Reena Jacobs's Blog, page 6

$0.99 or $2.99: That Is the Question

$0.99 or $2.99? That Is the Question.

It’s true. I got caught up in all the hype of $0.99 or $2.99. What’s a gal to do? I started my book at the $0.99 level… stayed there for all of 3 days. For the most part, I earned 2-3 sales a day. I was happy with that. People wanted my books. I wasn’t happy with the pricing model of 35%, which earned me $0.35 per book. Yikes!

What’s My Work Worth?

Do I think my works are worth more than $0.99? or $0.35 for that matter? Hell yah. It’s an awesome read (author bias going here). Plus it’s 91k words of blood, sweat, and tears. Okay, the characters did more of that than me… but still. It’s a full length novel. I’ve seen novellas priced at $2.99 and higher. Didn’t my baby deserve at least that?

So, I bumped up my price to $2.99. I earned 1-2 sales the first day. After that, nada. NOTHING! OMG. I’d even put up ad campaigns. Doubts pricked at me. Perhaps they read the sample and thought it was trash. No reviews, no sales to keep up my kindle ranking, no profit. Wah me!

Here’s the thing. Despite my stats at Smashwords showing people weren’t even picking up the sample, I believed my words crap, and no one would buy it. Instead, I should have seen that as a sign of too rich for my blood. People were thinking $2.99 was too much to even bother with the sample of a debut self-published author. At least that’s what I got out of it after I thought it through.

I ran to my husband, as I often do and lamented about my fears of failure. Failure! You’re panicking. Give it some time, Reena. I’m the anxious type sure, but I’ve seen the results other debut authors have had. And many of their works are priced at $0.99. I guess if I wanted to be fussy about the length, I should have produced a 20k novella first for the world. I didn’t. That’s my bad, but I’m not letting my work go down the drains because I didn’t make a smart first decision.

Kait Nolan said in a blog post “When you’re starting out, you cannot let it become a money game.” That’s exactly what I’d done—turned it into a game.

I did some fancy calculating. Let’s say I stuck with $0.99 and continued to receive 2+ sales a day. At a royalty rate of 35%, 2 * $0.35 = $0.70 a day * 30 days = $21.00. Not the greatest, that’s for sure. On the other hand, I had the 70% royalty which came to be about $2.05 after all the nickel and diming and computed to 0 * $2.05 = $0.00 a day. Hmmm? Let’s be generous with myself and say I earned 2 sales a week at that rate. Not saying that was happening, but it could have. So we have 2 * $2.05 = $4.10 a week * 4 = $16.40.

Look folks. I’m unknown. A no named nudnik. Okay, maybe not nudnik, but certainly nameless to most. It doesn’t matter if I’ve written the next great or not. There’s absolutely no reason for someone other than friends and family to purchase my book… or to look me up for that matter. Many authors who stress $2.99 have already established a fan base. That works for them. One day it might work for me, just not today.

Writing erotica already cuts out a large portion of the reading audience. I don’t want to dismiss the rest of my potential audience by pricing my untested work in a range where folks say, thanks, but no thanks. My works are in a situation where supply and demand affects price. I’ve got the supply but with no fan base, little demand. If starting at $0.99 is going to get my name out there, you better believe I’m taking advantage of the opportunity.

That was then. This is now.

I originally wrote that post February 2012. I’m not a writer who is making a living selling my works. In fact, since I’ve disappeared for about half a year, my sales have dwindled from a few hundred a month to a couple of handfuls a month. My prices range from $0.99 to $4.95 plus 1 free work. And since I haven’t been real active these days, those prices have been the same for months… probably a year or more.

Looking back, do I think my prices have anything to do with my sales? Not so much these days. And here’s the reason why. I believe effectively promoting works has more to do with prices than anything. Judging by my sales numbers, I’m not the best at promoting. I’ll be outright with that.

So why do I say effective promoting is the key? Well, because I’ve read some diamonds out there which aren’t doing any better than my works. On the other hand, I’ve also come across some garbage which is doing pretty well. Excuse me… I don’t want to talk bad about the works of other writers, but we know crap is out there bringing in the dough. And we wonder, what the heck is going on?

Is it price? I think not. Because one of those crappy books will sell great at $9.99 when an awesome book might struggle to get off the shelf at $0.99.

Now don’t get me wrong, writing a good book does help. However, what it comes down to is one of two things:

Getting your book in front of the right people who will help spread the word for you.
Creating a promotional network which puts your book in front of enough buying individuals who’ll boost your book to visible levels on the chart.

Now don’t ask me how to accomplish either of those two items. If I knew how, my books would be at the top and selling great.

One thing I will say is this: What works for one author doesn’t work for every author. Add that to the fact that methods become outdated.

A couple of years ago, a writer could offer a work for free and watch the rest of their books climb to the top of the charts. When the free book went from free to paid, they’d also see a significant boost in sales. These days, free books flood the market. They’re not unique, so it takes a lot more than a free book to attract an audience.

So… research, experiment, and good luck!

Got a Story Idea?

It’s been a long time since I’ve written ANYTHING. I’m going to say the last time I’ve written any fiction of significance was back during NaNoWriMo 2012. By the way, have you seen the cover for it? Desecration. My first high fantasy novel. Looking back, I have no idea why I decided to try high fantasy. I stopped reading it before I graduated from high school. Ramble, ramble.

Back on track. So, I’ve been thinking it’s time to share story ideas. Is there a book you’ve been wanting to read but it hasn’t been written yet? Not saying anyone is going to attempt to write it, but who knows? In a few short sentences… share with us your story idea.

Now don’t be afraid someone will steal your idea. That’s the point of posting it in the comments. haha okay… but here’s the thing. A couple of sentences isn’t going ruin it for the book you may or may not write. The reason is: an idea is just the start of the creative process. The way one person interprets an idea will be different than the way another individual interprets an idea. Therefore, one idea will generate an untold number of original stories… none of them the same as the story you’ve got festering in your brain.

So share!

I’ll start. I would like to read a book that occurs in the future that reveals the existence of supernatural creatures. Those folks who have pointy ears might be part-elves or something. Folks with extra pointy canines might have some wolf blood in them. The further into the future the story goes, the better. I’d love to see some futuristic technology mixed into the story.

Who’s going to write my story for me?

To Prologue or Not To Prologue

A while back, my daughter clued me into something important… not everyone reads prologues. So, I’m a reader of prologues, so I admit to being quite surprised. I’m afraid I’ll miss something crucial by skipping the prologue. As an afterthought, I guess a prologue is not supposed to be filled with crucial information.

It’s the nice-to-have details that are supposed to enhance the story but not make the story.

Why bother with a prologue?

Prologues are rather tricky. As I mentioned, it should be filled with non-crucial information. So, if the information isn’t important, why bother? It just means folks (like my daughter) will skip all the hard effort you, as a writer, have put into the story. The other thing about prologues is it’s typically just backstory. And really backstory should be kept to a minimum. Because less face it, info dumps are boring. So to save everyone the bother, avoid starting your story with a dull info dump disguised as a prologue.

If you must

I’m not a dictator. If you want to use a prologue, go ahead. It’s not as if I can stop you. So here are a few items to consider before including a prologue.

Does the story stand alone without it? Remember… the prologue is not meant to be an info dump. If the story stands alone without it, perhaps it’s better to exclude the information all together. One alternative to info dumps and prologues is to use it as bonus material. Add a page on your website with inside looks into your story. If your story is captivating enough, people will visit your website to learn more.

Can you turn it into a first chapter? One of the main reasons for writing and publishing a work is to have folks read it. There’s no point in going through all the trouble of slaving through (editing, formatting, publishing, etc) a piece that few people are going to bother reading. As I mentioned, many people skip the prologue. On the other hand, who skips the entire first chapter of a novel? Put your hands down. If you’re skipping the first chapter, you’re weird. In reference to “normal folks”, if the information is important enough to include, why not make it the first chapter?

It’s a must. So you’ve decided your backstory (I mean prologue) is a must. If the backstory is important (absolutely necessary) and can’t be interwoven within the story effectively, consider a prologue. Just keep in mind, a lot of folks my skip it. Ask yourself: Is it worth my time and effort to create a prologue which will be skipped by many?

Software Review: Using NaturalReader (Free Version) in Editing

*Recycled Post*

I have actually utilized text-to-speech programs in the past yet never ever as a device for editing. It wasn’t until a blogger discussed it in an online forum that I decided to give it a shot. So, first up, NaturalReader. The description from the developers:

“NaturalReader is a Text to Speech software with natural sounding voices. This easy to use software can convert any written text such as MS Word, Webpage, PDF files, and Emails into spoken words. NaturalReader can also convert any written text into audio files such as MP3 or WAV for your CD player or iPod.”

This is a different type of review. Why? I’m also going to discuss the advantages of text-to-speech software applications instead of merely NaturalReader. Then I’ll get into the software application itself.

Editing

In another blog post, I asked Do Your Lips Move When You Edit? I’m discussing the technique of reading out loud. Numerous errors and funky phrasings appear when reviewing aloud, which do not take place when skimming or going through quietly. Now if you’re like me and attempt to review aloud, you might backslide into your quiet methods inadvertently. Other times, you might be so set on what you meant to read that you might ignore the actual words on the computer monitor.

NaturalReader

That’s where software like NaturalReader enter the picture. The application reads precisely what on the monitor, not what you anticipate to see. I definitely adored it! I downloaded the trial version of NaturalReader and need to point out, it’s amazing in terms of enhancing my writing — not only as a result of the program itself, but rather instead because of the concept behind reading aloud.

Allow me to clarify. NaturalReader includes two default voices, a male voice and a feminine voice. I invested bulk of my time with the male one. I found he mispronounced numerous words, missed articles and various other words, (which I really thought was odd), and failed to stop at some punctuation marks (eclipses and em dashes). The program also failed to distinguish between the pronunciation of words such as “read” (pronounced red in lieu of reed), without regard to the use in the sentence. I didn’t spend as much time with the women voice, however her accent seemed much higher quality. Nevertheless, the exact same problems as far as incorrect pauses still existed with the female voice. Over all, neither one of the voices were very natural sounding in my point of view. However, if the user upgrades the program, she or he gets additional voices, plus the ability to produce rules, which will address a few of the issues (at least I presume).

Though I’ve not purchased it, the purchased version also features an add-in which allows NaturalReader to operate directly in MS Office Suite software, pdf files, e-mails, and various other digital software.

I can’t really say I give my thumbs up to NaturalReader at this point without attempting other text-to-speech software. Nevertheless, I absolutely recommend that authors give some type of text-to-speech software a try. It truly is amazing. As always, you don’t need to take my word on it. Attempt NaturalReader on your own.

My Female Orgasm: As If I Don’t Already Have Too Many

I’ve done it again. I’ve created yet another website. Barely enough time to sleep, yet I couldn’t help myself. When the idea came to me, I just couldn’t stop myself.

It’s no secret. I’m passionate about sex. Well, not just any kind of sex… good sex. Even before I started writing, I had sex on the brain. And now I have the perfect website to go with my obsession.

MyFemaleOrgasm.com

My Female Orgasm is very much about sharing, and I hope you’ll join me with your articles and comments.

Now… it’s a baby site, so don’t expect an entire site full of fabulous content… yet. The only post at the moment is the welcome post. However, check in tomorrow and see what I have to say about lubrication.

So stop by, submit an article, and enjoy!

As If I Don’t Already Have Too Many

I’ve done it again. I’ve created yet another website. Barely enough time to sleep, yet I could help myself. When the idea came to me, I just couldn’t stop myself.

It’s no secret. I’m passionate about sex. Well, not just any kind of sex… good sex. Even before I started writing, I had sex on the brain. And now I have the perfect website to go with my obsession.

MyFemaleOrgasm.com

My Female Orgasm is very much about sharing, and I hope you’ll join me with your articles and comments.

Now… it’s a baby site, so don’t expect an entire site full of fabulous content… yet. The only post at the moment is the welcome post. However, check in tomorrow and see what I have to say about lubrication.

So stop by, submit an article, and enjoy!

Have I Returned?

These have been some wild months. In August, I moved to Kentucky to help my father, who hadn’t been fairing well physically. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to bring my family at the time. We just couldn’t afford to take a chance of my husband not finding a job when he arrived. So… after years of being a SAHM, I had to venture into the work force.

I have to say, it was a scary experience, but I found a decent paying day job. Since December, I’ve been working my tail off like it’s nobody’s business. I don’t know when the last time I picked up a book to read for pleasure. Probably December. However, the steady income has added a bit of security and allowed my husband to move here with our son.

I tell you what, though. Absence made the heart grow fonder. After being without my husband for about 6 months (he arrived in February), I’ve never felt closer to him.

Life is tough. Kudos to all you writers out there who’ve been pulling the day job and writing career for so long. As for me, I started writing again a few days ago. Still haven’t started reading again. We’ve yet to pull my books out of boxes, but we’ll get there.

I have goals again. I’m putting on my goal board to write an hour a day. It’s not much, but you’d be amazed how much a gal can accomplish in an hour with a program like Write or Die.

So that’s that. I hope to start blogging a bit more. For now… I just want all to know where I am in life… the state of things on this end.

Are you well read?

Go grab an Orange Mocha Frappacino and have a seat. It’s time we brush up a little on our writing skills.

Endurance : Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

Alfred Lansing (Author) (644) 132 used & new from $0.01

The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published: How to Write It, Sell It, and Market It . . . Successfully

Arielle Eckstut (Author), David Henry Sterry (Author) (143) Buy new: $15.95 $11.71 88 used & new from $6.57

The 7 Secrets of the Prolific: The Definitive Guide to Overcoming Procrastination, Perfectionism, and Writer's Block

Hillary Rettig (Author), Barry Deutsch (Illustrator) (53) Download: $3.95

Writing Fiction For Dummies

Randy Ingermanson (Author), Peter Economy (Author) (120) Buy new: $19.99 $14.13 78 used & new from $10.14

Let's Write a Short Story!

Joe Bunting (Author) (134) Download: $2.99

The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published: How to Write It, Sell It, and Market It . . . Successfully

Arielle Eckstut (Author), David Henry Sterry (Author) (143) 39 used & new from $6.50

Wreck This Journal

Keri Smith (Author) (325) 59 used & new from $0.01

Nothing To Envy: Real Lives In North Korea

Barbara Demick (Author) (456) 1 used & new from $11.99

APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur-How to Publish a Book

Guy Kawasaki (Author), Shawn Welch (Author) (452) Buy new: $24.99 $16.32 20 used & new from $16.32

APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur-How to Publish a Book

Guy Kawasaki (Author), Shawn Welch (Author) (452) Download: $9.99

by Amazon Auto Links

Wicked Allure Blog Tour + Giveaway

Greetings! and Welcome, Welcome! I hope you all are enjoying your holidays, shopping, and bargains. Are you up for a new release? Hope so, cause I am. You’ve just found the next stop on the Wicked Allure Blog tour.

Stick around, kick back, and enjoy!

Title: Wicked Allure

Series: Wicked Allure, #1

Author: Leslie C. Ferdinand

Release Date: March 20th 2012

Genre: Romance, Erotica

Publisher: Self-Published

Ebook/Paperback/Hardcover

Pages: 287

Book Description: Three years ago, Madigan DeLeon walked away from Zachary Steele. Now, she’s back in his life to help run her mother’s sex club. Unable to resist, she is soon back in his bed. Her heart and body is fully engaged but her head is urging caution. Zach wants another chance and he’ll let know one stand in his way, not even Madigan herself.

Available at: Barnes & Nobles || Amazon || The Book Depository || Kobo || Smashwords || LuLu (Hardcover) 

Giveaway Time!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the Tour

November 26th

A Diary Of A book Addict

Simply Ali

Simply Infatuated

Amy’s Book World

The Avid Reader

Black Hippie Chick’s Take on Books & The World

My Escape

Beach Bum Reads

November 27th

Proserpine Craving Books

A Bibliophile’s Thoughts on Books

Provocative Pages

Ramblings of an Amateur Writer

The Bunnys Review

Musings of a bookworm

The Steamy Side

Novel Review: Gamers by Thomas K. Carpenter

Let’s be honest here. When it comes to books, I’m not always eager for review requests. You’ve probably noticed my reviews have been rather scarce these days. Doesn’t mean I haven’t been reading books though. I’ve just been quietly enjoying my reads. So when Thomas K. Carpenter asked me if I wanted to read Gamers, I was more than a little wishy-washy in my response.

I tell you, Mr. Carpenter hit me up at the right time though. I was at the tail end of my current read and wasn’t in the mood for searching for another book. So up next? Gamers. Before the review, how about the blurb?

Two points for brushing your teeth. Ten points for keeping your room tidy. Seventy-two points for the Bioeconomic Game Design pop quiz on the ride to school in your personal FunCar. Another thirty for making every hurdle in gym class. 

Life is a game, unless you’re not the one winning.

Gabby DeCorte, top student and reality-hacker extraordinaire, has been doing whatever it takes to keep her best friend, Zaela, from falling behind in LifeGame. Zaela has gifts of artistry that amaze Gabby, but none of those skills translate in LifeGame and with final exams coming up, they can’t afford to waste a single minute. But when a mysterious group called the Frags contacts Gabby claiming to know what really happens to the losers of LifeGame, she must choose between winning and what she believes in.

Available at Barnes & Nobles || Amazon || The Book Depository || || iTunes || Smashwords

First off, I want to say I’m so thankful Mr. Carpenter didn’t say, “Screw you” and not reply after my not-so-enthusantic response to his review request. Because this was definitely a book I’m glad I had an opportunity to read.

So… The style: Mr. Carpenter can be my Game Master any day. The novel mixed the futuristic world with the gaming world. Basically, Gabby’s life was a game of racking up points in order to reach the next level. Talk about your rat race.

It totally took me back to my EverQuest addicted days. The game talk, the leveling, the never-ending pursuit to acquire more, whether it be points, gear, etc… I was there. But it was a bit more, especially in the final raid. It took me out of online roleplaying and plunged me into paper DnD. I couldn’t help but think about:

Let’s move on, shall we?

The plot: The story was well-paced. Once I got into it, I had a hard time putting it down, even going so far as taking it to the bathroom with me. Is that TMI? One thing I will say is Gamers seemed more like the beginning of something big. The major players were introduced but it didn’t have a sense of finality to it. It was more as if it set me up for the end of one adventure while opening the door for a whole new adventure. I haven’t read the full trilogy yet, but I definitely would say Gamers isn’t the book to stop on.

Okay… I really want to ruin this book for you with sentences that start with “like this one time…” But I know you’ll hate me for it. So… let’s talk about…

Characters: The novel was told from Gabby’s POV. She started out very much a part of the system, very focused on the end game, which in her case happened to be getting into the grand university. She reminded me a lot of the AP straight-A students I’d encountered while working in the high school. She knew what she wanted, how to do get it, and didn’t slack in reaching her goals. Yet she never acted like she was better than everyone else. She was just a regular kid (except for being a super genius) with typical problems…. well typical until the poo hit the fan. I liked her.

The other characters were rather fleeting. They didn’t take up much of my time, but each played important roles which pushed the plot forward or gave insight to an aspect of Gabby’s character of the total story. To be honest, if you quizzed me, I wouldn’t remember a single name. That doesn’t say a lot though. I’m horrible with names and even had to read the blurb to remember Gabby’s. Still, I love the cohesiveness the characters brought to the entire story. Each was rememberable (not so much the names for me but the personalities definitely). I’ve snapped a photograph of each of them in my mind’s eye.

Final thoughts: Gamers had a few loose ends which gave the first book a cliffhanger feel to it. You all know how much I hate cliffhangers. Yet at the same time, I was satisfied with the ending, especially knowing the next two books are already available.

My score? 4.5 – 5 out of 5 stars. HIGHLY recommended for RPG-ers. Until next time, I leave you with our infamous friend Leeroy.

Anyone else in the mood for chicken?