It’s been a month since I released my first piece of fiction for sale (UK, US, AU, CA)! Some people even bought it and read it, for which I am so grateful.
The release of Duck and Dive involved a huge list of firsts for me:
- Putting something I’ve written out in public, then actually telling people about it.
- Sharing with friends and family, who I hadn’t told about my writing.
- Setting up my author pages. So you can now also follow me on Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon UK, or Amazon US, if you’re so inclined. Of course, there’s my more established (and not author-specific) Twitter and Instagram profiles too.
- Watching sales figures and royalties estimates.
- Having something I’ve written mentioned on a bookish podcast (what!).
- Having friends and family spreading the word.
- Receiving nice messages, feedback and reviews – for something I wrote!
It was daunting – telling everyone about my writing, and the publishing process – but it was great fun, and much like the content of the book, it felt like I was coming out all over again! And now I’ve done it once, I’m ready to give it another crack.
Duck and Dive was mentioned on the Bestseller Experiment podcast ahead of a fantastic interview with Adele Parks! The two Marks mention my novella and how it grew from flash fiction I started to meet my BXP 2020 Challenge commitment to write just 200 words a day. My mention is on Episode 274 at the 10:26 mark.
I screenshotted a selection of Instagram Stories from my friends and family, who were so good at spreading the word for me. My Instagram profile is @gbralph_ if you want to join in!
Not only that, some have finished my book and left reviews on Amazon! Each review resulted in a bump up the rankings, so if you can leave a rating (as many stars as you like) and/or review (even just a one-liner) it would really help increase my book’s visibility, and I will be forever grateful!
Reviews only appear on the Amazon storefront you use, so it would be great to get a few more in the UK and US stores, as well as some in AU, CA or any of the other stores.
I’ve scored a bunch of ratings and reviews on Goodreads too! You can head there to add Duck and Dive to your reading list, or if you’ve already read it you can throw a few stars my way, if you like.
Now, if you’ve made it this far, maybe I can convince you to grab a copy of Duck and Dive (UK, US, AU, CA) for yourself, if you haven’t already?
And/or join my mailing list to keep up with the latest? I’m looking forward to seeing what the coming months bring while I’m underway with my next story…
G B Ralph 