Expect some changes in the way I sell my books in the coming months. I’ve been thinking and reading and collecting ideas. I’ve been planning and preparing. And I’m just about ready to start implementing.

Buy from the Jude Knight shop

First up, I’m going to open my own shop on this site, with print and ebooks available in formats to suit any reader, and direct-to-customer benefits.

1. I’m planning to have new books available in my shop before you can get them anywhere else — and I hope to start with The Realm of Silence (publication date 22 May, so 15 May here).
2. I’ll be adding extras such as deleted and background scenes to the books sold through my shop that you won’t get at any of the major e-retailers.
3. Over time, I’ll have books here that aren’t available anywhere else.

Can you think of anything else you’d like to see me doing? I can’t discount ebooks over the Amazon price, because of authors agree, as a condition of using KDP, that they will not sell at a lower price elsewhere, but everything else is up for discussion.

Enjoy changes to my newsletter

I’m keeping the story, but I’m cutting back on content and putting most of it in links to stop cluttering your box. If you want to read more, click through. And I’m planning to feature more on other authors — their new releases, books I’ve been reading, interesting things happening in the world of historical romance.

How does that sound? Good? No? Please tell me what you’d like. My newsletter subscribers are my go-to-people, my strongest supporters and advocates. I care what you think, and I want to entertain you.

Watch me try to reduce my dependence on the megaliths

I have always tried to diversify: going wide instead of exclusive to Amazon, using Twitter and Goodreads and Wattpad instead of relying on Facebook. I’m more and more convinced this is the right approach, but I need to be more strategic about it. So here are some of the things I’m planning.

• Making my website is up-to-date
  • giving the book pages a new look so they’re easier to explore now I have so many books
  • adding 1st chapters and excerpts for all my books
  • updating book information where it’s needed in the book pages
• Rebalancing my sales through eretailers:
  • joining Kobo directly (I currently publish to them through Smashwords) so I can use their author marketing tools
  • exploring options for marketing specifically to Apple and Barnes & Noble customers
  • fixing the gaps in my sales information, such as editorial reviews on Amazon
• Optimising print distribution:
  • looking again at Ingram publishing, and other options for reaching bookstores and libraries
•  Finding new ways of getting excerpts (and full stories) in front of readers
  • revisiting Books + Main and getting ‘bites’ of all my books up there, then figuring out how to get readers to go looking
  • starting to post excerpts on FaceBook again
  • continuing to post on Wattpad
  • exploring ways to use Instagram with taglines
  • reopening the YouTube channel I started, maybe for book teasers, maybe for discussions with friends — what would you watch?
• Being strategic about advertising, by keeping data on what works and what doesn’t
  • trying more Facebook ads
  • making some video book teasers
  • learning more about Amazon ads and trying them out
  • investing in advertising through e-newsletters.

And, of course, the big unspoken. Continuing to write and publish.

Do you have any suggestions? I’d love to hear them.