Do you know who your readers are?

Selling Direct in 2024

Ask any successful author what they recommend for a newbie and they all say the same thing: Get an email list.

The reason for this isn’t just because Amazon and social media can be fickle. It’s because book sellers don’t share your customer data with you.

You know how many books you sell a month. But you don’t know to whom. You also often don’t know if the readers you have are the readers you’re targeting.

An email list allows readers to self-identify, giving you a better idea of who is interested in your work, and also gives you a direct line to your readers opinions, questions, and requests.

The system isn’t perfect though. In my previous case studies, I’ve mentioned the danger of attracting freebie-seekers. These are readers who have no interest in your books specifically. They subscribe to your list for a free book and they read ONLY free books. No matter what you are selling, they won’t buy it.

These people are readers, yes. But they’re not YOUR readers. The solution?

Direct Selling for Authors

In last month’s premium newsletter, I explained that in 2024, I will no longer be relying on Amazon for my sales. I will be going directly to my readers.

This sounds daunting, but honestly, it’s not that different and you have a lot more flexibility in how you find your readers.

How am I doing it?

First, I’m branded by genre, not author name. I sell Paranormal Fiction and a lot more people are searching for that than Kristin McTiernan.

Second, I have business accounts on Meta and TikTok, meaning I can link my products directly on those sites. Readers are able to buy from me without navigating away from their social platform of choice. That keeps the social media overlords happy (no external links).

I’ll be releasing a new book every month, which means existing readers will also have something to buy, instead of constantly needing to seek out new readers.

Your readers dictate your branding choices

My old author slogan used to be: "I write about women... in weird situations."

But it never quite hit right because honestly, my writing has always been more about the weird than the women. And that's exactly how my readers like it.

Though the majority of my readers are women (about 70%), they don’t like my books because they see a representation of their feminine experience.

They like it because of the characters and because of the paranormal and supernatural elements sprinkled in, even in places they didn’t expect it.

That is what I’m leaning into.

In 2024 I’ll be releasing:

• A Paranormal romantic suspense trilogy

• Book 3 of Mason Timeline

• Another Siren Song trilogy

Among others. This is because I have a mailing list and readers on social media who have let me know what they’re looking forward to. Yes, I have other WIPs, but it’s best to start with books you know people are asking for.

The official launch isn’t until January 8th, but to re-invigorate my mailing list, I didn’t want to come empty-handed.

So I put out something new to read.

Time's Assassin, the prequel to Sunder of Time, is now available on Amazon for .99.

OR...

If you enjoy paranormal novels and want the novella FREE, you'll want to sign up for emails on the new site.

Click on the picture below, wait for the pop-up, and BAM! a brand new prequel in your inbox and first-look notices on every book that hits the shop.

Selling direct means you have direct access to people who like what you’re writing. More to the point, it means you have access to people who like it enough to pay for it.

Going direct might not be beneficial for everyone, but it might be something to consider in the future.