Virtually indispensible

Subscriber Joanne Phillips talks about publishing her debut novel, Can't Live Without

‘Can’t Live Without is my debut novel, and was published on Kindle in May under my own imprint, Mirrorball Books,’ writes Joanne in Members' News in this month's Writing Magazine.
‘Sales have been great so far – I even spent three days in the Amazon top 100 bestsellers category for commercial women’s fiction only two weeks after launch! I put this initial success down to a combination of traditional and social media marketing. As well as talking about my book on my blog and on Twitter, I was featured in local newspapers both in Shropshire, where I live, and in Milton Keynes, where Can’t Live Without is set.
‘I’ve enjoyed the publicity side of things more than I thought I would – writing is what I love to do, but as an author you have to throw yourself into marketing, whether traditionally published or not. This week I was interviewed on local radio: an hour-long interview including my favourite music – it was like being on Desert Island Discs! I’ve also made some great contacts on Twitter and in the blogosphere, and I’ve been encouraged by how supportive indie authors are of each other.
‘My blog was a key tool in polishing my debut novel ready for publication. I posted chapters every week and had some fantastic beta-readers giving me feedback – the final version was shaped by their input. In fact, the response was overwhelmingly positive, which really gave me the confidence to go ahead and publish. It also meant that by the time the book was ready for sale, I had quite a few readers lined up and ready to buy!
‘Can’t Live Without was published in paperback in July, but in the spirit of epublishing I held a virtual launch party, on my blog, on Facebook and Twitter. I ran mini-competitions, with prizes including book giveaways and an Amazon voucher. Loads of people turned up, but the best thing about a virtual party is: no clearing up to do afterwards.’
Website: www.joannephillips.co.uk