Amazon ‘outing’ author pen names!
By: Craig | Posted on February 5, 2021
Many authors write under pen names to hide their true identities, and until now have done so under the perfectly reasonable assumption that Amazon would keep that identity secret. There are plenty of good reasons why an author would want to maintain their privacy, and no good reasons for Amazon (or any other publishing company) to put that privacy at risk. Despite this, late last week a number of authors started reporting that Amazon Ads had sent physical letters to their homes, addressed to their secret pen names for anyone in the household picking up the mail to see. Whether this breach of confidentiality was willful or simply a mistake is irrelevant, and Amazon needs to take ownership of it. So far, however, it is looking more and more like they’re simply hoping everyone will just forget it ever happened. Back before starting Hidden Gems I was a romance author,… Read More >
2020 Book Sales Survey Results
By: Craig | Posted on January 1, 2021
When the Covid-19 pandemic first started and everyone entered their first (of many) lockdowns, many authors reported seeing an initial uptick in sales. As time wore on, however, and 2020 continued its downward spiral, I began to hear more and more about how book sales were starting to fall. While anecdotal reports are great for being alerted to an issue, it’s usually more useful to try and gather info from a wider variety of sources in order to look for trends, and with access to so many self-published authors, I’m in a unique position to do just that. So with that in mind, I sent out a recent survey to gather more hard data, and I’ve crunched the numbers on the results to try and give you an idea of just how bad things have gotten, who has been affected and to what extent. Way back near the start of… Read More >
5 Steamy Romance Reads to Heat Up Your Winter
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on November 17, 2020
Light up the fireplace, grab your favorite blanket and get ready to melt with these steamy romance novels that were popular among Hidden Gems ARC readers who recently got to read them first, and for free! There’s a romance for everyone on this list, but be warned, they might keep you turning pages and skipping sleep. Protecting His Brother’s Babies by Katie Knight and Leslie North With an average 4.5 star rating and over 150 reviews on Amazon, USA Today Bestseller Leslie North and Katie Knight invite you to indulge in a heart-pounding military romance with a hot, super-alpha Navy SEAL protecting the woman he loves at all costs. “This book is gripping, captivating and draws the reader in with lots of intrigue, action and suspense and succeeds in keeping the reader on the edge of their seat, captivated and with baited breath,” writes Texas Customer in their 5-star review…. Read More >
When to throw out your first draft?
By: Ginger | Posted on November 13, 2020
For some authors, the common advice to “throw out your first draft” is the stuff of nightmares, but it should only be that scary if you’re taking it too literally. It’s rarely (if ever) necessary to just toss your book out and forget about it altogether! The point is more about how an author must sometimes be willing to tear their first draft down completely and rebuild it into a better or more marketable book. But the question is, how do you know when that’s needed? In his continuing series on turning your writing dreams into reality, Ginger lays out when and why you may need to go this route. If you’re serious about becoming a successful self-published author, you have to make some serious decisions about what you’ve already written and published; and sometimes, you’ll have to go right back to the drawing board. Ernest Hemingway warned authors… Read More >
Be a Plotter when it comes to your writing career!
By: Ginger | Posted on October 30, 2020
Just like some authors start a new story not knowing where it’ll lead, many self-published authors approach their writing career ‘by the seat of their pants.’ But is that the best path to success? In this installment in our series of posts related to turning your writing dream into a reality, Ginger lays out the argument that the truly successful authors approach their future in publishing with the same discipline as they plot out their stories. That is, they plan things out carefully by deciding on a genre, researching it thoroughly, and then commit to delivering books that meet reader expectations. It’s a well-known concept – the writer as “plotter” or “pantster.” In fact, we’ve written about it a number of times on this blog! A ‘plotter‘ plans out the path of their story, often using something like a ‘beat sheet’ or a story circle. Successful authors who literally… Read More >
Amazon Exclusive vs Wide: A Case Study
By: Isabel Jolie | Posted on October 23, 2020
The case for going wide or remaining in KDP Select as an Amazon exclusive is fiercely debated, but at the end of the day there is likely no right answer that fits everyone. Like most things, it comes down to experimentation and doing your research. That’s the approach romance author Isabel Jolie took, and luckily for us she was willing to put together this blog breaking down her numbers and what she learned from her experimentation. To KU or not to KU? It’s a question every author has at least considered and weighed. “Any romance author should do KU.” “KU is a no-brainer for a new author.” These are things I was told – repeatedly. I ultimately chose to go wide, but I did briefly test KU, and the following is what I experienced. Background I released my first book in January 2020. In September, I released my fourth… Read More >
The Dirty Secret About Keywords – Part 2
By: Nate | Posted on May 29, 2020
In the first part of this series, Nate laid the foundation for keyword mastery which authors need to understand in order to make sure that casual customers will find their book when using the Amazon search bar. In this conclusion, he plays the part of mad data scientist as he demonstrates how to formulate the keywords for a specific book, while also explaining some best practices on how to organize those keywords effectively, and thoughts on keyword upkeep. The Promise of the Premise The first thing to do when you keyword any book is to consider the story at its most basic level, because the premise will tell you the most important thing about your book: who the audience is. So let’s say we have a shifter story about a research scientist who meets her fated mate at an Arctic research base run by polar bear shifters. It’s never too… Read More >
5 Children’s Books That Really Stood Out
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on May 26, 2020
Each and every week, subscribers to Hidden Gems are offered FREE books to download, read, and review – from any or all of over 15 different genres. Today, we’re going to look at some of our subscribers favorite Children’s Books that were recently sent out to them. Children’s Books are one of the more challenging genres to be successful at as a self-publisher, so hopefully it’ll be valuable to take a look at these “Hidden Gems” among their ranks. Merlin Raj and the Santa Algorithm by D. G. Priya Merlin Raj and the Santa Algorithm is one of two books in this charming series of children’s books by author D. G. Priya, who is a computer science major with a passion for helping introduce children to STEM subjects, and computational thinking. In an age in which computer science experience is considered one of the foundational skills for success in our… Read More >
The Dirty Secret About Keywords – Part 1
By: Nate | Posted on May 22, 2020
Today’s guest blogger isn’t so much a guest as a regular fixture around here. Nate has been with Hidden Gems almost as long as I have, and has helped me build it into what it is today because of his combination of technical know-how, industry knowledge and solid understanding of design. This article is slightly more technical than most of the ones we post, but really explains some of the often overlooked details of how Amazon’s search really works and the role that your keywords play. This understanding is essential to anyone looking to really make the system work for their books, and future installments of this series will build upon this to really give you an edge over the sea of competition your book is swimming against. For authors old and new, keyword selection remains one of the most mystifying and frustrating parts of book marketing. The dirty secret… Read More >
What are your Publishing Priorities?
By: Ginger | Posted on April 3, 2020
As many of us know, when it comes to self-publishing, actually writing your book is really only the first step in a much bigger process and to really have any chance of achieving success in this business, you can’t afford to miss or skip any of the other steps. You want to make the most out of each book launch, which means being prepared and well organized – in other words, “get all your ducks in a row.” Unfortunately, that advice only works when you’re already sure which order your ducks are meant to go in! That’s why in this short guide, we’ll break down the publishing priority list for any independent author. One of the things that holds back a lot of self-published authors is the sheer scale of launching a writing career. Writing a book is hard enough – but then you’ve got to teach yourself how to… Read More >
