When I launched my Goodreads Giveaway for Karma’s Burden, I honestly didn’t know what to expect.
As a debut author, there’s always that quiet fear that no one will care, that your book will just disappear into the void without a sound. I’d told myself to keep expectations low. A few entries, maybe a dozen people adding it to their lists. That would have been enough.
Instead, within hours, the numbers started climbing. Dozens, then hundreds of readers entered. So many added Karma’s Burden to their “Want to Read” lists that I found myself refreshing the page in disbelief. I was overwhelmed, in the best possible way.
It’s hard to describe how much that meant. Writing is a long, lonely process, and when you finally release something into the world, there’s always a part of you that braces for silence.
As an autistic person, that uncertainty hits even harder. I’ve always struggled with the unpredictability of life, never quite knowing how something will be received, or what to expect. My autism doesn’t make it hard to recognise emotions in others, but it does cause intense anxiety around the unknown.
So watching complete strangers show interest in my work was emotional in a way I hadn’t anticipated. It reminded me that stories do connect, even when everything else feels uncertain.
But this was also accompanied by a growing realisation that I should have made more copies available. My first thought of course, was how can I fix the mistake and get it out there into the hands of more people who wanted to read it. Straight away my first thought was to start a sale on Amazon, putting the price down as low as I could, but I was thwarted by a KDP Select rule which limits the number of times you can change the price in any thirty day period. Regrettably I’d already changed the price a week or so ago when I realised that I’d not put much thought into pricing. And this all got me thinking. What else did I get wrong and what would I do differently?
KDP Select: A Blessing and a Trap
Enrolling in Kindle Select seemed like the obvious choice. It opens the door to Kindle Unlimited readers, which is a major advantage for discoverability. But I didn’t realise how restrictive it would be.
Once you’re in, you can’t distribute your eBook anywhere else — and even changing your price comes with rules. I learned the hard way that dropping the price locks you into a 30-day freeze before you can run another sale.
If you’re planning to use KDP Select, go in with a clear strategy. Spontaneity doesn’t mix well with Amazon’s system.
Reviews Take Time — and Nerves
Getting reviews is far harder than anyone admits. Even genuine ones can take days to appear, and Amazon’s filters are unpredictable.
Asking friends for reviews is nerve-wracking, not just because it feels awkward, but because some of them never go live. It’s a strange mix of vulnerability and frustration: knowing someone took the time to support you, but their voice doesn’t make it through the gatekeeping.
ARC platforms like BookSirens and Hidden Gems can help, but I joined them too late. Kindle Select’s restrictions meant I couldn’t use every option available, and I learned that timing is everything.
Next time, I’ll prepare those reviews in advance, even if it means delaying publication a little.
Goodreads Is Worth the Effort
I didn’t expect Goodreads to be so powerful. The giveaway gave Karma’s Burden a surge of visibility I couldn’t have achieved elsewhere. Watching hundreds of readers add it to their shelves reminded me that people are interested, even if the process moves slowly.
Not every “Want to Read” turns into a reader, and that’s okay. Visibility is its own form of success. And that’s what it’s about after all. Getting you book into the hands of people who want to read it. Sometimes, just knowing your book is out there, being seen, being noticed, is enough to keep you going.
Marketing Is Exhausting (Especially When You’re Autistic)
Self-promotion has never come naturally to me. It’s unpredictable, noisy, and full of invisible social rules I don’t always understand.
Switching between the quiet, focused world of writing, and marketing, which demands constant visibility and context switching, is mentally draining. The urge to do everything “right” can spiral into burnout quickly.
I’ve started to learn that consistency matters more than intensity. A few small actions — a tweet here, a post there — done regularly are better than frantic bursts followed by silence.
What I Got Wrong (And What I’ll Do Differently Next Time)
For all the little wins, I made plenty of mistakes. None of them fatal, but all of them avoidable.
1. I underestimated how long everything takes.
From ad campaigns to reviews, publishing moves slowly, often at a glacial pace. The truth is, books need time to breathe — and so do authors.
2. I misunderstood how ads work.
I assumed Amazon ads would get people reading instantly. They didn’t. It took thousands of impressions before I saw even a single click, and then dozens of clicks before I saw a sale.
3. I launched too soon.
If I’d had more early readers and reviews ready before launch, the book would have had stronger momentum. The temptation to “just get it out there” is huge, but patience pays off.
4. I forgot to rest.
I worked non-stop through the launch and then hit a wall, quite spectacularly. I’ve learned that burnout doesn’t help creativity or promotion. Taking a break isn’t quitting — it’s recovery.
Moving Forward
I’m still figuring all this out. Every day brings a mix of emotions. Sometimes frustration that I keep getting things wrong, but then you get a kind review, a new “to-read,” a single Kindle Unlimited reader making their way through the book one page at a time. If Karma’s Burden has taught me anything, it’s that even small ripples matter. And maybe that’s the real lesson. To keep going, keep believing, and trust that the story you spent years creating will eventually find the readers it was meant for.