Interview with J. Carson Black - Part One

J. Carson Black is the bestselling author of seven novels, including her Laura Cardinal series, which currently has under three titles under its belt.

She has a total of 12 books; seven published and also one short story. Her Laura Cardinal series has three books in the series: Darkness on the Edge of Town (#24 on Kindle), Dark Side of the Moon (#149 on Kindle), and The Devil's Hour (#182 on Kindle).

All of her books are doing amazingly well, and she is a truly talented writer. I was thrilled to be able to host her on my blog for a two-part series; the first, catered to her fellow writers.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

How long did it take you to achieve the success you are having with your books right now?

My husband and I first put up DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN in June. we sold one book. The following month, we sold two. I didn’t crack 100 books sold until February. Then sales went up precipitously!

What was the best thing you did marketing wise that you believe helped you get where you are today?

The single best thing I did was become a member of the Kindle Boards Writer’s Café. That ‘s when I saw what was possible. I know that doesn’t sound like marketing per se, but seeing all the success stories focused me like nobody’s business. I’d see someone who was successful commentating on a thread and I’d ask them how they achieved their success. That’s how I found out about the Victorine Method – drop the price of your books down to 99 cents, and a week later the books took off.

What do you do to market yourself? What works, what doesn't?

I don’t do a lot---some interviews and guest blogs, some blogging. I have a Facebook and Twitter presence. I think it comes down to the quality of the book, the quality of the cover, and the quality of the product description. If you have several books, as I do, you want that look to be as uniform as possible to create your brand.

What tips/advice do you have for other writers?

Write the best book you can. Do scrupulous market research on your genre and the kinds of books that are selling, the kinds of covers that are selling, and write a great product description. (Try it out on a lot of friends, and ask for honest answers.)