In Part 1, I shared with you that I just jumped into romance writing and indie-publishing with no idea what it takes to be successful. I shared my descent into the rabbit hole of webinars, classes and blogs, searching for that nugget of advice that would be my magic bullet.
Today I confess I am still digging my way out of that hole, but I am learning what works. My first lesson? The gurus in the rabbit hole tailor their advice for non-fiction writers. They have great ideas, and I’ve learned many things, but selling romance is definitely not the same as marketing self-help books.
The Plight and the Misconception
Romance is a horse of a different color (where does that phrase come from?). I need to reach a different audience and I am learning ways to do so.
As this infographic from Romance Writers of America shows, romance readers are not who we stereotypically think they are. More working women read romance, readers are more educated and more are men than I expected. These demographics were surprising, but their sheer numbers were not. Romance readers are plentiful.
Amazon sells over 235 million romance eBooks a year in the US alone and this constitutes more than 40% of all eBook sales. That’s a ton of romance reading. Add paperbacks, audible, and non-US markets, and the number is staggering. Romance is the number one selling book genre in the world.
With those numbers, I thought my books would sell. How could I miss? Yet, miss I did. The average new author sells only 99 books in the year he or she first publishes. I expected to exceed that. I was spending money on covers, courses and apps based on that expectation. After all, I was writing a romance and romances fly off the shelves – or the Kindle app.
The other interesting fact about romances? Interestingly, romance sales took off when readers started buying them as eBooks. eBooks represent over 90% of romance sales. If I had paid attention to this, I might have launched differently. Why is the eBook choice significant? I have two theories – image and sex. My overlooking those is where I believe I went wrong.
Consider the Problem of Sex
Sex. If a romance reader is looking for some spice in their books, I believe I deliver. But if you are searching for a steamy story to buy, how can you tell that the Beguiling Bachelors contain some heat? I think you can’t. I am going for a new steamy cover to help the browser know that there is sexual content in my books.
The other problem is the secrecy of the readers. Although eBooks have freed consumers from embarrassment in coffee shops and subways, they have not liberated readers sufficiently to spread the word. Intelligent women and men are a bit reluctant to tell their friends that they are reading a romance. I think they fear looking less intelligent, less serious. They are quick to tell friends to read the latest bestseller or that book they are reading for book club, but a romance?
This matters. The number one way people learn about books is word of mouth. The recommendation of a friend goes further than anything else in promoting books.
There is an alternative – reviews. Reviews on Amazon, on Goodreads, on blogs and in the press. I must confess, I completely failed to cultivate the reviews and blogs that might have helped launch my books. I missed that all important publishing and marketing must. I am correcting that now..
So, let me share with you the best blogs on romance books. I have started reading many of them. They are good. They are thoughtful. Maybe someday soon I will see my Beguiling Bachelor novels listed on Smexy Books or All About Romance or UpAllNight . I will ask for that opportunity, offer to write a post on their blogs, speak on their podcasts. This is how the word about romance novels spreads. They are like the NY Times Book Review, but for romance novels.
Blogs, and of course, reviews and word of mouth. If you enjoyed my efforts, won’t you consider leaving an honest review on Amazon or Goodreads? Because I have also learned – if you want a review, ask for one.
I’m asking.