It has been tough on all of us but we believe nothing can stop you. Every day we see our talented community writing and keeping the hustle going. We have become closer and much better at finding good in the world.
We had some positives during the course of the year. I think for 2021 we should focus on the positives as we have a fresh start. Yes it is only a date but it is a good date to start over. Maybe start over isn’t the right word, maybe it should be refocus.
2020 Challenges
2020 was certainly filled with many challenges none of us were prepared for. We had to change our focus on what is important to us. For most that meant keeping the family safe.
With the lockdown we had time to put our heads down and focus on some things that we have been meaning to do. It is amazing how much you can get done. Our team really did a lot of behind the scenes work.
We contacted almost every author that has filled out an author interview with us on all our sites and asked what they needed help with. For most just providing an outlet to discuss what they were going through helped a lot. Heck, it helped us too. The Awesomegang family is just awesome, more than we ever knew.
We started a few new sites during the year and put more focus on sites we started before this all broke out. We have been asked to start a fantasy site for years now. Awesomefantasybooks.com has been fun making, a lot of fantasy authors are taking advantage of having a niche site all to themselves. The growth has been well just awesome! (Sorry for the pun, not really)
Soon Sci-fi authors will have a site all to themselves too. We are probably a month or so away from allowing submissions. We are in building traffic mode there. You may have seen our Facebook ads. I will let you know when it is ready for prime time.
Speaking of niche sites 2020 was really the year that our romance site took off. Toplesscowboy.com provided a lot of love and happiness to readers during these tough times. People needed an escape and many are finding them in romance novels.
The only site that has been down a little for us is Awesomeaudiobook.com That was just a product of less people listening to audiobooks in their car on their way to work. All the audiobook sites are suffering right now. It is also a tough nut to crack since putting audiobooks on discount is tough with codes and such. Personally I am finding myself buying the ebook and the audiobook a lot more. I am a business book junkie and when they say the graphics are in the book I need to see them.
I think 2020 was a year that people rediscovered how much they loved reading books. I know for me I turned off the tv news more often and opened a book. I found myself reading things in other genres I would never read.
2021 Goals
In 2021 we are focusing more on helping educate authors more about promoting their books. This past year we have been getting some great guest post from people that know book marketing. You can see them on Awesomebookpromotion Resources Page.
You will see a lot more of this in 2021. I have over 20 years of internet marketing experience and I need to share more of what I know with everyone. Of course I am only an email away or you can come ask in our Awesomegang Facebook Group.
We are also planning on more helpful videos and I heard a rumor we may have a podcast also. 🙂
You will be seeing some new faces as we are expanding. Liz, Jenny, and Joan each needed help during the year. We are bringing in 2 more people to work behind the scenes. You will be seeing Caitlin and Camisa on the sites.
Every one of our sites got new servers and they expanded. The growth of Pretty-Hot.com and BookReaderMagazine.com had us double the servers twice in 2020. They are now each on their own robust server.
When the pandemic first started we had a huge influx of new readers to DiscountBookMan.com. People stuck at home without a paycheck were looking for entertainment and being frugal about finding it. We were happy to help fill their need. Of course this meant updating that server to a level I couldn’t imagine.
Let’s make 2021 the best year yet and thanks for being awesome!
Vinny