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Any parents of girls aged 8-11

15 replies

CassieCastle11 · 10/08/2025 10:28

I am reaching out for support because quite honestly I am feeling so deflated 😞.

As parents would you still buy an Ebook from Amazon that didn’t have any reviews yet?

Launched my Ebook on Amazon in June and wasn’t thinking it would fly off the shelves but was hoping to get seen and at least a few copies sold.

It’s even on Kindle Unlimited. So maybe it’s the book blurb or maybe it’s just not being found as I’ve heard it’s like a needle in a haystack. I changed the cover recently and thought that might turn the tide but still nothing.

I have tried marketing on Instagram and Pinterest but I just can’t get any traction. Reels get a hundred if I’m lucky. Can’t seem to get click throughs. I can seem to achieve that magic marketing formula.

It would be great just to just get some reviews from adults too.

(Any KDP Authors, can you get arc reviews after it’s published or is that supposed to happen before? )

Any advice, I would be so grateful.

If you have read this far thank you. I will keep trying.

I am not sure if I am allowed to say it but the book is ‘eleven’ by Cassie Castle and it’s about a girl turning 11 and starting Secondary School. (Sorry for the blatant advertising)

Thanks in advance for any advice…
Cassie 🥰

OP posts:
Glassfullofdreams · 10/08/2025 10:39

I have an 8 year old daughter. Is it only for sale as an ebook or is it available print on demand? I think that would be a deal breaker for me when buying her books. I feel like at that age they should have a physical copy of the book in their hands.

I've also written a children's book and wouldn't consider self publishing without print on demand.

Self publishing is so hard. Can you see how much traffic you're getting via your adverts?

CassieCastle11 · 10/08/2025 10:51

Hi Glassfullofdreams
Thank you for your response. Especially as it sounds like you have a good experience in publishing.

I will be doing the paperback soon, so maybe that will help.

I will try Amazon Ads soon but really worried with no reviews it would mean people would be put off as it’s a children’s book.

No stats yet until I do Ads so maybe that’s the way to go.

Really appreciate you taking the time to answer and will definitely try the above.

thanks 😃

OP posts:
fruitpastille · 10/08/2025 11:15

I don't have kindle unlimited so would only consider it if it was free or maybe 99p even if it did have a few reviews. I downloaded the sample but it's not got enough death to interest my daughter 😁. Good luck with it!

CassieCastle11 · 10/08/2025 11:36

Hi fruitpastille
Thanks for taking time to reply. I might try and do a few free download days!

That might help!
thanks 😃

OP posts:
mackers1 · 10/08/2025 11:52

I will download for my daughter and post a review.

Swearwolf · 10/08/2025 11:54

Same as a PP, my daughter doesn’t really read ebooks. She could read them on her tablet, but we don’t allow that in her room so it would limit her. We tend to find new books by browsing in bookshops too.

would you consider doing a couple of sessions at local schools? We’ve had a couple of authors come in and do writing workshops etc with the kids, and they always advertise their own books at the same time.

CassieCastle11 · 10/08/2025 17:57

mackers1
Thanks that’s so sweet of you 😃

Swearwolf
Thanks, I will try get the paperback version done ASAP then I could pop to local schools with it.

All great ideas! Thank you all so much
🤩

OP posts:
CassieCastle11 · 12/08/2025 14:50

Just wanted to let you all know I am now working on the paperback version.

thanks 😃

(any more advice always welcome!)

OP posts:
MargaretThursday · 13/08/2025 19:56

I'm hoping you want me to really be honest. If you don't, then don't read.

No reviews wouldn't put me off getting it, if it sounded like it was the sort of book my dc would have liked. But there are several things here that would mean it never got anywhere near my basket.

Firstly, the title:
I know why you've called it "eleven" having looked at it, but it doesn't tell me anything about the book; it's not going to come up in google by accident either and intrigue me.
So it's not going to have a hook that makes me think "oh, that sounds interesting." Not an issue if it sounds great when going further in, but there's a high chance I'd never click on it even if it was brilliant.

The cover:
I don't know if you drew it yourself, and it's a good drawing, but it looks rather young to me. It reminds me of those everlasting princess school books that my girls loved about age 5-7yo along with the Rainbow Fairies. Look at modern covers for similar books.
This is aimed at a similar age (although the cover is 10 years old)
Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret: Now a major film starring Rachel McAdams and Abby Ryder Fortson eBook : Blume, Judy: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

The Blurb:
You've made several grammar issues/typos in the blurb, which would immediately put me off. (eg "Afterall" isn't one word) Fussy maybe? But you don't want to put a potential buyer off for any reason. Get it proofread, and proofread again.
You've also made the book sound worthy/preachy and boring, because you've presented it as "I know how to solve all your dc's issues at starting secondary school."
Aim the blurb at the child not the parent; or if you want to aim it at the parent then give your credentials - did you write it after your child had had difficulties, or are you a teacher etc?
I'd look at that blurb and think that the book will go along the lines of:
"Issue: Worries about starting school has chat to mum. Mum/other grown up gives answer and she does what mum says and all is solved. Next issue arises, repeat."

Make it sound a rollercoaster of a book: start with a bang and work towards an explosion before the satisfactory conclusion.
She's worried about starting school (leave the youngest in the year behind, or you're potentially excluding 6 months of children too who immediately say they can't identify with that) and she's trying to focus on having fun with her friends, but these niggles are coming up in her mind and she can't get rid of them. But she's a bit excited too, she's heard that the school does XYZ and she can't wait to try them...

The sample:
Proofread it! And the rest of the book. I'd also take off hyphenation for a book aimed at that age.
The chapters you've put out don't pull you into the story. You're jumping around from event to event, so you don't really get a feel of what she's like and start rooting for her. She's describing others but I get no feel for her, other than the fact she lacks confidence, which I get by the end of the first page.
eg Chapter 2 is meant to be about her smartphone, but a good bit is about her cat, and a page is on her brother and his Nintendo.

You need to have something that makes the reader connect with her, and want to know that she's okay, to keep them reading. By the end of the first chapter there needs to be something that needs to be resolved. Maybe one of the best friends makes a comment that worries her eg they have a new neighbour whose daughter is going to be in their form and she likes her, or another pair of girls also having dinner sneer at the fact they get her parents to order and call them babyish- and then they turn out to be also going to the same school. Something that will up the ante.

You also need to have something different about your book to persuade them to pick yours rather than another.

You write very much as you speak, so it might work better as a diary rather than prose, and you could then go far more into her worries as she confides in her diary, but have her bravely trying to work through them - the reader knows how agonising she finds it going into school the day after she'd had that row, but she is able to hide it from her friends, who whisper afterwards "I can't believe you came in today, I'd have been too scared..."

And when you have a physical book, then try going round the local schools/libraries and offering to come and talk to the year 6s, offer the school a free book etc.
There's so much on Amazon, that there's a high chance that no one who is looking for a book like yours will ever find it, so you have to go and hunt for the buyers.

CassieCastle11 · 14/08/2025 09:08

MargaretThursday
Thank you so much for taking the time to critique. It meant a lot to me.

Amazon Description
I agree on the Amazon Description . I know the book is aimed at an age group where parents are still more likely to buy it, so I guess I was torn at who to really aim it at (if that makes sense!)

The Name
I originally intended to call it @eleven but that caused problems on social media platforms as I couldn’t put that in a title without confusing the apps. It’s eleven because that’s the age you go to Secondary School and that really what the story is about.

Sample Pages
The first few chapters were trying to paint a picture of her life and everyone and everything that’s important to her. The story really takes off in the next few chapters.

As a little background information, I wrote it some years ago when my children were around that age. It sat on my computer until I finally took the plunge to self publish.

Hyphens
As I am preparing the manuscript for paperback I have stopped hyphenation so I agree that needs to be altered on the Ebook version.

Cover
I had recently changed the cover as I felt it was too grown up. Love more input on the cover from anyone else.

Here is a link to my listing, and an image of the cover.

Thanks to anyone in advance for going to take a look.

Any parents of girls aged 8-11
OP posts:
WellThisIsFranklyDreadful · 14/08/2025 09:16

Honestly, I wouldn’t buy anything vanity published for my child because I wouldn’t be confident in its quality.

The blurb you’ve put up isn’t great either - there are some SPAG issues and you’ve written it to the parent, but a child of 11 wants to have agency over their own choices, not to have their parent choosing for them. It’s also a really well trodden subject, so you are competing against established authors of school stories.

WellThisIsFranklyDreadful · 14/08/2025 09:16

Honestly, I wouldn’t buy anything vanity published for my child because I wouldn’t be confident in its quality.

The blurb you’ve put up isn’t great either - there are some SPAG issues and you’ve written it to the parent, but a child of 11 wants to have agency over their own choices, not to have their parent choosing for them. It’s also a really well trodden subject, so you are competing against established authors of school stories.

Rituelec · 14/08/2025 09:17

Just downloaded for my daughter

CassieCastle11 · 15/08/2025 11:53

Rituelec
Thank you - I hope your daughter enjoys it!

WellThisIsFranklyDreadful
Thank you for your input. I think everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I do respect that.

I know I am competing with well known authors, and that’s the mountain I chose to climb. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Yes, I could have submitted it to a publishing house, but I decided on KDP.

Everyone needs to have a creative outlet, and this is one I chose to try.

The reason I posted was to get reviews and opinions. I asked for adult reviews too, to endorse the story.

Thank you again for your constructive criticism. 🙂

🤗 Any other views on the cover? Is it too young for ages 8-11?

OP posts:
ProfessionalTeaDrinker · 15/08/2025 12:03

I wouldn't buy an ebook for my daughter, they don't tend to read ebooks it's either a physical book or audiobook. I would also be put off by a self published book with obvious spelling mistakes in the promotional material.
However, I wasn't sure about the cover and happened to have my daughter and her friend here who are both in the demographic so asked them and they both said they liked it and they would pick it up at school/library/in a shop so I think you are along the right lines there.

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