Fortitude is out – has been for over 2 weeks now – with a slightly different start to my usual, as the print version is currently only available from Amazon, though I will be doing a print run with my UK printer shortly.
Why POD just now? Because I have taken the ‘head staggers’ and entered it into the Kindle Storyteller competition. That’s were the crazy bit comes in. (Part of the rules require that it’s available via kdp print)
The final shortlist will be judged by a panel including Mariella Frostrup of BBC Radio 4’s Open Book and I’d give my eye teeth to get my book on her desk. BUT – you knew there had to be a ‘but’ the shortlist will be determined by ‘reader engagement’ on Amazon.
Fine – if you have a zillion followers on Twitter or FB or a blog. My followers are a select few – and if you’re reading this, you’re one of them. So I have a mountain to climb and a huge favour to ask.
Now of course none of us really know exactly how Amazon’s algorithms work, but it’s clear that what will matter are rankings, and key will be the number of downloads (or page read equivalents on KU / KOLL) and reviews.
The competition opened in May and closes at the end of August, so I’ve come rather late to the game – in fact someone told me yesterday that I was far too late to try and it would be impossible for me to reach the shortlist. Red rag to a bull? Perhaps. I can but try.
However I can’t do it by myself. My best guesstimate is that to have any chance at all I need to have c 12 -15 people per day between now and the end of August buying a copy, and so I have set it at 99p / 99c, so as not to be asking too much.
If everyone I have contact with downloaded it (or read it for free on KU) and they told one person, who told one person and so on, I could just make it. So this is what is called in the Indie world a ‘shameless plea’.
So here it is – Fortitude – early reviews are lovely and at 464 pages it is (though I say it myself as shouldn’t) a snip at 0.99!!
I would be so very, very grateful for your help.
No kindle? – No worries – you can download an app on your computer or phone for free – and then get it on that.
Please do let me know if you can help, so I can thank you.
Signing off (with a red face) asking for help is embarrassing!
Margaret
Downloaded and will review it on my blog. Good luck Margaret!
Thank you, Diana, Scarily I think I need about 140 more folk to download it in the next 2 weeks – so 10 – 12 people per day!! to have a chance at the shortlist – so if you know anyone who might be interested, even if they don’t have time to read it just now, the download itself would be helpful…
Pingback: Am I crazy? Probably. — Margaret Skea, Author writes … | Diana Jackson's Muse, Views and Reviews
Thank you so much for posting Diana – mountain to climb, but I can but try – loads of thrillers, crime and romance ahead of me – but then they are the more popular genres I guess.