I can't believe it's been over a month since I published Daughter of Lightning. I am so grateful to those of you who have already offered support and feedback!
As I've said before, reviews are super helpful. The more reviews a book has, the higher it's listed by Amazon's algorithms. That means that when someone types in "YA fantasy books" in the search bar, more reviews means my book is more likely to be seen. Plus, people are more likely to buy a book that is well-rated.
As a self-published author, I don't have the backing of a publishing house. My book is just one of hundreds--even thousands--that are uploaded to Amazon every day. Traditionally published authors have a support system. Their publishers advertise and promote, and have very advantageous connections throughout the market.
Since I am not traditionally published, I have a different support system: you.
Contrary to popular belief, readers determine the success of the book, not the writer. It doesn't matter how good a book is if readers don't spread the word and support it.
I'll be completely honest with you guys--I am not having success with Daughter of Lightning. My sales numbers are pretty pitiful. The money aspect of that doesn't matter to me one bit; I've never pursued writing for a paycheck. But the other aspect of it, that my book is going to die at the very bottom of Amazon's listings, only seen by a handful of people...yeah, that's a little disappointing. It's hard to spend years creating this story, and thousands of dollars sharing it with the world, and then sell only a few dozen copies.
So I have a favor to ask. If you've read Daughter of Lightning, or once you have read it, please consider writing a review!
I'm not asking for 5-star reviews only. I appreciate honest feedback. It's important to me as a self-published author seeking to gain some traction, but also as a writer who would love to hear what you thought of the story. :) As much as I love to hear positive feedback, I also appreciate constructive criticism to help me improve my writing.
And in return, I have an offer for you! If you enjoyed Daughter of Lightning and are interested in reading the sequel, Son of Winter, you can enter a drawing for a free copy! All you have to do is post a review, let me know that you'd like to be entered in the drawing, and voila. You can do this any time between now and April 1st. And, if you also post a review on Goodreads, I'll enter your name twice. So if/when you write a review, contact me (you can comment here, on Facebook or Instagram, message me, etc) to be entered, and I will draw two winners in April, who will receive free copies of Son of Winter as soon as it's available. (I'm planning to release it some time in May.)
And finally, thank you to all of you for your help so far! Extra big thank-you to those of you who have shared my posts or shared your own posts about Daughter of Lightning on social media--that is a huge help!