Facebook Ads and Kindle

I got a $50 coupon from Facebook for Facebook Ads, and I put together a little Facebook campaign for my novel THE CIRCLE CAST: THE LOST YEARS OF MORGAN LE FAY. One of the nice things about Facebook Ads is that you can target very specific demographics and groups. So I was able to target girls 13-18 in the US, UK and Canada who are interested in King Arthur, Wicca, historical fantasy, or any of the other books about Morgan le Fay.

A Facebook ad with my book cover did nothing for sales, but then we fooled with the tagline, and went back to my original homemade mockup cover, of a 16-year-old girl looking out at you, and that made a dent. Paperback sales perked up, and Kindle sales increased by a factor of 7.

You can pay Facebook per impression -- the number of times the ad showed up on someone's Facebook page. Or you can pay per click-through. Click-throughs are expensive. Facebook charges on the order of 75 cents for a click-through. However, someone who clicks through is a motivated consumer. They are intrigued by your ad and they want to know more.

And if you have a Kindle book, they can have the book right now.

It's interesting that I can see all these metrics from my desktop. I know every time someone clicks on my ad. And I know every time someone buys my book on Amazon.

(I'm assuming that's 99% of the business the ad is doing. Theoretically I imagine someone could see the ad, click through to the Amazon page, and then go buy a paper copy in a store. I guess people still sometimes do that.)

This gets me to thinking about how people are concerned that Facebook knows all about them. There are also advantages to Facebook knowing all about you. If Facebook can tell you about books that you would probably like, that's a win, isn't it? I'm a consumer. I like to buy good stuff. I just don't want to hear about stuff I don't care about. If I can get more ads about stuff that I might actually like or need, and get fewer solicitations for Viagra, that's a win for me.

(And anyway, I don't put anything on Facebook that would truly embarrass me if it got out. I gave up a long time ago on running for President.)

QWF shortlists The Circle Cast

I am proud to tell you that the Quebec Writer's Federation has shortlisted THE CIRCLE CAST for Best Children's and Young Adult Literature, along with my friend Alan Silberberg's MILO and Geneviève Côté's WITHOUT YOU.

Way Fun Review

Way fun review of The Circle Cast.

Denise Jaden interviews me about The Circle Cast

Denise Jaden, author of the highly acclaimed YA novel LOSING FAITH and the forthcoming APPETITE FOR BEAUTY, interviewed me on her blog! She asks me about my characters, my day job (which is screenwriting), my path to publication, my number one bit of writing advice, and what I wrote when I was a teen. Check it out!

The Circle Cast: The Interview!

Launch Party

If you're in Montreal this evening, swing by my launch party for my novel, THE CIRCLE CAST and drink with us.

It's at Réservoir, 9 Duluth East, 7 to 9.

See you there!

Anne Michaud Interviews Me about THE CIRCLE CAST

Anne Michaud interviewed me for the Young Adult Fantasy Guide about THE CIRCLE CAST and why I've always been drawn to the King Arthur story.

It's always seemed to me that there was a secret story behind the King Arthur legend — the canonical legend as we think of it now. I always thought it was interesting that King Arthur never had any children, but no one ever says anything about that. After all, the main job of a queen is to provide an heir. Guinevere never does provide an heir, with disastrous consequences. But no one ever complains about it. Why?

Well, maybe they know Arthur's not sleeping with her. And so to say anything about it would be to embarrass the King, and everyone loves him so they don't say a peep.

Why won't Arthur sleep with Guinevere? ...

Check the rest of it out here.

Anne Michaud gives TCC "Four Druids"

Anne Michaud posted a very cool review of THE CIRCLE CAST on the YA FANTASY GUIDE. Pull quote:

It's tough to see such a young Morgan going through this ordeal, but she becomes a warrior, a magician, making every Girl Power adept proud, one of our own. By the end of the book, Morgan's story is relatable - I know, even without any bathrooms or perfume – and we care for her, we understand the hard choices she makes, she feels like a friend. Epstein makes her come alive on the page, and with some great poetic prose, at times. One can hope for a sequel…

I give this book 4 Druids, kudos to the writer for turning such a distant story into a great read.

W00t! Thanks, Ms. Michaud!

Probably Not in Time for Christmas, but...

Amazon.ca (NOT Amazon.com) now has copies of THE CIRCLE CAST available for order. I just got a copy here in New York, so they can ship to the States, too. Buy your teenager a copy for Imbolc!

First Review Is In!

The first review of my novel just came in, courtesy The Toronto Star::

Montrealer Alex Epstein explores the youth of infamous Morgan, King Arthur’s half sister (and ultimately his nemesis), in The Circle Cast: The Lost Years of Morgan le Fay (Tradewind, 300 pages, $12.95, ages 13+). Shipped off for safety when her father is murdered and her mother taken by Uther Pendragon, Morgan lives in exile in Ireland. First welcomed, then enslaved, she develops her gift for sorcery wherever she is — even for a time in a small Christian community. Revenge for her father’s death is her sole desire, and to that end she turns magical knowledge, lust, love and all her abilities as a strategist of war. This has the darkness of Celtic magic — not fanciful, period romance — and a poetic terseness that suits its stern, passionate hero.

I am pretty happy with that!

UPDATE: Just spoke with the printer. Books are already on their way to stores. They should be at stores in the East by Wednesday, which means I would guess they ought to be in stores by Monday.

UPDATE: Now available at Amazon.ca.

And in other cheery news...

... I just got an email from a publishing house in Paris asking about French rights for THE CIRCLE CAST. Now that is a nice way to start your morning...

Front and Back Cover!

We're revising the back cover copy to read:

The sorceress Morgan le Fay comes of age in a time when legends are born. After Uter Penndragon murders her father, Morgan is exiled to Ireland, where only her thirst for vengeance gives her the strength to survive. Secretly, she learns magic. But when she finds passion with a handsome young chieftain, she must choose between love and revenge.

The Circle Cast

I was rather jazzed to discover that my novel, THE CIRCLE CAST: THE LOST YEARS OF MORGAN LE FAY, is coming out next month (due to a type I thought it was coming out next year). You can already pre-order it at Amazon.ca.

Morgan le Fay, seducer of King Arthur, sorceress, destroyer of Britain, was a girl once. When Uter Penndragon uses Merlin's magic to seduce her mother and murder her father, Morgan flees to Ireland to avoid being killed herself. But Ireland is no refuge. She's captured in a slave raid and sold to a village witch. As Morgan comes of age, she discovers her own magical powers. She falls in love with a young Irish chieftain. But will her drive for revenge destroy her one chance for love and happiness?

NetGalley

From Blogger Pictures

I have a novel coming out from Tradewinds next month about Morgan le Fay (THE CIRCLE CAST: THE LOST YEARS OF MORGAN LE FAY). I've been trying to figure out how to distribute review copies electronically. It costs a lot of time and effort to mail out review copies to reviewers and bloggers who may or may not actually read the book; and then you wind up with all your review copies migrating to used book stores and thence to Amazon where they sell for $2, undercutting your business.

I was jazzed to discover NetGalley. They do exactly what you'd expect. You upload a PDF to their site, and they give you links and widgets so that when you query reviewers and bloggers, they can immediately download a copy of your book onto their computer, iPad, Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader or other e-reader device.

They handle the DRM, in case you don't want your PDF spreading virally.

1. You build NetGalley title pages for all of your titles. Include marketing copy, photos, cover art, videos, audio--all of this plus the digital galley of your title. You can also list your title in NetGalley's Public Catalog, which will allow NetGalley users to find and request your galley. You can offer your contacts several different reading options for the galley—they can download a protected or open PDF, read on a reading device such as the Sony Reader or Kindle, and even request a printed galley if you choose.

2. Using our inviting tools, including a widget you can embed directly in your emails, invite your contacts to view your galley. Contacts can include reviewers, bloggers, media, librarians, booksellers, retailers, educators, etc. You can invite as many contacts as you like, and you can also search our member database to add new contacts to your list.

3. You will be able to see who has viewed your title and even receive reviews back through NetGalley if your contacts choose to post their comments.

There is no charge for professional readers to use the service; publishers pay a set-up fee plus a monthly cost depending on the number of titles you have on the site. How many titles were you thinking about listing (we have a minimum requirement of five)?

Pretty nifty, huh?

Meanwhile, for film festival submissions, there's Withoutabox.