Tag: tiktok

The Never-Ending Journey of Marketing Self-Published Books

~ Gareth Ellis ~ Leave a comment


You would think that the hardest thing about being an author is the writing of books, but it’s far from it. Writing books is easy because it only involves you, your brain, and your characters. The hardest thing about being an author is marketing the damn book once it’s written and released.

Marketing as a self-published author is a relentless task. It isn’t just a matter of doing it when you release a book; you always have to be on your a-game, pushing your books and trying to get those elusive sales. Let me share a bit about my journey and the strategies I’ve employed to keep my books in the public eye.

Social Media Savvy: Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok

Social media has been my go-to for marketing. Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok are indispensable tools in my arsenal.

Twitter: This platform is excellent for networking with other authors, engaging with readers, and sharing updates. I’m planning to use Twitter’s subscription service to offer exclusive content and updates, hoping to build a more dedicated reader base.
 
Instagram: It’s all about visuals here. I share aesthetically pleasing images related to my books, snippets of my writing process, and engaging stories that resonate with my followers. The key is consistency and using relevant hashtags to increase visibility.
 
TikTok: BookTok is a powerful community. Creating short, engaging videos about my books, character insights, and writing tips has helped me connect with a younger, vibrant audience.

The Amazon Experience

I also tried Amazon promotions, but to be honest, they didn’t yield significant results. It seems that with so many books on the platform, getting noticed is like finding a needle in a haystack. While it’s a good platform for hosting my books, relying on its promotional tools alone hasn’t been the most effective strategy.

Revamping the Website and Blogging

One of my goals is to get back into posting regular blogs and ensuring my website is up-to-date. A website is a central hub where readers can find all my books, learn more about me, and engage with my content. Blogging allows me to share more in-depth insights, updates, and behind-the-scenes looks at my writing process. This not only drives traffic to my site but also helps in building a loyal readership.

Publishing Short Stories

Another tactic I’m exploring is publishing short stories. This gives potential readers a taste of my writing style before they commit to buying my full-length books. It’s a great way to build interest and showcase my storytelling abilities. These shorts can be shared on my website, social media, or even as free giveaways to my email subscribers.

Final Thoughts

The journey of marketing as a self-published author is ongoing and ever-evolving. It requires constant effort and adaptation to new trends and tools. While it can be challenging, it’s also incredibly rewarding to see your hard work pay off as readers discover and enjoy your books. If you’re in the same boat, don’t get discouraged. Keep experimenting, keep engaging, and most importantly, keep writing.

Writing Short Stories and Putting Them Together

~ Gareth Ellis ~ Leave a comment

In last Monday’s blog post, I shared an exciting new development in my storytelling journey: I have found a fresh and engaging outlet on TikTok. It’s been an exhilarating experience to see my stories come to life in short, creative videos. However, I’m aware that not everyone is on TikTok, and I don’t want anyone to miss out on my stories. That’s why I’ve decided to post the short stories here on my website as well.

Short Stories: A New Chapter in My Writing Journey

So far, I’ve uploaded my most recent stories under the Short Stories heading at the top of the home page. Some of these are inspired by songs that struck a chord with me, while others are spontaneous creations born from my wandering thoughts. This blend of inspiration has led to a diverse collection of narratives, each with its own unique flavour.

In light of my new approach, I’ve decided to shift my focus from working on another novel to creating a collection of short stories. Many of the TikTok stories I’ve shared have the potential to be expanded into fuller, richer narratives, and I’m excited to explore this possibility. Consequently, I’ll be rotating these stories on the site: as I flesh out some of them for the collection, I’ll remove the older versions and replace them with new ones from TikTok. This way, there will always be a fresh stream of stories for you to enjoy.

Embracing the Short Story Format

Writing short stories is a new venture for me, but posting daily on TikTok has helped me adapt to this format. The brevity of short stories allows me to experiment with ideas without the commitment of a full-length novel. It’s a liberating process: I can quickly gauge whether a concept has the potential to be expanded or if it works best as a concise piece.

This exploration led me to the realization that a collection of short stories could be a perfect way to compile and share these ideas. After much contemplation, I decided that publishing a collection is the logical next step. I was initially torn between various options—publishing on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), posting exclusively on my website, or holding onto the stories for a future project. However, seeing the volume of content I already had, the decision became clear.

A New Focus Post-Uni

Now that I’ve finished university for the year, I have more time to dedicate to my writing. This newfound freedom allows me to focus on refining and expanding my short stories for the collection. Some stories are based on ideas I’ve nurtured for a long time, while others are fresh creations, so the amount of work required to prepare them for publication varies. Nonetheless, I’m committed to bringing you polished and engaging stories.

Looking Ahead

You can expect a steady flow of short stories both here on the website and on TikTok. I’m excited about this new chapter and eager to share more of my work with you. Your support and feedback are invaluable as I navigate this journey, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on my stories.

Stay tuned for more updates, and thank you for being a part of this adventure with me!

Feel free to explore the Short Stories section and follow me on TikTok for daily updates. Happy reading!

Exploring New Horizons: My Journey of Posting Short Stories on TikTok

~ Gareth Ellis ~ Leave a comment

With my writing journey in full flow and five books under my belt, I’m always on the lookout for fresh, innovative ways to tell my stories. Recently, I discovered an unexpected but ideal platform to share my work: TikTok.

Now, I know what you’re thinking—TikTok is for teenagers, dance challenges, and lip-syncing. Well, not entirely. Believe it or not, TikTok is becoming a thriving space for creative storytelling, and I’ve jumped right in. But no, you won’t find me narrating my tales while doing inane dances. I’m not that desperate—at least, not yet!

Instead, I’ve found a unique way to share my short stories through a series of slides. Each slide unravels a part of the story, creating a captivating visual and narrative experience. So far, the response has been good. My stories have been well-received, and I’m gradually building a community of followers and viewers for future stories.

My primary genre on TikTok is horror—something about the platform’s quick pace and visual capabilities makes it perfect for delivering spine-chilling stories.

Finding inspiration has been a journey in itself. Here’s where I’ve been drawing my ideas from:

1. Picture Prompts:
A picture is worth a thousand words, or in my case, a thousand terrifying scenarios. Sometimes, a single image can spark an entire story. I browse through images and let my imagination run wild, creating narratives that often take unexpected and eerie turns.

2. Word Prompts:
I was an avid participant in vss365, a vibrant Twitter community that provided daily word prompts for very short stories (VSS). While vss365 is no longer active, I’ve continued the tradition with suggestions from my TikTok followers. Each prompt is a seed, and my job is to nurture it into a full-blown, gripping story.

3. Song Lyrics:
Music has always been a source of inspiration for me. Recently, I’ve started crafting stories based on songs and their lyrics. There’s something magical about translating the emotions and imagery of a song into a narrative. It’s like giving the song a second life through words. This adds another level complexity to writing the stories and really makes me think.

4. User Suggestions:
Engagement is key on TikTok, and I love involving my audience in the creative process. I ask for story ideas and prompts, and their suggestions often lead me down fascinating new paths. This interaction not only keeps my content fresh but also strengthens my connection with my followers.

These diverse sources of inspiration have been incredibly fun and creatively stimulating. They’ve allowed me to explore different angles and styles, pushing me to think outside the box. Plus, they’ve been a fantastic way to flex my writing muscles, especially during times when my focus was more on academic writing than creative storytelling.

Why TikTok?

You might wonder why I chose TikTok over other platforms. Here are a few reasons:

  • Visual Storytelling: TikTok’s format is perfect for combining narrative and visuals, making stories more engaging.
  • Bite-Sized Content: The platform’s short video format forces me to be concise and impactful, which is a great exercise in brevity.
  • Community Interaction: The instant feedback and interaction with followers help me improve and adapt my storytelling techniques.
  • Viral Potential: The chance to reach a massive audience is always there, and it’s exciting to see how far my stories can go.

So, if you’re a writer looking to explore new ways of storytelling or a reader eager for fresh, bite-sized tales, TikTok might just be the perfect place. It’s an evolving space where creativity knows no bounds, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.

Feel free to follow my journey on TikTok, share your thoughts, and maybe even drop a prompt or two. Happy storytelling!

Another Year Over

~ Gareth Ellis ~ Leave a comment

My final uni assessment for the current academic year was submitted a couple of weeks ago—a creative piece for children about a girl and her imaginary friend—so it means that I finally have no academic work to do. My second (technically third) year of university is over with, and I finally have some time to do other things rather than stressing about deadlines.

Compared to my other years, this one has been for more stressful and busy. A lot to read, a lot to write and a lot to revise (for my first exam since I was in college 20 years ago).

With all this free time I have, other than doing some jobs around the house, like painting walls and fixing a few things around the house. We’ve already been gardening, finally getting our trees out of pots and Into the ground; I will be taking some time to do more book/story writing, which I feel like I’ve not done enough of recently. Although having said that, I did spend some time working on a Creatures remaster and the Creatures Collection, which I released a few weeks back.

New stuff-wise, though, I’ve got a lot of stuff I’ve been working on, but what I really want to finish is the short story that I’m writing based on a 30-minute screenplay I wrote for a uni assignment. It’s titled Maze of Fears and is set in a Halloween corn maze in Iowa with a bunch of friends that start to be haunted. The script did really well in class, so I’m hoping as a short story, I can add more depth to it. I’m not sure what else I want to work on, but I’m sure whatever wants to be written will make itself known.

In addition to this, I want to get back into regularly posting blogs and reviews and update everything on the website so it’s a little more…well…up to date. I will also post regular stories and other writing content on my social media sites, including my TikTok, which I’m still trying to figure out.

And, I will be doing all this while still doing my physio for my hip-—which is hurting more again—making sure that Athena stays out of trouble, which is no easy task.

All in all, I’m looking forward to the next few months, and I’m going to do my utmost to make the best of it before I go back for my final year of uni in September.