Riley Tune's Blog
April 22, 2017
audiobooks...the cash king for authors
Hello and welcome back. Today we are going to talk about Audiobooks (I know, that sounded very teacher talking to the class like). If you’re like me, then your book is pretty much like your baby. You have spent countless hours outlining, planning, writing, writing, and then writing some more. After all that you will want your novel to reach as many people as possible. Audio is one of the main ways this will happen.
If you are doing your novel through Amazon, which I suggest, then it is a fairly easy process. Same goes for your physical copies of your novel. I used CreateSpace, because they are affiliated with Amazon. Now, unless you have some massive social media following, or something along those lines, you will only move a few hundred units or so, and even that takes a few months. Don’t get discouraged (instead, review my blog on marketing).
Even if your novel is set up at 0.99 it will still have some trouble moving. The market is just too flooded especially if you write fantasy or romance. These two genres are growing on a daily basis it seems. Romance more than fantasy actually.
Enter the audiobook. *dramatic music plays*
This will be the best and most efficient way to move units. You get a bigger return, and if you have enough books out, the units sold can fund the next project you are working on (that’s how it worked for me.) Audiobooks are basically a goldmine of profit if done correctly. The downside is that there are not nearly as many ways to market this format as with others. Not only that, but you as the author can’t set the price of the audiobook. Some people find this frustrating, others don’t give a flip.
Overall, some people decide to wait to jump into the audiobook pool, and I get that. It’s not exactly cheap, and most self-published authors aren’t rolling in the dough unless they have a damn good day job. Still, as soon as you are able, head over to http://www.acx.com/ and get start creating your audiobook. Anytime is better than never and the audition process is fun too.
Once it is created, use https://audiobookboom.com/ to get some free units sold (amazon will give you some free promo codes to market with). It’s one of the few places where an author can advertise an audiobook.
I think that covers the basics. If you have questions, then reach out to me. I’ll help as much as I can. Otherwise, keep writing and good luck!
Until next time folks!
RT
here to edit.
If you are doing your novel through Amazon, which I suggest, then it is a fairly easy process. Same goes for your physical copies of your novel. I used CreateSpace, because they are affiliated with Amazon. Now, unless you have some massive social media following, or something along those lines, you will only move a few hundred units or so, and even that takes a few months. Don’t get discouraged (instead, review my blog on marketing).
Even if your novel is set up at 0.99 it will still have some trouble moving. The market is just too flooded especially if you write fantasy or romance. These two genres are growing on a daily basis it seems. Romance more than fantasy actually.
Enter the audiobook. *dramatic music plays*
This will be the best and most efficient way to move units. You get a bigger return, and if you have enough books out, the units sold can fund the next project you are working on (that’s how it worked for me.) Audiobooks are basically a goldmine of profit if done correctly. The downside is that there are not nearly as many ways to market this format as with others. Not only that, but you as the author can’t set the price of the audiobook. Some people find this frustrating, others don’t give a flip.
Overall, some people decide to wait to jump into the audiobook pool, and I get that. It’s not exactly cheap, and most self-published authors aren’t rolling in the dough unless they have a damn good day job. Still, as soon as you are able, head over to http://www.acx.com/ and get start creating your audiobook. Anytime is better than never and the audition process is fun too.
Once it is created, use https://audiobookboom.com/ to get some free units sold (amazon will give you some free promo codes to market with). It’s one of the few places where an author can advertise an audiobook.
I think that covers the basics. If you have questions, then reach out to me. I’ll help as much as I can. Otherwise, keep writing and good luck!
Until next time folks!
RT
here to edit.
March 3, 2017
Marketing is your friend!!!
Hello! Sorry I have been “BLOG Free” for a few months. The downside of being an indie author, you still have a day job to work. That isn’t completely true. The day job only takes a little time. I honestly have just been putting more time into my writing and my BLOG, as a result, was stuck in purgatory.
This blog will be short and sweet, yet VERY important to any indie author. This is especially for the authors that are just being published for the first time. In short, one thing you are going to have to learn to master is MARKETING !
Let me say that one more time. MARKETING !!!
This is going to be crucial to your success in getting units sold. As an indie, you don’t have the almighty power of a publishing house backing you, so as with everything else, you have to do it yourself. Not only that, you have to have a plan too.
I have been getting tips from, as I call him, my writing Yoda. He is full of information and some of it I will include in this blog post. That will come later, though. So for now, let’s get to the nitty gritty.
Marketing usually comes in two forms. Paid and Free . Free is good and fun, but paid gets you more bang for your buck. I have tried both and the paid version yielded MAJOR results. Actually one recent paid marketing purchase allowed me to move fifty units in a day and rocketed me to the number sixty-five spot on Amazon for best sellers.
Many of the paid sites for marketing your work will have requirements. For example you may need to have 10 reviews on your book, have a five star rating on your book, or even have a specific price on your book. That can be frustrating, but just keep your head up. There are ways around this.
First, make sure all of your friends and family go and leave a good review. You want to hit that first ten reviews mark as soon as possible. Second, you want to try to keep your eBook at a good price. I suggest $0.99.
All in all you need a FIRM MARKETING PLAN. If not for money, then to simply get people reading your work and hungry for book two. Combined with this, you want to grow your mailing list as soon as possible. This can be a challenge at first, but in time it will happen.
Below are some of the best sites that give good prices, and yield nice results. Give one of them a try.
BookBub
eREader IQ
Robin Reads
Free Booksy
Many Books
All Romance Ebooks
Read Cheaply
eReader News Today
Also, if you want to read some of my “Writing Yoda’s” blogs Ill include the link to his site. He goes into way more detail on marketing, and almost everything else you can think of. He has some years on me in the writing world, and a freaking mountain of knowledge. His books are badass too!
His site: http://kevinhardman.blogspot.com/
Until next time folks,
Riley
This blog will be short and sweet, yet VERY important to any indie author. This is especially for the authors that are just being published for the first time. In short, one thing you are going to have to learn to master is MARKETING !
Let me say that one more time. MARKETING !!!
This is going to be crucial to your success in getting units sold. As an indie, you don’t have the almighty power of a publishing house backing you, so as with everything else, you have to do it yourself. Not only that, you have to have a plan too.
I have been getting tips from, as I call him, my writing Yoda. He is full of information and some of it I will include in this blog post. That will come later, though. So for now, let’s get to the nitty gritty.
Marketing usually comes in two forms. Paid and Free . Free is good and fun, but paid gets you more bang for your buck. I have tried both and the paid version yielded MAJOR results. Actually one recent paid marketing purchase allowed me to move fifty units in a day and rocketed me to the number sixty-five spot on Amazon for best sellers.
Many of the paid sites for marketing your work will have requirements. For example you may need to have 10 reviews on your book, have a five star rating on your book, or even have a specific price on your book. That can be frustrating, but just keep your head up. There are ways around this.
First, make sure all of your friends and family go and leave a good review. You want to hit that first ten reviews mark as soon as possible. Second, you want to try to keep your eBook at a good price. I suggest $0.99.
All in all you need a FIRM MARKETING PLAN. If not for money, then to simply get people reading your work and hungry for book two. Combined with this, you want to grow your mailing list as soon as possible. This can be a challenge at first, but in time it will happen.
Below are some of the best sites that give good prices, and yield nice results. Give one of them a try.
BookBub
eREader IQ
Robin Reads
Free Booksy
Many Books
All Romance Ebooks
Read Cheaply
eReader News Today
Also, if you want to read some of my “Writing Yoda’s” blogs Ill include the link to his site. He goes into way more detail on marketing, and almost everything else you can think of. He has some years on me in the writing world, and a freaking mountain of knowledge. His books are badass too!
His site: http://kevinhardman.blogspot.com/
Until next time folks,
Riley
November 27, 2016
BOOK REVIEW: v IS FOR VILLAIN BY PETER MOORE
Intro:
For the review today, another superhero novel. I have a thing for superhero novels because they are so darn fun to read. I intend to write one myself in time, and it’s good to see what is on the market. This novel, as I mentioned a moment ago with superhero novels, was a fun read, but was a little on the childish / cheesy side. Written by Peter Moore, he does a good job of getting inside the average youths mind when special abilities are involved.Premise: This story revolves around Brad Baron, a kid who goes to a school, and lives in a world, where having super powers are the norm. Brad battles his own personal demons as he tries to escape the large shadow that is cast by his largely famous, and powerful, older brother. Eventually, not so powerful Brad finds himself hanging with the wrong crowd. You know, the normal teen stuff. Only Brad, and his friends, intends to do more with their powers than just hang out at the mall and smoke.
The Good: This story put a simple vibe on the common superhero genre. In this world superheroes have been around for a long time. Even going as far as saying that beings seen as gods (Zeus, Hades, etc) were some of the first superheroes to live. I personally liked this because I just don’t see it often. I also loved how this reminded me of a Disney movie. Sounds funny, but think of Sky High or Up Up and Away. Same premise. The best part however, was that the main character wasn’t really a hero. He has all of the ability to become one, but he doesn’t. It delivered on a portion of normal life when you’re a teen and have one of two choices that can change your life.
The Bad: Now the bad. Overall I really didn’t like Brad. I liked his idiot, overly powered, brother more than him. First, I get it, you’re brother is the top hero to be. So what? That doesn’t give him enough reason to want to be a bad guy. Not only that, but he seems like he wants to go down the wrong path just because he wants to fit in with his new friends, even though he has some pretty cool old friends. My other issue was the lack of action in this book. I don’t mean explosion, fights, type of action either. I mean literally they aren’t doing much in the realm of ANYTHING. They mostly either eat food, or hang at their base.
Final Verdict: C or 6/10
November 19, 2016
ADVICE FOR NEW WRITERS
People, slowly but surely, have started asking me the same thing over and over again. Do you have any advice for people who want to write? Seriously, you wouldn’t believe how many “undercover authors” there are out there running around. The battlefields of Twitter are flooded with them. I give all of them the same advice. Write what you love, be consistent, and be open to a slap in the face on a regular basis (I’ll get to that part later).
First, write what you love. I love fantasy. I’ve had the imagination of a child for longer than a man in my age bracket would want to admit. That imagination helps me write my stories. Even the crappy ones. With my love for fantasy, it wouldn’t be a good idea to sit down and suddenly start writing romance. Why? Because it will, without a doubt, become as confused as a small person in the Big & Tall section. Don’t do it to yourself. Stick to what you know. This was one of the first lessons I learned while writing with Amazon.
Second, be consistent. I can’t stress this enough. You have to treat your writing like a damn business. A. DAMN. BUSINESS. You may not want to write every day, but you need to try to write at least five days a week. Just like a job, you will need a few days off to charge your battery and such. If you’re a real writer, even on your days off, you will be thinking about your work inside your head. I personally try to write something daily. It may be great, it may be crap, could be an outline, or a character development, but I’m writing. After this blog is posted, guess what I’m going to do. That right, you guessed it, I’m going to write.
Some people find it hard to write regularly. You may not be cut out to be a writer then. I usually aim for two hours of writing per session, or a little over 1,500 words. This becomes more important as you develop a following and people want to read your work.
Third, develop thick skin. THICK! The world of a writer is full of feedback, gut-punches and kicks to the nuts. You will learn to go with the flow, and in time you will expect the beating. This happens in a few areas usually, or at least for me. First area, the story. You think Harry Potter was the first youth in a story to go to a school for magic? Heck no, but his story was told so well that it became legend. With that, don’t worry if your fantastic book idea seems related to another book. Read that book, and then tell your story, because I promise you will hear about it in reviews if you don’t.
Reviews, another solid area where you need brass balls. No matter how well your work is, some people just will not like it. Accept it and move on. There are many top selling authors in the world, who have one star reviews. Your work simply will not be for everybody. It’s life. Screw them and keep on writing.
Lastly, don’t worry if you spell stuff wrong or have grammar issues. I’ve taken webinar classes taught by very well known, well paid, best-selling authors and they have a hard time spelling stuff on the dry-erase-board. That’s why we have beta readers and editors. That’s why I am falling in love with my blog. I can put what I want down, spelling be damned.
There is much more to being a writer, most of it you will learn as you go but these are all good starting points. Write what you love, be consistent, and be prepared for criticism. Until next time folks. Until next time folks ….I think I just coined my closing line for my blogs. Not original, but I like it.
First, write what you love. I love fantasy. I’ve had the imagination of a child for longer than a man in my age bracket would want to admit. That imagination helps me write my stories. Even the crappy ones. With my love for fantasy, it wouldn’t be a good idea to sit down and suddenly start writing romance. Why? Because it will, without a doubt, become as confused as a small person in the Big & Tall section. Don’t do it to yourself. Stick to what you know. This was one of the first lessons I learned while writing with Amazon.
Second, be consistent. I can’t stress this enough. You have to treat your writing like a damn business. A. DAMN. BUSINESS. You may not want to write every day, but you need to try to write at least five days a week. Just like a job, you will need a few days off to charge your battery and such. If you’re a real writer, even on your days off, you will be thinking about your work inside your head. I personally try to write something daily. It may be great, it may be crap, could be an outline, or a character development, but I’m writing. After this blog is posted, guess what I’m going to do. That right, you guessed it, I’m going to write.
Some people find it hard to write regularly. You may not be cut out to be a writer then. I usually aim for two hours of writing per session, or a little over 1,500 words. This becomes more important as you develop a following and people want to read your work.
Third, develop thick skin. THICK! The world of a writer is full of feedback, gut-punches and kicks to the nuts. You will learn to go with the flow, and in time you will expect the beating. This happens in a few areas usually, or at least for me. First area, the story. You think Harry Potter was the first youth in a story to go to a school for magic? Heck no, but his story was told so well that it became legend. With that, don’t worry if your fantastic book idea seems related to another book. Read that book, and then tell your story, because I promise you will hear about it in reviews if you don’t.
Reviews, another solid area where you need brass balls. No matter how well your work is, some people just will not like it. Accept it and move on. There are many top selling authors in the world, who have one star reviews. Your work simply will not be for everybody. It’s life. Screw them and keep on writing.
Lastly, don’t worry if you spell stuff wrong or have grammar issues. I’ve taken webinar classes taught by very well known, well paid, best-selling authors and they have a hard time spelling stuff on the dry-erase-board. That’s why we have beta readers and editors. That’s why I am falling in love with my blog. I can put what I want down, spelling be damned.
There is much more to being a writer, most of it you will learn as you go but these are all good starting points. Write what you love, be consistent, and be prepared for criticism. Until next time folks. Until next time folks ….I think I just coined my closing line for my blogs. Not original, but I like it.
November 13, 2016
BOOK REVIEW: META B Y TOM rEYNOLDS
Intro:
Novels about super beings are all over the place. You can find them from writers who have been self-published to writers who have been traditionally published. With the market being so flooded, it can be hard to take an old concept and give it a new twist. Tom Reynolds has done that, but only a little.
Some Spoilers ahead.Premise: Meta is the first in a series about a young man named Connor Connolly, who finds himself the new owner of a pair of “Meta-Bands”. Once on, these bands give the wearer any combination of a vast array of powers. Now at the age of 16, Connor becomes the first Meta the world has seen in over a decade. With a dark vigilante as his mentor, he learns that he isn’t the only powerful Meta in existence.
The Good: Meta proves to be a very fast read. You can finish it in around a day if you tried. The story unfolds well and hits all the fine points that a superhero story would need. Common powers? Check! I’m talking super-speed, super-strength, flying, teleportation, and much more. Crazy Powers? Check! Being made out of rubber, or being able to bring images to life. The book has that too. The story also gives a decent variety of characters. While the book seems to be aimed at middle grade readers, make no mistake, it has some adult themes, jokes, and fights.
The Bad: Sadly, I have more bad points than I do good points. First, while the story is told well, it often comes off as cliché. For example the vigilante character is a clear rip-off, and I mean RIPOFF, of Batman. It’s to the point that you may find yourself, shaking your head at the similarities. I know I did. Next, Connor has WAY too many powers. He can do almost anything. It’s usually better to see characters use only one ability, but in unique ways. Lastly, this is just a personal preference; I wasn’t a fan of the audio book version. Tom decided to be the person who did the voice over work for it. It’s very noticeable that he should have invested the money on a professional.
Final Verdict: B- or 7/10
