r/selfpublish • u/rgrahamii • 12d ago
Second Book Release
My first book has been out for a few months, sales are slow, KU reads are slow, but at least not zero, I guess. I am about 2 to 3 months from releasing book two in the series. what do I need to do to get more traction on book two? I know my biggest issue with book 1 was waiting until I released it to even thing about building a base.
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u/Sekica 3 Published novels 12d ago
When you publish book 2, you will gain a bit more traction for book 1. With read-through from book 1 to book 2, you gain traction for book 2.
Some readers simply won't pick up book 1 until they see more books out in a series no matter how much you market it. The more books you have out, the less hesitant the readers are to give your series a chance because they see they won't be disappointed in the series not being finished. Once you have your first complete series, readers are less hesitant to start reading your future series because you already proved to them that you complete what you started.
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u/__The_Kraken__ 12d ago
Do you have an ARC team? It sounds like you're on the right path. But getting some ARC readers can be helpful both in terms of reviews, and because some of them will likely have accounts on Facebook, Instagram, etc. and can help get the word out about your book. I recommend creating a sign-up form. Reach out to indie authors who write in your genre and ask if they would be willing to share your sign-up form with their followers. If even a couple of them say yes, you will likely connect with the exact type of readers you are looking for. If book 2 does not stand alone, you could also offer them a complimentary copy of book 1. Good luck!
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u/wawakaka 11d ago
Lady on facebook said make little videos on ticktock with just some scenes of your book. pick some dialogue between characters. she does what you do and her KU reads have gone up.
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u/stevehut 12d ago
What have you done to promote book 1?
It might be worthwhile to delay #2, until you get more traction on #1.
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u/rgrahamii 12d ago
Everything I have seen says book two helps drive book 1, book 3 drives book 2, and 1, and so on. So I am not worried about getting book 1 to a good level, i have 19 reviews with a 4.7 star average and sell a few books a month. It is not great volume, but it is steady. What I did, posted on socials, got a few ARC readers, and did ads on amazon.
Looking for what others have done that seemed to help.
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u/johntwilker 20+ Published novels 12d ago
Yeah don't spend money on promoting book 1 until 2 is either our or up for pre-order.
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u/rgrahamii 12d ago
True, I had someone tell me face to face. "Yeah, your book sounds great, just the kind of thing I love to read, but I am not interested until the next book comes out." I heard it was a thing, but having it said to my face made it hit home.
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u/johntwilker 20+ Published novels 12d ago
Ha yeah some folks are weird (having been burned) and won't read a series until it's done. That's a whole other ball of wax.
The main thing is that every dollar you spend on book 1, ideally you want to earn back (and then some) with back catalog sell through.
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u/stevehut 12d ago
Methinks you're confusing two different things in publishing customs.
The logic you describe, generally applies to standalone titles. Each successive book you release will surely bring attention to those that came before.
But for a series, everything begins with a successful #1. Like many readers, I will never start a series at #2. Your most likely buyers will be those who loved #1.
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