Trigger Warnings Ruin Books, And This Is Why.
Trigger Warnings Don’t Work and They Ruin Books, And Here Is Why…
Jay Darkmoore
I’m browsing through the bookshelf. See a book I like the look of, flick through the first couple of pages and I am confronted with a page that says ‘Warning, this may contain content that is upsetting for some readers,’ followed by a long shopping list of things that may traumatise me.
I immediately put that book down, and I don’t touch it again. I don’t being pandered to. I wouldn’t say I like that the writer thinks that I am so unable to handle my own emotions that they must warn me before I take a step into their world.
Dear writer – Do not pander to me. I am not a fucking child. I can handle my own emotions.
But there are more reasons why trigger warnings ruin books than simply the writer feeling that they need to hold my hand and carefully guide me through the pages, just in case I get a little bit sad at the squiggly lines –
1 – The Word ‘Triggered’ Is NOT The Same As Being Upset.
The word triggered comes from psychology. It means to be triggered into a PTSD emotional flashback, to the point where something – an event, like combat and war – happened, and you are transported back to that situation and how you felt at the time. It means that your body reacts and your hormones spike. It means that you begin to shake, to run, to fight. You lose control of yourself because the stimulus has ‘triggered’ significant trauma. It hasn’t just upset or offended you. Being offended is a choice. Remember that. You CHOOSE to be offended and you CHOOSE to be angry.
You do not choose to be triggered. Stop saying being angry is the same as being triggered. They are worlds apart, and it’s very, very disrespectful to actual sufferers of PTSD and trauma to say you got triggered because you read about a bad thing happening that made you feel sad.
2 – Your Feelings Aren’t My Responsibility
When I write a book, I write the best thing for the story and the characters. Honestly? The reader comes second. The artwork comes first. I write stories that I want to read, and through that I attract likeminded readers. Readers who will then follow me and my work and become true lasting, loyal fans.
If someone reads my work and they do not like it, then fine. I’m not the writer for them. But I couldn’t possibly pander to every possible reader’s wants and needs. It would be impossible. Not to mention that I wouldn’t be being my authentic self. The self that has made my books be downloaded and purchased thousands and thousands of times.
I tell the story that best fits the narrative and the situation for the best book possible. If I started censoring myself, thinking how would this be viewed or perceived, then that wouldn’t be the best result for the book, would it? I would be cheating the art to appeal to a small minority of people, instead of writing the book I wanted to write and giving an authentic experience. If a reader needs a trigger warning, then they probably won’t enjoy my books anyway!
If you read something in a book that is upsetting, and then get angry at the writer for not warning you that such things were going to be in the book, then that sounds like your problem. If two people read the same text, and one gets upset by it, and the other doesn’t, isn’t it the reader that is to blame? Isn’t that the problem of the reader not being able to handle their emotions, rather than the writer for writing it? It’s like getting upset over a joke a comedian makes. We focus in on what upsets us, and then we blame the person that delivered it to us. As the saying goes ‘don’t shoot the messenger.’ Your feelings are no one else’s responsibility to manage other than your own. Get your shit together.
Read the best-selling crime novel ‘Left for Dead,’ by Jay Darkmoore
3 – You’re Confusing Writing About The Bad Thing As The Bad Thing.
If I write a scene about a bad thing happening, someone might think I am condoning it or that that writing about it is exactly the same thing as the bad thing happening. This, frankly, is just fucking ridiculous.
4 – Your Trauma. Your Problem.
If you have trauma, then join the club. Everyone has trauma. Everyone suffers from mental health issues from tome to time. Everyone has something bad that has happened to them in the past. You aren’t special. Your trauma doesn’t make you unique. It makes you just like everyone else.
Therefore, your trauma and your mental health is your responsibility to manage. Not anyone else’s. If you can’t handle reading something that upsets you, then you need to sort that shit out.
5 – Life Doesn’t Come With Trigger Warnings
No body is going to warn you before they insult you, attack you or hurt you. No one is going to warn you before a car pulls out in front of you on the motorway. The weather isn’t going to warn you a week before there is an earthquake that destroys your home. So why should a damn book? Its ink on a piece of paper. It isn’t that scary...
6 – You’re Waiting For The Bad Thing to Happen, And It Ruins The Flow and Authenticity Of The Book.
If I am writing a book and I want something a little shocking or uncomfortable to read to help a scene be more impactful, it kind of loses that when I have already warned you about it.
Imagine your partner is going to propose and they set all the flowers, the lights, the music and the most amazing ring, but they showed you the ring first before doing it, just so you weren’t caught off guard (which would be exactly the point in the scenario), then it wouldn’t feel as immersive, would it? If someone warns you about something that happens in the book, it takes away the strong emotion which the writer wants you to have when reading it. It’s basically a spoiler.
Not to mention, you then spend the whole time reading just waiting for the bad thing to happen, meaning that you can’t lose yourself in the book you’re reading.
7 – You Don’t Know How Severe The Trigger Is Going to Be.
If I write a book and I tell you that it involved animal cruelty, then you might think of me gutting an animal and being cruel to it. I may just mean a character pushes a dog down a hill. Both mean things to do. One much more severe.
With a trigger warning, your mind goes to the worst-case scenario, meaning that your guard is then up.
8 – If The Genre Is Known For Upsetting Topics, And You Get Upset, Then You Were Already Warned.
I write thrillers and horror novels. My covers are dark and macabre. From the titles, the covers, and the genre alone, you should know that there is going to be some topics a little close to the bone. If you get blindsided and upset by something you read, then my friend, that’s on you.
8 – THEY DON’T WORK
Research suggests that trigger warning make anxiety to worse due to waiting for the bad thing to happen. You’re waiting to be upset, so you can’t get lost in the story.
So, in conclusion, I think we need to step away from this whole thing of books needing to be censored or the need to have sensitivity readers going over old books so they don’t offend someone. Do you want a safe space, or do you want to be transported to a new world and discover things you never knew possible? Do you want to live in a safe box filled with teddy bears and cotton wool, or do you to actually feel something when you read a book?
And remember. If you read something upsetting, you can always just skip that part, or hell, put the book down and get on with your life.
It’s been a pleasure. If you enjoyed this blog, then why not drop me an email.
jaydarkmoore@gmail.com
- J
About the author -
Jay Darkmoore is a UK-based author with a background in crime and investigation. He is a huge fan of all things dark - exploring the macabre, demonic and darker aspects of the human psyche.
Jay likes putting his characters in terrible situations and then turning out all the lights. To date, he has self-published novels of horror, crime and dark fantasy dystopia. His inspirations are Stephen King, Keith C Blackmore and Nick Cutter.
When not at his desk, Jay spends his free time making YouTube videos to help writers in their craft, promoting other books he has enjoyed, as well as hitting the gym and taking wild cold plunges with ducks.
He is a single parent to his son Joe who is his biggest fan.
How to make a living writing: The advice you don’t want to hear
Image from Google
If you’re a writer or another creator, you aren’t going to like reading this. This post will piss you off, but I hope it will make you think a little about your direction and goals.
A fellow writer friend emailed me and asked how I manage to stay motivated when writing. How day by day, I write and make progress in my work. How I manage to post consistently. Juggle family life, creativity, health, and business. How I manage to wake up at 5am on days off and get to work day by day.
As if by magic, I heard this saying, to ‘outwork your self-doubt,’ and it hugely resonated with me.
I’m not going to go into imposter syndrome or feeling out of your depth. Those things go without saying.
No. I make a habit of writing. I make it part of my day. My writing is a non-negotiable activity. I must do it, and I have a list of promises I make to myself. A task list to complete that never ends.
Write X amount today. Read this marketing book. Post this content. This call to action. Create this advert. Hit this word count deadline. Complete this edit. I do not break those promises. Because when you can’t trust yourself to get your shit done, then you can’t trust anyone.
Use self-doubt as fuel. It’s the enemy, and you must crush it every time it rears its head. Be hungry for the self-doubt, and then devour it with your successes at the end of the day. Every time I hit the keys on the keyboard. Each time I cross something off my list. Every new email subscriber. Every new story. Every new fan email. It’s all one more millimetre up the mountain.
Keep the promises you make to yourself. No one cares if you fail. Only you.
And only you hold the key to your own success.
- J
About Jay Darkmoore -
Jay Darkmoore is a UK horror and Dark Fantasy writer. He enjoys the darker and more Macabre sides to story telling, and has a great time doing it.
Starting with his debut Novel in 2020 ‘The Space Between Heaven and Hell,’ a multiple POV thriller mystery novel which delves into the deepest depravities and secrets of the human mind, he has gone on to self publish anthologies and a fantasy sage.
His Podcast ‘The Darkmoore Diaries,’ tackles issues such as mental health, relationships and more ‘human’ elements of life, where as his YouTube channel supports writers in honing their craft.
He has a distinct eye for the unusual, and often can be seen enjoying cold weather in frozen lakes, and is a wellbeing and fitness enthusiast. He is two opposing sides of the same coin. The yin and the yang, the dark and the light, and he has a great time bringing both terror, and comfort into peoples lives.
How to Write a Psychopath
How to write a psychopath in your book, and why you should.
American Psycho
Psychopaths are incredibly fun to read in books and watch on the big screen and have been popularised by some very infamous and somewhat controversial films and books, from American Psycho written by Bret Easton Ellis, Hannibal Lecter by Thomas Harris and even James Bond by Ian Fleming.
But why is it that these characters have captured both love and fear in our hearts? What is it about them that makes us want to know more? Is it their propensity to violence? Their ability to be cunning and manipulative without feeling any remorse? Is it their self-confidence and being able to think under pressure? Whatever the reason, our hearts have a soft place in them for psychopaths in literature.
In this blog, I am going to tell you how to create your very own in your fiction, and it will maybe help you spot these same traits in other characters you enjoy.
Hannibal Lecter
Traits of a psychopath –
Most Psychopaths are male, with them making up approx. 1% of the population, and are estimated to make up 50 – 80% of the prison population. Women that show high traits of Psychopathy are more likely to be diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, which along with Psychopathy, is a ‘Cluster B’ personality disorder along with Narcissism and Histrionic Personality Disorder as outlined in the Diagnostical and Statistical Manual Version 5 (DSM – 5 for short) of the American Psychiatric Association.
Psychopathy lends itself to having many different traits, all of which are useful in certain situations, and can even benefit those in certain careers (below). Most people can dial these traits down as and when they need them, but a psychopath can’t and would always have these traits on the high setting in their brains.
These are low empathy, impulsivity, calm under pressure, manipulative, charming, ruthlessness and emotionally detached and show a lack of remorse for their actions.
James Bond
This list can make for some fantastic characters and even make for some fantastic story arcs. Maybe a character is charming and loving, and then later down the line, we see that it was all manipulation to convince someone to give up their life savings, and then abandon them. Tinder Swindler, anyone?
Or maybe we have a character that is a military soldier, a warrior, who is ruthless and can cut through the enemy without a shred of remorse? A police officer who will do anything to crack the case, or a surgeon who has the steadiest hand to make that vital, life-saving cut with everything on the line?
Psychopaths make for excellent characters. They make incredibly fun heroes to write about, and add a lot more depth to the ‘bad guy.’ We can look into their childhood, in that a psychopathic person would have normally come from some kind of abusive childhood, and uses psychopathy as a way to navigate the world based off of that. It gives the character more back story. More depth.
Professor Kevin Dutton
According to psychologist Professor Kevin Dutton, most psychopaths are split into two categories. Those with high traits and a low propensity to commit violence, and those with high psychopathic traits and a higher propensity to violence.
Those that are of lower violent tendencies are more likely to be characterised by high-pressure positions, such as politicians, CEOs, police officers, lawyers and high-end athletes. These could make for some great characters and some side characters, and maybe even a villain or two in there? Maybe the villain is a top businessman of a rival company that is trying to sabotage the hero’s chances at getting their foot on the corporate ladder? Or even a detective that drinks too much and is emotionally vacant when around other people, but is ruthless and driven to catch the bad guy?
Jack Torrance - The Shining
The psychopaths that are high in psychopathic traits with a higher level of predisposition to violence would be our classical villains such as serial killers, a criminal mob boss and even a soldier that has gone rogue.
Psychopaths make for great foreshadowing opportunities too, as they can be very manipulative. In your story, you can have the psychopath dropping hints and leaving clues for the rest of the characters to find, and then when the big reveal comes later in the book, the reader can connect the dots and have the ‘Oh my god!’ moment that we all love to create when they figure it all out.
Lorna - By Jay Darkmoore
In my dark romance ‘Lorna,’ the main character in the story ‘Christian’ is a psychopath, and he will stop at nothing to not only win the heart of Lorna, his new infatuation but also kill and destroy the lives of anyone that dares stand in his way.
Order it here on kindle unlimited today.
Psychopaths are so much fun to write and can offer a lot of depth to your characters and the story. Even just highlighting certain traits outlined above and giving them to your characters can make a lot of difference to your writing.
Have fun with it and thank you for reading.
But what about other writing ideas? What about being able to break through writer’s block?
Interview with FELIX BLACKWELL, author of Stolen Tongues
Interview with the author of Stolen Tongues, Felix Blackwell
Stolen Tongues
In 2022, I stumbled upon the book Stolen Tongues by the independent author Felix Blackwell.
With a love of horror, and a flare for the craft myself, I downloaded the book and set dove head first into this tortured tale. I finished the book within a few short days, unable to put it down and unable to sleep as a result.
The book is phenomenal: drawing on the fear of the unknown, the dark and that someone (something) may be feeding off the unconscious mind of a loved one and you can do nothing but watch them dissolve into insanity. It reminded me of two tales I am fond of -
The Babadook - A movie in which an entity is personified as grief and slowly eats away at the protagonist that is gripped in an unconscious battle with unresolved trauma, like a rotten tooth that is left to fester.
It Follows - A brilliant tale of something unknown is following you. Its origin and motivations are unknown, other than it is unseen other than those afflicted by its curse, and it will stop at nothing until it has devoured you.
The book draws you in from the beginning, and the vice grip of terror doesn’t relent until the final page. Felix creates a terrifying tale laced with love, loathing, mystery and desperation. Not to mention the psychological and mental illness themes that run through the narrative, all to concoct a wicked tale of hellish brilliance.
As I enjoyed this book so much, I decided to reach out to the master of horror himself, and he kindly allowed me to pick his hellish mind.
Felix Blackwell - Facebook
The Interview
Firstly Felix, I would like to begin by saying I am thrilled that you have agreed to do this. I really enjoyed your work, and I reached out on a whim. It shows how much you care for those that take the time to read your work in that you are happy to speak to them and answer a few questions they might have.
JD – So, when did you begin writing?
F.B – I started writing poetry and flash fiction around age seven. My mom has been a writer her entire life, so I used to watch her do it as a kid, and I began imitating her as I got older. A pivotal moment in my early writing life was a two-page fantasy story I was assigned to write in fifth grade; I had so much fun with it that I turned in something like 25 pages. It did not go over well with the teacher.
JD – When did you start taking things seriously?
F.B – An unpublished video game I wrote between 2006-09 was the first thing I put professional-grade effort into. I built the world, developed the characters and history, wrote all the quests, etc. It was the first major project I had ever brought to completion. My intention was to sell the intellectual property to a video game company because I had friends in the industry. In the end, nobody wanted it, and I realized I was just a starry-eyed nobody who wanted to live the dream of writing game lore. Since then, I’ve converted the game into a universe in which I’m writing two fantasy novels. I have yet to publish one of those, but I plan to within the next few years, after a few more urgent horror novels.
JD – Where did the idea of Stolen Tongues come from?
F.B – Stolen Tongues came from my partner’s sleep disorder, and a very talkative parrot I used to know. I thought up the idea of a creepy entity trying to interrogate her as she talked in her sleep, and later I decided it should imitate humans through observation and interaction, much like the parrot. I grew up in Colorado, so that felt like a natural setting for the story.
JD – How did you feel having both yourself and your partner as the characters of the story? Is there any truth to the character’s personalities compared to yourselves in real life?
F.B – The characters are mostly based on our real personalities, with a few details changed. She is tough, fiery, and loves taking naps; I am much more of a reader than a fighter, so I’d be as ineffective as Felix in a confrontation with an interdimensional parrot-monster.
JD – Stolen Tongues has had a lot of success. Tell me how that happened?
F.B – It was dumb luck. I posted a story to NoSleep and it went to the front page of Reddit within a few hours. From there, I converted it into a full novel, and people have been sharing it all over social media ever since. I did zero marketing and frankly did not expect the story to get virtually any attention. It was written stream-of-consciousness style and did not have the proper planning of my other works. I’m still shocked it’s more popular than In the Devil’s Dreams, which I consider to be a superior example of my writing style.
JD – The story reminded me of The Babadook, in which you deal with trauma and grief in a manifestation which follows a person around and breaks them down. Was that intentional? What was the inspiration for that?
F.B – I personally don’t think of the Impostor as a metaphorical manifestation of negative emotions (but if you like those types of monsters, In the Devil’s Dreams is chock-full of them). But I do see the similarities. The Impostor, to me, is a very real entity whose origins are unknown, and who is especially drawn to people with hidden trauma – for reasons that will be explored to a deeper level in the upcoming prequel novel. The inspiration for the metaphorical creatures I do write, however, probably comes from my boundless love of the Silent Hill franchise.
JD – Have you had any formal training of writing?
F.B – I sometimes argue that the great lesson of college and graduate school, for me, was not the body of knowledge associated with the degrees I earned, but rather the study of writing itself. I didn’t teach for many years before switching careers, but I certainly gained most of what I know about writing – fiction and academic – from my years at study. And I still use that training every day.
JD – You have released further books. Tell me about those?
F.B – In the Devil’s Dreams is a densely metaphorical, unreliably narrated psychological thriller told out of chronological order. It will be an ordeal for some readers, but for me, it was an act of self-help after exiting an unhealthy relationship. It is about pain, loss, and the wounds we all conceal from each other. The Cold People is an anthology comprised of short horror stories written by me and my close friend, Colin J. Northwood. It contains early sketches of the ideas that later became Stolen Tongues.
JD – Plotter, panzer, or something in between?
F.B – I’m the most devout plotter I know. I worldbuild and plot so much that by the time I start writing the manuscript, 90% of the work is already done. Structure and scaffolding hold up a good story, and I think it’s the most important skill a writer can develop. I’m still working on it…
JD – Whose writing are you influenced by?
F.B – Mary Shelley and Dan Simmons were my favorite horror authors when I was younger, and a few years ago I finally sat down and actually read much of Lovecraft’s bibliography. I would say his work, and the other titans of weird fiction after him, have had a greater influence on my recent writing than anyone else I’ve ever read. Lovecraft truly disturbs me to my core.
JD – What got you into writing?
F.B – I always had a lot of big feelings when I was younger. I realized in my teens that the only way I could accurately express them was through an instrument, or through a pen. So I do both now. I wanted to make other people feel the way my favorite music and books made me feel.
JD – Stolen Tongues has opted for a film. Can you share anything about that?
F.B – It’s been optioned several times and passed around Hollywood a bit. A few scripts have been written for it. So far, the next major step, which is securing a partnership between the screenplay writers and the production company, has not yet come to pass. I wish I could say more but I’ve signed a lot of contracts. When there is real news to share, I’ll be screaming it from the top of Pale Peak.
JD – Do you write in other genres or just horror?
F.B – I’ve got a fantasy and a psychological thriller in development, but they’re sort of on hold while I work on the Stolen Tongues prequel.
JD – Any marketing tips? How do you promote yourself?
F.B – I have never really marketed myself. I just got lucky and had people review my work a lot on social media. I do sometimes interact with readers in the online book clubs, but I have never paid a service to increase my SEO or stick my book on the front page of an ebook newsletter or anything like that. I feel a lot of those services are scammy and should probably be avoided. Success is fickle in this industry, and I have to say, I read more talented and more creative writers than me every single day… fate could have chosen any one of them instead. It’s all so random.
JD – What challenges did you face when writing Stolen Tongues?
F.B – Stolen Tongues was originally a one-off short story that I submitted to NoSleep, just to see if maybe ten people liked my writing style enough to upvote it. When I saw that it had gone viral, I hurriedly wrote a second entry, and then a third… I think I ended up at like nineteen entries, and all of these were written without much of a plan. I remember standing at a bus stop at the base of campus, wondering alongside all the other readers just how the hell I was going to end the story – on the night before the final entry was set to come out. NEVER AGAIN.
JD – You dip into Native American lore and culture in the book. How did you find doing this?
F.B – I was in graduate school working on my Master’s thesis in American History at the time I started writing Stolen Tongues. I was doing a few major projects on Indigenous histories, and was particularly moved by an ethnography I’d read about the Western Apache. Then I read a book about the Comanche empire, and then I got into Ned Blackhawk’s Violence over the Land. All of that material, and the seminars it was assigned in, caused a huge shift in consciousness for me. I wanted to include Indigenous characters and their personal histories and complicated encounters with Western conceptions of them into my writing. I think ultimately I just wanted to start a conversation about Indigenous people in the horror genre.
JD – What does your writing process look like?
F.B – I write a book in three stages: the first is catching all of the associated characters, plots, settings, and ideas into a physical journal. That’s my favorite part, and I do that for several months. Then I start organizing and refining all of that raw material into a more honed project. That’s the hardest part. And when that’s done, the easiest part is just taking that project apart, piece by piece, and converting each piece into a chapter. None of this happened with Stolen Tongues by the way. I completely winged that shit due to time constraints, and it shows. I only had seven months to convert that story series into a novel because of a poorly selected Kickstarter due date.
JD – You rose to infamy with the story on Reddit. Tell me how that happened? Describe to me the process and any issues/highs/lows you felt?
F.B – I talked a bit about this earlier, but the whole thing felt totally surreal. Never before had anyone appreciated my writing, and suddenly I had tens of thousands of people reading my story all over the world. Every single email and personal message I got blew my mind. The thing that I still can’t believe, even to this day, is stumbling upon conversations online where people are debating the symbolism and characters. Totally unreal.
JD – I have a tonne of other questions to ask, but I think this might be the biggest one. What advice would you give to someone that is thinking of starting their own writing career?
F.B – Write because you feel compelled to do so at the level of your soul. If you write with the intention of “making it” financially, you will very likely be disappointed. Let any financial success be an unexpected bonus. Write a few times a week, and make sure all of your content is high-quality – it represents you.
JD – Closing thoughts. Is there anything you would like to say about yourself, or your work? Leave the readers with something to think about?
F.B – Many of your lingering questions about Stolen Tongues will be addressed in the prequel novel. And that novel will be a surprise, for a lot of reasons.
Felix Blackwell was summoned from the bowels of reddit after a botched summoning ritual. He writes in the horror, thriller, and fantasy genres.
10 Ways to Market as a Self-Published Author
10 Tips to market your self-published books
Hello everyone! Jay Darkmoore here - Self-published author of the dark fantasy series ‘Everlife Chronicles,’ and horror series’ such as The Space Between Heaven and Hell, and Tales from the Inferno.
Being an indie writer is tough, yet very rewarding. The progress is stagnant and slow, to begin with, and it can often be overwhelming when you have to think of all the work you have to put in be it from writing, building an audience, or content marketing to Vlogging, marketing, keywords, etc.
Your mind can easily become overwhelmed to the point where you sit there in a dark corner rocking away, wondering why you ever thought trying to do this task yourself would be a good thing. Luckily, I have compiled a list of tools and tips that can help you in your writing journey, putting them in a nice list that is easy to follow.
I have done a lot of research on this topic so that you don’t have to. If you wish to find more tips and tricks from me, then I ask you to sign up for my mailing list on this website. You can find it by clicking here.
1 – Write more books.
Have you ever wondered the reason why people follow you and read your books? It’s for that exact reason – You have written something that the reader had devoured and loved so much that they want more from you. Like after a great first date, you want to see them again. This is why writing more books and more material is so important.
10 Horror Tropes That Have Been Done to Death
At the time of writing, I have five books out of over three different series in two genres. My readers love that I write in a series, and through doing this I am able to give first-time readers a back catalogue to purchase and devour, as well as pointing existing readers to my mailing list and websites for the exclusive content I offer, while I am busy creating my next installment for them.
Writing more books allows you to expand on your skills as a writer and delve into different genres too. It allows you to hone your craft more easily, and listen to what your readers want next whilst still being true to yourself.
2 – Write in a series and bundle your books together.
When you have someone that has enjoyed your work and they are hungry for the next book in the series, it is great if you have a few more books for them to enjoy. Plus, if they liked the first one (maybe they got it at a reduced price or a free promotion), then they have already said YES to one of your products. If they then see another book in the series at a slighter higher price, then they are much more likely to say YES to that too. If they buy the next one and see the whole six or seven book collection for a much-reduced price than buying them individually, then you have a new and true fan that will read anything you put out because you have given them so much enjoyment. Write more books, write a series, and put them together.
3 – Paid advertising.
Advertising is going to be the backbone of your marketing. You can spend as little or as much as you like, with Amazon offering pay-per-click advertising, which varies depending on the niche and keywords. Genres like ‘Horror,’ would cost more per click, whereas niches like ‘Big Foot Monster Porn’ (Trust me, it’s a thing), would be much less. There are also Google and social media ads like Facebook and Instagram, as well as traditional media like newspapers and radio. However, the traditional media is more of the shotgun method of advertising and less about the targeted ads that will put your book in front of your target audience which social media and Amazon can offer.
Myths of Traditional and Indie Publishing
Also, market yourself through your content whenever you produce a Vlog or an email campaign. Do this sparingly, however. People don’t want to see you screaming at them ‘BUY MY BOOK!’. Instead, target the right audience and engage with them with your content, and maybe when they have learned about you a little, throw a book or a pitch in there. It’s a tightrope, and not always guaranteed to succeed just because you throw money at it, but it can yield great results if you play around with it a little.
Also, a bonus tip – Do keyword research and try to find your niche. It is better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond.
4 – Utilize different platforms.
I touched on this one above – Build an audience on different platforms. I currently use Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, YouTube, and TikTok. I use some more than others, but I post regularly on each one, utilizing hashtags and keywords that keep the algorithm happy.
Each comes with its benefits. Facebook for articles, links and videos, as well as to speak to your fans through the direct message and comment action. Instagram is brilliant for those that are visually-minded. YouTube and Spotify are great for people on the go, as they can let the audio play whilst doing other things like cooking or relaxing.
Media is there to be taken advantage of, and if people like what you’re putting out, then the platform will show more of it to more people. Throw in some advertising in there too, and whoa, you just went global.
5 – Build a brand email list –
This one is a tried and tested way to make some guaranteed sales, and fans and to shine a light on your reader’s day. You can build anticipation for an up-and-coming new book, and you can entice those on the platforms above to sign up to your email marketing list by promising them a free giveaway opportunity, or exclusive sneak peeks at new releases. This is your way of collecting your own group of fans and followers.
Be consistent with your email campaigns. I have tried sending daily emails and weekly emails. I found that every day was too spammy for my followers, and it made me become a little too much. But then when I dropped to weekly, I found the open rate massively increased. But the key is to be consistent. That way, your readers will look forward to getting that new email from you every week and hearing about your new video, new blog post, and new content. Throw an email address in there and connect, or maybe a social media page too. Your email list is your own private flock of readers that will follow you wherever you go.
6 – Free promotions.
Free promotions are a great way to attract new readers into your world and by putting links to your mailing list and website at the back of your free books, you’re likely to attract a lot of new people to your material.
I find that with Amazon KDP enrolment, I am able to cycle my books through a 3-month period of free download and every month my social media and mailing list grow. It’s good to have a ‘dead book,’ in which I mean this is the book you sacrifice in the series and make it free whenever you can, in order to draw those readers to your content in exchange for them signing up to your channels and offering them the next book in the series at a reduced rate to really get them hooked.
7 – Upsell new titles.
As mentioned above, when you have someone download and love the free instalment in the series, offer the next title in the series for a reduced rate. They have already invested their time in reading your story and have signed up to your emails, so the next book for a smaller price is much more tantalising. Follow that up with a bundle, and boom – You have a reader for life.
8 – Free copies and ARC copies.
To capitalize on your mailing list, offer your readers and followers free copies of your book for an honest review in an Advance Review Copy. Set your new book for pre-sale and order some books to send out to those on your mailing list for a review and a promotional post online, or send them an eBook copy for free through email. It will get your ratings right up there and will make it more likely new readers will download the story when it gets put for free (thus repeating the cycle above) or they are more likely to buy when they see it already has a tonne of good reviews.
9 – Collab with other writers and readers.
I really enjoy doing this because not only do I get to speak to other people that are crazy like me, but it also allows us to share audiences. We are not in competition with each other, dear writer. We should work together. This is because we cannot possibly fulfill the appetite of those voracious readers all by ourselves, so therefore we collab together and make the reading world a better place.
I enjoy doing this through Instagram Live each week. It’s great fun and a great way to hear what other people are doing and pass on your wisdom and knowledge and talk to each other about your projects that are coming up.
10 – Be consistent
This is the biggest one of all my friends. Be consistent with your work. Produce books regularly and engage with fans. Be consistent, as people love patterns and predictability. Make them look forward to Sunday, Wednesday, the first of the month when they know that you will be releasing something to them or posting something else online or sending out that email.
This is a long slog of a career, and they say it takes ten years to become an overnight success. We compare ourselves to those that we see have made it straight away, but we don’t see the hours and hours of content creation they did before making their first sale or book signing. Be consistent. Dreams don’t happen overnight.
If you would like some further reading, then please check out my other blogs, and look at my own books, and YouTube channel and podcast. The links are all here.
Books I have found useful on this topic –
Write, publish, repeat – Johnny B Truant
Self-Publishing – Joanna Penn
On Writing – Stephen King
Thanks for your time.
- J
5 Myths about Traditional Publishing VS Indie Publishing.
Five myths of traditional and indie publishing busted!
Being an indie writer is tough. I have found it to be slow, arduous and difficult for pretty much the entire time I have been doing it. I have often wondered if I should just try to get an agent and get my work published traditionally. I mean, that’s how real writers get their name out there, right?
Being an indie writer is essentially being a business person too. It’s finding the current trends, how the algorithm works on the platform you publish on, and also finding alternative places to put you work, and lets face it, people will always take things form you for free rather than spend their money.
Places like ‘Royal Road,’ or ‘Wattpad,’ are great for getting your work out there for nothing, but ultimately (and sadly) free doesn’t put food on the table or pay the bills. So I can see the appeal as to why this sort of business venture would put someone off who essentially just wants to ‘write the book and be done with it.’ However, I would like to share my thoughts below –
Reasons why being an indie is better than being a traditionally published author –
This is very subjective. We only hear about those that end up on the New York Times best sellers list, or those that make the front of Forbes. These are anomalies, and authors like JK Rowling and George RR Martin aren’t your everyday writers, and you also don’t see that they spent the last thirty years trying to get somewhere in their craft before they made it to the top of their game.
For most other writers, the literary world is a struggle. They don’t make much of a living, and they are tied to contract that can be very difficult to try and get out of.
Through traditional publishing, when you are signed you will earn an advance of maybe a few thousand, but then you earn nothing until that advance is paid back by way of book sales. Then when you eventually do earn that back, you are likely to get between 5 and 0% of the price the book is sold for.
Where as if you make it as an indie, that amount massively ramps up to 35 – 70% if you sell on Amazon or through other mediums. In a nutshell, you earn as much as you work, research and market yourself.
Wrong. In this day and age, as well as the publishing company owning their authors work, they still have to do a lot of self-promotion and marketing themselves. Granted, probably not as much as indie authors, but they still have to do a good chunk. So, traditional authors get their books published, earn a fraction of the list price AND still have to market their own work? Hmm.
Myth 3 –
Indie Authors don’t get into book stores.
Wrong. Sorry to break this to you guys, but book stores are sadly on their way out. Unless it’s a huge store like Barnes and Noble or Waterstones, then your local indie book stores are really struggling to survive with the introduction of Amazon and other online book retailers. That said, when you walk into a book store, you are met with thousands of books at your fingertips. Do you really think that every one of those books is traditionally published? Plenty of indie authors state that they have managed to get their books into brick-and-mortar stores.
Fifty Shades of Grey anyone? Exactly. One of the biggest books of the 21st century was an indie published book and it was everywhere. So, that my friends, is a myth completely busted.
Myth 4 –
The indie publishing market is saturated.
No, no, no!
I don’t believe this. I believe that the indie publishing world is filled with writers that think they will become an overnight success, or, they publish the book with the intention of being an indie, and don’t realise that it’s is mostly about the business of writing as much (or if not more so) the actual writing of the books.
With being an indie writer, you are not just an author. You are a business too. You are the owner of your craft, and you are trying to sell products to customers. It’s that simple. You create a product and you’re trying to sell it to customers. Now, is there a lot of competition? Fuck yes. But those people that want to write a book probably never do, and those that write one book will not write a second. So, if you manage to get a few titles under your belt and build a small following, then my friend, you are ahead of 95% of the rest of the kerb. So, you’ve gone from having 100% of the market against you, to only 5% in competition, and that’s not to mention the markets and the niches out there available. So, when you think about it, not much competition and saturation there if you keep working and keep producing. But that’s the thing with this game – You CANNOT expect to be an overnight success, and you must know that this takes a lot of hard work and graft before you see any kind of results. But, stick with it. You will get there, you just have to want it enough.
Myth 5 –
Traditional published authors have the freedom over their work
Wrong.
If you are a big name like Stephen King or Michelle Paver, then yes you can pretty much go wherever you like in the publishing world. For us first time authors though with little or no following, we must take what we are given. Essentially, you become a product to a company. Your book is now an asset to be sold and marketed. How many times have you had a publisher or an agent turn around to you and say something like ‘we loved the book, but its not the market right now.’ That’s because these agencies are companies are businesses. They are in to make money and to survive.
If you go against what the publisher says, you can be dropped and they will own your book. If you write something that they don’t want you to write, then they can drop you. If you don’t want to write crime or sci fi anymore but the publisher wants you too, then you better look for a new publisher.
You have much more freedom as an indie. You can literally write and sell whatever you like and however you like. You can dance around the living room on ticktock if you desire. You can go start a channel on YouTube, you can secrete your bookmarks and stickers in the backs of other books in bookstores if you wanted too. It’s down to you to establish what will benefit or harm your brand, and you have only yourself to answer too if it all goes wrong. Freeing, isn’t it?
So that’s it everyone. I hope that was useful to you and hopefully busted some of those myths that you have heard floating around the writing world.
If you want to check out some of my work, then head over to Amazon and search Jay Darkmoore. Alternately, click the link here.
https://linktr.ee/Jaydarkmoore
Get in touch!
Thank you for your time –
Jay Darkmoore.