Ophelia Kee’s Author Journey
(Click to watch the Vlog)
Most of my new 6x9 author copies are here. There's a very serious satisfaction seeing my work in the real world. I love the digital world because it allows me to accomplish my goals, but this old-school physical proof of hard work does something for me.
The age-old question of a physical copy, audio, or ebook comes to mind. Seriously, holding a book has a feel of solid reality like nothing else. The smell of the ink and the crisp feel of the paper is unbeatable and holding a book that I created is a slightly euphoric sense of ultimate accomplishment. Still, I read ebooks mostly due to the fact that I lack the resources to fund my reading habit in any other format.
I get the allure of audiobooks, but I am not personally a huge fan. The expense beyond AI audiobooks is outside the realm of possibility for me at the moment for my own books. If anyone wants to hear the stories, I am currently publishing the Draoithe Saga on Fictionate.me and readers can choose to listen rather than read on that platform. It's pretty cool.
I think I fixed the problem between the genre and the covers. All the books now have new covers that I hope are more genre-specific. I'm still not confident in marketing. But I did something on Wednesday that gave me hope. I did a BookRaid newsletter promo. I think it was a good idea. I will let you know the results, but the early stuff looks promising.
It's a process. Learning to effectively market books is hard. I might be getting somewhere with it though. Newsletter promotions seem to pay off. So I may try doing some more. I have been reading about stacked promotions and I think I have finally figured out how that works.
Independence in Authorship
If you're new to the dream, welcome to my author's walk blog. Here, I post what's going on with my writing and the series saga Draoithe. Ophelia Kee is a pure indie author. I write my own steamy urban fantasy /paranormal romance stories. I create the covers, write the blog, craft the videos, publish it all, etc... Just me. Why?
I love to write, but I have a full-time career day job with no time to learn query letters and publishing agents. With self-publishing, I can handle things in my spare time and publish at 3 am on those long weekends with only a minimal amount of tech skill, I could write my stories, share them with my friends, and anyone who found the dream could join us there. I had a problem, but I went to work.
When I was a kid, reading was a great escape. (I hated reading assignments, but let me loose in a library and you might never find me again.) Back then, the book and possibly the book jacket were all a reader had to learn about the author, the other works they produced, future books, etc. Little information could be had about plot twists, character development, or inspiration unless an interview was made available in a journal or newspaper. I always had lots of unanswered questions.
That's no longer the case. And all who find the dream no longer have to settle for that either.
Especially for Independent Authors like me, publishing wide and being available on multiple social media platforms allow more people an opportunity to trip over my stories. So I intend to continue to do that. I am on the first 8 pages of a Google search for my name! That's pretty impressive to this tech-challenged old tiger. So reach out and start a conversation.
Edutainment
I want my readers to ask questions and offer comments. So please contact me! Often feedback adds to the story. (Shout out to the real-life Frank Grimes for grand inspiration! I love you, lady.)
Considering that, I have been thinking about how I can reach a broader audience. What can I do that would catch more readers' attention? I read about promotion and marketing all the time. One thing that gets repeated over and again is how you need brand loyalty. Build an email list. Etc...
What does no one tell? It's not so easy. Acquiring email subscribers is as daunting as getting reviews without paying for them. For indie authors who are just beginning their publishing journey, this is a serious issue. I would argue that getting eyes on your work is even more critical. New readers must constantly be cultivated. And if few people know your book exists, how will it ever draw enough attention to building an email list of loyal readership?
Constantly promoting with a link and a call to action is necessary to gain recognition, but it's not enough to build a loyal readership. So I hit upon the idea of edutainment. (I'm a school teacher in my other life.) What I mean to do is create informational/promotional tools that also pique curiosity in the hopes of appealing to new readers using a different strategy. The cards above are some examples.
Videos explaining different paranormal characters and how they fit into the dream are another idea. A lot of research goes in behind-the-scenes. Learning about the strange and wonderful, the mythical and the legendary all play a part in the story. Even if that knowledge is tailored for the dream it's still often the tidbit that arced a spark for a scene or a character in the Saga. So I hope offering some of that background information will kindle a flame of desire to know more about the books it inspired.
Shameless Book Promotion
Since this is my blog, I would be terribly remiss if I didn't plug my work, right? So Dream Therapy was published a while ago. But it was so good, I wanted to spotlight it again.
Jace Weda is an immortal bear shifter whose dream inversion 'gift' has crippled his life. He's an accomplished pilot, but can’t handle the stress of driving a car. When he and his brother take a mission to hunt a rapist for Fox, his life changes drastically, and leaving California for Draoithe in the summer of 2016 is the only solution to avoid disastrous blowback from a deadly enemy.
Living at Draoithe grants him a new perspective and an opportunity for a brand new life with therapy and counseling for the dream magic he was born with. It also brings an unexpected encounter with the deaf architectural design artist. One-touch, and he's hooked. When he catches the contractor hitting her, he loses his mind and beats the fool unconscious, but that's where his life gets complicated.
He wants the contractor's head, but taking care of the beautiful deaf designer takes precedence. When he learns that she's in trouble because of the work she did in designing his new home, he realizes that all his hope for something more with her could simply vanish like smoke on the wind. Jace must find a way to help the fiercely independent woman he desperately needs and keep her safe from the pitfalls of his world.
Here's the part where I tell you that I hope you'll be like a dragon and fall into a great story! The front story is steamy, and the back story is getting really good. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then start with The Thread for free and find out. Visit Ophelia Kee and download a FREE short read to begin your journey into the Draoithe saga. Warning it can be addictive!
It's almost Saturday! What are you doing reading this blog when you could be reading a good book?
No, seriously. Enjoy your weekend no matter what you do. Enjoy the Holidays! When you read, be kind and leave a review. Until the next blog...
Be Careful!
Happy reading,
Ophelia Kee
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