So now that I am a published author (I love saying that!) I can look back on the experience so far and hopefully help other new authors on their journey to publishing. I know I am still very new at this, and I am sure I still have a LOT to learn, but I would like to put my two cents in for those looking for tips. (I relied heavily on author blogs to get started, so I guess I am paying it forward).
- Pre-release is a good option to generate higher first day sales and hype about your book, but there are a few caveats. If you publish on Smashwords, people cannot buy your book until it is actually released. I tried to use the coupon feature and offer a lower price to people who bought it early. I found out the coupons only work on Smashwords, not other ebook retailers (iBooks, Nook etc.), but because no one can actually buy your book on Smashwords as a pre-release, this is not a good use of the coupon. If you would like to offer a lower pre-purchase price, set the price low, and let your readers know that the price will go up when it is released. This encourages readers to buy your book before it is released, thus increasing your sales when it is actually released. Then, when the book is released, you can raise the price to what you had intended the full price to be. Then, if you want to use the coupons later, you can do it after your sales start to slow down.
- Use your pre-release period to boost interest, remind people when the book is actually available, and ask them for reviews! Reviews help you sell to people you do not actually know.
- Speaking of people you know, SELL TO PEOPLE YOU KNOW! Yes, you are really putting yourself in a vulnerable position, but your family and friends believe in you. They will promote you for FREE!
- You get the largest cut of money if people buy direct from Smashwords (if that is where you choose to publish), however more people use larger retailers, such as iBooks, Nook, and Kindle, so think about which one you will link to more.