Jonathan Moeller's Blog, page 22

The Pulp Writer Show, Episode 233: Anatomy of a 10,000 Word Writing Day

In this week’s episode, I take a look at what goes into writing 10,000 words of a rough draft in a single day.

You can listen to the show with transcript at the official Pulp Writer Show site, and you can also listen to it at Spotify, Apple Podcasts , Amazon Music, and Libsyn.

-JM

Coupon of the Week, 1/3/2025

Once again it is time for Coupon of the Week!

This coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Ghost in the Serpent, Book #1 in the Ghost Armor series, (as excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy) at my Payhip store:

SERPENT50

The coupon code is valid through January 24, 2025. So if you need a new audiobook for the cold winter months, we’ve got you covered!

-JM

Advertising Results December 2024

I haven’t done a monthly ad result roundup for a while, and a few people mentioned they found the roundups helpful, so I thought I would do one for December.

December, of course, is something of an odd month because Christmas spending distorts all the metrics and ad clicks consequently go up in price. That said, we had some pretty good results this month.

First, let’s look at Facebook ads:

GHOSTS: $3.79 back for every $1 spent, with 13% of the profit coming from audiobooks.

CLOAK MAGE: $4.64 back for every $1 spent, with 7% of the profit coming from audiobooks.

I will say this for Facebook ads – they handled the 2024 presidential election cycle waaaaaay better than 2020. In summer 2020, the Facebook ad system went berserk and started banning people right and left for no discernable reason. Like, I once went to adjust the daily budget for an ad and got immediately banned. This happened to a lot of people and organizations that didn’t have anything to do with the election and didn’t post any political content. I know of a documented case where a publishing company that regularly spent upwards of $1 million a year on Facebook ads got banned for exactly the same reason in 2020. If a business is dropping customers who spend a MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR on your product because your platform is glitching, there are seriously big problems!

But I didn’t have anything like that happen in 2024, and I didn’t hear any reports of widespread random bans, either. I suspect Facebook taking a massive financial hit from the failure of the Metaverse in 2021-2023 really inspired the company to protect the bottom line better, and as I said above, banning customers who yearly spend a million dollars on your product is suicidally stupid even by the (admittedly low) standards of American technology companies.

That said, Facebook ads have been decreasing in utility for one big reason: artificial intelligence. Facebook has been larding up its ad platform with AI targeting options and making them the “recommended” setting, and the AI targeting options aren’t as good as the manual ones, especially for books. Like, the AI-augmented ads will get you more clicks, which is good, but those clicks are much, much less likely to convert into sales because the AI is casting a broader net than it would if the ad was narrowly targeted. If the clicks don’t convert into sales, that defeats the entire point of the exercise.

If Facebook continues to force AI stuff into its ads, I expect they will become increasingly useless, so I will use more Amazon/Bookbub ads in 2025.

With that in mind, let’s look at some of my Amazon ad campaigns. Remember that for an ad campaign to be effective in Amazon ads, it needs to deliver a sale/complete KU readthrough for every 6-8 clicks. I run quite a few Amazon ad campaigns, but the two biggest ones should be illustrative:

HALF-ELVEN THIEF: 1.04 sales for every click, and $3.50 back for every $1 spent.

STEALTH & SPELLS ONLINE: CREATION: 1 sale for every 14.88 clicks, and a loss of $4.17 for every $1 spent.

So you can see that the “one sale for every 6-8” clicks is a good rule of thumb. The SSO:CREATION ads definitely lost money in December, but I had a specific ad that was generating a lot of clicks that simply didn’t convert into sales. So I shut it down and things smoothed out a bit for the rest of the month. On the plus side, the ads for HALF-ELVEN THIEF were very successful.

It also shows why it is a good idea to keep an eye on your ads. I didn’t lose all that much money on the SSO:CREATION ads, but it would have been more if I hadn’t been paying attention.

Amazon ads are also useful for trickle campaigns when you turn a profit on a smaller budget. I had a campaign running on DRAGONSKULL OMNIBUS ONE that did well.

DRAGONSKULL OMNIBUS ONE: 1 sale for every 5.5 clicks, $22 back for every $1 spent, with 87% of the profit coming from the audiobook.

Note that 87% of the profit came from the audiobook. It makes sense to advertise DRAGONSKULL OMNIBUS ONE not just for the ebook, but because the audiobook is very profitable.

I’ve also been experimenting more with Bookbub Ads. I’ve found the juice not to be worth the squeeze when it comes to advertising Amazon books on Bookbub – the cost of a click is so high that it’s extraordinarily difficult to turn a profit. However, there are numerous other bookstores than Amazon, and I’ve found that you can get excellent results by advertising permafree books from the non-Amazon platforms on Bookbub.  Which makes sense, doesn’t it? Use Amazon ads for Amazon books, and Bookbub ads for everything else.

In December I advertised CHILD OF THE GHOSTS for Apple Books on Bookbub. Here’s how we did:

THE GHOSTS: $6.89 for every $1 spent, with a 19.1% conversion rate from CHILD OF THE GHOSTS to GHOST IN THE FLAMES.

That’s a good result, and the 19.1% conversion rate from CHILD OF THE GHOSTS to GHOST IN THE FLAMES is amazing. Like, on Amazon in December, I had about a 5% conversion rate from FROSTBORN: THE GRAY KNIGHT to FROSTBORN: THE EIGHTFOLD KNIFE, which means that for every 100 people who downloaded a free copy of THE GRAY KNIGHT, five of them went on to buy a copy of THE EIGHTFOLD KNIFE and hopefully got into the rest of the series. Five percent is about average for this kind of thing, so 19.1% is really excellent. I think Bookbub has a strong presence among iPhone/iPad users in the US and the UK, so I will definitely continue advertising there.

So that is how my ads did in December 2024.

Later this month, depending on how some things go, I’ll start advertising either FROSTBORN or DRAGONSKULL pretty heavily.

Thanks for reading, everyone!

-JM

progress update

I basically took the days between Christmas and New Year’s off. Which was nice, but it’s time to get back to it!

I am currently 50,000 words into SHIELD OF DECEPTION, which puts me on Chapter 12 of 31. So I’m about 35-ish percent through the rough draft.

I am also 6500 words into GHOST IN THE ASSEMBLY, which I hope to put out after SHIELD OF DECEPTION. I also crossed the 33,000 word mark for STEALTH & SPELLS ONLINE: REACTANT, though I don’t think I’m going to publish that until this summer.

Don’t forget that 2024: THE COMPLETE SHORT STORIES is out, and you can get it for $0.99 USD at LINKS. So if you want a convenient bundle of all the short stories I wrote in 2024, now’s your chance! Available in ebook at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon CA, Amazon AU, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Google Play, Apple Books, Payhip, and Smashwords.

-JM

Question of the Week: New Year’s Resolutions?

It’s time for Question of the Week, which is intended to inspire enjoyable discussions of interesting topics.

This week’s question: do you make New Year’s resolutions? No wrong answers, obviously.

The inspiration for this question is that it’s New Year’s Day.

For myself, no, I don’t really do New Year’s resolutions. I suppose my writing goals for 2025 might qualify, but I essentially own a small publisher now, so it’s just sensible to make good business goals for the year. In my personal life, it I need to make some kind of change, I try to do it at once. The most successful personal changes I’ve made usually tend to be in late spring or summer, not at the New Year’s.

What I actually did on New Year’s Eve was eat mozzarella sticks, watch a movie, and play video games.

Anyway, Happy New Year, everyone! May the good things from 2024 continue and the bad things vanish.

-JM

Titles in Kindle Unlimited

Did you get a new Kindle for Christmas? Or perhaps a subscription for Kindle Unlimited and are now looking for books in KU?

I have a few books you can read in Kindle Unlimited!

#1: Half-Elven Thief

Available in ebook at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon CA, Amazon AU, and for Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

There is honor among thieves…but only to a point.

Rivah Half-Elven is a master thief of the Court of the Masked King, the ruling thieves guild of the imperial city of Tar-Carmatheion. Yet her debts hang over her head like a sword that might fall at any moment.

So when a guildmaster of the Court orders her to take a job from a mysterious client, Rivah has no choice but to accept.

But the client wants her to steal the spell book of a fearsome and powerful wizard.

And when you steal from a wizard, death might be the happiest outcome…and it will take all of Rivah’s wits, skills, and courage to survive.

 

#2: Wizard-Thief

Available in ebook at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon CA, Amazon AU, and for Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

Even the boldest thief must watch her back.

Rivah Half-Elven is a master thief of the Court of the Masked King, and has finally escaped the debts that hung over her head like a sword.

But she made many enemies along the way, and they have not forgotten her.

So when the Masked King himself has a job for Rivah, she has no choice but to take it if she wants to stay in his good graces.

The job is much more dangerous than it first appears, but treachery from Rivah’s fellow thieves may be far deadlier.

It will take all of Rivah’s cunning and her growing skill at magic to survive…

 

#3: Half-Orc Paladin

Available in ebook at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon CA, Amazon AU, and for Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

Thieves beware when wizards go to war.

Rivah Half-Elven is a thief of the Court of the Masked King, the thieves’ guild of the imperial city of Tar-Carmatheion.

With her debts paid off and a skilled crew at her back, Rivah is rising high in the Court.

But when an old acquaintance turns up dead on her doorstep, an ancient artifact of dark magic clutched in his hands, Rivah will need all her allies and cunning to survive.

Because dark magic is stirring that will not only destroy the Court of the Masked King, but all of Tar-Carmatheion.

 

#4: Orc-Hoard

Available in ebook at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon CA, Amazon AU, and for Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

Competitions between thieves always end in betrayal.

Rivah Half-Elven has risen high in the Court of the Masked King, the thieves’ guild of the imperial city of Tar-Carmatheion.

When a powerful wizard demands that the Court obtain a magical relic for him, Rivah and her crew are the obvious choice.

But the wizard wants the thieves of the Court to compete for the honor of stealing the relic.

Unless Rivah uses all her courage and cunning, she won’t be the last one standing.

 

Stealth & Spells Online#1 Stealth & Spells Online: Creation

Available in ebook as a Kindle Unlimited exclusive title at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon CA, and Amazon AU.

The greatest epic fantasy MMORPG in history has a ticking time bomb at its heart.

Noah Carver used to work for Maskell Entertainment, developing the smash hit virtual reality game Sevenfold Sword Online (loosely based on the fantasy novels of Jonathan Moeller).

Then Carver got fired.

Not for incompetence, or for laziness.

But because he discovered the truth.

The game’s runaway success was built on the deadly technology of humanity’s ancient enemy, and Maskell Entertainment doesn’t want anyone to find out.

And unless Carver finds proof, a lot of innocent people are going to die…

 

#2 Stealth & Spells Online: Leveling

Available in ebook as a Kindle Unlimited exclusive title at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon CA, and Amazon AU.

The greatest epic fantasy MMORPG ever made has a dark secret.

Noah Carver is still playing Sevenfold Sword Online, trying to find proof of the game’s dangerous secret.

Namely, that the game was built using dangerous technology taken from humanity’s greatest enemy, technology that might give the enemy a way to return.

But Carver hasn’t found proof that will get the authorities to act.

So when an old friend from the military offers help, Carver has no choice but to accept.

But that help might have some dangerous strings attached…

 

Cormac Rogan Mysteries#1 Avenging Fire

Available in ebook at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon CA, Amazon AU, and for Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

Former private investigator Mac Rogan’s got problems. He’s twenty thousand dollars in debt, his mother’s in prison for murder, his brother’s recovering from war injuries, and his roommates can’t make a decent cup of coffee. But Mac’s got a job interview coming up, one that might turn things around for him.

Except someone shot the interviewer to death.

And the police think Mac did it.

And a powerful Senator wants to pin the murder on Mac.

And some pyromaniacal terrorists have taken a sudden warm interest in him.

Mac swore that his days as a private investigator were over. But he’s going to need all his wits and savvy to come out of this with his freedom, his finances – and even his life – still intact.

Because it turns out there are a lot of people who want to share their pain with him….

 

#2 Covering Fire

Available in ebook at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, Amazon CA, Amazon AU, and for Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

An unexplained suicide. An accidental death. Neither are what they seem.

Private investigator Cormac Rogan just wants to keep his head down and work his way out of debt. But when a wealthy widow offers to hire Mac to investigate her husband’s suicide, the money is too good to say no.

The widow is the only one who believes her husband didn’t kill himself.

But Mac thinks she might be right.

And the undetected killer is willing to kill many more people to remain undetected, starting with Mac…

 

 

Free Ebooks!

If you received a new device over the holiday season or if you find yourself looking for new fiction to read, check out my Free Ebooks page. There are ten free, full-length ebook series starters there.

Also, if you missed my Twelve Days of Short Story Christmas, those short stories will be free on my Payhip site until the end of December 2024.

-JM

Reading Stats 2024

Since I talked about “reading logs” earlier in the year, I thought I would break down my reading stats for the year, courtesy of my reading log!

I read a total of 74 books in 2024. It broke down like this:

Science Fiction: 33%

Fantasy: 22%

Mystery: 12%

Assorted Nonfiction: 12%

History: 6.7%

Satire: 2.7%

-JM

 

2024: The Complete Short Stories Coming Next Week

I do like short stories, even though they’re completely different to write from novels. How can I prove it? In 2024, I wrote 63,000 words of short stories, and I gave them all away for free to newsletter subscribers.

If all goes well, 2024: THE COMPLETE SHORT STORIES will come out next week, shortly after New Year’s. It will be a convenient $0.99 USD bundle containing all 11 short stories I wrote in 2024.

-JM

The Pulp Writer Show, Episode 232: Writing Goals For 2025

In this week’s episode, I take a look back at my writing goals for 2024 and see how many I met, and look ahead to my writing goals for 2025.

You can listen to the show with transcript at the official Pulp Writer Show site, and you can also listen to it at Spotify, Apple Podcasts , Amazon Music, and Libsyn.

-JM