The Neighborhood is Growing

Hey there, neighbors! And helpful tips for Indie authors

This is my first post in a long time. Admittedly, I have slacked, procrastinated, and nearly abandoned this Substack. I toyed with Mailerlite for a bit, as I participated in a few newsletter builders, but ultimately, Substack is wayyy easier to use and navigate. So, if you’re a fellow author happening upon this, take note.

If you’re reading this, and are completely confused about how you ended up on my email list, you likely checked a box on a CL Cannon giveaway, much like this one.

And if you decided to enter that giveaway, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy sticking around here too. While I’m not as well-known as those authors, I like to think I’m working towards that. And in my slow climb to horror author legend status, I’ve been doing “all the things.”

I’ve been listening to podcasts, binge reading, checking out audiobooks, scrolling websites, researching small publishers, doom scrolling, panicking slightly, hyperventilating…

Indie publishing is—a lot, but you probably know that.

I have, however, found a few things that have given me an edge. First of all, if you did find me from entering that giveaway, AND you’re an author, you might be interested to know how much my email list grew from participating. I’ll lay it out simply. My first giveaway partnering with CL Cannon, my list grew by around 500. This second time, it grew by 1000+. Now, that’s not to say everyone will stick around, but it was tremendously helpful in finding readers that enjoyed similar works in my genre.

I’ve also begun cracking the TikTok algorithm by posting DAILY. My numbers are still small compared to big booktok authors, but posting daily has been increasing my views consistently. Even older videos are getting more traction.

Automatically, sharing every Instagram post to my Facebook author page has also taken a huge burden from my content creation platter. Traffic is increasing, and I don’t need to replicate posts all the time.

And how is that translating to sales? I wouldn’t say it’s been a tidal wave of royalties, a small trickle at best, but I can confidently say that’s my fault. As a first-time author, I made the royal mistake of overlooking ARCS and preorders, as well as stacking promotions. I’ll be taking advantage of all of those for my next go around. With that said, combining all of those channels has contributed to the modest sales I have attained.

If you’re interested in my work and what I have to show for my first attempt at publishing on my own, let me introduce you to The Hills Know.

This is my debut novel set in the mountains of West Virginia. In the simplest language, this is the story of a haunting, but it’s so much more. If you’ve ever wondered what horror looks like through the female gaze, this is it. The main character, Mel, struggles with infertility and a job she hates. When confronted with taking care of her deceased mother’s estate, she discovers a property she has, in turn, inherited. Weeks pass, and she and her husband forget about the property until he gets into an argument with his boss. He quits on impulse, falling back on the farmhouse in West Virginia as a failsafe.

During the move, Mel discovers that she is pregnant. It’s a miracle and completely unexpected. However, it takes no time after getting settled into their new home for her to realize, she’s not the only one yearning for a child. Something in the home wants her baby, and it’s willing to do anything to get it. On top of that, the house keeps spitting out mysteries that Mel is determined to solve.

If you like paranormal horror, isolated settings, Appalachian culture, and unreliable narrators, you might enjoy this one. Oh, and did I mention it’s on Kindle Unlimited?

THE HILLS KNOW on Amazon