PITCHBOOK

The Gatekeeper’s Saga, by Eva Pohler: A Marketing Plan

THE G

OALS

The Goals

IMMEDIATE GOALS:To consistently sell 50+ ebooks a dayTo break into brick and mortar stores across the country

FUTURE GOALS:To get my young adult books on Texas Accelerated Readers’ Lists and Bluebonnet BooksTo get my books in schools and libraries across the countryTo increase foreign salesTo make the USA Today and New York Times Bestsellers Lists

FAR DISTANT AND PERHAPS FANTASTIC GOAL:To reach out to the film industry and secure a movie deal

THE PRO

DU

CTThe Product

The Gatekeeper’s Saga is a six-book contemporary young adult fantasy series based on Greek mythology combining adventure and romance for readers thirteen and older. As readers progress through the series, they are introduced to more and more gods.

When fifteen-year-old Therese falls in love with the Greek god of death, she doesn’t know what she’s in for—and neither does he. Some gods give her gifts; others try to kill her. To prove she’s worthy to be among the immortals, she must avenge the murder of her parents and complete five challenges issued to her by Hades. She also must discover her purpose and contribution to the pantheon. Becoming a goddess symbolizes the young adult’s journey into adulthood.

Later in the series, Therese must work to reform the pantheon by standing up for the equal treatment of mothers and daughters with the Athena Alliance against Zeus and his supporters.

THE PU

RGATO

RIUM

Additional Product

The Mystery Book Collection consists of three suspense novels for adults: The Mystery Box, The Mystery Tomb, and The Mystery House . Box depicts a forty-something soccer mom whose life is turned upside down when a box is delivered to her by mistake and she is lured into a haunting tale that strangely affects her. Tomb tells of two women, one dead and the other a budding archaeologist, who share a shocking past aching to be discovered. House (forthcoming) is the story of four best friends and empty nesters who, while flipping a house, find eerry signs of torture and captivity, which compel them to solve the mystery.

The Purgatorium , the first of a contemporary young adult trilogy, portrays an island where suicidal teens are terrified by Dr. Hortense Gray and her staff into loving life, but as the series progresses, seventeen-year-old Daphne discovers that things are not as they seem.

THE AU

THO

RThe Author

Eva Pohler writes fiction and teaches writing and literature at The University of Texas at San Antonio, where she lives with her husband and three children.

She is the author of The Gatekeeper’s Saga, The Purgatorium, and The Mystery Book Collection. She has taught at the university for over twenty years. She especially enjoys teaching Young Adult Literature, an upper-division English course focused on the literary analysis of books written for teens.

In addition to writing and teaching, Eva frequently presents at writers’ conferences to share what she’s learned in her journey and to help her fellow authors.

POSITIO

NIN

GPositioning

Teenage girls who love to read are the primary target market, especially those who fell in love with Rick Riordan’s middle grade books but aged out of middle grade and are hungry for more fiction based on Greek mythology. Teenage boys and women who love reading young adult fiction are secondary markets.

The competition includes books written primarily for teenage girls that combine contemporary romance with the adventures of Greek mythology.

The Gatekeeper’s Saga is different from these books in that it features an ordinary teenager wishing to become a god. The other books on the market feature teens who are either demigods or gods already possessing powers who just don’t know it yet.

PRICING

Pricing

The Gatekeeper’s Saga is priced competitively in several markets.

The ebook editions are lower than the average Nook book at $2.99 to $3.99 with the first book free.

The paperbacks for online distribution are priced similarly to the competition at $8-$12 per book.

The paperbacks for brick and mortar store distribution are also priced competitively at $9-$11 per book.

The audiobook editions are priced by Audible.com and are running at $13.99 for members and between $19 to $24 for non-members.

PROM

OTIO

NPromotion

Develop brand awareness Build a website following Connect website to other social media outlets, specifically Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram, and PinterestUse an author Facebook page to reach more readers Connect the Facebook page to Twitter to reach additional readers Use Goodreads to interact with fellow readers and offer giveaways Form alliances with other authors and industry professionals to cross promoteSpeak at writers’ conferences to share, learn, and find more fansSolicit reviews from bloggers and professional trade reviewersKeep the ebook edition of the first book in the series free as a marketing toolList the free book on every free and cheap siteUse BookBub periodically for more downloadsUse a street team to reach more readersBuy Facebook Ads, Goodreads Ads, and Google Adwords to target advertisingSchedule book signingsCreate and promote book trailers on YoutubeKeep the buzz alive all year long with teasers, cover reveals, giveaways, and frequent book releases

BUILD

BRAND

AWAREN

ESSBuild Brand Awareness

Muted pastels are combined with sword and shield and iron gate to create the brand of Greek mythology for girls. The pastel colors are meant to appeal to a feminine audience, while the sword, shield, and gate suggest strength and adventure. The brand appears on my website, Facebook page, twitter account, book covers, book marks, business cards, and swag (such as buttons and t-shirts). This serves as both the series brand and my general author brand since all my books focus on women fighting battles, either literally or metaphorically.

DEVELO

P A WEBSITE FO

LLOW

ING

Develop A Website Following

HOME ABOUT ME APPEARANCES BOOK CLUB PICKS BOOKS CHAT WITH ME GREEK MYTH JEOPARDY KATASTEEMA! MENTIONS TEEN BOOK REVIEWS TESTIMONIALS TALK SHOW

EVA POHLER BOOKS

I use my website to notify fans of upcoming releases and appearances, to reveal covers and teasers, to offer giveaways, to show book trailers, and to sell promotional merchandise, such as buttons, jewelry, and t-shirts. My website is connected to multiple social media outlets. http://www.evapohler.com/

USE SO

CIAL MED

IAUse Social Media

I use my Author Facebook Page to interact with fans.https://www.facebook.com/EvaPohler

My Facebook page is connected to my Twitter account.http://www.Twitter.com/EvaPohler

I have recently experimented with creating Twitter accounts for two of my characters.

My thirteen-year-old daughter is helping me with Instagram accounts for those characters.

My son has helped me to create funny videos for Youtube.

My Goodreads page is also connected to both Twitter and Facebook. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4888434.Eva_Pohler

FORM

ALLIANCES

Form Alliances

I exchanged back matter with Alison Pensy, author of the young adult fantasy series, The Custodian Novels. We also cross promote on one another’s websites.

I frequently participate in giveaways including multiple authors, to share fan bases.

I donate books to book bloggers to make connections with their fans.

I regularly attend conferences and participate in author Facebook groups to make new author friends.

PRESENT AT CO

NFEREN

CESPresent at Conferences

I have spoken at several writers’ conferences and am scheduled to appear this year at The Fredericksburg Writers’ Conference (Fredericksburg, TX 1/09), The Johnson City Writers’ Guild (Johnson City, TX 2/12), RT Booklovers’ Convention (New Orleans 5/13) , UtopYA Con (Nashville 6/21), and Authors and Readers Convention (Phoenix 10/16).

I share with other authors information I have collected about craft, publishing, promotions, and sales.

SOLICIT REVIEW

SSolicit Reviews

I have submitted my books to both book review bloggers and professional trade reviewers, such as Midwest Book Review and Kirkus Reviews. I plan to promote these reviews and solicit more to gain credibility and reach more readers.

KEEP THE FRIST BO

OK FREE IN

EBOO

KKeep the First Book Free in Ebook

Sales of all books increased significantly after the ebook edition of the first book in the saga was made free on July 1, 2013. You can see a spike on the graph. I will continue to use this as a marketing tool.

PERIOD

CALLY ADVERTISE ON

BOO

KBUB

Periodically Advertise on BookBub

BOOKBUB STATISTICS:Teen and Young Adult 160,000+ subscribers 1,500 to 11,500 Downloads 30 to 820 salesMysteries 880,000+ subscribers 4,300 to 29,000 Downloads 260 to 4,950 sales

MY STATISTICS:The Gatekeeper’s Sons was downloaded as a free offering 10,389 times the day of the ad (September 2, 2013), 4000 times the day after, 2000 times the next two days, 1000 times the next two days, 500 times the next two days, and 250 days for four more days. I averaged 100 downloads a day for the rest of the month of September. My total ebook sales have averaged between 30 and 50 books a day ever since the ad.

The Mystery Box was downloaded as a free offering 70,000 times the day of the ad (February 10, 2014), and at the time of this writing, is approaching 109,000 downloads. My total ebook sales have averaged 60 books a day since.

UTILIZE STREET TEAM

MARKETIN

GUtilize Street Team Marketing

I invited a dozen loyal fans to join a street team, which they dubbed “Eva’s Divas.” We now have nineteen members and continue to grow. Each month, I issue “missions” and “rewards.” A mission might be to spread the word about a new release or to review an advanced reader’s copy. A reward might be a free signed copy or a promotional t-shirt.

My divas also volunteer to beta read and to help with blog tours, social media promotion, and other promotional events.

BUY TARG

ETED ADVERTISIN

GBuy Targeted Advertising

Facebook, Goodreads, and Google provide useful advertising services that can be targeted to very specific demographics. I have successfully used Facebook and Goodreads and am currently experimenting with Google Adwords. So far, I’ve had the following results in key word searches on Amazon:

SCHED

ULE BO

OK SIG

NIN

GS

Schedule Book Signings

I have been fortunate enough to sign at three different San Antonio Barnes and Noble locations and at another in Plano. I plan to use my street team to help me to book tours all across the country.

PROM

OTE BO

OK TRAILERS O

N YO

UTU

BEPromote Book Trailers on YouTube

I continue to promote book trailers on Youtube to reach a different audience.

KEEP THE BU

ZZ GO

ING

Keep the Buzz Going

Each month, I stimulate sales with something to talk about on social media sites. One month might be a teaser, the next might be a cover reveal, the next might be a giveaway, and the next might be a new release. I make sure to always have something new to tell my readers, to give them a reason to think about me and to anticipate my next release.