Nick Vulich's Blog, page 2

Free Book Promotion - 8 Promotional Websites that Will Get You More Downloads

Promoting your book used to be so easy. You'd book a date, set your price to free, and watch the downloads pour in. You could always count on 2500 to 5000 downloads for a three-day giveaway - without having spent a nickel on promotion. When the giveaway ended, you would see a nice bump in your paid sales - many times, several hundred paid sales would follow.
That was then. This is now.
Today, if you set your book to free and don't promote it, you're lucky to get 100 downloads.
WTF!
The rules of the game have changed. Every time you think you have it figured out, someone goes and changes everything—again.
One of the biggest challenges author’s face today is figuring out which promotion sites are going to give you the biggest bang for your buck. It’s not a sure thing that you will break-even—think about that carefully before you decide to drop three or four hundred dollars promoting your new book.
Everyone wants to feature their book on BookBub, but BookBub is expensive, and they're choosy—really-choosy. To get featured on BookBub, you need a lot of high-quality reviews. You need to meet their rigid editorial standards and have an expensive, professional cover design.
Even some of the smaller book promo sites choose which books to promote based on the number of reviews your book has and its star rating. If your book isn't at least four star or better, you better keep looking, because a lot of sites won't feature it.
Too bad, they aren't as exacting when it comes to producing results. 
What happens when you spend $25 or $50 and only get fifty downloads or two sales? Shouldn't authors know which sites payoff, and which ones don’t?
Maybe I'm crazy, but when I plunk down my hard-earned cash for a book promo, I expect results.
To put it in sexual terms, I want a happy ending!
I just finished running a five-day KDP Free Promo for my book History Bytes. It got downloaded over 5,000 times, grabbed the number one spot in the history category for three days, and ranked 37 overall in the Kindle free store. Not my best promotion, but not bad.
I shook things up a bit this time.Normally, I run one or two ads on the first day to kick off a two or three-day promotion. This time I did things a little differently. I stacked my promotions, so I had at least one running every day.
Day one started off with features on Choosy Bookworm and The Fussy Librarian. Costs: Fussy Librarian $25.00, Choosy Bookworm $48.00. Total downloads 625.
Day two had a single promotion on Free Booksy (one of my favorite sites). The ad cost $75 and garnered 1252 downloads.
Day three featured my new favorite promotional website - Robin Reads. Cost $55.00. 2741 downloads.
Day four started with a Read Cheaply promotion. Cost $25.00. 644 downloads.
Day five ran with another favorite and inexpensive promotion by James H. Mayfield. For $13.00, James submits your book deal to as many as thirty promotional sites. It saves you a lot of legwork and consistently brings good results. This time, I received 181 downloads. Previous promotions with Mayfield have received two or three times that number.
After the KDP promo winds up, I expect sales to take off at a nice clip. Sometimes paid sales click in right after the free promo ends, other times it can take a day or two for sales to start rolling in. Don’t panic.
My plan is to keep the price discounted to 99 cents for at least thirty days. Somewhere between week two and three, I'll run another promotion on Bargain Booksy. The cost is $25 in the nonfiction category. I did this six or seven months ago, with another promotion of History Bytes. Over a three-day period, I sold 253 books.
With the Bargain Booksy Feature, that brings the total cost of all my promotions to $266. To break even, I need to sell 788 books at 99 cents per book.
That's a shit ton of books. 
I think I can do it, but I know there are going to be a lot of anxious moments as I watch the sales ticker slowly make its climb.
Now for the fine print.
Your results are going to vary based on the book you are promoting, and how many times you have already promoted it on a given website. The first time I promoted History Bytes using FreeBooksy I got 8900 downloads over a five-day period and sales blasted off after the KDP free promo ended. Ever since then, most of my promos on FreeBooksy have gotten between 800 and 1200 downloads. It’s not the performance I was hoping for, but it’s to be expected. They’re promoting it to the same list. Each time you promote the same book to the same audience you are going to have fewer prospects. It’s the law of diminishing returns.
Book sales is a numbers game. To get the best bang for your buck, you need to plan your promotions wisely.
Don’t promote the same book on the same website more often than every 90 days, every 180 days would probably be best. When you spread your promotions out, you’re not going to burn potential readers out on your offer.
Here’s another word to the wise.
Don’t run a five-day promo if you’re not going to promote it every day, or at least every other day. Most book promotion sites email their list early in the day. By eleven o’clock sales start rolling in. You will get most of your downloads before six or seven o’clock. After that, they trickle in at a much slower rate. The day after your promotion ends, downloads are going to drop dramatically—unless you’ve got another promotion ready to fire things up again.
That’s why ad-stacking is so important.
Ad-stacking is the new buzz word in Internet marketing. If you are unfamiliar with the term, ad-stacking is similar to playing Dominoes. You run one ad after the other. That way you keep the momentum running from ad to ad.
I like to run a mid-size promotion on day one. That primes the pump and pushes my book into the top two or three hundred books on Amazon. Most often, I hit number one in several key categories. The next day, I run a larger promotion on FreeBooksy or Robin Reads. That pushes my book up the lists, so I usually score first place in all of my prime categories and rank among the top fifty or one hundred books in the Kindle free store.
Once you reach the number one spot in all your key categories, the rest of it’s really irrelevant. It’s great for your ego, but more downloads are not going to get you a lot more sales—unless you can push your book into the top five books in the free store—and even then—nothing is guaranteed. I’ve had several books hit number three in the free store, and have a miserable showing when they went back to paid.
That’s why I say; results aren’t a sure thing.
Here’s what I can tell you. If you want to make the top five list in the Kindle free store you need somewhere between fifteen to twenty-five thousand downloads, depending on your competition that day. From what I understand, it takes fifty thousand or more downloads to hit the number one spot.
Sometimes you can get there with a whole lot of luck. Other times you can get there with some well-planned promotions and a big wad of cash. It’s all about how bad you want it.
Before I wrap this discussion up, I’m going to mention two more promotion sites I’ve had a lot of luck using.
The first one is bknights on Fiverr. This guy (or gal) has three gigs running with over 4,000 feedbacks total, and they deliver. The standard price is five bucks, and when the results have been so-so, they refunded my payment—even when I didn’t ask for it. Bknights promotes your book on their website http://digitalbookspot.com/, and they offer gig extras where they will feature your book on their email list. You can submit free books and discounted books. I’ve had real good luck with both.
Another promotional service I’ve had good luck with is http://freebookservice.com/. These guys aren’t cheap, but they do produce results—and they do guarantee them. They have three packages to promote your free book. They guarantee 5,000, 10,000, or 15,000 downloads. I’ve always done much better. With the 5,000 package, I received 8900 downloads. With the 10,000 package, I received over 13,000 downloads. With the 15,000 package, I receive 23,000 downloads (which got me to the number three spot in the Kindle store—three times). Prices range from $189 to $379, so be prepared to pony up. I should also warn you these guys are provoking a lot of controversy on the Internet. Some scam warnings say they aren’t real downloads; others say Amazon will take your book down if you use them. That’s not true. I’ve used Free Book Service five times. I received the promised results and never received a threat from Amazon. If you’re worried, contact Amazon customer service before you make a move.
My best advice is if you have a new book, run your free promotion for five days. If your book has been out for a while, consider a two or three-day free run. Promote the hell out of it, and when the promotion is over—lower your price to 99 cents for at least seven days. If you’re not worried about making money right off, keep it at 99 cents for thirty days. You will get more paid sales and reviews.
If you’re going to do a 99 cent promotion, set up a Kindle Count Down Deal and stack your promotions using BargainBooksy, Robin Reads, bknights, and other promotional sites—that way you will make 70 cents per book, compared to 35 cents.

If you don’t get the results you want, don’t sweat it. Not every promotion is going to take off. Some will take you in different directions than you expected. I ran one promotion for History Bytes where audiobook sales took off out of the blue. I watched the book go from 80,000 on Audible, all the way down to 288. For several days, I was outselling Bill O’Reilly, Stephen Ambrose, and other giants in the history category.
Don’t ask me why?
I don’t know if it just took off, if Amazon promoted the hell out of it, or if some book blogger started pushing it. You can’t plan for these sort of things. They just happen. I remember Steve Scott talking about one of his books hitting number one on Amazon just before Christmas. He had no idea what happened, but it was a hell of a lot of fun watching the book make its climb to the top. In the end, he figured some book blogger promoted it to his list, and the rest as they say—is history.

Eventually, luck will push you to the top of the heap. Until it does, keep plugging away.

Book Review: Kindle Success Hacks business realities insider secrets

If you're struggling to make more sales (and aren't we all?), this book may provide the necessary spark you need to ignite your sales.

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Be forewarned, the book doesn't contain any new ideas, tips, or suggestions - but the author does put his own spin on many oldies, but goodies. And, I think he'd be the first to admit, that's not all bad. In the section on book titles, Morgan reminds us, "Creativity...is not necessarily 'originality.'" Borrow portions of titles that have worked for other authors, and piece them together so they make browser's stop, and ask themselves - is this book worth reading?

For me, the most useful section, focused on book descriptions. I don't know how many times I've just said the hell with it, and cut and pasted a pertinent section from my book. Needless to say, it rarely works out for the best.

Morgan suggests the key to an effective book description is curiosity. Give readers just enough to whet their appetite, and make them ask - What comes next?

If you can make your description irresistible, sales will follow.

As far as book reviews, Morgan says you need them, and sticks with the time tested minimum of six. That gives you three expanded reviews, and three more abbreviated reviews to the right of the others. As far as getting reviews, he "poo-poo's" contacting Amazon Top Reviewers. From my own experience this ploy hardly ever works - unless, they've reviewed one of your other books. Then it's worth a shot.

Pricing is a crapshoot, no matter how you look at it.

Some people will buy your book at 99 cents, some at $2.99, and a smaller number of people will buy it at $9.99. A few years back Steve Scott wrote a book, Is 99 Cents the New Free? At that time it was, or at least, it seemed to work. Today major publishers are jumping into the fray, launching new books at $1.99 for just a few days, and the strategy appears to be working.

Will it work for you?

All I can say, is give it a whirl. Some books will take off, some won't. Accept that price is just one piece of the puzzle.

Morgan's suggestion on audiobooks somewhat scares me. He says authors should read their own books, not engage professional talent. For most of us, I think that would be a major faux paux. I've always used a professional narrator. And unless you've got an amazing voice, I would suggest you do the same.

The final section of the book was written by Derek Doepker, a professional book coach, who has written numerous books on self publishing.

He gives seven key tips every author needs to know. Number one is the most important: "People aren't buying what you say, they're buying HOW you say it."

Face it. There's nothing new under the sun.

The only difference is you!

It's your spin on an old idea that makes it intriguing. Your voice and style are what bring a story to life. Many books about history come off as stiff and droll, but they don't have to be that way. In his books about the old west, Mark Lee Gardner brings the characters to life, by talking about his life long interest in the subject matter. About going to reenactments of the Great Northfield Minnesota Raid. And, then he goes into the story, giving intimate details of the locations where the stories took place, which we all know are accurate, because he told us in advance that he had retraced every step of the territory. Kenneth Roberts is another author who turned the world upside down with his spin on historical events in the 1930s and 1940s. He reinvented Benedict Arnold, transforming him from a traitor to the hero he was before that fateful day at West Point. His books were packed with details only someone intimately familiar with the locales would know.

You make the story. Nick Vulich might tell a boring story about Alexander the Great, but someone familiar with the territory, and ancient Greek history could bring the story to life.

Kindle Success Hacks is a short book, it's not packed with details, but it's definitely worth a look.

Another Look At Free Book Promotions With KDP

If anybody told me four years ago that I'd be spending thousands of dollars a year to promote my books, I would have told them they were frigging nuts. But any more, it seems as if you can't get any traction on Amazon if you don't throw out some cash to prime the pump.

I've tried most of the services out there, and let me tell you - the majority of them are a total waste.
I used to think Free Book Service was the real thing. The guys there got me hooked when they offered me a free promotion for my book eBay Business Expert. I got to tell you, it was pretty exciting watching the Amazon ticker climb. Every time I refreshed my browser, the total jumped another 500 or 1,000 copies. By the time it was over, I received 8900 free downloads in a matter of hours. The whole thing was something like magic. Here's the problem with magic. It seems to have a limited duration. When my book went back to paid, I sold less than nine copies over the next week.
I tried it again with another one of my books, Life Without the BS. I plunked down $189 for that one. Again, it was amazing the way those books flew off the shelf. And, this time I did sell nearly one hundred copies over the next month, and I got a good number of page reads. Better yet, I broke even, and turned that book into a bestseller of sorts. It wiggled between number one and two in the political humor category on Amazon for four weeks. I considered that a win.
I used Free Book Service again when I launched History Bytes last July. I plunked down nearly $400 for that promotion. In return for my money, the guys promised at least 15,000 promotions. I ended up with just over 37,000 downloads over a three day period, so I'd call that a win. Over the next month, History Bytes ranked between number two and three in several history categories on Amazon.
I gotta tell you, I was flying high. My book was up there selling with the likes of Stephen Ambrose and Bill O'Reilly. Not too shabby for a relative newbie. And, I made several thousand dollars to boot, so overall, it was money well spent.
I doubled down and tried another $400 promotion for Indie Authors Toolbox. I could have just as well flushed my money down the crapper. I gave a lot of books away, and the book reached number three in the Kindle Free Store - the same as I did with History Bytes. The only problem was, I only sold twenty-two copies over the next month.
I stopped using Free Book Service after that, not so much because of lagging sales, but because they have a bad rep on Amazon. Google them, and you'll see a lot of bad mumbo jumbo about people getting their books yanked after using the service, or getting warnings from Amazon. I don't know. I never had any problems with that. I think, Free Book Service needs to address the issues on their website so more people will feel comfortable using them.
Here's my take on the thing. If you want to give away a truckload of free books, Free Book Service will get it done. If you want to drive sales and reviews, I'm not so sure.
Anymore, I stick with three proven services to launch my books. They have a smaller upfront price, and give me a pretty big bang for my buck.
If you're on a limited budget, BKnights on Fiverr is a great option. They're only five bucks, and I always get several hundred downloads when I use them. They also offer a promotion service for paid books. It works pretty well if you price your book at 99 cents. When I priced my books at $2.99, it didn't give me the bump I wanted.
I just started using James H. Mayfield Book Promotions in the last few months, and let me tell you I'm liking the results. They're not massive, but I can usually expect 400 to 600 extra downloads. Not bad for the $13.00 they charge. 
Another book promotion service I really like is Freebooksy. They have a sliding fee schedule based on the genre your book is in. Promo prices can range from $40 to $200. It's a good sized chunk of change to drop on a book promo, but every time I've used them I've gotten good results. I've never gotten less than 2100 downloads, and the last time I promoted History Bytes I received 8900 downloads. Better yet, I sold almost 1,000 copies in the month after the promotion. 
The Freebooksy people also offer another service for paid book promotion. It's called Bargain Booksy, and let me tell you. It works. About a month after my free book promo for History Bytes, I ran a Bargain Booksy Deal at 99 cents. Over five days I sold close to 300 copies, and got a good deal of page reads to boot. The best day for that promo was 91 sales. Another win.
The month after that I promoted Killing the Presidents. I gave away nearly 2100 books over five days, but sales were disappointing. Over the next 30 days, I only sold six or seven copies, and received about 3500 page reads
With all that said, what would I recommend. Promote your book. Promote it often. But, be careful which books you promote. Killing the Presidents, and Indie Authors Toolbox weren't selling before I promoted them. That didn't change much after I promoted them. My guess is a dog is a dog. People will take it for free, but once you put a price tag on it, they're going to see it for what it is. Let it go, and write a new book.
Here's the way I do it now. 
I schedule a three day promotion. The first day I run a promotion with James H. Mayfield and BKnights. That primes the pump, and starts my book climbing up the ranks. The next two days I run my Freebooksy promo and that really heats things up.
Try it for yourself. Shake things up a bit. Develop a system that works for you.

Book Review: Write. Publish. Repeat. Sean Platt, Johnny B. Truant, with David Wright.

I get it. Time is tight. You’re already bogged down with work, and family obligations. How are you ever going to find five hours to commit to read a book you’re not sure is going to solve your book marketing problems. It’s a dilemma most self-publishers find themselves in now and again.
Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered.
Over the next several months I'm going to review seven books guaranteed to relieve your pain, and help get your book sales back on track.
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Write. Publish. Repeat . Sean Platt, Johnny B. Truant, with David Wright.
The title pretty much says it all. The secret to making money as an author is to write a book, publish it, and get started writing your next book. Sorry to be the one to break it to you, but one book isn’t going to cut it if you want to make it as an indie author.
With that said, what’s the biggest take away from the book. “You can outwork luck.”
Seriously. Being a success as an indie author isn’t easy. Everyone likes to say E. L. James, Hugh Howie, and J. K. Rowling were lucky. Maybe they were. But, what most people don’t see is the years of hard work each of these authors put in behind the scenes, and all the failed books these writers published before that good luck kicked in.
What’s that mean for you?
You can keep wishing for some good karma, but if you want make to it as a writer, you’ve got to pay your dues, and make your own luck. The authors talk about an epiphany moment they had walking through Barnes and Noble. They compare a visit to the bookstore to being lost in a big city you’re unfamiliar with. You’ve got to follow the signposts to find the general section you’re looking for, and then once you’re there, it’s still a matter of poke and hope. Some books are face out so you can see the cover, but the majority of them are spine out, meaning if you’re lucky—you may be able to read its title. That’s when it came to the authors. “If a reader already likes you, a bookstore’s size is irrelevant.” Let that sink in for a moment. According to an article published in Digital Book World an average Barnes and Noble store carries upwards of 200,000 books.
How in the hell is anyone going to find your book in that mishmash of books, videos, and literary toys?
It’s not going to happen, unless—you stack the odds in your favor. How do you do that? The authors suggest you can be wildly successful if you can muster up just “1,000 raving fans.” One thousand fans who will read every word you publish, tell their friends and family about your books, and who will anxiously await the release of your next title.
How do you do it?
The key to success in self-publishing is your email list. It’s how you stay connected with your fans. You’ve got to tell them what you’re doing, what you’re thinking, and what new and exciting projects are waiting for them in your pipeline. Many successful authors bounce book ideas off their mailing list. Steve Scottconstantly polls his email list, asking readers what questions they have, what they would like to know, and he tips them off about sales on his books and books from his friends. Rob Cubbon does something similar, asking readers which covers they like best, and what information they want to know more about. Rob and Steve both publish quarterly income reports, letting readers see the ups and downs you’re going to face as an indie author.
You can do the same thing by building your own email list.
Keep in mind, everyone starts with one fan, and grows their list from there. Each book you publish will attract a new group of readers, until you reach, and then exceed the 1,000 fan mark. Share your best ideas with your fanbase. Offer them free copies of your newest books in exchange for honest reviews. Share freely. Let them know about other books and events that may interest them, and they will repay you with loyalty.

Write. Publish. Repeat. is a book every indie author should read. If you’re pressed for time, you can skip through the first hundred and fifty pages, and cut right to the meat and potatoes of the book. If you want the full experience, read the entire book.

Review: Book Reviews That Sell by Dr. Gary Webb

Book Reviews That Sell: Discover the Secrets of Getting a Boatload of Great Reviews by Gary Webb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book Reviews That Sell offers an easy to implement strategy for increasing the number of reviews for your books.

The author gives the usual cautions: Don't buy book reviews on Fiverr. Don't exchange reviews with members of author groups or circles, and don't move too fast.

What the author does a good job of doing is explaining what you should look for in reviewers. One thing he cautions is you don't want reviews from just anyone. You want reviews from people who will like your book, have read and reviewed books similar to it, and who understand, an effective review is generally longer than one or two sentences. It should say why you liked, or didn't like the book. It should explain what readers can expect to gain from reading your book. At the very least, it should offer several thoughtful comments on your content.

The other section I liked was on how to collect endorsements for your book. You know, the front matter you see in many books where authors and experts rave about why you should by this book, or how reading it is going to change your life. I think, this, if anything else, will be my major takeaway from this book. I definitely understand how endorsements could help to grow my sales, especially if they are written by the right people.

Overall, a good book, that will help you score more reviews, and hopefully grow your sales.

View all my reviews

Google + A Fun Way For Authors To Hangout With Readers And Peers

Google + isn’t as big as Facebook (yet), but they have something better going for them. They’re a part of the Google family, and posts placed there rank instantly in search.
For this reason alone, it’s hard not to be on Google +.
They also have some nifty features the other guys don’t. Among these are Hangouts, and Businesses Pages that integrate into Google search.
If you’re still unconvinced why you should be on Google + consider this—if you’re a starving artist unable to pony up the big bucks needed to advertise your books, and unable to compete with the big guys in your genre, Google + and Google Local Business can propel you to the top of search.
Google Hangouts gives you the opportunity to conference one-on-one with readers and other authors from your neck-of-the-woods, or from around the world.
What that means is even though you’re writing about the Zombie Apocalypse from your home office or kitchen table in Clinton, Iowa, you can connect with readers in Cucamonga in real time. How cool is that? You can conduct a one-on-one conversation with them, or chat with a small group of potential readers. If you’re researching a new book there’s no need to travel—you can sit down face-to-face and chat on Google Hangouts.
If you’re an author with a consulting practice on the side Google + changes everything.
A Google +Business Page can help move your business to the top of search. It puts all of your info out there for everyone to see. And more importantly it helps potential readers connect with you by filling in the missing gaps. Normally potential customers see the services you’re selling, but they don’t get to meet the person behind the products.
Google + changes the rules by sharing more information about you. When you set up a Business Page you get to tell your story—what you do, why you do it, and how you can add value to your customer’s experience. You can also include links to your author pages, social media pages, blogs, websites, etc.
Hangouts give authors the opportunity to brand themselves and build authority in their field.
Let’s say you write about how to collect and grade vintage baseball cards. Maybe you’re books are selling well, but you want to take them to the next level. With Hangouts you could invite a select group of collectors to hop online with you for a short video conference where you discuss how to grade the 1955 Topps Baseball Set, or maybe you could talk about the importance of the 1954 and 1955 baseball inserts in Sports Illustrated Magazine.
Each talk gives you the opportunity to up your value and expertise level in the eyes of your readers.
Lots of authors write about collecting vintage baseball cards. Imagine how potential readers will react if you take the time to communicate one-on-one with them to provide them with the information they want and need to enhance their collections and expand their personal knowledge base.
I know what you’re thinking. Yeah! It’s a great way to connect with my readers, but who’s got the time! I have a full time job. In my spare time I have to write, edit and market my books.
It’s a battle. It really is. Everything is competing for your valuable time, and here I am suggesting you spend time doing face-to-face videos with readers and potential readers.
I must be some kind of nutcase, right?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Let’s talk a little more about Google +, and we can come back to this later when the time is right.
Getting Started with Google +
Google + (or Google Plus) is the new kid on the block in social media. Because they’re backed by the power of Google they have quickly become the number two player in the game second only to Facebook with 400 million registered users.
In essence Google + is Facebook on steroids because Google integrates information from Plus into search.  If searchers insert a (+) before their search term it pulls up a list of Google + Business Pages.
The easiest way to get started with Google + is to sign up with your Gmail address.
Keep in mind, you can’t just start a Business Page on Google +. You need to set up a personal page first. One other thing you need to know, Google requires you to open your Plus account with your real name. Anonymity is not allowed.
Every Google + profile consists of three separate pieces of information.
1.                 Picture2.                 Bio3.                 Contact Info
Make sure your profile photo reflects your author brand.
Next you’re asked to provide your bio or story.
Your story starts with atagline. My tagline on Google + reads, “short easy to read solutions to your ecommerce problems.” It’s a perfect introduction, and tells everyone exactly what I do.
Under this you will find a spot for your introduction. This is where you make your pitch; tell people what you do; and why you’re the guy to solve their problem. You’ve got as much space as you like to tell your story, but shorter is probably better. People have a short attention span, especially on the internet.
To give you an idea of what to say, I posted my Amazon author bio in my introduction.

My books offer short easy to read solutions to your ecommerce problems.  

Most of them can be read in under an hour. The information can be used to help you sell more products on eBay and Amazon, services on Fiverr, or eBooks on Amazon and Kindle. 

Selling on line isn't a mystery. It doesn't even have to be difficult. 

It's really all about getting started. Many people I've talked with have this crazy fear about putting things up for sale on eBay and Amazon. They think they have to do this and do that; they worry they don't know enough about what they're doing to do it right; they wonder what they should sell; and they worry about whether they can even do it or not.
That's where my books come in. 

They take you hand-in-hand and walk you through getting started selling on eBay, Amazon, and Fiverr. They show you how to market your Kindle book. 

My goal is to help you over the speed bumps, so you can be more successful from the get-go. 

What are you waiting for? 

Most of my books are available as audio books, so if you prefer to listen rather than read, be sure to check them out.

Just below this there’s a section called bragging rights. You can talk about your kids, your prize American Eskimo puppy, awards or honors you’ve received, or volunteer work. Choose something that will make you stand out with your audience.
As an author your work and educational background may or may not be relevant to your profile. If you’re an art historian a mention of your BFA or MFA, or residency in a distinguished art program could be a huge plus. If you write literary fiction and you have an MFA from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, by all means brag about it. I always work in that I studied American Literature with David Morrell (the author of Rambo). How cool is that?
Do what you think is best. Tip: There is a check box to the right of each question where you can choose who sees your information. That way you can make your work and educational background available on a need-to-know basis.
Contact informationlets viewers know how they can get in touch with you. I’d suggest erring on the cautious side here. An email address is probably safe. If you have a separate business phone line for your author business feel free to share it here. I wouldn’t provide an address outside of city, state, or region. There are a lot of disturbed individuals on the internet, no sense in putting yourself on their radar unnecessarily.
Basic informationcollects your gender (male / female), information on the type of connections you’re looking for (networking / personal / clients), birthdate, relationship (are you married / dating / a little too personal here), and any other names you go by (keep it appropriate for your audience).
Links is a way to help viewers connect with you. Be sure to include links to your website, blog, Amazon Author Page, and any other social media sites you are active on.
……………
Setting up a separate Business Page is similar to setting up your Google + personal page, only this time you’re going to slant the information towards your business.
When you set up your business page you want to make sure you link your Amazon Author Page to your Google + Business Page. When you do this it will always bring your website to the front of search.
Earlier I mentioned Hangouts, a spot where you can hold real time video chats with up to nine of your contacts. Google + has several other unique features you need to know about.
Your contacts are separated into groups labeled Circles. When you first get started on Google + they suggest four circles—friends, family, acquaintances, and following.
You can add as many circles as you like. Just be aware you are limited to 5,000 persons total in all of your circles.
You are in charge of who is in your circles, and people can be in more than one circle. It all depends upon how you classify them.
The idea is to group similar contacts together. When you do this it makes it easier to share information, because you can limit who receives which message. If you write in more than one genre you could setup a number of different circles that target each of your pen names, or one for each series you write. This way you can send targeted messages to each group, or if you’re really ambitious you could create several different newsletters targeted at each group of readers.
There are two different ways to add people to circles: add a person, and type a name. Add a personis only available on personal pages.
Add a person lets you search for someone by name or email address. If the person you want to add isn’t on Google +, Google will email them an invitation so they can join and connect with you. Tip: You don’t have to know the person you invite to connect with you. So go ahead. Fire off an invitation to Barrack Obama or Taylor Swift; just don’t be offended if they don’t take time out to add you back. Type a name is how you search for people to add to your Circles on a Business Page.
Similar to Facebook you can like or unlike people (Circle and un-Circle). To un-Circle someone highlight them, and click on the remove link. If one of your contacts gets out of line and you don’t want to un-Circle them, you can block them. It’s sort of like clapping a set of earplugs on them; they can no longer follow your conversation.
You can call people out or mention them by putting an * @ * or * + *in front of their user name. For example, @BarrackObama or +BarrackObama. The difference is when you use +BarrackObama the person is notified that you mentioned them. Using +username is a good way to grab someone’s attention and make sure you get noticed.
Google+ also has a messaging service for members that is much faster than texting. Instant upload saves all of your pictures from your phone to a private area on Google+. The only drawback is the feature is only available to Android users. Take that Apple.
A quick way to search out users on Google + is to use the search bar. It’s located under the menu bar at the top of the page to the right of the Google+ logo. You can search for people or businesses the same way. When you click on a displayed name it takes you to their Google+ page.
Google+ also has a feature called communities. A community is a group of like-minded people who hang out and share their knowledge. Feel free to join a community, or if you don’t see one that fits your tastes you can start your own community.
Going back to Hangouts—up to nine people can hold an online video conference. If you have people in your hangout who speak a different language, you can engage Google translate to make communication easier. Another great thing about Hangouts is you can post and share documents or doodle on a shared sketch board.
Hangouts give authors an opportunity to enhance their authority, develop their email list, and build interest in new books.
Let’s say you write about vintage sports collectibles. You could host a series of Hangouts that focus on how to grade different sets, common forgeries, and investment grade collectibles. When you’re ready to launch a new book you can build interest in the weeks leading up to the launch by hosting a series of Hangouts that discuss different topics vintage sports collectors would be interested in.
The sky is the limit with Google +.
You can brand yourself as an expert, share facts about your books, or use video – pictures – and chat to strengthen the connection with your readers.

What are you waiting for?
......................................................Excerpt from my new book
Authors are divided on the need for social media, its uses, and its outcomes. Some writers will tell you they couldn’t have gotten where they are without it, others will say “Why bother!” or “Hey! I tried it, and it didn’t make any diff. My sales stayed the same.” 

I’m going to try not to take sides here. My goal is to give you the information you need to implement social media in your writing business should you choose to do so. 

Social Media By the Numbers

According to a PEW University study published in 2014 seventy-one percent of adults who use the internet are on Facebook. Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest lag way behind with adult usage rates that fall somewhere between 23 to 28 percent.31 percent of seniors are on Facebook.53 percent of young adults age 18 to 29 are on Instagram. And, over half of these users visit the site daily.Women are three times more likely to use Pinterest than men. 42 percent of women who use the internet are on Pinterest, versus 13 percent of men.
If you need more help in choosing the correct social media platform to reach your key demographics check out the rest of the PEW University study.
Facebook users are aging with a larger percentage of seniors over age sixty-five on the site. Women are more likely to frequent Facebook than men.
Twitter usage is higher among young adults ages eighteen to twenty-nine, and falls off sharply among users over age forty-nine. Young adults and Afro-Americans are more likely to engage on Twitter.
Instagram has a high usage rate among young Americans ages eighteen to twenty-nine, and among Afro-Americans.
Pinterest users are primarily women, who tend to be college educated and more affluent.
LinkedIn is used less than other social media sites, but could be helpful if you are marketing to individuals between the ages of fifty to sixty-five. LinkedIn users also tend to be college graduates, with a higher annual household income.
The PEW University study does leave out one important group—teenagers.
If your books are aimed more towards teens you need to check out a 2014 study by Piper Jaffray … Taking Stock With Teens – Fall 2014.
Here’s some of the information you will discover.
Your message better look good on an iPhone, because 67 percent of teenagers either have or plan on getting an iPhone.Instagram and Twitter are the social media sites most frequented by teens. So if teens are your target audience you need to include more pictures, video, and music in your posts, and fewer words.Pinterest is the least used social media site among teensFacebook is used by fifty percent of all teens, but is not as popular as it was in the past.
Before I go into specifics on the individual social media sites here’s something you need to understand: the people you want to reach spend a large portion of their day online. Many of them rarely if ever leave social media sites, so if you don’t engage with them there, you’re not going to be able to sell to them—period.

........................................................

Excerpt from my new book.


Authors are divided on the need for social media, its uses, and its outcomes. Some writers will tell you they couldn’t have gotten where they are without it, others will say “Why bother!” or “Hey! I tried it, and it didn’t make any diff. My sales stayed the same.” 

I’m going to try not to take sides here. My goal is to give you the information you need to implement social media in your writing business should you choose to do so. 

Is Free Still Viable a Marketing Tool on Amazon?

I just finished my most successful free run on Kindle. History Bytes, 37 People, Places, and Events That Shaped American History ranked number three in the Kindle Free Store after giving away 24,000 copies in a forty-eight hour period.



Not too shabby.

Especially for a book that ranked 215,000 in the Kindle Paid Store just hours before it started it's free run. Two weeks before that I ran another high performing free run with my book, Life Without the BS: Rants, Raves, and Other Crazy Stuff. At the end of its five day free run it rocketed up to number twenty-three in the Kindle Free Store. Since then, it ranked number one in one of the political humor categories for nearly two weeks. Just recently, it was knocked down a peg to number two. Still not bad for a book, that ranked around 600,000 just before I started promoting it.

It's still too soon to tell what will happen with History Bytes. I assume it will rocket up the charts, and become a top seller in several of the history categories.

But, there is the question of ROI (return on investment).

It cost a small fortune to promote each book, and push it up the charts. After two weeks, Life Without the BS has sold seventy copies (including 26 sales, and 47 Kindle Unlimited reads). In dollars and cents, that is roughly $80.00 in royalties versus the $189.00 spent to promote the book.

Is that a good investment?

I'm not sure. The odds are I will come close to breaking even by the end of the month so moneywise, it's a bust. Reader-wise - my book was made available to nearly 9,000 new readers. If only ten percent of them read it, that's 900 new people who've read one of my books. If just ten percent of them purchase my new book, that's 90 new readers waiting to plunk down $2.99 for the new "Nick book."

I can live with that.

I spent just over $400.00 to promote History Bytes. If I don't sell a single copy, that's still 24,000 more books out there. If we assume ten percent of the people who took time out to download it actually read it, that's 2400 new readers. Based on the same math I used with Life Without the BS, that's 240 people who will be ready, willing, and able to purchase my new book.

I ran a similar promotion with History Bytes three months ago when I first released it. That promotion cost me $200.00, and I ended up giving away nearly 13,000 books in a five day period. Over the next five months I sold nearly 250 copies at $2.99 each, and gathered another 400 plus Kindle Unlimited reads.

I'm hoping for better results this time, but will take whatever I can get.

........................................
I think the big takeaway is FREE is still a great option for getting the word out, and giving your book a boost, but .... And, this is a big but. It's only going to work if you promote the hell out of your free days and make the most of it. if you want to sell more books, you've got to rank in the top one hundred - better yet in the top twenty of all books in the Kindle Free Store to really make an impact on your sales once your book returns to paid.
That's my take on it.
What's yours?

Babelcube Introduces Paperback Books to Their Translation Service.

Babelcube has added an exciting new feature for 2015 - Print books for your foreign translations.

The really nice thing is, they've made it simple to use. You don't need to know anything about publishing, formatting, or book layout to publish your paperback, just follow Babelcube's four easy steps.
To get started go to your Translations page. It's changed now to include a box labeled Paperbacks. Click on Paperbacks, and you will be taken to the first step of creating your new book.

When you click on Paperbacks the following box appears. It's titled Book File. Basically, you have the option of using the interior file that Babelcube generated for your book, or uploading one of your own.
You can view the file generated by Babelcube by clicking the blue link labeled here. When you do this it downloads a PDF file of your book's content. The nice thing is, Babelcube has done all of the work for you. They've formatted the text, added page numbers, and headers with your name and the title. I did a quick look through all of my books, and the page breaks are fine. 
The only fault I can find is they chose to go with a 5 x 8 sizing for the books, rather that the standard 6 x 9 size for a trade paperback. It's not a big deal, and if most of the books they publish are fiction, it makes sense, because most novels are 5 x 8.
At the bottom of this page you need to choose whether you are going to use the book file supplied by Babelcube, or if you prefer to upload your own.


The next section is labeled Book Properties. It lets you choose the page and cover styles for your book, Page style is a personal preference, white or cream. I prefer cream because it looks more like a regular book you can pick up at the book store. If you want a more professional look, or have numerous illustrations, white pages may be a better choice.
The next choice is whether you would like a matte or glossy cover. What that means is a dull finish (matte) or a shiny finish (glossy).My personal preference is matte, especially if the book uses dark colors like black, navy blue, or green.
The other key take away from this page is the book size - 5 x 8 inches.


Step 3 is for you to upload your Book Cover.
If you've never formatted a paperback book before, this it the trickiest step. The cover needs to be sized based on the number of pages and the page style. When it is done properly, the cover wraps around the pages for a perfect fit. If you want the book title and your name on the spine your book needs to be roughly 123 pages. If it is less than that the spine should be left blank.
I would recommend having your cover designer format the cover. That way you're guaranteed a perfect fit, and a great looking layout.
I have my covers made by a designer on Fiverr.

It's simple, inexpensive, and it's sized perfectly every time. All I have to do is send them the front cover design (normally the same one I use for my book on Babelcube), a copy of the blurb (back cover text), and a few notes about the size and formatting. I give them the book size (5 x 8), number of pages, and the page style (white or cream). The designer takes it from there, and turns it into a publishable cover.
For do-it-yourselfer's, Babelcube has a template you can download to help size and design your own cover.


The final step is to set your price, or Book Price as it is labeled by Babelcube.
This step shows you the cost of printing your book, the minimum price you are required to set for your book, and then it has a box for your to enter your price. The really cool thing is - when you enter the price, your expected royalty is shown below the price box. This gives you a chance to see how much you will make at different prices.


As soon as you're happy with your price and expected royalties, click Final Step: Publish Paperback, and the presses will start whirling.
Turning your book into a paperback really is that easy. Visit Babelcube today, and give it a shot.
Cover for my book Freaking Idiots Guide to Selling on eBay in it's Spanish edition
Cover for my book Sell it Online in it's Italian edition

New Barnes & Noble Print on Demand Service

Barnes & Noble debuted a new print on demand service today as part of it's Nook Press.



From what I can see, the prices are going to be more reasonable than Lulu. I created a 180 page hardbound edition with a dust jacket for $10.10. The same book with Lulu would cost $13.25, so you save a little over $3.00 per copy. Not bad. From what I can see, you're able to order between one and 125 copies. Shipping was reasonable. I ordered two copies, and postage was $6.00.

Now for the downside.

At the current time, Nook is strictly a print on demand service. They do not distribute your books, or sell them on their platform. Because of that you need to have your own method for distributing your book.

You could sell them to friends, at book signings, and on your website. You can also sell them on Amazon if you have a seller account. I did that with a few hardbacks I printed on Lulu before Amazon picked them up.

Creating the book was fairly easy once I figured out how to embed fonts in my files. The good thing is Nook Press walks you through the entire process, and explains how to embed fonts, and create PDF print ready files.

To get started you need three PDF files. The inside file, the front cover, and the back cover. Nook specifies page sizes and margins for everything so it's easy to follow along. You upload each file separately, and then create your spine.

Like I said, I ordered two copies. It sounds like it should take a week or two to receive them. I'll share the results here when I receive them.