Jo Frances's Blog, page 2

So far, so good

I think the changes I've made (changing genres, putting a 'sexually explicit' warning in the description) has worked, because I've been in the Top 100 list for Kindle ebooks this week. 

Next, I have to decide whether or not I'm going to use up my last two free Kindle book days. 

Sex doesn't always sell...

Know your audience.  Know who you are writing for. 

Sound advice.  Too bad I didn't take it.

I started out writing "Fame, Love" as a story about first love that also happened to be sexual---because quite honestly, when you are 19 and in love for the first time, sex is a very big part of the relationship.  However, the sexuality meant I couldn't classify my book as Young Adult.  I've read enough publishers guidelines to know that even though my protagonist...

Choosing a cover

The changes continue...
I changed my book cover from this:

 to this:

   The dimensions are supposed to be 300 DPI and a 1:6 ratio.  Mine is 72 DPI because that's what it turned into after I shrunk it down to 625x950.  I'm not really sure what all that means; it's just what I was able to glean from researching.

Anyway, I did everything myself---can you tell??!  My Pinterest addiction notwithstanding,  I am not a visual person.  I don't know how t...

"C" is for Controversy

Well.  Anyone with an interest in writing will probably be fascinated, as I was, with the latest controversy regarding self published authors.  (Read the article, here.)  The uproar started when best selling author Sue Grafton referred to SPA's as lazy and unwilling to do hard work.  What's even more interesting is reading the comments section at the end of these articles.  It's given me a chance to address my own feelings about the legitimacy of self publishing...

Newbies

In an earlier post, I wrote about groups and communities I had joined in order to promote my book, and of how I would have to do more than just throw a link up with a smiley face to "read my book"!  Now that I've finally finished setting up accounts on AuthorMarketingClub, Shelfari, LibraryThing and Goodreads, and created my author pages on Amazon and Facebook, it's time to double back and start contributing.  Because what I've realized, and what every book promoter emphasizes, is t...

Gratitude

So yesterday I decided to put a link to my book from this site.   I had a link before but took it down because of the Amazon KDP Terms and Conditions clause:  "When you choose KDP Select for a book, you're committing to make the digital format of that book available exclusively through KDP. During the period of exclusivity, you cannot distribute your book digitally anywhere else, including on your website, blogs, etc. However, you can continue to distribute your book in physica...

Changes

I've changed several things since I last posted.The first is I made my book available through CreateSpace.  I approved the proofs, and now I'm waiting for the book to show up on Amazon.  It's supposed to take 5-10 business days.  I'm on Day 4, and nothing yet.

I also sent a request to Kindle that previous buyers of my book be able to update their copy with a newer version.  I thought about this a lot.  On the one hand, it should be obvious: of course I would want every...

Free Fallin'

I have dropped out of the Amazon Top 100 in my category.  Urgh.  How could I have gone from a high of #17 (paid) to god-knows-what in ten days??

I'm trying to fight an impulse to deny what's happening:  there HAS to be a mistake.  Immediately after my book became "available" on CreateSpace, but before it's been posted on Amazon, my sales started dropping…to nothing.  Coincidence?  Hmm, I think not.

Maybe it's the Olympics!

Or maybe it's this blog!

Or maybe it's all t...

Job description

I've taken several career aptitude tests in my life, and ironically, "Writer" never shows up in the top three of recommended jobs.  Instead, I am apparently meant for a career as an "Actuary" or "Accountant".  No offense to either field, especially since the only accountant-types I know are pretty successful, but nothing could be further from who I am.  I've been writing all my life, and am happiest when I'm being creative.  (Honestly, if "Teacher" and "Researcher" didn't...

Learning from mistakes

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,532 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

o    #48 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Drama > United States
o    #87 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Drama > United States

So what I worked on this weekend was getting my book ready to print in Createspace.  I am really taking my time with this process, though. 


There have been two reviews (one on Amazon, one on Goodreads)...