check where my book is sitting on the YA Coming of Age Fantasy list, and...










     

Good luck with your promo -- I'm sure you can squeeze in front of Harry Potter!! 

M.W


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

artofstu said:


> Omigosh! One of my all-time favorite series.
> 
> Finished yours. Really liked it. Definitely will read the sequel. Left reviews on GR and Amazon under my secret identity. I saw that K.M. Alexander read and reviewed your book on GR. That's cool. He's a super nice dude. Don't think he's on Kboards, though. I've never noticed him anyway. I'm halfway through Old Broken Road and expect to finish it tomorrow.


Thanks for the awesome reviews! I'm in the middle of Stars Were Right, and really enjoying it. I know him from another message board of mostly visual artists/designers/nerds.


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## Midnight Whimsy (Jun 25, 2013)

romance me said:


> Virtual high fives!!!!


Thanks!!


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

CN_Crawford said:


> Do people select "Juvenile - Fiction" as a category? I've just added that instead of "fantasy - contemporary," which I think was doing nothing for me. But I'm not sure if Juvenile is a younger age range, or if a book aimed at Upper YA should be called a children's book.


You chose correctly for upper YA - I have no idea why Amazon calls it that. You should also use 'young adult' and 'teen' in your allowed keywords to make sure it gets firmly placed with other upper YA books. Also 'coming of age', etc.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Thanks for the tip Heather!

And Congrats on that ranking Midnight Whimsy!


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## Ronny K (Aug 2, 2011)

Yeah, I do one Juvenile Fiction > Magic & Whatever it's called and one Fiction > Fantasy > Epic and I got the following plethora of categories: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N7K1CMK/

ETA: definitely using "young adult fantasy" and "teen" as keywords

Also something changed recently to allow both children's AND teen, whereas you used to have to pick between them


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

CN_Crawford said:


> Do people select "Juvenile - Fiction" as a category? I've just added that instead of "fantasy - contemporary," which I think was doing nothing for me. But I'm not sure if Juvenile is a younger age range, or if a book aimed at Upper YA should be called a children's book.


For some reason, I had to change my category to juvenile fiction: horror & ghost stories to get myself placed in the teens and young adults: horror list. Before I did that, I wasn't showing up in that category at all, even with all the right keywords.


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

artofstu said:


> For some reason, I had to change my category to juvenile fiction: horror & ghost stories to get myself placed in the teens and young adults: horror list. Before I did that, I wasn't showing up in that category at all, even with all the right keywords.


Yes, I think you need both the larger main category and the keywords together to make sure you hit YA. That said, you can contact Amazon and ask to be put in a category. I've done that and they were very obliging.

Midnight Whimsy - congrats on your ranking! Since we're speaking of categories and keywords, what combo did you use to also get yourself into romance/fantasy? I'm frightened of changing since my keywords have worked very well, but I would like to show up in romance to hopefully capture a whole new audience that hasn't seen my book in the YA trenches.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Thanks for the keywords input. I definitely have some more work to do with my keywords.


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## jegarlick (Jun 23, 2013)

Hi Sarah!

I think we've connected before on these boards under a thread I started. Nice that you are doing this. 
My plans for 2015 are kind of all over the place really. I need to finish book 3 and 4 of my If Only series to complete that, as well as write book 3 of The Illumination Paradox Series and get it out before Christmas next. I also have pokers in the NA fire with a Romance or two planned there (one written...just need to go over it, and another project for a unique box set I planned). I also have two other projects that I just want to write, because I want to write them... which will likely fall into women's fiction/love stories...I think...which has me a bit worried and I'm considering a pen name for these, but then I think...nahhhh....the next day! lol 

I am wondering if YA is the way to go as a Self Pub of late, as teens don't have credit cards...as they say...and in my experience, I've found that to be correct. Much as they want the book and talk well of it, and are sweet as HECK on fb and twitter...they are bound to their parents to make the final purchase. I've also found most of my readership is not teen!!! So yeah, there's that...  Because of all this, I'm looking at 2015 a little differently...I may even stamp out another agent for these projects and head back into the traditional trenches for YA stuff...dunno yet.

I'm also planning to branch out past Amazon...yes, you heard that right...I'm going to wade into new waters and hope they embrace me...in a special successful way...lol

I'd be up for a group giveaway event for SURE though. Participated in some...love them...enjoy meeting and interacting with READERS~ YAY!!!


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## Ronny K (Aug 2, 2011)

jegarlick said:


> Hi Sarah!
> 
> I think we've connected before on these boards under a thread I started. Nice that you are doing this.
> My plans for 2015 are kind of all over the place really. I need to finish book 3 and 4 of my If Only series to complete that, as well as write book 3 of The Illumination Paradox Series and get it out before Christmas next. I also have pokers in the NA fire with a Romance or two planned there (one written...just need to go over it, and another project for a unique box set I planned). I also have two other projects that I just want to write, because I want to write them... which will likely fall into women's fiction/love stories...I think...which has me a bit worried and I'm considering a pen name for these, but then I think...nahhhh....the next day! lol
> ...


Hey Jacquie--
I might've missed this in the other thread, but I'm curious what price points you've tried out for Lumiere?


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## Midnight Whimsy (Jun 25, 2013)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> Midnight Whimsy - congrats on your ranking! Since we're speaking of categories and keywords, what combo did you use to also get yourself into romance/fantasy? I'm frightened of changing since my keywords have worked very well, but I would like to show up in romance to hopefully capture a whole new audience that hasn't seen my book in the YA trenches.


Chase the Dark is in romance Where do you see that?? 

(Clearly, I will be a big help with keywords. I don't even know what categories I'm in...)



CN_Crawford said:


> And Congrats on that ranking Midnight Whimsy!


Thanks CN!!


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

Midnight Whimsy said:


> This made me go check where my book is sitting on the YA Coming of Age Fantasy list, and...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


lol that is just awesome!!!!!!  

Huge congratz ! I'm trailing you on that chart, dragging my feet *cough, wheeze*

That rank is just killer


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## harker.roland (Sep 13, 2014)

artofstu said:


> Wait! Are you saying you've never seen that cover before or you've never read The Dark Tower? Cuz if not, you should definitely consider remedying that post haste.


The Dark Tower series might be King's greatest work. It's unfortunate that there are sooooo many people who have never heard of it/ read it.

'All Hail The Crimson King'


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## jegarlick (Jun 23, 2013)

Ronny K said:


> Hey Jacquie--
> I might've missed this in the other thread, but I'm curious what price points you've tried out for Lumiere?


Hi Ronny... I've tried $1.99 to $4.99...and everything in between. Mostly $3.99 I find sells best for it...on Amazon. Why do you ask?


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

harker.roland said:


> The Dark Tower series might be King's greatest work. It's unfortunate that there are sooooo many people who have never heard of it/ read it.
> 
> 'All Hail The Crimson King'


Agree.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Midnight Whimsy said:


> Thanks CN!!


What kind of promotions did you use? Can you give us some kind of "How to Beat Harry Potter" masterclass?


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## jenminkman (Mar 2, 2013)

Evenstar said:


> Regarding box sets, I think 6 is a good number, or 8 maximum! Definitely no more.
> 
> I would suggest that if people are interested in participating then we make a list of how many there are, and if it is over 8 then we split into two box sets. Grouping similar books together as much as possible.


I'd be interested! I have a couple of perma-frees, both paranormal and dystopian. What a great idea to start a YA thread on here, by the way!


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

jegarlick said:


> I am wondering if YA is the way to go as a Self Pub of late, as teens don't have credit cards...as they say...and in my experience, I've found that to be correct. Much as they want the book and talk well of it, and are sweet as HECK on fb and twitter...they are bound to their parents to make the final purchase. I've also found most of my readership is not teen!!!


This is why I don't place mine in the YA categories anymore. Since they could fit into about 10 different categories, I simply place them in 1 romance sub-cat and 1 fantasy sub-cat, or an historical one. When I apply for a Bookbub, I ask for the PNR category rather than YA. I've found many of my readers are adults and I'm not doing the books any favours by putting them in YA. It's tough though, because some readers probably expect a spicy read if it's in the PNR category. This is why I have books within the same series in entirely different categories. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

Midnight Whimsy said:


> Chase the Dark is in romance Where do you see that??
> 
> (Clearly, I will be a big help with keywords. I don't even know what categories I'm in...)


It's actually Bind The Soul that's showing up in this romance string. Something you put in your categories or keywords somehow got you into romance:
#55 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Paranormal > Demons & Devils


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> It's actually Bind The Soul that's showing up in this romance string. Something you put in your categories or keywords somehow got you into romance:
> #55 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Paranormal > Demons & Devils


I love that "demons" are a subcategory of "romance."


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## Kellie Sheridan (Nov 11, 2012)

Jumping into this thread! Great idea 

Lots of goals for 2015 as my plan it to work my butt off on a bunch of different projects. I hope to publish at least six books, but am a little worried some of my other projects/jobs are going to pull too much of my time.

I just started up a small writing community called Write All Year in hopes of using some of that momentum and accountability that comes with NaNoWriMo but all year long. So far, the group (about 30 writers so far) is made of mostly of YA writers, and I would absolutely love it if any of you wanted to stop by and check it out. I admire so many of the KBoards YA authors. http://www.writeallyear.patchwork-press.com/

I also want to continue to grow Patchwork Press in 2015. We'll be releasing two more anthologies, hopefully adding a few more authors to our team, annnnd *fingers crossed* going to BEA, assuming my budget cooperates with me.


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## Midnight Whimsy (Jun 25, 2013)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> It's actually Bind The Soul that's showing up in this romance string. Something you put in your categories or keywords somehow got you into romance:
> #55 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Paranormal > Demons & Devils


Ah, OK, yes, I knew Bind the Soul was in romance. I just selected Romance > Paranormal as a category for that one. My (possibly dumb) strategy was, since I couldn't put the books in every category that applied, that I would put different books in the series in different categories to potentially capture more readers. No idea if it's worked at all...



CJArcher said:


> This is why I don't place mine in the YA categories anymore. Since they could fit into about 10 different categories, I simply place them in 1 romance sub-cat and 1 fantasy sub-cat, or an historical one. When I apply for a Bookbub, I ask for the PNR category rather than YA. I've found many of my readers are adults and I'm not doing the books any favours by putting them in YA. It's tough though, because some readers probably expect a spicy read if it's in the PNR category. This is why I have books within the same series in entirely different categories. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.


I faced the same dilemma. However, I've gained a lot of visibility in YA, even though most of my readers are at least 18, I think. I worry about disappointing/ticking off adult paranormal romance readers because the books are too clean compared to what's typical of the genre. I think adult readers who enjoy YA-type books know where to find them, so for now I'm going to be keep my series in YA.



CN_Crawford said:


> What kind of promotions did you use? Can you give us some kind of "How to Beat Harry Potter" masterclass?


I'm not running any promotions, actually. I honestly don't know what (if anything) I did to trigger my sales this month. I'm totally out to sea on what happened! My sales could stop dead tomorrow and I'd have no idea what to do.



Sever Bronny said:


> lol that is just awesome!!!!!!
> 
> Huge congratz ! I'm trailing you on that chart, dragging my feet *cough, wheeze*
> 
> That rank is just killer


Thanks Sever! I'm sure you'll be up there in no time.  My book has had a few more weeks to build momentum. You're doing fantastic for barely 30 days out of the gate!

M.W


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

What are your thoughts on going *looks around furtively and then whispers* KU on debut novels?

Is it worth whatever everyone's saying you give up in income to get the extra exposure?

Do KU subscribers read YA? Or are our readers too young for a subscription service?


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## Midnight Whimsy (Jun 25, 2013)

Emily Wibberley said:


> What are your thoughts on going *looks around furtively and then whispers* KU on debut novels?
> 
> Is it worth whatever everyone's saying you give up in income to get the extra exposure?
> 
> Do KU subscribers read YA? Or are our readers too young for a subscription service?


It's worked great for me.  From what I've heard, it's difficult to gain traction on other sites, so you're not really giving up income from those other venues. As well, your debut novel is a lot more about building a readership than making money.

I get around half and half for sales/borrows, slightly more in favor of sales. There are definitely YA KU-subscribers on Amazon, and ranking boosts from borrows can really make a difference in visibility. I would recommend going into KU for the first three months to maximize exposure on Amazon during the crucial new release period, then go wide after that if you want. 

M.W


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

I'm 50 and I almost exclusively read YA because I love fantasy but I want fairly clean content. I'd guess that most of my readers are also adult, but putting it in YA appeals to a lot of readers of YA and indicates both average length and content to potential readers.

Thanks Midnight - I was thinking of doing the same thing with my second book - I'd love to get a crack at some of the voracious romance readers! So I think I'll wait till the second book though and not tinker with what has worked for the first!


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

Emily Wibberley said:


> What are your thoughts on going *looks around furtively and then whispers* KU on debut novels?
> 
> Is it worth whatever everyone's saying you give up in income to get the extra exposure?
> 
> Do KU subscribers read YA? Or are our readers too young for a subscription service?


I've found KU to be virtually useless.


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## Ceinwen (Feb 25, 2014)

Emily Wibberley said:


> What are your thoughts on going *looks around furtively and then whispers* KU on debut novels?
> 
> Is it worth whatever everyone's saying you give up in income to get the extra exposure?
> 
> Do KU subscribers read YA? Or are our readers too young for a subscription service?


I was selling absolutely nothing on other platforms, so I put my debut in KU and made some actual income (not a lot, but some!) for a few months. It's settled down again now, but as a newbie with little to lose it worked okay for me


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## Ronny K (Aug 2, 2011)

Emily Wibberley said:


> What are your thoughts on going *looks around furtively and then whispers* KU on debut novels?
> 
> Is it worth whatever everyone's saying you give up in income to get the extra exposure?
> 
> Do KU subscribers read YA? Or are our readers too young for a subscription service?


Much easier to try KU out of the gate rather than setting up on a bunch of platforms and cutting back later out of curiosity. I recommend giving KDP Select your first 90 days and then making a decision. Also, in the early days it's all about exposure, and frankly it's all about exposure on Amazon, so I'd try to maximize that however I could.


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## Ronny K (Aug 2, 2011)

jegarlick said:


> Hi Ronny... I've tried $1.99 to $4.99...and everything in between. Mostly $3.99 I find sells best for it...on Amazon. Why do you ask?


I was just having another head-scratch session over your books and was wondering


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## Tim_A (May 25, 2013)

I sold maybe one book a quarter across the other platforms - Kobo, Apple etc. I only get one or two borrows a month on KU (or possibly Prime - there's no way to tell them apart). I know it's scrabbling for scraps, but right now it seems like KU has better scraps.

I don't know what the law is in the US, but here in the UK you have to be 18 to own & operate a credit card or use PayPal, which means that our target readers are not able actually to buy our books. At least not online. And CreateSpace/Amazon is still a huge barrier to getting print books into shops (plus CS insisting on shipping from the US at vast cost & time delay despite Amazon's UK POD facilities being just 50 miles up the road makes the economies of hand selling physical stock marginal at best). So all that means that we are basically selling to adult purse/gate-keepers in any case, regardless of the intended or actual readers.


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

Tim_A said:


> I don't know what the law is in the US, but here in the UK you have to be 18 to own & operate a credit card or use PayPal, which means that our target readers are not able actually to buy our books. At least not online. And CreateSpace/Amazon is still a huge barrier to getting print books into shops (plus CS insisting on shipping from the US at vast cost & time delay despite Amazon's UK POD facilities being just 50 miles up the road makes the economies of hand selling physical stock marginal at best). So all that means that we are basically selling to adult purse/gate-keepers in any case, regardless of the intended or actual readers.


Not necessarily. Both my daughters were able to get debit cards at sixteen and promptly set up online accounts to purchase stuff they wanted, so I don't think every teen is subject to parental restrictions.

ETA. My daughter has just come down for her breakfast and informs me she was fifteen when she got her card.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

CJArcher said:


> This is why I don't place mine in the YA categories anymore. Since they could fit into about 10 different categories, I simply place them in 1 romance sub-cat and 1 fantasy sub-cat, or an historical one. When I apply for a Bookbub, I ask for the PNR category rather than YA. I've found many of my readers are adults and I'm not doing the books any favours by putting them in YA. It's tough though, because some readers probably expect a spicy read if it's in the PNR category. This is why I have books within the same series in entirely different categories. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.


Hi CJ, I've read Medium at least three times, and I never thought of it as YA. To me it was a Paranormal Historical Romance (my favourite reading category!)


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

Tim_A said:


> I don't know what the law is in the US, but here in the UK you have to be 18 to own & operate a credit card or use PayPal, which means that our target readers are not able actually to buy our books. At least not online. And CreateSpace/Amazon is still a huge barrier to getting print books into shops (plus CS insisting on shipping from the US at vast cost & time delay despite Amazon's UK POD facilities being just 50 miles up the road makes the economies of hand selling physical stock marginal at best). So all that means that we are basically selling to adult purse/gate-keepers in any case, regardless of the intended or actual readers.


Many, many teens have access to either a credit card (prepaid or in their parent's name, if not their own) or gift cards. The challenge is more to get them to buy a book over other forms of entertainment, lol.


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## SB James (May 21, 2014)

bethrevis said:


> Many, many teens have access to either a credit card (prepaid or in their parent's name, if not their own) or gift cards. The challenge is more to get them to buy a book over other forms of entertainment, lol.


^This^
Which undoubtedly is why a lot of my audience are adults as well.
Wasn't there an article recently that stated that books have been "saved" by adults who buy YA books?


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## jegarlick (Jun 23, 2013)

Ronny K said:


> I was just having another head-scratch session over your books and was wondering


I have a lot of those Ronny...LOL! Glad to know I'm not alone!!!


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## Stewart Matthews (Nov 21, 2014)

Kellie Sheridan said:


> Jumping into this thread! Great idea
> 
> Lots of goals for 2015 as my plan it to work my butt off on a bunch of different projects. I hope to publish at least six books, but am a little worried some of my other projects/jobs are going to pull too much of my time.
> 
> ...


Ha! Hey, I didn't know you were on kboards! We've exchanged emails a few times about a NetGalley spot.


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## Jill Nojack (Mar 7, 2014)

SB James said:


> ^This^
> Which undoubtedly is why a lot of my audience are adults as well.
> Wasn't there an article recently that stated that books have been "saved" by adults who buy YA books?


I'm pretty well convinced that very few YA-aged readers have read my books at this point. However, I sold a surprising number of paperbacks on the lead up to Christmas. I think the reason was previous adult readers wanting to share the adventure with their nieces and nephews.

According to a recent study I read somewhere, YA readers still prefer physical books by a big margin. If you publish only in ebook, you may be missing a sales opportunity.


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## Pauline Creeden (Aug 4, 2011)

Tim_A said:


> I sold maybe one book a quarter across the other platforms - Kobo, Apple etc. I only get one or two borrows a month on KU (or possibly Prime - there's no way to tell them apart). I know it's scrabbling for scraps, but right now it seems like KU has better scraps.


Yes. This! I've tried other platforms but got a pittance, and found that my borrows did better than selling elsewhere. Also because I'm in KU, one of my books got selected to be part of the Kindle "Big Deal" next month - so they are helping me promo even more...


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

KU wasnt around when i started, but I put my first two novellas in Select. I was releasing one every three months so it worked out perfectly. By the time I was ready to release the third both the first two were able to come out, so I got to release all three books on all platforms at that point.

I'm happy with the way I did it. I had a steep learning curve those first six months and Select gave me a way to test the water before I spread mistakes far and wide.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Jill Nojack said:


> I'm pretty well convinced that very few YA-aged readers have read my books at this point. However, I sold a surprising number of paperbacks on the lead up to Christmas. I think the reason was previous adult readers wanting to share the adventure with their nieces and nephews.
> 
> According to a recent study I read somewhere, YA readers still prefer physical books by a big margin. If you publish only in ebook, you may be missing a sales opportunity.


I agree. I think most promotions find older women, and that's where I've shifted the most copies. In some of my reviews they've mentioned being retired people but enjoying it anyway! But I think Goodreads and blogs helps to find teens.

I don't mind who reads it as long as it meets their expectations.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Thanks, everyone, for your feedback. 

I think I'm going to give KU a try


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## SB James (May 21, 2014)

Jill Nojack said:


> I'm pretty well convinced that very few YA-aged readers have read my books at this point. However, I sold a surprising number of paperbacks on the lead up to Christmas. I think the reason was previous adult readers wanting to share the adventure with their nieces and nephews.
> 
> According to a recent study I read somewhere, YA readers still prefer physical books by a big margin. If you publish only in ebook, you may be missing a sales opportunity.


I agree. This is why one of my biggest priorities in 2015 is the print version rollout of every book in this series.
I also think the permafree on Wattpad is going to help.


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## Midnight Whimsy (Jun 25, 2013)

Pauline Creeden said:


> Yes. This! I've tried other platforms but got a pittance, and found that my borrows did better than selling elsewhere. Also because I'm in KU, one of my books got selected to be part of the Kindle "Big Deal" next month - so they are helping me promo even more...


Have you heard anything from Amazon about that? I haven't gotten a response since I sent my agreement email. Maybe I wasn't chosen...

M.W


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

Evenstar said:


> Hi CJ, I've read Medium at least three times, and I never thought of it as YA. To me it was a Paranormal Historical Romance (my favourite reading category!)


Wow, you've read it almost as many times as I have!  So glad you enjoyed it.

I wrote it for a YA audience, but I find I have more adults reading it. This is part of the reason I have trouble deciding on categories. It can fit into so many! The single best way I found to reach teens was through Wattpad. If you can get them to feature you, it's great long-term exposure. I do get some people telling me they can't afford the rest of the trilogy, but there's nothing I can do about that so I just shrug it off. Some have definitely gone on to buy the rest.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Can you be on Netgalley (and offer free ARRs) and still do KU?


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## Midnight Whimsy (Jun 25, 2013)

Emily Wibberley said:


> Can you be on Netgalley (and offer free ARRs) and still do KU?


Yes, Amazon's ToS allows for you to give away free copies in exchange for reviews (but you are not allowed to accept any kind of payment for the ARC or the review).

M.W


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Sweet! 
Thanks, Midnight!


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

Midnight Whimsy said:


> Yes, Amazon's ToS allows for you to give away free copies in exchange for reviews (but you are not allowed to accept any kind of payment for the ARC or the review).
> 
> M.W


I thought there was a whole other thread that said the exact opposite of this. You can give away print copies but not digital copies.

At least, I thought that's what the other thread was saying. I'm too lazy to look it up.


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## Midnight Whimsy (Jun 25, 2013)

artofstu said:


> I thought there was a whole other thread that said the exact opposite of this. You can give away print copies but not digital copies.
> 
> At least, I thought that's what the other thread was saying. I'm too lazy to look it up.


This is from the KDP FAQ:



> *If my book is enrolled in KDP Select, can I still send copies of my book to proofreading and editing reviewers? *
> We do allow publishers to provide professional reviewers with a copy of the book by email for the purpose of editing, proofreading and helping with other quality improvements.
> 
> *What does it mean to publish exclusively on Kindle? *
> ...


You're correct that you can do anything you like with your print version. However, you can also provide review copies of the ebook. They say "professional reviewers," so one can interpret that in different ways... but I would say that as long as you're giving away a limited number of free copies, and only to specific people where you have a reasonable expectation that they will review, I think you're OK. NetGalley in particular is THE "professional" reviewing site, so that one should be all clear.

If, on the other hand, an author were to give away a free copy to every person on Goodreads who "added" their book, that's a different situation.

The safest approach, though, is to contact KDP for confirmation to be sure. 

M.W


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

Midnight Whimsy said:


> This is from the KDP FAQ:
> 
> You're correct that you can do anything you like with your print version. However, you can also provide review copies of the ebook. They say "professional reviewers," so one can interpret that in different ways... but I would say that as long as you're giving away a limited number of free copies, and only to specific people where you have a reasonable expectation that they will review, I think you're OK. NetGalley in particular is THE "professional" reviewing site, so that one should be all clear.
> 
> ...


I think the part about it being for editing, proofreading and quality improvements precludes sending out review copies for the purpose of review. In fact, I believe in the other thread Netgalley itself said you couldn't be a part of the site if you were in KDP Select. Somebody contacted them directly about this question, and they said "nope."


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## Midnight Whimsy (Jun 25, 2013)

artofstu said:


> I think the part about it being for editing, proofreading and quality improvements precludes sending out review copies for the purpose of review. In fact, I believe in the other thread Netgalley itself said you couldn't be a part of the site if you were in KDP Select. Somebody contacted them directly about this question, and they said "nope."


I'm not sure why it would be called a review copy if it is "for the purpose of editing, proofreading and helping with other quality improvements", as that is no longer a review copy, at least not by the common definition. Editing and proofreading should be done before the book is published. Now that you've pointed out the inconsistency, I'm very confused as to what is officially allowed. I will have to contact KDP to find out for myself.

Thanks Art.

M.W


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

Midnight Whimsy said:


> I'm not sure why it would be called a review copy if it is "for the purpose of editing, proofreading and helping with other quality improvements", as that is no longer a review copy, at least not by the common definition. Editing and proofreading should be done before the book is published. Now that you've pointed out the inconsistency, I'm very confused as to what is officially allowed. I will have to contact KDP to find out for myself.
> 
> Thanks Art.
> 
> M.W


Because they're "reviewing" it for problems.

Contact Netgalley with your questions. I'm sure they can clear it up.


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## eleanorberesford (Dec 22, 2014)

CJArcher said:


> I wrote it for a YA audience, but I find I have more adults reading it.


I think that's quite common. When I was a teenager, we all mostly read adult books (as in aimed at adults, not (always) erotica, but now I am nearly 40, most of my friends read mostly YA...


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## Pauline Creeden (Aug 4, 2011)

Midnight Whimsy said:


> Have you heard anything from Amazon about that? I haven't gotten a response since I sent my agreement email. Maybe I wasn't chosen...
> 
> M.W


Yes, I got the letter that my book was chosen for the January promo that starts on the ninth. But if you got the same letter I did, they said not to change price until the end of March, because you could get chosen for the February or March promo, too. I wanted to update the links in the back of my book but was afraid to touch it at all in case I mess something up and didn't get picked.


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## Midnight Whimsy (Jun 25, 2013)

Pauline Creeden said:


> Yes, I got the letter that my book was chosen for the January promo that starts on the ninth. But if you got the same letter I did, they said not to change price until the end of March, because you could get chosen for the February or March promo, too. I wanted to update the links in the back of my book but was afraid to touch it at all in case I mess something up and didn't get picked.


I will just have to keep waiting then... Hopefully they pick me in February!

M.W


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## Jake Kerr (Aug 6, 2014)

Is there a way to apply for the big deal or do you just find out when they email you?


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## Pauline Creeden (Aug 4, 2011)

I hope they pick you for February, too M. W.!

Jake - they just email you a letter with a bunch of rules if you want to opt in - and ask you to replay with yes, I want to opt in. It kind of looks like a scam letter when you first get it, though IMO and if it wasn't for Kboards and some peeps talking about it, I probably would have assumed scam and deleted it :/


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Happy New Year, everyone!

OK, I need some Amazon keyword help. I know this has been discussed a lot here on these boards, but I figured I'd go right to the YA contingent for specialized help.

For my two categories I chose:

Juvenile Fiction > Fantasy & Magic
Juvenile Fiction > Legends, Myths & Fables > Other

Then keywords is like the wild west. It seems you can do phrases like "Teen & Young Adult Romance" and that counts as one word? Or am I doing it wrong?

Here are some keywords I'm toying with based on looking at the subcategories of other books I love:

Coming of Age
Young Adult 
Young Adult Fantasy
Teen & Young Adult Romance
Teen & Young Adult Action & Adventure (or should it just be Action & Adventure?)
Revenge
Thriller

My story is definitely action-y, lots of romance (in a first-kiss kinda way). There are sword fights, human sacrifice, vengeance, and warring kingdoms, and super-human powers (psychic abilities and slayer powers).

Thanks!


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

Emily Wibberley said:


> Happy New Year, everyone!
> 
> OK, I need some Amazon keyword help. I know this has been discussed a lot here on these boards, but I figured I'd go right to the YA contingent for specialized help.
> 
> ...


I may be wrong but I'm under the assumption that you don't have to repeat words/phrases in your keywords. For instance, you wouldn't have to do Teen & Young Adult action & adventure, Teen & Young Adult Coming of Age, etc.

Once you have a word or phrase in your keywords, that's all you need to do. I think you'll want to stuff as many related words in your keywords as you can. One of my keywords, for instance, is _undead reanimation supernatural action packed adventure novels_. So, there you go, FWIW.


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## SB James (May 21, 2014)

eleanorberesford said:


> I think that's quite common. When I was a teenager, we all mostly read adult books (as in aimed at adults, not (always) erotica, but now I am nearly 40, most of my friends read mostly YA...


Right, when I was in my teens I did not read YA books, as the selection back then, IMO, was horrible. That was when I started reading John Jakes, Stephen King, and historical romances.
Nowadays, I think about 1/3 of my total books that I've been reading and/or interested in reading are YA.


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## Mart (Oct 13, 2012)

Hi fellow YA writers!

Haven't been on KBoards for a while, but I stopped by today and saw this thread. Happy New Year to all!

Amy


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## amyates (Feb 17, 2014)

Emily Wibberley said:


> Happy New Year, everyone!
> 
> OK, I need some Amazon keyword help. I know this has been discussed a lot here on these boards, but I figured I'd go right to the YA contingent for specialized help.
> 
> ...


Not sure if you knew about this handy keyword chart so I just thought I'd post the link. Otherwise, disregard. 

https://kdp.amazon.com/help?topicId=A1XEN0SRCO1KPB


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## donna callea (Dec 25, 2009)

amyates said:


> Not sure if you knew about this handy keyword chart so I just thought I'd post the link. Otherwise, disregard.
> 
> https://kdp.amazon.com/help?topicId=A1XEN0SRCO1KPB


Thank you! Didn't know about it. It's very helpful.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Such a great list, thanks, Amy!

And thanks artofstu! That was my question as well (i.e., combine words into phrases? or just list keywords separately).


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

I wanted to know how I could get into the tops of my categories Sever did! So I interviewed him. Not sure if I can replicate the magic, but there's some useful info in here: http://www.cncrawford.com/#!Self-Publishing-and-Marketing-Series-Sever-Bronny/ckev/41B9404F-D2B1-4FF5-B61A-F218371A2B61


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

Midnight Whimsy said:


> I will just have to keep waiting then... Hopefully they pick me in February!
> 
> M.W


The Amazon rep I talked to said we could get as little as a week's notice if we are chosen for the promo and since part of it could be a deal of the day, it could be any time within that three month period. So we just have to be patient and sit tight!


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

CN_Crawford said:


> I wanted to know how I could get into the tops of my categories Sever did! So I interviewed him. Not sure if I can replicate the magic, but there's some useful info in here: http://www.cncrawford.com/#!Self-Publishing-and-Marketing-Series-Sever-Bronny/ckev/41B9404F-D2B1-4FF5-B61A-F218371A2B61


Great blog post!


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

That was a lot of fun, Catherine, thank you! I hope what I wrote was of some use to people


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Happy New Year everyone!

I've started the first steps towards setting up a YA giveaway. The plan is for the 'Sping Fling Giveaway' to start on the first day of spring - March 20th - and stay open for a couple of weeks.

I've decided to organise it through Google Docs. The idea is that you fill in the details for your book, listing how many copies of your book is available and in which formats. When the giveaway goes live I'll create a form for readers to use to request which books they would like to win. Then at the end of the giveaway I'll Email you the details of the winners and you can choose whether to deliver Ebooks to them all or whether to choose winners from the pool.

The main aim of this giveaway is to gather a few extra fans via cross promotion and perhaps gain a few extra reviews.

It would be great to have a few paperbacks and some swag - like bookmarks and so on - in the mix to make it a bit more interesting, but I understand if that's not cost effective for you. ACX and Smashwords coupons are also included so if you would like to do that you can.

I've decided not to use rafflecopter, as I felt it would look too messy with the amount of authors I'm hoping will take part, but I will put links to your websites and Facebook links on the page. I'm also hoping to create a tapestry of book covers.

If you would like to take part you will need to promote the giveaway when it goes live. It just won't work without your support. I'll create some images closer to the time for us all to share via Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest etc. Blog posts will be really useful as well. I'm considering getting an inexpensive book blitz from a book tour organiser as well. We want to reach as many people as possible!

Here's the sign up form on my website. There's also a mailing list sign up for readers. If you want to share this that would be great!

http://www.sarahdaltonbooks.com/#!ya-spring-fling/ciql

Here's the direct link to the Google form: http://goo.gl/forms/m4UMQaInyA

And the direct link for the mailing list: http://eepurl.com/baBpFr

It's one book per form, but you can fill it out as many times as you like. You can feature as many books as you like as long as they contain a young adult main character and appropriate content for teenagers.

I'm probably going to start sharing this on Monday as I haven't got an awful lot of time today. So unless you think there is something I have forgotten or should change, feel free to share this on your social media and with your fellow YA authors. The more books we have the better it will be!


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> So unless you think there is something I have forgotten or should change, feel free to share this on your social media and with your fellow YA authors. The more books we have the better it will be!


Sarah, you may want to clarify "format" and add a note that this is the format of what you're willing to give away, not just what is available for purchase.

You may also want to add "signed paperback" and/or "signed swag" as options as signed materials almost always do better in giveaways, imo.

How many winners will be selected? I'd be fine with giving away one paperback and as many ebooks as there are winners, but don't see a point in giving away both if there's only one winner, if that makes sense.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

This is awesome. I just signed up.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Thanks for all the effort Sarah. I would give away ten ebooks and 1 paperback copy of my Trilogy Edition, but it doesn't seem to allow for both? Or have I missed something.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Evenstar said:


> Thanks for all the effort Sarah. I would give away ten ebooks and 1 paperback copy of my Trilogy Edition, but it doesn't seem to allow for both? Or have I missed something.


I think that's exactly what I signed up for.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Evenstar said:


> Thanks for all the effort Sarah. I would give away ten ebooks and 1 paperback copy of my Trilogy Edition, but it doesn't seem to allow for both? Or have I missed something.


You should be able to check as many formats as you like, and then add the quantities in the next section. Just put the paperback in the paperback section etc. If you have any problems just type it in the comment box at the end and I'll sort it out.


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## Pauline Creeden (Aug 4, 2011)

Thanks Sarah! I just signed up, too 😊


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

bethrevis said:


> Sarah, you may want to clarify "format" and add a note that this is the format of what you're willing to give away, not just what is available for purchase.
> 
> You may also want to add "signed paperback" and/or "signed swag" as options as signed materials almost always do better in giveaways, imo.
> 
> How many winners will be selected? I'd be fine with giving away one paperback and as many ebooks as there are winners, but don't see a point in giving away both if there's only one winner, if that makes sense.


Thanks Beth! I've updated the format question and added signed paperback as an option. http://goo.gl/forms/AaaE97yNa8

For signed swag, just put a message in the comment box at the end.

If anyone wants to contact me with any issues, or wants to update information already submitted, send me a PM or an Email: [email protected]

In terms of winners - basically, there will be as many winners as you're willing to give away free books. 10 Ebooks might be a good number, and then I can just let you know how many people sign up for your book. Then you've got the choice to send out more if you want. For paperbacks I'll do the same, but I'm guessing most authors will only want to give away one copy of their paperbacks. I'll just let everyone know who has requested what, and then you guys can decide what to do with the information.


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## elalond (May 11, 2011)

sarahdalton said:


> Happy New Year everyone!
> 
> I've started the first steps towards setting up a YA giveaway. The plan is for the 'Sping Fling Giveaway' to start on the first day of spring - March 20th - and stay open for a couple of weeks.
> 
> ...


That sounds great. Unfortunately, I don't have any paper copies, but I do have a novel that I would like to submit. I also have a few short story, so I'm wondering if you are taking only novels, or are short stories also acceptable?


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

elalond said:


> That sounds great. Unfortunately, I don't have any paper copies, but I do have a novel that I would like to submit. I also have a few short story, so I'm wondering if you are taking only novels, or are short stories also acceptable?


Short stories are great! Just tick the short story box in the section on book length.


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## elalond (May 11, 2011)

sarahdalton said:


> Short stories are great! Just tick the short story box in the section on book length.


Great. Have already filled the form, and I'll post the form for readers on my (very rarely visited) Facebook page.


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

I'd be interested in this giveaway, Sarah, but I need to think about what would be best to give away, as my book is now permafree and my swag has the old covers.   I could do a signed pb, but the cost of sending to the USA id quite steep.

Also, can you clarify 'appropriate content for teenagers'? Where are you drawing the line?


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Raquel Lyon said:


> I'd be interested in this giveaway, Sarah, but I need to think about what would be best to give away, as my book is now permafree and my swag has the old covers.  I could do a signed pb, but the cost of sending to the USA id quite steep.
> 
> Also, can you clarify 'appropriate content for teenagers'? Where are you drawing the line?


Erm, probably no graphic sex scenes or gory violence. Some swearing and violence is ok. Hunger Games rather than Battle Royale. 

I'm gonna trust you guys on this one. You're all YA authors so you should know what's ok and what isn't.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

I'd love to join this giveaway! I'm doing my paperback via createspace now. I will sign up tonight! Thanks for organizing.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Have people found blogs to be helpful for getting reviews and publicizing the book? I have a little blog tour coming up in February, though I think they're fairly small blogs.


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

CN_Crawford said:


> Have people found blogs to be helpful for getting reviews and publicizing the book? I have a little blog tour coming up in February, though I think they're fairly small blogs.


It seems like a lot of people feel blog tours aren't worth the expense. Or at least they don't translate into sales. Not sure about how they do at generating reviews.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Some of the big blogs like cuddlebuggery seem influential, but I don't think they take many self-published authors.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

CN_Crawford said:


> Some of the big blogs like cuddlebuggery seem influential, but I don't think they take many self-published authors.


Interesting name!!

I've never found blog tours generate many sales, but they are good for getting reviews and getting your name out there.


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> Interesting name!!
> 
> I've never found blog tours generate many sales, but they are good for getting reviews and getting your name out there.


But those are just reviews on the sites themselves, right? They don't get you reviews on Amazon, which I'm assuming is what you're after. Pardon me (and correct me) if I'm wrong about that.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

They will post them to Amazon too, since they know that's what authors are looking for.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Yeah they will, but not all of them do. Most put the reviews on Goodreads. I usually end up with a bit more of a 'buzz' on Goodreads after a tour.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

I thought you can't post a review on Amazon unless you actually bought the book on Amazon. Is that not true?


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

Emily Wibberley said:


> I thought you can't post a review on Amazon unless you actually bought the book on Amazon. Is that not true?


That is not true.


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## Midnight Whimsy (Jun 25, 2013)

Emily Wibberley said:


> I thought you can't post a review on Amazon unless you actually bought the book on Amazon. Is that not true?


I think there's a requirement that you buy at least one paid Amazon product before you can review anything, but you don't actually have to buy a product to review that product.

M.W


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## Pauline Creeden (Aug 4, 2011)

So many projects that I've got for 2015! I need to write 1000 words/day on a new project just to get everything done by my deadlines! UGH! ...so what are you up to?


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

Editing right now. Editing editing editing. Sigh.

Love your covers by the way, Simone!


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

I'm stoked about my current ranking, but I know it won't last for long. Which is why I'm busily hashing out my first draft of book 2. Just crossed the 52k mark a bit ago.

My goal is to have this done as soon as possible (though I'm giving myself till the end of February to finish draft one--I may even get close by the end of January), and I also want a work on another series, a sci-fi/fantasy cyberpunk thing, which may be shorter works that I can get out faster.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

I'm finally getting back on track with the final book in my YA fantasy series. This trilogy has been the hardest thing for me to write - ever. I have total respect for epic fantasy writers now. Worldbuilding is hard! 

I'm hoping to have this one out March/April time but I think it's going to be around 100k so it might take more time than my regular books.


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## smikeo (Dec 1, 2014)

C.N Crawford, you two are doing an amazing job! 15 reviews, 4.6 stars average in a really short time. Amazing!  

I just pressed publish on mine, fidgeting nervously...


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

Well we wish you nothing but the best of luck, Smikeo!


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## smikeo (Dec 1, 2014)

Sever Bronny said:


> Well we wish you nothing but the best of luck, Smikeo!


Thanks! It's up, which of course makes this day full of smiles...


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## Jake Kerr (Aug 6, 2014)

I spent hours and hours sending out personal requests for blog guest posts, reviews, and giveaways. One of them translated into a Tweet via a review network that had an enormous reach, like hundreds of thousands of people saw the one tweet. Sales? Zero.

I will say this: This is also about networking, and you never know what will happen through the process. I contacted someone who knew someone, and, lo and behold, I'm an "Indie book that will wow! you" in this month's Middle Shelf magazine. (http://issuu.com/middleshelf/docs/middle_shelf_january-february_2015). What an amazing placement for me in a fairly large magazine for young readers! Yeah. So far... zero sales.

I really don't think blog tours do much of anything at this point. But I've only had limited experience, so I do want to hear other experiences.

I still have a couple of marketing weapons that could potentially hit over the next few months, so I'm still plugging away. 

My next big test is an official 99 cent Countdown deal that starts on January 15. My non-Select price drop to 99 cents moved over 50 copies (with no marketing other than my own social network), so I will have an excellent apples to apples comparison of Select price drop v. non Select price drop sometime soon.


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## Ronny K (Aug 2, 2011)

jakedfw said:


> I spent hours and hours sending out personal requests for blog guest posts, reviews, and giveaways. One of them translated into a Tweet via a review network that had an enormous reach, like hundreds of thousands of people saw the one tweet. Sales? Zero.
> 
> I will say this: This is also about networking, and you never know what will happen through the process. I contacted someone who knew someone, and, lo and behold, I'm an "Indie book that will wow! you" in this month's Middle Shelf magazine. (http://issuu.com/middleshelf/docs/middle_shelf_january-february_2015). What an amazing placement for me in a fairly large magazine for young readers! Yeah. So far... zero sales.
> 
> ...


I'm only a year into my efforts, but one thing I've learned is that the seeds you plant can take a long time to grow. Every now and then, some of my previously "futile" work (review requests, etc.) yield some fruit, and it's pretty sweet. So keep it goin!


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

jakedfw said:


> I really don't think blog tours do much of anything at this point. But I've only had limited experience, so I do want to hear other experiences.


I'm in the same boat as you when it comes to regular blog tours, where the author provides interviews and guest posts--it's a LOT of work for little payoff. I've had some good results by organizing my own and switching up the methods. My most popular blog tour so far was when I had a novella (that I intended to put up free anyway), broke it up into five parts, and had a different blogger post a different part of the novella each day. It was like readers got a chapter of the story from each blogger, and they responded well to that. Additionally, I've done a "scavenger hunt" style blog tour, where each blogger got a different letter that made a phrase that opened up a secret page of my website, which included a prize raffle.

That said, those blog tours take a lot of work, and just in terms of time, I'm not sure of the value. For my latest release, though, I opted for a "review tour" through a company. My hope is this nets more exposure and, obviously, reviews, particularly on Amazon. We'll see...it's started today, and I'll report back with results.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Cool - I'm doing the same thing through a different company. I'll be interested to see how it works out for you!


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## Stewart Matthews (Nov 21, 2014)

Yo Beth, what's a review tour? Sounds like someone will contact blogs to review your book on your behalf?


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

M Stephen Stewart said:


> Yo Beth, what's a review tour? Sounds like someone will contact blogs to review your book on your behalf?


Basically, that  Giselle, who organizes the tours, puts up a sign-up sheet, and bloggers log on to say they want to participate or not. Then I give a free copy of the ebook to them, and they post their reviews on the designated week.


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## Nadia Nader (Nov 30, 2012)

Hello all, I love the idea of this thread and had it bookmarked for a while. I've been busy with edits but plan on reading all 10 pages 

I'm about to publish my new YA novel soon. Would any of you mind helping me out with my blurb? So far this is what I have:

When Vivian's mother dies in a tragic accident, Vivian's world is turned upside down. Her life, as she knows it, is over. A new life, full of her mother's secrets, begins...

Sent away by her father to live with two eccentric aunts on the mysterious Tremaine Estate, Vivian comes to learn that a powerful curse lurks over her family -- one that only she may have the power to break. With each day she spends in Misty Hills, Vivian uncovers more unsettling secrets about the town, her reclusive family, and herself.

Can Vivian let go of every truth she's ever believed and discover who she really is, before the dark secrets hidden within the supernatural town threaten to consume her and those she loves?​
Thoughts? Does it make you want to read the story? Or does it bore you? Is it too vague? Any help would be great!


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## smikeo (Dec 1, 2014)

Nadia Nader said:


> Hello all, I love the idea of this thread and had it bookmarked for a while. I've been busy with edits but plan on reading all 10 pages
> 
> I'm about to publish my new YA novel soon. Would any of you mind helping me out with my blurb? So far this is what I have:
> 
> ...


I think it sounds interesting. A little nitpick: You have the word "secrets" in each of the blurb's sections. I'd change at least the one in the middle to "mysteries".


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## Nadia Nader (Nov 30, 2012)

smikeo said:


> I think it sounds interesting. A little nitpick: You have the word "secrets" in each of the blurb's sections. I'd change at least the one in the middle to "mysteries".


Thanks smikeo! I appreciate the feedback


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

Nadia, I'd advise posting your blurb in the forum as its own post. There are a lot of gifted blurb writers that don't necessarily do YA, but can help you nonetheless


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Don't know why it took me so long to find this thread but I'm sure glad I did  I love me some YA. I'm planning to finally hit publish in 2015 and I'm excited for all of the prawny adventures to follow. Thanks to all for sharing. I find that I learn more here than in all my years at college


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

I have no idea how I just found this page. But I'm so glad I did!
This year I've decided to self-publish ten novels, 2 weeks apart, from Feb-June. I have been collecting them over the past few years. Having recently broken up with my lit agent (in Nov), I decided now is the time to launch the career I've been diligently working toward. The stack of novels would have taken forever to publish if I'd gone traditional, and honestly-- I feel so freaking empowered right now.
I made my Feb releases pretty little preorder buttons (even thought that strategy might be a miserable flop-- but I couldn't wait to make SOMETHING live.) and am having fun working on promo posts for my blog/fb/IG and the release day book blitzes I have lined up. Having done the bulk of work already on each title (now they are just having final proofreading done), the hardest part for me right now is focusing and not just, like, pinning on my novels' pintrest boards and messing around on picmonkey. I know I need to keep writing and not just playing. 
I'm pretty excited, and mostly just really happy to be bringing the stories I worked so hard on into the world.
Okay-- I have about nine pages to read from this thread now


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## Nadia Nader (Nov 30, 2012)

Sever Bronny said:


> Nadia, I'd advise posting your blurb in the forum as its own post. There are a lot of gifted blurb writers that don't necessarily do YA, but can help you nonetheless


Thanks Sever!


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

Anya Monroe said:


> I have no idea how I just found this page. But I'm so glad I did!
> This year I've decided to self-publish ten novels, 2 weeks apart, from Feb-June. I have been collecting them over the past few years. Having recently broken up with my lit agent (in Nov), I decided now is the time to launch the career I've been diligently working toward. The stack of novels would have taken forever to publish if I'd gone traditional, and honestly-- I feel so freaking empowered right now.
> I made my Feb releases pretty little preorder buttons (even thought that strategy might be a miserable flop-- but I couldn't wait to make SOMETHING live.) and am having fun working on promo posts for my blog/fb/IG and the release day book blitzes I have lined up. Having done the bulk of work already on each title (now they are just having final proofreading done), the hardest part for me right now is focusing and not just, like, pinning on my novels' pintrest boards and messing around on picmonkey. I know I need to keep writing and not just playing.
> I'm pretty excited, and mostly just really happy to be bringing the stories I worked so hard on into the world.
> Okay-- I have about nine pages to read from this thread now


Great strategy! Good luck to you, Anya.


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## ufwriter (Jan 12, 2015)

Anya Monroe said:


> I have no idea how I just found this page. But I'm so glad I did!
> This year I've decided to self-publish ten novels, 2 weeks apart, from Feb-June. I have been collecting them over the past few years. Having recently broken up with my lit agent (in Nov), I decided now is the time to launch the career I've been diligently working toward. The stack of novels would have taken forever to publish if I'd gone traditional, and honestly-- I feel so freaking empowered right now.
> I made my Feb releases pretty little preorder buttons (even thought that strategy might be a miserable flop-- but I couldn't wait to make SOMETHING live.) and am having fun working on promo posts for my blog/fb/IG and the release day book blitzes I have lined up. Having done the bulk of work already on each title (now they are just having final proofreading done), the hardest part for me right now is focusing and not just, like, pinning on my novels' pintrest boards and messing around on picmonkey. I know I need to keep writing and not just playing.
> I'm pretty excited, and mostly just really happy to be bringing the stories I worked so hard on into the world.
> Okay-- I have about nine pages to read from this thread now


Good luck, Anya! We are in a similar situation. My agent and I parted ways awhile back, and I'm publishing my back stack of novels that we shopped but never sold. Though I only have 3 of them! I'm doing it like you, releasing them all together, and I'm supplementing them with some shorts and a novella. It feels so awesome to be in control of things for once! Fingers crossed for you, and I can't wait to hear how it goes.


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

Rooting for you guys. And publishing three at once is definitely the way to go. Just don't forget to put links on the back of books 1 and 2 to books 2 and 3!


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Hey there, fellow YA (fantasy and paranormal) writers!

I got an email from a kind reviewer who noticed my post on Goodreads asking for ARRs (in the the Making YA Connections thread) looking like the wallflower at the school dance.

She recommended that I try joining the Lovers of Paranormal and Shut Up and Read groups where I might have more luck getting reader/reviewers.

You all might know this already, but I thought I'd share.

The links are here:

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/72929-lovers-of-paranormal

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/56898-shut-up-read


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## eleanorberesford (Dec 22, 2014)

Anya Monroe said:


> I decided now is the time to launch the career I've been diligently working toward. The stack of novels would have taken forever to publish if I'd gone traditional, and honestly-- I feel so freaking empowered right now.


That's wonderful! It's all in your own hands now, and you sound so energetic and positive. I hope all your dreams pan out.


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## ufwriter (Jan 12, 2015)

Totally off topic, but Beth: I totally LOVED your Across the Universe trilogy. One of my favorite YA series. I gobbled up the third book in one sitting.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Emily Wibberley said:


> Hey there, fellow YA (fantasy and paranormal) writers!
> 
> I got an email from a kind reviewer who noticed my post on Goodreads asking for ARRs (in the the Making YA Connections thread) looking like the wallflower at the school dance.
> 
> ...


Oh cool! I'm trying out the Lovers of Paranormal one. There's a bit of a waiting list, but it seems like it's well-organized. They have deadlines by which readers are supposed to have reviews, I think. Many of the other ARCs I sent out never materialized into anything.

I hadn't heard of the other one - thanks for the tip!


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## Weibart (Oct 27, 2014)

Emily Wibberley said:


> Hey there, fellow YA (fantasy and paranormal) writers!
> 
> I got an email from a kind reviewer who noticed my post on Goodreads asking for ARRs (in the the Making YA Connections thread) looking like the wallflower at the school dance.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for the link! This is really helpful and definitely check these out when it comes time to send out ARC's!


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## Nadia Nader (Nov 30, 2012)

Emily Wibberley said:


> Hey there, fellow YA (fantasy and paranormal) writers!
> 
> I got an email from a kind reviewer who noticed my post on Goodreads asking for ARRs (in the the Making YA Connections thread) looking like the wallflower at the school dance.
> 
> ...


Thanks Emily! The second group was new to me and I went ahead and signed up


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## Scott Bartlett (Apr 1, 2012)

I've just finished my first YA novel (post-apocalyptic sci-fi) so I'm very new to the game. I'll soon be doing intensive edits/revisions, with an eye to release September 2015.

Can anyone tell me whether drug use is considered appropriate for YA? As it stands in the first draft, one of my main characters is struggling with a coke addiction in the wake of civilization crumbling. At one point he overdoses.

I mean, this kind of thing happens in high school (the drug use, not the world ending). But is it generally considered appropriate to cover in a YA novel?

Thanks in advance!


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

CadyVance said:


> Good luck, Anya! We are in a similar situation. My agent and I parted ways awhile back, and I'm publishing my back stack of novels that we shopped but never sold. Though I only have 3 of them! I'm doing it like you, releasing them all together, and I'm supplementing them with some shorts and a novella. It feels so awesome to be in control of things for once! Fingers crossed for you, and I can't wait to hear how it goes.


Cool Cady! I hope we both find success! It is a little terrifying though, isn't it? Being in so much control?! Hopefully our strategy pans out and that we can find readers for our stories. What do you write?


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

CJArcher said:


> Great strategy! Good luck to you, Anya.


Thanks CJ- BTW: you have some gorgeous covers!<3


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

Okay, here's a question: Do you find a particular price point for full length ya novels to be the strongest? I have mine currently priced at 2.99, but then I see prices all over the map and my CP's suggest going for 3.99. That seems maybe high for someone with no name/following? What have you found?
Thanks!


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Anya Monroe said:


> Okay, here's a question: Do you find a particular price point for full length ya novels to be the strongest? I have mine currently priced at 2.99, but then I see prices all over the map and my CP's suggest going for 3.99. That seems maybe high for someone with no name/following? What have you found?
> Thanks!


I've also wondered about this. In my research, I've found BIG books like The Fault in Our Stars, If I Stay, Divergent, all at the 2.99 price point. Looking for Alaska is 2.80 and The Maze Runner is 1.99. Granted people could say these books have been out awhile and hasn't everyone already bought a copy, but it still makes me nervous to price above these books.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

PS I'm a total newbie and haven't pushed publish, so I only know from what I see. Don't have any real life experience yet.


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

I have my first book in my first series perma free. 500 have moved so far this first half of the month with no promotion. I have four books out in it, and will release the last around March. 

I have a YA serial, and plan on releasing the fifth of six parts in the next week, and those are priced at 99 cents each. I'll make part one free as soon as the first novel (story arc) is complete.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Lisa Grace said:


> I have my first book in my first series perma free. 500 have moved so far this first half of the month with no promotion. I have four books out in it, and will release the last around March.
> 
> I have a YA serial, and plan on releasing the fifth of six parts in the next week, and those are priced at 99 cents each. I'll make part one free as soon as the first novel (story arc) is complete.


Hey Lisa  How did you decide on your prices for your series? Looks like most are at 2.99 with the exception of one?


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

CadyVance said:


> Totally off topic, but Beth: I totally LOVED your Across the Universe trilogy. One of my favorite YA series. I gobbled up the third book in one sitting.


Thanks so much!! 



> In my research, I've found BIG books like The Fault in Our Stars, If I Stay, Divergent, all at the 2.99 price point. Looking for Alaska is 2.80 and The Maze Runner is 1.99. Granted people could say these books have been out awhile and hasn't everyone already bought a copy, but it still makes me nervous to price above these books.


These are on sale--not the permanent price, right? There's a huge difference there. I, personally, think that a full-length novel should not cost less than $2.99--and I think $4.99 is a decent price for self pub. Remember: there's a perceived sense of value. A huge blockbuster doesn't have to prove their worth; a new book does. Putting a new book in the bargain bin reduces that perceived sense of value, imo.

Of course, there are a lot of alternate perspectives of this, and I'm not saying they're wrong; just not for me. (And I do think it's smart to have a perma free IF you have a series.)


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## EllisaBarr (Apr 22, 2014)

I signed up with my post-apocalyptic novel, _Outage_. Thanks for setting this up, it looks like fun!


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

bethrevis said:


> Thanks so much!!
> 
> These are on sale--not the permanent price, right? There's a huge difference there. I, personally, think that a full-length novel should not cost less than $2.99--and I think $4.99 is a decent price for self pub. Remember: there's a perceived sense of value. A huge blockbuster doesn't have to prove their worth; a new book does. Putting a new book in the bargain bin reduces that perceived sense of value, imo.
> 
> Of course, there are a lot of alternate perspectives of this, and I'm not saying they're wrong; just not for me. (And I do think it's smart to have a perma free IF you have a series.)


I like what you say about a new book needing to prove it's worth


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## debvanasse (Jan 13, 2015)

Glad for this thread. My first pubbed novel (way back in 1997; please don't do the math) was YA, as was my second, both traditionally pubbed with a Big Five publisher (there were more than five then, actually). I got sidetracked doing other books but came back to YA in 2008 with the first book in a series co-written with a well-known YA author. Her agent was super-jazzed and had a bunch of publishers lined up to bid on it at auction and then the recession hit.

We sat on the project till last year and then released the first book ourselves, getting not nearly as much traction as we'd hoped...my other indie books, including those first two novels re-released, have done much better. We had, by the way, good blog tour exposure (including one of the most popular YA blogs), good reviews, etc - and my co-author is one of the top-fifty followed authors on Goodreads.

Since it's a series, I expect we'll gain a larger readership once Book Two comes out. But it was a good lesson in what "works" (such as it does) in traditional pubbing doesn't cross over much to indie for YA, except (I think) where YA gets adult readership (which is significant, I know). In traditional pubbing, the gatekeepers for YA have been librarians and teachers, and they're not jazzed about indie books in general.

Or am I wrong?


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## Jake Kerr (Aug 6, 2014)

I have mine priced at $3.99. I was originally going to price it at $6.99 and thought I was being generous. Now I'm thinking $2.99 might be a better choice. Practicality for the win. :/


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## 69959 (May 14, 2013)

Anya Monroe said:


> Okay, here's a question: Do you find a particular price point for full length ya novels to be the strongest? I have mine currently priced at 2.99, but then I see prices all over the map and my CP's suggest going for 3.99. That seems maybe high for someone with no name/following? What have you found?
> Thanks!


You can always test prices. I didn't find any sales decrease when I went from 2.99 to 3.99. My main series is priced: Perma-free, 2.99, the rest 3.99. It's been working well.


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## Stewart Matthews (Nov 21, 2014)

jakedfw said:


> I have mine priced at $3.99. I was originally going to price it at $6.99 and thought I was being generous. Now I'm thinking $2.99 might be a better choice. Practicality for the win. :/


Haha, this has been my exact thinking too, Jake. Except, I'm still stuck at $4.99. I'm getting very little traction, so I've been thinking about price dropping and advertising.

In fact, I'm kind of at a loss with advertising. Is it worth it to advertise if I only have one book out in a series? I had always thought it wasn't, but then I look at Sever's review numbers and CN Crawford's review numbers, and wonder what I've done wrong.


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## amyates (Feb 17, 2014)

debvanasse said:


> In traditional pubbing, the gatekeepers for YA have been librarians and teachers, and they're not jazzed about indie books in general.
> 
> Or am I wrong?


I don't think you're wrong--the stigma remains for many. On the other hand, my entire YA series is available at my local library (in ebook and, as soon as I can get them, they're taking my print copies too). And I've had multiple teachers query me about school visits around my small city. Certainly not as easy as it was for some the trad pubbed authors I know around here, but small steps...


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## H. S. St. Ours (Mar 24, 2012)

Stacy Claflin said:


> You can always test prices. I didn't find any sales decrease when I went from 2.99 to 3.99. My main series is priced: Perma-free, 2.99, the rest 3.99. It's been working well.


This has been my experience, too. Except I priced the first book in my series at $2.99, and the others at $3.99. I have so far resisted making the first book perma-free, and I don't think it's made much of a difference. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I'm too focused on the next book now to care. Maybe I'll experiment some... next year.


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## Midnight Whimsy (Jun 25, 2013)

I went with $3.99 for my series as well (2 books out, 1 in pre-order) and it's worked very well for me. I haven't experimented with any other prices, but if I did, I would go up to $4.99 and see what happened (kinda wish I'd started there). I think indies too often price low thinking they need to compensate for being indie, but it's counterproductive. For readers who care about publishers, a low price is like a "BEWARE, this book be indie" sign. For those who don't care (the majority, I think), they're used to paying $5.99-$9.99 for ebooks from most of their favorite authors. Pricing a little lower than that makes your book attractive if they're on the fence. Pricing way lower is just selling yourself short. 

Of course, loss leaders are a different beast entirely. Also remember, a little bit of a higher price makes your sale prices look that much better who you do discount. 

And my last words of wisdom: It's super easy for readers adjust to a price reduction. It's a lot trickier to get them to accept a price increase. So if you're writing a series where you'll have the same readers coming back for your stuff again, maybe experiment by starting high and dropping, rather than the other way around.

M.W

PS - I'm technically a newbie too, so be sure to salt this post generously.


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## eleanorberesford (Dec 22, 2014)

I'm at $2.99 in  very low selling sub niche, and sales are dropping off. I'm really wondering if I have anything to lose by going up up. On the other hand, I'm yet to get my second book out (March). I'm trying to get a short out in the mean time.


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## pdworkman (Jan 17, 2015)

Hi YA writers!

I decided today while listening to the Rocking Self Publishing podcast that I have been missing opportunities by not hanging around kboards. So many authors seem to make such great connections here. So I decided to take another quick look. I have looked at kboards before, but never even registered. It is just such a huge forum that I was always a little intimidated and didn't stick around to browse for long.

But I clicked on this thread for YA writers, and I am blown away. YA authors helping each other out, cross promoting, getting together on boxed sets and all kinds of other opportunities. Fantastic. What a great community. I have now set up an account, and I'm raring to go.

I have been writing YA for thirty years, but only started publishing in October 2013, so I have a big backlist. I have published 9 novels since Oct 2013, 8 of them YA, and one boxed set trilogy.

My goals for 2015 are to write 4 new novels, and to publish 6. But I also want to really ramp up my sales. Working on reviews and marketing and promotional opportunities. My boss is retiring in 4 years (we've worked together for 20) and I would like to have a good income from my novels by then, and maybe write full time.

I am really looking forward to what I can learn from you. I'm going to have to be careful not to spend all of my time here, you seem like such an open, supportive bunch. Please do let me know if I mess up or step on any toes, I am just getting my feet wet, but I want to learn from you.


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## SB James (May 21, 2014)

Welcome to kboards! I hope you can gain some more useful information and tips while you're here!
As for the pricing of books... I have found that $3.99 is a better price point for my books, even when I didn't have a permafree in the mix. I had lowered Book 1 to $2.99 about 2 weeks after I published it, and I sold next to nothing. I put it back to $3.99 again, and I got a few more sales and (back in those days) a borrow or two. It also made my Countdown Deal look like a bit more of a deal when I dropped the price to 99 cents for the five days. But everybody has a bit of a different situation, and I can only tell you what mine was.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

pdworkman said:


> But I clicked on this thread for YA writers, and I am blown away. YA authors helping each other out, cross promoting, getting together on boxed sets and all kinds of other opportunities. Fantastic. What a great community. I have now set up an account, and I'm raring to go.


Isn't it incredible?  Welcome!


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## KatrinaAbbott (Jan 28, 2014)

This is such a big thread that I've been having trouble keeping up, but I do love YA authors coming together! YA is that weird genre that still depends on teachers/librarians for a lot of exposure, but once kids find you and love you, there is still so much opportunity there. Middle Grade is almost wholly dependent upon the gatekeepers, but you can definitely break into YA without them. 

So onto pricing: I have the loss-leader of a permafree and then the rest of my books are $3.99. I have a couple of shorts that I give for free to newsletter subscribers and then put up for .99 at retailers. I thought about moving the $2.99 price point, but then did the math on how many more of those I'd have to sell to see the same profit and decided to stay at $3.99 and feel better about how I'm valuing my work.  I have about a 4% buy through rate from the permafree to book 2 (I've been doing a lot of promo, so have spikes of downloads) but once people buy book two, most go on with the series.


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

My 2 series starters are permafrees with the rest of the books in the trilogies at $3.99, then another sort of starter at 99c (this series is strongly linked to a previous one). Sometimes I think about raising them to $4.99 but they're not very long, usually between 65K and 70k so I don't feel comfortable charging that much. 

It's great to see this thread thriving! I love YA books and all the diversity they bring.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

pdworkman said:


> Hi YA writers!
> 
> I decided today while listening to the Rocking Self Publishing podcast that I have been missing opportunities by not hanging around kboards. So many authors seem to make such great connections here. So I decided to take another quick look. I have looked at kboards before, but never even registered. It is just such a huge forum that I was always a little intimidated and didn't stick around to browse for long.
> 
> ...


Stepping on toes is par for the course. You have to do it from time to time as we all have such variying opinions and you are just as entitled to yours! Thankfully it takes an awful lot of upset anyone here because most of us know that all opinions on this board _generally_ come from an approach of trying to help. There is very little negativity compared to other sites I have visited and a LOT of support.

It sounds like you are off to an excellent start. A backlist is absolutely invaluable really, good luck!


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Regarding pricing. I've actually been pushing mine up recently. They were:

Book One: Perma Free (both series)
Book Two: £2.99
Books 3+ : £3.49

But now I'm moving everything up to $4.99 except book 1, which will remain free.

Perhaps this is foolish considering they are all only 25 - 50k words. We'll see, it's an experiment.


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

Thanks for the feedback on pricing and what has been working for everyone. I think I will move mine up to 3.99.


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## elizafaith13 (Sep 22, 2014)

I think higher prices also work better with the kindle countdown. If you're book is already priced low, you can't really down the countdown.


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## Jake Kerr (Aug 6, 2014)

Currently doing a Kindle Countdown for a $3.99 book. The drop in purchases from the 99 cent price point to the $1.99 price point during the deal is massive.


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## donna callea (Dec 25, 2009)

Not to change the subject from price, but...
What about covers?
I see a wide variety of cover types here in the sigs. I'm wondering how important the cover is for YA. My standalone YA Bristles (a dystopian reimagining of Cinderella) has had several different covers. The first cover I put together myself using stock art I purchased of a magical looking forest (trees-- huge magical trees--are a plot element.) Then I found stock art of a girl with arms outstretched and roots at her feet that I REALLY like. I did a createspace cover using that image and the paperback looked good (to me, anyway). But then I thought that it might be better to have a girl's face on the cover. So I bought a professional cover that seemed like a good fit at the time (that one is in my sig). But I think it was probably a mistake. I just don't like it much. So I went back to this one .
But maybe it doesn't say YA.
I'd love some input on covers from other YA authors.


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

donna callea said:


>


I think there are two problems with this book cover. First, it doesn't look very YA--it looks more like a self help book to me. Second, it looks rather homemade. Your professional cover in your sig does look better, but I don't think it really tells you much about your book. Hope this helps!


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## ufwriter (Jan 12, 2015)

I agree that it doesn't look very YA.

This one has been sold, but I wonder if something like this would work well for it? http://www.creativeparamita.com/premade-book-covers/girl-in-the-woods/


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## donna callea (Dec 25, 2009)

bethrevis said:


> I think there are two problems with this book cover. First, it doesn't look very YA--it looks more like a self help book to me. Second, it looks rather homemade. Your professional cover in your sig does look better, but I don't think it really tells you much about your book. Hope this helps!


 Thanks, Beth. I'm inclined to think you're right. I think I'd better go searching for a better premade professional cover.


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## donna callea (Dec 25, 2009)

CadyVance said:


> I agree that it doesn't look very YA.
> 
> This one has been sold, but I wonder if something like this would work well for it? http://www.creativeparamita.com/premade-book-covers/girl-in-the-woods/


That's just the sort of thing I'm trying to find, except the girl in that cover has long blonde hair, and Bristles' is short and dark.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

bethrevis said:


> I think there are two problems with this book cover. First, it doesn't look very YA--it looks more like a self help book to me. Second, it looks rather homemade. Your professional cover in your sig does look better, but I don't think it really tells you much about your book. Hope this helps!


I think the professional one looks more like a YA book, too.

I'm love the cover of my book, but I'm not convinced it's right for YA since it doesn't feature faces. Ideally I'd have a big budget and get a great artist to draw the two main characters, but it would be expensive.


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## A.A (Mar 30, 2012)

donna callea said:


> Not to change the subject from price, but...
> What about covers?
> I see a wide variety of cover types here in the sigs. I'm wondering how important the cover is for YA. My standalone YA Bristles (a dystopian reimagining of Cinderella) has had several different covers. The first cover I put together myself using stock art I purchased of a magical looking forest (trees-- huge magical trees--are a plot element.) Then I found stock art of a girl with arms outstretched and roots at her feet that I REALLY like. I did a createspace cover using that image and the paperback looked good (to me, anyway). But then I thought that it might be better to have a girl's face on the cover. So I bought a professional cover that seemed like a good fit at the time (that one is in my sig). But I think it was probably a mistake. I just don't like it much. So I went back to this one .
> But maybe it doesn't say YA.
> I'd love some input on covers from other YA authors.


Your book has a fairy tale vibe to it - definitely the cover linked to above would be great. If you already have a stock picture of a magical tree, why not use that, with a girl that matches your protagonist in front of it? If you also have a girl, I could have a try at making up a cover for you. I thought of something cool for your title, where the branches of the tree merge in with the font (depending on what the tree look like etc). Otherwise, good luck in your search  

(Tip: If you find a premade that you like and the hair is the wrong colour, the designer might change the hair colour for you, if it's possible for her/him to do. It's often fairly easy to change the colour.)


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

Yeah, covers are king in YA. 

As a designer, I change hair color all the time - though the results are best when you only need to tweak the color, like going from brown to red or blonde to dark brown. It's much more difficult - sometimes impossible - to convincingly go from say black to light blonde. But, I never say never on that - it depends on the stock photo.

You're new cover is much more YA and professional looking, but doesn't really say fantasy. Perhaps some other added element would help......


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## A.A (Mar 30, 2012)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> As a designer, I change hair color all the time - though the results are best when you only need to tweak the color, like going from brown to red or blonde to dark brown. It's much more difficult - sometimes impossible - to convincingly go from say black to light blonde. But, I never say never on that - it depends on the stock photo....


Good point!  I was thinking of the blonde girl's hair going to brown (in the linked pre-made) Definitely too hard to go from black to blonde!


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## Ceinwen (Feb 25, 2014)

Lots of really great/bestselling YA covers focus on typography or a symbol, so while faces or figures (particularly figures in gorgeous dresses!) are really popular at the moment and are a great genre and demographic marker, they're not strictly necessary.

A.A, I _love_ your Dollhouse and Thirteen covers!


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## donna callea (Dec 25, 2009)

A.A said:


> Your book has a fairy tale vibe to it - definitely the cover linked to above would be great.


AA, you're the only one here (besides me) who seems to like this one 

Don't know what I'm going to do. I've been going blind looking at premades, and I can't justify (or afford) big bucks for a custom cover. Bristles does have a fairy tale vibe, plus it's set in a dystopian society. with some steampunk elements My protagonist is a beautiful young girl, but her hair has been forcibly clipped to the bone. Hence, she's been dubbed Bristles by her cruel stepmother. She's brave, escapes, discovers her true magical heritage (involving huge redwood-like trees in a mystical forest) and then returns to fight for freedom. There's also a love element.


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## cagnes (Oct 13, 2009)

Donna, found a stock pic of a closely cropped young woman & put together this mock up. Don't know if it's fits your story or not, but if you want something like this, just pm me... I'd be happy to help out.


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## donna callea (Dec 25, 2009)

cagnes said:


> I'd be happy to help out.


Thank you, Cagnes! I'll send you a PM.


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## Acceber (Oct 16, 2014)

*waves at everyone*

I'm definitely bookmarking this thread.


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## smikeo (Dec 1, 2014)

donna callea said:


> AA, you're the only one here (besides me) who seems to like this one
> 
> Don't know what I'm going to do. I've been going blind looking at premades, and I can't justify (or afford) big bucks for a custom cover. Bristles does have a fairy tale vibe, plus it's set in a dystopian society. with some steampunk elements My protagonist is a beautiful young girl, but her hair has been forcibly clipped to the bone. Hence, she's been dubbed Bristles by her cruel stepmother. She's brave, escapes, discovers her true magical heritage (involving huge redwood-like trees in a mystical forest) and then returns to fight for freedom. There's also a love element.


Not the only one... I love it too. But then, my cover is far from the concept of "Looking YA"

However, before deciding what looks and doesn't look YA, I'd have a look here: http://theyacover.tumblr.com/

It's an eye opener, and very interesting to scroll.



CN_Crawford said:


> I'm love the cover of my book, but I'm not convinced it's right for YA since it doesn't feature faces. Ideally I'd have a big budget and get a great artist to draw the two main characters, but it would be expensive.


Please don't change your cover, CN_Crawford, it is one of the most perfect covers I've seen here, and I'm constantly envious of it despite the fact that I love my cover


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

I stumbled across this thread today and it's nice to see so many other YA authors all in the one place. And thank you to those who've shared so much great information.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

smikeo said:


> Please don't change your cover, CN_Crawford, it is one of the most perfect covers I've seen here, and I'm constantly envious of it despite the fact that I love my cover


Ha thanks! I guess when you look at a lot of the traditional covers they don't necessarily have people on them.


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## donna callea (Dec 25, 2009)

smikeo said:


> Not the only one... I love it too. But then, my cover is far from the concept of "Looking YA"
> However, before deciding what looks and doesn't look YA, I'd have a look here: http://theyacover.tumblr.com/
> It's an eye opener, and very interesting to scroll.


Thanks, smikeo! You're right. YA covers can be many things. But for me, finding one that fits the story has been a real challenge.


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

Yeah I've struggled with this one too--face on the front or symbol? Since my has adult appeal, I went with mostly a symbol. Although sometimes I do wonder how it'd do with a more YA-focused cover, with characters on the front, etc.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Sever Bronny said:


> Yeah I've struggled with this one too--face on the front or symbol? Since my has adult appeal, I went with mostly a symbol. Although sometimes I do wonder how it'd do with a more YA-focused cover, with characters on the front, etc.


In your case I wouldn't change up what you're doing


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## donna callea (Dec 25, 2009)

Any thoughts on these two possibilities would be appreciated

http://www.selfpubbookcovers.com/index.php?option=com_author&view=profile


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

donna callea said:


> Any thoughts on these two possibilities would be appreciated
> 
> http://www.selfpubbookcovers.com/index.php?option=com_author&view=profile


The link requires a log in. Is there a way to link directly to the photos?


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## elizafaith13 (Sep 22, 2014)

This past year I've seen a nice change in YA Covers. Before it was all pretty girls in fancy dresses. We've seemed to move away from that. My advice would be to go on Goodreads and look at the book cover lists for your genre. You'll get a nice feel on what's popular out there.


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## A.A (Mar 30, 2012)

donna callea said:


> AA, you're the only one here (besides me) who seems to like this one
> 
> Don't know what I'm going to do. I've been going blind looking at premades, and I can't justify (or afford) big bucks for a custom cover. Bristles does have a fairy tale vibe, plus it's set in a dystopian society. with some steampunk elements My protagonist is a beautiful young girl, but her hair has been forcibly clipped to the bone. Hence, she's been dubbed Bristles by her cruel stepmother. She's brave, escapes, discovers her true magical heritage (involving huge redwood-like trees in a mystical forest) and then returns to fight for freedom. There's also a love element.


Sorry Donna  When I said 'the book that was linked to' I meant the book that another poster linked to, which was a premade of a girl in a forest.
It does sound like a great story and deserves a great cover


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## Acceber (Oct 16, 2014)

smikeo said:


> Not the only one... I love it too. But then, my cover is far from the concept of "Looking YA"
> 
> However, before deciding what looks and doesn't look YA, I'd have a look here: http://theyacover.tumblr.com/
> 
> It's an eye opener, and very interesting to scroll.


Are you talking about the cover in your sig? If so, I like it. It's different. Unique.

And thanks for that link. I'm drooling now. lol 

My opinion on the YA covers is this: There's no norm for what YA covers look like. Most of the time, people follow trends, and when those trends are popular, you have a stronger chance at getting noticed. I think a YA cover could be anything from a landscaped background to nothing more than oversized font. It doesn't really matter, as long as you make your cover the best it can be. IMO, your cover isn't just a reflection of the story, it's also a reflection of how you envision the story. And while I understand the ultimate goal is to intrigue people into taking a peek and/or buying a copy, I still believe that, in some way, each cover has to be a reflection of you. If you love it, keep it. But if it's receiving good reviews and just not selling well, even with marketing, it's probably a good idea to reevaluate the design.

Anyway, I'm rambling. Just my $0.02.


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

Have you guys messed around with your keywords much? I've learned a harsh lesson the other day--don't mess with what ain't broken. *Sigh*. I wonder how long it takes for keywords to resettle in the algorithm and "catch".


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## donna callea (Dec 25, 2009)

A.A said:


> Sorry Donna  When I said 'the book that was linked to' I meant the book that another poster linked to, which was a premade of a girl in a forest.
> It does sound like a great story and deserves a great cover


Thanks, A.A. I definitely need a new cover.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

What'd you change, Sever? And what happened? I guess I need to revisit the keywords thread since I've been thinking about changing mine up.


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

Emily Wibberley said:


> What'd you change, Sever? And what happened? I guess I need to revisit the keywords thread since I've been thinking about changing mine up.


It was awful, Emily. Tweaked a few too many keywords. Got booted out of my core genres (coming of age), and I think the algorithmic anchors I built up around my keywords reset, because I lost all my overnight sales I used to get--three days in a row now. I changed them all back mostly, but the damage is done sales-wise, and doesn't look like they're returning anytime soon. At least I got back into my core genres though. Maybe I'll get lucky and the keywords will re-cement after a week, I don't know.

For people that don't have steady sales keywords are definitely worth tweaking, but maybe not the best idea if you're selling daily.

Yeah, harsh lesson learned--if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Now excuse me while I repeatedly punch myself in the face.


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

Sever Bronny said:


> It was awful, Emily. Tweaked a few too many keywords. Got booted out of my core genres (coming of age), and I think the algorithmic anchors I built up around my keywords reset, because I lost all my overnight sales I used to get--three days in a row now. I changed them all back mostly, but the damage is done sales-wise, and doesn't look like they're returning anytime soon. At least I got back into my core genres though. Maybe I'll get lucky and the keywords will re-cement after a week, I don't know.
> 
> For people that don't have steady sales keywords are definitely worth tweaking, but maybe not the best idea if you're selling daily.
> 
> Yeah, harsh lesson learned--if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Now excuse me while I repeatedly punch myself in the face.


Oh bummer Sever! Hopefully some new sales will put you back where you were quickly.

Regarding keywords, for my debut novel (2/5/15 release) I set up the keywords for the preorder. I am SO GLAD I MADE IT PREORDER because my keywords were a disaster. It's a ya contemporary romance, but the male MC is Amish, but it's so not a typical Amish novel. There is pot and sex and college dorms. Anyway, I had put Fiction>Amish as one of my main categories. That put my title under all these religious sub-categories. Like, it was literally listed under BIBLES. Which is awesome, if you know, I had written a bible.

Anyway, I got the keywords tweaked and it sorted out just right- but had that been my release day I would have been freaking out. Since it was a month out I could laugh about it. Live and learn&#8230;


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Yikes! Yeah, even though I'm still in pre-order, I am reticent to change anything since I'm mostly in the categories and subcategories I want to be in. Still, when someone searches "badass heroine ya" I'd love to come up but I'm afraid to add badass haha.

Thanks for sharing, Sever. I have faith your numbers/core genres will return.


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

Thanks, Anya, Emily--It's nice to commiserate. I'll just be over here curled up in a fetal position for the rest of the night.


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## NotHere (Jan 21, 2015)

I wanted to ask, are those who write upper middle grade in here? I wasn't seeing a middle grade support group, so I thought I'd check in with other YA writers. Used to write YA, but eventually gave it up.


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## donna callea (Dec 25, 2009)

Just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone here -- especially cagnes (Christine)-- who helped me with my YA cover troubles.
I've finally got a brand cover for Bristles that makes me happy and (I hope) looks like a YA cover for a book people might actually want to read.
Here it is:


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## smikeo (Dec 1, 2014)

donna callea said:


> Just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone here -- especially cagnes (Christine)-- who helped me with my YA cover troubles.
> I've finally got a brand cover for Bristles that makes me happy and (I hope) looks like a YA cover for a book people might actually want to read.
> Here it is:


Awesome cover, I love it


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## donna callea (Dec 25, 2009)

Thanks, smikeo!  That means a lot.


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## Weibart (Oct 27, 2014)

LWFlouisa said:


> I wanted to ask, are those who write upper middle grade in here? I wasn't seeing a middle grade support group, so I thought I'd check in with other YA writers. Used to write YA, but eventually gave it up.


My series is an upper middle grade / young adult friendly graphic novel series. I'm very glad to have found this thread too and Kboards in general!


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## srf89 (Aug 18, 2014)

I just completed one novel I'm aiming for the upper middle grade (10-13) group of kids. I will be happy to swap reads- I will offer feedback and critiques to anyone who wants it, in exchange for help with promotion on my end. I will also be happy to swap social media shares: Twitter, LinkedIn, or blog pages. I concede that I have no background in the book publishing world but I do have print editing experience (journalism) and I'm perfectly happy to tell you what's good/bad about your novel and what can be done to improve without lying to you to make yourself feel better.
[email protected]


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## Jake Kerr (Aug 6, 2014)

My novel is upper middle grade (see cover in sig).


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## Shalini Boland (Nov 29, 2010)

donna callea said:


> Just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone here -- especially cagnes (Christine)-- who helped me with my YA cover troubles.
> I've finally got a brand cover for Bristles that makes me happy and (I hope) looks like a YA cover for a book people might actually want to read.
> Here it is:


That's a gorgeous cover, Donna.

I've only just spotted this thread. *Waves* to Sarah and everyone.

Sarah, did you ever set up that giveaway? I took part in one of Elle's giveaways a while back. Her organisational skills are a wonder to behold.

I'm also toying with upgrading my Marchwood Vampire series covers (Hidden & Thicker than Blood). I'm releasing book 3 soon and would like them to look like a series, rather than individual books. Also, I don't think they currently say YA. Anyone have any recommendations for good cover designers? (not too pricey) Thanks!


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## ufwriter (Jan 12, 2015)

donna callea said:


> Just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone here -- especially cagnes (Christine)-- who helped me with my YA cover troubles.
> I've finally got a brand cover for Bristles that makes me happy and (I hope) looks like a YA cover for a book people might actually want to read.
> Here it is:


This is a really nice cover. I think you made a great choice in going with an illustration rather than a photo.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Donna, the new Bristles cover is superb. I think it's going to sell you a lot of books.


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## donna callea (Dec 25, 2009)

Thanks so much, Cady and CN.  Can't tell you how much I appreciate the help and input I've received here.  This really is a YA writers SUPPORT thread.


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

Ohhh,the new cover looks great! I'm a fan of illustrated covers!  :


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## donna callea (Dec 25, 2009)

Thanks, Anya!


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## donna callea (Dec 25, 2009)

Thanks, Shalini!


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## Acceber (Oct 16, 2014)

donna callea said:


> Just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone here -- especially cagnes (Christine)-- who helped me with my YA cover troubles.
> I've finally got a brand cover for Bristles that makes me happy and (I hope) looks like a YA cover for a book people might actually want to read.
> Here it is:


Love it!


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

donna callea said:


> Just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone here -- especially cagnes (Christine)-- who helped me with my YA cover troubles.
> I've finally got a brand cover for Bristles that makes me happy and (I hope) looks like a YA cover for a book people might actually want to read.
> Here it is:


Nice change Donna, it really is.


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## donna callea (Dec 25, 2009)

Thanks, Heather.


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## Melisse (Jun 3, 2012)

Yes, you will make the higher amount in KU.


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## ufwriter (Jan 12, 2015)

Shalini Boland said:


> I'm also toying with upgrading my Marchwood Vampire series covers (Hidden & Thicker than Blood). I'm releasing book 3 soon and would like them to look like a series, rather than individual books. Also, I don't think they currently say YA. Anyone have any recommendations for good cover designers? (not too pricey) Thanks!


Amber is great, and her prices are very reasonable: http://ambercovers.com/.


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## Shalini Boland (Nov 29, 2010)

CadyVance said:


> Amber is great, and her prices are very reasonable: http://ambercovers.com/.


Thank you, Cady. I'll take a look. I adore your Bone Dry cover - it's exactly the kind of thing I'm after -- well, not 'exactly', but you know what I mean


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

I think I need to bite the bullet and hire someone to help me with my website which is really clunky. I've been querying designers but some of the prices are too high for my budget. I posted on another thread but I'm hoping you YA guys might have someone affordable you can recommend. 

Also do any of you use hosting? I'm not even sure why I need it but I'm told I do because I'm using Wordpress.com.

Thanks!


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Emily Wibberley said:


> I think I need to bite the bullet and hire someone to help me with my website which is really clunky. I've been querying designers but some of the prices are too high for my budget. I posted on another thread but I'm hoping you YA guys might have someone affordable you can recommend.
> 
> Also do any of you use hosting? I'm not even sure why I need it but I'm told I do because I'm using Wordpress.com.
> 
> Thanks!


Hi Emily
I'm completely non-technical and I did my own website using weebly (though they did have a half price sale on domain names so that's why I chose them over wordpress). It took me an hour or two to figure out but now I find it really easy to update regularly and make changes to. If you possibly can do it yourself then I would.


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

Emily Wibberley said:


> I think I need to bite the bullet and hire someone to help me with my website which is really clunky. I've been querying designers but some of the prices are too high for my budget. I posted on another thread but I'm hoping you YA guys might have someone affordable you can recommend.
> 
> Also do any of you use hosting? I'm not even sure why I need it but I'm told I do because I'm using Wordpress.com.
> 
> Thanks!


I used a designer off of Etsy. She's out of the UK. She's super responsive and I love her work. http://www.mycutelobster.co.uk/ Her prices start at $250.

my website is www.kimberlyggiarratano.com if you want to see. I use a wordpress.org platform.

I also second weebly. It is very easy to use and set up and has a nice look and you can get our own domain name.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

I wish I'd started with Weebly because I'm hearing it's so easy. I set up my own website. I chose Wordpress but now I'm having trouble going simple things like adding widgets. Thanks for the etsy lady link, Kimberly! Your website is elegant and exactly what I'm looking to do.


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

KGGiarratano said:


> I used a designer off of Etsy. She's out of the UK. She's super responsive and I love her work. http://www.mycutelobster.co.uk/ Her prices start at $250.
> 
> my website is www.kimberlyggiarratano.com if you want to see. I use a wordpress.org platform.
> 
> I also second weebly. It is very easy to use and set up and has a nice look and you can get our own domain name.


Ohh your site is just lovely!


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

Thanks, all! I love my site and Tasha made tweaks until I was happy. She surveyed me and took my ideas and turned into gold. She's a wonder to work with. I totally recommend her.


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## Midnight Whimsy (Jun 25, 2013)

I did my website on Wix.com. It's got a small learning curve but nothing terrible. You can check mine out if you want - www.authorannettemarie.com. I also did my cover designer site on Wix (image in my sig is a link).  Wix is great for a more static site, but I wouldn't recommend it if you blog a lot.

M.W


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

KGGiarratano said:


> I used a designer off of Etsy. She's out of the UK. She's super responsive and I love her work. http://www.mycutelobster.co.uk/ Her prices start at $250.
> 
> my website is www.kimberlyggiarratano.com if you want to see. I use a wordpress.org platform.
> 
> I also second weebly. It is very easy to use and set up and has a nice look and you can get our own domain name.


Struck out! She was busy. The good designers always are.

Still looking for recommendations. Thanks.


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## ufwriter (Jan 12, 2015)

Shalini Boland said:


> Thank you, Cady. I'll take a look. I adore your Bone Dry cover - it's exactly the kind of thing I'm after -- well, not 'exactly', but you know what I mean


Oh, thank you! For that one, I used Paramita at http://www.creativeparamita.com/.


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## Jake Kerr (Aug 6, 2014)

I have basically zero web design knowledge, and I made my series site on Wix. So you can use this as a baseline of what someone who doesn't know what they're doing can do for themselves:  www.tommyblackseries.com.


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

I did mine myself using Wordpress. I used to make a few websites here and there though, so I tweaked my HTML to add social media buttons and stuff.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Your sites look fantastic!

Sever, Did you use Wordpress.com or .org? I guess there's a huge difference?


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

Emily Wibberley said:


> Did you use Wordpress.com or .org? I guess there's a huge difference?


I used .org on my site. It's easy to use and you have so many layout choices.

[URL=http://www.avrilsabine.com/]http://www.avrilsabine.com/
[/url]


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Your site looks great, Avril. I think I made a mistake doing wordpress.com instead of .org. I didn't realize there was a difference when I first set up my website.


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

Emily Wibberley said:


> Your site looks great, Avril. I think I made a mistake doing wordpress.com instead of .org. I didn't realize there was a difference when I first set up my website.


Maybe there is a way to wipe your site and start again choosing the option you prefer. I'm afraid I wouldn't have a clue and couldn't advise on how, or if, this can be done. Everything I know about creating a website I've learned as needed. Google is my very best friend. : )


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

I use a free wordpress .com site and paid for my domain name through them. It isn't super cute or custom, but I like being able to make multiple pages. Eventually I would love to invest in a website design, but I wonder if the majority of people who look at them are authors, not the ya readers we are trying to capture? 

Which brings another question to mind, how do you guys connect with your ya readers without being an out-of-date old person? I know that we are lucky that a lot of ya readers are adults these days, but I still really want to find ways to get my books in the hands of actual teen readers (the people I wrote my stories for). What have you done successfully?


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## A.A (Mar 30, 2012)

Emily Wibberley said:


> I think I made a mistake doing wordpress.com instead of .org. I didn't realize there was a difference when I first set up my website.


If you do go with a paid host. some hosts will move your site for you. Hostgator certainly would, and a move from wordpress.com to your own hosting should be straightforward for them. You wouldn't lose anything.


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

Anya Monroe said:


> Which brings another question to mind, how do you guys connect with your ya readers without being an out-of-date old person? I know that we are lucky that a lot of ya readers are adults these days, but I still really want to find ways to get my books in the hands of actual teen readers (the people I wrote my stories for). What have you done successfully?


In my experience, teens don't care about whether or not you're old; they care about whether or not you're authentic. They respect the creation of art, and they are looking to engage. Social media definitely helps with that. I think my newsletter tends to reach adult readers; my social media is more likely to reach teens.


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## A.A (Mar 30, 2012)

bethrevis said:


> In my experience, teens don't care about whether or not you're old; they care about whether or not you're authentic. They respect the creation of art, and they are looking to engage. Social media definitely helps with that. I think my newsletter tends to reach adult readers; my social media is more likely to reach teens.


That's true, they don't care. Kids around the world love Joanne Rowling after all


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## ufwriter (Jan 12, 2015)

bethrevis said:


> In my experience, teens don't care about whether or not you're old; they care about whether or not you're authentic. They respect the creation of art, and they are looking to engage. Social media definitely helps with that. I think my newsletter tends to reach adult readers; my social media is more likely to reach teens.


Beth, which platforms do you use?


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

CadyVance said:


> Beth, which platforms do you use?


lol, almost all of them, because I enjoy wasting my life and procrastinating, but in different ways:

Tumblr: Typically reblogging, interaction, but also where I post answers to questions from fans, repost fan art, and tag events with my books.

Twitter: Mostly chatting; I try to always reply to fans, RT links they @-reply me in, etc.

Facebook: My least used resource; I've found success with tagging contests, events scheduling, and sharing articles.

Instagram: Welcome to pictures of my dog + occasional reminders of my books.

Pinterest: Just started using it to compile my fan art.

I've got accounts on the others, but those are my mainstays.


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

Anya Monroe said:


> I wonder if the majority of people who look at them are authors, not the ya readers we are trying to capture?


I've had Young Adults tell me they like the fact I have a release schedule page. So I guess it isn't only adults who go to an author's web site. Give them a reason to visit your site. A blog that they'd find interesting, events where they can find you or what books are coming next.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Avril Sabine said:


> I've had Young Adults tell me they like the fact I have a release schedule page. So I guess it isn't only adults who go to an author's web site. Give them a reason to visit your site. A blog that they'd find interesting, events where they can find you or what books are coming next.


A release schedule? My goodness that's brave! I think I would live in constant fear of not being able to stick to it if I did that.


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

Evenstar said:


> A release schedule? My goodness that's brave! I think I would live in constant fear of not being able to stick to it if I did that.


Until the first draft is written it isn't listed on the page. Then I only say which year it will be coming out. Actual dates aren't given until the book is almost finished. I know life can often become chaotic and I don't want to risk not meeting any deadlines.


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

Emily Wibberley said:


> Your sites look fantastic!
> 
> Sever, Did you use Wordpress.com or .org? I guess there's a huge difference?


Sorry, Emily, just saw this now 

I use wordpress.com, basic package (they host), but own my own domain name. I find it convenient in every way except one--no javascript / PHP allowed, only basic HTML. This sucks when you want to use external widgets. I manage to make it work though


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Avril Sabine said:


> Until the first draft is written it isn't listed on the page. Then I only say which year it will be coming out. Actual dates aren't given until the book is almost finished. I know life can often become chaotic and I don't want to risk not meeting any deadlines.


Ah, okay yes, that makes my pulse slow down slightly.

I have a "Coming Soon" page, which I guess is much the same thing. First book says which month it is coming out, the next three just say _Summer 2015_


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

Evenstar said:


> First book says which month it is coming out, the next three just say _Summer 2015_


When you do have a set date you can always add it to your 'Coming Soon' page then. That's why I love the pre-order option on Amazon. When the book is close to ready, it can be put up for pre-order and you can give a firm date for when it's available.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Sever Bronny said:


> Sorry, Emily, just saw this now
> 
> I use wordpress.com, basic package (they host), but own my own domain name. I find it convenient in every way except one--no javascript / PHP allowed, only basic HTML. This sucks when you want to use external widgets. I manage to make it work though


Phew. That's good to know. For some reason, I started feeling like wordress.com was a mistake, but your website looks great. I own my own domain too. I just need to spiff mine site up with the help of someone maybe from fiverr who won't cost me $1000 (no joke, this is the type of quote I get when asking to get someone to clean up and add widgets to my page.)


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## smikeo (Dec 1, 2014)

Emily Wibberley said:


> Phew. That's good to know. For some reason, I started feeling like wordress.com was a mistake, but your website looks great. I own my own domain too. I just need to spiff mine site up with the help of someone maybe from fiverr who won't cost me $1000 (no joke, this is the type of quote I get when asking to get someone to clean up and add widgets to my page.)


Hey Emily, before paying someone, did you try buying a template for writers? It's not so expensive, and it does a lot of the work for you.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Hi Michael,

I purchased a theme and made it my own, but there are little things I can't seem to make work. Simone Pond told me to try searching on Fiverr for someone who does quick maintenance and modifications. Turns out it was a great suggestion (thanks, Simone). There are tons of people who do this sort of thing for super cheap. I've emailed a few of them for quotes.


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## Jill Nojack (Mar 7, 2014)

Avril Sabine said:


> Until the first draft is written it isn't listed on the page. Then I only say which year it will be coming out. Actual dates aren't given until the book is almost finished. I know life can often become chaotic and I don't want to risk not meeting any deadlines.


That is very wise! And an excellent idea. Thank you for sharing that, Now, if only I had a large number of completed rough drafts....


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

Jill Nojack said:


> That is very wise! And an excellent idea. Thank you for sharing that, Now, if only I had a large number of completed rough drafts....


It's more a case of learning the hard way. I have a lot of demands on my time (good ones of course, particularly my kids) so I know Murphy's Law intimately. : )


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

Emily--try tweaking the page on your own first. Spend some time with the navigation menu. Wordpress is designed with people like you in mine. You don't need to know HTML or PHP or any of that to make a good site. If you have the time, it'll save you money over the long run as you can tweak your own website. Not to mention it's a huge relief knowing you don't need someone else to update and change your website 

There are lots of youtube tutorials on basic wordpress, not to mention wordpress help topic videos, which are very user friendly


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Does anyone here use pinterest or tumblr? I'm in the process of trying to figure them both out, but I haven't gotten very far yet. I'm doing a giveaway with pretty pictures, so it seems like the right kind of thing for those sites. 

I'll let you all know if I figure out anything useful!


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## ufwriter (Jan 12, 2015)

CN_Crawford said:


> Does anyone here use pinterest or tumblr? I'm in the process of trying to figure them both out, but I haven't gotten very far yet. I'm doing a giveaway with pretty pictures, so it seems like the right kind of thing for those sites.
> 
> I'll let you all know if I figure out anything useful!


I use Pinterest, but I don't do as much as I should with it, probably. I have a couple of random boards for places I'd like to visit and that kind of thing, plus a board each for photos I used as inspiration for my books.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

I'm still confused by it as I don't understand how people find your stuff. I think you can use hashtags, but I don't know where they go yet. Also you're supposed to make stuff "pinnable" from your own website, but it doesn't work with Wix so well. 

This might all very well be a waste of time.


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

I've found Pinterest to be limited in value. I do have a Fan Art board, and a foreign covers board (which desperately needs an update), but those are the only ones I think have much value. You can see on my profile that I *do* have other boards, but I set those up more than a year or two ago, when I first got on Pinterest, and haven't really touched them since.

I was doing a series on my blog about writing tips, and I specifically made a graphic for people to pin to go with it (you can see that here), but I'm not sure how effective it was--those were popular posts, though, so perhaps Pinterest helped.

In general, if you want people to pin things, make graphics that go with your posts that clearly state what the post is--consider it a link you design for people.

Tumblr I'm on CONSTANTLY. I adore Tumblr, but don't use it to exclusively advertise my books--I use it for fun, too.

__
https://109893960497%2Fa-quote-from-the-body-electric-since-ive-gotten
, but you can see from my tumblr that book-central posts are fairly rare.

But basically--with social media, I think the best approach isn't to think of it as a potential billboard or car salesman for your book, but instead of a way to be social, participate, and have fun--occasionally mentioning your book. People are more likely to buy your book if they like your personality rather than if they are told to buy it from an author they barely know.


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## KatrinaAbbott (Jan 28, 2014)

CN_Crawford said:


> Does anyone here use pinterest or tumblr? I'm in the process of trying to figure them both out, but I haven't gotten very far yet. I'm doing a giveaway with pretty pictures, so it seems like the right kind of thing for those sites.
> 
> I'll let you all know if I figure out anything useful!


I use Pinterest, but it's pretty self-serving as I use it as a way to remind myself what my characters look like as I continue on in my series and keep adding more and more characters *cough* hot guys *cough*. I don't have a ton of followers, but when I mentioned it in the last newsletter, I saw several fans navigated over there and a few started following. YMMV, but it's one of those things that I would be doing anyway and hey, if fans like looking at it, everyone wins.

https://www.pinterest.com/abbottkatrina/


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

KatrinaAbbott said:


> I use Pinterest, but it's pretty self-serving as I use it as a way to remind myself what my characters look like as I continue on in my series and keep adding more and more characters *cough* hot guys *cough*. I don't have a ton of followers, but when I mentioned it in the last newsletter, I saw several fans navigated over there and a few started following. YMMV, but it's one of those things that I would be doing anyway and hey, if fans like looking at it, everyone wins.
> 
> https://www.pinterest.com/abbottkatrina/


You bring up a great point! I think readers like getting a "behind the scenes" look, and seeing a story board or character inspiration from authors is a great way to do that! (I always forget about that option because I burned myself, storyboarding a book that ended up not selling to my publisher right away and is currently in limbo...)


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

bethrevis said:


> I've found Pinterest to be limited in value. I do have a Fan Art board, and a foreign covers board (which desperately needs an update), but those are the only ones I think have much value. You can see on my profile that I *do* have other boards, but I set those up more than a year or two ago, when I first got on Pinterest, and haven't really touched them since.
> 
> I was doing a series on my blog about writing tips, and I specifically made a graphic for people to pin to go with it (you can see that here), but I'm not sure how effective it was--those were popular posts, though, so perhaps Pinterest helped.
> 
> ...


I just followed your tumblr 

I would say my foray into pinterest has maybe been a waste of time so far. In general it's hard to find the time for all the social media shenanigans.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

I think maybe social media would feel much more fulfilling once there is an actual fan-base.


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

CN_Crawford said:


> I think maybe social media would feel much more fulfilling once there is an actual fan-base.


Truth! Lets hope we will get there!

Like some other posters, I use Pinterest for book boards, and since I made them while writing the book, I decided to mention them on my blog, and people who LIKE pinterest already, checked them out. Since I already enjoyed the platform, I think it came across as sincere, which is really important (I think) when doing any social media. I tried tumblr but realized my heart wasn't there, so I deleted it, same with a FB author page. I figure I know what I love (IG) and the readers who find me there (@anyamonroe) will like my posts because they are not contrived.

Here is an example of my 'book board':
http://www.pinterest.com/thelovelymessy/for-sure-certain/


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## Sever Bronny (May 13, 2013)

Yeah I have a tumblr and pinterest too, but haven't spent as much time as I'd like there. Has anyone considered paid advertising on those platforms though?


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Cool! I just added you. I'm following all of everyone's stuff.


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## KatrinaAbbott (Jan 28, 2014)

bethrevis said:


> You bring up a great point! I think readers like getting a "behind the scenes" look, and seeing a story board or character inspiration from authors is a great way to do that! (I always forget about that option because I burned myself, storyboarding a book that ended up not selling to my publisher right away and is currently in limbo...)


Thanks, Beth. I do have the inspirations I used for the couture gowns in my second book (Masquerade) and those were really helpful for me when writing to be able to describe them properly. I did think that fans would appreciate seeing those, so I mention it at the end of the book (and elsewhere). Though while some fans look at them, most are more interested in the boys.


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## KatrinaAbbott (Jan 28, 2014)

Anya Monroe said:


> Truth! Lets hope we will get there!
> 
> Like some other posters, I use Pinterest for book boards, and since I made them while writing the book, I decided to mention them on my blog, and people who LIKE pinterest already, checked them out. Since I already enjoyed the platform, I think it came across as sincere, which is really important (I think) when doing any social media. I tried tumblr but realized my heart wasn't there, so I deleted it, same with a FB author page. I figure I know what I love (IG) and the readers who find me there (@anyamonroe) will like my posts because they are not contrived.
> 
> ...


Your book board looks great - lots of interesting things.


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

KatrinaAbbott said:


> Your book board looks great - lots of interesting things.


Thanks! It is a fun time suck when I get stuck because it is still *productive*. At least that's what I tell myself


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## eleanorberesford (Dec 22, 2014)

Anya Monroe said:


> Here is an example of my 'book board':
> http://www.pinterest.com/thelovelymessy/for-sure-certain/


Ooh, I already have school story and LGBT YA boards, but the mori kei looking fashions on your board inspired me to want a fashion board for the two MCs of the contemporary I'm working on. It might be useful for writing, it might possibly be a social media thing when I get this series going, but most of all, it was FUN. Possible time suck. But a fun one.

This is for Valeria, who likes cute pastel, 1980s/1990s retro and Asian fashion (fairy kei and pop kei inspired):

https://uk.pinterest.com/pegasiandprefec/fashion-for-valeria-project-dance-date/

Next one will be for her twin, Cami, who is more conventionally fashionable/sexy.


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

eleanorberesford said:


> Ooh, I already have school story and LGBT YA boards, but the mori kei looking fashions on your board inspired me to want a fashion board for the two MCs of the contemporary I'm working on. It might be useful for writing, it might possibly be a social media thing when I get this series going, but most of all, it was FUN. Possible time suck. But a fun one.
> 
> This is for Valeria, who likes cute pastel, 1980s/1990s retro and Asian fashion (fairy kei and pop kei inspired):
> 
> ...


You have a fun board! I followed you over there and look forward to seeing your pins


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## Selina Fenech (Jul 20, 2011)

I thought I'd ask here, does anyone know if there are any YA specific Bookbub style services? I've seen a few fantasy/sci-fi specific services popping up around the place lately, and I was wondering if there is a YA one out there?


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

Well, there is a YA category in BookBub...


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## Selina Fenech (Jul 20, 2011)

Yep, and it gets an okay response, but not as good as their other categories (e.g. my book is YA Fantasy, so I've used them once with the YA category and once with the Fantasy category, and Fantasy WAY outperformed the YA category). 
YA is a very different market, especially if trying to target actual teens, not just older YA readers. That's why I think it would be great if there were a truly YA targeted book promo subscription service.


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

I second that, Selina, but unfortunately I can't enlighten you. Let's hope someone notices a gap in the market.


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

Just wanted to let everyone know that the YA Scavenger Hunt is open to applications for promo. It's a great opportunity for exposure and gaining more followers; I really think it's well done!

http://yascavengerhunt.blogspot.com/p/are-you-author-who-would-like-to.html


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

bethrevis said:


> Just wanted to let everyone know that the YA Scavenger Hunt is open to applications for promo. It's a great opportunity for exposure and gaining more followers; I really think it's well done!
> 
> http://yascavengerhunt.blogspot.com/p/are-you-author-who-would-like-to.html


Thanks! Doing this now.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Ooh I will look into that. Thanks for letting us know!


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## ufwriter (Jan 12, 2015)

bethrevis said:


> Just wanted to let everyone know that the YA Scavenger Hunt is open to applications for promo. It's a great opportunity for exposure and gaining more followers; I really think it's well done!
> 
> http://yascavengerhunt.blogspot.com/p/are-you-author-who-would-like-to.html


Thanks! I've submitted an application. Hopefully I'll get a spot!


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

bethrevis said:


> Just wanted to let everyone know that the YA Scavenger Hunt is open to applications for promo. It's a great opportunity for exposure and gaining more followers; I really think it's well done!
> 
> http://yascavengerhunt.blogspot.com/p/are-you-author-who-would-like-to.html


Cool, thanks for the link. Just applied!


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## Kristopia (Dec 13, 2013)

donna callea said:


> Just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone here -- especially cagnes (Christine)-- who helped me with my YA cover troubles.
> I've finally got a brand cover for Bristles that makes me happy and (I hope) looks like a YA cover for a book people might actually want to read.
> Here it is:


Oooohhhhhh - so I'm a latecomer to this thread, and I kept seeing this beautiful watercolor cover for Bristles that I thought was great - then you saying your cover didn't fit. I get it now - I was seeing your FIXED cover, not the one you weren't happy with.  Incidentally, I love this cover.


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## eleanorberesford (Dec 22, 2014)

Cursing all of you for Pinterest. So many boards now...

Just kidding, really. I am finding having visual references for Cornwall in particular really helpful--bright though my memories are, it's nice to have a board to look up images on! And I think it is a nice "extra".


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

bethrevis said:


> Just wanted to let everyone know that the YA Scavenger Hunt is open to applications for promo. It's a great opportunity for exposure and gaining more followers; I really think it's well done!
> 
> http://yascavengerhunt.blogspot.com/p/are-you-author-who-would-like-to.html


This looks awesome! I know I'm going to sound like a total ditz, but how does one get a url for the book cover? I couldn't get mine off of amazon....


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## ufwriter (Jan 12, 2015)

SimonePond said:


> Hi all. Wanted to jump back on this thread to share about audio books. I'm really enjoying my experience with ACX. I didn't even consider it an option because it seemed an impossible dream, until I checked out the ACX site. If any of you are thinking about doing an audio book, feel free to send me an email with questions. It's super easy and a lot of fun.


Seconding Simone here. I have a YA paranormal audiobook in production right now with a very talented narrator, and it's been an amazing process so far.


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

Julz said:


> This looks awesome! I know I'm going to sound like a total ditz, but how does one get a url for the book cover? I couldn't get mine off of amazon....


Do you have a website with your cover picture on it? If so, I'd use that URL.


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## donna callea (Dec 25, 2009)

Kristopia said:


> Oooohhhhhh - so I'm a latecomer to this thread, and I kept seeing this beautiful watercolor cover for Bristles that I thought was great - then you saying your cover didn't fit. I get it now - I was seeing your FIXED cover, not the one you weren't happy with.  Incidentally, I love this cover.


Thanks, Kristopia! Just saw your post.


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## SA_Soule (Sep 8, 2011)

Hi there!

YA author here, and it is nice to meet everyone. And I would love to have any of you on my blog to help promote your books. However, the guest posts need to be a "writing or editing or publishing" topic.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Avril Sabine said:


> Do you have a website with your cover picture on it? If so, I'd use that URL.


Thanks Avril!


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

SimonePond said:


> Hi all. Wanted to jump back on this thread to share about audiobooks. I'm really enjoying my experience with ACX. I didn't even consider it an option because it seemed an impossible dream, until I checked out the ACX site. If any of you are thinking about doing an audiobook, feel free to send me an email with questions. It's super easy and a lot of fun.


Me too. I've had two books done in audio now. The only thing is I can't afford the narrator I got for the first book anymore (it was funded elsewhere... which I don't think I can talk about on a public forum). I really want to get the rest of the series done but I'm not sure I can justify the expenditure. Has anyone here had a full series finished? Do sales really pick up if all the books are available?


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## Lena_Mikado (Mar 12, 2015)

H guys! It's nice to meet all of you  . My genre falls somewhere in between YA and women contemporary romance. My novel is the first one in the series, it talks about adventures of 4 girlfriends aged 19-21, but it is told by a woman (and mother) in her 30s. In retrospect.   As a result, I guess it could be interesting for both groups of readers . Hopefully  .
I'm glad to have found this thread (thank you, Emily!)! Would appreciate any advice about marketing. Honestly. Any .

Have a great weekend everyone!
xoxoxo
Lena


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## Lena_Mikado (Mar 12, 2015)

Thank you very much for the info, Simone! 
It's very nice to e-meet you!


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## stacyjuba (Jul 12, 2010)

I am holding a big YA giveaway on my blog and a Facebook party to promote my book Dark Before Dawn. I am seeking YA authors who would like to drop in on the the Facebook party, which will be held March 22, and offer door prizes to attendees - for example, if you have a permanently free book, you can share the links, or if you would like to offer a giveaway to commenters, you can do so. You can also share a blurb, excerpt and cover and tell about yourself. In order to participate, I ask that you send out some invites to the Facebook party as it is very low entry right now.

I just sent out a bunch of Goodreads invites also so hopefully the number will start increasing, but I am seeking help to spread the word to readers who enjoy YA novels. This is the link to the Facebook party. https://www.facebook.com/events/1575459569377950/

You don't need to sign up for a time to post on the 22nd, but message me your Facebook link so I can friend you and send you a reminder that weekend. Hope to see some of you there!


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Aw, that "how I sold lots of books last year" thread is redacted.


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## ufwriter (Jan 12, 2015)

Yeah, I loved that thread.


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

Bumping this thread-- mostly because I'm trying to find/follow more self-pubbed YA authors on Twitter, etc! Gearing up for release on my sequel to my debut novel from last year in the next couple of months and I love seeing what's working for other YA writers ^_^


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## Scott Pixello (May 4, 2013)

I'm not on Twitter. From time to time I'm tempted but it would be suck a massive time-suck. For me, it's like Facebook- it only really works if you treat it as a genuine social network and build friendships that are book-related rather than scream 'BUY MY BOOK,' which is the impression I get from much of Twitter.


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

Ah, see, I started as a book blogger for years, so friendships that are book-related is exactly what Twitter is for me and why I have so much fun there


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

JenEllision said:


> Bumping this thread-- mostly because I'm trying to find/follow more self-pubbed YA authors on Twitter, etc! Gearing up for release on my sequel to my debut novel from last year in the next couple of months and I love seeing what's working for other YA writers ^_^


I'll follow you, Jen  What's your twitter handle?


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## rachelmedhurst (Jun 25, 2014)

I've finally admitted to myself that my writing is YA. I was a little worried because there are some touchy subjects/scenes in the books, but I've been told the style and innocence of my writing is YA. 

This helps me to be able to focus on a much more specific marketing plan! I'm excited now! Any tips on finding YA Paranormal/Fantasy romance audience would be greatly appreciated!


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

Julz said:


> I'll follow you, Jen  What's your twitter handle?


@JenEllision  Just followed you!


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

rachelmedhurst said:


> I've finally admitted to myself that my writing is YA. I was a little worried because there are some touchy subjects/scenes in the books, but I've been told the style and innocence of my writing is YA.
> 
> This helps me to be able to focus on a much more specific marketing plan! I'm excited now! Any tips on finding YA Paranormal/Fantasy romance audience would be greatly appreciated!


Yeah, YA is tricky. Mostly because most teens still read in print. That will probably change eventually, but it's still a factor - just ask my teenage daughters! Despite what mommy does for a living, and despite the fact that we have 4 tablets, 4 phones and 1 ipod in the house, they only read print books.

I would say the vast, probably 90% + of my readership consists of adults who love YA. So you end up marketing to adults, but still writing in the YA style. So there's a little bit of a line to ride. I read YA because I prefer the cleaner content. Teens who read YA probably don't care.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

JenEllision said:


> @JenEllision  Just followed you!


Yay! Followed you back


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

I just followed you, Julz and Heather.


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

When doing any marketing, it can be hard to figure out if what you've done is the reason there's been an increase in sales or if it was coincidental. I'm currently doing a giveaway on Goodreads for my young adult urban fantasy 'Stone Warrior' and have noticed extra sales in some of my other books. It would be nice if there was an easy way to figure it out. Here's a link to the giveaway for anyone who might be interested in entering:

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/137551-stone-warrior

I'll let you all know if there's any significant increase in sales after the giveaway.


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## rachelmedhurst (Jun 25, 2014)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> Yeah, YA is tricky. Mostly because most teens still read in print. That will probably change eventually, but it's still a factor - just ask my teenage daughters! Despite what mommy does for a living, and despite the fact that we have 4 tablets, 4 phones and 1 ipod in the house, they only read print books.
> 
> I would say the vast, probably 90% + of my readership consists of adults who love YA. So you end up marketing to adults, but still writing in the YA style. So there's a little bit of a line to ride. I read YA because I prefer the cleaner content. Teens who read YA probably don't care.


Thanks, Heather. I think my readership is also adults that like YA. I've already started to get print books ready for when I really start pushing my new series. The first book has only been out for a month. The second book is due out at the end of May. My books are fairly clean, but there's some themes/topics/words that might border on New Adult. To be fair, I was reading all sorts when I was a teen, so my books are tame compared to what I read.

It's good to have a clearer vision though. I know adults enjoy my books, but at least if I market as YA, the people who enjoy YA will find me regardless of age.

It's been almost a year since I started publishing and I've only just realised my age range! Madness!


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## Jena H (Oct 2, 2011)

rachelmedhurst said:


> I've finally admitted to myself that my writing is YA. I was a little worried because there are some touchy subjects/scenes in the books, but I've been told the style and innocence of my writing is YA.
> 
> This helps me to be able to focus on a much more specific marketing plan! I'm excited now! Any tips on finding YA Paranormal/Fantasy romance audience would be greatly appreciated!


I feel like I'm on the "other end" of the YA spectrum. I have a 3-book series in which the MCs are teens (about 14 and 16) so that part is definitely in the YA category, but there are no "big life issues" like sex or drinking, drugs, suicide, abuse, etc. The books aren't really personal journeys of the characters, but instead are action/adventures, which are more akin to the middle-grade market. Since I don't have the gritty edginess of most popular YA, I can't market the books that way.


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## KatrinaAbbott (Jan 28, 2014)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> Yeah, YA is tricky. Mostly because most teens still read in print. That will probably change eventually, but it's still a factor - just ask my teenage daughters! Despite what mommy does for a living, and despite the fact that we have 4 tablets, 4 phones and 1 ipod in the house, they only read print books.
> 
> I would say the vast, probably 90% + of my readership consists of adults who love YA. So you end up marketing to adults, but still writing in the YA style. So there's a little bit of a line to ride. I read YA because I prefer the cleaner content. Teens who read YA probably don't care.


From what I can tell, many of my readers are adults who love YA. My books are fairly clean (no S or F-bombs and all contact is neck up, though there is some innuendo and a bit of sex talk, though not much) so are suitable for younger kids, but they are funny romances at heart. I figure I'm pretty much marketing to adults at Amazon, BN and Kobo, but it seems like more kids are on iBooks and GooglePlay - I presume using their phones/devices. Either way, the permafree grabs readers and I'm still trying for that elusive BookBub. I'm hoping my change in covers will help with that. I've already seen a spike in free downloads at GP and iBooks in the 2 days since updating them.


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## jennyperinovic (Oct 24, 2014)

Hi everyone! I write and self-publish YA, too. I published my first book--a YA Gothic Romance--just over a week ago, so I'm very new to all of this. I'm so happy this thread exists! I followed everyone on twitter that I could find--I'm @JennyPerinovic. <3 

One thing that's I've noticed (and again, I've only been at this for a week), is that my print sales are nearly double my digital sales. Is that normal? I had expected it to be the other way around!


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

jennyperinovic said:


> Hi everyone! I write and self-publish YA, too. I published my first book--a YA Gothic Romance--just over a week ago, so I'm very new to all of this. I'm so happy this thread exists! I followed everyone on twitter that I could find--I'm @JennyPerinovic. <3
> 
> One thing that's I've noticed (and again, I've only been at this for a week), is that my print sales are nearly double my digital sales. Is that normal? I had expected it to be the other way around!


Wow! My print sales are negligible. Maybe you're actually somehow capturing the teen market rather than adults who like YA. Tell us more!


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

Jena H said:


> I feel like I'm on the "other end" of the YA spectrum. I have a 3-book series in which the MCs are teens (about 14 and 16) so that part is definitely in the YA category, but there are no "big life issues" like sex or drinking, drugs, suicide, abuse, etc. The books aren't really personal journeys of the characters, but instead are action/adventures, which are more akin to the middle-grade market. Since I don't have the gritty edginess of most popular YA, I can't market the books that way.


Actually, you just pretty much just defined popular, commercial YA on the market today...


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## Russ Stoll (May 29, 2014)

Hi all.  I published my first book, a YA sci-fi novel, back in September.  I hope to get the second in the planned trilogy out this year.  I also have a MG series in the works, and an adult thriller that needs to be redrafted (a novel I submitted to agents a few years back that wasn't picked up, thankfully I can see now).  

I'm diving into promotion for Quiznot, my YA sci-fi book, this weekend with two free days on Amazon.  I've got about 12 sites lined up to publicize the promo.  Given that their audience is largely adult, I'm hoping to find some cross-over readers.  I'll report back on my results.

Happy to e-meet you all.

Russ


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> Wow! My print sales are negligible. Maybe you're actually somehow capturing the teen market rather than adults who like YA. Tell us more!


Seconding! My print is WAYYY below my e-book, though I've thankfully earned back the extra money spent for print (full jacket with my cover artist/pdf formatting with my formatter ^_^)


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## jennyperinovic (Oct 24, 2014)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> Wow! My print sales are negligible. Maybe you're actually somehow capturing the teen market rather than adults who like YA. Tell us more!


Hah! I don't know about that.  I'm eager to soak up the wisdom in this thread, though--I feel like I still have so much to learn!


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

jennyperinovic said:


> Hah! I don't know about that.  I'm eager to soak up the wisdom in this thread, though--I feel like I still have so much to learn!


Hi Jenny! Nice to see you here!

When I published my first book I had lots of print sales too. I think it was a lot of friends, family, and long time blog readers who had heard me talking about the release forever and wanted to support me in way that seems more tangible than downloading a copy. It dropped dramatically when I put out the next book and now the vast majority of sales are ebooks. It should be interesting for you to track long term.


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

bethrevis said:


> Actually, you just pretty much just defined popular, commercial YA on the market today...


You think so Beth? Man, I feel like every other ya I pick up lately is about suicide.


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

Anya Monroe said:


> Hi Jenny! Nice to see you here!
> 
> When I published my first book I had lots of print sales too. I think it was a lot of friends, family, and long time blog readers who had heard me talking about the release forever and wanted to support me in way that seems more tangible than downloading a copy. It dropped dramatically when I put out the next book and now the vast majority of sales are ebooks. It should be interesting for you to track long term.


Yes, I'd say that's how it was for me too. Everyone here in Canada that I know just wants print. Once that market was exhausted for my first book, it has been ebook all the way for 9 months. I've hand sold a whole bunch that I ordered myself, but don't get a lot of sales on Amazon.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Emily Wibberley said:


> I just followed you, Julz and Heather.


Gotcha, Emily


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Russ Stoll said:


> Hi all. I published my first book, a YA sci-fi novel, back in September. I hope to get the second in the planned trilogy out this year. I also have a MG series in the works, and an adult thriller that needs to be redrafted (a novel I submitted to agents a few years back that wasn't picked up, thankfully I can see now).
> 
> I'm diving into promotion for Quiznot, my YA sci-fi book, this weekend with two free days on Amazon. I've got about 12 sites lined up to publicize the promo. Given that their audience is largely adult, I'm hoping to find some cross-over readers. I'll report back on my results.
> 
> ...


Good luck Russ!! I saw your book on Netgalley and love your cover 



jennyperinovic said:


> Hi everyone! I write and self-publish YA, too. I published my first book--a YA Gothic Romance--just over a week ago, so I'm very new to all of this. I'm so happy this thread exists! I followed everyone on twitter that I could find--I'm @JennyPerinovic. <3
> 
> One thing that's I've noticed (and again, I've only been at this for a week), is that my print sales are nearly double my digital sales. Is that normal? I had expected it to be the other way around!


Congrats on pushing that publish button  Followed ya back  Like Anya, I found the same thing you did for the first month or so and then my ebooks overtook my print sales (especially after my first promo).


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## jennyperinovic (Oct 24, 2014)

> When I published my first book I had lots of print sales too. I think it was a lot of friends, family, and long time blog readers who had heard me talking about the release forever and wanted to support me in way that seems more tangible than downloading a copy. It dropped dramatically when I put out the next book and now the vast majority of sales are ebooks. It should be interesting for you to track long term.





> Yes, I'd say that's how it was for me too. Everyone here in Canada that I know just wants print. Once that market was exhausted for my first book, it has been ebook all the way for 9 months. I've hand sold a whole bunch that I ordered myself, but don't get a lot of sales on Amazon.





> Like Anya, I found the same thing you did for the first month or so and then my ebooks overtook my print sales (especially after my first promo).


That's great to know, guys. Thank you! I feel like I was focused on release day for so long, that I'm kind of clueless about what to expect next. Fingers crossed that things keep rolling!

Like I said before, I'm so grateful this thread exists. I look forward to getting to know you all! <3


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

Anya Monroe said:


> You think so Beth? Man, I feel like every other ya I pick up lately is about suicide.


Nah, that's just the John Green effect.


----------



## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

Jena H said:


> I feel like I'm on the "other end" of the YA spectrum. I have a 3-book series in which the MCs are teens (about 14 and 16) so that part is definitely in the YA category, but there are no "big life issues" like sex or drinking, drugs, suicide, abuse, etc. The books aren't really personal journeys of the characters, but instead are action/adventures, which are more akin to the middle-grade market. Since I don't have the gritty edginess of most popular YA, I can't market the books that way.


YA covers many different genres. Maybe you could market them as YA action/adventure. To give you an example from some of mine, I have YA urban fantasy, YA contemporary and YA fantasy. Now that you know your target audience (YA) all you have to do is figure out which genre they fit into best.


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

jennyperinovic said:


> Hi everyone! I write and self-publish YA, too. I published my first book--a YA Gothic Romance--just over a week ago, so I'm very new to all of this. I'm so happy this thread exists! I followed everyone on twitter that I could find--I'm @JennyPerinovic. <3
> 
> One thing that's I've noticed (and again, I've only been at this for a week), is that my print sales are nearly double my digital sales. Is that normal? I had expected it to be the other way around!


Another gothic romance writer, yay! Yours looks great, but different to mine - I write historical gothic-inspired YA (if that's such a thing). Congrats on the print sales. Mine are minimal at best.


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

I too sold a lot of print books to friends and family. Sometimes I have a random print sale, but not often. 

I know many adults who primarily read YA. Grunge Gods is set in the 90s and has been very popular with adults in their 30s. 

Jenny -- your book sounds awesome. I love ghost stories!!


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Hey! I've got a few days left of my KU and wondered if any of you guys are on KU? I borrowed KReadnour's books, Sacrifice, and Cady Vance's books. That's all I can remember for now, but if you want to send suggestions my way I'd love to support other YA Kboard writers


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## A.A (Mar 30, 2012)

bethrevis said:


> Nah, that's just the John Green effect.


Once upon a time, it seemed that contemporary 'issue' books were all that were all there in YA. I agree it's moved onto adventure/ fantasy/ sci fi etc in a big way.


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

Julz said:


> Hey! I've got a few days left of my KU and wondered if any of you guys are on KU? I borrowed KReadnour's books, Sacrifice, and Cady Vance's books. That's all I can remember for now, but if you want to send suggestions my way I'd love to support other YA Kboard writers


My books are all in KU!
I've read Sacrificed and Bone Dry and both were sooo good. You have a good reading list ahead of you, and I'll have to check out KReadnour's stuff!


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Anya Monroe said:


> My books are all in KU!
> I've read Sacrificed and Bone Dry and both were sooo good. You have a good reading list ahead of you, and I'll have to check out KReadnour's stuff!


Yay! I read For Sure and Certain, but I'm so glad I'll get to read the other ones


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Julz, I just checked out Skinniness is Next to Goddessness?

Thanks for the KU Bat Signal!

Excited to read!


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Emily Wibberley said:


> Julz, I just checked out Skinniness is Next to Goddessness?
> 
> Thanks for the KU Bat Signal!
> 
> Excited to read!


Aww thanks!!  (wanted a blushing emoji but this will have to do). I followed your facebook author page (kinda feel like a stalker following you on facebook and twitter on the same day ) 
Anyone else have author facebook pages?


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## KatrinaAbbott (Jan 28, 2014)

Julz said:


> Hey! I've got a few days left of my KU and wondered if any of you guys are on KU? I borrowed KReadnour's books, Sacrifice, and Cady Vance's books. That's all I can remember for now, but if you want to send suggestions my way I'd love to support other YA Kboard writers


My series prequel (Fresh Start) is in KU.  It's also free today and tomorrow if anyone outside KU wants to give it a try.


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## rachelmedhurst (Jun 25, 2014)

Julz said:


> Hey! I've got a few days left of my KU and wondered if any of you guys are on KU? I borrowed KReadnour's books, Sacrifice, and Cady Vance's books. That's all I can remember for now, but if you want to send suggestions my way I'd love to support other YA Kboard writers


My book Pisces and all Avoidables is in KU.  x


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## Jill Nojack (Mar 7, 2014)

Since I'm a Scribd gal instead of a KU gal, who's got books on Scribd? I don't like romance-oriented, but would love to read any other YA you guys might have there. I read just about any other genre.

(And Rachel, I wish you were on Scribd so I could read the rest of the Avoidables on the cheap but still get you paid!)


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## jennyperinovic (Oct 24, 2014)

Jill Nojack said:


> Since I'm a Scribd gal instead of a KU gal, who's got books on Scribd?


A MAGIC DARK & BRIGHT is on Scribd! 

And thank you, KG & CJ! Your books look like so much fun--I'm adding them to my (digital) TBR pile now!


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

Julz said:


> Hey! I've got a few days left of my KU and wondered if any of you guys are on KU? I borrowed KReadnour's books, Sacrifice, and Cady Vance's books. That's all I can remember for now, but if you want to send suggestions my way I'd love to support other YA Kboard writers


My prequel novelette Sisters of Wind and Flame is on KU! ^_^


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

KGGiarratano said:


> I too sold a lot of print books to friends and family. Sometimes I have a random print sale, but not often.
> 
> I know many adults who primarily read YA. Grunge Gods is set in the 90s and has been very popular with adults in their 30s.
> 
> Jenny -- your book sounds awesome. I love ghost stories!!


How do you put print books on sale?


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

KatrinaAbbott said:


> My series prequel (Fresh Start) is in KU.  It's also free today and tomorrow if anyone outside KU wants to give it a try.


I grabbed a copy Katrina! Thanks for the heads up!


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

Ah, the danger of using a semi ~trendy name for your prince-- you spot another YA author in your genre planning on using it for a future book... and she has a similar magic system too.

Good thing I self-pub! ^_^


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## Jill Nojack (Mar 7, 2014)

jennyperinovic said:


> A MAGIC DARK & BRIGHT is on Scribd!
> 
> And thank you, KG & CJ! Your books look like so much fun--I'm adding them to my (digital) TBR pile now!


Perfect! In my Scribd TBR list now. And Rachel slipped me the rest of her series, so my YA reading list is set for a while (although I almost always have at least four books going at the same time, and one is usually YA, so more are always welcome!)


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

KatrinaAbbott said:


> My series prequel (Fresh Start) is in KU.  It's also free today and tomorrow if anyone outside KU wants to give it a try.





rachelmedhurst said:


> My book Pisces and all Avoidables is in KU.  x





JenEllision said:


> My prequel novelette Sisters of Wind and Flame is on KU! ^_^


Got 'em all! Thanks guys


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

bethrevis said:


> How do you put print books on sale?


Maybe there's a way to do it I don't know about, but so far my print books only go on random sales whenever Amazon feels like it


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## Elisabeth C (Jul 12, 2014)

As a YA writer I definitely need to join this support thread   I'm happy I found it! It's great to have a place where YA writers can come together to share experiences.


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## KatrinaAbbott (Jan 28, 2014)

Anya Monroe said:


> I grabbed a copy Katrina! Thanks for the heads up!





Julz said:


> Got 'em all! Thanks guys


Awesome! Enjoy.


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

Elisabeth C said:


> As a YA writer I definitely need to join this support thread  I'm happy I found it! It's great to have a place where YA writers can come together to share experiences.


I like your covers Elisabeth!


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

Julz said:


> Hey! I've got a few days left of my KU and wondered if any of you guys are on KU? I borrowed KReadnour's books, Sacrifice, and Cady Vance's books. That's all I can remember for now, but if you want to send suggestions my way I'd love to support other YA Kboard writers


Rats, I missed this. I'm on KU!


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Elisabeth C said:


> As a YA writer I definitely need to join this support thread  I'm happy I found it! It's great to have a place where YA writers can come together to share experiences.


Glad you're here 


Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> Rats, I missed this. I'm on KU!


I've got quite the tbr pile, but I'll try to add you in before I'm done


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

JenEllision said:


> Bumping this thread-- mostly because I'm trying to find/follow more self-pubbed YA authors on Twitter, etc! Gearing up for release on my sequel to my debut novel from last year in the next couple of months and I love seeing what's working for other YA writers ^_^


Late to this, but I just followed you on Twitter. I find the hashtags #YA and #YAlit are helpful for finding other YA writers.

I love your covers!


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Anya Monroe said:


> You think so Beth? Man, I feel like every other ya I pick up lately is about suicide.


A lot of the YA fantasy I've been reading recently has been quite dark. Throne of Glass, Splintered, and especially Angelfall. Lots of violence, torture, and themes of mental illness.

I think YA fantasy in particular gets quite dark.


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

CN_Crawford said:


> Late to this, but I just followed you on Twitter. I find the hashtags #YA and #YAlit are helpful for finding other YA writers.
> 
> I love your covers!


Yay! Followed back! I follow a ton of people in the YA sphere-- bloggers and authors alike, but sometimes hashtags can get a little "noisy" on Twitter, especially when you're just trying to find people that have similar pub methods/write for similar audiences ^_^

And thank you! I have a cover designer for the novels in the series who is magic and for my prequel shorts in the series, I've had pretty good luck with premades or good stock images.


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

CN_Crawford said:


> A lot of the YA fantasy I've been reading recently has been quite dark. Throne of Glass, Splintered, and especially Angelfall. Lots of violence, torture, and themes of mental illness.
> 
> I think YA fantasy in particular gets quite dark.


THRONE OF GLASS. Oh man, one of my favorite series. I'm starting the first book in her new series this weekend and CANNOT WAIT.


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

JenEllision said:


> THRONE OF GLASS. Oh man, one of my favorite series. I'm starting the first book in her new series this weekend and CANNOT WAIT.


Yes I'm super excited for that, too. From what I hear, it's a little more NA. Very interested to see how it turns out.

Have you read Angelfall? It's a very different book, but it's got the same sort of stoic-but-secretly-passionate love interest.


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

CN_Crawford said:


> Yes I'm super excited for that, too. From what I hear, it's a little more NA. Very interested to see how it turns out.
> 
> Have you read Angelfall? It's a very different book, but it's got the same sort of stoic-but-secretly-passionate love interest.


No, but I HAVE it because so many of my friends have recced it to me. So many books, so little time, y'know?


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## Guest (May 8, 2015)

Quote:
*"How do you put print books on sale?"
*

You list your book as a "used" copy, setting you sell price.
Describe your book condition as "new" direct from publisher (or author)

When your sale is over, set available # of copies to 0


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## Elisabeth C (Jul 12, 2014)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> I like your covers Elisabeth!


Thanks so much! I love yours too!



Julz said:


> Glad you're here


Thanks! Glad to be here


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

bethrevis said:


> How do you put print books on sale?


Sorry. I meant I get the random print purchase. 
I don't put the books on sale.


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## ZenQueen (May 5, 2015)

Hey everyone! I just wanted to say hi! I'm so glad I found kboards - I'm from Australia and I live in a coastal town where a lot of the writing groups are full of people over 60, so it's hard to find anyone who writes the same stuff as me... I just released my second book - it's YA, but my first one was chick-lit, so I guess I'm suffering from an identity crisis at the moment! Anyway, I would love to get involved in any promotional type stuff happening. I can dedicate a bit of time to organising things... I also have a graphic design and web design background, so I can set up banners, websites etc...


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

Welcome Kirsty. I love your Dismissed cover. I so want those glasses.


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

ZenQueen said:


> Hey everyone! I just wanted to say hi! I'm so glad I found kboards - I'm from Australia and I live in a coastal town where a lot of the writing groups are full of people over 60, so it's hard to find anyone who writes the same stuff as me...


Welcome to this thread. You might also find the Australian Writer's support thread useful too.
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,158050.0.html


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## ZenQueen (May 5, 2015)

Thank you Kimberly! Yes, I like those glasses too  And thank you Sabine - I will definitely check out the Aussie thread!


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

How did I not notice this thread until now? Hi everyone! *waves*


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## KatrinaAbbott (Jan 28, 2014)

Sara C said:


> How did I not notice this thread until now? Hi everyone! *waves*


Hi!


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## SA_Soule (Sep 8, 2011)

Hi! I have 2 popular paranormal romance YA series and would love to get to know other YA authors. Anything I can do to help you market your work, please let me know.


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## Vera Nazarian (Jul 1, 2011)

Hi, folks,

Okay, I am trying a sale and price reduction experiment. (also posting this as separate Kboards thread)

My dystopian YA book QUALIFY (The Atlantis Grail Book 1) was released on December 20, 2014, and has been selling a sad trickle -- as in, about 1 or 2 books a week.



The book is the first of a series and is 600+ pages long but reads very quickly. I describe it as "a high-octane dystopian SF apocalyptic teen adventure in the vein of DIVERGENT and THE HUNGER GAMES."

It's meaty and long and took me a whole year to write, and so I figured charging *$4.99* for it is not a big stretch, until book two, COMPETE is out (in July 2015) when I either go perma-free or 99 cents on QUALIFY.

Well, I decided to do a 99 cent sale for May. A few days ago, I changed the price from $4.99 to $0.99 on all the venues and made a few announcements on Twitter and Facebook. The sales did pick up, so now I am selling about 2 copies a day. (But the drop in revenue on it is sad -- I now need to sell 6 books to make as much as I did off 1 unit sold).

Anyway-- my main sales-elevation-kicking it up a notch-whatever plan is that I booked a number of smaller advertising places (not Bookbub) like Bknights, BookSends, eBook Soda, KB&T, etc, and their ads run starting May 23 through 29th.

So I want to see if I can kick QUALIFY into a higher selling level before deciding if 99 cents price point for it as *book one series funnel* is enough, or if I should go ahead and do the perma-free as I had with my other series (Cobweb Bride).

Anyway, I will be posting here to see if there's any real progress and to let you know if 99 cents becomes a decent sticky point price...

This is the current (and much improved, I must say) Amazon Rank in the Kindle Store:

*Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #70,562 Paid in Kindle Store*

Before the price drop the rank was around 300,000 - 400,000.

More on this soon.

First ad goes live on May 23....


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Vera Nazarian said:


> Hi, folks,
> 
> Okay, I am trying a sale and price reduction experiment. (also posting this as separate Kboards thread)
> 
> ...


Be interesting to see what happens.

I've always priced _Mystery at Ocean Drive_ (teen action adventure) at 99c as I felt that teens don't generally spend their money on books (or do they?). I've also wondered whether it would be worth spending money on a full cover so that I can do a print version. If it's true that teens prefer print books then it might be worth it.


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

Sara C said:


> How did I not notice this thread until now? Hi everyone! *waves*


Hi! (Waving back!)


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## Vera Nazarian (Jul 1, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Be interesting to see what happens.
> 
> I've always priced _Mystery at Ocean Drive_ (teen action adventure) at 99c as I felt that teens don't generally spend their money on books (or do they?). I've also wondered whether it would be worth spending money on a full cover so that I can do a print version. If it's true that teens prefer print books then it might be worth it.


How is your 99c book selling overall?

I think it's a good idea to have a print book for YA, definitely do it.

I have mine in trade paperback and hardcover (both through Lightning Source), but they aren't really selling at all (1 or 2 print copies a month) -- basically the book is invisible right now, but then, I'm very low-fund and have to do my marketing wisely, so I didn't expect to do any sales or marketing push on the series until I have book two out.


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

Hey Vera, just my two cents, but 600 pages might be scaring off some YA readers - that' a bit long for typical YA, though not all of course. Regardless, I found that for me, sales dropped off at 4.99 but picked up again at 3.99. I know a couple of exceptions in YA fantasy where they've done OK with 4.99, but most seem to be 2.99 or 3.99.

For a book that length, you should at least try the 2.99 or 3.99 price point with some promo and see if you settle in there before heading to .99 permanently.

By the cover in thumbnail, I can't see the planets so it looks like a gold cup with magic blue dust coming out of it -it looks like fantasy. You might want to somehow ramp up the sci fi content in the cover. 

Also, I don't see you listed in any categories at the moment. There should be at least one subcategory of sci fi that you would be placing in at your current ranking. Check your keywords to see if you can hit some of those smaller subcategories where you can get some visibility. I find ranking in categories and subcategories is vital.

Hope something here helps or is of interest!!


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Vera Nazarian said:


> How is your 99c book selling overall?
> 
> I think it's a good idea to have a print book for YA, definitely do it.
> 
> I have mine in trade paperback and hardcover (both through Lightning Source), but they aren't really selling at all (1 or 2 print copies a month) -- basically the book is invisible right now, but then, I'm very low-fund and have to do my marketing wisely, so I didn't expect to do any sales or marketing push on the series until I have book two out.


Thanks. It sells in fits and starts. I've only had two sales and a borrow this month, but I've never done any advertising. Perhaps we need a combined advertising strategy . It's a kind of Hardy Boys-type story, so there are possibilities for more adventures using the same characters, but I'm wondering if it's worth pursuing.


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## rachelmedhurst (Jun 25, 2014)

Last week I did a Select free run on Pisces. I put it on quite a few promo sites. I listed it on the Young Adult genre whenever I could. I managed to give away over 5,000 copies and got to #73 in the free kindle store. Yay!! 

I've not had any sales of the paperback version yet. Aries, the next in the series, is out on this Friday. I've had three pre-orders since the promo.

I now have Pisces at .99c. It's getting more borrows than sales, which is great for me, but I want to go wide with it next month. I think I will keep it at 0.99c for now and see how it all goes. I'm planning on pricing the other books at 3.99.


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## Vera Nazarian (Jul 1, 2011)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> Hey Vera, just my two cents, but 600 pages might be scaring off some YA readers - that' a bit long for typical YA, though not all of course. Regardless, I found that for me, sales dropped off at 4.99 but picked up again at 3.99. I know a couple of exceptions in YA fantasy where they've done OK with 4.99, but most seem to be 2.99 or 3.99.
> 
> For a book that length, you should at least try the 2.99 or 3.99 price point with some promo and see if you settle in there before heading to .99 permanently.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Heather, these are great suggestions. I will be trying $3.99 possible, right after this May sale thing ends. Maybe even the $2.99, I am not giving up!

The cover looks a little faded in thumbnail, but I am pretty happy with it overall and my designer James @ GoOnWrite.com did a fabulous job.

Now, I think you're not seeing any categories now because the sales are so low, but believe me I am keyword-stuffed and categoried (grin) up the wazoo -- but they will only show when people actually buy something... Haven't had any new sales today so it dropped out of the top 100 in Dystopian cat.

My current categories are (as you see on bottom of Amazon record):

Look for Similar Items by Category

Books > Children's Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction
Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Colonization
Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Exploration
Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Galactic Empire
Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Post-Apocalyptic
Books > Teen & Young Adult > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Dystopian
Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Science Fiction, Fantasy & Scary Stories > Science Fiction > Dystopian
Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Colonization
Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Dystopian
Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Galactic Empire
Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Post-Apocalyptic
Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Space Exploration
Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Teen & Young Adult > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Dystopian

As you can see, I'm just fine in that regard. Now just need to move some books to hit these cats!


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## Vera Nazarian (Jul 1, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Thanks. It sells in fits and starts. I've only had two sales and a borrow this month, but I've never done any advertising. Perhaps we need a combined advertising strategy . It's a kind of Hardy Boys-type story, so there are possibilities for more adventures using the same characters, but I'm wondering if it's worth pursuing.


The sad truth is, it's almost impossible to get any exposure without advertizing. And for those of us with limited resources, it's pretty much being screwed or busting our butts doing the manual posting on free Facebook groups etc, all soul killing stuff.

I've been following all the Wayne Stinnett awesome promo threads here, and learning a whole lot about strategies. Thing is you do need lots of funds to successfully implement many of them... But at least there are some other good and cheap promo places out there in addition to BookBub!

Check this out:

http://www.readersintheknow.com/list-of-book-promotion-sites

Great list of all the best current promo ad venues!


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Vera Nazarian said:


> The sad truth is, it's almost impossible to get any exposure without advertizing. And for those of us with limited resources, it's pretty much being screwed or busting our butts doing the manual posting on free Facebook groups etc, all soul killing stuff.
> 
> I've been following all the Wayne Stinnett awesome promo threads here, and learning a whole lot about strategies. Thing is you do need lots of funds to successfully implement many of them... But at least there are some other good and cheap promo places out there in addition to BookBub!
> 
> ...


Thanks. I started this thread about Readers in the Know promo sites. http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,207474.0.html


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

The problem with having a book at 99c is that you can't do a countdown and you can't do a 'special' reduced price promo.


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## -alex- (Jul 12, 2011)

Vera, may be nosy and ask the word count of your 600 page YA novel?


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## Vera Nazarian (Jul 1, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Thanks. I started this thread about Readers in the Know promo sites. http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,207474.0.html


Thanks, Jan, bookmarking it!


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## Vera Nazarian (Jul 1, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> The problem with having a book at 99c is that you can't do a countdown and you can't do a 'special' reduced price promo.


Well, since I am not in Select I can't do a Countdown anyway.... But I get your point about other promo.


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## Vera Nazarian (Jul 1, 2011)

-alex- said:


> Vera, may be nosy and ask the word count of your 600 page YA novel?


LOL, sure... It's a mind-boggling 213,000 words. No, I *did not* plan it that way. 

But turns out, I am pretty much incapable of writing a book under 100,000 words, and this one was a real doozy....


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

Vera Nazarian said:


> LOL, sure... It's a mind-boggling 213,000 words. No, I *did not* plan it that way.


Is it possible to turn it into a trilogy? Readers might find that less daunting.


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

Sara C said:


> How did I not notice this thread until now? Hi everyone! *waves*


Hi and welcome to the thread. It's not surprising you haven't noticed it before. There's so much info on Kboards it's impossible to see all of it.


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

Good luck with your promos, Vera, and... wow, that's a lot of categories!


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## harker.roland (Sep 13, 2014)

Vera Nazarian said:


> The book is the first of a series and is 600+ pages long but reads very quickly.


Isn't this an oxymoron?


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## Vera Nazarian (Jul 1, 2011)

Avril Sabine said:


> Is it possible to turn it into a trilogy? Readers might find that less daunting.


Not at all, unfortunately, it is a complex story. And it is also already book one of a 4-book series. And believe it or not, most readers do not have a problem with the length at all. They breeze through it in a day or two! And the kids on Wattpad are eating it up overnight! Seriously amazes me.

Basically I just need to give it more visibility.


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## Vera Nazarian (Jul 1, 2011)

Raquel Lyon said:


> Good luck with your promos, Vera, and... wow, that's a lot of categories!


Thanks!  And I dutifully followed Evenstar's category keyword stuffing method, it really works!


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## Vera Nazarian (Jul 1, 2011)

harker.roland said:


> Isn't this an oxymoron?


I'm thinking it's more like Doctor Who's Tardis -- bigger on the inside!


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

Vera Nazarian said:


> Books > Children's Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction
> Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Colonization
> Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Exploration
> Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Galactic Empire
> ...


I am not up on all the sci fi categories, but are there any smaller, quirkier subgenres that you can rank in at #70,000? I know that at that ranking, there are fantasy subcategories that you can still show up in the top 100. Dystopian is too huge and you would need to be ranked quite high to show up in the top 100.


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## Vera Nazarian (Jul 1, 2011)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> I am not up on all the sci fi categories, but are there any smaller, quirkier subgenres that you can rank in at #70,000? I know that at that ranking, there are fantasy subcategories that you can still show up in the top 100. Dystopian is too huge and you would need to be ranked quite high to show up in the top 100.


Oh, I've actually ranked in Dystopian easily after about 5 sales a day. But my problem again has been that I am simply not even selling that much a day to rank.

I expect this to change once book two is out and I can do some daisy-chain funnel promo, but for now, blah....

Just makes me kind of sad I spent all year writing this huge awesome book and I can do nothing much about selling it or giving it visibility without the rest of the series being out there.


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## -alex- (Jul 12, 2011)

Vera Nazarian said:


> LOL, sure... It's a mind-boggling 213,000 words. No, I *did not* plan it that way.
> 
> But turns out, I am pretty much incapable of writing a book under 100,000 words, and this one was a real doozy....


Thanks for the reply, Vera.

I asked becuase I'm 60k into my the first book in my PNR YA trilogy, and I am starting to panic because my outline dictates I'm just around the 1/3 mark, maybe a bit more, which would mean the final word count would come out at about 170-180k after edits. I'd planned for about 95-105k. I had considered splitting the first book and making a series, but the way I planned out the entire trilogy, I can't seem to find a natural split (beginning, middle, end, and arc conclusion) beyond how I have it now, as this was the original design and structure of the plot. If that makes sense.

Anyway, enough about me. 

Vera, I notice you have some lovely reviews on amazon! That's awesome!

A suggestion: While I think your cover is a nice cover in itself, have you tried switching it up? The reason I suggest this is because a lot of pople have seen sales increase with fresh covers. As its YA have you thought about people/stock model covers? Teens seems to be attracted to those. I read YA mostly, and its mostly what you see. Even in YA sci-fi.

Other than that, yeah, you may just need the visibility. I dont know what your budget is, or what you have tried (sorry If you have said, and I've missed it), but, have you tried blog tours? Xpresso would be the one I'd recc. Maybe a tour, and a blitz. I think its a blitz. The one where just your book cover and blurb goes up on so many blogs for a day to get eyes on it. Or perhaps a co-op at Net Gallery with patchwork Press? Some people have had sucsess there. Then there is Bookbub.

Hope that helps.


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## TestingEnabled (May 14, 2015)

If I write anything under 150k, the YA crowd of mine thinks the book is too short.  You spoil them, but if you're comfortable writing 200k+ tomes and the readers enjoy them, there's no reason to shorten them...except for the paperbacks, as those get expensive. That's the only thing you have to be mindful of. My suggestion is go with the larger size book, like 6 by 9 or bigger, but make sure your word font size is still comfortable, 10 pt. font perhaps.

Just go with it. YA folks won't complain if they get more words, just expect that if you write a series, they'll want similar sized books each time. You set the expectations early on, they'll roll with it.


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

Vera Nazarian said:


> Oh, I've actually ranked in Dystopian easily after about 5 sales a day. But my problem again has been that I am simply not even selling that much a day to rank.
> 
> I expect this to change once book two is out and I can do some daisy-chain funnel promo, but for now, blah....
> 
> Just makes me kind of sad I spent all year writing this huge awesome book and I can do nothing much about selling it or giving it visibility without the rest of the series being out there.


That does surprise me since I would have thought dystopian was a clogged category - that's great if you can get on there with that many sales. I may just have to look at it next 

Second books do help goose the sales of the first one, it's true....


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## Vera Nazarian (Jul 1, 2011)

-alex- said:


> Thanks for the reply, Vera.
> 
> I asked becuase I'm 60k into my the first book in my PNR YA trilogy, and I am starting to panic because my outline dictates I'm just around the 1/3 mark, maybe a bit more, which would mean the final word count would come out at about 170-180k after edits. I'd planned for about 95-105k. I had considered splitting the first book and making a series, but the way I planned out the entire trilogy, I can't seem to find a natural split (beginning, middle, end, and arc conclusion) beyond how I have it now, as this was the original design and structure of the plot. If that makes sense.
> 
> Anyway, enough about me.


Alex, believe me I had the same sense of dread as I was writing this book last year when it kept growing larger and larger (and at 100K the storyline was not even close to being done)....

But I think it's actually okay, in both our cases. Just write the story as it begs to be written, and don't worry about it. That's the power of being Indie, we can break the so-called "rules" if necessary -- and looks like in this case it is. Also, after talking to kids on Wattpad, they all demand really long, meaty books, so when I asked them if 600 pages was too much, they all said "not even close."

So I think you need to let your story flow, and just go with it.



> Vera, I notice you have some lovely reviews on amazon! That's awesome!
> 
> A suggestion: While I think your cover is a nice cover in itself, have you tried switching it up? The reason I suggest this is because a lot of pople have seen sales increase with fresh covers. As its YA have you thought about people/stock model covers? Teens seems to be attracted to those. I read YA mostly, and its mostly what you see. Even in YA sci-fi.


Thanks, and you and a couple of other folks who mentioned the cover do have a point, I am going to wait a bit more and see how it goes. I think the image of the grail could have been a bit more prominent, but I don't have the funds to revise it right now and in a larger size it looks just fine.

I am aiming for the "inanimate object" look, as in *The Hunger Games* and *Divergent* and *Legend*, and a whole bunch of other similar titles that are out there now, not a person on cover look which is also fine but I think does not fit as well in my story. However I do think it could have been a better cup image. My book two cover is much better, at least.



> Other than that, yeah, you may just need the visibility. I dont know what your budget is, or what you have tried (sorry If you have said, and I've missed it), but, have you tried blog tours? Xpresso would be the one I'd recc. Maybe a tour, and a blitz. I think its a blitz. The one where just your book cover and blurb goes up on so many blogs for a day to get eyes on it. Or perhaps a co-op at Net Gallery with patchwork Press? Some people have had sucsess there. Then there is Bookbub.
> 
> Hope that helps.


Thanks again, I have tired Expresso for a cover reveal and a NetGalley, and they are nice but... With the kind of luck I have in general, it's been again very low key results, and my money is very very tight. Hoping for Bookbub at some point, but only after book two is out there, otherwise nothing to promote for a series sell through...


----------



## Vera Nazarian (Jul 1, 2011)

TestingEnabled said:


> If I write anything under 150k, the YA crowd of mine thinks the book is too short.  You spoil them, but if you're comfortable writing 200k+ tomes and the readers enjoy them, there's no reason to shorten them...except for the paperbacks, as those get expensive. That's the only thing you have to be mindful of. My suggestion is go with the larger size book, like 6 by 9 or bigger, but make sure your word font size is still comfortable, 10 pt. font perhaps.
> 
> Just go with it. YA folks won't complain if they get more words, just expect that if you write a series, they'll want similar sized books each time. You set the expectations early on, they'll roll with it.


Agreed!  Just giving them long books is the plan....


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## Vera Nazarian (Jul 1, 2011)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> That does surprise me since I would have thought dystopian was a clogged category - that's great if you can get on there with that many sales. I may just have to look at it next
> 
> Second books do help goose the sales of the first one, it's true....


That's what I thought too the first time my book ranked in the Top 100 Dystopian. I was kind of amazed, that it took just a few sales to get there.

As far as I remember, at least 5 a day... I had that many in the first couple of weeks of release.

When my first of the promo ads hits on May 23, will see if I can hit it again.

Right now, after that initial mini-bump post-price reduction, the book is back down to flatlining no-sales status, even with the 99 cent price tag.

Amazon Rank as of now:

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: *#127,867 Paid* in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)


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## Mac (Aug 2, 2009)

This is a great thread. I just found it. I want to say hello and I hope all is well with you. Just wanted to introduce myself as I am hopeful to be on Kboards a bit more as my books become available. Thanks.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Do any of you YA authors use Google+ as a social media platform?

I have been adding myself to circles, not really sure of what I was doing or what it meant, and then today, a very nice blogger suggested this to me:



> Once you're on the google + page, search for books in the search bar, then you'll see something like this "Everything People and pages Communities Google+ posts Photos" across the top. Click on communities and all the communities and groups about books, authors, etc will show up.
> 
> Here're some titles of the groups so you can copy and paste into the google + search bar.
> 
> ...


I posted a giveaway there to test the waters.


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

Emily Wibberley said:


> I posted a giveaway there to test the waters.


Good luck. Let us know how it goes.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

So far ... crickets. Haha.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Emily Wibberley said:


> Do any of you YA authors use Google+ as a social media platform?
> 
> I have been adding myself to circles, not really sure of what I was doing or what it meant, and then today, a very nice blogger suggested this to me:
> 
> I posted a giveaway there to test the waters.


I'm on google plus and have been for years, but have yet to check it out. Story of my life  Hope your giveaway goes well! And love the new profile pic!


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

I'm on Google Plus but I don't really do much! I know some people have said it's a good idea and it can increase your visibility on Google, but I got a bit bored. 

I find Facebook and Twitter enough to contend with. When I start trying to branch out it usually results in me giving up after a few weeks! 

I'm a bad marketer sometimes.


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> I find Facebook and Twitter enough to contend with. When I start trying to branch out it usually results in me giving up after a few weeks!
> 
> I'm a bad marketer sometimes.


It doesn't make you a bad marketer to know your own limitations. It's better to use a few social media sites well than to be on all of them and never have enough time to make good use of any of them.


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

I'm on Google+ as well, but I'm another that doesn't pay attention to it. I don't even pay attention to facebook and Twitter. Wordpress is about all I can handle .


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## Scott Pixello (May 4, 2013)

I'm not on Google+, just good old FB.

I'm a marketeer for FIFA- all bribes welcome.


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## Jena H (Oct 2, 2011)

Scott Pixello said:


> I'm not on Google+, just good old FB.
> 
> I'm a marketeer for FIFA- all bribes welcome.


Work it while you can, dude.  My son's looking forward to the Women's WC next month. The schedule is printed and the TV reserved.

Back on topic..... I have no idea what to do with G+ either. FB is all I can handle at the moment.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Avril Sabine said:


> It doesn't make you a bad marketer to know your own limitations. It's better to use a few social media sites well than to be on all of them and never have enough time to make good use of any of them.


 Good point!


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## Mac (Aug 2, 2009)

Has anyone had any luck working with schools in anyway? What about libraries? I would think these would be two great avenues for YA books. If anyone has any ideas please share. Thanks.


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## pdworkman (Jan 17, 2015)

The teens that I have talked to are not using Google, Facebook, or Twitter. They are using Instagram. I have no idea what to do on Instagram! I hate having to send pictures to my phone to post them, and I'm sure I'm not very effective.


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## Jena H (Oct 2, 2011)

Mac said:


> Has anyone had any luck working with schools in anyway? What about libraries? I would think these would be two great avenues for YA books. If anyone has any ideas please share. Thanks.


A few years ago I contacted the librarians of a number of local middle schools (my books are upper MG/lower YA), and offered to give them a free print copy, with an eye toward getting on the school library shelves. A few folks gladly took me up on it, and I also created fun handouts related to the book (basically 'busy work') that teachers and/or librarians--oops, make that media specialists--could give to the kids. A few schools took me up on that. One school even hosted a couple of "local authors" at their annual book fair, which was fun to do, if not lucrative. But when I followed up with some of the school folks a few weeks later, hoping they'd read my book, loved it, and wanted to order a dozen, I got... pretty much crickets. These schools are all in the same school system, and one of the librarians told me that they're not allowed to stock paperbacks in the school library. So I was bummed, confused (why did they even bother accepting the book?), and generally a bit frustrated.

I may try again at some point... at least I'll have a little better idea how to approach the subject and what to do, say, ask, expect, etc. It's all a learning process.


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

It's unlikely a school or library will make lots of purchases of books, and, as Jena points out, unlikely they'll purchase *any* paperbacks. Instead, it may be a better idea to send kids home with order forms so the students can purchase and get signed books at the event.


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## Scott Pixello (May 4, 2013)

It seems to me that teens are not that interested in Twitter, except for celebrity gossip (fine if you're a famous author or Katy Perry) nor in Google+. Most have some FB contact but parents are wary of this. Instagram and Pinterest and WattsApp seem to be favourite. The emphasis seems to be on very short-form text and pictures.


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## Mac (Aug 2, 2009)

bethrevis...that's a great idea. I'm going to have to think about that one. I work in the schools and we always get book order forms. I wonder about putting together a YA/MG Indie book order form? Get a bunch of people together and try and see if we can sell books to students. Any thoughts on this one? Might be too big a project but it is a way into the schools.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Mac said:


> This is a great thread. I just found it. I want to say hello and I hope all is well with you. Just wanted to introduce myself as I am hopeful to be on Kboards a bit more as my books become available. Thanks.


Hi Mac, I clicked your cover as it was intreaging (never would have guessed it was young adult though if you hadnt posted in this thread), anyway, I love the sound of Hardy Boys meets Indiana Jones, so I picked up your treasure hunters book in KU. Looking forward to reading it


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## Tim_A (May 25, 2013)

I found this thread right back in the beginning, then I lost it. Now I've found it again. So hello. Again.  

My YA is a mixture of Post Apocalyptic and Dystopian (actually Post-Post Apocalyptic, since the stories take place a hundred years after the world "ended", and no one really knows why, much less what came before.) I got chronically bored with the big boom - lets trek across the continent and fight bad guys in souped up hot rods stories. So I wound the clock way forward to get a new stable society that has to make do without oil, electricity, computers etc. 

My characters don't have much truck with teen angst (they'd probably clip you round the ear and tell you to get a grip) - they're too busy staying alive. I do have large body counts and troopers that, well, swear like troopers. Oh and occasional nudity and body hair (did you ever try to shave with a flint blade?) but no graphic sex.

Anyhow I just came off a countdown deal for book 2 on the 1st of January. The countdown itself did reasonably well, but immediately after, sales stopped dead, and i didn't sell a single book from that day to the end of March. I ran a free giveaway that final weekend and through to 1st April. I hadn't done a freebie before, and even though I got rejected by ENT etc., I managed to give away 1700 books, and got a  couple of dozen sales & borrows of my others (all my books are in KU, except for one, which is exclusive to my mailing list). Sales continued at around 4 or 5 a day through the first week of May, at which point they flatlined again. I'm currently selling roughly 1 book a week, with 3 or 4 KU borrows. 

I had a countdown for book 2 at the start of May (again rejected by ENT etc), but you wouldn't know it from the sales figures. BKnights even offered me a refund!

Book 3 is about 30% done. It's been about 30% done for the last 6 months, although it's fair to say it's a different 30% now compared to what it was. I've given up on the whole writing thing at least 3 times (especially when I was flatlined), but eventually i realise the princess won't get rescued if I'm moping around. Yes I have a princess, and yes she does need rescuing from the evil spoiler. But when she's not banged up in some prison cell, she's the gun-toting kind, not the flowers & fairies kind. 

Anyhow, that's me and my state of the onion . . .


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Tim_A said:


> Anyhow, that's me and my state of the onion . . .


Being English, it took me a good thirty seconds of staring at this phrase to wonder why it sounded familiar! lol


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## Tim_A (May 25, 2013)

Evenstar said:


> Being English, it took me a good thirty seconds of staring at this phrase to wonder why it sounded familiar! lol


I believe it to be the American equivalent of the Queen's Speech, or at least a close approximation.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Tim_A said:


> I believe it to be the American equivalent of the Queen's Speech, or at least a close approximation.


I don't think I'd ever have even heard of it if I wasn't such a massive West Wing fan. But I remember Sam and Toby having a lot of trouble with it.


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## Selina Fenech (Jul 20, 2011)

pdworkman said:


> The teens that I have talked to are not using Google, Facebook, or Twitter. They are using Instagram. I have no idea what to do on Instagram! I hate having to send pictures to my phone to post them, and I'm sure I'm not very effective.


I just got started on instagram last week, so I'll see how it goes. One thing that bugs me is how you can only post images through your phone app, which makes posting graphic designs from the computer kind of annoying. There seem to be some third party services that let you do it. I haven't investigated properly yet- anyone got any tips for that? But still, what a pain you can't just upload straight to instagram.


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## Elidibus (May 13, 2015)

Hey cool! Now that I published my first book, I can actually post here and not feel out of place. Yay!

Hm....

Yea, ok. So my book is so new that most of my sales are only from friends and family. I find it a little disturbing that I've only sold books to people over 35, and in two of the cases, the people are over 50. They say they enjoy YA, such as The Hunger Games and Divergent, which my book is right up those alleys. However, based on experience I've had with another person that may be an older person, I'm afraid they won't "get" my protag. Of course, I could just talk to them and ask them, but I don't want to pressure them into reading my book so fast. I want them to take their time.

On a side note, it's awesome seeing something I published made a few bucks. Even though in my freelance career, I could make that much money in a little ten minute article, its way more fulfilling seeing the screen on Amazon.  I can't wait to stop writing other people's stuff and write my own


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

Elidibus said:


> So my book is so new that most of my sales are only from friends and family.


It's great that they're being so supportive. Congrats on your first book.


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## S. Elliot Brandis (Dec 9, 2013)

Hi everyone. I just released my first YA book... It's a YA SciFi novel titled The Pearl Diver. My previous trilogy was a very adult post-apocalyptic tale, so this is my first foray into the YA sphere. 

Anyway, thought I would say hello to all you lovely people. 

Hello!


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

S. Elliot Brandis said:


> Hi everyone. I just released my first YA book... It's a YA SciFi novel titled The Pearl Diver. My previous trilogy was a very adult post-apocalyptic tale, so this is my first foray into the YA sphere.
> 
> Anyway, thought I would say hello to all you lovely people.
> 
> Hello!


Congrats on your first YA book. And hello. : )


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## jennyperinovic (Oct 24, 2014)

S. Elliot Brandis said:


> Hi everyone. I just released my first YA book... It's a YA SciFi novel titled The Pearl Diver. My previous trilogy was a very adult post-apocalyptic tale, so this is my first foray into the YA sphere.
> 
> Anyway, thought I would say hello to all you lovely people.
> 
> Hello!


Congrats! Good luck <3


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

S. Elliot Brandis said:


> Hi everyone. I just released my first YA book... It's a YA SciFi novel titled The Pearl Diver. My previous trilogy was a very adult post-apocalyptic tale, so this is my first foray into the YA sphere.
> 
> Anyway, thought I would say hello to all you lovely people.
> 
> Hello!


Man, all your covers are so badass! 
Welcome to the YA world, I have found it incredibly supportive!


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

Selina Fenech said:


> I just got started on instagram last week, so I'll see how it goes. One thing that bugs me is how you can only post images through your phone app, which makes posting graphic designs from the computer kind of annoying. There seem to be some third party services that let you do it. I haven't investigated properly yet- anyone got any tips for that? But still, what a pain you can't just upload straight to instagram.


What is your handle on IG? I am @anyamonroe. I mostly post what I'm reading, book stacks, and bookish-quotes. I just make graphics if I need to use one with an app. I like rhodda designs.


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## Selina Fenech (Jul 20, 2011)

Anya Monroe said:


> What is your handle on IG? I am @anyamonroe. I mostly post what I'm reading, book stacks, and bookish-quotes. I just make graphics if I need to use one with an app. I like rhodda designs.


I'm @selinafenech on instagram, but have mostly been sharing my arty side of things there so far. I need to post more book stuff! PS. followed you!


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

Selina Fenech said:


> I'm @selinafenech on instagram, but have mostly been sharing my arty side of things there so far. I need to post more book stuff! PS. followed you!


Followed you back


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Who's on wattpad? I just put my first book in my series up and am crossing my fingers for the best  If you have any great advice, that would be wonderful. And if you want to follow me, I just happen to have my link, right here  http://www.wattpad.com/user/JuliaKeanini


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## pdworkman (Jan 17, 2015)

I need tips on Instagram as well! I hate only being able to post from my phone. 

I am on Wattpad too. One of my books was just added to a featured list for the Secret Lives of Americans Pivot. Very cool.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

pdworkman said:


> I need tips on Instagram as well! I hate only being able to post from my phone.
> 
> I am on Wattpad too. One of my books was just added to a featured list for the Secret Lives of Americans Pivot. Very cool.


Awesome! Thanks for the follow...I followed back  How did you get your book featured?


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## MKP (Jan 5, 2012)

I just came across this thread! My goals for this year (or at least this summer) are to get my first novel completed and self-published!  Hopefully, if I accomplish all of that by my deadline, I will start working on another book! Right now, I think it's crazy that anyone could even consider writing more than two books in a year, but I suppose that's because I'm just starting out! Having two jobs and going to school do take up much of my time! I have a feeling that getting used to the whole writing 1000 words a day thing will become a habit I won't (hopefully) break when I finish this novel!


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Mikaela said:


> I just came across this thread! My goals for this year (or at least this summer) are to get my first novel completed and self-published!  Hopefully, if I accomplish all of that by my deadline, I will start working on another book! Right now, I think it's crazy that anyone could even consider writing more than two books in a year, but I suppose that's because I'm just starting out! Having two jobs and going to school do take up much of my time! I have a feeling that getting used to the whole writing 1000 words a day thing will become a habit I won't (hopefully) break when I finish this novel!


Good luck Mikaela!!


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Followed you guys on Wattpad, although I admit I'm no good at Wattpad. I've tried. I'd love to figure it out. :/


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

Mikaela said:


> Right now, I think it's crazy that anyone could even consider writing more than two books in a year, but I suppose that's because I'm just starting out!


We're all different. I'd probably go crazy if I only wrote two books a year. My head would probably explode from all the ideas crowding it. : ) Welcome to the thread.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Julz said:


> Who's on wattpad? I just put my first book in my series up and am crossing my fingers for the best  If you have any great advice, that would be wonderful. And if you want to follow me, I just happen to have my link, right here  http://www.wattpad.com/user/JuliaKeanini


I just followed you. 

I'm rubbish at Wattpad. I'm about to update the last chapters of my perma-free over there but it's only had a few readers following it. I know some people get thousands!

Apparently you have to spend lots of time reading and commenting on other people's work to get traction over there and I just haven't got the commitment that takes!


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## S. Elliot Brandis (Dec 9, 2013)

Anya Monroe said:


> Man, all your covers are so bad*ss!
> Welcome to the YA world, I have found it incredibly supportive!


Thanks, Anya. 

You're right... I've found the YA community to be great, so far. I've been pleasantly surprised at how warmly I've been welcomed by other authors.


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

sarahdalton said:


> Apparently you have to spend lots of time reading and commenting on other people's work to get traction over there and I just haven't got the commitment that takes!


I have over a million reads on Wattpad for The Medium and I've probably commented about 3 or 4 times on community boards there, so I don't necessarily agree with the above. I've only read a page or two of other people's work, but only because they approached me and asked if I would do it. The key to getting that many reads is to have your book featured. How do you get featured? Who knows? The Wattpad admin person who discovered mine was intrigued by the cover and blurb, read it and liked it enough to put it forward. I get new readers reading it every day because of this, 3 years later. I do know books need to be finished to be considered. It took me 3 years to get that many reads, and remember that 1 reader doesn't equate to 1 read. If someone reads the entire thing, that counts as several, depending on how many parts to the book. Here's my profile if you want to check it out:
http://www.wattpad.com/user/CjArcher

You'll notice my other books haven't had nearly as many reads as The Medium (which is also permafree, btw) because they haven't been featured.

I imagine it was easier to get noticed 3 years ago than it is today. There are a lot more professional authors on Wattpad now whereas a polished piece of work stood out from the less than polished work back then. If you have permafrees, it's just another avenue to advertise them IMO. You have nothing to lose.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

CJArcher said:


> I have over a million reads on Wattpad for The Medium and I've probably commented about 3 or 4 times on community boards there, so I don't necessarily agree with the above. I've only read a page or two of other people's work, but only because they approached me and asked if I would do it. The key to getting that many reads is to have your book featured. How do you get featured? Who knows? The Wattpad admin person who discovered mine was intrigued by the cover and blurb, read it and liked it enough to put it forward. I get new readers reading it every day because of this, 3 years later. I do know books need to be finished to be considered. It took me 3 years to get that many reads, and remember that 1 reader doesn't equate to 1 read. If someone reads the entire thing, that counts as several, depending on how many parts to the book. Here's my profile if you want to check it out:
> http://www.wattpad.com/user/CjArcher
> 
> You'll notice my other books haven't had nearly as many reads as The Medium (which is also permafree, btw) because they haven't been featured.
> ...


Well, over the last few months I've been gradually adding my permafree book chapter by chapter and now the whole thing is on there so we'll see how it goes. Getting featured would be awesome, but I'm not sure it'll happen! Still, at least it's there and people can find the rest of the series if they'd like to read it.

Congrats on your reads, a million is amazing!


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## Mxz (Jan 17, 2015)

One million reads, that's awesome!

I'm thinking about writing YA, so I have a question.  I've heard that sales drop during the summer overall.  Is that still true for YA?


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## KatrinaAbbott (Jan 28, 2014)

Re: Wattpad - I actually contacted them about being featured but they suggested I become more engaged with the community. I see value in being there but knew that was going to be a huge time-suck and I'd rather be writing.


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## pdworkman (Jan 17, 2015)

I'm not sure what it was that attracted Pivot TV to Ruby and made them pick it for their reading list for Secret Lives of Americans. Possibly because it was a featured book on Wattpad in February. That definitely increased its visibility, anyway. I got it featured in February because it won a book award and I e-mailed Wattpad to see if they would add it to their featured list. They responded yes within a few hours. I'm excited about it being featured by Pivot and hope that gives me another bump in reads.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

CJArcher said:


> I have over a million reads on Wattpad for The Medium and I've probably commented about 3 or 4 times on community boards there, so I don't necessarily agree with the above. I've only read a page or two of other people's work, but only because they approached me and asked if I would do it. The key to getting that many reads is to have your book featured. How do you get featured? Who knows? The Wattpad admin person who discovered mine was intrigued by the cover and blurb, read it and liked it enough to put it forward. I get new readers reading it every day because of this, 3 years later. I do know books need to be finished to be considered. It took me 3 years to get that many reads, and remember that 1 reader doesn't equate to 1 read. If someone reads the entire thing, that counts as several, depending on how many parts to the book. Here's my profile if you want to check it out:
> http://www.wattpad.com/user/CjArcher
> 
> You'll notice my other books haven't had nearly as many reads as The Medium (which is also permafree, btw) because they haven't been featured.
> ...


I think you've achieved the wattpad dream


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

pdworkman said:


> I'm not sure what it was that attracted Pivot TV to Ruby and made them pick it for their reading list for Secret Lives of Americans. Possibly because it was a featured book on Wattpad in February. That definitely increased its visibility, anyway. I got it featured in February because it won a book award and I e-mailed Wattpad to see if they would add it to their featured list. They responded yes within a few hours. I'm excited about it being featured by Pivot and hope that gives me another bump in reads.


I'm sure it will! That's awesome


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## ChessDesalls (May 15, 2015)

sarahdalton said:


> I'm rubbish at Wattpad. ...
> Apparently you have to spend lots of time reading and commenting on other people's work to get traction over there and I just haven't got the commitment that takes!


Ha, me too. I mostly use it to post flash fiction that I've submitted to my local writing group's newsletter. That doesn't get a lot of hits, even when links to the stories are tweeted and shared.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

ChessDesalls said:


> Ha, me too. I mostly use it to post flash fiction that I've submitted to my local writing group's newsletter. That doesn't get a lot of hits, even when links to the stories are tweeted and shared.


Do you think you've gained any new readers to your paid stuff because of your wattpad flash fiction?


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

Julz said:


> I think you've achieved the wattpad dream


Ha ha. If only that translated to a million readers buying the rest of the series.

Seriously though, I know some have gone on to buy the other 2 books - they tell me in the comments or write to me later. Some do ask for them to be posted on Wattpad too, but I politely tell them I can't afford to do that then link to where they can get them  I've never had any backlash.


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## ChessDesalls (May 15, 2015)

Julz said:


> Do you think you've gained any new readers to your paid stuff because of your wattpad flash fiction?


No, I think my Wattpad friends are mostly other authors, writing group members and readers who already bought my books. Many of the stories are complete, but I'm pretty sure they've never been featured. Only one story had high rankings for short period of time. I'm not very active other than posting the occasional story.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

ChessDesalls said:


> No, I think my Wattpad friends are mostly other authors, writing group members and readers who already bought my books. Many of the stories are complete, but I'm pretty sure they've never been featured. Only one story had high rankings for short period of time. I'm not very active other than posting the occasional story.


That makes sense. I just wondered if wattpad was worth more effort than I had put into it 



CJArcher said:


> Ha ha. If only that translated to a million readers buying the rest of the series.
> 
> Seriously though, I know some have gone on to buy the other 2 books - they tell me in the comments or write to me later. Some do ask for them to be posted on Wattpad too, but I politely tell them I can't afford to do that then link to where they can get them  I've never had any backlash.


Sounds like you've got some polite fans


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## SherryPeters (Jun 17, 2015)

Hi everyone! I'm just joining the KBoards now (well, yesterday) in search of support from fellow YA authors. So Yay! I found you. It's going to take me a while to go back through this thread, but I just wanted to say hi! I have a lot of writer friends, but remarkably few of them (none, actually) write YA, and it seems to be a bit of a different beast than writing non-YA. Anyway, I ramble.

Happy Writing!

Sherry Peters


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## YolyM (Jul 15, 2013)

Hey guys! Just peeking in to the thread  I wanted to say that I make most, if not all, of my sales from wattpad. I've had an account for several years and it was much easier to gain a following before (also there was some luck involved and the fact that I write Teen Romance, which is to go to genre of the site), and granted, my sales aren't crazy (2-3 copies a day) but the site has been so important and helpful when it comes to my writing. If you guys ever have any questions about Wattpad feel free to ask them! And here's my account:

http://www.wattpad.com/user/WeAreAHurricane


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## Elly Loughlin (Mar 3, 2015)

YolyM said:


> Hey guys! Just peeking in to the thread  I wanted to say that I make most, if not all, of my sales from wattpad. I've had an account for several years and it was much easier to gain a following before (also there was some luck involved and the fact that I write Teen Romance, which is to go to genre of the site), and granted, my sales aren't crazy (2-3 copies a day) but the site has been so important and helpful when it comes to my writing. If you guys ever have any questions about Wattpad feel free to ask them! And here's my account:
> 
> http://www.wattpad.com/user/WeAreAHurricane


I hope to publish a YA/NA story, by the end of the year. I have a Wattpad account but I haven't put much effort into it. I didn't realize anyone was making sales from Wattpad. Thanks for the info.


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

Mitns said:


> One million reads, that's awesome!
> 
> I'm thinking about writing YA, so I have a question. I've heard that sales drop during the summer overall. Is that still true for YA?


I sold very well last summer so I didn't experience the summer slump, buuuuut, the first book was new so who knows how it may have done if it had been released at a different time. I'm going to be watching how things go this summer with interest to see if YA readers are indeed more active in the summer - perhaps because they're not in school?


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## jennyperinovic (Oct 24, 2014)

Hi all--I have a question! I'm considering delisting my books with D2D and going into KDP Select. Those of you who are in Select, what are your feelings? Pros? Cons? Thanks!


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

jennyperinovic said:


> Hi all--I have a question! I'm considering delisting my books with D2D and going into KDP Select. Those of you who are in Select, what are your feelings? Pros? Cons? Thanks!


Hey Jenny, I have to say that Select and Kindle Unlimited have been very, very good to me. With the upcoming changes to KU, however, you might want to wait a month to see how things shake out. I'm actually considering going wide once my terms in Select are up if the change makes my earnings take a dive. I'll go direct to everyone though rather than using a middleman - so it's a big decision.....


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## Hans Cummings (May 16, 2011)

I took a break from my YA series (Zack Jackson) this year to crank out a fantasy trilogy. As soon as I get the third book's first draft finished, I'm going to start planning the fourth book of the Zack Jackson series in earnest. I already have some preliminary planning done, of course, but my ideas for it are still nebulous and unfocused. I plan to raise the stakes in book 4, but still try to keep to my philosophy of making the stories personal and not have a main Big Bad Guy for the entire series (drama doesn't have to come from a card-carrying villain). 

I've sort of thought of my YA series as the series I'm writing when I'm not focusing on fantasy, but this year, for some reason, sales of it have really taken off. I'm curious to see if that continues once I start releasing this fantasy trilogy I've been working on. I'll probably have books 1 & 2 available before I finish the first draft of ZJ4. 2016 will be an interesting year.


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## jennyperinovic (Oct 24, 2014)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> Hey Jenny, I have to say that Select and Kindle Unlimited have been very, very good to me. With the upcoming changes to KU, however, you might want to wait a month to see how things shake out. I'm actually considering going wide once my terms in Select are up if the change makes my earnings take a dive. I'll go direct to everyone though rather than using a middleman - so it's a big decision.....


It *is* a big decision. I'm interested to see how the changes play out as well, so I might wait until August. But on the other hand, I've sold one book through other channels in the last month, even though it's selling at a steady pace on Kindle, so I'm not sure if I actually have anything to lose.

I'm glad to hear that it's worked out so well for you, though! That's encouraging. Thanks


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

jennyperinovic said:


> Hi all--I have a question! I'm considering delisting my books with D2D and going into KDP Select. Those of you who are in Select, what are your feelings? Pros? Cons? Thanks!


If you have several books, you could leave some with D2D and put some in KDP Select. That way you can compare how you do without committing all of your work.


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> I sold very well last summer so I didn't experience the summer slump, buuuuut, the first book was new so who knows how it may have done if it had been released at a different time. I'm going to be watching how things go this summer with interest to see if YA readers are indeed more active in the summer - perhaps because they're not in school?


I'm yet to see a slump yet this summer, in fact I still seem to be steadily recovering from the KU-pocalypse. It's early though, and I've set up lots of promos for July and August just in case.


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## Yesenia Vargas (Jul 30, 2014)

Hi, I have published two books, have one almost ready to go, and need to tie up one more book, all part of a series. I'm going to relaunch it though with new covers and better blurbs as they seem more NA at the moment. 

I'd be very interested in collaborating with you guys! We need to stick together. I'm also a proofreader. 

I'm also going to dive into another series after relaunching my first one, although I'm kinda stumped on what to write next. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

A warm welcome to all the new posters in the YA thread!

This is a great place to get feedback on covers/blurbs so definitely use the resource. I got so much help on my first book here. Also, I am bookmarking your editing/proofreading services page, Yesenia. 

As for Jenny's questions about KDP Select, I swore I'd only do it for three months because I was new, then I ended up staying because it's hard to leave the borrows. And now that the KU payout system will favor longer works starting July 1st, I'm curious to see how that pans out.

That said, do teens borrow books on KU? I don't know. Is it the best place for YA? I don't know. But I'm new and I like the perks KU gives us.

I'm releasing Book 2 in my Last Oracle Series on 7/21, and I'm putting that in KDP Select as well. My cover reveal is on Monday. 

I can't believe I started posting here in December. It seems like ages ago! Everyone here has been so incredibly supportive and helpful.


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

jennyperinovic said:


> Hi all--I have a question! I'm considering delisting my books with D2D and going into KDP Select. Those of you who are in Select, what are your feelings? Pros? Cons? Thanks!


Hey Jenny, I have been in Select since I first published in Feb. Honestly 8/10ths of my revenue is coming from borrows. And like Emily said, with the changes coming into effect next month favoring longer works, it might be the perfect time to try it out.
I have never gone wide so I don't know the other side of the coin, but thus far I feel like being in Select has been very good for me because of the borrows. Well that and the utilization of free days which is the only way anything I have out is staying afloat.
Let us know what you decide!


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

Emily Wibberley said:


> That said, do teens borrow books on KU? I don't know. Is it the best place for YA? I don't know. But I'm new and I like the perks KU gives us.


This is something I've been wondering too. I'm writing a new series at the moment and keep changing my mind whether to go wide or not. Decisions, decisions.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

So I finally have a cover for the next book in my YA Fantasy series The Last Oracle. It feels like ages ago that I pressed publish on Book 1. Well, I guess it HAS been ages compared to many of the speedy writers on this board!


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

Emily Wibberley said:


> So I finally have a cover for the next book in my YA Fantasy series The Last Oracle. It feels like ages ago that I pressed publish on Book 1.


Congrats. The cover looks very intriguing.


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## Vivi_Anna (Feb 12, 2011)

Emily Wibberley said:


> So I finally have a cover for the next book in my YA Fantasy series The Last Oracle. It feels like ages ago that I pressed publish on Book 1. Well, I guess it HAS been ages compared to many of the speedy writers on this board!


Love your cover Emily. How has the first book done sales wise?

I've been having so much difficulty gaining any kind of traction with my YA books. I know the biggest mistake I've made is not getting more books out in one series. Series really are queen in the book world. I am in the process of redoing my covers for Static and Electric, and I'm going to put them up just as iTunes and B&N, as I can't seem to get any traction at Amazon. I'm going to put STatic out for free for awhile and see what happens.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Beautiful cover, Emily!! Totally goes with the feel of the first, but so incredible in its own right! Way to go!!

And as far as KU, I think I am one of the few that didn't get very many borrows. I only came out of KU this month, but I've already made more in sales from other vendors than I did in a usual month of borrows on KU. That being said, if you get tons of borrows, KU is definitely the way to go. I found that for my books, having the first one free and being wide has been the way to go, at least for three weeks  I feel like this world changes so fast we've got to keep running  in order to even attempt to keep up


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## Janeal Falor (Oct 25, 2014)

Emily Wibberley said:


> So I finally have a cover for the next book in my YA Fantasy series The Last Oracle. It feels like ages ago that I pressed publish on Book 1. Well, I guess it HAS been ages compared to many of the speedy writers on this board!


That's a gorgeous cover, Emily! I love your first one, but I think I like this one even more. Good luck with it!


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Avril Sabine said:


> Congrats. The cover looks very intriguing.


Thanks, Avril. 



Vivi_Anna said:


> Love your cover Emily. How has the first book done sales wise?
> 
> I've been having so much difficulty gaining any kind of traction with my YA books. I know the biggest mistake I've made is not getting more books out in one series. Series really are queen in the book world. I am in the process of redoing my covers for Static and Electric, and I'm going to put them up just as iTunes and B&N, as I can't seem to get any traction at Amazon. I'm going to put STatic out for free for awhile and see what happens.


Are all your books YA? You have a lot of books in your signature. I'm impressed. Do you write other genres?

In answer to you question, I have been hanging around 25-45K in the rankings for this month. Before June, I vacillated between 5K and 125K. The first three months don't really count though.

I think being in KDP Select has helped since I am a first-time author.

I also think Google Ads has helped. Facebook ads too, although they lose their effectiveness if you run them too long. Plus they're expensive. Google Ads are cheaper, but it takes a loooong time to find a sweet spot...and I'm not even sure I've found it. I think the 5 paperbacks I sell per month are because of Google Ads but there's no way to know for sure.

The YA Genre is tough.

I agree that series seems to be the key, so I am very curious (anxious) to see how releasing my second book will affect my sales overall.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Janeal Falor said:


> That's a gorgeous cover, Emily! I love your first one, but I think I like this one even more. Good luck with it!


Thanks, Janeal. That's high praise coming from someone whose covers I love.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Love the cover, Emily! It reminds me of the Forsworn in Skyrim.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

I kept one series in Select when KU came out, but it really only plodded along. For the most part, I had no borrows, and even after a couple of free promotions things didn't really pick up so I decided to call it quits. 

I've been slowly making a bit of progress on B&N and Kobo. I think being in multi-author box sets really helps on that front. The only thing is, there are so many box sets that they constantly need to be refreshed. Finding new ones is difficult as you tend to have to be invited or make your own. I really don't want to be another box set 'leader' (it was too much work last time I did it) and I never seem to get invited! 

I'm about to finish another series so I'm thinking of doing another permafree book. My sales are dire at the moment. Probably less than half what they used to be before KU. I can't blame it all on KU though. It's been hard to switch from dystopia to fantasy and horror. Most readers seem to wait until the series is finished or at least three books in. 

Edited to add that Kobo promotions are really cool. They have monthly 30% off promotions on indie books and it's great for box sets. When I've had slow months, the extra sales from those promotions have really helped me out. The only thing is, you have to go direct with Kobo. You can't go through Smashwords or D2D.


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> I kept one series in Select when KU came out, but it really only plodded along. For the most part, I had no borrows, and even after a couple of free promotions things didn't really pick up so I decided to call it quits.
> 
> I've been slowly making a bit of progress on B&N and Kobo. I think being in multi-author box sets really helps on that front. The only thing is, there are so many box sets that they constantly need to be refreshed. Finding new ones is difficult as you tend to have to be invited or make your own. I really don't want to be another box set 'leader' (it was too much work last time I did it) and I never seem to get invited!
> 
> ...


Do you just have to be chosen for the Kobo ads, or is it something you can sign up for? Kobo is the only place I can't seem to gain much traction. Nook and ibooks only picked up for me 8 or 9 months after going wide, but now I'm very, very happy to have the extra income from those sources (especially since I'm always terrified of the next big change at Amazon).


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Sara C said:


> Do you just have to be chosen for the Kobo ads, or is it something you can sign up for? Kobo is the only place I can't seem to gain much traction. Nook and ibooks only picked up for me 8 or 9 months after going wide, but now I'm very, very happy to have the extra income from those sources (especially since I'm always terrified of the next big change at Amazon).


I get a monthly Email from Kobo about taking part in the promotion. There's a link to submit your book and then when the promotion starts I get an Email with the link inside. I think they only send the Email out to authors who go direct with Kobo, and if you've got Gmail, I've noticed that it goes into my 'promotions' folder so I have to remember to check in there every few days.

My Kobo sales are generally a little slow, but if I put a box set at $4.99 or more in the 30% promotion then I get a decent income coming back.


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> I get a monthly Email from Kobo about taking part in the promotion. There's a link to submit your book and then when the promotion starts I get an Email with the link inside. I think they only send the Email out to authors who go direct with Kobo, and if you've got Gmail, I've noticed that it goes into my 'promotions' folder so I have to remember to check in there every few days.
> 
> My Kobo sales are generally a little slow, but if I put a box set at $4.99 or more in the 30% promotion then I get a decent income coming back.


Thanks for the info! I am direct with Kobo, and have gmail, but I never check my promotions folder!


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## sundaze (Sep 20, 2013)

De-lurking to say "hi" and how much I appreciate the advice offered on this thread. I wish I had some to give back. I will say I recently ran a $.99 promo that did well followed by a few weeks of Facebook ads that at least paid for themselves, resulting in a few desperately needed reviews. As soon as I suspend the ads sales and borrows trickled back to a handful a day, which is frustrating. While the Facebook ads were effective for visibility, monitoring them was a distraction that killed the momentum I had writing my next book. I may give the Facebook ads another go once I get the first draft of my next book done. Love the new cover, Emily!


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## Jill Nojack (Mar 7, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> Edited to add that Kobo promotions are really cool. They have monthly 30% off promotions on indie books and it's great for box sets. When I've had slow months, the extra sales from those promotions have really helped me out. The only thing is, you have to go direct with Kobo. You can't go through Smashwords or D2D.


I didn't know about that. I was thinking about going direct with my next series (it will be for adult readers, not YA this time), and that definitely seems like a good reason to try it. I have also thought about moving my books direct to Kobo, but I'm worried they'll lose the small number of reviews they have.

Then again, I could go direct with the box set this fall I'll be doing this fall. Thanks for the good info!


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## rachelmedhurst (Jun 25, 2014)

I've just put the first three books in my YA Paranormal romance series up for pre-order on all other platforms. I'm releasing them all at the same time next Tuesday. At the moment, I have them all at 3.99. I had book 1 in KDP Select and now that it's out of its term, I want to go wide.

Does anyone have any advice on a good way to launch on the other platforms?

Should I drop the price of book 1 to 0.99 or free and then do a promo? Should I make book 1 permafree everywhere?

I'm hoping to release book 4 in about 4-8 weeks. 

Any advice would be really appreciated. I've never done a multiple release before and would really like to gain some traction with this series.

Books 1 and 2 haven't taken off loads on Amazon yet.


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## jennyperinovic (Oct 24, 2014)

Gorgeous covers, Emily and Simone! Absolutely STUNNING!

I just opted into Select (it went live yesterday!). I'm interested to see if I get any borrows!


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## Janeal Falor (Oct 25, 2014)

I like the cover, Simone! It's very intriguing.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Your cover looks amazing too, Simone! Counting down the days


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

SimonePond said:


> Love this thread.
> 
> First of all - Emily, that cover is amazing! Can't wait to read it!
> 
> ...


Oh loving the cover, Simone!! Especially the colors  If you don't mind answering, how did you get an ibooks promo?


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> I get a monthly Email from Kobo about taking part in the promotion. There's a link to submit your book and then when the promotion starts I get an Email with the link inside. I think they only send the Email out to authors who go direct with Kobo, and if you've got Gmail, I've noticed that it goes into my 'promotions' folder so I have to remember to check in there every few days.
> 
> My Kobo sales are generally a little slow, but if I put a box set at $4.99 or more in the 30% promotion then I get a decent income coming back.


This seems so cool, Sarah! I go direct with Kobo, but I don't think I've ever gotten this email. I wonder if you have to have more sales than I do


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

SimonePond said:


> Love this thread.
> 
> First of all - Emily, that cover is amazing! Can't wait to read it!
> 
> ...


Love the cover! It takes a while to build up traction on other vendors, but it has definitely been worth it for me.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Another gorgeous cover! 

I'm beginning to think the only way to get traction outside Amazon is with permafree. So many people struggle to get sales. I had a Bookbub free promo last December and that helped get buy through sales on B&N, Apple and Kobo. Scribd, Google Play and the others are a complete mystery to me though!


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## Vivi_Anna (Feb 12, 2011)

Love the cover Simone. I have new covers too... both designed by my talented daughter.





I've taken them down from Amazon, and am going to put them out just on B&N iTunes and Kobo...going first one free.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

SimonePond said:


> Thanks for the cover love! I'm going to make book 1 free and see what happens. I'll keep the group posted. Nothing to lose by giving it a shot.
> 
> Julz - a friend of mine has a contact at iBooks and I sent her an email.
> 
> Emily - we need to do something to celebrate our launches. Besides tea. xoxoxo


Awesome!!



Vivi_Anna said:


> Love the cover Simone. I have new covers too... both designed by my talented daughter.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Beauties!!


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

sarahdalton said:


> I'm beginning to think the only way to get traction outside Amazon is with permafree. So many people struggle to get sales. I had a Bookbub free promo last December and that helped get buy through sales on B&N, Apple and Kobo. Scribd, Google Play and the others are a complete mystery to me though!


I've found permafree with a Bookbub ad works well at B&N and iBooks. If you can't get a Bookbub, then a Freebooksy ad will see some lift at those 2 places, although not as much and maybe not enough to generate a lot of visibility. Permafree doesn't seem to work as well at Kobo, but I think it's helped me get some sales at Google Play, along with adding keywords at the end of my blurb. About 45% of my sales now come from Amazon (mostly the US) with iBooks at 31%, but this is across a few pen names, not just this one. It definitely takes time to build elsewhere.


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

The covers in this thread are truly gorgeous! I love seeing what everyone is doing with colours and themes. My designer has just created 2 new covers for a new series, and we were both anxious to get them right. You can see the thumbnail for book 1 in my sig under Next Release.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Vivi_Anna said:


> Love the cover Simone. I have new covers too... both designed by my talented daughter.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow, your daughter is very talented indeed!


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

SimonePond said:


> Emily - we need to do something to celebrate our launches. Besides tea. xoxoxo


For sure!


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> Another gorgeous cover!
> 
> I'm beginning to think the only way to get traction outside Amazon is with permafree. So many people struggle to get sales. I had a Bookbub free promo last December and that helped get buy through sales on B&N, Apple and Kobo. Scribd, Google Play and the others are a complete mystery to me though!


This is probably true. Not the only way maybe, but it does make things much easier. Part of that is the read-through rate. On Amazon I average between 2% and 6%. On ibooks it's more like 8%. I think fewer freebies equals more people that actually read what they download.


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

EmmaLAdams said:


> Loving the covers in this thread!


Loving YOUR covers! So pretty!


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

EmmaLAdams said:


> Hi everyone! This is my first time posting in this thread, and it's great to meet other YA authors! My first indie series is technically adult, though it has crossover appeal, but my small press series is YA urban fantasy.
> 
> I'm trying to decide whether to try out KU for my next series (a YA post-apocalyptic fantasy trilogy), which I'll be publishing next year, but I think I'll wait and see how things go with the new system. The majority of my sales are on Amazon, but I'm not super-keen on exclusivity.
> 
> ...


Welcome! Good luck with all of your decisions! One of the best parts about indie is that you can always change things up


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

EmmaLAdams said:


> Hi everyone! This is my first time posting in this thread, and it's great to meet other YA authors!


Welcome to the thread. : )


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## KatrinaAbbott (Jan 28, 2014)

Wow, such striking covers on this thread! I love the colors and they really pop. Nice job y'all!


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## danielsolomonkaplan (Aug 8, 2014)

I published the sequel to my first book in May, and was stunned at the difference in sales. Now I'm trying to push through the third book as fast as I can, while still maintaining the quality. Recently, it seems
I've reached the cliff as sales have dropped off, so it seems like a release every other month is what I need to avoid falling into obscurity.


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## NanSweet (Apr 14, 2015)

Hi Sarah 

I'm probably more middle-grade fiction than YA. I'm writing more books in the Dusky Hollow Series and starting a new series (working title -- Otter Tales)with the plan to do a five book release in August.  I'm somewhat behind (the original plan was July)


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

jjyy said:


> I don't get a lot of time to write and I'm quite a slow writer compared to some of the people here, so I'm feeling quite nervous about the whole thing.


No need to feel nervous. Write at your own pace and take what time you need to write your stories. We're all different.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

SimonePond said:


> One thing I've learned is to not compare myself to other writers. When I do, I get nervous and miserable. Then I start beating myself up. We all have our own journey. I try to remind myself this isn't a race, there is no finish line and writing is FUN. When I take away the pressure, somehow I'm able to be more productive and actually enjoy the process. There are many great people on kboards who are willing to help. So feel free to reach out! Sending writer hugs.


+1 
Spot on!


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

Hi, Emma! It's Kim (from Tangled).

I'm trying to get the first draft of the first book in a new YA mystery trilogy finished in the next ten days so I can pass it off to betas. I booked my editor for mid-August and I'm worried I won't make it. 

I want to do a 99cent promo on The Lady in Blue as sales, and borrows, are non-existent. I also don't want to spend any money to do promos as I haven't even made a 1/4 back on what I spent to publish the book, which wasn't much. 

What are the best promo sites for YA?


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

jjyy said:


> I've really lost a lot of the fun of it somewhere. I've been putting so much pressure on myself this time round. I think part of me thinks that completing book one was a fluke.


It's an amazing feeling to be able to take a lot of different words and put them together to make something that not only has meaning, but can be entertaining. I've always been fascinated by words. Their meanings, the subtleties of choosing a particular word and their ability to both hurt and comfort. Sometimes you can feel the pressure to live up to the expectations of the first book you wrote. Or previous books if you've written several. Don't fall into that trap. Each time you write a new story, tell the best story you are capable of at that time. With practice you will improve and each book will probably be a little better than the last without you deliberately setting out to outdo your previous efforts.

I had the experience earlier this year of being told that the third book in my Demon Hunter series was even better than the first two, which she hadn't thought was possible and she couldn't wait for the fourth one to come out. She also wondered how I was going to top the first three. It was nice to hear and I could have easily felt a lot of pressure because of that comment, particularly knowing there are people expecting the fourth to be better than the first three. My answer was that I'll do what I did for the first three. Write the story and see how it turns out, having fun along the way. It seems to have worked for my other couple of dozen stories.

There are enough other pressures in life without turning something you love into yet another one. I hope you figure out how to recapture the joy of writing and the love of crafting words into stories.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

KGGiarratano said:


> Hi, Emma! It's Kim (from Tangled).
> 
> I'm trying to get the first draft of the first book in a new YA mystery trilogy finished in the next ten days so I can pass it off to betas. I booked my editor for mid-August and I'm worried I won't make it.
> 
> ...


I've had good results with Fiverr BKnights for $5. Also try for a Buck Books promo which is free if they accept you. Otherwise, I'd love to hear the answer to this as well. 

And welcome to all the new YA authors posting here. Great to have you!


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## Guest (Jul 5, 2015)

I am just noticing this thread for the first time! I found my tribe!

I am writing a YA paranormal adventure serial and on Wednesday I publish my first full length novel. It's Contemporary YA and I am hoping its a series. I think of it as a sort of Friday Night Lights/ Dawson's Creek type story. It takes place in the '90s so would that be considered a period piece at this point? Ha! Kidding. Sort of. Its my favorite thing I've ever written so I almost feel like I am giving birth in a weird way. Its my baby, and so much hard work has gone into it.

I love reading YA on top of writing it so I can't wait to check out the books on this thread.

I am also trying to make my first book permafree and its more difficult than I thought it would be.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

BelleAC said:


> I am just noticing this thread for the first time! I found my tribe!
> 
> I am writing a YA paranormal adventure serial and on Wednesday I publish my first full length novel. It's Contemporary YA and I am hoping its a series. I think of it as a sort of Friday Night Lights/ Dawson's Creek type story. It takes place in the '90s so would that be considered a period piece at this point? Ha! Kidding. Sort of. Its my favorite thing I've ever written so I almost feel like I am giving birth in a weird way. Its my baby, and so much hard work has gone into it.
> 
> ...


Welcome! Getting a book free is a pain, but for me it's been really worth it (I have a _whole_ month of experience to back that claim) . I'm just about done with the prequel to my YA series. Although most of the series is set in present day, the prequel is set in the '90's  We'll have to exchange horror, I mean success stories


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## Guest (Jul 5, 2015)

Julz said:


> Welcome! Getting a book free is a pain, but for me it's been really worth it (I have a _whole_ month of experience to back that claim) . I'm just about done with the prequel to my YA series. Although most of the series is set in present day, the prequel is set in the '90's  We'll have to exchange horror, I mean success stories


I would love that!

And yes, I am really eager to make mine permafree. I am still having good sales since I did 3 free days promoted by bknights. But its starting to drop off again. 

I also am very close to having a narrator for an audio edition on ACX. So exciting!


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

NanSweet said:


> Hi Sarah
> 
> I'm probably more middle-grade fiction than YA. I'm writing more books in the Dusky Hollow Series and starting a new series (working title -- Otter Tales)with the plan to do a five book release in August. I'm somewhat behind (the original plan was July)


Hey Nan! Welcome to the thread. Good luck with your books.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

KGGiarratano said:


> Hi, Emma! It's Kim (from Tangled).
> 
> I'm trying to get the first draft of the first book in a new YA mystery trilogy finished in the next ten days so I can pass it off to betas. I booked my editor for mid-August and I'm worried I won't make it.
> 
> ...


It would be great if there were some good promo sites that work specifically for YA. That would be awesome. When I run a promo, I just go with the general ones: Bookbub, ENT, KND/Bookgorilla, Booksends, BKnights.

I'm doing a big promo on my box set at the end of this month. I'll have to report back on how it goes. 

I had a little bit of success with pre-orders over the last couple of months. I had thought they didn't work for me, but I got 121 pre-orders for the third book in my YA fantasy series. In the past, this series has been my worst selling series. Most months I sell maybe ten copies of books one and two. So when I was part way through the edits for book 3, I put it up on pre-order (at a special price of 0.99) for about two months from that date (I was working slowly at the time because it needed a lot of pulling together) and then ran a free run on book one. After giving away about a thousand copies of book one, I got some extra sales of book 2, and after announcing that the pre-order of book 3 was at a special price, got quite a few pre-orders. Then, after it was released, I changed the price to 3.99.

Also I've taken the books out of Select, and I think I'm going to go permafree with book one. I've put together a bundle of the three books to make the most of the Kobo 30% off sales.

I've not had thousands of sales, but I'm pretty happy with how it's gone. It's nice to finally have this series making its way to readers. So if you're thinking of doing a preorder, I recommend doing it at a special promo price.


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## Jena H (Oct 2, 2011)

NanSweet said:


> Hi Sarah
> 
> I'm probably more middle-grade fiction than YA. I'm writing more books in the Dusky Hollow Series and starting a new series (working title -- Otter Tales)with the plan to do a five book release in August. I'm somewhat behind (the original plan was July)


I too have books that are more MG than YA. I've put them on the back burner to write some other series, but I _will_ get back to the series eventually, since I love my characters. Meantime, I've run up against a brick wall, marketing-wise; there just don't seem to be as many options as there are for traditional YA books.


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## belle malory (Oct 26, 2011)

Just wanted to say "Hello" and introduce myself. I've been writing YA for several years now and I love it. I also write Contemp. Romance under a different name, but I think I love my YA readers the most because they're so loyal----and ENTHUSIASTIC  I really don't have any advice in terms of marketing. I've only used word of mouth and social media platforms (mainly my blog, FB and GR). If anyone knows of any useful tips though, I'd love to hear them! I haven't read through this whole thread yet, but I will because I'd love to find out what works for all of you.


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

Guys!

My book, Grunge Gods and Graveyards, is set in 1996! The 90s rule and are totally making a comeback. 

I'm hesitant to try BK Nights because I didn't have much luck with them. ENT turned me down and Book Bub is a shot in the dark.


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

Has anyone heard of Ripley's Booklist? It's a YA specific subscription list. It costs $5 to get your book listed.


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## Guest (Jul 6, 2015)

KGGiarratano said:


> Guys!
> 
> My book, Grunge Gods and Graveyards, is set in 1996! The 90s rule and are totally making a comeback.
> 
> I'm hesitant to try BK Nights because I didn't have much luck with them. ENT turned me down and Book Bub is a shot in the dark.


My book is set in 1996 too! Wooooot! Do you listen to hits from the '90s to get inspired? My Spotify is rocking them as I type this.

I haven't heard of that YA subscription list but now I'm going to have to check it out. Also, BK nights really only worked well for me with a freebie. When I did with a paid book it was a big womp womp.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

BelleAC said:


> I would love that!
> 
> And yes, I am really eager to make mine permafree. I am still having good sales since I did 3 free days promoted by bknights. But its starting to drop off again.
> 
> I also am very close to having a narrator for an audio edition on ACX. So exciting!


Wow! Audio too?! That's awesome!! Please report back on how that goes 



sarahdalton said:


> It would be great if there were some good promo sites that work specifically for YA. That would be awesome. When I run a promo, I just go with the general ones: Bookbub, ENT, KND/Bookgorilla, Booksends, BKnights.
> 
> I'm doing a big promo on my box set at the end of this month. I'll have to report back on how it goes.
> 
> ...


That would be wonderful to see how your promo goes  And the bundle with kobo sounds like a fantastic idea! Looks like your making some great moves!!



belle malory said:


> Just wanted to say "Hello" and introduce myself. I've been writing YA for several years now and I love it. I also write Contemp. Romance under a different name, but I think I love my YA readers the most because they're so loyal----and ENTHUSIASTIC  I really don't have any advice in terms of marketing. I've only used word of mouth and social media platforms (mainly my blog, FB and GR). If anyone knows of any useful tips though, I'd love to hear them! I haven't read through this whole thread yet, but I will because I'd love to find out what works for all of you.


Welcome! I'm pretty much trying to use ad sites and put my first book free. And I just keep writing and writing  Sorry I don't have some better ideas...with the knowledge on these boards, I'm sure someone else will 



KGGiarratano said:


> Guys!
> 
> My book, Grunge Gods and Graveyards, is set in 1996! The 90s rule and are totally making a comeback.
> 
> I'm hesitant to try BK Nights because I didn't have much luck with them. ENT turned me down and Book Bub is a shot in the dark.


In every way! If the girls love the fashion so much, they'll adore our books, right? 



KGGiarratano said:


> Has anyone heard of Ripley's Booklist? It's a YA specific subscription list. It costs $5 to get your book listed.


No, so thanks sooo much for sharing!! I'm gonna go check 'em out 



BelleAC said:


> My book is set in 1996 too! Wooooot! Do you listen to hits from the '90s to get inspired? My Spotify is rocking them as I type this.
> 
> I haven't heard of that YA subscription list but now I'm going to have to check it out. Also, BK nights really only worked well for me with a freebie. When I did with a paid book it was a big womp womp.


Yes! I'm ashamed to write down my playlist in such a public place though  I even pulled out my yearbook and holy cow was I taken back....


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

KGGiarratano said:


> Has anyone heard of Ripley's Booklist? It's a YA specific subscription list. It costs $5 to get your book listed.


Ooh, no, I've never heard of them but I'm going to check them out.

The 90s definitely rule. I love books set in the 90s.


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

KGGiarratano said:


> Has anyone heard of Ripley's Booklist? It's a YA specific subscription list. It costs $5 to get your book listed.


They contacted me via facebook and I went ahead and ran an add with them. Saw a small bump in downloads that day (on my freebie). Nothing earth-shattering, but worth the five bucks.


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## jennyperinovic (Oct 24, 2014)

KGGiarratano said:


> Has anyone heard of Ripley's Booklist? It's a YA specific subscription list. It costs $5 to get your book listed.


They contacted me via FB, and I think it was worth the 5 bucks. I sold maybe 8 books the day the email went out, and a few over the next few days? And that was for a full-price, $3.99 ebook.


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

My sister-in-law's sister made this YouTube playlist of all the songs I put as chapter headings.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD-z0i-6tazhKtDA_09Hx5Hhe-HpN81UP

If you love 90s alternative, you'll love this!


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## tzkiki (Jun 19, 2015)

sarahdalton said:


> Hey all, those of you who have been dropping into a few YA centred threads will know that I decided to set up a thread for us guys to chat, share tips and do some cross promotion.
> 
> I really want to get to know more YA authors because I want to do a lot more cross promotion this year. It's also great to keep up with what's going on and connect on our social media platforms.
> 
> ...


Hi I'm in the middle of writing my first horror novel as well, any tips? And what writing tools/apps/software you're using? My name is Cristina and I'm from London

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

BelleAC said:


> I love reading YA on top of writing it so I can't wait to check out the books on this thread.


I have bought a load of books from this thread  I try to read all my contemporaries (that would be you guys), but my kindle is so chock full with books and I just don't have enough hours in the day (night) to make much progress at the moment, but I'm so looking forward to reading them all (Julz you're next, then Emily's new book). Loved Sara C Roethle and Sarah Dalton and Katrina Abbott. Arghhh too many good books lol


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## Elidibus (May 13, 2015)

KGGiarratano said:


> My sister-in-law's sister made this YouTube playlist of all the songs I put as chapter headings.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD-z0i-6tazhKtDA_09Hx5Hhe-HpN81UP
> 
> If you love 90s alternative, you'll love this!


Hmm....

*Checks for "Smells Like Teen Spirit*
*Sees that it's there*

Yep, this is a good setlist  Long live the 90's!

And thanks for the booklist heads up guys. Gonna check that out as soon as I'm done here


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Evenstar said:


> I have bought a load of books from this thread  I try to read all my contemporaries (that would be you guys), but my kindle is so chock full with books and I just don't have enough hours in the day (night) to make much progress at the moment, but I'm so looking forward to reading them all (Julz you're next, then Emily's new book). Loved Sara C Roethle and Sarah Dalton and Katrina Abbott. Arghhh too many good books lol


I just did a little jig!!  Hope you enjoy it!


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

tzkiki said:


> Hi I'm in the middle of writing my first horror novel as well, any tips? And what writing tools/apps/software you're using? My name is Cristina and I'm from London


Welcome to the thread, Cristina. I can't offer any suggestions on interesting writing tools/apps/software. I use Word 2000. It might be very Dark Ages, but it's more than sufficient for my needs. I don't need anything fancy to suit my writing style. I'm a pantser so you won't find me creating chapter by chapter summaries before I start. Actually, you won't even find me using chapters until nearly the last editing phase. I write in scenes.

If you want to write good horror, don't just go for the gore. Sometimes the unknown can be far more scary than describing a creature. Unexplained noises, a creepy atmosphere and the build up of the psychological aspects can have the reader on the edge of their seat. Read books by well known horror writers and study how they write.


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

I've been a bit absent form the boards lately, so I'm just peeking back into this thread to say Hi to all the new authors. This is a really great thread, lots of lovely people and excellent advice. 

Now I'm going to return to my writing and editing cave. I'm feeling a bit snowed under with 2 releases coming up in August, plus it's school holidays here so I'm not getting as much done as I'd like with my kids at home.


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## Vivi_Anna (Feb 12, 2011)

Anyone writing YA romantic fantasy?  I have two books that I want to rewrite into YA.  But want to know if it's selling at all.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

CJArcher said:


> I've been a bit absent form the boards lately, so I'm just peeking back into this thread to say Hi to all the new authors. This is a really great thread, lots of lovely people and excellent advice.
> 
> Now I'm going to return to my writing and editing cave. I'm feeling a bit snowed under with 2 releases coming up in August, plus it's school holidays here so I'm not getting as much done as I'd like with my kids at home.


Oh, I know the feeling! I'm never scheduling a new release for July again


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## Guest (Jul 7, 2015)

Julz said:


> I just did a little jig!!  Hope you enjoy it!


Julz, I have your book on my Kindle.  I have two more I am reading now and then I can't wait to check yours out.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

BelleAC said:


> Julz, I have your book on my Kindle.  I have two more I am reading now and then I can't wait to check yours out.


Wooo hoo  The support in this place is amazing


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

tzkiki said:


> Hi I'm in the middle of writing my first horror novel as well, any tips? And what writing tools/apps/software you're using? My name is Cristina and I'm from London
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk


Hey Christina!

Hmm, tips for writing horror... keep that suspense building. Drag out the tension until it's almost unbearable. I like using a lot of dark imagery rather than violence or gore. I'm a quiet horror writer.

I still use Word rather than any software. I tried Scrivener for a bit, but I don't like writing on it for some reason. I quite like plotting, and fleshing out characters on Scrivener, but that's about it. Loads of people love Scrivener though.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Evenstar said:


> I have bought a load of books from this thread  I try to read all my contemporaries (that would be you guys), but my kindle is so chock full with books and I just don't have enough hours in the day (night) to make much progress at the moment, but I'm so looking forward to reading them all (Julz you're next, then Emily's new book). Loved Sara C Roethle and Sarah Dalton and Katrina Abbott. Arghhh too many good books lol


Woot! 

I'm the same. I keep buying and downloading books. I must have dozens saved that I've not got round to reading yet. And then I go to Waterstones and see a pretty cover...

We're addicted!


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

Vivi_Anna said:


> Anyone writing YA romantic fantasy? I have two books that I want to rewrite into YA. But want to know if it's selling at all.


I think my Xoe series pretty much qualifies as YA romantic fantasy, though romance isn't the centerpiece of my stories. I'm doing pretty good .


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## KatrinaAbbott (Jan 28, 2014)

Evenstar said:


> I have bought a load of books from this thread  I try to read all my contemporaries (that would be you guys), but my kindle is so chock full with books and I just don't have enough hours in the day (night) to make much progress at the moment, but I'm so looking forward to reading them all (Julz you're next, then Emily's new book). Loved Sara C Roethle and Sarah Dalton and Katrina Abbott. Arghhh too many good books lol


Aw, Thanks for the shout out! I'm so, so, so behind on my reading (I blame life and this crazy writing schedule I gave myself and can't read similar genre books while I'm actively writing) but hope to get some fun summer reading in soon.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Is anyone having lots of borrows in KU? I've had one borrow and the book was read in two days (it's only 155 pages). It's priced at 99c. I was wondering whether I should increase the price to $2.99 if readers are going to borrow it instead of buying it.


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## Vivi_Anna (Feb 12, 2011)

Sara C said:


> I think my Xoe series pretty much qualifies as YA romantic fantasy, though romance isn't the centerpiece of my stories. I'm doing pretty good .


Thanks Sara. Going to check out your books.


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## Drew_Harmon (Jun 23, 2015)

Hello!

I published _Uncle Arctica_ on Kindle in June. I am currently working on the Createspace print version. Also, I am feverishly working on the sequel,_ The Storms of Tarshish_.


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## tzkiki (Jun 19, 2015)

Hi Sarah,  I'm using scrivener as well but I'm still learning my way around it and you're right, is not that good for writing  . I use word as well on both pc and phone cause they have a word for android and I already had a office subscription otherwise without it you can edit the document on word mobile and that would make useless in my opinion.  
And for writing,  I love horror and I can't see myself writing anything else that is not horror related. 
To write I found this Windows text editor called writemonkey and is free and good for writing in my opinion, check it out.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Is anyone having lots of borrows in KU? I've had one borrow and the book was read in two days (it's only 155 pages). It's priced at 99c. I was wondering whether I should increase the price to $2.99 if readers are going to borrow it instead of buying it.


Not sure what qualifies as "lots" of borrows. I haven't seen any change in my revenue if I use an estimate of .0057. I was hoping it would go up, lol. All my books are listed at 3.99 except my one title on preorder that is .99. But I'm not selling anything so maybe I should think about lowering my price point&#8230;


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Anya Monroe said:


> Not sure what qualifies as "lots" of borrows. I haven't seen any change in my revenue if I use an estimate of .0057. I was hoping it would go up, lol. All my books are listed at 3.99 except my one title on preorder that is .99. But I'm not selling anything so maybe I should think about lowering my price point...


I wonder about the buying power of teens. Do they prefer to buy lots of books at 99c or a few at $3.99, or do they have KU subscriptions?


----------



## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I wonder about the buying power of teens. Do they prefer to buy lots of books at 99c or a few at $3.99, or do they have KU subscriptions?


I sell mine at 3.99, not in KU...but it also seems like a lot of my readers are adults who just enjoy YA. I could see a lot of teens having KU subs, since that would make things much easier on their parents.


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## Vivi_Anna (Feb 12, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I wonder about the buying power of teens. Do they prefer to buy lots of books at 99c or a few at $3.99, or do they have KU subscriptions?


I'm pretty sure teens are not buying ebooks. They are still in the bookstores buying print. Or they are on Wattpad reading as much as they want for free. I would hazard a guess that the majority of YA ebook readers are adult women. Not all but the majority.


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

Vivi_Anna said:


> I'm pretty sure teens are not buying ebooks. They are still in the bookstores buying print. Or they are on Wattpad reading as much as they want for free. I would hazard a guess that the majority of YA ebook readers are adult women. Not all but the majority.


THIS. Yes to all this.


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

Vivi_Anna said:


> Anyone writing YA romantic fantasy? I have two books that I want to rewrite into YA. But want to know if it's selling at all.


I guess mine could be considered romantic fantasy. I find it difficult to categorise my books, but the Emily Chambers & Freak House series are paranormals/fantasies with a lot of romance in them, set in Victorian times. They're my better selling series, beating out my historical romances. That's why I don't write the historical romances anymore


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## Vivi_Anna (Feb 12, 2011)

CJArcher said:


> I guess mine could be considered romantic fantasy. I find it difficult to categorise my books, but the Emily Chambers & Freak House series are paranormals/fantasies with a lot of romance in them, set in Victorian times. They're my better selling series, beating out my historical romances. That's why I don't write the historical romances anymore


Thanks CJ. I adore your covers!!!


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## Guest (Jul 9, 2015)

Hey YA friends. Well the debut of my new YA series was a big womp woooooomp.  I usually have a good little rush of buys on the first day but no such luck. Also, I had a terrible formatting issue that I didn't discover until it had been on sale almost a day. Its corrected now but 9 people bought it when it wasn't okay and I am having terrible anxiety about it. Ugh. So maybe it was actually good that I didn't have a rush of buys. Trying to stay positive.

Otherwise, my other paranormal series is being recorded for ACX right now, so thats exciting. It should be available in early September. I encourage anyone who hasn't looked into ACX to look into it. Very easy and fun.


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

BelleAC said:


> Hey YA friends. Well the debut of my new YA series was a big womp woooooomp.  I usually have a good little rush of buys on the first day but no such luck. Also, I had a terrible formatting issue that I didn't discover until it had been on sale almost a day. Its corrected now but 9 people bought it when it wasn't okay and I am having terrible anxiety about it. Ugh. So maybe it was actually good that I didn't have a rush of buys. Trying to stay positive.
> 
> Otherwise, my other paranormal series is being recorded for ACX right now, so thats exciting. It should be available in early September. I encourage anyone who hasn't looked into ACX to look into it. Very easy and fun.


Sorry about the wompy-ness of the release. I am releasing a book next week and I would really love it to do well, but man, I have found it really difficult to launch anything with much success!

Yay for ACX! I had my first audio release last month, and have four in production right now! It has been such a fun, stress free experience!


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

Vivi_Anna said:


> Thanks CJ. I adore your covers!!!


Thank you!



BelleAC said:


> Hey YA friends. Well the debut of my new YA series was a big womp woooooomp.


Hugs. I hope sales improve.



Vivi_Anna said:


> I'm pretty sure teens are not buying ebooks. They are still in the bookstores buying print. Or they are on Wattpad reading as much as they want for free. I would hazard a guess that the majority of YA ebook readers are adult women. Not all but the majority.


I think most of my readers are adult women too. My Wattpad stories have a lot of teen readers (they show you the demographic, which is cool) but not sure how many have become paying readers. I've had messages from some teens begging me to put the rest of the series on Wattpad, but I politely tell them I won't. I don't know if they then go on to buy them or just give up.


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## CM Raymond (Jun 28, 2015)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I wonder about the buying power of teens. Do they prefer to buy lots of books at 99c or a few at $3.99, or do they have KU subscriptions?


Just anecdotally, but I am putting my teen serial in KU because me and most of my friends with tween/teen kids have KU because our kids tear through book (and... I do as well).

It's worth every penny.


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## CM Raymond (Jun 28, 2015)

BelleAC said:


> Hey YA friends. Well the debut of my new YA series was a big womp woooooomp.  I usually have a good little rush of buys on the first day but no such luck. Also, I had a terrible formatting issue that I didn't discover until it had been on sale almost a day. Its corrected now but 9 people bought it when it wasn't okay and I am having terrible anxiety about it. Ugh. So maybe it was actually good that I didn't have a rush of buys. Trying to stay positive.
> 
> Otherwise, my other paranormal series is being recorded for ACX right now, so thats exciting. It should be available in early September. I encourage anyone who hasn't looked into ACX to look into it. Very easy and fun.


I must have grabbed Hell's Belles after the first day! Looked good to me.

Not my genre, but I saw you posting about your promotion and got curious. 
Nice snappy dialogue, good characters.

Sorry sales were wompy


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## Guest (Jul 10, 2015)

Anya Monroe said:


> Sorry about the wompy-ness of the release. I am releasing a book next week and I would really love it to do well, but man, I have found it really difficult to launch anything with much success!
> 
> Yay for ACX! I had my first audio release last month, and have four in production right now! It has been such a fun, stress free experience!


Well I was too quick to go womp woooomp. I ended up having my best sales day yet. Between like 6 pm and 10 pm a bunch of people bought. So that was an awesome surprise. And that is AWESOME about your experience with ACX. The process is so streamlined with little risk with the royalty share. I was lucky to find a narrator who is just starting out. So its a mutually beneficial relationship.



CM Raymond said:


> I must have grabbed Hell's Belles after the first day! Looked good to me.
> 
> Not my genre, but I saw you posting about your promotion and got curious.
> Nice snappy dialogue, good characters.
> ...


This is so awesome! You just made my day!


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Anya Monroe said:


> Not sure what qualifies as "lots" of borrows. I haven't seen any change in my revenue if I use an estimate of .0057. I was hoping it would go up, lol. All my books are listed at 3.99 except my one title on preorder that is .99. But I'm not selling anything so maybe I should think about lowering my price point...


I'm doing a summer sale to combat the slump, my books are usually 3.99 but I've reduced them all to 2.99 for July and August. They will go back up on 1 September though. I actually do think it has helped, sales are indeed up, which is highly unusual for this time of year.

I think my readers actually are teenagers, judging by my reviews, but I guess a lot of my stuff is slightly at the younger end of Young Adult. I have nothing in kU, I do too well on GP to bother with a few pence in borrows (my books are all below 50k words). Teens in other countries use GP a lot.


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

BelleAC said:


> Well I was too quick to go womp woooomp. I ended up having my best sales day yet.


Congrats.


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## Melody Simmons (Jul 8, 2012)

Vivi_Anna said:


> I'm pretty sure teens are not buying ebooks. They are still in the bookstores buying print. Or they are on Wattpad reading as much as they want for free. I would hazard a guess that the majority of YA ebook readers are adult women. Not all but the majority.


You're right! I'm one of the adult YA readers...I often prefer YA books as they are shorter, less violent and more lighthearted, perfect for a short evening off.


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

*pokes head in after a while away*

Congrats on your sales picking up, Alison and Stella! 

Re: adult readers-- I know TONS of adults who read mostly YA, and I'm definitely one of them myself ^_~

Re: KU, I only have 2 shorts in there, but where borrows were sporadic, the switch to "pages read" has totally made revenue from them dry up. I'm in there until September and then I think I'm going wide with both. And I'm contemplating going perma-free with them as well. 

I'm getting excited for my upcoming release though-- I scheduled some promo for my first book and the shorts around it, so I'm hoping that those drive sales up. And I'm dropping my trailer for the book next week though I don't think that really sells books... I just think they're fun to make ^_^


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

CM Raymond said:


> Just anecdotally, but I am putting my teen serial in KU because me and most of my friends with tween/teen kids have KU because our kids tear through book (and... I do as well).
> 
> It's worth every penny.


That's good to know. My teen mystery sells for 99c and it's KU pages are 155 so I might still make more money from a borrow.


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

BelleAC said:


> Well I was too quick to go womp woooomp. I ended up having my best sales day yet. Between like 6 pm and 10 pm a bunch of people bought. So that was an awesome surprise. And that is AWESOME about your experience with ACX. The process is so streamlined with little risk with the royalty share. I was lucky to find a narrator who is just starting out. So its a mutually beneficial relationship.
> 
> This is so awesome! You just made my day!


YAY for an awesome release! What did you do promo wise for the launch?

And also, after I had put a few titles on ACX looking for royalty shares, ACX emailed me letting me know they offered a stipend on one of my titles (FLICKER). That totally pumped me up about the whole thing! So it isa reminder that we never know who is looking at our stuff and willing to take a chance!


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

Evenstar said:


> I'm doing a summer sale to combat the slump, my books are usually 3.99 but I've reduced them all to 2.99 for July and August. They will go back up on 1 September though. I actually do think it has helped, sales are indeed up, which is highly unusual for this time of year.
> 
> I think my readers actually are teenagers, judging by my reviews, but I guess a lot of my stuff is slightly at the younger end of Young Adult. I have nothing in kU, I do too well on GP to bother with a few pence in borrows (my books are all below 50k words). Teens in other countries use GP a lot.


Interesting about sales improving with a price drop. I always think if someone would purchase for 3.99 they will for 2.99 but apparently I need to look closer at that.

I don't have teen readers if I am basing it on my reviews&#8230;although man, reviews are hard to come by! I know people are reading because I can see the pages read now- but gosh, some titles never get reviewed.

How many titles did you have out / how many months, Evenstar, before you saw a marked spike in sales? I'm still a prawn (released first book in Feb) and look forward to moving beyond this prawnie place.


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## Vivi_Anna (Feb 12, 2011)

Melody Simmons said:


> You're right! I'm one of the adult YA readers...I often prefer YA books as they are shorter, less violent and more lighthearted, perfect for a short evening off.


Oh me too Melody. YA is about all I read. And as ebooks.


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## Guest (Jul 10, 2015)

Anya Monroe said:


> YAY for an awesome release! What did you do promo wise for the launch?
> 
> And also, after I had put a few titles on ACX looking for royalty shares, ACX emailed me letting me know they offered a stipend on one of my titles (FLICKER). That totally pumped me up about the whole thing! So it isa reminder that we never know who is looking at our stuff and willing to take a chance!


Oh my goodness, that IS exciting!!! Yay! That had to make you feel good.

I actually didn't do much promo at all since its the first in a new series. I have found that doing promo on the second in a series (or some might even say the third or fourth) seems to work better for me. Because it gives the reader something else to grab if they're digging the promo'd work if that makes sense. The next book in the series is coming out in September so if I have some reviews from the first one by then, I will try a Freebooksy and DEFINITELY use Bk Nights. I love love love BK Nights.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Anya Monroe said:


> Interesting about sales improving with a price drop. I always think if someone would purchase for 3.99 they will for 2.99 but apparently I need to look closer at that.
> 
> I don't have teen readers if I am basing it on my reviews...although man, reviews are hard to come by! I know people are reading because I can see the pages read now-- but gosh, some titles never get reviewed.
> 
> How many titles did you have out / how many months, Evenstar, before you saw a marked spike in sales? I'm still a prawn (released first book in Feb) and look forward to moving beyond this prawnie place.


I put my first title out and got a piddly 15 sales over the 2.5 months until my second one came out. Then I got 85 sales in the 3 months before book three. When I released book three I also set book one to perma-free. THAT'S when I saw the spike.

Three books and the first one free, and I saw a massive change in downloads, roughly a thousand a month on the free title, and sales of books one and two were around a ten percent read-through, so about a hundred each per month. Which was a massive change from the twenty a month total.

And it only increases the more books you have out. Some don't do as well as others, and some take off that you don't expect, but just having another book seems to have a knock on effect on other titles. I guess it is a lot to do with visibility.

But as always YMMV. Hopefully you will do way better than that


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

Evenstar said:


> I put my first title out and got a piddly 15 sales over the 2.5 months until my second one came out. Then I got 85 sales in the 3 months before book three. When I released book three I also set book one to perma-free. THAT'S when I saw the spike.
> 
> Three books and the first one free, and I saw a massive change in downloads, roughly a thousand a month on the free title, and sales of books one and two were around a ten percent read-through, so about a hundred each per month. Which was a massive change from the twenty a month total.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the reply Evenstar! I have been contemplating putting the first book in my trilogy as perma free&#8230;I'm still a bit scared to take the plunge.

And I totally agree about being surprised at what has taken off. 80% of my sales are from For Sure & Certain, a book I never expected to be the hit. After reflecting on it though, it is the sweetest and most romantic of my titles. My take away? There is a sweet spot for ya romance that I didn't count on. I will tailor my future projects off that data. My issue books are much harder to find an audience for.


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

Before having kids, I was a YA librarian. All I read it YA. Although lately, I've been reading adult mysteries (usually with a historical bent). I'm trying to branch out because I'd like to write an adult mystery series some day.

I barely get a sale or borrow a week so I'm putting The Lady in Blue on sale on July 20th. If that doesn't work out, I'll do some free days. I won't be able to see much action until I have an entire series out and that won't happen until next year.


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

My sales were decent for a while, but without putting another novel out, they've seriously fallen off these past few months. I'm planning a biggish sale/promo with my shorts and first book around my release of my next in series and nervously gnashing my teeth over it... XD


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

I've noticed that my sales drop if I haven't put a book out in over three months. Also, I've noticed that when I put out the last book in a series, I get a nice sales spike that maybe hangs steady for up to a year and then starts to peter out. 

I've got two finished series out now, but the second series has never sold really well. I think permafree and lots of promos might help, but I need to wait until at least the end of this month to do it. 

Right now I'm working on improving the speed and quality of my first drafts. I only have one series to concentrate on. It's a contemporary setting which I find much easier to write. I've got a plan, including bullet pointed chapters that I can tick off as I write each scene. It's going SO much faster than before. I'm 30k into a 50(ish)k novel after three weeks. The main difference is that I know exactly where it's going, whereas before I wasted time trying to think up the next scene as I wrote. I've been converted into a plotter!


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> I've been converted into a plotter!


I NEED this to happen to me! I released a couple of shorts (that were series prequels) in between, but it took me over a year to write and finish revising another novel in-series. And I definitely think the fact that I'm a pantser is at least partly to blame. I had to get through many drafts before I "found" the story.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

JenEllision said:


> I NEED this to happen to me! I released a couple of shorts (that were series prequels) in between, but it took me over a year to write and finish revising another novel in-series. And I definitely think the fact that I'm a pantser is at least partly to blame. I had to get through many drafts before I "found" the story.


Try reading Libbie Hawkers 'Take off your Pants' book. It's super short and I think pretty cheap on Amazon. It's a great little guide into breaking down your ideas to find the story.

I do think that turning into a plotter is a slow process. It's taken me about three years to get to grips with novel writing. The first book took me over two years. Some of my recent books have taken well over six months. It's only now I feel like things are clicking into place. Here's hoping it sticks!


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> Try reading Libbie Hawkers 'Take off your Pants' book. It's super short and I think pretty cheap on Amazon. It's a great little guide into breaking down your ideas to find the story.


Ooo, thanks for the rec! I just read the sample and 1-clicked. I'm excited to read!


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## Guest (Jul 14, 2015)

I have always been a pantser too but I am finding my middles being kind of muddled because I'm not confident where the story is going. So I outlined my last book and it made things easier. I LOVE Libbie Hawker's book too and I also bought Million Dollar Outlines by David Farland that is seriously fantastic as well. I was hesitant at the price but it is worth every penny.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Hi everyone!

I'm having an online Book Launch Party on Facebook for the upcoming release of the second book of my YA fantasy series. Anyone anywhere in the world who has Facebook is invited.

I've never done one of these before, so I'm posting here both to invite everyone (including lurkers  ) and to report on how it works as a promotional tool for YA which is a unique genre when it comes to promoting. (Every genre is.)

Anyhow, here's the invite, and the link to view the event on FB is at the bottom:


​
http://bit.ly/ForswornParty​


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## Guest (Jul 14, 2015)

Emily Wibberley said:


> Hi everyone!
> 
> I'm having an online Book Launch Party on Facebook for the upcoming release of the second book of my YA fantasy series. Anyone anywhere in the world who has Facebook is invited.
> 
> ...


Joined! Interested to see how it goes!


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

BelleAC said:


> Joined! Interested to see how it goes!


Just joined too! I've been toying with the idea of one of these shindigs myself, so I think this could be a learning experience... plus I'm sure it'll be fun


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## MKP (Jan 5, 2012)

EmmaLAdams said:


> On the topic of plotting vs pantsing, I'm a plotter by necessity because I never finish projects if I go in without a plan.


Same here! Also, I love your book covers!  Figured it was time to join this support group before I lost my mind!


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Thanks for joining, everyone! I'm interested in seeing how it goes as well 

I was never very active on social media before publishing but this job (especially in YA) forces you to be.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Joined  Good luck, Emily!! I'm excited to see how it goes


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

Emily Wibberley said:


> I'm having an online Book Launch Party on Facebook for the upcoming release of the second book of my YA fantasy series. Anyone anywhere in the world who has Facebook is invited.


I've joined and will be there, provided I can figure out the time correctly. : )


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Avril Sabine said:


> I've joined and will be there, provided I can figure out the time correctly. : )


I'm also wondering if it will be the 22nd in SA.


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## pdworkman (Jan 17, 2015)

I wrote for almost 30 years as a pantster. Some stuff came quickly, some took a long time to finish, and some never got finished, because I just didn't know where it was going. A number of my books ended by killing off the protagonist and various other members of the cast. 

It wasn't until I started writing for Nanowrimo that I started outlining/plotting. There were other factors involved as well, I had a number of mental blocks to overcome. But for the last few years I have been plotting, and I really like it. I have managed to revive some of the old stuff (finishing old works or replotting and rewriting to come to a better conclusion). And I've been able to ramp my production up to four books a year. I could do more, except this editing, publishing and promoting stuff gets in my way...


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## Monie (Oct 4, 2014)

I started to outline a novel I started a couple of years ago for NaNoWriMo. I semi-completed the discovery draft last month (all but six chapters). I had initially intended it to be an adult contemporary fiction novel. But even at this early stage of outlining I can see that it would be better as YA. 

This throws off my plan a lot. 

This novel was suppose to be my first full length novel and start my career as a self published author. At some point I do plan to try YA but I hadn't planned to do it this early.  And I planned to use a pen name to separate my adult fiction from my YA fiction.

Now, I don't know what to do. I plan to finish my outlining but I don't know if I should start the next draft because I know I will want to work on it until it's ready for the world to see. 

I really love this story and the direction that it's going but it just threw me a curve ball I wasn't prepared for.  


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk


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## Monie (Oct 4, 2014)

jjyy said:


> Hope the launch party goes well, Emily.  Your covers look amaaaaaazing.
> 
> As for pantsing vs. plotting - I'm kind of a hybrid. I'll have a basic plot for the novel, start writing, plan a few chapters in advance, then see what happens. I've tried plotting the whole novel out prior to starting but I end up deviating from the outline so far that by the end it's worthless.


I am trying to be a reformed panster so this is what I do now. It seems to be working a little. I don't find myself asking "Now what?" as often as I use to.

I'm still trying to work myself up to being a full plotter. I think it would increase my production speed and decrease my frustration.

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

Monie said:


> I am trying to be a reformed panster


As a reformed plotter this comment made me chuckle. It's good though to try out both plotting and pantsing to find out which style suits you best.


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

EmmaLAdams said:


> I've joined, too.
> 
> On the topic of plotting vs pantsing, I'm a plotter by necessity because I never finish projects if I go in without a plan. Now I use Blake's Save the Cat Beat Sheet combined with a bunch of articles I've read on plotting. It helps me wade through the murky middle of a draft!


Unrelated, but every time I come across your covers, I just have to stop and stare at them. I love them.

Related, I'm a pantser turned semi-plotter. I've done my best lately to start outlining, but I kind of make my outline as I go, since I'm still incapable of imagining a whole story beginning to end without writing it while I do so. When I sit down to write, I try to at least have a vague plot-line for the next two to three chapters. It makes me more productive, but still allows for my disorganized brain to be in its happy place.


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## jennyperinovic (Oct 24, 2014)

I'm a semi-pantser, if that's a thing? I tend to do an initial brainstorm with big picture things, pants until I get stuck, then outline from there. And then I RE-outline for draft 2. It's the only way I can finish a book!


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

jennyperinovic said:


> I'm a semi-pantser, if that's a thing? I tend to do an initial brainstorm with big picture things, pants until I get stuck, then outline from there. And then I RE-outline for draft 2. It's the only way I can finish a book!


I hope it's a thing, cause this is totally what I do


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

I've just revised the last six chapters of my outline. It feels good to have plotted right to the end. I think this is the first time I've ever had the ending all laid out. I'll probably end up going a little off course though...


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## Guest (Jul 17, 2015)

I am having a tough week. Averaging maybe 2-3 sales a day... Which I know, for a beginner, is not bad. But NONE of them have been my newest YA book . (That Summer in my sig) Its the one that's closest to my soul and it hurts that after the friend buys it hasn't sold a single copy in more than a week. And someone actually returned it the other day which made me sad. I'm just all bummed. Maybe the second book in the series will help. I have it on KDP promo next week. That sometimes helps me get a couple of reviews. The thing is, I've gotten a bunch of emails from people who read it and said they loved it! So I don't THINK its the book... My husband says it will find its time. Anyway, I'm just whining. I hope everyone else is having a great week! I thought the Amazon Prime Day would help me but I am actually having my worst week! Ha!


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

BelleAC said:


> I am having a tough week. Averaging maybe 2-3 sales a day... Which I know, for a beginner, is not bad. But NONE of them have been my newest YA book . (That Summer in my sig) Its the one that's closest to my soul and it hurts that after the friend buys it hasn't sold a single copy in more than a week. And someone actually returned it the other day which made me sad. I'm just all bummed. Maybe the second book in the series will help. I have it on KDP promo next week. That sometimes helps me get a couple of reviews. The thing is, I've gotten a bunch of emails from people who read it and said they loved it! So I don't THINK its the book... My husband says it will find its time. Anyway, I'm just whining. I hope everyone else is having a great week! I thought the Amazon Prime Day would help me but I am actually having my worst week! Ha!


Ugh! Sorry! It is good you have another book in the pipeline, and some promo lined up - but still, it totally sucks when the book you are most excited about gets no love.

I have my *closest to my soul* book for free this weekend because I was like, this is stupid, no one is reading this and I just want someone to, and if giving it away is the only way, so be it. Lol. Blah.

Hoping the weekend picks up for you, I always have more movement on Sat/Sun.


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## Guest (Jul 17, 2015)

Anya Monroe said:


> Ugh! Sorry! It is good you have another book in the pipeline, and some promo lined up -- but still, it totally sucks when the book you are most excited about gets no love.
> 
> I have my *closest to my soul* book for free this weekend because I was like, this is stupid, no one is reading this and I just want someone to, and if giving it away is the only way, so be it. Lol. Blah.
> 
> Hoping the weekend picks up for you, I always have more movement on Sat/Sun.


Yes! I am giving it away from July 21-23 next week because otherwise, nothing is going to happen. At this point I'd rather at least people see it and maybe want to spend money on the ones after. Sigh. This biz is tough.

But thanks for the kind words! My best days tend to be Mondays and Tuesdays, strangely enough!


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## Guest (Jul 17, 2015)

Anya, I just downloaded your freebie (which looks waaaay up my alley and I actually meant to download it earlier when I saw it on Freebooksy and now I want it even more because I just realized its yours) and you're #145 in the free store! Get it, girl!! Wooooot!


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

Hope sales pick up for you guys! Mine are up veryyyyy slightly from last month, but are still super low. 

(Anya, I'm going to go grab your freebie too-- every bit helps those rankings! ^_~)


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

BelleAC said:


> I am having a tough week. Averaging maybe 2-3 sales a day... Which I know, for a beginner, is not bad. But NONE of them have been my newest YA book . (That Summer in my sig) Its the one that's closest to my soul and it hurts that after the friend buys it hasn't sold a single copy in more than a week. And someone actually returned it the other day which made me sad. I'm just all bummed. Maybe the second book in the series will help. I have it on KDP promo next week. That sometimes helps me get a couple of reviews. The thing is, I've gotten a bunch of emails from people who read it and said they loved it! So I don't THINK its the book... My husband says it will find its time. Anyway, I'm just whining. I hope everyone else is having a great week! I thought the Amazon Prime Day would help me but I am actually having my worst week! Ha!


Maybe I'm totally off, but those numbers are fantastic for a newbie and your YA numbers are closer to normal. I think that your Belles books found a fantastic niche and it will just take a little longer for your YA to find its place  Good luck and with great reviews I don't think you have anything to worry about. YA does seem to sell way better once there are other books in a series....
That being said, I really hope the summer slump is a real thing and that numbers are going to go waay up this fall 
the two cents of a noob


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

Julz said:


> That being said, I really hope the summer slump is a real thing and that numbers are going to go waay up this fall


You and me both! I have a promo and release next month and I'm kind of nervous about it being a summer promo/release. *bites nails*


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## Guest (Jul 18, 2015)

Julz said:


> Maybe I'm totally off, but those numbers are fantastic for a newbie and your YA numbers are closer to normal. I think that your Belles books found a fantastic niche and it will just take a little longer for your YA to find its place  Good luck and with great reviews I don't think you have anything to worry about. YA does seem to sell way better once there are other books in a series....
> That being said, I really hope the summer slump is a real thing and that numbers are going to go waay up this fall
> the two cents of a noob


Thanks, Julz.  I love being a noob with you!


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

BelleAC said:


> Anya, I just downloaded your freebie (which looks waaaay up my alley and I actually meant to download it earlier when I saw it on Freebooksy and now I want it even more because I just realized its yours) and you're #145 in the free store! Get it, girl!! Wooooot!


Thanks! Hope you like it!

And that is funny we have such different days of the week where we see the best sales. Any other YA authors want to chime in on their best sales days?



JenEllision said:


> Hope sales pick up for you guys! Mine are up veryyyyy slightly from last month, but are still super low.
> 
> (Anya, I'm going to go grab your freebie too-- every bit helps those rankings! ^_~)


Thank you dear! <3 It's free today too! (This Too Is Love)


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## MKP (Jan 5, 2012)

I have a question for you guys!  What age of characters do you think YA readers most want to read about? I originally thought my characters were 17-19, but now I'm thinking they might be more like 19-22. Or, due to the circumstances, they're just really mature for their age. I guess this is entirely possible, considering Katniss Everdeen's young age. Halp?!


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

MKP said:


> I have a question for you guys!  What age of characters do you think YA readers most want to read about? I originally thought my characters were 17-19, but now I'm thinking they might be more like 19-22. Or, due to the circumstances, they're just really mature for their age. I guess this is entirely possible, considering Katniss Everdeen's young age. Halp?!


I think 19-22 are college kids, and wouldn't categorize it as YA (I picture YA as 14-18 year olds) &#8230; different life issues/problems they are facing in the different age brackets. However, lots of people have their NA in YA categories on Amazon. The reason I don't really like this is I would prefer to keep sexy with the sexy. And like 99% of all books with 19-22 year olds are sexy, like woah.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

JenEllision said:


> You and me both! I have a promo and release next month and I'm kind of nervous about it being a summer promo/release. *bites nails*


Me too! We can bite our nails together and then get a manicure 



BelleAC said:


> Thanks, Julz.  I love being a noob with you!


 



MKP said:


> I have a question for you guys!  What age of characters do you think YA readers most want to read about? I originally thought my characters were 17-19, but now I'm thinking they might be more like 19-22. Or, due to the circumstances, they're just really mature for their age. I guess this is entirely possible, considering Katniss Everdeen's young age. Halp?!


I totally agree with Anya. A few years ago NA wasn't really a thing, but now it's huge, so I say since it's there go with it. My series is starting at YA and although it will stay clean romance during the second half of the series because their ages will be college-isn, I'm going to categorize them accordingly  
Good luck!


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## smikeo (Dec 1, 2014)

MKP said:


> I have a question for you guys!  What age of characters do you think YA readers most want to read about? I originally thought my characters were 17-19, but now I'm thinking they might be more like 19-22. Or, due to the circumstances, they're just really mature for their age. I guess this is entirely possible, considering Katniss Everdeen's young age. Halp?!


Knowing what I know now, after creating an MC who's 14 years old, and seeing a lot of "she's a bit too young for my taste", I wouldn't go under 16. So 16-18 is perfect. Teenagers typically don't want to read about characters who are younger than them, and adults who read YA want to read about kids who already "think like adults".


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

Anya Monroe said:


> And that is funny we have such different days of the week where we see the best sales. Any other YA authors want to chime in on their best sales days?


Right now I sell 1 about every other day, but when I was selling more than one a day, weekends were my big hitters. 



Julz said:


> Me too! We can bite our nails together and then get a manicure


Sold!


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

Anya Monroe said:


> And that is funny we have such different days of the week where we see the best sales. Any other YA authors want to chime in on their best sales days?


I've never actually noticed if any days are particularly good, I just know that Sundays are the worst...or else reporting is just slow on Sundays. Conversely, I've found that my best days to do promos are Monday and Tuesday. I always seem to get higher in the ranks those days (less competition?).


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## Kessie Carroll (Jan 15, 2014)

Late week seems best for me--Thursday-Friday. Sales and reads aren't too bad, but I think my YA paranormal romance will do really good once the trilogy is complete.


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

Kessie Carroll said:


> Late week seems best for me--Thursday-Friday. Sales and reads aren't too bad, but I think my YA paranormal romance will do really good once the trilogy is complete.


Third books the charm, right? I'm working on the third, second, and sixth books in my respective series. Really can't wait to have them all out there!


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

I haven't had one sale in 10 days. Nor a borrow. I have a 99 cent promo on The Lady in Blue starting tomorrow but I was only able to line up a few free promo spots. I'm confident once I have an entire series out, I'll see better numbers. For now, it's all part of the learning curve.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

smikeo said:


> Knowing what I know now, after creating an MC who's 14 years old, and seeing a lot of "she's a bit too young for my taste", I wouldn't go under 16. So 16-18 is perfect. Teenagers typically don't want to read about characters who are younger than them, and adults who read YA want to read about kids who already "think like adults".


I'd agree with this. When I wrote character about 15 years old, I noticed that reviewers felt they were too immature. So now I write 16-18 so I can include a few swear words and more adult situations. A lot of teens 'read up'. Also, I get a lot of adult readers, so it makes sense to make my characters a bit more mature.


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

smikeo said:


> Knowing what I know now, after creating an MC who's 14 years old, and seeing a lot of "she's a bit too young for my taste", I wouldn't go under 16. So 16-18 is perfect. Teenagers typically don't want to read about characters who are younger than them, and adults who read YA want to read about kids who already "think like adults".


I couldn't agree more. My MC started out at 16, and turned 17 in book three. I can't wait for her to turn 18...though each of my books takes place over the course of only a few days, and usually only a month or two gets skipped between books, so it's going to be a while. She's kind of surpassed the whole getting permission from parents thing, but I can't wait for her to be able to legally do things on her own. So much simpler.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Sara C said:


> I've never actually noticed if any days are particularly good, I just know that Sundays are the worst...or else reporting is just slow on Sundays. Conversely, I've found that my best days to do promos are Monday and Tuesday. I always seem to get higher in the ranks those days (less competition?).


That's opposite of me! Sunday is by far my best selling day. I don't know why though...


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

It's funny because I get more downloads on weekends, but more sales during the week. I have no idea why. My sales and downloads always seem to be working in opposites. I guess my world just has a way of evening out?


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## JalexM (May 14, 2015)

So I just started work on my next novel which will be a standalone UF YA novel called, "Of Dreams, Beauty and Rage" and I got a question, does anybody have any examples of great third person YA novels? I want to write it in first person but I kill my protag at the end  so I don't think it's right to write in that tense. I'm thinking of writing it in third person past but most of the YA fiction I see now and days are in first person. It's a very personal and intimate story but I worry I won't be able to portray that in third person.


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

JalexM said:


> does anybody have any examples of great third person YA novels?


The only ones I can think of are 3rd person, but multi-POV, but I HIGHLY recommend:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor
The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer
The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle series) by Maggie Stiefvater
Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas


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## Vivi_Anna (Feb 12, 2011)

JalexM said:


> So I just started work on my next novel which will be a standalone UF YA novel called, "Of Dreams, Beauty and Rage" and I got a question, does anybody have any examples of great third person YA novels? I want to write it in first person but I kill my protag at the end  so I don't think it's right to write in that tense. I'm thinking of writing it in third person past but most of the YA fiction I see now and days are in first person. It's a very personal and intimate story but I worry I won't be able to portray that in third person.


An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Tithe, Ironside by Holly Black
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
Soulless by Christopher Golden
Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld


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## pdworkman (Jan 17, 2015)

I almost always use a third person limited POV. It works for me!


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

It's definitely possible to write a personal story in third person. You just need to go very deep. You can still portray an inner dialogue. I can't think of any good examples off the top of my head, but I'm sure there are some good ones in the list above! 

I would like to move into writing in third for at least a few future projects. I don't think this preference for first person is going to last forever.


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

Holly Black! for 3rd person.
Check out Tithe, The Darkest Part of the Forest, or The Coldest Girl in Coldtown.


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

pdworkman said:


> I almost always use a third person limited POV. It works for me!


I do also.



JalexM said:


> I'm thinking of writing it in third person past but most of the YA fiction I see now and days are in first person. It's a very personal and intimate story but I worry I won't be able to portray that in third person.


Write it the way you feel the story needs to be told.


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## JalexM (May 14, 2015)

Thanks all for the examples! I was getting worried because every time I liked at the most popular new YA novel's they were in first person. Now on to writing it.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

My Forsworn Book Release Facebook Party is happening right now for anyone who wants to stop by and see how it works. I'll be figuring it out myself as I go along!

https://www.facebook.com/events/743335479122769/


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

Evenstar said:


> That's opposite of me! Sunday is by far my best selling day. I don't know why though...


Sundays for me too! Followed by Mondays and Fridays. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, forget it.



sarahdalton said:


> I don't think this preference for first person is going to last forever.


Ooo, I hope not. I'm writing my new series in third person. I didn't realise quite how much of myself went into my protagonist when I wrote in first person. No wonder lots of readers didn't like her.  Third person seems to suit me much better, and I don't think I could go back to first now. I guess I'll find out next year whether it was a wise move or not to change, particularly as this series is a spin-off from the first.


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

Raquel Lyon said:


> Sundays for me too! Followed by Mondays and Fridays. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, forget it.





Evenstar said:


> That's opposite of me! Sunday is by far my best selling day. I don't know why though...


Well I guess it's not a reporting lag for me then! Interesting. I wonder if it's because the majority of my readers seem to be adults, and they're all buying my books while they procrastinate at work


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

jjyy said:


> How did it go Emily? I really wanted to have a look at this while it was going on, but I didn't have a chance. Hope it went well for you.


It was a lot of fun...but also exhausting. I hear some authors do 12-hour FB launch parties, and I can't imagine what that would be like! It was a very intense 3 hours. I was posting, responding to posts, and thinking ahead the entire time. I know I missed a lot of readers' questions or I didn't have time to reply (hi Avril!) because things happened waaay faster than I had anticipated.

We had all the posts/games/giveaways scripted beforehand, whether it was an introduction of a guest author or a "hey check out my new website" post. That made it easy to cut-and-paste into FB when it was time because we had something planned every 15 minutes. I did reviews of the guest authors' books and posted those, which turned out to be great conversation starters, plus I love turning people onto new books. It's really a great cross-promotional tool for us authors. We should all be doing this more! 

It's definitely a good idea to have a moderator. I couldn't have done it on my own. You need someone "bumping" posts that get overrun by newer posts - just to keep all the posts alive - while you're responding to readers.

I had a nice +17 boost in sales during the event, but the best part really was engaging with readers and potential readers. I had "party-goers" from all over - Portugal, Mexico, the Philippines...


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Emily Wibberley said:


> It was a lot of fun...but also exhausting. I hear some authors do 12-hour FB launch parties, and I can't imagine what that would be like! It was a very intense 3 hours. I was posting, responding to posts, and thinking ahead the entire time. I know I missed a lot of readers' questions or I didn't have time to reply (hi Avril!) because things happened waaay faster than I had anticipated.
> 
> We had all the posts/games/giveaways scripted beforehand, whether it was an introduction of a guest author or a "hey check out my new website" post. That made it easy to cut-and-paste into FB when it was time because we had something planned every 15 minutes. I did reviews of the guest authors' books and posted those, which turned out to be great conversation starters, plus I love turning people onto new books. It's really a great cross-promotional tool for us authors. We should all be doing this more!
> 
> ...


It sounds great! I was going to follow your progress but it ended up being a little late UK time and I was tucked up in bed. 

I'd like to have a go at one, but I'm not sure I have the time to put into it right now. I don't know how some authors juggle everything. Hats off to you for going for it! I had a look at all the comments afterwards and you got some great engagement!


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> I'd like to have a go at one, but I'm not sure I have the time to put into it right now. I don't know how some authors juggle everything. Hats off to you for going for it! I had a look at all the comments afterwards and you got some great engagement!


Basically, what Sarah said exactly! Also, I wish I had been able to "make it" to the party! An IRL event interfered *shakes fist*


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

Emily Wibberley said:


> It was a lot of fun...but also exhausting. I hear some authors do 12-hour FB launch parties, and I can't imagine what that would be like! It was a very intense 3 hours. I was posting, responding to posts, and thinking ahead the entire time. I know I missed a lot of readers' questions or I didn't have time to reply (hi Avril!) because things happened waaay faster than I had anticipated.


Hi Emily. From a guest point of view the event went smoothly and the regular posts were a great idea. It felt like there was always something happening. You replied to enough posts to let us know you were there and interacting with everyone. You did a great job and I certainly took notes in case I ever do one. Don't worry, they were positive notes. I enjoyed some of the questions you came up with and hope you continue to gain a few more sales from the event as attendees talk to friends about it.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

I was just told that I'm going to be a featured story on Wattpad. Not sure if or what this may do for my sales, visibility, etc...but I'm pretty excited nonetheless. I wanted to share here so that if I'm not following any of you yet, I wanted to start, so that my visibility (hopefully) on Wattpad can help out you all 
Just let me know or start following me and I'll follow back


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## pdworkman (Jan 17, 2015)

Congrats, Julz. I loved being featured on Wattpad. I know that it did bring in some sales, because I got private messages/e-mails from readers who went on to buy other books that were not on Wattpad. But I couldn't give you any numbers, and there wasn't a huge spike. But it got me web traffic, newsletter sign-ups, and fan mail. And it's fun to watch someone making comments on each chapter as they read through your book. Like listening over their shoulder.


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Congratz Julz!!! Thatz awesome!!!!!


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

pdworkman said:


> Congrats, Julz. I loved being featured on Wattpad. I know that it did bring in some sales, because I got private messages/e-mails from readers who went on to buy other books that were not on Wattpad. But I couldn't give you any numbers, and there wasn't a huge spike. But it got me web traffic, newsletter sign-ups, and fan mail. And it's fun to watch someone making comments on each chapter as they read through your book. Like listening over their shoulder.


That sounds amazing! I can't hope for much more than visibility  All of it sounds great...but I'm trying to expect nothing, that way anything will seem incredible  Does that make me a pessimist?



Emily Wibberley said:


> Congratz Julz!!! Thatz awesome!!!!!


Thank you, Emily!! I checked in on your Facebook a few times yesterday and it looks like it went incredibly well  Congrats right back to ya


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

JalexM said:


> Thanks all for the examples! I was getting worried because every time I liked at the most popular new YA novel's they were in first person. Now on to writing it.


Mine is also third person. I always write in third person. I'm surprised that so many YA novels are in 1st person as quite a large percentage of readers don't seem to like 1st person. (My friend said that when she was young and ill in bed and her Mom used to go to the library to get her some books she would call after her,"Please don't bring any 'I' books". )


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

You guys, I FINALLY got a bookbub! It's been a little over a year since "Xoe" ran as a free promotion on their YA list. Now I get to test the trilogy (first three Xoe books) in the same category for paid . Last year I paid $70, this year, $200. Hopefully it pays off!


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

Julz said:


> I was just told that I'm going to be a featured story on Wattpad.


Congrats.


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## Jill Nojack (Mar 7, 2014)

Sara C said:


> You guys, I FINALLY got a bookbub! It's been a little over a year since "Xoe" ran as a free promotion on their YA list. Now I get to test the trilogy (first three Xoe books) in the same category for paid . Last year I paid $70, this year, $200. Hopefully it pays off!


Congrats, Sara! Here's hoping it goes really. Sigh. I am so jealous. I am dying to give BookBub my money, but they just won't take it


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## J.J. Fitch (Jun 17, 2015)

Hi fellow YA writers!

I originally started a new thread for this, but I probably should've just posted directly to this thread. I'm self-publishing a novella (38,000 words) that's actually also written in close third person. I've been a kboards lurker until now  . Below is my cover reveal for my low magic YA fantasy. I'm so very happy with this cover (I asked the graphic artist for something along the lines of "Red Queen"), so I had to share it with the world. If you're interested in the graphic artist, contact DJ at http://t1visuals.com/t1v The cover is complete - so no changes are being made, but I just love it anyway. 










On the other hand, I would really appreciate comments on my blurb. Who knew this part would be so hard?? Thanks and best of luck to everyone!

_For fifteen-year old twins Lana and Aden, the mysterious black eggs they find in their poor, desert village are a way out of their miserable lives. With a little gold in their pockets, the sisters can escape the annual marriage auction. And the strange eggs should fetch quite a price._
_
But when tiny dragons hatch from the eggs, the ancient legends of vicious dragon warriors take on a new life. In their attempt to hide the dragons from sight, Aden and Lana are torn apart by their conniving mother. Forced into a loveless marriage, Lana can only watch as Aden is sold to a band of slave traders and taken far away. 
_
_As the sisters fight to reunite, their journey is plagued with dangerous strangers and an unforgiving desert. It is only when they discover the dragons' unique ability to bond with a human, do the sisters realize the power within their grasp -- and their potential to change the world. _


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## Jill Nojack (Mar 7, 2014)

J.J. Fitch said:


> On the other hand, I would really appreciate comments on my blurb. Who knew this part would be so hard?? Thanks and best of luck to everyone!
> 
> _For fifteen-year old twins Lana and Aden, the mysterious black eggs they find in their poor, desert village are a way out of their miserable lives. With a little gold in their pockets, the sisters can escape the annual marriage auction. And the strange eggs should fetch quite a price._[/font]
> _
> ...


That cover is gorgeous!

Your blurb, IMHO, is very good as is. The only phrase that troubled me a bit was "the ancient legends of vicious dragon warriors take on a new life."

I'm not sure that expresses what you mean to say: it says that legends take on a new life. But what you probably mean to indicate is that it changes things for the girls. I think you probably want to say it in a way that references back to your book's stars, not to a legend.

Anyway, the packaging makes me want to read it, and that's what a blurb and cover are meant to do.


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

Jill Nojack said:


> Congrats, Sara! Here's hoping it goes really. Sigh. I am so jealous. I am dying to give BookBub my money, but they just won't take it


Take heart, they rejected me for both Xoe and the Trilogy repeatedly over the past five months. My heart just about stopped when I finally got an email that didn't begin with "unfortunately". It's all about timing .


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## J.J. Fitch (Jun 17, 2015)

Jill Nojack said:


> Your blurb, IMHO, is very good as is. The only phrase that troubled me a bit was "the ancient legends of vicious dragon warriors take on a new life."
> 
> I'm not sure that expresses what you mean to say: it says that legends take on a new life. But what you probably mean to indicate is that it changes things for the girls. I think you probably want to say it in a way that references back to your book's stars, not to a legend.


Thanks, Jill! I definitely agree with you on that line. I struggled over it. I'll have to revisit that sentence.


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

Sara C said:


> Take heart, they rejected me for both Xoe and the Trilogy repeatedly over the past five months. My heart just about stopped when I finally got an email that didn't begin with "unfortunately". It's all about timing .


Congrats Sara! I apply each time I'm eligible, like clockwork, only to be shot down. I just loooooved when I applied for a free book promo and the returning email advised that to be accepted in the future, I could try dropping my price


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> Congrats Sara! I apply each time I'm eligible, like clockwork, only to be shot down. I just loooooved when I applied for a free book promo and the returning email advised that to be accepted in the future, I could try dropping my price


LOL. Next time I get rejected, I'll offer to _pay_ people 99 cents to download my book


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## H. S. St. Ours (Mar 24, 2012)

Sara C said:


> You guys, I FINALLY got a bookbub! It's been a little over a year since "Xoe" ran as a free promotion on their YA list. Now I get to test the trilogy (first three Xoe books) in the same category for paid . Last year I paid $70, this year, $200. Hopefully it pays off!


That's great, congrats! Definitely an example of why not to give up. Ever!


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

H. S. St. Ours said:


> That's great, congrats! Definitely an example of why not to give up. Ever!


So true. I really was about to just quit trying!


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

J.J. Fitch said:


> _For fifteen-year old twins Lana and Aden, the mysterious black eggs they find in their poor, desert village are a way out of their miserable lives. With a little gold in their pockets, the sisters can escape the annual marriage auction. And the strange eggs should fetch quite a price._[/font]
> _
> But when tiny dragons hatch from the eggs, the ancient legends of vicious dragon warriors take on a new life. In their attempt to hide the dragons from sight, Aden and Lana are torn apart by their conniving mother. Forced into a loveless marriage, Lana can only watch as Aden is sold to a band of slave traders and taken far away.
> _
> _As the sisters fight to reunite, their journey is plagued with dangerous strangers and an unforgiving desert. It is only when they discover the dragons' unique ability to bond with a human, do the sisters realize the power within their grasp -- and their potential to change the world. _


Are there any romantic elements in your novel? If so I would incorporate that in the blurb as I've found that to be a major selling point with YA. The premise is very exciting and marketable. It is Red Queen slash GOT slash The Winners Curse. Good luck!

And that cover is fantastic- I love it when a cover fits the vision I have for a book!


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

Sara C said:


> You guys, I FINALLY got a bookbub! It's been a little over a year since "Xoe" ran as a free promotion on their YA list. Now I get to test the trilogy (first three Xoe books) in the same category for paid . Last year I paid $70, this year, $200. Hopefully it pays off!


WOOHOO!! I am so excited for you! when is it scheduled? Are you going to line up any promo around it?


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

Anya Monroe said:


> WOOHOO!! I am so excited for you! when is it scheduled? Are you going to line up any promo around it?


Thank you! It's scheduled for the 30th. I'm _trying_ to line up some ads beforehand, but I've advertised the freebie (which is part of the trilogy that bookbub will be advertising) a ton lately, so I'm having trouble figuring out where to apply. I suppose even if sites have run the free book, the same people who downloaded that might buy the trilogy, but who knows? I at least applied for a $60 feature spot on ENT the same day I applied for the bookbub, but I'm yet to hear back from them. Plus, while I'm excited that the ad is so soon, 7 days doesn't give me long to sign up for things!


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Sara C said:


> Thank you! It's scheduled for the 30th. I'm _trying_ to line up some ads beforehand, but I've advertised the freebie (which is part of the trilogy that bookbub will be advertising) a ton lately, so I'm having trouble figuring out where to apply. I suppose even if sites have run the free book, the same people who downloaded that might buy the trilogy, but who knows? I at least applied for a $60 feature spot on ENT the same day I applied for the bookbub, but I'm yet to hear back from them. Plus, while I'm excited that the ad is so soon, 7 days doesn't give me long to sign up for things!


Ooh, I'm on Bookbub on the 28th with my dystopia trilogy! I'm really excited, and I've been rejected by them the last three times in a row. I think it's just what I need to boost my sales right now. I've booked a week of promotions because I decided to just go for it!

You could try Kindle Nation Daily, Kindle Books and Tips, Booksends, or Book Barbarian. I've had some decent results with them in the past.


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> Ooh, I'm on Bookbub on the 28th with my dystopia trilogy! I'm really excited, and I've been rejected by them the last three times in a row. I think it's just what I need to boost my sales right now. I've booked a week of promotions because I decided to just go for it!
> 
> You could try Kindle Nation Daily, Kindle Books and Tips, Booksends, or Book Barbarian. I've had some decent results with them in the past.


Wohoo! Looks like they're in a trilogy sort of mood this week, haha. So far I only have Bargain Ebook Hunter, Pixelscroll, Reading Deals, and Bargain Booksy, but I'm going to try for a few more. I wish us both the best of luck!


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## JalexM (May 14, 2015)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Mine is also third person. I always write in third person. I'm surprised that so many YA novels are in 1st person as quite a large percentage of readers don't seem to like 1st person. (My friend said that when she was young and ill in bed and her Mom used to go to the library to get her some books she would call after her,"Please don't bring any 'I' books". )


It's funny because I dislike first person as well but one of my favorite novels is in first person, Red Rising.


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## J.J. Fitch (Jun 17, 2015)

Anya Monroe said:


> Are there any romantic elements in your novel? If so I would incorporate that in the blurb as I've found that to be a major selling point with YA. The premise is very exciting and marketable. It is Red Queen slash GOT slash The Winners Curse. Good luck!
> 
> And that cover is fantastic-- I love it when a cover fits the vision I have for a book!


Actually, no romantic plot line in the first book of the series. I know it's a major selling point with YA, so I might be kicking myself later, but I really wanted to write a book without romance. I like to tell myself that the first few Harry Potter books didn't have romance, so maybe it'll work. We'll see how it goes.... 

But I was definitely binge-watching GOT when I wrote this...so I'm glad you saw that influence!!


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

J.J. Fitch said:


> Actually, no romantic plot line in the first book of the series. I know it's a major selling point with YA, so I might be kicking myself later, but I really wanted to write a book without romance. I like to tell myself that the first few Harry Potter books didn't have romance, so maybe it'll work. We'll see how it goes....
> 
> But I was definitely binge-watching GOT when I wrote this...so I'm glad you saw that influence!!


Oh, I think strong stories can sell well without romance, I was just mentioning it because if there WAS romance, it didn't come across in the blurb. Looks like your blurb is spot on for the story! When are you releasing it?


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

So thrilled for you both Sara and Julz


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Evenstar said:


> So thrilled for you both Sara and Julz





Avril Sabine said:


> Congrats.


Thank you!! 



Sara C said:


> You guys, I FINALLY got a bookbub! It's been a little over a year since "Xoe" ran as a free promotion on their YA list. Now I get to test the trilogy (first three Xoe books) in the same category for paid . Last year I paid $70, this year, $200. Hopefully it pays off!


Holy cow, Sara!!! I wouldn't be too worried about it paying off  Congratulations!!!


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## J.J. Fitch (Jun 17, 2015)

Anya Monroe said:


> Oh, I think strong stories can sell well without romance, I was just mentioning it because if there WAS romance, it didn't come across in the blurb. Looks like your blurb is spot on for the story! When are you releasing it?


Good thing to hear! Thanks! I'm hoping to release in September. Between a full time job and grad school, writing gets a little difficult. But I want to have the second one mostly done so I can release it almost at the same time. I've heard that's one of the best ways to launch your self-pub business.


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## pdworkman (Jan 17, 2015)

Julz said:


> That sounds amazing! I can't hope for much more than visibility  All of it sounds great...but I'm trying to expect nothing, that way anything will seem incredible  Does that make me a pessimist?


You'll either be right, or pleasantly surprised!


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

jjyy said:


> Congratulations!!


Thank you!


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## Guest (Jul 24, 2015)

Sara C said:


> You guys, I FINALLY got a bookbub! It's been a little over a year since "Xoe" ran as a free promotion on their YA list. Now I get to test the trilogy (first three Xoe books) in the same category for paid . Last year I paid $70, this year, $200. Hopefully it pays off!


Woo hoo! That's awesome!


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## Weibart (Oct 27, 2014)

*Joanna Penn* has a segment on her Podcast where she shares what listeners are doing while they listen to her show, *The Creative Penn Podcast*. During her latest episode, I got a shout-out from her during the segment

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/619503014433394688. Anyway, I'm a big fan of her show and it was very cool to hear my name read during the show!

I'm currently penciling and inking my first release, my graphic novel *"Intercept Now!"*. You can see some concept art from the book

__
https://66574262560%2Fheres-a-round-up-of-intercept-now-concept-art
, and my Instagram page has some additional peeks, too.



Sara C said:


> You guys, I FINALLY got a bookbub! It's been a little over a year since "Xoe" ran as a free promotion on their YA list. Now I get to test the trilogy (first three Xoe books) in the same category for paid . Last year I paid $70, this year, $200. Hopefully it pays off!


 Congratulations, Sara! That's awesome!


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

Weibart said:


> Congratulations, Sara! That's awesome!


Thank you, and I love your character designs! I would be super stoked about the shout-out too


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

Weibart said:


> During her latest episode, I got a shout-out from her during the segment
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/619503014433394688 while listening to her show. She asked to see an image from it so I tweeted a portion of an in-progress page from the book. It's the first inked page from the book I've shared online!


This is so cool! Congrats on the shout-out ^_^

(Edited for wonky quote formatting)


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## Weibart (Oct 27, 2014)

Sara C said:


> Thank you, and I love your character designs! I would be super stoked about the shout-out too


Thank you, Sara! I really appreciate it!  It's been exciting to draw the cast for the first release and see them appear on inked comic pages now. It's really fun and exciting to be in the "production" phase of making the book! I've put in a lot of hours on character designs you won't even see until my second release and after, so it's fun to have them next in line to draw for the coming releases.


JenEllision said:


> This is so cool! Congrats on the shout-out ^_^


Thank you, Jen! Joanna pronounced my name correctly which was wonderful! My last name has a habit of being mispronounced, understandably, so it was relief not to hear "weeble" or "way-bowl!"


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

Wheeee, I'll probably write up a general post about it at some point as it gets closer, but I'm all excited about the promo I have planned next month, so I had to tell someone! Finally heard back from ENT and I got the slot I applied for! This is the last one I was waiting to hear on. And it's my first BIG promo.

Granted, I got rejected for a BB (as I expected), but I booked a bunch of spots on other sites and between a new release and the promo that I have that week, I'm pretty optimistic about it all!


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## Guest (Jul 26, 2015)

JenEllision said:


> Wheeee, I'll probably write up a general post about it at some point as it gets closer, but I'm all excited about the promo I have planned next month, so I had to tell someone! Finally heard back from ENT and I got the slot I applied for! This is the last one I was waiting to hear on. And it's my first BIG promo.
> 
> Granted, I got rejected for a BB (as I expected), but I booked a bunch of spots on other sites and between a new release and the promo that I have that week, I'm pretty optimistic about it all!


That's so awesome. I have gotten very very close to top 100 free WITHOUT a BB so I bet you can easily do the same with all you have lined up. Keep us updated.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

JenEllision said:


> Wheeee, I'll probably write up a general post about it at some point as it gets closer, but I'm all excited about the promo I have planned next month, so I had to tell someone! Finally heard back from ENT and I got the slot I applied for! This is the last one I was waiting to hear on. And it's my first BIG promo.
> 
> Granted, I got rejected for a BB (as I expected), but I booked a bunch of spots on other sites and between a new release and the promo that I have that week, I'm pretty optimistic about it all!


ENT is amazing!! Good luck and I'm excited to watch your promo!!


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

Thanks all! It's a 0.99 promo since I'm wide and not ready to go perma-free yet, but I'm still pumped!


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

My week of promotions has started on my box set. I'm a little nervous, I really want this to go well (and need for it to go well!).

I'll try and do a breakdown of sales and promotions as it goes. I know YA doesn't always perform in the same way as general fiction so it might be interesting to see what happens. 

So far all I've done is switch on some Facebook Ads that I had originally turned off, and sent out an Email to my mailing list, but I also have Fussy Librarian, Ebook Hunter, Book Sends and Ebook Bargains UK booked for today.


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> My week of promotions has started on my box set. I'm a little nervous, I really want this to go well (and need for it to go well!).
> 
> I'll try and do a breakdown of sales and promotions as it goes. I know YA doesn't always perform in the same way as general fiction so it might be interesting to see what happens.
> 
> So far all I've done is switch on some Facebook Ads that I had originally turned off, and sent out an Email to my mailing list, but I also have Fussy Librarian, Ebook Hunter, Book Sends and Ebook Bargains UK booked for today.


Good luck, and keep us posted! My pre-bub promo starts tomorrow and I'm dying of anticipation.


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> My week of promotions has started on my box set. I'm a little nervous, I really want this to go well (and need for it to go well!).
> 
> I'll try and do a breakdown of sales and promotions as it goes. I know YA doesn't always perform in the same way as general fiction so it might be interesting to see what happens.
> 
> So far all I've done is switch on some Facebook Ads that I had originally turned off, and sent out an Email to my mailing list, but I also have Fussy Librarian, Ebook Hunter, Book Sends and Ebook Bargains UK booked for today.


Good luck!!!


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## CM Raymond (Jun 28, 2015)

Maybe this is buried in the thread, but I am looking for editor recommendations for Teen fiction. Arcanum Island went live as a serial, the reception has been quite good. Before I bundle the first season, I've decided to pay for another round of copy editing to help give it a sweet polish. 

Who would you recommend that won't break the bank and will help the book shine?

Thanks,
CM


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## jennyperinovic (Oct 24, 2014)

> Maybe this is buried in the thread, but I am looking for editor recommendations for Teen fiction. Arcanum Island went live as a serial, the reception has been quite good. Before I bundle the first season, I've decided to pay for another round of copy editing to help give it a sweet polish.
> 
> Who would you recommend that won't break the bank and will help the book shine?
> 
> ...


Hi CM! My copyeditor, Sarah Kettles, is FANTASTIC. [URL=http://www.sarahkettles]http://www.sarahkettles.com/editing/[/url]

I just have to flail around for a moment: I'm running a $0.99 sale right now for A MAGIC DARK AND BRIGHT, and it's going super well! I'm hanging out in the top 100 in three categories (for the first time EVER).  My first two days went without any sort of promo past twitter/fb, and today I had my first ENT ad go out, so fingers crossed everything keeps going well!


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> My week of promotions has started on my box set. I'm a little nervous, I really want this to go well (and need for it to go well!).
> 
> I'll try and do a breakdown of sales and promotions as it goes. I know YA doesn't always perform in the same way as general fiction so it might be interesting to see what happens.
> 
> So far all I've done is switch on some Facebook Ads that I had originally turned off, and sent out an Email to my mailing list, but I also have Fussy Librarian, Ebook Hunter, Book Sends and Ebook Bargains UK booked for today.


Sounds like a great line-up!! Good luck


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## A Woman&#039;s Place Is In The Rebellion (Apr 28, 2011)

sarahdalton said:


> My week of promotions has started on my box set. I'm a little nervous, I really want this to go well (and need for it to go well!).
> 
> I'll try and do a breakdown of sales and promotions as it goes. I know YA doesn't always perform in the same way as general fiction so it might be interesting to see what happens.
> 
> So far all I've done is switch on some Facebook Ads that I had originally turned off, and sent out an Email to my mailing list, but I also have Fussy Librarian, Ebook Hunter, Book Sends and Ebook Bargains UK booked for today.


I recommend Robin Reads for anyone with room in their promo schedule. They gave me the best results recently for my YA box set promo (out of ENT, BargainBooksy and a few smaller ones).


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## CM Raymond (Jun 28, 2015)

jennyperinovic said:


> Hi CM! My copyeditor, Sarah Kettles, is FANTASTIC. [URL=http://www.sarahkettles]http://www.sarahkettles.com/editing/[/url]
> 
> I just have to flail around for a moment: I'm running a $0.99 sale right now for A MAGIC DARK AND BRIGHT, and it's going super well! I'm hanging out in the top 100 in three categories (for the first time EVER).  My first two days went without any sort of promo past twitter/fb, and today I had my first ENT ad go out, so fingers crossed everything keeps going well!


Thanks Jenny! Her offerings confuse me a bit. I would call what I am looking for copy editing, but her description doesn't quite fit with what I am looking for.


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

jennyperinovic said:


> I just have to flail around for a moment: I'm running a $0.99 sale right now for A MAGIC DARK AND BRIGHT, and it's going super well! I'm hanging out in the top 100 in three categories (for the first time EVER).  My first two days went without any sort of promo past twitter/fb, and today I had my first ENT ad go out, so fingers crossed everything keeps going well!


Jenny: Look at you go! #8,832 Paid in Kindle Store

Woohoo!


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## Eric S. Kim (Oct 22, 2014)

This week, I'm starting on a YA project: an urban fantasy novel that centers on Russian (Slavic) mythology and creatures. I know that Russian mythology isn't as well-known as Egyptian or Roman mythology, but I'm willing to make it work as long as I make it interesting.

I'll mostly likely finish this WIP in the last week of August.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Augusta Blythe said:


> I recommend Robin Reads for anyone with room in their promo schedule. They gave me the best results recently for my YA box set promo (out of ENT, BargainBooksy and a few smaller ones).


I have them lined up for later in the week! I hadn't heard of them until a few weeks ago but most people recommend them.

Thanks for your kind words everyone. 

I think it went okay yesterday. I haven't had Draft 2 Digital sales for B&N or Apple yet, but so far it looks like I've sold 165 units of the boxed set. Most of those are on Amazon, a few on Kobo. I've gone up to #1800 in the Amazon store.

Today I've got Bookbub, Awesome Gang and Genre Pulse. I'll let you know how I get on!


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## jennyperinovic (Oct 24, 2014)

Anya Monroe said:


> Jenny: Look at you go! #8,832 Paid in Kindle Store
> 
> Woohoo!


!!! This is the coolest day ever. 



> Thanks Jenny! Her offerings confuse me a bit. I would call what I am looking for copy editing, but her description doesn't quite fit with what I am looking for.


CM, I went with what she calls "proofreading" and was really happy with the results!


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

CM Raymond said:


> Who would you recommend that won't break the bank and will help the book shine?


I've worked with Rebecca Coffindaffer on two books now and she does great work: http://raweston.com/home/editing-services/


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

Eric S. Kim said:


> I'm starting on a YA project: an urban fantasy novel that centers on Russian (Slavic) mythology and creatures.


That sounds interesting.


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## CM Raymond (Jun 28, 2015)

JenEllision said:


> I've worked with Rebecca Coffindaffer on two books now and she does great work: http://raweston.com/home/editing-services/


Thanks Jen!


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## Aya Ling (Nov 21, 2012)

sarahdalton said:


> I have them lined up for later in the week! I hadn't heard of them until a few weeks ago but most people recommend them.
> 
> Thanks for your kind words everyone.
> 
> ...


Good luck! I just grabbed a copy. I love YA dystopian and one set in Britain sounds great!


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## Guest (Jul 28, 2015)

So sales have been dead for me since Saturday... Today I published the third book in my YA paranormal serial. Hoping making it 99 cents will help me have a good debut ranking. I also put a couple of blurbs in the back of other YA authors with links. Hoping it helps them too!

Was wondering if anyone has had any luck doing promos for books in a series/serial that were NOT book one? I am doing a promo with bknights for a book 2 for the first time. Not sure what to expect.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Good luck, Sarah!! 

And my first book in my series always has a better result when it comes to promos, but I totally agree with Simone. It's still worth promoting later books


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Aya Ling said:


> Good luck! I just grabbed a copy. I love YA dystopian and one set in Britain sounds great!


Aww, thank you!

Well, Bookbub was a mammoth as always! I sold 1148 books yesterday. There are some reporting glitches, so I'm not sure how many of those are for each marketplace. I woke up early this morning to check the rankings and it had moved up to #97 in the store. It's really exciting and I feel very lucky, but if I'm honest, also a teeny bit deflated. I was hoping to replicate Michael Ploof's success and make it onto a USA Today bestseller list, but I don't think those sales are good enough. I think I needed double that amount, and to hit the top 50 on the overall ranking.

But, I still have plenty of promotions booked for the rest of the week so who knows? Maybe I'll get lucky.

Today I have Bargain Booksy, Ebook Soda, Read Cheaply, and Many Books.


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> Aww, thank you!
> 
> Well, Bookbub was a mammoth as always! I sold 1148 books yesterday. There are some reporting glitches, so I'm not sure how many of those are for each marketplace. I woke up early this morning to check the rankings and it had moved up to #97 in the store. It's really exciting and I feel very lucky, but if I'm honest, also a teeny bit deflated. I was hoping to replicate Michael Ploof's success and make it onto a USA Today bestseller list, but I don't think those sales are good enough. I think I needed double that amount, and to hit the top 50 on the overall ranking.
> 
> ...


Hey we'll be in Bargain Booksy together today  . Also, 1148 sales is _amazing_ you should be proud! Do you mind if I ask which category you ran in? I'm doing YA, and they chart says that around 700 sales is average.


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## Guest (Jul 29, 2015)

SimonePond said:


> First of all, congrats on publishing your THIRD book in the serial! Launching at 99 cents definitely helps. I got up to #13 in HNRs for my fourth book a few weeks ago. I've had luck doing promos for other books in my series that weren't book 1. It all helps. Hopefully the promo will entice them to get all three books in the series.
> 
> Good luck!


Thanks Simone! I am such a fan of you. You're such a sunny day here on this thread. I had an incredible launch day. My highest debut ranking at #9800. My goal was to have it around 11k so I am so happy. And I am promo-ing the second book today with bknights so I am hoping for more great news.

And Sarah Dalton, CONGRATS! Going to go download yours now!


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

BelleAC said:


> Thanks Simone! I am such a fan of you. You're such a sunny day here on this thread. I had an incredible launch day. My highest debut ranking at #9800. My goal was to have it around 11k so I am so happy. And I am promo-ing the second book today with bknights so I am hoping for more great news.
> 
> And Sarah Dalton, CONGRATS! Going to go download yours now!


That rocks, congrats! I need to follow whatever you're doing for your serial. Mine seems to be dead in the water.


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## Guest (Jul 29, 2015)

Sara C said:


> That rocks, congrats! I need to follow whatever you're doing for your serial. Mine seems to be dead in the water.


I'm happy to talk about it! I honestly think its been 30 percent finding some readers that love reading about paranormal stuff in the South. (Namely people who love books that take place in Charleston and Savannah) 25 percent writing my butt off and publishing a new one as soon as the newest one is starting to die, 25 percent promos with bknights, and 25 percent pure, beautiful luck.

Serials are tough. Most promo sites don't care for them and many readers don't love shorter works. Which is okay. I am slowly finding the ones who appreciate it. I've been so fortunate.


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## KatrinaAbbott (Jan 28, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> Well, Bookbub was a mammoth as always! I sold 1148 books yesterday. There are some reporting glitches, so I'm not sure how many of those are for each marketplace. I woke up early this morning to check the rankings and it had moved up to #97 in the store. It's really exciting and I feel very lucky, but if I'm honest, also a teeny bit deflated. I was hoping to replicate Michael Ploof's success and make it onto a USA Today bestseller list, but I don't think those sales are good enough. I think I needed double that amount, and to hit the top 50 on the overall ranking.
> 
> But, I still have plenty of promotions booked for the rest of the week so who knows? Maybe I'll get lucky.
> 
> Today I have Bargain Booksy, Ebook Soda, Read Cheaply, and Many Books.


That's awesome - congrats! Here's to a long tail, too.


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

BelleAC said:


> I'm happy to talk about it! I honestly think its been 30 percent finding some readers that love reading about paranormal stuff in the South. (Namely people who love books that take place in Charleston and Savannah) 25 percent writing my butt off and publishing a new one as soon as the newest one is starting to die, 25 percent promos with bknights, and 25 percent pure, beautiful luck.
> 
> Serials are tough. Most promo sites don't care for them and many readers don't love shorter works. Which is okay. I am slowly finding the ones who appreciate it. I've been so fortunate.


Thank you for sharing! I think I'll pop over and reserve an ad with BKnights. I did two free days, but I'm pretty sure the few reads I've had so far were probably from readers of my main series. I've got lots of niches going on: super dark fantasy bordering on horror, Norse myth, Fae, and with the next installment I even have vikings, so maybe I'll try and make those categories a little more clear. Regardless, I hope your series continues to thrive, it brings hope to the rest of us trying out the serial thing!


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Sara C said:


> Hey we'll be in Bargain Booksy together today  . Also, 1148 sales is _amazing_ you should be proud! Do you mind if I ask which category you ran in? I'm doing YA, and they chart says that around 700 sales is average.


It was the YA category.  Good luck for yours tomorrow, I'll be looking out for it! One thing I noticed when I did mine, was that the sales for India were tiny. I got 4 on Amazon and I don't think any on Kobo. it might not be worth clicking the add on promo for India on Bookbub, at least until they've built up more of a fan base. I think being on Flipkart is probably essential too.

Thanks guys! I feel a lot better today. I'm not going to expect to hit any bestseller lists and just enjoy the rest of the ride. 130 sales so far today.

Oh, and B&N and Apple sales were good yesterday. 180ish on B&N, and 160ish on Apple. I got to 53 in the store on B&N which was awesome!


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> It was the YA category.  Good luck for yours tomorrow, I'll be looking out for it! One thing I noticed when I did mine, was that the sales for India were tiny. I got 4 on Amazon and I don't think any on Kobo. it might not be worth clicking the add on promo for India on Bookbub, at least until they've built up more of a fan base. I think being on Flipkart is probably essential too.
> 
> Thanks guys! I feel a lot better today. I'm not going to expect to hit any bestseller lists and just enjoy the rest of the ride. 130 sales so far today.
> 
> Oh, and B&N and Apple sales were good yesterday. 180ish on B&N, and 160ish on Apple. I got to 53 in the store on B&N which was awesome!


Thank you! I'm pretty pleased with the results. 1058 sales overall including ibooks and nook, #192 overall in the paid store. Also, I reached #1 in two of my categories, so Amazon gave me the little orange bestseller icon! I was so excited when it showed up! Now let's just hope that both of us can stick up there in the rankings for a good long while


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## AnonWriter (Dec 12, 2013)

Congrats, Sara! And thanks for posting your data for all us YAers. =D


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

Emily Wibberley said:


> Congrats, Sara! And thanks for posting your data for all us YAers. =D


No problem! I can firmly say that the YA categories, at least on the sites I used, are definitely worth it!


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Sara C said:


> Thank you! I'm pretty pleased with the results. 1058 sales overall including ibooks and nook, #192 overall in the paid store. Also, I reached #1 in two of my categories, so Amazon gave me the little orange bestseller icon! I was so excited when it showed up! Now let's just hope that both of us can stick up there in the rankings for a good long while


Woohoo! That's great news. Congrats. 

Today is my last day of the sale. I'm on the Kboards ads today!

So far this week, I've found Bookbub, KND/Bookgorilla, and ENT to be the most effective advertisers. Tomorrow I'll figure out some numbers and report back.


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## jessie520 (Jul 26, 2015)

Brand new to Kboards, but I've been lurking for quite some time! Excited to jump into this talented group of YA authors  

I write YA (and NA, sometimes) paranormal romance, fantasy, and urban fantasy with a historical twist. Right now I'm focused on 18th century/American Revolution, but I do have a series in mind (and somewhat plotted/outlined) set in Victorian New York City, specifically Five Points. 

I've just published a YA short story but I'm definitely looking to publish a novel next!


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> Woohoo! That's great news. Congrats.
> 
> Today is my last day of the sale. I'm on the Kboards ads today!
> 
> So far this week, I've found Bookbub, KND/Bookgorilla, and ENT to be the most effective advertisers. Tomorrow I'll figure out some numbers and report back.


Excited to hear the rest of your results! I dropped the ball on planning ads _after_ my bub, haha, but oh well. I'm starting to see sell-through on book 4 and 5 at least.



jessie520 said:


> Brand new to Kboards, but I've been lurking for quite some time! Excited to jump into this talented group of YA authors
> 
> I write YA (and NA, sometimes) paranormal romance, fantasy, and urban fantasy with a historical twist. Right now I'm focused on 18th century/American Revolution, but I do have a series in mind (and somewhat plotted/outlined) set in Victorian New York City, specifically Five Points.
> 
> I've just published a YA short story but I'm definitely looking to publish a novel next!


Welcome! This is the post to hang around, as far as i'm concerned


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## Guest (Aug 2, 2015)

jessie520 said:


> Brand new to Kboards, but I've been lurking for quite some time! Excited to jump into this talented group of YA authors
> 
> I write YA (and NA, sometimes) paranormal romance, fantasy, and urban fantasy with a historical twist. Right now I'm focused on 18th century/American Revolution, but I do have a series in mind (and somewhat plotted/outlined) set in Victorian New York City, specifically Five Points.
> 
> I've just published a YA short story but I'm definitely looking to publish a novel next!


I love historical fiction. Just downloaded your short story on my Kindle Unlimited. Excited to read it!

And this is possibly my favorite thread on Kboards. Supportive group of YA writers. I love the vibe here. Let us know when your novel is out!


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## jessie520 (Jul 26, 2015)

Sara C said:


> Welcome! This is the post to hang around, as far as i'm concerned


Thank you! 



BelleAC said:


> I love historical fiction. Just downloaded your short story on my Kindle Unlimited. Excited to read it!
> 
> And this is possibly my favorite thread on Kboards. Supportive group of YA writers. I love the vibe here. Let us know when your novel is out!


Oh, thank you! I hope you enjoy it! 

It seems like you have quite a great group here. I'll of course keep everyone updated!


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

jessie520 said:


> Brand new to Kboards, but I've been lurking for quite some time! Excited to jump into this talented group of YA authors
> 
> I write YA (and NA, sometimes) paranormal romance, fantasy, and urban fantasy with a historical twist. Right now I'm focused on 18th century/American Revolution, but I do have a series in mind (and somewhat plotted/outlined) set in Victorian New York City, specifically Five Points.
> 
> I've just published a YA short story but I'm definitely looking to publish a novel next!


Welcome to Kboards and the YA thread! Can I just say - yay on having another historical fantasy YA writer here. It's a niche genre but mine sell steadily, if not spectacularly.


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## jessie520 (Jul 26, 2015)

CJArcher said:


> Welcome to Kboards and the YA thread! Can I just say - yay on having another historical fantasy YA writer here. It's a niche genre but mine sell steadily, if not spectacularly.


Thank you! That's great to hear, I've been wondering about that. It seems like it would be a niche genre, but I'm glad there's a lot of interest. Nice to meet you as well!


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

jessie520 said:


> Brand new to Kboards, but I've been lurking for quite some time! Excited to jump into this talented group of YA authors
> 
> I write YA (and NA, sometimes) paranormal romance, fantasy, and urban fantasy with a historical twist. Right now I'm focused on 18th century/American Revolution, but I do have a series in mind (and somewhat plotted/outlined) set in Victorian New York City, specifically Five Points.
> 
> I've just published a YA short story but I'm definitely looking to publish a novel next!


Nice to "meet" you, Jessie!


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

jessie520 said:


> Brand new to Kboards, but I've been lurking for quite some time!


Welcome.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

HI all, just posting the details of new box set I'm putting together x

[URL=http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,219736.0]http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,219736.0.html[/url]


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

jessie520 said:


> Brand new to Kboards, but I've been lurking for quite some time! Excited to jump into this talented group of YA authors
> 
> I write YA (and NA, sometimes) paranormal romance, fantasy, and urban fantasy with a historical twist. Right now I'm focused on 18th century/American Revolution, but I do have a series in mind (and somewhat plotted/outlined) set in Victorian New York City, specifically Five Points.
> 
> I've just published a YA short story but I'm definitely looking to publish a novel next!


Love the cover for your short story!

Welcome to Kboards and welcome to this thread.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Okay, I've added up my sales for the big promo on my YA Dystopia box set. 

Overall, I got 2819 sales (from all vendors and countries)

Amazon - 2163
Apple - 231
B&N - 293
Kobo - 132

Bookbub was by far the most effective. If I was going to do this again, I would go for a more effective promotion the day before Bookbub. I thought Booksends would be enough, but I think I should have gone for ENT. I also wish I'd gone for a more effective promo the day after Bookbub to keep the momentum going. Maybe KND. 

I think it's pretty tough to reach the bestseller lists with a YA book. Next time, I think I'll try either a fantasy or paranormal book that can go in fantasy or paranormal on Bookbub. I don't think I'll bother with Facebook Ads. That was money down the drain. I almost kicked myself today because I realised that I completely forgot to book BKnights just before the promotion. I doubt it would have made that much difference though.  

I've not made even on the money I spent on promos just yet, but I put the price up to $4.99 and I'm hoping that the boost in visibility and reasonable price will generate more income this month. I think this will be my last promotion on this series for a while. I think I'll concentrate on my other books. Next plan - permafree on a YA fantasy. 

Thanks so much for the support, guys. Hopefully this will be useful for anyone planning a box set promotion on a YA series.


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## Guest (Aug 3, 2015)

sarahdalton said:


> Okay, I've added up my sales for the big promo on my YA Dystopia box set.
> 
> Overall, I got 2819 sales (from all vendors and countries)
> 
> ...


Thank you for sharing with us! I have found the same with my YA book. Its very tough for it to break onto any kind of list. Even when it was ranked in the mid thousands, it didn't come close to making a subcategory list. 

I hope your tail lasts and lasts! And that the higher price can help you break beyond even.


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## jessie520 (Jul 26, 2015)

Thanks everyone! So nice to meet you all


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> Okay, I've added up my sales for the big promo on my YA Dystopia box set.
> 
> Overall, I got 2819 sales (from all vendors and countries)
> 
> ...


Awesome numbers! The genre is definitely the only reason you didn't make it onto the bestseller's list. In the end you had 1000 more sales than me on Amazon (I had 800 on bookbub day), so I'm pretty sure I only got it because teens>fantasy>coming of age is a more obscure genre choice.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

jessie520 said:


> Brand new to Kboards, but I've been lurking for quite some time! Excited to jump into this talented group of YA authors
> 
> I write YA (and NA, sometimes) paranormal romance, fantasy, and urban fantasy with a historical twist. Right now I'm focused on 18th century/American Revolution, but I do have a series in mind (and somewhat plotted/outlined) set in Victorian New York City, specifically Five Points.
> 
> I've just published a YA short story but I'm definitely looking to publish a novel next!


Welcome 



sarahdalton said:


> Okay, I've added up my sales for the big promo on my YA Dystopia box set.
> 
> Overall, I got 2819 sales (from all vendors and countries)
> 
> ...


Congratulations, Sarah!! I'm sure you'll make the money back soon


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Sara C said:


> Awesome numbers! The genre is definitely the only reason you didn't make it onto the bestseller's list. In the end you had 1000 more sales than me on Amazon (I had 800 on bookbub day), so I'm pretty sure I only got it because teens>fantasy>coming of age is a more obscure genre choice.


Ahh, I meant the bestseller lists like the New York Times and USA Today. Some other authors have made it by reducing their box set to 99c, but I'm not sure there's as much demand for YA. I got to number one on the YA dystopia subcategory and 97 in the Amazon store. It lasted one day but it was pretty sweet.


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> Ahh, I meant the bestseller lists like the New York Times and USA Today. Some other authors have made it by reducing their box set to 99c, but I'm not sure there's as much demand for YA. I got to number one on the YA dystopia subcategory and 97 in the Amazon store. It lasted one day but it was pretty sweet.


Ahhh, ok, it all makes sense now! I was like really? How on earth did she not get up there? I've never even dreamed of making it on the big bestseller lists, lol. I agree that it would be ridiculously hard to get something YA up there.


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

gone gone gone said:


> Hey, fellow YA authors! I haven't been around for a bit - been in my writing cave, pounding away on the keyboard.
> 
> If you're a California author, I have a fab opportunity for you! I am collecting bookmarks to be given out at the National Book Festival in Washington, DC.
> 
> All the details are in this thread: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,220335.msg3077701.html#msg3077701


Well I'm not a Cali author, but I was glad to see this post back in my "show new replies to posts" section. The YA thread lives!


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## rshane (Aug 8, 2015)

Hi everyone,

Just introducing myself. I have a traditionally pubbed YA (the first one in my sig) and an indie pubbed YA contemporary releasing Sept 8. (And an NA series releasing later this fall.) Very excited to be here! I'm enjoying having so much control over the entire publishing process. 

I'm currently trying to get my keywords right and setting up promos for launch.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Does anyone know the best way to go permafree on Amazon? I've tried the 'make it free' thread and reporting the book as free elsewhere, but it doesn't seem to be working. I know there's a way to Email them and ask for it to go free, but I've never done that before.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

rshane said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> Just introducing myself. I have a traditionally pubbed YA (the first one in my sig) and an indie pubbed YA contemporary releasing Sept 8. (And an NA series releasing later this fall.) Very excited to be here! I'm enjoying having so much control over the entire publishing process.
> 
> I'm currently trying to get my keywords right and setting up promos for launch.


Welcome! I love your covers.


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> Does anyone know the best way to go permafree on Amazon? I've tried the 'make it free' thread and reporting the book as free elsewhere, but it doesn't seem to be working. I know there's a way to Email them and ask for it to go free, but I've never done that before.


Yep, just going into KDP and use the "contact us" link. Be super polite about it, and usually they will have it free within 12 hours, though sometimes it only takes 1 or 2. It helps to also include the links to other vendors where you have it free.



rshane said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> Just introducing myself. I have a traditionally pubbed YA (the first one in my sig) and an indie pubbed YA contemporary releasing Sept 8. (And an NA series releasing later this fall.) Very excited to be here! I'm enjoying having so much control over the entire publishing process.
> 
> I'm currently trying to get my keywords right and setting up promos for launch.


Welcome!


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

Sara C said:


> Yep, just going into KDP and use the "contact us" link. Be super polite about it, and usually they will have it free within 12 hours, though sometimes it only takes 1 or 2. It helps to also include the links to other vendors where you have it free.


Awesome, thanks so much. I've always been nervous of trying it, because going free used to be 'technically' against their TOCs, but they seem to be okay with it now.


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

rshane said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> Just introducing myself. I have a traditionally pubbed YA (the first one in my sig) and an indie pubbed YA contemporary releasing Sept 8. (And an NA series releasing later this fall.) Very excited to be here! I'm enjoying having so much control over the entire publishing process.
> 
> I'm currently trying to get my keywords right and setting up promos for launch.


Hi and welcome!


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

rshane said:


> Just introducing myself. I have a traditionally pubbed YA (the first one in my sig) and an indie pubbed YA contemporary releasing Sept 8. (And an NA series releasing later this fall.) Very excited to be here! I'm enjoying having so much control over the entire publishing process.


Welcome and good luck with your new books.


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## chrisstevenson (Aug 10, 2012)

My goal is to sell my YA urban fantasy to one of the Big 5. My agent did a quick first round to NYC without results. She allowed me to sub to the smaller and independent presses. In sight of six month I got 10 contract offers. My agent and I saw deal breakers in everyone of them. My agent just recently decided to try a second round with the big guys. This is after I did a complete edit and rewrite. 

My future project includes a sequel to the above mentioned fantasy. I'm naming it Screamcatcher; Hell's World. I just hit the 40,000 word mark today, so I have high hopes of finishing and editing it in less than two months. God willing.

My health is failing so I'm trying to crank out what I can while I've still got the oxygen.


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> Awesome, thanks so much. I've always been nervous of trying it, because going free used to be 'technically' against their TOCs, but they seem to be okay with it now.


It still kind of is against their TOCs, but if we sell more, they sell more. I know some people have dealt with some rudeness when contacting the zon, but I've always gone at it from the angle of, "I know you don't _have_ to do this, but pretty, pretty please?". They're usually really nice in return because I think they're used to people freaking out on them .


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

SimonePond said:


> Wanted to say hi and welcome to the new folks! And congrats on those awesome sales Sarah!
> 
> My sales have been blah lately. Trying not to let it get me down. But it's a bit frustrating.
> 
> Best remedy is turning my focus toward the joyful parts of this journey ---> the writing.


I'm attempting to do the same thing. I've been waaaay to caught up lately in promos, making new covers, keyword changing, etc. Gotta play that long game and get more books out


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## Guest (Aug 16, 2015)

SimonePond said:


> Wanted to say hi and welcome to the new folks! And congrats on those awesome sales Sarah!
> 
> My sales have been blah lately. Trying not to let it get me down. But it's a bit frustrating.
> 
> Best remedy is turning my focus toward the joyful parts of this journey ---> the writing.


Simone, not that I'm happy your sales are blah, but its a tiny bit comforting to know I'm not the only one having a womp womp August. I do hope things have gotten better since your post though!

My KU reads are awful this week. My sales have been okay. Nothing stellar. But I'm publishing the sequel to my contemporary YA book on August 27th so I'm hoping that gives things a jolt. My mailing list is growing and my audiobook for my first book is doing pretty decent so there IS stuff to celebrate. I have a ton of stuff coming out before the holidays so it will be a busy time. Anyone have anything special planned? I thought of writing a Christmas themed book for one of my series. Not sure yet but I suppose now is the time to get on it! Can't believe summer is over.

Thanks for being a supportive group of ladies! (And gents. I don't want to forget any of the YA gents out there)


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## Guest (Aug 16, 2015)

Sara C said:


> I'm attempting to do the same thing. I've been waaaay to caught up lately in promos, making new covers, keyword changing, etc. Gotta play that long game and get more books out


Ditto. Spending way too much time on stuff that isn't writing.

We should do sprints sometime. I've been using Chris's 5000 Words an Hour app and its helped me a ton. I've written 3400 in about 2 hours today which is pretty speedy for me.


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

Sara C said:


> I've been waaaay to caught up lately in promos, making new covers, keyword changing, etc. Gotta play that long game and get more books out


Thisssss. Sometimes, that's the danger of the boards-- They're all good things to do, but I get distracted from the actual _writing_ ^_^


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## KDKinney (Aug 16, 2015)

Waving to all of you here.   I've been lurking off and on for a few years and felt it was time to jump in and say hello now that I've taken the plunge and have actually published something. I write YA and I have a novel and 2 parts to a series out right now. The novel is sort of out there for YA-It's a Western. Which actually has me ranked pretty well on the Young Adult- Western list even though my sales are lackluster. It's only been out since the end of July. From what I've gleaned here so far-probably wasn't the most active time to send something new out into the world. 

The series I have out is Apocalyptic, Spec-Fic. It has done Okay but nothing like many of you. It did rank as high as #2 in short reads YA right after it was released. I will be putting out the first book in a YA fantasy series soon and have a lot of finished work I can publish. It took a lot of time to write and edit. WoW, does it take a lot of time to get one ready to go. I'm kind of all over the place genre-wise in YA but maybe something will take off. I'm still building my platform and my author presence. Unfortunately, I can hear the crickets chirping still, but hoping that since I'm pretty prolific that it will turn around once I keep building what I have out there.  

Hope to make a few friends here and love all the great information on KBoards.


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

*waves* welcome!


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

KDKinney said:


> I've been lurking off and on for a few years and felt it was time to jump in and say hello now that I've taken the plunge and have actually published something.


Welcome. I also write in numerous genres. Good luck with your books.


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## SunshineOnMe (Jan 11, 2014)

Hi everyone! This thread has been super helpful. I'm not sure if my fiction is in this section, but I think so? This is my first fiction book, so I'm still learning the ropes. Okay, getting back to reading!


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

My sales suck too this month. I only have 2 books out (and a short story) and it feels near impossible to bring in new readers.
YA seems like the toughest market. I only write YA, so I have no way to compare to adult fiction, but it feels like it.


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## rshane (Aug 8, 2015)

KDKinney said:


> The novel is sort of out there for YA-It's a Western. Which actually has me ranked pretty well on the Young Adult- Western list even though my sales are lackluster. It's only been out since the end of July.


Actually from what I hear, YA Western is going to be the next hot thing!


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## KDKinney (Aug 16, 2015)

rshane said:


> Actually from what I hear, YA Western is going to be the next hot thing!


I hope so! When I started querying it, I had some great agent interest and several full requests and an R&R from one with no direction on what to do. Around the same time Under a Painted Sky was sold by agent Kristin Nelson and now it is out. So I had high hopes at the time. It has had some great reviews from people when I posted the rough version on Wattpad. So maybe I'm getting in at the right time. We'll see. It has a good classic looking Western cover but I'm thinking now maybe it's not the best cover for the YA crowd.


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## SunshineOnMe (Jan 11, 2014)

So... I published 4 days ago... what should I do next?

*I know, I know... write the next book.*


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## rshane (Aug 8, 2015)

KDKinney said:


> I hope so! When I started querying it, I had some great agent interest and several full requests and an R&R from one with no direction on what to do. Around the same time Under a Painted Sky was sold by agent Kristin Nelson and now it is out. So I had high hopes at the time. It has had some great reviews from people when I posted the rough version on Wattpad. So maybe I'm getting in at the right time. We'll see. It has a good classic looking Western cover but I'm thinking now maybe it's not the best cover for the YA crowd.


There's also Vengeance Road, which comes out really soon I believe. I think a few others have sold since. When I was at Book Expo America in May, everyone was talking about how Westerns would be the next trend in YA. So I think you've hit the genre at exactly the right time! The trend in covers for the westerns seems to be graphic design/illustration heavy.


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## Vivi_Anna (Feb 12, 2011)

Anyone have YA books in KU?  I'm thinking about trying mine out there... I have two novels, Static and Electric.


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## KDKinney (Aug 16, 2015)

rshane said:


> There's also Vengeance Road, which comes out really soon I believe. I think a few others have sold since. When I was at Book Expo America in May, everyone was talking about how Westerns would be the next trend in YA. So I think you've hit the genre at exactly the right time! The trend in covers for the westerns seems to be graphic design/illustration heavy.


hmm... Now I'm unsure what my thoughts are on my cover. I've never asked for opinions on it. Mainly because this one fit the story extremely well even though there is nothing really YA about it.


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## SunshineOnMe (Jan 11, 2014)

Mine is in KU- So far KU has been pretty good to me, be it 1 or 2.


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## Guest (Aug 17, 2015)

SimonePond said:


> Hi Belle! Thanks for the internet hug of support. Sales are a little better. I made all of my short stories free this weekend, so that will hopefully get some new readers and visibility. Just have to keep playing around with things. I have a Midlist at the end of the month, so we'll see how that goes. I reallllly miss Select, but I'm trying to be patient. I've only been wide for three months. I know it takes time... Curious what you're doing for your audio book promos? I'm not impressed with my sales. It was an expensive investment and I'm not seeing much on the returns. Any suggestions? I did an audioblast giveaway. Maybe I'll do another one.
> 
> Your sequel will definitely bring some spark into your sales. Maybe consider lowering the price for the first book to 99 cents and doing some promos for that - BKKnights is my favorite. I love the idea of the Christmas themed book. Make it a romance and you'll be golden.
> 
> ...


Glad to hear its picked up a bit! I bet the freebies will help. I ended up actually having a great sales day today, one of my best in a couple weeks. So that was nice. As far as the audiobook goes, I think a lot of it has been just plain luck. I had quite a few readers ask me when it was coming out because they listen to books on their commutes. I also did an audiobook blast and I posted about it in a couple of audiobook groups on FB. I also have the very good fortune of having a narrator who has a little bit of a social media following, so I think that has helped. I did royalty share so I didn't have anything to lose up front which probably makes it a loss less stressful, though I wish I could afford to front the money because I am getting no bites on narrators for my contemporary YA. I ended up just taking it down after a couple months. Its hard when we have no control over the pricing. I wish we did.

Thanks for the advice on the sequel! I am going to make it 99 cents (the first book) and I also have an eBook soda promo for it the day of the new book's release. I also have a Midlist promo in October for my paranormal series, so that should be fun! I have a feeling the fall will be good for all of us! Just gotta keep gettin' it done. Oh! The Christmas romance is a good idea. After I finish edits this week I should probably start on that. And yessss to Bknights. That guy is awesome. Huge reason I have had some of my best weeks.



KGGiarratano said:


> My sales suck too this month. I only have 2 books out (and a short story) and it feels near impossible to bring in new readers.
> YA seems like the toughest market. I only write YA, so I have no way to compare to adult fiction, but it feels like it.


I think YA is pretty tough. I'm learning as I go but it does seem harder to get sales for my contemporary YA series. Just keep goin'. You have cool covers and and awesome premises for your books.



Vivi_Anna said:


> Anyone have YA books in KU? I'm thinking about trying mine out there... I have two novels, Static and Electric.


I do! And it actually does pretty well! It doesn't sell as much as my paranormal series but it does better in KU.


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

BelleAC said:


> Ditto. Spending way too much time on stuff that isn't writing.
> 
> We should do sprints sometime. I've been using Chris's 5000 Words an Hour app and its helped me a ton. I've written 3400 in about 2 hours today which is pretty speedy for me.


Man, I need to get on that. I've only been writing around 1K a day lately!


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

KGGiarratano said:


> My sales suck too this month. I only have 2 books out (and a short story) and it feels near impossible to bring in new readers.
> YA seems like the toughest market. I only write YA, so I have no way to compare to adult fiction, but it feels like it.


It definitely is a little more tough. I have an adult dark fantasy romance series that I've been releasing over the past two months, and I also have one book so far in my adult epic fantasy. Both of the new ones do SO much better in promotions. That being said, I've built up my YA over the past year and it is currently my money maker. It can be done, it just takes a little more effort than some of the other genres .

Also, welcome hugs to all of the newbies to this thread!


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## AlexStiner (Nov 12, 2014)

sarahdalton said:


> I really want to get to know more YA authors because I want to do a lot more cross promotion this year. It's also great to keep up with what's going on and connect on our social media platforms.
> 
> So, to get the ball rolling, what are everyone's goals for 2015? What are you working on?


I'm a newbie with one novella on Amazon, definitely NOT a YA book. Currently working on book 2 of a mature YA series and will likely self-pub several at once to make the algorithms work for me (if I'm understanding it correctly). Not sure I'll stick with YA, but I've got germs of a few more books with these two characters, and I want to see how things turn out for them. I'm writing the type of book I would have liked as a high schooler: rather dark with real problems and real stakes. Making it through comes at a steep emotional and psychological cost. As a high-schooler I think I would've gravitated toward that type of book, so hopefully there's plenty of teens out there (or adults) wanting that sort of thing.

From a production standpoint, my goal is to write 1,000 words a day, seven days a week (I have a day job and kids, so I feel it's tough-but-achievable). My biggest tip to any new writers would be to put yourself on a draw system. I owe myself 4 pages a day (1,000 wds) and a deficit builds up if I don't finish it. Right now I'm 6 pages behind the draw (i.e. if I write 10 pages today, I'm all caught up), but my average daily output has quadrupled since I started doing it a few weeks ago because I don't want to fall behind.

In short I hope to end this year with 2 full-length mature YA books mostly finished with the series done by the end of 2016. Not seeing money from this yet, but loving the process and for the first time in years I look forward to what I'm doing every day and feel like I'm making a unique contribution.


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## Vivi_Anna (Feb 12, 2011)

2015 goals:  I have a LGBT YA contemp going out on submission with my agent this week.  I am thinking about republishing Static and Electric with a cool new author co-operative.  I'm writing the 3rd book in my NA werebear serial, then I'm going to work on some more NA PNRs, and I'm also working on my next contemporary YA


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## OEGaudio (Jul 26, 2012)

KGGiarratano said:


> My sales suck too this month. I only have 2 books out (and a short story) and it feels near impossible to bring in new readers.
> YA seems like the toughest market. I only write YA, so I have no way to compare to adult fiction, but it feels like it.


I'm in the same boat. I had a new release near the end of July and by the fifth of August my sales just tanked. They picked up a little the last couple days... so hopefully that's going to be a thing.



Vivi_Anna said:


> Anyone have YA books in KU? I'm thinking about trying mine out there... I have two novels, Static and Electric.


You could always give it a shot. My YA books did terrible in KU, but that was a while ago. Right now iBooks for me is about 85% of sales, so even if I wanted to I couldn't try out KU again.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

AlexStiner said:


> I'm a newbie with one novella on Amazon, definitely NOT a YA book. Currently working on book 2 of a mature YA series and will likely self-pub several at once to make the algorithms work for me (if I'm understanding it correctly). Not sure I'll stick with YA, but I've got germs of a few more books with these two characters, and I want to see how things turn out for them. I'm writing the type of book I would have liked as a high schooler: rather dark with real problems and real stakes. Making it through comes at a steep emotional and psychological cost. As a high-schooler I think I would've gravitated toward that type of book, so hopefully there's plenty of teens out there (or adults) wanting that sort of thing.
> 
> From a production standpoint, my goal is to write 1,000 words a day, seven days a week (I have a day job and kids, so I feel it's tough-but-achievable). My biggest tip to any new writers would be to put yourself on a draw system. I owe myself 4 pages a day (1,000 wds) and a deficit builds up if I don't finish it. Right now I'm 6 pages behind the draw (i.e. if I write 10 pages today, I'm all caught up), but my average daily output has quadrupled since I started doing it a few weeks ago because I don't want to fall behind.
> 
> In short I hope to end this year with 2 full-length mature YA books mostly finished with the series done by the end of 2016. Not seeing money from this yet, but loving the process and for the first time in years I look forward to what I'm doing every day and feel like I'm making a unique contribution.


I like your method of meeting your writing goals. Right now I'm also looking at increasing my writing productivity. I just bought the 5000 words per hour book, so I'm going to read that and give it a go.

I think there is definitely a market for grittier YA books with darker themes. My YA horror books are a lot more mature than the rest of my YA books. The MC is seventeen so that gives me a bit more flexibility with adult themes.

Good luck with your work and welcome to the thread.


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## RA Marshall (Jan 22, 2015)

Hi you guys 

I've not spent much time on KBoards even though I've had an account for a while.  But I just found this YA writers support thread and it looks like the place for me!  I've got a YA fantasy trilogy out and it's doing so-so.  Audio versions for the first two books are in the works and I just put out a bundled set to take advantage of KU -- so far that seems to be working pretty well.  But freebie downloads have totally tanked this month.

Anybody have any advice on cross-promo with other YA authors?  I've been building my mailing list slowly but surely, and while I'd like to work with other YA authors, I feel like with a mailing list of less than 1,000 do I have that much to offer?  Any thoughts?

Thanks & nice to meet you.


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

RA Marshall said:


> I just found this YA writers support thread and it looks like the place for me!


Welcome to the YA writers support thread.


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## Anya Monroe (Dec 3, 2014)

Hi to all the new people out there.

I am all in with KU and really like it there. I have whined enough over the KENPC discrepancies to just ride it for awhile, because overall I'm earning more each month with borrows and would like to build some loyal readers there at least. 

I try and write 2k a day, but will be really trying to increase that output when school is back in session in September. Fingers crossed.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Hi guys! It's a friendly place with lots of great advice 

My method of writing is strange. I know we're told to just put pen to page everyday, but I find if I don't feel like writing or know where I want to go for the day, I can't do it or I write a big pile of poo that takes longer to sort out afterward than if I didn't do anything at all. So that being said when I do write, I write 5000 words a day while my son is at school. Once I get into it, the story flows and I can write big scenes or a few smaller interconnected scenes and it makes editing (especially developmental) much easier. I do 5000 words for about two weeks straight, get half a book done and then I take a week or two break to see where I want the story to go next. Then, I do another two weeks of 5000 words a day. It just goes to show how different everyone's process is  I can edit in a couple more weeks and then send it to the pros while I get started on my shiniest idea


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## jessie520 (Jul 26, 2015)

Interesting to see how everyone's methods differ! 

I'm starting a YA series--historical fantasy, Victorian era NYC, on the side of fairy tale retellings--that is probably best suited for mature YA readers because of its themes. I'm already planning ahead for the holiday season as well, hoping to release a Christmas-themed side novella to go with the first book in the series. I've been trying to get into a better writing routine...usually I like to get about 1k-2,500 words a day, but I did manage a little less than 5k just the other day, so it _is_ possible if I work at it. But I do find that I write that much consecutively it's easy to get a bit burnt out.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

jessie520 said:


> Interesting to see how everyone's methods differ!
> 
> I'm starting a YA series--historical fantasy, Victorian era NYC, on the side of fairy tale retellings--that is probably best suited for mature YA readers because of its themes. I'm already planning ahead for the holiday season as well, hoping to release a Christmas-themed side novella to go with the first book in the series. I've been trying to get into a better writing routine...usually I like to get about 1k-2,500 words a day, but I did manage a little less than 5k just the other day, so it _is_ possible if I work at it. But I do find that I write that much consecutively it's easy to get a bit burnt out.


When are you planning on releasing your Christmas novella? I'm thinking a Christmas novella too, but really want to get a new series started before the holiday season and need to finish the book I'm working on now  I'm loving my full plate, but getting near the stuffed point


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## jessie520 (Jul 26, 2015)

Julz said:


> When are you planning on releasing your Christmas novella? I'm thinking a Christmas novella too, but really want to get a new series started before the holiday season and need to finish the book I'm working on now  I'm loving my full plate, but getting near the stuffed point


I totally understand! Best not to overwhelm yourself too much. I heard it's best to release a week before Christmas to get that holiday rush of people using their new Kindles and gift cards. So, I'm going to try and plan for that, on top of the first installment of the series, which ideally I'd like to release in the end of October or early November at the latest.


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## YudronWangmo (Jul 8, 2015)

Hi Everybody!

My name is Yudron and I'm just wrapping up work on my first novel and working with a cover artist. The book will be the first of a YA coming of age series with Buddhist themes. New genre. Anyway, for those of you who write series, did you put Book One or something next to the series name on the cover, or just the series name? Or nothing?  In my case the series name is different than the first book's name. I don't want more words on the cover, but on the other hand, if I don't say Book One how will anyone know why the series name is there at all?


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

YudronWangmo said:


> Hi Everybody!
> 
> My name is Yudron and I'm just wrapping up work on my first novel and working with a cover artist. The book will be the first of a YA coming of age series with Buddhist themes. New genre. Anyway, for those of you who write series, did you put Book One or something next to the series name on the cover, or just the series name? Or nothing? In my case the series name is different than the first book's name. I don't want more words on the cover, but on the other hand, if I don't say Book One how will anyone know why the series name is there at all?


This sounds interesting! What I've noticed is that covers don't have the series name. One would just add it to the metadata. That being said, my books all have the series name in their title, so I don't have personal experience.


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

YudronWangmo said:


> Anyway, for those of you who write series, did you put Book One or something next to the series name on the cover, or just the series name?


Each of my series have a series name and a separate book title for each book in the series. I've done this for both my stand alone series and my continuing series. I also made sure the series title, the book number in the series and the name of the book was on each cover. Readers like to know which book comes first and if a book is part of a series.

To give you an example-
Demon Hunters 1: Blood Sacrifice
Demon Hunters 2: Retribution
Demon Hunters 3: Tainted


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## OEGaudio (Jul 26, 2012)

YudronWangmo said:


> Hi Everybody!
> 
> My name is Yudron and I'm just wrapping up work on my first novel and working with a cover artist. The book will be the first of a YA coming of age series with Buddhist themes. New genre. Anyway, for those of you who write series, did you put Book One or something next to the series name on the cover, or just the series name? Or nothing? In my case the series name is different than the first book's name. I don't want more words on the cover, but on the other hand, if I don't say Book One how will anyone know why the series name is there at all?


I have the series name at the very bottom of the cover in a thin font and quite small. I wanted to have it there so people could see if they really cared to look. I think more importantly is making sure to tick the boxes for a series and fill that stuff out when publishing so that Amazon or whatever site puts it in the title. I also have similar covers for a series and use themed names. There's a million ways to do it. My suggestion would be to have your designer show you some samples (like maybe with a number, or series name, ect.) and they together figure out what looks best.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Just wanted to say hello to the new people


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

jessie520 said:


> I totally understand! Best not to overwhelm yourself too much. I heard it's best to release a week before Christmas to get that holiday rush of people using their new Kindles and gift cards. So, I'm going to try and plan for that, on top of the first installment of the series, which ideally I'd like to release in the end of October or early November at the latest.


Don't know how I missed this earlier...sorry!! That sounds like a great plan  Thanks!!


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

As far as writing methods go, I'm like those of you who can't write EVERY day, or I risk burn-out... or just sort of beating myself up over what I've written/falling short of the goal. I try to write basically whenever I feel like I have any creative energy brewing if that makes sense, and in between I work on stuff that's on the business end.

P.S. Did you guys see that the NYT is separating the YA category into separate lists for hardcover, e-books, and paperbacks? I thought it was pretty interesting-- maybe that will help more indie YAs break onto the list.  (An article about it is here: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/67843-new-york-times-changes-children-s-bestseller-lists.html)


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## Janeal Falor (Oct 25, 2014)

JenEllision said:


> P.S. Did you guys see that the NYT is separating the YA category into separate lists for hardcover, e-books, and paperbacks? I thought it was pretty interesting-- maybe that will help more indie YAs break onto the list.  (An article about it is here: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/67843-new-york-times-changes-children-s-bestseller-lists.html)


I hadn't seen it. That's really interesting. Fingers crossed that it does help more YA indies out, or even indies in general. I think it's a really good step.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

JenEllision said:


> As far as writing methods go, I'm like those of you who can't write EVERY day, or I risk burn-out... or just sort of beating myself up over what I've written/falling short of the goal. I try to write basically whenever I feel like I have any creative energy brewing if that makes sense, and in between I work on stuff that's on the business end.
> 
> P.S. Did you guys see that the NYT is separating the YA category into separate lists for hardcover, e-books, and paperbacks? I thought it was pretty interesting-- maybe that will help more indie YAs break onto the list.  (An article about it is here: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/67843-new-york-times-changes-children-s-bestseller-lists.html)


That's awesome!! I'm still so far away from that goal, but great to see the possibilities


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## OEGaudio (Jul 26, 2012)

Does NYT even allow indies on the list? I feel like there was some talk at some point that they don't. Maybe I was wrong... at least I hope I'm wrong.


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

OEGaudio said:


> Does NYT even allow indies on the list? I feel like there was some talk at some point that they don't. Maybe I was wrong... at least I hope I'm wrong.


I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure they do... I just think it's really hard! I can think of a few indies that I think are NYT bestsellers, unless there was some sort of loophole or something? Maybe someone can shed some light for us?


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

OEGaudio said:


> Does NYT even allow indies on the list?


Yes.


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## Andrea Pearson (Jun 25, 2011)

JenEllision said:


> I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure they do... I just think it's really hard! I can think of a few indies that I think are NYT bestsellers, unless there was some sort of loophole or something? Maybe someone can shed some light for us?


Yes, they allow Indies. I have a few friends who have made the list. (Go them!)

Oh, and hi, everyone! I also write YA. It's pretty much all I write.  Kind of addicted to it.


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

There's another great discussion on YA trends etc in Evenstar's other thread about YA movies.


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## OEGaudio (Jul 26, 2012)

Andrea Pearson said:


> Yes, they allow Indies. I have a few friends who have made the list. (Go them!)
> 
> Oh, and hi, everyone! I also write YA. It's pretty much all I write.  Kind of addicted to it.


Yay! New goal. I better get back to writing. Now if my books would sell anywhere other than iBooks lol.


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Andrea Pearson said:


> Yes, they allow Indies. I have a few friends who have made the list. (Go them!)
> 
> Oh, and hi, everyone! I also write YA. It's pretty much all I write.  Kind of addicted to it.


Hiya!!


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

YudronWangmo said:


> Hi Everybody!
> 
> My name is Yudron and I'm just wrapping up work on my first novel and working with a cover artist. The book will be the first of a YA coming of age series with Buddhist themes. New genre. Anyway, for those of you who write series, did you put Book One or something next to the series name on the cover, or just the series name? Or nothing? In my case the series name is different than the first book's name. I don't want more words on the cover, but on the other hand, if I don't say Book One how will anyone know why the series name is there at all?


*Waves* I love the idea of a coming of age with Buddhist themes! Please post in here once you release it . I have different formats for book#/series title on my different series, but I do agree that both should be included on the cover in whatever form you choose.

On the writing methods topic....I'm really trying to improve mine. I'm so all over the place focus-wise, so some days I'll write 10K (and collapse in a coma afterward) and some days I'll only write 1K. I'm trying to be more consistent with 2-3K a day. I find that schedule makes it so the 10K days never happen, but those usually mean a lot more editing for me anyhow. I've been doing the "Put pen to paper and write" thing, which was terrible at first but is getting easier. If I get stuck I'll switch to actual paper and outline a bit (another thing I'm terrible at), but having an idea of point A and point B makes it a little less daunting to figure out everything that needs to happen in between. It's all quite pathetic really, since I'm done with school, have no kids, and writing is my day job. I feel like I should be pumping out at least two books a month...but oh well.


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## jessie520 (Jul 26, 2015)

I had no idea that the NYT allowed indies! I'd just assumed it was USA Today... That's fantastic news, even though it seems like a difficult thing to accomplish. Fingers crossed, then, that this works in our favor!


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## Guest (Aug 20, 2015)

Quite a few Indies have made the NYT. Some of them posted here, once upon a time.


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

Do you think it's a good idea to turn this thread into a YA indie FB group? There is so much info to share that one thread might not be enough. I don't mean a group in lieu of KBoards. I love KB. Or perhaps someone knows of one already that works well.


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## Vivi_Anna (Feb 12, 2011)

A FB group would be awesome.  We can brainstorm how to promo each other and support each other.


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## SunshineOnMe (Jan 11, 2014)

Sounds lovely! Invite me please. I've been a bit discouraged.


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

Vivi_Anna said:


> A FB group would be awesome. We can brainstorm how to promo each other and support each other.


Yes!

Any particular name for the group? Such as....We Love YA, KBoards or...The KB YA Support Group...


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## Guest (Aug 20, 2015)

KGGiarratano said:


> Do you think it's a good idea to turn this thread into a YA indie FB group? There is so much info to share that one thread might not be enough. I don't mean a group in lieu of KBoards. I love KB. Or perhaps someone knows of one already that works well.


I would be on board with this too. And not because I don't love KBoards because I do. But FB groups sometimes lend themselves to a different kind of communicating. It also might help us to cross promote one another if we wanted or needed to. I am not aware of one but if someone makes one or has one in mind, I would love to join.


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## Janeal Falor (Oct 25, 2014)

I know I don't post here a whole lot, but I love the interactions here. I'd totally love a FB group for us as well.


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

Would you like me to set it up?


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## Guest (Aug 20, 2015)

KGGiarratano said:


> Would you like me to set it up?


Sure!


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

Facebook group!! YESSSSS


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

Okay -- I'll do it now and the post link here.


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

Okay, here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1037522149613915/

I'll approve everyone.


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## jessie520 (Jul 26, 2015)

What a great idea! I'd love to join.


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## rshane (Aug 8, 2015)

I sent a join request but my FB name is under my other pen name ([email protected] Silver). Thanks!


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

Great idea! I'm no longer sure if I belong in a YA group, but I sent my request anyway, LOL


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

Facebook group looks awesome!! Thanks for starting it


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## Guest (Aug 20, 2015)

Excited! Thanks for starting it!


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## YudronWangmo (Jul 8, 2015)

Thank you to Julz, Avril, OE and Sara C for answering my question about numbering a series.  

A big shout out to Sara: thank you for saying a Buddhist YA fiction genre sounds cool. There has to be a first for everything, and I'll be a first for that.

I applied to be part of the YA FB group.  Cool idea.


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## pdworkman (Jan 17, 2015)

I've sent my request. Thank you for making it a closed group, I don't participate in open Facebook groups! I hate having group posts go to timeline.


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

I'm in!! Requesting now.


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## E.M. Cooper (Feb 27, 2015)

Hi, I'm a long time lurker. 

I'm still not sure if I belong here because my series has one foot in the upper middle grade camp and the other in the younger end of YA.

But here goes ...


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## Julz (Oct 30, 2014)

E.M. Cooper said:


> Hi, I'm a long time lurker.
> 
> I'm still not sure if I belong here because my series has one foot in the upper middle grade camp and the other in the younger end of YA.
> 
> But here goes ...


I think you seem to be in just the right place


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## Elidibus (May 13, 2015)

Awesome! I totally signed up for this. I've never been a part of a group, as I don't use social media at all. But I've been trying, since it can play such a large part in our success. I think joining will help me become more active in not just Facebook, but other areas as well.


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## sarahdalton (Mar 15, 2011)

What a great idea for the Facebook group! I just joined.


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## -alex- (Jul 12, 2011)

Oooh. What an awesome idea!

I'm a long term lurker (actually, I think I may have posted a couple times on this thread), working on my debut YA PNR.

I requested to join. Hope thats okay.


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## Aya Ling (Nov 21, 2012)

Just sent a request as well   I used to write middle-grade fantasy but my recent release is definitely YA. Thanks for creating the group!


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

Hey guys,

I just woke up and approved all requests. I have no idea if any sunglass salespeople have sneaked in --lol, I guess we'll find out.


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

YudronWangmo said:


> Thank you to Julz, Avril, OE and Sara C for answering my question about numbering a series.


You're welcome.



KGGiarratano said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> I just woke up and approved all requests.


I sent a request too. Thanks for organising the Facebook Group.


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## JenEllision (Jan 13, 2014)

Just requested! Ellision is a penname though, but FB says I "work at Jennifer Ellision" ^_^;


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

YudronWangmo said:


> Thank you to Julz, Avril, OE and Sara C for answering my question about numbering a series.
> 
> A big shout out to Sara: thank you for saying a Buddhist YA fiction genre sounds cool. There has to be a first for everything, and I'll be a first for that.
> 
> I applied to be part of the YA FB group. Cool idea.


No problem! I love that you've come up with such a unique, yet timeless idea, and I think you could do really well with it .


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## rachelmedhurst (Jun 25, 2014)

Have sent a request for the Facebook group. Would love a place to hang out and help promo other YA authors.


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

I've joined.


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## John Van Stry (May 25, 2011)

I just published my first YA book last night, (Lost Souls, it's in my sig below). Originally I wrote the story for myself really, and I wasn't planning on publishing it, until my beta readers got a look at it, and the other book like it that I wrote and told me it was a great YA novel.
Still unsure, I sent it to my niece (she's a librarian and a huge YA fan) and she loved it. She gave me a few pointers, I made some minor changes, and well, now here I am. I'm hoping the YA audience likes it. (I'm also hoping my regular readers like it)

I'm sort of clueless as to the YA market, and was a bit shocked to find that my current series (Portals of Infinity) had been reviewed on a few YA sites, and that they liked it and though it was worthwhile for the older YA readers. Especially as I'd written that for a more adult audience (No on camera sex, but some profanity, so not 'that' kind of adult, just more mature themes).

So now I guess I have this long massive thread to go through, to see what I can learn. 
Thanks, everyone.

(Oh, and I do read YA occasionally, it's one of my guilty pleasures, along with PNR. Just never thought that anything I wrote would fall into that category!)


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## Sara C (Apr 30, 2014)

vanstry said:


> I just published my first YA book last night, (Lost Souls, it's in my sig below). Originally I wrote the story for myself really, and I wasn't planning on publishing it, until my beta readers got a look at it, and the other book like it that I wrote and told me it was a great YA novel.
> Still unsure, I sent it to my niece (she's a librarian and a huge YA fan) and she loved it. She gave me a few pointers, I made some minor changes, and well, now here I am. I'm hoping the YA audience likes it. (I'm also hoping my regular readers like it)
> 
> I'm sort of clueless as to the YA market, and was a bit shocked to find that my current series (Portals of Infinity) had been reviewed on a few YA sites, and that they liked it and though it was worthwhile for the older YA readers. Especially as I'd written that for a more adult audience (No on camera sex, but some profanity, so not 'that' kind of adult, just more mature themes).
> ...


Congrats and welcome! Love the cover


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## Jenna_Elle (Mar 15, 2015)

Yay! Just when I was looking for more FB groups to join this popped up. Sent a request to join


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

Jenna_Elle said:


> Yay! Just when I was looking for more FB groups to join this popped up.


There's a lot going on over there so anyone else who hasn't joined us, what are you waiting for? You're missing out on all the fun. : )


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## OEGaudio (Jul 26, 2012)

I have a question for all you YA writers 

I have a fairly successful six book series, at least by my standards. It's about a 17/18 year old girl, but very sweet... there's nothing more than kissing and a couple of semi-bad words throughout the whole series. I feel like I need to write something else and decided to do a couple of shorter 3 book spin-offs based on characters introduced during the series.

My question is, I tend to have readers as young as 12 and all the way to mid-twenties (at least that I'm aware of) and I don't want to alienate them. So, one spin-off is about a 20 year old and I'm sort of stuck as to categorization. I'm under the impression that YA stops at 18, but I feel like NA is typically hot and heavy... not something I want to do. Any advice?

Also, I'm struggling with how to make sure readers know they are the same universe, but not the same main characters. I feel like if I give them new series titles they may get lost in the shuffle... but at the same time it would be weird to make them all one series where the characters change. To complicate things there's always a possibility I might go back and write one or two more of the first series.

Phew... thanks for any help


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## Avril Sabine (Jun 18, 2014)

OEGaudio said:


> I'm struggling with how to make sure readers know they are the same universe, but not the same main characters.


My Dragon Blood series is complete and contains five books focused on one character. I've had a lot of people tell me they'd love to read more books set in this world and my kids laughed and said, "Told you so." I don't want to add more to the series since it's complete, but I am going to write more in that world focusing on some of the other characters. I've titled the series Dragon Blood Chronicles and will be marketing it as a stand alone companion series to the Dragon Blood series.


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## 69959 (May 14, 2013)

I just joined the FB group. 

I haven't been to this thread in a while, but I was wondering if anyone has discussed a Christmas themed box set. I'll ask in the group, too. I have a YA PNR called Silent Bite that's a standalone from my vampire series. It would be fun to do a box set if anyone's interested.


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## elalond (May 11, 2011)

Having a closed FB YA group is such a great idea. I sent a request too. 

@ Online OEGaudio 
If I had a story with 20 years old main character, I wouldn't put it either in YA or NA, I would just have it as an adult fiction, but I would make sure to mark the story as a part of series, even if that series belongs to YA category.


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

I'd say the group is great for MG, YA and NA.


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## TCStarre (Sep 3, 2015)

I too am a daily lurker, but requested to join the FB group.  Working on my first YA Horror and an Urban Fantasy (NA) Series.  Thanks for putting this together!  Support is everything.


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## Weibart (Oct 27, 2014)

Wanted to revive this thread and see how everyone is doing! I joined the FB Group which is wonderful, but I think it'd be good to keep this thread active as well to help clue in new Kboards users that the FB Group exists, and that this thread is still also a great place to post and check how each other's doing!








I've been pencilling and inking my graphic novel on repeat lately. For a while, I've held off doing fan art (of characters from DC Comics, Marvel, etc.) while I figured out the character designs and the look and feel of my graphic novel before trying to draw other peoples' characters. Now that I have my book designed and have the look established, I've been feeling more comfortable to do some more fan art. I want to do more fan art to help gain more followers and shares on my social media accounts like Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr, and artist sites like DeviantArt. I'm a big fan of the CW network live-action series Arrow and The Flash which are based on DC Comics characters. A new animated web series has debuted based on a character named Vixen who's part of the same universe as both shows. I decided to do some fan art based on her and I had a great time doing it, so I'm looking forward to doing more to help boost my social media accounts in advance of my graphic novel's debut.

What has everyone been up to? How's your progress coming along on what you're working on?


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## Talbot (Jul 14, 2015)

I joined the FB group (Jessie Taylor) and I can't wait to dive in.


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## L.B (Apr 15, 2015)

Ok, so after having a few exchanges with people on here about YA in general, I thought we could do with a main thread to discuss some of the things that have come up...

*1. Is it a genre or an age range?*
I've heard some say that it is definitely a genre, involving teen issues and angst, with a teen protagonist, generally fast paced and possibly more plot focussed? I've heard others say it's just an age range that your book can be sold to, and there are no genre specifics to it.

*2. Who buys YA?*
Somewhere on the interwebs, I found a quote saying that the average reader of YA is aged 30-40, and female. Do people agree with this? Are more adults reading YA than kids?

*3. Is the YA market one that sells generally?*
Apparently, sales of YA books went up 40% in 2014. That seems like a big deal.

*4. What sells in YA? *
What genres within YA are people writing? What are people finding sells well?

*5. Select vs wide for YA*
Does YA do better in wide distribution due to younger readers reading on tablets etc? Or do they use the kindle app anyway? Does the reader base of select subscribers read YA?

*6. Hints and tips*
What advice would you give to other YA authors?


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## Steve Vernon (Feb 18, 2011)

I agree that a lot of YA readers ARE wearing long pants. The average reader of 30-40 years is often guilty of looking for an easy read. They don't write the kind of stuff we hanker for anymore. In a very real way the YA of today is akin to the pulp literature of yesteryear.

Does the YA market sell? Well, all I can tell you is that the bookstores I frequent have great mucking huge YA sections and skimpy, malnourished horror sections consisting mainly of the 48-odd books that Stephen King has written, a dozen or two of the dreck that Koontz churns out, and a few Anne Rice novels for those folks who just will not surrender.

What sells in YA? I'd say series. Followed by series. With a scattering off-shoot of series.
Seriously.

I'm not sure if Select and YA would just naturally fit together. Think about it for a minute. How many teenagers do you know who are spending ten bucks a month to be a member of Amazon Select - (or whatever they call it now, I am NOT a trendy fellow). But, on the other hand, my 21 year old son worships at the altar of Netflix and streaming TV. However, he also knows everything there is to know about how to "acquire" certain books. Kids these days are quite fluent in torrents and pirate sites and all of those geeky uber-cool irresistible ways of picking up stuff on the internet without tarnishing your credit card.

You want a hint - the best I could give any YA author is to NOT fart around. YA readers want to cut right to the chase. They don't want you to beat around the bush telling your story. Turn it up and turn it up loud. YA readers don't have time to sit there and listen to some author going on about how lovely the rain was that fine October morning.

Hope that helps some.


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## L.B (Apr 15, 2015)

Steve Vernon said:


> I agree that a lot of YA readers ARE wearing long pants. The average reader of 30-40 years is often guilty of looking for an easy read. They don't write the kind of stuff we hanker for anymore. In a very real way the YA of today is akin to the pulp literature of yesteryear.
> 
> Does the YA market sell? Well, all I can tell you is that the bookstores I frequent have great mucking huge YA sections and skimpy, malnourished horror sections consisting mainly of the 48-odd books that Stephen King has written, a dozen or two of the dreck that Koontz churns out, and a few Anne Rice novels for those folks who just will not surrender.
> 
> ...


Thanks Steve!

I particularly agree with your last point. A breakneck pace I think is a must.


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## jlstovall4 (Oct 6, 2015)

All add my two cents for what it's worth. Not sure it's worth much though.

1. Is it a genre or an age range?
To me both YA and MG are age ranges. But it's easier for Publishers to see them as a genre. But as both MG and YA sales increase. I think soon people will see them as age ranges, not genres.

2. Who buys YA? I agree with AnnChristy. Ages all over the place from 8 years old to 99, but the same goes for MG. There were grandmothers reading Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. And even hollywood knew to keep Hunger Games at PG-13 so the ten-year-olds who had read the book be able to go see the movie.

3. Is the YA market one that sells generally?
YA sells, but for Indie I'm still trying to figure that one out myself.

4. What sells in YA? 
Look at the big books for help. Hunger Games, Divergent, Throne of Glass, The Fault in Our Stars. Maybe be different for Indie though

5. Select vs wide for YA --- Someone please answer this. I need this info.

6. I want to know this too. For me it's about giving the reader what they want. But I'll "amen" the statement about "getting to the point." When I read, I don't care for long descriptions or lovely prose, tell me a great story and get on with it. 

I have a Sci-Fi YA that I'm working on. If everything works out, it'll be my first indie book series. So I've been reading and lurking for a while around the kboards, trying to suck up any and all knowledge I can.


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## L.B (Apr 15, 2015)

AnnChristy said:


> I write some YA. My Between Life and Death series is YA, though most of the readers that have contacted me via email, fb, twitter or what have you are definitely grown up.
> 
> 1) It's a genre. BUT, I think a lot of folks still think it's the reading age and that does have some play for potential new readers. As to who the readers are, who knows?
> 
> ...


Thanks for your answers Ann!

Are you going to try permafree for the first and the rest in select?


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## L.B (Apr 15, 2015)

jlstovall4 said:


> All add my two cents for what it's worth. Not sure it's worth much though.
> 
> 1. Is it a genre or an age range?
> To me both YA and MG are age ranges. But it's easier for Publishers to see them as a genre. But as both MG and YA sales increase. I think soon people will see them as age ranges, not genres.
> ...


Welcom to Kboards!

I have a scifi YA series on the go as well (and a fantasy one running alongside). Keep us updated in here to how it's going!


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## Christine_C (Jun 29, 2014)

Perhaps we should ask to merge this thread with the 'YA Writer's Support Thread?'

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,205435.msg2859564.html#msg2859564


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## L.B (Apr 15, 2015)

CN_Crawford said:


> Perhaps we should ask to merge this thread with the 'YA Writer's Support Thread?'
> 
> http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,205435.msg2859564.html#msg2859564


Oh blimey! Sorry everyone, I did search but didn't find that thread!

Feel free to merge mods, while I go and read through this! Thanks CN.


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## L.B (Apr 15, 2015)

Just joined the group and begun reading through the thread. Some great stuff in here, though I think the questions I posted above are still relevant.


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## A Tiger (Aug 29, 2013)

I'm at a loss and I'd welcome your opinions.
Since I'm someone that I've been in love with adventures, specially ones in settings like forests, islands, wilderness in general. I also like fantasy in medieval settings, again forests (are we seeing a pattern here?) and I have a rough YA series idea that unites all of this "medieval times with some magic but really not too much". Think Graceling, any book by Juliet Marillier, etc. No elves and dwarfs, no strange races, no high fantasy.

BUT this sub-genre doesn't seem to be any hot. Actually, it seems way too cold. I know I should write what I want and not care about the market, but I don't have this luxury. My time is short and I work on the computer all day, so when it's time to write for fun/publishing, I need this to have a minimal viability, otherwise maybe I should focus on romance, which I also like to read and write (but not as much).

Any advice? Anyone in my position? Please share your experiences!


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## guajars (Oct 23, 2015)

I'm new here. This is great.


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## Megan Crewe (Oct 8, 2015)

A Tiger said:


> I'm at a loss and I'd welcome your opinions.
> Since I'm someone that I've been in love with adventures, specially ones in settings like forests, islands, wilderness in general. I also like fantasy in medieval settings, again forests (are we seeing a pattern here?) and I have a rough YA series idea that unites all of this "medieval times with some magic but really not too much". Think Graceling, any book by Juliet Marillier, etc. No elves and dwarfs, no strange races, no high fantasy.
> 
> BUT this sub-genre doesn't seem to be any hot. Actually, it seems way too cold. I know I should write what I want and not care about the market, but I don't have this luxury. My time is short and I work on the computer all day, so when it's time to write for fun/publishing, I need this to have a minimal viability, otherwise maybe I should focus on romance, which I also like to read and write (but not as much).
> ...


First off, I would classify GRACELING as high fantasy. Generally any book with any fantastical elements (even "not too much" magic; no "strange races" necessary) that's set in a world that is not supposed to be Earth qualifies. (I'm not sure about Marillier's work because the two YA books of hers I've read are historical fantasy--set in a specific period on Earth--I don't know if that's all her books though.)

Second, there's a lot of that sort of high fantasy that's doing *amazing* in YA right now. GRACELING was a huge hit. Most recently there are books like the Throne of Glass series, the Grisha trilogy, the new series that just started with AN EMBER IN THE ASHES. About a third of the books on the YA NYT best seller lists right now would qualify. I think the only genre that's hotter in YA right now is contemporary realistic.

Now, those are all traditionally published books, and I don't know the stats for self published YA fantasy. But it definitely appears there's an audience for it. So I'd say if that's what you'd love to write, there's no reason to stop yourself out of market concerns. Unless there's a specific reason you've gotten the impression it's not viable?


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## KDKinney (Aug 16, 2015)

The one point I want to make is- I don't think adults that read YA are looking for an easy read. I think it is more the super charged emotions of being a teen and experiencing things for the first time that draws people to YA. I like writing it because, ooohhh the drama over little things. I also have 5 daughters, the youngest is 13. I've been dealing with that world for years now. Yes, I do write in a style that I feel my daughters that are slow readers would possibly some day enjoy reading. So in that way, I do write with an easy writing style with lots of action. I would do that even in a book geared for adults. 

I like reading YA and I love to share what books I enjoy with my kids. My avid reader 13 yo will share books she really enjoys with me. I don't necessarily write for the market. I have tried writing YA in a wide range-Contemporary, realistic, historical/Western, Fantasy, and Sci-fi. But I read all of that too and that's why I feel doing this my way is best. I'm not sure I'd be happy writing for one market. That doesn't suit me. 

I wrote a YA Western. How much of a small market is that? But I have had the most positive response from readers on that book in particular. I shared it on Wattpad. The feedback was all positive. The highest compliments did come from adults. A retired guy in Virginia was one and a mom from somewhere else. I knew that the book had a chance of finding a wide audience. I'm in the process of contemplating a new cover to draw in my intended audience-teen girls. Another drawback on that book, it is stand alone. But I'm proud of it. I loved writing it. My 17yo daughter who never reads, stole my Kindle so she could read it and absolutely loves it. 

Fantasy is a strong market like Megan says. The problem I have there with one book so far in my series is I feel it is drowning right now. That will hopefully change when I get more books in the series out. So I'm reminding myself to sit tight and have patience.

I wonder how well I'd do outside of Select. I'm willing to try going wide in January. Also I think getting Paperback is important. That is one of things I need to get done ASAP on my 2 novels that are out right now.


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## A Tiger (Aug 29, 2013)

Megan Crewe said:


> Now, those are all traditionally published books, and I don't know the stats for self published YA fantasy.


Thanks for answering!  That's exactly my fear: that these types of books will only work for traditional publishing, when what I really want is sef-pub. Will mull over your opinion, thanks again!


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## Megan Crewe (Oct 8, 2015)

A Tiger said:


> Thanks for answering!  That's exactly my fear: that these types of books will only work for traditional publishing, when what I really want is sef-pub. Will mull over your opinion, thanks again!


I don't see why that should be the case, but hopefully some people who've gone the self pubbing route with YA can share their experience! I do notice that even if you just look at the YA ebook bestseller list (so, taking print sales out of the equation entirely), three out of the five (including #1!) are the sort of fantasy we're talking about, and #4 is also fantasy, though more traditional magic-y. So at very least, we can assume that plenty of the YA fantasy fans are doing their reading via ebooks.


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## blancheking (Oct 15, 2015)

Yet writing good fantasy is hard. Everything's been done at least a dozen times. How do you guys brainstorm ideas?


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## SakuraMazaki (Oct 20, 2015)

New here, and a pretty new author overall. Hoping to have most of book 2 done this year. Need to get the story out of my head and onto paper, rather than just pondering about it over and over...


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## Megan Crewe (Oct 8, 2015)

blancheking said:


> Yet writing good fantasy is hard. Everything's been done at least a dozen times. How do you guys brainstorm ideas?


I don't know, I think you could say that about any genre. Every *story* has been done. It's all about finding a unique angle, bringing your specific perspective and sensibility to it.

Most of my ideas come from reading books and watching movies and so on, and noticing the little bits that grab my attention that other people haven't explored more in depth, or haven't explored the way I think would be most interesting. Then I go and fill in those gaps with my own stories.


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## pdworkman (Jan 17, 2015)

My article on what YA literature is:

http://pdworkman.com/all-young-adult-literature-is-_____________-yalit-books/

YA contains genres such as contemporary, fantasy, sci-fi, romance, and so on.

Yes, most of my identifiable demographics show that buyers are 30+ women. But on Wattpad, about 75% are teens, so it really depends on the platform. My beta readers are almost all 30+ women. About half of the e-mails that I get from fans are teens. A number of my books are purchased by women for classrooms, something that you can't tell from the purchase demographics.

I don't write in fantasy, but there are plenty of people that say all stories follow one plotline, or a handful of plotlines. If you're not bored yet, then don't worry about recycling a plot. I don't generally brainstorm for ideas. I write down ideas as they come to me, clip articles of interest, etc. so I always have hundreds of ideas at my fingertips. I read through for something that interests me, and then I brainstorm/mindmap around that idea (or several ideas).


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

Going by my fan mail, I seem to have a wide range of ages who enjoy my books, particularly the Emily Chambers Spirit Medium trilogy which does well on Wattpad. Obviously Wattpad skews young, and the awesome demographics they provide proves that the majority of my readers there are teens and the next oldest category. If you were looking at my FB stats, however, it would seem women 30+ are most of my fans. Depends on the platform etc. I think it's great to have books that appeal to a wider age range - more buyers


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## KatrinaAbbott (Jan 28, 2014)

I write YA rom-coms in a series and it's hard to substantiate, but I think most of my readers are not teens. I think finding a YA readership is very hard for indies and I suspect that many are browsing books and mortar stores and/or libraries and get their books that way. I think there's a lot of opportunity, but getting noticed by that demographic is really tough. That said, I love my fans and am A-ok with them being outside what I would consider my target demographic.


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## Megan Crewe (Oct 8, 2015)

Hi all! I'm starting to get my ducks in a row for a Countdown deal for my re-released YA, and I was wondering what promo sites you all have found worked best for YA? I'm guessing there might be some differences compared to which ones have good audiences for adult genre readers.


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## jlstovall4 (Oct 6, 2015)

A.Barnett said:


> Welcom to Kboards!
> 
> I have a scifi YA series on the go as well (and a fantasy one running alongside). Keep us updated in here to how it's going!


I didn't see this months ago. So I guess I'm not new anymore. LOL But thanks.

Anyone learn about any new developments in YA? Just curious. It seems that the YA threads have fallen into the abyss.

My series now has three books, yay! None are ready for publishing though. I'm working with Betas now to clear out the crap and make sure each story is where it should be. I think I'm at least 45 days away from publishing, but we'll take it one day at a time.

I love the K-boards. Over the last few months I have learned so much. The people out here are awesome.


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## GwynnEWhite (May 23, 2012)

Hi. I am glad I stumbled on this thread. I have written adult fantasy and non fiction up until now. But I am now branching out into a YA series. I have sent a request to the Facebook group. Can't wait to get to know yuou all.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Ooh, glad to see this thread resurrect.

I'm doing a series of YA Author Interviews on my website, it includes an author pic, one book with link and blurb and then ten questions.  The link is then tweeted, sent to my facebook and a link goes on my Goodreads blog too.

I put the first one up last night and it's had 279 page views so far. I don't know if that's good, but my site normally only gets about 150 unique visitors a day, so I'm hopeful that this is a win-win  

Anyway, if you are a YA Author and want to be featured then send me an email [email protected] with a link to your relevant book on Amazon please.

xx


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## jlstovall4 (Oct 6, 2015)

Evenstar said:


> Ooh, glad to see this thread resurrect.
> 
> I'm doing a series of YA Author Interviews on my website, it includes an author pic, one book with link and blurb and then ten questions. The link is then tweeted, sent to my facebook and a link goes on my Goodreads blog too.
> 
> ...


WOW this is so cool. I hope you're still doing it in about 60 days. It'll take me that long to get everything ready. I've been planning to release back to back like a few people on the K-boards have encouraged. So far 6 months in the making, 3 books completed with 2 more to go, and a live-action trailer with Special FX in the works. I just need a few more months to clean up the stories a bit more. And I'll be ready for my close-up! LOL


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## The one with all the big dresses on the covers (Jan 25, 2016)

Hi all!

I'm a new YA author and newish to KBoards. It's nice to see there's a place for us YA authors here 

Evenstar - I've sent you an email about your author interviews. Let me know if you don't get it!


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## The one with all the big dresses on the covers (Jan 25, 2016)

Megan Crewe said:


> Hi all! I'm starting to get my ducks in a row for a Countdown deal for my re-released YA, and I was wondering what promo sites you all have found worked best for YA? I'm guessing there might be some differences compared to which ones have good audiences for adult genre readers.


I realise this is quite an old comment but I'd be really interested in the answers if anyone has anything to share. I've seen a few blogs, etc that give fairly specific info on ROI of promo sites but most of the time the authors seem to be romance writers. So unfortunately their stats don't necessarily translate.


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## Cheyanne (Jan 9, 2013)

MelanieCellier said:


> I realise this is quite an old comment but I'd be really interested in the answers if anyone has anything to share. I've seen a few blogs, etc that give fairly specific info on ROI of promo sites but most of the time the authors seem to be romance writers. So unfortunately their stats don't necessarily translate.


Bumping because I came here for this same thing. I searched the forums for the best YA promo sites and came up with nothing except this thread. I've already done a Bookbub on a standalone YA novel and it tanked, so I'm wondering if any more websites out there are better, ROI wise?


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## The one with all the big dresses on the covers (Jan 25, 2016)

Cheyanne said:


> Bumping because I came here for this same thing. I searched the forums for the best YA promo sites and came up with nothing except this thread. I've already done a Bookbub on a standalone YA novel and it tanked, so I'm wondering if any more websites out there are better, ROI wise?


I've been wondering if the deafening silence means no one really knows 

That's sad news to actually get a BookBub and then have that experience! I wonder if that's a common experience with YA titles or if there's a lot of variation. I can't remember anyone else saying their BookBub tanked but then I don't know that any of their books were YA. Did you actually make a loss or was it just not as good as you were hoping for?


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## Janeal Falor (Oct 25, 2014)

I don't know a lot about how YA titles perform on other sites, I've mostly paired them with BookBub ads. I will say though, that I've ran 3 BookBubs and they all went amazingly awesome. There must be some variation. I guess there's no guarantee no matter what site you use, even BookBub.


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## The one with all the big dresses on the covers (Jan 25, 2016)

Janeal Falor said:


> I don't know a lot about how YA titles perform on other sites, I've mostly paired them with BookBub ads. I will say though, that I've ran 3 BookBubs and they all went amazingly awesome. There must be some variation. I guess there's no guarantee no matter what site you use, even BookBub.


True of course re guarantees! What sub genre were the ones you did Bookbubs on?


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## Janeal Falor (Oct 25, 2014)

MelanieCellier said:


> True of course re guarantees! What sub genre were the ones you did Bookbubs on?


I have done two under Young Adult and one under Fantasy. The fantasy one sold more, but they have more subscribers to that one. The other two still did really good though, enough that I'm doing another one in April.


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## Guest (Mar 25, 2016)

I like Ripley's Booklist, which curates their promos and does a unique format that seems to work well. They recently grew out to doing two send outs a week, and the site owner was nice and easy to work with. She even contacted me when Deviations came out because she wants to feature it - I'm planning to do so when I can better schedule a promo around it as I missed it for my one this weekend 

http://www.ripleypatton.com/


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## RinG (Mar 12, 2013)

Just popping in to ask a question, if that's ok. I've had a couple of people suggest that my fantasy series is YA, but I've always said it isn't because it has sex (and it's integral to the plot, so I can't really remove it). Everyone says 'oh, there's sex in YA now, but I'm not so sure. I figured this might be the place to ask. Is sex in YA (not really graphic, but blatantly obvious what it is) really ok?


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## Nope (Jun 25, 2012)

.


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## Guest (Mar 25, 2016)

Yes, it is. There has been sex in YA for a long time, actually (I remember it from the YA stuff I read as a teen; also Judy Blume anyone?), people just act like it doesn't  There are multiple Goodreads lists of YA with sex, like this one. YA has stories that deal with suicide, drugs, rape, sex trade victims, teen pregnancy (which sort of requires sex happened somewhere  ), etc. So yeah, just having sex doesn't make a book non-YA.

The main thing I've seen noted is with YA, it should focus more on the emotional versus the physical/graphic descriptions. Upper YA, in particular, is generally more accepted than in a lower bracket.

As a note, I may be mildly biased as both of my books have sex in them and both are YA. I've only had one reviewer mention it at all, and that was Aisuru's which is a single, very emotional scene and significantly tamer than Deviations.

If it helps: Swoon Reads's Ask an Editor had a question the very topic last year. Also, there was an interesting article from NY Daily News recently on YA and sex, including comments from agents and noting some more interesting titles


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## The one with all the big dresses on the covers (Jan 25, 2016)

My understanding is that YA is mainly about the age of the main characters. So if they're under 18 it's most likely YA. Having said that, it's worth being aware that you may get some disapproving feedback as different people (especially parents!) have different ideas about what teenagers should be reading.

I think that while there's a fairly wide range across YA, it's probably worth keeping the same tone/content throughout a series. I think people get more annoyed if the first book in a series is clean and then following ones aren't.


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## The one with all the big dresses on the covers (Jan 25, 2016)

Janeal Falor said:


> I have done two under Young Adult and one under Fantasy. The fantasy one sold more, but they have more subscribers to that one. The other two still did really good though, enough that I'm doing another one in April.


Was the one you did under Fantasy a YA fantasy title? (I'm wondering if I should be putting my fairytale retelling under fantasy when I market it on promo sites rather than under YA)


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## Cheyanne (Jan 9, 2013)

MelanieCellier said:


> I've been wondering if the deafening silence means no one really knows
> 
> That's sad news to actually get a BookBub and then have that experience! I wonder if that's a common experience with YA titles or if there's a lot of variation. I can't remember anyone else saying their BookBub tanked but then I don't know that any of their books were YA. Did you actually make a loss or was it just not as good as you were hoping for?


Ive had 2 bookbubs and I took a loss both times. The first one was UK only for a 99cent sale... the ad cost $20 and I made 9 sales ($3.15 royalty)

The second was the full bookbub for a book with a professional cover and great blurb. It cost $230 and I only earned back $100 in sales. So in my opinion, that tanked... it cost me $130 which is a terrible ROI. Plus, there was absolutely no "tail" that people talk about on here.. the day after my ad I never sold another copy. I still haven't sold another copy, in fact.

I'm starting to think that YA books don't do well with these paid promo sites. Maybe YA readers don't use Bookbub as much? I don't know, but I'm planning to make book 1 in my series free for the week that book 2 comes out in April so I've been trying to gather as many promo sites as possible, but looking at the cost of all of them it just seems like such a waste.


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## Janeal Falor (Oct 25, 2014)

MelanieCellier said:


> Was the one you did under Fantasy a YA fantasy title? (I'm wondering if I should be putting my fairytale retelling under fantasy when I market it on promo sites rather than under YA)


Yes, it was the same book all three times, a YA Fantasy. This last time I tried to put it under fantasy, but they changed it to YA. I think you can try for different categories, but they'll put it where they want it. I still alternate what I try for though.


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## Gisele_1169 (Feb 16, 2016)

MelanieCellier said:


> My understanding is that YA is mainly about the age of the main characters. So if they're under 18 it's most likely YA. Having said that, it's worth being aware that you may get some disapproving feedback as different people (especially parents!) have different ideas about what teenagers should be reading.
> 
> I think that while there's a fairly wide range across YA, it's probably worth keeping the same tone/content throughout a series. I think people get more annoyed if the first book in a series is clean and then following ones aren't.


I agree with what Melanie said. The best definition I've heard on how to categorize YA is that it's not FOR teenagers, it's ABOUT teenagers, so the main characters range between 13 and 18. The upper age range is usually where you find more mature content. Some mature YA out there is very dark and edgy.


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## The one with all the big dresses on the covers (Jan 25, 2016)

Cheyanne said:


> The second was the full bookbub for a book with a professional cover and great blurb. It cost $230 and I only earned back $100 in sales. So in my opinion, that tanked... it cost me $130 which is a terrible ROI. Plus, there was absolutely no "tail" that people talk about on here.. the day after my ad I never sold another copy. I still haven't sold another copy, in fact.


How disappointing  Did you get through sales to your other titles at all?



> I'm starting to think that YA books don't do well with these paid promo sites. Maybe YA readers don't use Bookbub as much? I don't know, but I'm planning to make book 1 in my series free for the week that book 2 comes out in April so I've been trying to gather as many promo sites as possible, but looking at the cost of all of them it just seems like such a waste.


If you're making it free, I understand there are a lot of sites where you can list/advertise a free book for free. They don't have anywhere like the reach and results of the top paid sites but, on the other hand, they're free!  I've seen quite a few lists of free places to submit your free book (although I can't immediately recall where they were). It's a time commitment of course as it would take a lot of time to submit to them but I'm planning to give it a try with my book at some point in the next few months.


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## Megan Crewe (Oct 8, 2015)

I did a BookBub for my paranormal YA (in the YA category) a couple months ago and made back what I'd spent on it the day of, with a decent tail, even without other books to sell through to (it's a standalone). I booked a bunch of other promo sites during that Countdown Deal, but it's hard to tell which were definitely successful because every day I had more than one. If anyone wants to check out the results, they're here: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,228866.msg3187118.html

I have heard that people tend to get better results if they can put the book in a category other than YA, though. For mine that wasn't really an option because usually the only paranormal categories are things like paranormal romance or paranormal suspense, and it's neither. But I'll be trying that out with the fantasy novel I'm going to be releasing this fall.


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## The one with all the big dresses on the covers (Jan 25, 2016)

I read through the BookBub thread you posted and it looks like it went really well! Congrats! How has it been since then? Any ongoing effects?

Also, had you ever offered the book free before? Or have you stuck to KCDs?


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## JTriptych (Aug 23, 2015)

I wrote my first YA novel as an adjunct to my main post apocalyptic series. It's perma-free and is doing well (it got 35K downloads on its first week of release) and I am planning to write two more sequels on it as a trilogy.


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## Megan Crewe (Oct 8, 2015)

MelanieCellier said:


> I read through the BookBub thread you posted and it looks like it went really well! Congrats! How has it been since then? Any ongoing effects?
> 
> Also, had you ever offered the book free before? Or have you stuck to KCDs?


I've never offered the book for free (because it's a standalone, there wouldn't be much benefit other than maybe getting more reviews, and I have a decent number already) and that was its first KCD, because I've only had it up under my control since December (it's a previously trad pubbed book that I recently got the rights back to).

Sales dropped off quite a bit, but more than two months later are still better than before the promo (I was only selling 1-2 copies a week before and now it's 3-5). The biggest benefit was in KU--I wasn't seeing any pages read before the promo and the books been holding steady at an average of 500 daily for the last month. I think the promo, particularly BookBub, got the new edition onto a bunch of Also Bought lists for comparable books and that gave it continuing exposure. So, this is hardly a huge seller, but it's nice to see it bringing in a bit of cash and reaching new readers.


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## bethrevis (Jul 30, 2014)

Echoing Megan in that I did a BookBub for a standalone, so I didn't do free. But I did see a huge ROI, and a tail of sales that lasted for several months. More importantly for me was the wash of reviews that came in and bumped it to greater visibility. 

Also, re: the content of YA. A YA can definitely have sex/violence; do not worry about censoring (although very graphic sex that would be considered erotica would be a red flag). And while the age of the character is relevant and a part of the equation, keep in mind that the style of writing is also a part of what makes a book a YA. A fast-paced, character-driven plot is primarily important in a YA novel.


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## The one with all the big dresses on the covers (Jan 25, 2016)

Megan Crewe said:


> Sales dropped off quite a bit, but more than two months later are still better than before the promo (I was only selling 1-2 copies a week before and now it's 3-5). The biggest benefit was in KU--I wasn't seeing any pages read before the promo and the books been holding steady at an average of 500 daily for the last month. I think the promo, particularly BookBub, got the new edition onto a bunch of Also Bought lists for comparable books and that gave it continuing exposure. So, this is hardly a huge seller, but it's nice to see it bringing in a bit of cash and reaching new readers.


I also did my first KCD recently (beginning of Feb, no BookBub) and have found that KU page reads have been higher since then too. On other forums I've seen that KCDs aren't supposed to have much of an effect on page reads but I'm wondering if it depends on how much visibility you had before.

I've been considering doing the free days this time around instead of KCD (so I can spread them out and take advantage of free promo opportunities.) I only have one book out at the moment so wasn't initially planning to do free days but I'd like to try to get a bigger base of readers and some more reviews before my next one is released. But I've heard rumours that BookBub won't accept you for a .99 promo if you've offered the book for free before. I'm hoping for a BookBub in the future and would have preferred to keep my options open...


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## The one with all the big dresses on the covers (Jan 25, 2016)

Megan Crewe said:


> I think the promo, particularly BookBub, got the new edition onto a bunch of Also Bought lists for comparable books and that gave it continuing exposure.


This is a question from a newbie, is there any simple way to see what, if any, Also Boughts my book is appearing on? (I've been assuming there isn't but it would sure be nice to know )


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## Megan Crewe (Oct 8, 2015)

MelanieCellier said:


> This is a question from a newbie, is there any simple way to see what, if any, Also Boughts my book is appearing on? (I've been assuming there isn't but it would sure be nice to know )


Simple? Not really.  What I did was go through all _my_ book's Also Boughts to see which ones had my book showing up in the first row or two of theirs.


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## Wansit (Sep 27, 2012)

MelanieCellier said:


> This is a question from a newbie, is there any simple way to see what, if any, Also Boughts my book is appearing on? (I've been assuming there isn't but it would sure be nice to know )


yasiv.com


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## The one with all the big dresses on the covers (Jan 25, 2016)

Wansit said:


> yasiv.com


Thanks! Looks like a great tool! (Although sadly I only see arrows pointing away from my book and none towards  Ah well, not long now until the next promo.)

Also, I'm sure this is a question that gets asked all the time but does a free promo have any impact on the also boughts?


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## RinG (Mar 12, 2013)

I found Yasiv very inaccurate for my books, there is a way to do a Google search only on Amazon or something, and find them that way, but I can never remember how to do it!


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## Guest (Mar 27, 2016)

Rinelle Grey said:


> I found Yasiv very inaccurate for my books, there is a way to do a Google search only on Amazon or something, and find them that way, but I can never remember how to do it!


I vaguely recall that being mentioned in a thread not too long ago and how to do the google thing...

Ah, found on here that mentions it!



PamelaKelley said:


> This is the best way I've found to see who has you in their also boughts. It's a google search and shows much more than the visual Yasiv (that's fun to look at too, but not as accurate).
> 
> So type this search string, putting your own ANSI number in the quotes.
> 
> ...


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## The one with all the big dresses on the covers (Jan 25, 2016)

Thanks everyone!


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## writer-artist-mom (Feb 21, 2015)

I apologize in advance if my question has already been dealt with on this thread! (Not going to read 41 pages of comments to check...)

How would I target adults who read YA? I've heard that about 90% of people who read indie books are adults, and that half the YA market (trad&indie) are readers who are adults. I am certainly one of them! Lately I've seen plenty of threads on here talking about how hard it is to sell YA or that some don't get great bookbub results, etc, etc.

Most of my current/future ideas for books involve characters that could easily be changed from 17/18 to early twenties while I'm still outlining. Should I just market them to adults and not put into the YA categories? I know some people have had lots of success in YA but after having one series that already flopped (though granted, it was probably because of writing quality) I don't want to write more YA unless I can go in with my eyes wide open this time.

I do love YA and that's mostly what I read, and my story ideas usually start with a young-ish character (talking about fantasy/paranormal/etc not contemporary/high school type YA). But maybe I'm better off writing to just an adult audience who read adult fantasy/paranormal.


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## Justa Nobody (Mar 25, 2016)

Removed 9/19/2018 - non-agreement with VerticalScope TOS


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## jlstovall4 (Oct 6, 2015)

Eliza Marie Jones said:


> How would I target adults who read YA? I've heard that about 90% of people who read indie books are adults, and that half the YA market (trad&indie) are readers who are adults. I am certainly one of them! Lately I've seen plenty of threads on here talking about how hard it is to sell YA or that some don't get great bookbub results, etc, etc.
> 
> Most of my current/future ideas for books involve characters that could easily be changed from 17/18 to early twenties while I'm still outlining. Should I just market them to adults and not put into the YA categories? I know some people have had lots of success in YA but after having one series that already flopped (though granted, it was probably because of writing quality) I don't want to write more YA unless I can go in with my eyes wide open this time.





Quinning said:


> FWIW, I've seen the same things you have in discussions and was wondering this myself.


I wonder the same, now that you mention it. But honestly, I went from MG to YA because of going indie. The writer I ran into who convinced me to make the move wrote YA. She had been highly successful at it. I think you do have to find the YAers though. My strategy is to try an pull as many adults as possible, while at the same time actively going after the YAers, even if that means learning... gasp Snapchat.


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## Justa Nobody (Mar 25, 2016)

Removed 9/19/2018 - non-agreement with VerticalScope TOS


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## pdworkman (Jan 17, 2015)

Eliza Marie Jones said:


> I apologize in advance if my question has already been dealt with on this thread! (Not going to read 41 pages of comments to check...)
> 
> How would I target adults who read YA? I've heard that about 90% of people who read indie books are adults, and that half the YA market (trad&indie) are readers who are adults. I am certainly one of them! Lately I've seen plenty of threads on here talking about how hard it is to sell YA or that some don't get great bookbub results, etc, etc.
> 
> ...


I know that a lot of people are saying to go into the adult bookbub rather than young adult bookbub advertising.

As far as categorizing in Amazon, I find that there are a lot more niche subcategories for my YA books than for my adult books. You can put it in more than one category, so maybe pick a juvenile category and an adult category, and of course get in as many keyword categories as you can.


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## -alex- (Jul 12, 2011)

Hey all.

Can we talk SWAG?

What have you found is the most successful/asked for by YAs? Bookmarks, buttons, pens, tshirts, jwellery? Something else?

Thanks.


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## jlstovall4 (Oct 6, 2015)

Quinning said:


> Okay, full disclosure. I downloaded Snapchat last week. I hate it. I've learned it. I hate it.
> 
> It makes me cringe to think that it might be the best place to promote my (eventual) book....


LOL - Can't stay on facebook forever.


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## Justa Nobody (Mar 25, 2016)

Removed 9/19/2018 - non-agreement with VerticalScope TOS


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## jlstovall4 (Oct 6, 2015)

Quinning said:


> Ugh. Right? I am trying. I really am...
> 
> Speaking of Facebook, I sent a request to join the group...


What group? I need to join. Can you post the link?


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## Justa Nobody (Mar 25, 2016)

Removed 9/19/2018 - non-agreement with VerticalScope TOS


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## jlstovall4 (Oct 6, 2015)

@Quinning Thanks


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

Quinning said:


> Okay, full disclosure. I downloaded Snapchat last week. I hate it. I've learned it. I hate it.
> 
> It makes me cringe to think that it might be the best place to promote my (eventual) book....


I ran across this thread looking to see if anyone is using Snapchat for marketing. I hated it when I first started using it but my kids (and their friends) and I have had some fun with it. I decided to set up a "marketing" account but have not done as much with that. It has its weaknesses, but it has strengths too. I like the fact that people choose to show interest in you when they see content from you* and that whatever is communicated is "in the now" rather than potentially weeks or months old. Plus, if you're not active on it, it's much less obvious -- people will really only know that you weren't active in the past 24 hours, not that you've left your account alone for a week or longer.

* This benefit is a little reduced now that stories auto-advance from one person to the next. It was much better when people literally had to choose to look at your story every time, which guaranteed they were pre-engaged in whatever you were going to share.

I also like the idea of branding "Snapcodes" with book covers. Fire up Snapchat and take a snap of this, and it should add me (my writing account, not my friends-and-family account) as a friend:










I can put whatever cover art I want in the center (I do this in GIMP rather than trying to do it directly in Snapchat) and post it any place I want to try to attract new people. When I have more YA-relevant titles out, hopefully this year, I plan to do this more than I do now.


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## jlstovall4 (Oct 6, 2015)

Crenel said:


> I ran across this thread looking to see if anyone is using Snapchat for marketing. I hated it when I first started using it but my kids (and their friends) and I have had some fun with it. I decided to set up a "marketing" account but have not done as much with that. It has its weaknesses, but it has strengths too. I like the fact that people choose to show interest in you when they see content from you* and that whatever is communicated is "in the now" rather than potentially weeks or months old. Plus, if you're not active on it, it's much less obvious -- people will really only know that you weren't active in the past 24 hours, not that you've left your account alone for a week or longer.
> 
> * This benefit is a little reduced now that stories auto-advance from one person to the next. It was much better when people literally had to choose to look at your story every time, which guaranteed they were pre-engaged in whatever you were going to share.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info


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## Justa Nobody (Mar 25, 2016)

Removed 9/19/2018 - non-agreement with VerticalScope TOS


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## jlstovall4 (Oct 6, 2015)

Quinning said:


> Okay, this makes sense. I found another creative on Snapchat this week and have been watching his stories to see what he does and how he uses it. I don't hate it as much now, but it's still.... obviously not my cup of tea. Ha!
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to explain all of this. I hadn't considered using it like this, but it makes sense...


How do you even find people? I'm on it, but there are no hashtags to search. It's like I start typing and nothing comes up. It's like it just wants to be a super version of texting. Help me learn.... LOL


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## Gisele_1169 (Feb 16, 2016)

I've been wondering about Snapchat. Looking forward to hearing more about how people are using it.


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## elizafaith13 (Sep 22, 2014)

Eliza Marie Jones said:


> I apologize in advance if my question has already been dealt with on this thread! (Not going to read 41 pages of comments to check...)
> 
> How would I target adults who read YA? I've heard that about 90% of people who read indie books are adults, and that half the YA market (trad&indie) are readers who are adults. I am certainly one of them! Lately I've seen plenty of threads on here talking about how hard it is to sell YA or that some don't get great bookbub results, etc, etc.
> 
> ...


Adults who read YA find it the same way most people find their books, though they might subscribe to newsletters like ENT, Bookbub ect. Lately, I've found review tours are best. Goodreads activity is still a great way to go. On Instagram I find more teens, but also still plenty of adults. Use hashtags like #bookstagram #YAlovin #Epicreads ect. If you write YA, target YA. US adults will find it. I know I do!


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

jlstovall4 said:


> How do you even find people? I'm on it, but there are no hashtags to search. It's like I start typing and nothing comes up. It's like it just wants to be a super version of texting.


That's not a bad way of thinking about it, actually. It's not at all like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. It's much more like talking to someone with visuals (photos, videos, drawings, etc.). For marketing, you don't need to worry about finding other people, you need to make it easy for people to find and add you, such as by posting your "Snapcode" as I did above. If you make that very visible, your YA audience will know what to do and follow you. If you look around, others are doing this. I think it was Forbes (not a YA publication!) that I saw using their Snapcode as their profile photo on Twitter.


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## jlstovall4 (Oct 6, 2015)

Crenel said:


> That's not a bad way of thinking about it, actually. It's not at all like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. It's much more like talking to someone with visuals (photos, videos, drawings, etc.). For marketing, you don't need to worry about finding other people, you need to make it easy for people to find and add you, such as by posting your "Snapcode" as I did above. If you make that very visible, your YA audience will know what to do and follow you. If you look around, others are doing this. I think it was Forbes (not a YA publication!) that I saw using their Snapcode as their profile photo on Twitter.


Interesting. Seems then that snapchat would kind of be like twitter but only for a few hours, which for me isn't the best. I like to write, but I don't like to talk about ... well enough to keep something like twitter going. I find myself not using twitter because people have nothing to say. I could care less about your cat or dog or what you are for lunch. LOL

I'll figure something out soon. I'm working on a trailer and once I get that done, plus the last of the books, it'll be easier for me to navigate the social media world.

But thanks for all the information--it hasn't fallen on deaf ears.


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## jessie520 (Jul 26, 2015)

That Etsy shop is adorable! 

Also, nominated your book. Good luck with your KS campaign!


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## JG Faherty (May 27, 2016)

So, the book I'm trying out through Kindle Scout is a YA science fiction thriller - THE CHANGELING. Here is the premise:

Struck by lightning, developing new superpowers, and pursued by a power-hungry secret military group that wants to use her as a weapon of mass destruction...it's so not the 18th birthday that high school senior Chloe Olivetti was hoping for.

Scout link: http://tinyurl.com/Changeling-scout

THE CHANGELING is a YA sci-fi thriller in which a high school senior is the accidental target of a top-secret weapons test. Afterwards, she develops amazing powers, including seeing through walls and transporting herself through space and time. Now the Army has kidnapped her and her family so they can recreate the experiment and build an unstoppable team of invincible soldiers. It's up to Chloe to save the people she loves and put an end to the experiment. But her powers are also slowly draining her life force, and she has no idea if she'll have the strength to stop her enemies before it's too late.

If anyone's interested in taking a read, I'd appreciate it, since this is my first time using Scout.


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## Scott Pixello (May 4, 2013)

Anyone got any smart ideas about how you get books into schools (US/UK/Aus especially)? My latest YA novel, _Shakespeare: A Boy's Tale_ is my take on making Shakespeare interesting for a teen/adult readership. This is my 14th book, so I should have cracked this by now but it's proving difficult.


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## NicolaSDorrington (Apr 18, 2016)

I thought about reading through all 42 pages of this, but figured that might take me hours.

Instead I just wanted to say hi. Fellow YA author here. Mostly contemporary fantasy (with a bit of time travel) and urban fantasy/paranormal fantasy. Though I am currently working on a sci-fi/dystopian. 

I will at some point probably look back through a lot of this thread, because I bet there is stuff there that will be helpful to me. 

Anyway, just thought I'd say hi.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

NicolaSDorrington said:


> I thought about reading through all 42 pages of this, but figured that might take me hours.
> 
> Instead I just wanted to say hi. Fellow YA author here. Mostly contemporary fantasy (with a bit of time travel) and urban fantasy/paranormal fantasy. Though I am currently working on a sci-fi/dystopian.
> 
> ...


Hi Nicola
Yes, there really is lots of good stuff, and on the facebook group too. Welcome!


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## 1984Phins (Apr 10, 2016)

JG Faherty said:


> So, the book I'm trying out through Kindle Scout is a YA science fiction thriller - THE CHANGELING. Here is the premise:
> 
> Struck by lightning, developing new superpowers, and pursued by a power-hungry secret military group that wants to use her as a weapon of mass destruction...it's so not the 18th birthday that high school senior Chloe Olivetti was hoping for.
> 
> ...


I'll tell my students to nominate!


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## Mart (Oct 13, 2012)

Hi everyone,

I've poked my head in here before, but this is the first time in a while. I'm a YA writer who is also looking to get a freelance writing/editing career off the ground, and to that end, if anyone has a manuscript that's in need of a developmental/conceptual edit, I'd love to help out (for free!). I'm trying to get some practice as well as build my portfolio. Other writing/editing services I hope to offer are: resumes, cover letters, and editing of personal statements (for college/graduate/professional school), so if you know of anyone who needs these services, feel free to pass my name along. I don't have a website yet because of the whole "needing a portfolio" thing, but I can give you my contact information.

Who I am: In addition to publishing five (soon to be six) YA novels, I have over twenty years' experience in higher education as a writing teacher, advisor, and faculty development specialist. I'd love to use my background to help you out with your novel (and, of course, you'd be helping me out by giving me the chance to sharpen my skills). Feel free to DM me here with questions.

Thanks,
Amy


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## -alex- (Jul 12, 2011)

Hi all.

I was wondering if YA Authors could share any YA Author related FB groups which they are members of? Hoping to connect with some like-minded people on FB.

Thought this would be helpfulful to others too. :0)


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