It was a soft rollout for the most part on May 12, 2025. Admittedly, being a debut author putting his name out to the world for the first time means I know that I’m going to make mistakes and that each step of the journey is going to be a learning point. I got a decent number of preorders beforehand, and launch day was successful in conjunction with using my new Facebook author page. Waiting for reviews has been a beast, but with some advertising and luck I’ve been able to keep a slow trickle of orders coming in.
All that’s really left now is for the readers to spread the word!
Have you read the book yet?? I’d love to hear how you liked it
One of the reasons a soft launch works is because it’s allowed time for me to make adjustments as I learn the ins and outs of the process. For example, I didn’t know that IngramSpark’s process is a lot slower than Amazon’s. I had to wait for a digital copy to approve, and then wait for my author copy to arrive. The book’s been on the market for two weeks, but I didn’t get to hold my Ingram printed version, which is priced at about 24 dollars, until last night.
Thankfully, I loved it. It’s priced higher than the Amazon version, but the soft cover with vibrant colors and the thinner pages and look make for a great reading experience. That’s the version that will go out to bookstores. It’s already available online with Barnes and Noble, really anywhere within Ingram’s reach. I don’t expect anywhere made of brick and mortar to order it for a while though. We’re still early in the game.
Ups and Downs of Self-Publishing
Had I gone through with traditional publishing, I would probably have had a better launch. I would have had the support of a publisher, who probably would have used netgalley and newsletters to get reviews and exposure, and I’d be under the pressure to perform better and faster.
A big HOWEVER: I wouldn’t have the creative control that I have right now. Song of Kardu is the book I want to read. It moves at the pace I like, has a cover that I like, uses language and lyrical prose that I like. It’s made to be an enlightening experience, not just an item to sell from a roster. Would I say yes if a big publisher came knocking? Absolutely! But that doesn’t change that I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished and pleased with the work I’m bringing to what’s amounting to hundreds of people.
Time to share
There are a lot more hurdles to cover in the next few months after launch and I’m not sure what the monetary outcome is going to be. If you’re reading this article because you’ve read Song of Kardu and have enjoyed your experience, please take the time to write an honest review on your platform of choice. After that, share the book! Word of mouth is the best algorithm that isn’t going anywhere.
Share online, share with your friends, share with your neighbor on the plane. Then, once the sequel comes out in a few months, we’ll get a nice community going and I can keep producing material from a universe that I feel I’ve only begun to uncover.
Some online places to look for me
I started a twitch account!
https://www.twitch.tv/ashracitylive
https://www.facebook.com/people/Daniel-Bradley-Author/61575576020439
Thanks for reading!
Dan
Leave a Reply