Thread by @ZoeYorkWrites

I want to do a thread about how I spent money (and didn't) when I started publishing, and what I would recommend now, especially for advertising/marketing dollars.

When I started publishing, I had no money. I had a day job, but I was paying off debt from maternity leave, and my husband was going through a depression/PTSD-induced spending spree. (I only share this to be brutally clear that when I say I had no money, I had no money).

I was really focused on this not costing me any money out of my income, beyond the bare minimum I needed to spend on the first book to get it out there (two courses to get me on the right track, and a pro copy edit). I bartered critiques with authors I met through networking.

So first off: reasonable cost craft courses are a worthwhile investment before you are published. Of the two that I took, one is still offered: Before You Hit Send by Angela James. I think it cost me $100 eight years ago. Worth whatever she's charging now.

Copy edits: There are a lot of great copy editors well-versed in romance out there, who can do a quick and efficient job for a decent amount of money. I recommend Tasha Harrison, Kim Cannon, Dana Waganer. Cost will depend on the length of your book. I spent $250 eight years ago.

Here's one advantage I had: I had graphic design skills (although no genre fiction cover experience! LOL ... I learned over time), and I found deals for stock photos. Cover cost: time and effort, plus $39 for photos.

If you don't have a graphic bone in your body, this could be bartered, or look at premade sites. Basically, if money is tight, do not spend $500 on a cover. Don't buy custom photos. That's a waste of money. Invest TIME and really get objective and critical on what sells.

And then there are some costs associated with having a platform. Website, etc. Since it's been 8 years since I last investigated that, I don't have firm recommendations for how to keep these costs low in 2019. (Can anyone help there?)

But after that (investing in your craft, then copyediting a finished book, and getting a cover with more time than money) ... this is where it can get very stressful with money. Because you haven't earned anything yet, your book maybe debuts with a whisper, and people say: ads.

I do not say ads here.

I just don't.

And this isn't because I don't think ads work. They do.

But they are a gamble, and you, baby author, are not yet ready to play that game.

I also don't suggest anyone takes their pennies to Vegas unless they love the thrill of the game.

That's what most advertising is, a roll of the dice.

^ Not enough people are honest about that.

At this point, I'm going to suggest you instead spend... time again. Write the next book.

(I KNOW. IT IS SUCH CLICHED ADVICE. But it's true.)

And hopefully--dear sweet baby reader--hopefully it is book 2 in a series.

Then the third is book 3, or maybe book 1 in a new series.

Because the safest thing you can do is write 3+ books in a connected world--and I mean CONNECTED BY METADATA, do not make your readers jump through hopes to figure out the connections!

And then make book 1 free.

(All free haters, don't at me, I don't care)

Because the single safest ad you can try to get is a free first-in-series ad, that sells through to at least two connected-by-meta-data books that sell for at least $3.99 each.

That ad will almost always earn you a positive ROI.

ROI = return on investment.

Memorize that.

Sorry, I used the wrong word here. I should have said "featured deal", as in a BookBub featured deal--> a newsletter blast offer. BookBub, Ereader News Today, Freebooksy, Robin Reads...there are a lot of these listings now. (If you have a favourite, please reply here!)

That is a form of an ad. And it costs money. But the chances of a positive ROI for a single investment of money is MUCH higher than the daily adjustments required for monitoring a Facebook ad, or an AMS ad, or Google AdWhatever, or even the -- do not be fooled -- BookBub ads.

Now, these other things are not bad.

I am not being critical of running a marketing campaign that includes Facebook ads, AMS ads, etc.

But those are MARKETING CAMPAIGNS. They require attention. And a TON of churn.

Once you decide, for example, to run a Facebook ad campaign to push a first in series free (and that's not a bad idea), you are basically committing to running it UNTIL YOU FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE IT PROFITABLE.

Copy testing.
Image testing.
Copy and image testing.

That takes time. And it takes money.

So do not do this until you are comfortable with the money side of it.

Do not do it while stressed about money.

It is also not necessary--no matter what anyone else tells you--to sell books.

IT. IS. NOT. NECESSARY. TO. SELL. BOOKS.

It can help!

But anyone who says it's a requirement in 2019 to move units doesn't know enough about writing compelling stories. (Fight me)

It may be necessary to move the volume required to hit the Amazon top 100. I don't know. That's not my goal, and I make a lot of money now. (I share that because I'm fucking proud of it, and because we should talk more about money in this industry)

Back to our baby author, terrified to waste money they don't have.

Okay, so it's not easy to get a BookBub ad. I know! They turn me down a lot. KEEP WRITING THAT SERIES. Write the next one! Don't jump genres, don't start over and over and over again. Starting over is folly.

When I say write the next one, I mean YOUR FIRST SERIES 2.0. Tweak the premise, tweak the hook, free your natural voice, and work on your craft. Figure out what your core story is, and keep writing it. If you don't get a BookBub, start with the other ads.

But for a while, that is literally all the ad money I would recommend you spend. Most of your energy is on writing. Some is on platform building (wherever you like to do that, I'm never going to tell someone to be on X social media if it's not their thing).

And the only money you should spend, for AGES, is giving some visibility to that zero-barrier-to-entry loss leader, a first-in-series free.

^ That's it. If you have X number of books and cannot figure out how to do this, feel free to hit me up in the comments. I will brainstorm.

If you do this, rinse-and-repeat, then you will build up capital in your writing business. (Mileage on this may vary. Some people have big expenses IRL. Writing income may need to go to debt or family or eating or finding a stable home. I GET THAT.)

But if your life is precarious in any way, gambling on cost-per-click or cost-per-view ads is not a safe investment. Those marketing campaigns are a mixed bag when it comes to ROI.

That effort can come later, once you are stable. Or never!

I hate ads. Hence how I know they're not necessary.

I don't hate them because they don't work (they do), but because I don't enjoy the effort required.

Here's a good tip if you're starting out and daunted by hosting costs. Buy your domain, and redirect it to a free Wordpress site.

https://twitter.com/cjewel/status/1119714159468244992

I was on a tear, so let me clarify some things: If you don't want to do your own cover, spend a decent amount of money on it. $100-200 is a fair range today.

There are gorgeous covers that are justifiably worth more than that, but those covers are probably not worth the extra pennies until spending them is no big deal.

Basically, a LOT of spending depends on how stressful it is for you.

Eventually, you will be able to boost your sales with ads, and the money it costs to play with those ads will be no big deal.

This is the time to really get into that level of marketing. And if you aren't there, that's okay. Focus on building the catalogue and playing it safe.

(There is a lot to be said for the magic that happens when you take a leap of faith, but you know what? We hear about that all the time. I am not pooh-poohing magic leaps. Just saying it's okay to not be ready to jump yet.)

And finally (sorry, I went shopping for brunch supplies), if you have a genuine interest in ad campaigns, right now is a great time for you to be publishing. Don’t let anyone yuck your yum.