Last weekend, to my delight, The Magpies hit No.1 on Amazon.co.uk. It didn’t stay there long – some bloke called Dan Brown brought a book out the next day – but it was a great feeling, not least because it proved that the success of Catch Your Death, my first No.1, wasn’t a fluke. Not [...]
The Magpies was launched a month ago today and it’s been a pretty phenomenal month. The book has now sold 40,000 copies, which is way beyond my initial expectations (although I am always optimistic). It’s currently sitting at No.2 on Amazon UK and has over 90 five star reviews. Of course it could all go [...]
This week has been crazy – after stalling in the thirties, The Magpies has flown into the Amazon UK top ten and is currently sitting at No.7 (although it changes every hour so could well have dropped by the time I finish writing this blog post). It reached No.6 yesterday, its highest position so far. [...]
The ebook charts have changed a lot in the last two years. Last week, I launched my first self-published novel since 2011, The Magpies, and have discovered it’s a lot harder than it used to be. Two years ago – in February 2011 – my co-writer Louise Voss and I self-published our thriller Killing Cupid, [...]
There are only three things you need to do to become a multi-platinum, world-conquering ebook tycoon with a fleet of yachts and sales figures that would make James Patterson spit with envy: Get people to look at your book page Convert them into a paying customer Keep them coming back for more Yep, that’s all [...]
Nick Spalding is the UK’s most successful indie author of 2012, with incredible sales of his comedies. He’s just announced a traditional deal with Coronet Books and is an example of someone whose life has been transformed by self-publishing. Nick and I will be appearing on a panel together at Self-Publishing in the Digital Age, [...]
When you self-publish your book, there are a few things that you have to get right to have any chance of success. Of course, your book has to be something people want to read. Then you need a great cover. You have to choose the right categories. And you must have an excellent product description. [...]
Recently, The Guardian published a controversial article by the Booker prize head judge arguing that book bloggers are harming literature. You can read his arguments here. Personally, I’m a big fan of book bloggers – as a reader because I know they are going to be honest and ‘real’ and as a writer because it’s [...]
In the second part of my interview with Karl Vadaszffy, he unveils some of the things he did to help his indie book, The Missing, soar into the Amazon Top 10 and sell 35,000 copies. Read on for some useful tips. And thanks again to Karl for taking the time to answer my many questions. [...]
I’m delighted to welcome Karl Vadaszffy to IndieIQ , for my first interview in quite a while. This is Part 1 of a 2-part interview. In the second part, Karl will reveal some of the secrets of his success. Although Karl is not self-published – his books have been published by his agent – he [...]
There is a lot of talk about how indie writers can or can’t use social networks like Twitter and Facebook to climb the Amazon charts. From my own experience, here are 8 things you should do if you want to avoid making stupid mistakes and wasting precious hours that could be spent writing. 1. Pick [...]
Here’s how I think writers should behave when using social media; the golden rules that you should always remember if you want to make friends and influence people – and sell some books along the way! 1. It’s not all sell sell sell Imagine if you met someone for the first time and the first thing [...]
Along with the cover image, your book description is one of the two main tools you have for selling your book on Amazon. Many authors really neglect their description, either because they don’t understand its importance, or because it’s so hard to get right – if you don’t know what you’re doing. The good news [...]
I’m featured on Rebecca Bradley’s great blog talking about social networking and how writers should use it. In a nutshell, writers should not exclusively use Twitter and Facebook for endless streams of promotional tweets with links to their books. That’s: a) Very irritating b) A waste of time c) A waste of a great opportunity [...]
The world is full of clichés about never giving up your dreams, of try-try-try again. It’s what fuels reality shows like The X Factor. It’s a story that athletes and celebrities use to fill the pages of their autobiographies, between the early chapters on their childhood and their big break. For writers, who dream of [...]
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