Inner Goddess

The True Value of Loyal Fans

Hello Inner Goddesses out there. I'm so excited to be with you today to talk a little bit about some of the work I'm doing. It's such an honor to be on a site that has hosted "real authors" that I adore. I'm a brand new author and it's been a crazy few months. I literally wrote my first short book over a weekend in October 2012 and have been cranking them out since. 

Of the many things I've learned over the past few months, the most significant is that readers WANT indie authors to be successful. They will forgive a few typos (just a few), silly dialogue and amateurish cover art as long as the author puts out a good story. I am the first to admit that I have a long way to go before I'll be considered a 'great' author. Being on multiple best seller lists doesn't necessarily equate to quality but it does mean that people are talking about your book and they want more of it. I try to get better with each book and I know that my fans have noticed. They know that I'm learning from my mistakes and that the next book I put out will be better than the previous...which was better than the previous. ;-)

When I talk to other new authors, they often complain about not having a big marketing budget to reach fans but it doesn't necessarily take money. Just some perspective. Once you've published the book, there isn't usually any overhead. You've paid to get it that far but you don't have to keep paying to stay published. So, don't be afraid to blanket the world with your work. I was able to build a loyal following quickly by offering free books. I'll give a book to anyone that asks for one. Sure, I might be losing a few dollars from the people that would have gone out and purchased it...but having one more person that tells their friend about a new author that they love is absolutely priceless. The people that were willing to give me a chance on day one are now the friends that I can rely on for an honest review, an uplifting message and even a note about the occasional typo that I missed in my 50th pass over the book. ;-)

So, in that vain, I'd love to give all of you a copy of two of my books. Pick up codes to download one or both here: http://ariagracebooks.blogspot.com/p/aria-grace-books.html

1) More Than Friends is a gay novelette (apx 75 pages) about a straight guy that falls for a gay guy. 

2) Or, if you're into the more traditional male/female erotica, grab a copy of Dog Walker: Sexy Gigs #2. It's a short story (apx 30 pages) about a girl who takes a dog walking job that is more about entertaining the owner. 

 

For new and aspiring authors, if you have questions about getting started, join Aria in a discussion by commenting below. We would love some words of wisdom from the more experienced published authors.