Secret Hunger’s First Week

Wow. Can you believe it’s already been a week since I published Secret Hunger?

This first week out of the gate I concentrated on uploading my print files to CreateSpace, reserved a place for my book launch party on June 13th, and wrote a few dozen book bloggers asking if they would consider reviewing my book.

I also participated in a Facebook online book fair and met a number of avid book lovers, as well as talented authors.

Incidentally, Hugh Howey just recently wrote a blog post in response to a fan asking him what the best way to support a favorite author was. If you’re a reader, it’s definitely worth taking a look.

Hugh helps illuminate the various factors that affect self-published authors. (Well, technically all authors, but I think the effects are most keenly felt by self-published authors.)

He says, “If you really want to support your favorite authors, my advice is simple: Read their books. Spread word-of-mouth. Write reviews. Email them and express your delight.”

I’ve been a voracious reader all my life but never fully understood just how much reviews meant to authors, and how leaving one impacts visibility for potential readers.

I can’t say I’ve had a huge influx of sales, but so far they have maintained a steady drip. In total, I’ve sold 23 copies, and had 11 borrows through KU. I’m sure those numbers are modest compared to many other authors, but as it stands, I’m pretty happy with how my first week has gone.

Of course, there’s always room for improvement. For that reason, I’m also actively looking for book bloggers interested in reviewing my book. I’m happy to provide a free copy, and only ask for an honest review in return.

If you (or someone you know) are interested, please contact me. You can either leave a comment in this post, or email me at satinrussell [at] hotmail [dot] com. I’ll probably only keep this offer open until I reach an arbitrary number of reviews posted, so don’t wait!