Please note that any links within this post may be affiliate links. This means I earn a commission on qualifying sales at no extra cost to you.
I have been on a huge non-fiction kick lately. So, the book I decided to pick up was Let’s Get Digital by David Gaughran. I grabbed the eBook version on my Kindle on a whim. I have been self-publishing since 2017, but I try to read a few updated guides every year as things change and evolve.
This book is on it’s fourth edition. It is basically a guide to self-publishing eBooks. He covers finishing your book, editing, covers, marketing, and the publishing. I wouldn’t say this book is groundbreaking. It is really like a compilation of information that I’ve learned over the years, but it’s delivered with Gaughran’s wonderful narrative. He’s witty, cutting, and his confidence projects through the page.
I wanted to share a quote that really stuck out to me and it’s something I found to be true after finishing my recent book (Dragon Bounty.)
Momentum is crucial. If you pause for too long after finishing a book, you’ll get distracted by a thousand things, and pretty soon you’ll notice that a month has passed. Or three months. Try to get into the habit of diving into the next project right away.
David Gaughran, Lets Get Digital
Ugh, yes! 1000% this. I feel like if I don’t start writing as soon as I finish the next book then I’m just floundering for a while. I always feel anxious while waiting for my edits to come back and my proofs to come back, so writing is the perfect thing to fill that time.
Gaughran does cover how to get your book listed in all ten of the categories that it can be in on Amazon (instead of the two they let you put it in at first) and gives exact dimensions for book covers.
In the section about building a platform, he pushes Facebook pretty hard. I am not on Facebook because I don’t like the platform, but I am sure none of us can deny their marketing power right now. So, begrudgingly, I’ll say Gaughran is right on this but I hate it.
Another stand out quote is this one on marketing:
Are you wary of hanging out on Goodreads, when you heard so many horror stories about writers trying to promote there? What about begging reviewers, spamming forums, constantly tweeting links to your books, or finagling your way into reader groups…
David Gaughran, Let’s Get Digital
Okay, you guys, big sigh from me over here. I try not to be ^that^ person so hard, but I have found myself participating in things like writers lifts and follow for follows on social media. I know those things don’t sell books. I know it. But sometimes when you have a marketing budget of zero and your new release has only brought in maybe $9, you start to scramble. I know I’m not alone here because most of the authors that I see on Twitter are doing the same things.
I am careful not to spam, in fact I probably should be posting way more according to social media gurus, but I would start to get nervous when I didn’t see any uptick in sales. So, I would follow more people and do more blog posts and ask more bloggers for reviews and those things are not writing.
My take away from this book is that I can participate in the things that bring me joy, like this blog, and be okay if I don’t keep getting more followers all the time. I will still be on social media, but I’m going to cut back on the amount of time that I spend doom scrolling or worrying that my books don’t have as many reviews as I’d like. All of that is okay because all I have to do is build my backlist.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was well written, a quick read that I got through in a few days. I enjoyed it! You can find Let’s Get Digital here.
0 Comments