Book Launch Q&A: Darryl A. Woods, Author THE SUMMONED ONES #booklaunch @darrylawoods @pumpupyourbook

Darryl Woods is a storyteller who hones his craft entertaining coworkers. He also enjoys regaling family and friends with stories of his upbringing in rural Ohio, of the motorized contraptions his father fabricated, and of the timber cutting and sawmill work he did with his father-in-law. With an appetite for reading fantasy, it was inevitable he would choose to write about an epic journey in a world dominated by magic and sword fighting.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website Address: http://darrylawoods.com/
Newsletter: http://darrylawoods.com/newsletter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DarrylAWoods
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Darryl-A-Woods-Storyteller-and-Author-104898847706876/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomdarrylawoods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darrylawoods/

Can a group of college-aged friends from a small Kentucky town actually be the Summoned Ones of prophecy, called to a strange world filled with magic and devastated by war? Can they save the lives of the desperate inhabitants and help them defeat a wicked tyrant? Their epic journey will push them to the limits of their endurance. This unlikely group will discover truths about themselves and experience another world beyond their imagination.

During their journey, they will explore this new world, discover new talents and previously hidden abilities, develop friendships with people they couldn’t have dreamed possible, and will be forced to take actions they would have never considered in any less dire circumstances.

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://amzn.to/2JOJ4K7

 Barnes & Noble → https://bit.ly/2RlMkAK

Kobo → https://bit.ly/3aTEYMX
Fishpond → https://bit.ly/3e9IDs2

After your book was released, what was the first thing you did when getting ready for your book launch?

After I had the book published, I spent 2 months with it on prerelease. Prior to that and during those 2 months, I did the following:

·        Set up my social media accounts

·        Created my website (http://darrylawoods.com)

·        Set up my newsletter using Convertkit to send out a short story every 15 days (http://darrylawoods.com/newsletter/)

·        Wrote several stories for my newsletter

·        Engaged with several ARC readers to read and review my book

·        Began identifying and contacting book bloggers and making personalized review requests

After that, what was your next step?

·        My primary focus was a continued outreach to book bloggers.

·        I have also worked to increase my following on Twitter while still maintaining a presence on other social media sites.

·        I continue to write short stories for my newsletter. So, far I have written stories for 14 newsletters and have a few others in various stages of completion.

Did you do anything different to spice up your website in lieu of your upcoming book release?

I spent a lot of time working with a professional website designer. I had already written most of the content for the website, short and long author bios, short and long book descriptions, 3-D book images, author photos. So, my work was mainly focused on layout and color choices. Also, because I contacted so many bloggers, I spent extra time developing a robust media page.

Did you ever consider using a PR agency to help you promote your book or did you prefer the DIY route?

I have yet to hire a PR agency. I was burned badly by a so-called publishing firm I was forced to fire and never received any form of refund. Encounters such as this have created a distrust of companies in the industry. I might be open to it, but it would have to be a recommendation from a person I trusted.

Were finding reviews a top priority for you and, if yes, how did you approach that?

Reviews from book bloggers to date is my primary form of outreach. Through Twitter, Instagram, and referrals, I have built a spreadsheet of bloggers who are open for review and who review adult fantasy. I have been primarily focused on those with a blogging website. These typically have more information in the form of request criteria, content about pages, interviews, and a list of reviews. I spend time getting to know the reviewer and read several reviews. If I feel it is a match, I send a customized and personalized review request.

What are your views on social media for marketing your book?

Social media is a necessary tool but drives very few direct sales. It simply is a tool to allow you to engage fans, book enthusiasts, and fellow authors. I view it as a means to further project results from outreach. If I have a book review recently published and I retweet that review to my 5,000+ Twitter followers, then a handful of my fellow authors and blogger followers retweet that yet again. It projects that review far farther than having no social media presence.  I will add, however, that it can be a black hole that sucks away precious time needed for other projects that would be far more effective for marketing.

What social media has worked best for you?

I found that Twitter has been the most receptive tool for me. The writing community there is strong, helpful, and willing to engage. Though I must say, I have yet to fully engage on other platforms.

Did you write a press release and do you think it worked for you?

I did not do a press release. Too much going on. I may look into that for book 2.

Did you revamp your author’s page at Amazon in any way to prepare for the launch (https://authorcentral.amazon.com/)?

Because it was my first book, I had yet to create the page, but for The Summoned Ones I spent time creating a professional author page.

https://www.amazon.com/Darryl-A-Woods/e/B07YG9RYY9?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000

Did you have other books you offered for free in order to help sell your present book?

I did not. The Summoned Ones is my first book. I am giving away short stories every 15 days via my newsletter. These are primarily stories of my rural upbringing, with a few speculative fiction stories mixed in. I use this mechanism for potential fans to see my writing style and imagination.

Did you set up book signings and, if so, how did that work for you?

Unfortunately, I released The Summoned Ones on February 29^th. Because of the pandemic, physical book signings were not an option. I released in both paperback and eBook internationally, but I made no effort to get my book into brick and mortar stores. So, if I were to do a book signing it would be at local independent bookstores.

Did you create a book trailer? (Please provide a link to trailer if you have one.)

I did not but have been looking into creating one for The Summoned Ones, and will definitely produce one for book 2, Perilous Path.

Did you time your book launch around a certain holiday?

I did, I thought Leap Day was fitting. A rare day for a day a long time in the making.

What was the best money you ever spent on your book launch?

By far my best money was spent on Miblart. This company (@miblart) was inexpensive, professional, and good to work with. They took an oil painting I had commissioned from a local artist and crafted it into a nice cover. They also did a great job on interior layouts and social media banners. For what little I spent, it was well worth the professional results and relieved me of that burden.

*Any tips for those authors wanting to set up a successful book launch?

DO NOT RUSH IT. It is easy to fall into this trap. You’ve spent so long on the manuscript, you want to rush the launch. Take your time. A full 2 months after launch, I am still getting things set up that I should have had in place long before the launch. I learned my lesson and will have a much better launch of book 2. It would have been better for me to have pushed the launch of The Summoned Ones out 2 or 3 months.