How I Sold Over Half A Million Books Self-Publishing
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 มิ.ย. 2024
- HOW I SOLD OVER HALF A MILLION BOOKS//MY SELF-PUBLISHING STORY AND MY TOP TIPS FOR SUCCESS
I am so excited to be talking about this today, because I know a lot of you have been asking about marketing tips and strategies for success. Today, I'm talking about the best things I did to reach more than half a million sales so far in my Indie publishing career.
Over the course of the next few weeks, I'll be releasing a series of videos about How to Build An Anchor Series, which will walk you through the steps to create your own bestselling series. Make sure you subscribe to be notified when a new video goes up so that you don't miss any of these tips!
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SUBSCRIBE -- / heartbreathings
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BLOG -- heartbreathings.com/blog
INSTAGRAM -- / heartbreathingsblog
FACEBOOK -- / heartbreathings
TWITTER -- / heartbblog
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Heart Breathings - Episode 13
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About Me: My name is Sarra Cannon, and I've been indie publishing since 2010. In that time, I have published 22 books and sold well over half a million copies.
I've made some mistakes along the way, but I've also learned some valuable lessons that I think will help you reach your goals. I can't wait to help you learn to make money writing what you love.
MY BOOKS -- www.sarracannon.com
THREE FREE BOOKS -- sarracannon.com/book/beautiful...
*Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.* - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
Which of these tips do you struggle with the most? Which is the most eye-opening for you? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Wassup girl!... How do i fine a domain code? Where do you recommend printing stages?
I can't believe you write so many books a year.
Heart Breathings, congratulations.
Choosing a project... I have 2 and my heart is 100% in both 😭 but the first is a long, LONG term project: so I guess I know which will win💗
Writing a series lol I am nonfictional
2-4 books a year!!! I just finished my first book. It took 5 years!
Your book is more valuable then her
Ali Ahmed T.V ..the fuck...?
It's okay to take your time! I feel like once you get your first book done it will probably be easier to do the books which continue off of that one.
@@aliahmedt.v9837 hahaha that escalated quickly xD
My writing partner and I have taken between 7 months to 11 months to write each of our 1st 4 novels. It took from Jan 2015 to Aug 2016 to write our 1st one.
650 thousand books sold!! You are true badass!!
Well said...good strategy. Thanks. It's nice to know that you have sold over 650,000 books as of 2018. So many author-tubers aren't selling any books...and are parroting what they viewed on someone else's channel. Good luck.
I am a very cynical person regarding bullshit writing advice. Most of it is bullshit. However, this one video (even if I am not the target reader for these kinds of books) is probably the best advice I've ever heard on how to have a career in writing books. Don't read Stephen King's advice on writing, go here instead. Anybody that wants to write these types of books, I would listen to what she has to say. This author knows some stuff. I think this video is brilliant.
Wow! Thank you so much, Kevin. This means a lot. I appreciate it.
Yeah, I see some posts on here that are kind of covertly trying to undercut what you said, make it seem inauthentic, because for whatever reason, but couching the true criticism or uneasiness they have with it, in various ways. I don't write series books myself, but I can see how powerful it is to do. And if I could add my own sort of advice to the table and piggyback on what you said: readers want to see characters they love go through things: beats. The more novels a specific character has the more beats the reader knows they will get with this character, which is exciting.
One of the novels I use to judge my own writing against is the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. In it, Douglas Adams put Arthur Dent into all sorts of beats to the thrill of the reader.
Kurt Vonnegut used his special brand of humor and writing style to create a beat within his reader. You read a Vonnegut book for that special Vonnegut style.
Basically in less than 20 minutes you explained the entire publishing industry to me in a way that makes complete sense.
So, I liked the video. But what's wrong with Stephen King? His book On Writing really helped me. The difference is Stephen King helps you improve your 'writing', and this video tells you how to increase the sales.
@@tiredcaffeine I can't really remember, over 2 years ago, why I singled Stephen King out, perhaps I had watched a video by him right before this, but my general reaction to writing advice, is that it is pretty much bullshit.
There is no advice that can help you write books, none.
You have to work out, for yourself, on the page what is it you want to do and nothing can help you do that.
My general approach to writing books and the only rule I follow is: respect the reader's time, as much as possible. The reader is the only thing I care about in writing.
The reader is always right and I don't want to disappoint him or her if it is in my power to help it.
If you pander to the publishing industry, you might need to read all of those books that teach you about a myriad of things that THEY like a book to be.
If it were up to them, 50 shades of Grey would never have been published.
If you respect the reader, and give them what they want, you will be fine.
@@14u2ponderWell, actually I don't think that way. Every augtor has their own voice. G.R.R.M. has a different style than J.R.R.T. Readers will chose which author they love more. You don't change your writing according to your readers who one day might stop reading you. You write as yourself and readers who love your style will come to you.
I think you have not read SK's 'On Writing' book. Because he does not tell you 'How to write'. If you read, you will see. And, no, every newbie writer needs help. So, those advices you see on the net are mostly solid.
For example,
"Read, read, read, write, write, write"
"Don't use too much passive voice"
"Too much adverbs weaken the writing, don't you then too much"
etc.
Like any job, doing it without any help, aka re-inventing the wheel, will only wate your time. You should change your idea of what is being an "author".
Thanks for the tips! I made sure I wrote all the tips down. I’m really excited for my career to take off.
Hands down one of the best indie author youtube videos I've seen. THANK YOU for this! Definitely making me think of how I can rebrand my series and hopefully get some momentum behind it.
I am so gratified to hear you encourage valuing quality over speed. Far too few people promote that idea these days. Well said!
I completely rebranded my short story covers after watching this, thanks for the advice!
Started slightly after you and am MUCH slower (will release my 3rd in a few months), but am seeing exactly the progression you describe in terms of an anchor series, branding, and engagement. Thank you for your transparency and humility. You were so generous to share yourself with us this way!
Thank you for sharing. This was a kind thing to do ❤️❤️❤️
Single Series resonated the most with me. Thank you!
You're such a steady and calming presence to listen to. Thank you for taking what for you was a "happy accident" and sharing what you learned from it so you can help others who may not be so lucky to stumble upon serendipitous success. You rock, Sarra!
Sounds like I'm on the right track with my plan. I have my debut novel coming out next month, and have the rough draft of sequel already 80% written. My plan was to get the sequel done and on the market within this year, and the third book started. I have several other standalone outlines written, as well as another series, so I will work on this series before starting on the next one.
how has your book launch gone? it's been 4 years! update?!
Thank you so much for this!! I've been watching a lot of videos like this where people are, honestly kind of arrogant and focusing on tending stuff. I like this because you seem very genuine and professional and you specify that your way is not the only way. I appreciate that so much! Thank you for having the courage to be different in an industry where you're told to be trendy.
Your advice here is GOLD. I shared it with two people whom I care about, who also like to write.
Thanks for sharing these tips, and congrats on your success!
I definitely appreciate these gems! I've been strapped for time because of schoolwork, but I released my first novel back in 2009 before I knew what self publishing was, and just recently released two novels back in 2018 (the most recent one was on Christmas). I hope your success continues for real.
Fantastic advice! Thank you for your integrity. This is the first video I've found on YT about self-publishing that actually promotes genuine authorship and a passion for the craft. Others focus only on greed as a motivation and they're encouraging others to dump low quality, ghost-written garbage books into the market for profits only. I'll be watching more of your videos for sure!
Thank you. I have a series I am starting. And then I watched this. Thanks for the extra motivation. Very much needed. ♥️
Thank you, Sarra. I write too, as J.C.Nova - and I must say that this has been one of the most helpful videos EVER on writing and selling books.
Fantastic stuff!
Wow! Such a great videos. I have to re-watch and take notes. Thank you so much for sharing this information and wishing you much success.
Hi Sarra! I just found your videos and am excited to get to know you a bit more through them! I like what you said about engaging readers in between books and also the way you “route” readers by giving recommended reading (start with book 1) at the end of each of your books. I am going to be publishing my Book 1 in young reader fantasy series next month so watching this video was perfect timing! I’m going to check out the rest of your videos as well. Thanks!
I'm so glad I found your videos. You have wonderful tips. I love your blog and I just downloaded your book 1, 2 and 3 box set. I hope I love it.
really great tips! I love how your covers has evolved over the years (the beautiful covers is what made me buy several of your books when I was in a shopping mood one day, and I'm glad I bought them!). Glad that all your hard work is paying off to give you a great career :)
This is the most concise, and clear cut advice I've ever heard about what to do with having a successful writing career. Thanks much and congrats on your success.
I'm not a writer but I'm really enjoying your YT content. Congratulations on the half a million books sold - what an amazing accomplishment! I'll go check out your books on Amazon.
Great Info! Helped a ton!
I realize this is an old video. Congratulations on your success. In working with new writers I am constantly searching for tips they can use to get better as writers and to put their work out there for the world to see. Thanks for all you do.
Thanks so much for your no BS insights into self-publishing. I think what resonated the most with me is the fact that you exist, you have an author page and books attached to a real name lol.
It is obvious you are passionate about your projects and I'm excited to check out what else you have to say about publishing and fiction. I have been laying the groundwork for my own six-book fiction series but haven't taken the plunge into publishing it.
Thank you for all the encouraging and earnest honesty about your journey. You've won a subscriber and follower :)
This video is so awesome! I'm "window-shopping" so to speak for the book I just finished writing (in terms of trad publishing vs indie), and this video was very informative. Right now I'm leaning more towards breaking my 120k-word book into several smaller pieces and rapid releasing it. It's just so nerve-wracking to consider!!!
I am so happy I found your channel. You are so amazing. May you achieve an abundant success to your hearts desires!!!
This is fabulous advice. Thank you so much!
Thank you. My first book in my series has been launched as of Oct 2020. I'm working hard on marketing, understanding how Amazon works, and starting the second book. You've been so helpful. I'm looking forward to watching your other videos.
This was so helpful! I feel newly inspired. This is my first time seeing one of your videos and I have subscribed so that I can continue to follow you. Thank you!
Your Cover sequence definitely was a good recommendation. Thx! 💪
This is so helpful....thank you so much for your transparency and all of the details!!!
This was the perfect video for me to see today. Synchronicity. I am currently waiting for my new book to be editied by my publisher and I started 2 new ideas completely seperate from my first book. I am so happy that you put me back on track. I pulled out my workbook and decided to do my 2nd book in this series. Great advice. Thank you.
Only 8 mins in and loving this so much! You're a star, thank you. Look forward to watching all your videos. :)
Great info Sarra thanks a lot! super useful and it´s lovely to see how passionate you are about your wrok. Congrats!
I can write fast. Editing is another issue! :) Loving these videos, Sarra! Thanks for taking the time to share your tips!
Mary Rajotte haha good point!!! It just takes time to get a book fully ready! At least for some of us!
Writing is editing! Get used to it!!
Get someone on fiverr to edit
Were we deployed together in Qatar?
Same here!
Excellent video. One of the best videos about self-publishing I've watched on YT. I was thinking of going in the direction of a series after writing several stand-alone novels. This convinces me I'm headed in the right direction.
Thank you Sarra for your advice. I am a non-fiction writer of leadership training manuals, but now want to publish my work as books. Your advice is universally applicable and very helpful.
I've watched many videos on writing tips and you come across as refreshingly genuine. And intelligent. I value your tips about sticking to one series and even using the first book as a loss leader. Subscribed!
Thank you so much!
These tips are so actionable. Thank you!
Balanced and on point advice. Thank you!
This is so exciting! I'm going to be working on building an anchor series and I'll be watching closely.
Love that you're doing this! Great job. I loved the idea of a core series.
Hildie McQueen Thank you, Hildie!
Love this... best advice, clear, on point and no tricks played ... thank you for this video
Wow this had some great info- I’m just getting started but I bet this is still amazing to even veterans the part about dropping sales when you release the next is awesome insight
Omg I'm a horrible fan lol I didnt realize who you were at first I freaking love love love your beautiful demons books never stop writing these books I buy the new book everytime one comes out
This is so helpful, thank you! I'm writing a sci-fi trilogy and I started being very serious about it last year when I finished the book using NaNoWriMo as a boost to finish the draft.
I'm partially blind so I know I have a ton to learn, and my punctuation is a disaster, I know that. But I also have noticed how much I have improved since the first draft of the first chapter in the first book, now I'm working on drafting book 2, and I can tell I've learned a little. This keeps me motivated to go on with it.
Writing is a neverending learning curve. If we try to write just to make quick cash, well, it will show up and improvement is not gonna happen as much as if we commit to writing and improving stories that we love. Great content, I'm subscribing.
This is such great advice! Thank you so much! ❤
Thank you for sharing your tips. I've just entered into the self-pub pool with a series and I'm just drinking in knowledge wherever I can. Much appreciated!
Thank you for the tips! I’d have trouble rapid releasing, as it takes me a long time to write even a small bit of content. I think I was already branding without realizing it; I drew the cover for the next book, and it has similarities to the first book’s cover. I think it’s eye-opening to hear that you write side stories to keep your readers engaged in your world.
just running across this... very, very authentic. Thanks for sharing and being so generous in your information for others. We need lots of writers with lots of genres. Great!
Thank you! I am publishing my books today!
This is one of the coolest videos that I’ve seen and I look forward to following your advice!
Thank you for sharing this 🖤 just released my first book and struggling with how to market it. I appreciate your insight.
Loved this video. I watch a million Authortubers. I don't know how I missed you up until now. I'll have to binge watch your archives now!
I think you have the most genuine, authentic information. Thank you. Subscribed.
Excellent, in-depth advice. You've inspired me to finish the third in my series and to rebrand it (since it's been a few years since my second in the series came out). Thank you!
The best video ever!!!! I saw tons of videos about this subject but your video is extraordinary. I wish you all success...
This was really interesting, thank you for your insight
She's SO modest....Beautiful Demons reads just fine. It got me hooked on the series! I'm looking forward to getting through the newer books in this particular series but I'm also excited to read Deep Dark Secrets from her.
love the concept of the anchor series - so true, building your fan base!!
Thanks for the tips. I definitely have my anchor series already and I hope I have some success as a writer too.
Write what I love. -I'm definitely doing it.
As an aspiring author, I'm so excited I found your channel! Great practical tips!
Your story is really inspiring. A lot of authors have come and gone in the last nine years.
Staying power is a huge thing. Especially with all of the shifts in the marketplace.
Congratulations to you.
Enjoying ur videos and blogs...really great content! Thank u so much.
This is some stellar advice. Thank you so much for sharing this with all of us!
Great stuff-thanks so much for sharing!
I'm so glad I found your channel and your tips were so helpful for me as a self published writer and I will be using them to continue to learn
Thanks for the great tips! I’m currently writing a few books.
This is one of the BEST writing videos I have watched! I am publishing my first novel At the end of March. I have a great idea for my second book and even the layout. But I will most likely take a small break between my books! Looking forward to having a series :)
Super helpful and down to earth... can't wait to watch more of your videos
Epic that is exactly what I'm doing. Great confirmation thanks 💖
This is great advice. Thanks for taking the time to help writers!
Very great information 😉. Thanks a lot.Love your honesty.
Thank you. Very helpful. It comes across clearly that you do know what you are talking about and have made it work by being engaged intelligently with the process of writing successfully.
This video was in my video feed and caught my eye. This is the first video that I got introduced to your amazing platform and been loving your channel ever sense. (Tamara) 🙌
Thanks for the advice. I am an indie filmmaker and scriptwriter, have been thinking about branching out to self publishing as well. I just love writing in general and really have a desire to make a living being creative. You dropped some really good advice and this video was very inspiring.
Thank you very much, just what I needed.
Great video! Thank you for the info.
Thank you for the helpful tips and congratulations on your success!🙂🍀
I loved your honest tips and your shiny personality, all of them were useful. Words coming from heart sit right in heart! Thank you dear!
Thank you. Confirmation of my whole strategy! Excellent. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thank you so much for this. I never ever thought about doing a series. I am writing a non fiction book and this video literally just solved my ongoing issue of how to narrow down what I want to write about. I never thought about making this topic into more than one book. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!
Wow I'm so glad I found this video. This sounds like the best advice i've heard about becoming a writer I've seen in a long time
You're amazing! Thanks so much for this most informative video!
Oh my gosh, this was so informative. Thank you.
No wonder you are so successful. You're clever and humble and generous. Thanks for sharing!
This is the best advice video I’ve seen to date on self publishing, thanks!
Mahalo for the excellent info & advice. Great stuff!
Best no nonsense advice I've seen/heard in FOREVER!
Even though I'm a coloring book illustrator and not a writer, this still helped me out! New subbie
Thanks for a great video. Loved it.
Thanks for the great video. It was very informative and specifically reinforced my thoughts, regarding the writing of a series. I expect to publish on KDP shortly. You have been a great help.
Great advice, thanks. I hope to follow it one day!