Please welcome Craig Tuch to our blog. He agreed to answer questions in advance of his presentation on JUNE 24TH with FF&P. He is here to give our readers a new perspective from the other side as told to Nancy Lee Badger (FF&P Blog Chair)
Nancy-Please tell my readers a little bit about you, such as why did you start Hidden Gems Books?
Craig-For years I worked in the corporate world as a product manager, but I always wanted to write. When the self-publishing industry started to really become a viable option, I started to experiment a bit. This was back in 2012, when the industry was very new and Amazon hadn’t even come up with the Kindle Unlimited concept yet. I was writing part time but doing pretty well, and when I ran the numbers in my head it was obvious that if I could dedicate more time to it, I could really make some good money. So I decided to take the plunge, requesting a year-long leave of absence from my job (one of the perks we were entitled to but hardly anyone ever took advantage of) to see if I could “make it” as an author. I figured if I couldn’t at least replace my salary within that time, I would just return to my desk job knowing I gave it a shot.
Well, within about 3 months I was already earning more than my old salary, so I never went back.
I spent a few years writing like crazy, publishing a bunch of romance novels and even hitting the top 10 best seller list a couple of times. The self-publishing industry grew and changed a lot during that period, but luckily I had become immersed in the online author community and got a lot of support from that. I became friends with many writers, and we all helped and supported each other during that time, sharing what we’d learned and growing our careers together.
It was during that time that I learned what a pain it was to try and get reviews, and how hard it was for authors to market their books effectively. That’s when I decided to marry together what I had learned as an author with what I knew about software development and product management, with HiddenGemsBooks being the result. It began as a romance newsletter and then soon after branched out into helping authors get reviews. Through word of mouth it just kept growing in popularity until what started as a side gig eventually took up all my time and became my main focus. These days I never have time to write novels anymore, although I do want to get back to that eventually…
Nancy-What is your weekly routine like?
Craig-Most of my days are filled with things like answering emails, making sure all of the ARC and Beta Reader service submissions are properly filled in and formatted, that the newsletter book submissions are correctly priced, that any other service orders are filled or at least in progress, etc.
Then each week there are a variety of other things that I have to do, like write or edit blog articles, record new episodes of our weekly author podcast, or even just design or test new features or services that we’re occasionally rolling out.
If I had any free time at all, I’d love to go back to writing again but these days I don’t have any time for that. It is in the plan, though!
Nancy-What is the biggest no no you see in submissions that lead to very few sign-ups for reviews?
Craig-A lot of authors think that reviewers will sign up to read anything because it’s free, but that’s not the case. There are so many things that vie for people’s time these days that you have to really put your best foot forward and stand out, even when you’re giving something away.
It wasn’t ALWAYS this way… back when I started the ARC service close to 10 years ago, it was a new thing – no one else was doing it like this, and so it was far easier to find reviewers. But as the industry has expanded and other people have started similar ARC services, not to mention all the authors out there that send free books to their readers directly, or even just the sheer number of free books available on Amazon and elsewhere, people have become far choosier in what they’re willing to spend their time reading.
That means that, just like when you’re trying to sell your book, you want to make sure that all your meta data is on point. For instance, you want to have a strong blurb that is targeted at the readers you think will enjoy your book the most, and a cover that conveys to readers that you get the genre and they won’t be disappointed by taking a chance on your book.
Without those things, potential reviewers will just pass your book by and wait for the next one.
Nancy-What do you see ahead in your career?
Craig-The self-publishing industry is constantly changing and growing, so I expect to be involved in it for a long time, in one way or another. New authors are always starting and will need help and guidance, and even more experienced authors are always looking at ways to improve or take advantage of the newest opportunities or trends. There is always more for me to experiment and learn than there are hours in the day, so I think all of that will continue to keep me busy.
I think specifically, AI is only going to keep growing and become an even more important part of our everyday lives. Lots of authors are afraid of it, of what it may do, how it may negatively impact their careers, but I think the technology should be something that is embraced, not feared. I think that authors can be more successful using AI as a tool to help improve what they do, as it can help them work faster and more efficiently. And not just when it comes to writing, but in other ways as well. For example, our new CoverSpeak service takes any existing book cover and animates the main character on it, allowing them to actually speak and tell their story to the world – sell him/herself to the audience directly. That’s all done with AI, and isn’t really replacing any jobs… it’s creating something new that we haven’t seen before, the result being something that authors can use in place of more standard flat media ads, as a way to stand out from the crowd and capture the attention of potential readers.
It’s fun to experiment and try new things, so I look forward to creating more stuff like that in the future.
Nancy-Will you share some encouraging words for authors still struggling for success?
Craig-It’s rare for an author to hit the ground running with success right out of the gate. It often takes a few releases before things really start moving, for a variety of reasons. Not only do you improve as an author, over time, but you also build a catalog that simply has more entry points, more ways to be discovered. And then when you are discovered on, say, your third or fourth book, then those readers can go and read your back catalog. A new fan later in your career pays much higher dividends than one early in your career. After all, if you only have one book, that’s all you can sell someone.
That’s why I don’t think that authors should worry too much about success and spend too much money on marketing or advertising until they have a few books under their belt. Those later books will likely be stronger, but they will also lead fans to your back catalog and let you sell even more.
So I would say that authors struggling for success should concentrate on their writing and story telling, and eventually the fans will find them. And when they do, they’ll reward them by buying all those other books anyway. None of your words are wasted. They’ll be there for people when they’re ready to be discovered.
More About Craig
Craig Tuch, a passionate writer turned entrepreneur, has dedicated himself to the world of self-publishing. After discovering his true calling as a writer in his late
30s, Craig took a leap of faith in 2012, leaving behind a well-paying desk job to pursue his writing career full time. His talent and determination led him to achieve remarkable success as a self-published author on Amazon, with multiple books becoming bestsellers under various pen names, particularly in the romance genre.
Immersing himself in the self-publishing community, Craig soon realized the challenges that many authors faced in effectively promoting, marketing, and improving their books. This insight inspired him to establish HiddenGemsBooks.com in 2015, a platform dedicated to helping authors with all those other things that take them away from actually writing their next book.
Hidden Gems is most well-known for creating the modern day and industry leading ARC service, and the site continues to add new services and innovate, such as with the groundbreaking AI-powered cover animation service, CoverSpeak. In addition, Hidden Gems offers free tools for authors, a regular blog, and a weekly self-publisher focused podcast called Fully Booked.
Craig Tuch gave a great Presentation
Saturday June 24, 2023
which was open to members of the
Fantasy Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers
Chapter of RWA
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