Report on .99 cent sale of Spirit Shapes

My intent was to have Spirit Shapes free on Kindle for a week. The publisher was agreeable, but when he set it up, Amazon had changed its rules and the only thing I could do was to have the price lowered to .99 cents.

This caused a big problem because once the publisher said yes, I promptly advertised through many of the places that promote free e-books. I back-tracked as much as I could, but I'm sure I missed some. Fortunately, I hadn't paid too much for the advertising.

And of course I advertised the deal myself everywhere I could--and at first the numbers on Amazon went down and hovered at 3 figures for a while--but not as much happened as I'd hope for. 

Of course I hoped readers would buy it at the lowered price because it is the perfect Halloween story complete with a haunted house, ghosts and evil spirits, Unfortunately, it didn't happen as I'd hoped.

Why does anyone lower prices on a book? Because Spirit Shapes is part of the Tempe Crabtree mystery series, the hope is that if someone likes the cheaper book, that he or she will want to read other books in the series. It certainly worked on the Rocky Bluff book that I offered for free. 

Though disappointing, those who follow me on my blog and Facebook know that I don't give up. 

I'm a writer and I'll keep on writing no matter what. I've done it through crooked publishers, publishers who died, publishers who shut their doors, slow sales, book events where I didn't sell many books, and so on.

I have two things that keep me going:

1. Readers who let me know they love my books. 
2. I want to know what's going to happen to my characters next--after all, I created them.

You can lift MY spirits by trying out the latest in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series, Seldom Traveled.


Comments

Unknown said…
Your spirit and determination have become an impetus to continue writing. I thank you for that.
I'm glad I can help anyone who wants to be a writer, even if it's just to keep going! thank you, Skye!
Nancy LiPetri said…
You're my book marketing mentor. Thanks for sharing another honest real-life report!
J. L. Greger said…
I don't want to sound nasty, but it's nice to know that I'm not the only one whose "best laid plans aft go astray." The blog was informative. Thanks.
Sharon Ervin said…
Your usual Blog, sharing good information and not too much "I," "me," and "my." Some of us are prone to focus on ourselves, which is offputting. Thanks, as usual.
M.M. Gornell said…
I'm one of those readers that love your books! You tried "it," Marilyn, and that's one of the lessons I've learned from you. Give "it" a try, do it! Continued success.
Thanks everyone, I'm always happy to know when someone takes the time to read my blog.
Unknown said…
I am just reading this Marilyn: I rarely use my Gmail address; my primary e-mail is skyecaitlin@aol.com

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