Writer Sanctum
Writer's Haven => Marketing Loft [Public] => Topic started by: alhawke on July 01, 2022, 12:25:10 AM
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Just got an email and I've been wondering, do any of you try your odds with this? It costs one keyword on Amazon. It sounds like pretty meager odds to win 20k pounds. I'm guessing the competition is around 50k new titles??? (I'll do it if you or a friend has won :shrug)
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I've done a couple I think.
Put the keyword in, and heard nothing at all.
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Long story, shortened...
Several weeks ago, I entered the contest. They liked my story (how quickly they read it, I don't know), they wanted me to progress, but (there's always a catch) the story has to be enrolled in KU.
My story was "disqualified" because I would not put it in KU.
UPDATE: I am referring to the UK based new story contest.
R.C.
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Long story, shortened...
Several weeks ago, I entered the contest. They liked my story (how quickly they read it, I don't know), they wanted me to progress, but (there's always a catch) the story has to be enrolled in KU.
That's huge for me. I didn't know that. That ends it for me too.
{edit: They really should mention this on their mailers and adverts.
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I have entered it a few times but the KU thing has stopped me from putting in anything from my most popular series (relatively popular, I mean). This year, for instance, I've entered a compilation with a 20,000 word novella plus some short stories, which probably has even less chance than my previous efforts! However, I find it's quite good for me to enter as it makes me do some minimalist marketing instead of just flinging things out there to sink or swim,cwhich is my usual methodology.
Last year's winner was a murder mystery that wasn't in my opinion all that brilliant, although very readable.
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However, I find it's quite good for me to enter as it makes me do some minimalist marketing instead of just flinging things out there to sink or swim,cwhich is my usual methodology.
Does Amazon UK advertise your book during the competition? If in KU, even if you don't win, that could be something.
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However, I find it's quite good for me to enter as it makes me do some minimalist marketing instead of just flinging things out there to sink or swim,cwhich is my usual methodology.
Does Amazon UK advertise your book during the competition? If in KU, even if you don't win, that could be something.
It doesn't exactly advertise the books as far as I can tell, but they are all in a big list together with 'featured' books at the top - though you can re-sort the list if you want to see where your book is! I did it to make sure it had got into the contest. I quite enjoy having something in there.
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I've entered these a few times. I'm in KU anyway, and it's only a single keyword on the book, it must be the easiest (and cheapest) competition to enter. Never heard anything... until last September or so. I'd been shortlisted (last 5). The finalists get local publicity (if they want) and an expenses-paid trip to London for the awards ceremony with a guest celebrity. There's a half-hour live ceremony (no audience, but family and friends can watch on Zoom), brief interviews, they show the 3-minute video each of the finalists made the winner is announced and that's it. I didn't win (and didn't expect to) but it was nice to be a finalist. There was also a do at the Houses of Parliament last year, which was fun.
I don't know what the criteria for the finalists is. They say it has to do with reader responses, so I'm guessing it's sales and star ratings. The five finalist books are all read by a panel of judges, but they're not read before that. If you're in KU and you don't mind risking the publicity if you win, it's a no-brainer.
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That sounds like fun, Pauline - how great to get to the final!
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Congratulations Pauline!
I considered it several years ago but I had gone wide and didn't want to only publish on Amazon. I looked up previous winners and checked out how they were currently doing. Nothing particularly noteworthy so I passed and kept with my wide plan. I think there were some other criteria I wasn't crazy about but I can't remember.