Indie published, self-published or traditional? What can authors do to boost book sales? by Helen Matthews

It is my great pleasure to welcome best selling novelist, Helen Matthews to the blog to discuss her experiences of getting books published and the advertising that works. Thank you for sharing you knowledge and experience with us today, Helen.

My debut novel was published in October 2017 by a small start-up press so I’ve now been in the author business for seven and a half years. During that time I’ve had three publishers and have four  psychological suspense novels and a collection of short stories out in the world.

Three of these (Girl Out of Sight, The Sisters and The Girl in the Van) are recent rereleases with a respected indie publisher; the fourth Lies Behind the Ruin was originally published in 2019 by a small press but when the rights reverted to me I decided to try my hand at self-publishing.

These days all authors, including those traditionally published by well-known imprints with significant marketing budgets, are expected to do their share of  heavy lifting to get the word out about their books. So I’ve reflected back on some things I’ve tried, what my publishers have done and what seems to have worked.

The majority of my sales by volume has been ebooks, and page reads on kindle unlimited but I’m going to focus on what we can do in the real world –  networking, events and face-to-face sales. This is partly because I don’t really get how to leverage social media, promotions or adverts and I haven’t a clue how algorithms work. I’m sure there are other people who could explain that far better.

First steps

My debut novel, which has since been rechristened Girl Out of Sight, started life with a publisher that had a business model focussed strongly on physical books. They were proactive and organised a publicist to support me in the run up to publication. The publicist successfully arranged local media coverage, an interview on BBC radio, articles in Female First and Shortlist and a name check in Hampshire Life. They set up a blog tour and placed a short story of mine in a national Sunday newspaper.

Learning point: I took careful note of how the publicist approached getting coverage and have since replicated this myself. For example, developing a press release, contacting local media well in advance then a week before publication date, offering review copies or a pre-written article/interview.

Waiting on the platform

After that initial burst, it was up to me. It takes a while to build a social media platform and attract a following. I had a blog and an author website and set up an online shop.

Learning point: I did get orders through my shop but with the rising cost of postage it’s sadly not cost-effective to sell books that way so I’ve let my shop wither.

Ready to launch

For my first novel, I was able to hold book launches in two branches of Waterstones. This was because the paperbacks were available through the main UK book distributors, Gardeners, so Waterstones could order them in easily. If your book is self-published or with a digital publisher it can be harder for shops to order the books. My friends and family turned out in force to enjoy wine, cake, readings and a short talk. There was no space to invite walk-ins or members of the public.

Learning point: I love book launches. They are a fabulous way to celebrate a new release but, although we sold lots of books on the evening, these were bought by people who would probably have supported me anyway. A public signing event would be better for widening sales.

Getting booked

I was a clueless novice when I approached independent booksellers to ask if they would stock my book or host me for a signing. I contacted all the shops within a fifty mile radius of where I live, asking if I could pop in and see them. Quite a few agreed to stock my book. Sometimes they wanted me to supply it direct. I made friends with a wonderful indie bookseller (sadly since retired) who read, reviewed and championed my novel. He hosted me for two signings (my book became a number one bestseller in his shop!) and later invited me to talk at a book club he organised in the restaurant of a nearby vineyard. What’s not to like?

Reading places: libraries and book groups

When I pitched to my county library (Hampshire), it was before recent rounds of cuts that have left that vital service on its knees. I was invited to put together a panel with two other authors and we were offered events (one paid) at three local libraries where we could do a book signing afterwards. To my amazement, the county library service bought 14 copies of my novel. Getting your book into libraries can be tough but my novels are in libraries where I have a connection. For example, my sister lives in Hereford. She generously bought  copies of my first novel and gave them to her book group. They thought they were receiving a Christmas present(!) but after they’d discussed the book she  collected the copies in and donated them as a book group set to her local library. Each year I get a tiny payment from the Public Lending Right (PLR) scheme depending on the number of times my books have been borrowed.

Learning points – libraries might stock your books if you want to donate them. Keep on good terms with your family.

Author Talks

As I love talking to an audience about writing and the themes of my novels, I decided to offer talks to community groups like U3A, WI, Women’s Register, Rotary. You name it. In my county, the WI makes speakers turn up at a hall and audition in front of a packed audience to join their speaker database. Having passed that, I still have to pay a fee of £20 a year to stay on their list but it’s been worth it. Authors too often give away their time and expertise for free – if speaking to reading enthusiasts like book groups or libraries I never charge but groups like WI and Rotary are happy to pay a fee so I request one. I don’t take the fee for myself (but it’s your time so there’s no reason not to). Instead I donate it to an anti-slavery charity as human trafficking is the theme of Girl Out of Sight. I have other talks, but groups always request the trafficking one. I do a book signing after my talk.

Learning point (or maybe cheating point): Raising some money for charity makes me feel better on the days when I’ve done a hundred mile round trip on a dark winter night and only sold one book. Also I feel I’m giving something back to those in need so I don’t feel pressured to spend hours volunteering. I use that time to write books instead.

Getting by with a little help from my friends

Literary festivals are hard to break into but it’s well worth trying. I made a few tentative approaches then out of the blue, I had a call from a festival organiser in Woking.  “You write crime, don’t you?” she asked. “Err, yes.” “One of our interviewers has pulled out. We’d like you to step in and interview Sunday Times best-selling author, Tim Weaver on stage.” Would I? Of course. It remains  one of my most memorable gigs. Tim was lovely and the festival bookshop sold my books in their pop up shop.

In 2019, crime and suspense writers Katy Johnson, GD Harper and I formed the Noir Collective. We pitched our panel event to organisers of small to medium festivals and were offered five bookings. Guess what? The year in which those events were scheduled was 2020 – the year of lockdown. All the festivals were initially cancelled, though ReadFest went on line and Cranbrook hosted us in 2021. We’ve since done other small gigs, raised our profile, sold some books and had fun doing it.

Learning point: setbacks happen. You can get over it and what better way to spend an afternoon than an event with other authors.

Radio gaga

Since the two radio interviews that publicist arranged, I’ve been invited back onto BBC local radio for a book panel. Community radio and internet radio are often looking for interviewees. One of my memorable interviews was for a radio station based in Bournemouth. Knowing the interview would only last an hour, I invited a friend to come with me. We did a long coastal walk and had lunch by the sea. On this walk I managed to lose my car keys! We retraced our steps – must have walked 8-9 miles that day – no joy. My husband then had to drive a 130-mile round trip, bringing the spare key, to rescue us. I’ll let you guess whether or not he was happy about this.

Learning point:  If you do a radio interview you’ll often get a link to the clip of the show and can share it on social media to promote your books.

Fair’s fair - book fests, craft fairs and Christmas fairs

Often organised by indie authors, book fests can be a great way to meet readers and network with other authors.  The format is that you pay for a stall, say, £20,  turn up with your stock and hope the organisers have done enough publicity to drag customers in from the street. In recent years I’ve found that my best sales come around Christmas as shoppers will often buy a signed paperback as a stocking filler. At Christmas fairs you might be the only author among vendors of scented candles, knitted hats and handmade toys so there’s no competition. I’ve stood for hours in freezing marquees with snow falling outside, wishing I’d worn more layers. But I’ve always sold plenty of books.

Time to choose

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably thinking all these sales and publicity initiatives are impossible for writers juggling day jobs, child or elder care and trying to find time to write. And I’ve scarcely mentioned the time suck that is social media. You’re right. In the early days of being published, I was buzzing with enthusiasm. I’d try anything to get the word out about my novels. Now I still do events but I’m more picky. Most of all I enjoy the writing life, which I don’t see as being chained to a desk bashing out words or editing but going out into the world to talk about books and spend time with interesting people.

If it’s an event that involves other authors, I’ll definitely be there.

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Helen’s most recent release is The Girl in the Van published by Bloodhound Books. You can find it at https://geni.us/GirlinTheVan - available in ebook, paperback and audiobook.