Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope you’re all taking advantage of those last shopping days until Christmas. Me – I still have WAY more to do than I have elves to help me with. But, today I plan to devote entirely to baking Christmas cookies, so at least I have the important stuff covered.
Since this is my last post of the year, I wanted to close out 2012 with a year in review of sorts. So, here’s some of what worked and didn’t work for me in 2012:
1) Co-authorship – a win!
This year I tried my first co-authored experience, and it was fantastic. Jennifer Fischetto and I released UNBREAKABLE BOND this summer, and sales were actually better than expected.
What I’m doing more of in 2013:
I’ve contracted to do two more Bond books with Jennifer for next year, which I’m super excited about. I’ve also contracted to do a new series with the lovely and talented T. Sue Versteeg, and a YA book with the super fab Amanda Brice.
2) Print books – a fail
This year I put some effort into getting all of my indie books into POD and in large print POD. While my print sales have steadily climbed, they are still a sad little fraction of my ebook sales. Which, I’m honestly not all that surprised about. POD costs more than mass market and honestly doesn’t present as well. What I AM surprised about though, is that the print books that I’ve had out through traditional NY houses have not seen stellar sales either. (One was hardcover, and one was trade.) In fact, my last print release didn’t even make it into Barnes & Noble stores. So, for me, print has been a fail for 2012.
What I’m doing differently in 2013:
Instead of trying to boost POD sales or releasing in hardcover or trade through traditional publishers, I’d love to get my books back into mass market, as I think that’s where my particular print audience is. In the meantime, ebook will be my primary focus.
3) Buying ad space – a fail
My motto has always been that as my business grows, my advertising budget should too. So, this year I ponied up the cash for a couple of big print ads, the biggest of which was a full color, cull page ad in RT magazine. While it’s difficult to see a direct ad to sales correlation, I can tell you that my latest release (in all the ads) has sold no better than the one before it – for which I bought no advertising. The ads probably haven’t hurt in that every ad does build name recognition, but I’m not sure the benefit is worth the price tag.
What I’m doing differently in 2013:
I most likely will not be purchasing any large ads next year. Instead, I’m going to put my promo focus on social media. Which brings me to…
4) Social media – a win!
The biggest positive response that I’ve gotten from reads has been on Facebook. And, oddly enough, the biggest bang-for-my-buck as far as a promo budget has been promoting posts on Facebook. I’m sure the degree of social media success will vary from author to author, just depending on who your audience is, but I’ve had a lot of positive response form contest and weekly features (like my Free Book Friday) on Facebook. And, even weirder – it’s been kind of fun.
What I’m doing more of in 2013:
Playing on Facebook. 
5) Bargain pricing – a win!
One of the highlights of my year was hitting the New York Times bestseller list – once in February and again in August. And the way that I hit both times was with a great sale price on my books. While I’ve heard a lot of discussion on indie writers’ loops about not devaluing our work – which I completely agree with! – I also think readers love a good sales. I know I do! So, while I do keep the regular price of my books around $3.99-$4.99, I’ve had great success dropping those prices for a limited time.
What I’m doing more of in 2013:
I do plan to continue with the same ricing strategy that’s worked for me this year. I won’t have a perma-free or permanently low priced loss leader, but instead mix it up as to which book I on sale at any given time, playing with pricing both in the U.S. and in foreign markets.
6) Foreign markets – slow and steady
In 2011, I saw my sales really take off in foreign markets. But this year, sales have held at a slow, steady pace. I’m not seeing a real big change in most markets, and my monthly sales in place like Amazon IT and ES are still barely enough for a happy meal. I wouldn’t really call this a fail or a win, but a place where I plan to put some attention in 2013. I’ve got my first indie translated work coming out in Germany in the spring, and I do plan to play with pricing and promo in other countries to see if I can find a combo that works o boost sales outside of the U.S. I see a lot of research in my future on that score, but it sounds like a fun challenge.
So, that’s been my year in a nutshell. I’d love to hear from all of you about how your 2012 in publishing has been, what you’ve learned, and what successes or fails you’d like to share. And what are you plans for 2013?
~Gemma
P.S. Check out my new book, DANGER IN HIGH HEELS, releasing on Christmas Eve!
