Here we are at last, down to the last few days of my Kindle Scout campaign for London Lady. The thing I have found the toughest is the balance between promotion and spamming. I think London Lady deserves its place out there on the interwebs, but I am always sensitive that every writer has a story to tell and there are a billion books out there to testify to this.
I must say, the Kindle Scout program is not for the feint of heart. Yet it's not the promotion or hard work you must put in that makes me say this - Lord knows I think most of us nominees knew what we were getting ourselves into. And on the upside I have met so many wonderful people - not just those who were kind enough to take the time to vote for me, but also my fellow travelers walking the campaign trail at the same time. The hardest thing is seeing good writers pouring their heart and soul into their campaigns but who ultimately are not selected. This is truly the saddest part of the whole journey.
But why aren't they selected? A lot of our campaign chit chat focuses on this very thing: what differentiates a successful book from an unsuccessful one? Do hours spent on the Hot and Trending list mean more than the editorial review of the book itself? Is one genre preferred over another? Do more popular or media savvy writers have an edge over less well-versed ones? Is there a quota of books in any campaign phase - so are we competing with the other candidates or not?
The simple answer is, no-one knows any of the answers to these questions. There is no magic formula; the Scout team will be conscious of the marketability of the book - but it seems impossible for authors to second guess which way the wind blows in any particular campaign cycle. All you can do in the end is the best you can - and work your campaigning butt off to ensure you gave your own book the best shot you could. So shout it from the rooftops. Yes, there are a million other books out there but you only have a little window on the program so sing your bally heart out!
It can't hurt to be a popular writer, to be hot and trending, to write in a broadly accepted genre, to be competitive - but you could go mad trying to figure it all out. In the end just work your campaigning butt off to ensure you gave your own book the best shot you could. You worked hard. You deserve this opportunity. And talk to other nominees. You are not on this journey alone and if nothing else, whether you get a contract or not - I guarantee you will meet a lot of great writers along the way. And this road less traveled is worth it - if only for that pleasure alone.
CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE LONDON LADY
Bless you all and thanks for voting!
Heather.
