Darius Jones's Blog: A Writer Begins, page 33
August 7, 2012
A 300-Download Weekend
Well, in keeping with the promise of this blog to include both the trials and triumphs, here’s the breakdown of the stats from my Amazon KDP Select giveaway this weekend.
US 271 downloads
United Kingdom 39 downloads
Germany 14 downloads
Total 324 downloads
At first, I was a bit disappointed. I had about over 400 downloads in one day during my first giveaway on July 18. So, I was hoping to get about 400-800 downloads for the 2-days weekend giveaway. But, in retrospect, I think that was asking too much. I think the earlier adopter/downloaders have already seen the book, so it has lost a bit of its “wow factor.” And it was a nice summer weekend and the Olympics were on. So, maybe not the best timing.
One thing that doesn’t fit with this theory is that Germany actually had more downloads than previously. Maybe vegging out and watching the Olympics isn’t as popular in Germany?
Anyway, finishing the math for all 3 KDP Giveaway days, we get:
Aug. 4 -5 Total 324 downloads
July 18 Total 423 downloads
Sales to Date 27 copies
Grand Total 774
The upshot of all this is that I feel confident enough to admit that my goal since my first KDP giveaway on The Library of Lost Books has been to get 1,000 downloads and 29 sales for the book, over the book’s entire lifetime. (If you sell your book at .99 cents, 29 sales is the magic number you need to get a $10 royalty check. Amazon won't send you a check until you hit the $10 mark). And that’s what I told myself all weekend long: “Don’t forget your original goal.”
It’s still my goal and I hope to reach it soon. With a little luck I’ll get there before my KDP 3-month run is up on Oct. 10. I will keep you all posted.
Thanks to all of you for buying/downloading. Keeping checking the blog for future giveaways and news and...
Keep Spreading the Word,
Darius
PS Here’s your musical treat.
This was playing on my Pandora station as I periodically (limited to once every 4 hours) checked my stats on the Amazon Kindle store this weekend.
US 271 downloads
United Kingdom 39 downloads
Germany 14 downloads
Total 324 downloads
At first, I was a bit disappointed. I had about over 400 downloads in one day during my first giveaway on July 18. So, I was hoping to get about 400-800 downloads for the 2-days weekend giveaway. But, in retrospect, I think that was asking too much. I think the earlier adopter/downloaders have already seen the book, so it has lost a bit of its “wow factor.” And it was a nice summer weekend and the Olympics were on. So, maybe not the best timing.
One thing that doesn’t fit with this theory is that Germany actually had more downloads than previously. Maybe vegging out and watching the Olympics isn’t as popular in Germany?
Anyway, finishing the math for all 3 KDP Giveaway days, we get:
Aug. 4 -5 Total 324 downloads
July 18 Total 423 downloads
Sales to Date 27 copies
Grand Total 774
The upshot of all this is that I feel confident enough to admit that my goal since my first KDP giveaway on The Library of Lost Books has been to get 1,000 downloads and 29 sales for the book, over the book’s entire lifetime. (If you sell your book at .99 cents, 29 sales is the magic number you need to get a $10 royalty check. Amazon won't send you a check until you hit the $10 mark). And that’s what I told myself all weekend long: “Don’t forget your original goal.”
It’s still my goal and I hope to reach it soon. With a little luck I’ll get there before my KDP 3-month run is up on Oct. 10. I will keep you all posted.
Thanks to all of you for buying/downloading. Keeping checking the blog for future giveaways and news and...
Keep Spreading the Word,
Darius
PS Here’s your musical treat.
This was playing on my Pandora station as I periodically (limited to once every 4 hours) checked my stats on the Amazon Kindle store this weekend.
August 4, 2012
My New Novel Is Free This Weekend
All,
My new novel, The Library of Lost Books, is free this weekend—-August 4 and 5—-on the Amazon Kindle store.
Enjoy and please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads.
Darius Jones
My new novel, The Library of Lost Books, is free this weekend—-August 4 and 5—-on the Amazon Kindle store.
Enjoy and please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads.
Darius Jones
August 2, 2012
The Book in the Mirror
Lately, I’ve been intrigued by this quote from John Steinbeck on his book, East of Eden.
But, after all, it was my first novel, a sort of “learning” novel. It allowed me to understand characters, plot, tone, pacing and how they work and play out in a longer piece. It was an insightful and moving experience to see how the characters and the novel took on a life of their own. A life that would not always follow the dictates of its creator.
It’s funny how Steinbeck talks about a book, being similar to or having the likeness of a man. Jose Luis Borges’s work is a recurring theme in my novel. The Argentine was obsessed with mirrors and their supposed malicious powers. Somehow, I imagine old Steinbeck staring at a mirror and just seeing his book inside it, instead of his own face. I think he would see the shabby, careworn parts of the tome clearly, but would miss the finer features, the better parts of it.
What writer hasn't seen himself, but his book, when he looks in the mirror?
At any rate, I’ve never read the book this quote refers to, East of Eden. But I think it would be a fun experiment to read a chapter from his diary of the book and then read a chapter of the book and see how faithful he is to his daily plan for the book. Recently, a friend of mine said he didn’t care much for East of Eden. Which might just be my friend’s bad taste or might indicate that it’s a bad idea to keep a diary of a book as you write it. Sometimes, it's good not to over-think things.
For the source of the quote, see the original letter here on Letters of Note.
And for those of you out there who are STILL paying attention, check the blog this weekend.
A book is like a man—clever and dull, brave and cowardly, beautiful and ugly. For every flowering thought there will be a page like a wet and mangy mongrel, and for every looping flight a tap on the wing and a reminder that wax cannot hold the feathers firm too near the sun.He really nails it with that imagery. My new novel The Library of Lost Books, is no exception to this rule. For every winged flight of fancy there was a mangy mongrel. In fact, in some passages, mangy dogs with wings come to mind.
But, after all, it was my first novel, a sort of “learning” novel. It allowed me to understand characters, plot, tone, pacing and how they work and play out in a longer piece. It was an insightful and moving experience to see how the characters and the novel took on a life of their own. A life that would not always follow the dictates of its creator.
It’s funny how Steinbeck talks about a book, being similar to or having the likeness of a man. Jose Luis Borges’s work is a recurring theme in my novel. The Argentine was obsessed with mirrors and their supposed malicious powers. Somehow, I imagine old Steinbeck staring at a mirror and just seeing his book inside it, instead of his own face. I think he would see the shabby, careworn parts of the tome clearly, but would miss the finer features, the better parts of it.
What writer hasn't seen himself, but his book, when he looks in the mirror?
At any rate, I’ve never read the book this quote refers to, East of Eden. But I think it would be a fun experiment to read a chapter from his diary of the book and then read a chapter of the book and see how faithful he is to his daily plan for the book. Recently, a friend of mine said he didn’t care much for East of Eden. Which might just be my friend’s bad taste or might indicate that it’s a bad idea to keep a diary of a book as you write it. Sometimes, it's good not to over-think things.
For the source of the quote, see the original letter here on Letters of Note.
And for those of you out there who are STILL paying attention, check the blog this weekend.
July 26, 2012
A 400-Download Day
Well, so much for Amazon KDP Select being a waste of time.
I was skeptical of the program which lets you promote your book for free for five days if you commit to sell it exclusively through Amazon (at least in digital format). So far, it’s turned out to be a good deal.
My new novel, The Library of Lost Books, was downloaded by 423 people in one day last week during a special KDP promotion on Amazon. Here’s how it broke down across their stores:
US 358 downloads
United Kingdom 51 downloads
Germany 12 downloads
France 2 downloads
Of course, the book was FREE, but I still can’t believe it. In fact, for about an hour or so in the afternoon, it was in the Top 100 in the Amazon Kindle “Free” store in both genres I submitted it under: Literary Fiction and Fantasy Fiction.
Crazy. I was hoping to get the novel to 50 people total, over the book’s launch and lifetime. Now, it’s closer to 500. It peaked at 1,212 in the Kindle Free store which doesn’t sound impressive, until you realize that the store has a million titles. We’re talking almost the top one-tenth of one percent, if I’m doing the math right (and as a writer, I’m usually not). Needless to say it was great seeing my book up there with War and Peace, even if it was only for a day.
Now, the key is getting all you busy people out there to write reviews. I want to make this as easy as possible. You can post yours on the Amazon Kindle page for the book or here on Goodreads. A review doesn't have to be long, just a star rating and a few words.
Also, don’t forget to “Friend” or “Fan” me on Goodreads or Facebook.
And thanks to all of you out there that were brave enough to click on a book from an independent author you’ve never heard of before and give him a shot. I can’t thank all of you have bought or downloaded my book enough. You really made my day.
Keep Spreading the Word,
,Darius
PS I’ll give the last word to the musicians. Why is it that they’re so often better at capturing emotions than us writers?
Velvet Morning by the Verve. Live at Wigan, 1998.
I was skeptical of the program which lets you promote your book for free for five days if you commit to sell it exclusively through Amazon (at least in digital format). So far, it’s turned out to be a good deal.
My new novel, The Library of Lost Books, was downloaded by 423 people in one day last week during a special KDP promotion on Amazon. Here’s how it broke down across their stores:
US 358 downloads
United Kingdom 51 downloads
Germany 12 downloads
France 2 downloads
Of course, the book was FREE, but I still can’t believe it. In fact, for about an hour or so in the afternoon, it was in the Top 100 in the Amazon Kindle “Free” store in both genres I submitted it under: Literary Fiction and Fantasy Fiction.
Crazy. I was hoping to get the novel to 50 people total, over the book’s launch and lifetime. Now, it’s closer to 500. It peaked at 1,212 in the Kindle Free store which doesn’t sound impressive, until you realize that the store has a million titles. We’re talking almost the top one-tenth of one percent, if I’m doing the math right (and as a writer, I’m usually not). Needless to say it was great seeing my book up there with War and Peace, even if it was only for a day.
Now, the key is getting all you busy people out there to write reviews. I want to make this as easy as possible. You can post yours on the Amazon Kindle page for the book or here on Goodreads. A review doesn't have to be long, just a star rating and a few words.
Also, don’t forget to “Friend” or “Fan” me on Goodreads or Facebook.
And thanks to all of you out there that were brave enough to click on a book from an independent author you’ve never heard of before and give him a shot. I can’t thank all of you have bought or downloaded my book enough. You really made my day.
Keep Spreading the Word,
,Darius
PS I’ll give the last word to the musicians. Why is it that they’re so often better at capturing emotions than us writers?
Velvet Morning by the Verve. Live at Wigan, 1998.
July 23, 2012
The FAQs of Life
I provide the FAQs below to answer some of the most common questions I have heard about the novel I’ve just published, The Library of Lost Books, now available exclusively on Amazon’s Kindle store.
I don’t have a Kindle, can I still buy it?
Yes, all you have to do is download the Kindle app. It works with any PC, Mac, iPad, or any other device on the planet.
I have a Nook. Can I buy it on Barnes & Noble?
Not yet. I have decided to enroll the book in Amazon’s KDP for promotional purposes. In doing so, you agree not to publish the work anywhere else online for 3 months. When this period is over, I will post the book to the Nook store.
How and where can I leave a review?
You can leave a review on the Amazon page or on Goodreads.
How do you feel about people leaving reviews?
Great. Right now, a review is more important than even buying the book. Reviews will pique people’s interest and drive more readers to the book. Also, positive or negative, a review is the only way—besides practice—one can improve as a writer.
Do you plan to write more stuff?
I already have. Right now, I’m working on a series of short stories. I have already finished one and am shopping it around to magazines. I will post any major breakthroughs or defeats here.
This looks fun. Can I publish my own novel online?
Yes. E-publishing is the biggest breakthrough in publishing in a long time. It will make publishing a much more transparent, democratic process. The only challenge is that the author must be editor, publisher and agent rolled into one. I still have not mastered these arts.
That being said, you retain complete creative control and work to your own deadlines. But the greatest challenge is in creating a compelling manuscript that is polished. It’s the same old standard, but now with much less interaction from publishing industry middlemen. Which is both good and bad.
Would you recommend publishing your first novel online?
It depends. In my case, yes. On the other hand, if you were a more established writer and had built up a portfolio of short stories or had done time in a prominent workshop or creative writing program, you might want to shop around the manuscript to publishing houses first. They would be much more open to considering a manuscript from someone with such a background. In my case, I knew I didn’t have those things and my chances of getting published via the normal route were slim. I opted to write what I liked, skip the whole novel submittal process and do it myself.
I’m very happy with the result.
So, now that you’re a writer, you must be rich. How much in royalties have you made?
$0.
Sorry to disappoint, but I haven’t seen a single royalty check yet. You must have a minimum in sales of $10 before Amazon or Barnes and Noble sends you a check. You get between 35-40% royalties on each sale. I sold about 15 copies of my first story, the Truck Stop, which I choose to sell at $0.99. You can do the math, but it doesn’t add up to $10. Especially, when you divide it between two publishing houses.
But, as has often been said, good writing is its own reward.
,Darius
I don’t have a Kindle, can I still buy it?
Yes, all you have to do is download the Kindle app. It works with any PC, Mac, iPad, or any other device on the planet.
I have a Nook. Can I buy it on Barnes & Noble?
Not yet. I have decided to enroll the book in Amazon’s KDP for promotional purposes. In doing so, you agree not to publish the work anywhere else online for 3 months. When this period is over, I will post the book to the Nook store.
How and where can I leave a review?
You can leave a review on the Amazon page or on Goodreads.
How do you feel about people leaving reviews?
Great. Right now, a review is more important than even buying the book. Reviews will pique people’s interest and drive more readers to the book. Also, positive or negative, a review is the only way—besides practice—one can improve as a writer.
Do you plan to write more stuff?
I already have. Right now, I’m working on a series of short stories. I have already finished one and am shopping it around to magazines. I will post any major breakthroughs or defeats here.
This looks fun. Can I publish my own novel online?
Yes. E-publishing is the biggest breakthrough in publishing in a long time. It will make publishing a much more transparent, democratic process. The only challenge is that the author must be editor, publisher and agent rolled into one. I still have not mastered these arts.
That being said, you retain complete creative control and work to your own deadlines. But the greatest challenge is in creating a compelling manuscript that is polished. It’s the same old standard, but now with much less interaction from publishing industry middlemen. Which is both good and bad.
Would you recommend publishing your first novel online?
It depends. In my case, yes. On the other hand, if you were a more established writer and had built up a portfolio of short stories or had done time in a prominent workshop or creative writing program, you might want to shop around the manuscript to publishing houses first. They would be much more open to considering a manuscript from someone with such a background. In my case, I knew I didn’t have those things and my chances of getting published via the normal route were slim. I opted to write what I liked, skip the whole novel submittal process and do it myself.
I’m very happy with the result.
So, now that you’re a writer, you must be rich. How much in royalties have you made?
$0.
Sorry to disappoint, but I haven’t seen a single royalty check yet. You must have a minimum in sales of $10 before Amazon or Barnes and Noble sends you a check. You get between 35-40% royalties on each sale. I sold about 15 copies of my first story, the Truck Stop, which I choose to sell at $0.99. You can do the math, but it doesn’t add up to $10. Especially, when you divide it between two publishing houses.
But, as has often been said, good writing is its own reward.
,Darius
July 20, 2012
My New Novel
Well, here goes nothing.
My first novel has just been published. It's on the Amazon Kindle store here.
It's also on Goodreads: The Library of Lost Books
Please take the time to leave a review. And a big thank you to all of you who have already got it and are reading it.
,D
My first novel has just been published. It's on the Amazon Kindle store here.
It's also on Goodreads: The Library of Lost Books
Please take the time to leave a review. And a big thank you to all of you who have already got it and are reading it.
,D
A Writer Begins
A blog in which the triumphs and trials of new author, Darius Jones, are chronicled.
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