Author Post – Three secrets I wish someone had shared with me when I began my writing journey as an Indie Author by Dan Padavona Author of Grave Girl

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Book Blurb

Every mind holds a secret. Some are more deadly than others.

Nightshade County Sheriff Thomas Shepherd is a successful model for every law enforcement officer with autism. He leads an idyllic life in his uncle’s old home along Wolf Lake and is planning to marry private investigator Chelsey Byrd.

But when a star athlete’s girlfriend disappears while camping, everyone blames the boyfriend. He’s volatile and dangerous. Did he murder the girl and bury her in the woods?

The sheriff’s gut tells him there’s more to the story than the boyfriend is willing to admit. The more he digs into the case, the more he worries someone is hiding a dark secret.

Is the boy a killer? Or is he the next victim?

Book Excerpt

He waited until the woman’s Honda Civic rounded the bend and disappeared down the road. Behind a stand of trees, he remained hidden and formless, an invisible predator.

The day hadn’t gone as planned. McKenzie had torn up his note and slid it into the hallway. He needed that money. Without her username and password, his only choice was to put her up for ransom, and that would increase the risk of getting caught.

A downstairs light shone inside the sheriff’s A-frame, but nobody was home. Nobody except a cat and that damn beast of a dog. More lights illuminated the guest house along the lake. There was movement inside, though the drawn curtains made it difficult to tell who it was. He stepped toward the side window, crouching low so his shadow didn’t pass over the glass and forewarn the tiny house’s occupant. His hand moved to the gun in his pocket.

Without making a sound, he rose and stood beside the window, one eye peering through the opening between the curtain and the sill. Oh, how he hoped it was LeVar Hopkins, now a sheriff’s deputy. A bullet to the head would take LeVar out of this world.

A chair swung around, and the man edged away from the glass, hoping no one had spotted him. He slid along the wall and looked again through the opening. Right in front of him, a teenage girl with a brunette ponytail filled a glass at the sink. Where was LeVar, and why was this girl inside his house?

Author Post – Three secrets I wish someone had shared with me when I began my writing journey as an Indie Author

An indie author’s road to success has twists and unexpected turns. Several forks in the road lack signs, and if you don’t have a good map to guide you, it’s easy to lose your way.

Over the last twelve months, my books generated a half-million dollars in revenue on Amazon, but success did not occur overnight. In fact, I barely earned enough money to buy a cup of coffee five years ago. Fortunately, I’m a quick learner with an instinct for survival.

Today, I will share three secrets I wish someone had shared with me when I began my writing journey a decade ago.

Become a Marketing Master

No matter how good we believe our stories are, we must remember that undiscovered books go viral about as often as we win the lottery.

I wanted to believe my stories would sell themselves.

The hard truth is nobody has ever heard of us. Even as someone who sells a ton of books, I wallow in obscurity. I’m not a household name like James Patterson and Stephen King.

I didn’t achieve success until I mastered Amazon and Facebook advertising, built a mailing list, and got my name in front of readers in my genre.

Advertising was the push that got the snowball rolling. Without it, I wouldn’t have a readership today.

Book Covers – You get what you pay for

In order to attract readers, you need eye-catching book covers.

If you want to compete with the top books in your genre, you must pay for covers that meet readers expectations and stand out. This means avoiding bargain basement cover designers and never thinking you’re skillful enough to design your own.

Pay for the top designers, and ensure your artist has a track record of success creating covers in your target genre.

Next to professional editing, book cover design is an indie author’s largest expense. But you get what you pay for. If you want to sell a lot of books, you need an excellent cover.

Choose a Genre with Readers

This final point is a hang-up for many authors. As creatives, we strive to be original and never wish to sacrifice our art.

You can have your cake and eat it too, but you’ll need to find the sweet spot between what you love to write and what readers love to read. I grew up reading horror, but there aren’t many horror readers these days. It’s a shrinking genre, at least for now. On the other hand, readers gobble up thrillers and suspense novels. My sweet spot is writing serial killer thrillers, which merge horror with thrillers and suspense. I get the best of both worlds – I love what I write, and my genre is overflowing with voracious readers.

You’re welcome to write that genre-bending novel that sets you apart from every author on the planet. Just recognize that, because your new genre doesn’t exist, the odds that anyone will look for your book or understand its worth are quite slim. If you don’t care about money and success, go for it. Just don’t complain if your book sales fall flat.

Have your cake and eat it with an extra-large fork. Gluten-free, if you’re so inclined.

Conclusion

Had someone told me these things when I first started writing, they would have saved me a ton of heartaches and wasted time.

Nah. Who am I kidding? I would have stubbornly written genre-bending horror for several years anyway. Hopefully you’re a faster learner than me.

Best of luck on your writing journey.

Dan Padavona is the author of The Wolf Lake series, The Logan and Scarlett series, Darkwater Cove, The Scarlett Bell thriller series, and The Thomas Shepherd Mysteries. Many of his novels rank in the top-10 in Amazon’s thriller and mystery categories. He is a husband, a parent, and proud member of the International Thriller Writers Organization.

When he’s not writing, Dan enjoys photography, biking, weightlifting, and storm chasing. Dan has videotaped tornadoes from New York to Oklahoma and Texas and was nearly swept up by a strong twister outside Sweetwater, Texas. A self-proclaimed ice cream and gelato lover, Dan admits to spending too much time in the gym, compensating for his questionable nutritional decisions.

Website: https://www.danpadavona.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djpadavona
Instagram: @dan_padavona
Twitter: @DanPadavona
Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3ZHMKFD

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