19 Sep 2025 6 min read Author Blog

Retrospective | regrets and successes... on releasing A Lion's Head (10 days later)

Effort did not translate to effectiveness and my rational for why that was.

Disney released Elio in theatres and Netflix released KPop Demon Hunter to streaming on the same day. There's been criticism of both marketing teams in terms of how they advertised their new storytelling and how they released. No one knew what to expect. Both movies were being released by companies that were known for their blockbuster hits but one shone while the other flopped.

That shows me that even huge marketing teams can get it wrong sometimes. I will take a measure of that as a new author releasing my first 'real' fiction novel.

My goal was to reach the wider audience. Or was it? I released my eBook on September 9th. It's not on Kobo Preferred or KDP Select. I released the book in one format—eBook. The print book including hardcover releases October 7th.

I immediately encountered friends, family, and strangers who preferred print books.

I had failed to ask the right questions before launch. I was not hearing the right things.

The question I asked: How do I successfully launch a fantasy fiction in the autumn?

The question I should have been asking: Who will be the first to read my brand new untried book by a new unknown Canadian BIPOC author?

A Lion's Head, The first of the Pawn of Samsara Duology.

My big ask of AI

I admit to using ChatGPT to develop a marketing plan. In said plan, it suggested multiple releases of the same book (ebook, print, etc) and a staggered release of the first and second book. At the time it made perfect sense.

Non-objective desire 1: Readers of the eBook may buy the print book. Thus, potential to double sales.

Non-objective desire 2: I priced the book at mid-range. While I still believe this has little effect on book sales and subsequent reading of the book—not having the book on Kindle Unlimited is a limiter. Many readers want to sample an unknown writer's work and do so using Kindle Unlimited and the Kobo equivalent. Thanks to Draft2Digital I may end up with my eBook available on Hoopla in which case I will reach a wide-reaching online audience who obtain their books via libraries.

As for pricing, as a mother of three who has spent upwards of $25 on books my kids read in an hour, I feel no remorse for the price I have set my books at.

A reader, deciding to read my book, will investigate the cover, the back cover, and begin reading the first chapter. They can read the first three chapters for free.

When you commit to a thing—you're more likely to value something you've paid for. Plus, I've dropped tens of dollars on individual books that I still haven't read. If you like the book, you'll add it to your TBR. If you want to read it, you'll buy it.

The eBook of A Lion's Head retails for $4.99 US and $6.89 CAD.

This book isn't for everyone. I can't read Dune, I've never finished Great Expectations—though I love Dickens—and there are plenty of books by my favourite authors that I've never read. Tolkien's Silmarion is quicksand to read. I've had authors I've respected both accept and decline free copies of my book.

Non-objective desire 3: Aggressive timelines. I had other projects coming through the pipeline. I don't want to stay sitting on book releases. That said, the first book coming out in the fall of 2025 and the second book in the spring of 2026 will look better in the long run. I could have chosen to publish both books at once (though the second is not ready). I could have also chosen to publish both books in the new year.

AI told me what I wanted to hear. It did not tell me what could or would go wrong with its idea. Although I had managed to build a following on social media, the amount of engagement from that following was dependent on many factors. I don't have a reputation as an author. There aren't people knocking on my door wanting to read my books.

Furthermore, my book A Lion's Head may not be appealing to the mass market. This is of course why I did not find a literary agent to champion this effort. A subsequent book may find that traditional publishing audience because the subject may be more appealing.

What I should have done

I should have finished polishing both novels and released them back to back in all formats. e.g. Sept 9th A Lion's Head, Oct 7th A Lion's Pride. I would have spent one month on each aggressively marketing.

Perhaps I would have seen more of an uptake as readers discovered my books and bought them in their desired reading format.
Being able to sell a complete duology is easier than selling half a duology. There are many readers who will not buy a series unless it's complete.
I would have print copies available sooner to sell at in person events which also helps to boost the messaging. It's hard to sell a book that you don't have a physical copy for.

The Pivot

A Lion's Head will continue as planned. The soft and hard cover print book comes out October 7th. However, for the release of A Lion's Pride I will have all formats out as of the January 3rd, 2026 launch date.

What I have learned

Readers are very specific in how they like to consume books. While there will always be a faction who appreciate an eBook over other formats, the grand majority of my intended readers are open to audio books and print. By releasing the book the way I did, I failed to appeal to the broad audience. What would have worked better is releasing it to Kobo select and Kindle unlimited to appeal to the existing eBook readers. So I shot myself in both feet.

My goal with the first book was to draw a few reviews to my work. I am passive in pursuing readers who have devoured the work. My 14 year old left me a 5 star review on Goodreads with no verbal review. The authors with whom I have shared the book, have not to date left a review. Nor have the readers who obtained free copies during Fanexpo. Despite this, I have managed to sell a few eBooks.

Goal Summary

Success Criteria:

After publishing A Lion's Head, I will get sales through social media blasts on threads, bluesky, and instagram.

Effort:

social media posts which grew my audience on Threads, BlueSky, and Instagram
hours spent on creating pretty marketing campaigns
time spent on research

Effective? Not Yet.

Return to the formula, 30% entertainment, 30% education, 30% helpful, 10% me. During the height of marketing, I was 90% the book. Luckily, I didn't lose followers and my social media following continues to grow.

I must accept and recognize the socio-political-economic climate I am releasing my book in. Perhaps revisit the free option. People need a release. I need people to find my books.

Objective: Receive thoughtful reviews for my book.
Success Criteria:

More than a month ago I started giving my book away for free, trading books with other authors, and giving print copies to close friends and family in the hope that I would get at least three reviews by release day and ten reviews (at minimum) on goodreads, amazon, or storygraph.

Effort:

printed books delivered to select individuals
free ebooks to friends and family
free ebook giveaway at FanExpo

Effective? Not Yet.

I've been passive. It's time to email, cajole, and harass my readers to leave me reviews. Perhaps revisit giving the book away for free as part of the marketing strategy with book 2.