Nick Vulich's Blog, page 7

Interview with Author Steve Scott

I have a special treat for everybody today. Steve Scott has taken time out to share some tips for Kindle publishers. I think you will find what he has to say both interesting and actionable..

I interviewed Matt Stone a few months ago, and when I asked him what it was like to work with Steve Scott, he told me “Steve is an efficiency machine.” How do you respond to that?
I guess that's a good thing.  Honestly, I don't think I work any harder than most people.  The difference is I believe in creating schedules for writing and completing a minimum word count on a daily basis.  Before I do anything else during a workday, I make sure to complete my writing.  I feel that if authors applied this type of structure in their day, they could easily crank out a consistent level of content.__________
Most books about self-publishing talk about price pulsing and optimizing your book’s selling price to make the most money possible. Whenever you talk about pricing, you talk about keeping your price low, and how important it is to offer your readers value for their dollar. Can you talk about that philosophy a little, and how it has paid off for you?
The mistake that I see many authors make is to squeeze the maximum amount of money on a single purchase.  I believe that providing value, at a good price, is the best long-term strategy for getting repeat customers.  You see, your goal shouldn't be to make a bunch of money on one book.  You want to give a valuable enough reading experience that a reader will come back and buy the other books in your catalog.  So while I don't make as much with an upfront purchase, I'm confident that I make more money in the long-term because single purchase readers will go on to check out (i.e. buy) other offers.__________
You’ve recently started making the move away from a Kindle only platform. Some of your books are available as Create Space paperbacks, and as Audible audio books. How is that move working out for you? And, do you feel it is something more Kindle publishers should be doing?
The results have been mixed.  I barely make my money back on CreateSpace books, but they also show a nice "price differential" on the Kindle books, so the $2.99 price looks more attractive.  The Audible stuff has been great so far.  Out of five books, four have made their money back.  In addition, the income is starting to creep up to the $1k to $2k range, which is a nice supplement to the Kindle books.
I feel that authors should try out both platforms--at least on their bestselling books.  My advice is to try it with the books that generate at least five sales a day.  Odds are it will have enough "visibility" to get traction on the new platforms. __________
You’ve also been more active with social media recently, posting on Facebook and SlideShare. Can you talk a little about your social media strategy, and how it’s working for you?
I'm still not the best with social media.  I do respond back to people on Twitter and occasionally post an article, but I never seem to have time to get on there.  Facebook is the same...I'll occasionally post, but it's not a vital part of my marketing.  
SlideShare is awesome so far.  What I like about this platform is I can "systematize" the whole thing with my VA.  Basically she takes my content and turns them into interesting looking presentations.  From there, I drive most of the traffic back to a squeeze page, which helps grow my overall brand.  I think there's lot of potential to SlideShare, so I'm spending the next few months trying to maximize the results.__________
Your book Is 99 cents the New Free? started a lot of authors to switch up their prices, and make a run for number one in their category using a 99 cent price. You use a lot of different strategies to keep your books selling – permafree, 99 cents, KDP Free Days, and Countdown Deals. Could you explain your pricing strategy, and which ones work best for you?
Without a doubt, discounted my books to $0.99 has been my top strategy.  I do this during a book launch where I'll start with a $0.99 for a week, then raise it $2.99.  And I also use this strategy with Countdown Deals.  Every 90 days, each book can have a week-long Countdown Deal.  So I make sure to use this special promotion to increase my overall unit sales and get more visibility of my brand.  __________
It seems to me readers are losing their patience with short books. Kindle Shorts, especially are receiving bad reviews, for being too short, or incomplete. Even the big guys like Steven King and Janet Evanovich are feeling the wrath. Do you think it’s time for Kindle authors of both fiction and nonfiction to rethink the strategy of putting out short books focused on a single topic?
Don't really agree with this statement.  While I do agree that many readers don't like short (like 30 pages or less) books that offer no value, I still feel there is a lot of value to writing shorter books (15,000 to 20,000 words).  The key here is to tightly focus on one specific topic and make sure you're answering every possible question a reader might have.   ________
What’s next for Steve Scott? You made it big with your self-publishing titles. Your “Good Habits” books are doing very well. Do you have another niche in mind, or is there some other genre you’ve always wanted to write in?
Honestly, the habits books are doing so well that I'm going to continue working on growing the overall brand.  Right now, I'm focused on building up my email list using various traffic strategies (social media, SlideShare, Google organic search).  The idea here is to have such a large list that whenever I have a new book or Countdown Deal, I'll have an audience that's ready to check it out.  __________
Let’s talk about your mailing list for a minute. Do you think you would be as successful as you are if you didn’t have your list? How about for a new author just getting started, how important do you think building an email list is to their success?
Not at all.  I'm sure I would have sold a few books, but nowhere near as much if I didn't focus on list building from the beginning.  From my testing and tracking, I've learned that email marketing is the #1 strategy for promoting Kindle books.  So for new authors, I would recommend spending just as much time focusing on list building as I would writing Kindle books._________
What do you think the next big trend in self-publishing is going to be? I mean Audible (audio books) is still a growth market. Compare their 150,000 books available to the millions on Amazon. That number has got to break a million in the next five years. How about video? Or interactive books? 
I'd say that the Audible market is definitely going to grow.  This is especially true if Amazon makes it as easy to download and consume content like they do with Kindle books.  _______________
Have you given any thought to where the markets going, or how self-publishers can stay ahead of the curve?
Ultimately it's going to get increasingly difficult to compete on the Kindle platform.  There are so many authors now that are vying for the attention of readers.  To stay ahead of the curve, I recommend building your own platform.  Specifically you should focus the majority of your efforts on building an email list--even if that means sacrificing profits up front.  The better "connection" you have with subscribers, the more books you'll sell in the long-term.__________
Last question, I promise. What do you think is the number one thing new writers can or should do to make themselves standout and be successful?
I'll give you two: (1) Find a niche where there is an actual audience full of people who experience a variety of problems that need to be solved. (2) Regularly (every 4 to 6 weeks) publish great books that each provide an in depth solution.  _______________

Steve Scott has developed two highly successful niches on Kindle. The first one on writing and publishing Kindle books and his most recent is the Good Habits Series. His newest book Habit Stacking: 97 Small Changes that Take Five Minutes or Less. It’s currently trending to crack Kindle’s top 100 list. You can learn more about Steve by visiting his blogs: http://www.developgoodhabits.com/, or http://www.stevescottsite.com/.

Amazon Book Optimization Tip # 1 - Write A Good Book

Write a good book. Abraham Lincoln said it best, “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”
If you don’t have a good book, the reviews are going to catch up to you, and people are going to stop buying your book. Sure. You can sell a few copies of a bad book. Sometimes you can sell a whole lot of copies, but eventually the reviews are going to kill your career.
There are a lot of Kindle advice writers telling aspiring authors you don’t have to write well. Don’t waste too much time editing your work. Just do the best you can, and get your book out there. Sell a few copies, and then write your next book.
Last year, or the year before, that advice might have worked. But readers are getting smarter. They’ve downloaded a lot of worthless crap over the past few years, and they’re tired of it. If you don’t believe me, read the reviews. Most readers are honest, and they call it like they see it. If you’re book smells like a load of horse hockey, they’re going to say it. If enough readers jump on the band wagon, there’s no going back.

Forget the books that tell you how to write a book before breakfast, over your lunch break, or on a roll of toilet paper while you’re sitting on the throne. At the same time, forget the books that tell you you can write a book in seven days, twenty-one days, or even thirty days. The fact is you can write a book in the time it takes you, no sooner, and no later.
There appears to be a fundamental disconnect between what readers want, and what some writers think readers want. Many writers believe readers want to read short books. The majority of reviewers say just the opposite – here are a few of the reviews major novelists recently received for their Kindle Shorts.
. A throw away sixty pages. Lee Child
. Don’t waste time and money buying the ads, wait for the book itself. Janet Evanovich
. It’s so short it isn’t even a short story. Dean Koontz.
. Good writing for the beginning of a novel, with no real ending. Steven King
No matter what anyone tells you, most readers don’t like short. It makes them feel like they missed out on something, or that the writer was just out to take their money. Consider this the next time you go to publish a short manuscript.

The key to selling more books is to write a complete book that leaves readers satisfied. If you can do this, you’re golden. You will get enthusiastic reviews. Readers will tell their friends about you. They will race out to buy your books the first day they’re released.
(Excerpt from Indie Author's Toolbox)

Review of Write Successful Flash in the Pan Books by Eibhlin MacIntosh

Just finished reading Write Successful Flash in the Pan Books by Eibhlin MacIntosh.

It's an interesting concept that's been around as long as books have been published. Find a current event, trend, or fad. Rush to get a book out and ride the wave. What surprises me is that this book is well written, it details the entire concept from how to spot a hot idea, to how to research and write your book.



I don't want to throw out a ton of spoilers here, but there are a few things people are looking for when they read this type of book.

Historical factsInteresting tidbits of triviaAn interesting take that binds together fact and speculationIn short, if you ever took a marketing class, you're providing information for the early adapters, the guys who have to have the latest, greatest gadgets. In effect, your book needs to provide them with talking points that allow them to keep up with or add to the conversation.
I think I've got a couple ideas already. Just need to think of a cool alias, cause I don't think I want any of this crazy shit connected with my name.

Social Media Tips & Tricks

The talk among authors is you can’s strike it big without a major social media presence.
I’m not sure whether that’s true or not. I look at social media as another trick you hold in your toolbox. It can help build your author brand. It may even help you sell more books. But before any of that can happen, you need to develop a plan.
Without a plan social media can become a major time suck that keeps authors from doing what’s most important – writing another book.
Success in social media isn’t about posting to Facebook every half hour, or sending out dozens of tweets every day. It’s about building a connection with readers that makes them want to keep coming back for more, and maybe, just maybe – want to check out a few of your books.
So how do you do that?
Stress quality over quantity. Research shows that the most shared posts are images or short videos. What this tells you is if you want to get more likes you need to post short image oriented items.
Make a crazy face while you’re pointing at a headline in a newspaper or magazine. If you’re on a round-the-world or round-the-city tour post a bunch of selfies of yourself standing by local monuments or statues. 
Photoshop yourself standing next to President Obama, Captain Kirk, or one of your literary heroes. Insert one of those bubble captions with a quote from one of your books, or some crazy thought that just popped into your head.

Make it fun! Make it worth checking back every day to see what’s next. Develop a reputation for presenting strange news, crazy facts, or just telling it like it is.

Interview with Sean Platt Author of Write, Publish, Repeat

Today’s interview is with Sean Platt, co-author of Write, Publish, Repeat. Sean is a novelist, co-host of the of The Self-Publishing Podcast, and together with his partners Johnny Truant and David Wright published nearly two million words last year.
__________
Your book is Write, Publish Repeat. One of the ideas behind your book is that one book isn’t going to cut it. If you want to make it as an indie author you have to keep writing and publishing. The example you give is Hugh Howie. Wool made him look like an overnight success, but in truth he kept putting out one book after another until one finally took off. Is that really the secret to writing success, putting out more books, and waiting to be discovered?
Sean: I don’t think it’s the answer to writing success, no. But I think it is an answer. And not that simply put. You can’t wait to be discovered. You have to connect with your reader’s one at a time, and do smart things to get them on your team, helping to tell others about your work._____
One of the things you talk about is you only need 1000 true fans to be successful. Just what is a true fan, and where do you find them?
Sean: A true fan is someone who will buy all of your books, and tell friends about your work. She doesn't need to read a product description before she buys, because everything she’s ever read has been great. 
Another concept you discuss is your product funnel – developing an introductory product, and then the next step. Can you discuss how authors should develop their product funnel? Is it developing a series, and giving the first book away for free? Or is there more to it than that?
Sean: That’s the skeleton for sure. How you dress it is completely up to you — how you want to communicate with your readers, and how you want to divide your work. You may like long elaborate novels, with a definite beginning, middle and end, with few places to go. Looking for intersections in that story to elaborate on might be more of a challenge. But it’s your work. Look for the areas that can be expanded upon, and use them to lead people to your larger project. _____
One of the things you mention is every book should contain at least one call to action at the end – to buy another book, visit your blog or website, or leave a review. How do you make sure readers actually act on your CTA?
Sean: You can’t make sure, but you can make sure that you have strong, effective CTAs that do a really great job of telling your reader what to do and why. Specificity is important. Writers are often too timid here. Readers deserve to know what to do if you expect them to do it. _____
You say, “Your best strategy is to build fans, and you’ll do that a few readers at a time. Your second book will sell better than your first, and your third will sell better than your second.” I know from experience that’s true, but isn’t there a way to build your fan base quicker?
Sean: Interact with people as much as possible. That can be difficult if you’re juggling a lot at work, and can only write on the side, or are trying to get as many words down each day as you can. But I think the best advice is to be in it for the long haul, don’t be in a hurry or allow yourself to take shortcuts. They rarely are. Do the work, even when it’s hard. ____
“You are responsible for your own success.” That’s empowering, and intimidating at the same time. Can you talk about what this means for self-published authors?
Sean: You hold all the cards. There are no gatekeepers as far as publishers. You can go around them. But there definitely are millions of gatekeepers who can decide whether they will buy your book, and that's a wall you can't circumvent. The better your work, the more likely they are to buy something else that you’ve written. The more you engage with your reader, the more he will likely share your work. _____
eBook pricing is all over the board right now. Most authors go with either 99¢ or $2.99. Then there are a few authors asking $5.99, or $9.99. In your book, you say, “For both eBooks and print, an overpriced product still won’t sell well, and an underpriced product will confuse customers and cause them to undervalue it.” With that said, how do you price your book for optimum sales?
Sean: We don’t always price for optimum sales. That’s counter-intuitive, and many people disagree with us about this. They’re not wrong. Neither are we. We price our premium products higher. They take us twice as long, so we want to see if the market will justify the time. It's just the way we do things. _____
Another thing you emphasize is the need to be professional. Part of that is ensuring that your book is properly edited. Can you discuss the different types of editing, and how they contribute to a better book?
Sean: There is a spectrum of pricing for this service, and it’s not always consistent. It’s hard to know what you need, from thorough developmental editing to a simple copy edit to rinse the work of typos. Only you know your work well enough to know about where you should start looking, or what you can afford to pay, but I always suggest getting the best edit you can afford. _____
Most self-publishing guides go out of their way to let you know Amazon is the big dog and authors should buy into KDP. You make a point to say that Amazon’s big, but you’re missing out if you’re not on Kobo, Apple, and Nook. Should authors use KDP first to build their platform on Amazon, and then take the leap off site? Or should they offer their work on as many different platforms as possible from day one?
Sean: If you’re not in Select, then I don’t see any reason not to publish everywhere that makes sense to your business, all at the same general time (if not the same day). Most of the work is getting that first file of your book. Uploading to multiple platforms should be an extension of the action. ______
Last question, I promise. You encourage readers to build their own platform. Can an author be successful without building a mail list?
Sean: Yes, an author can absolutely be successful without a mailing list, but considering that’s the one tool that allows you to communicate with your reader in the one place where they are every day (for most people) you’re making your job harder than it needs to be. 
About__________

Sean Platt is co-author of Write, Publish, Repeat. Sean is a novelist, co-host of the of The Self-Publishing Podcast, and together with his partners Johnny Truant and David Wright published nearly two million words last year. You can catch up with Sean by visiting http://seanmplatt.com/, or you can check out The Self-Publishing Podcast at http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/podcasts/.

Review of How to Get Good Reviews on Amazon by Theo Rogers

Just finished an interesting read by Theo Rogers, How to Get Good Reviews on Amazon: A Guide for Independent Authors & Sellers. It’s an insightful look at book reviews and how to get them, written by an Amazon top reviewer. (Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Mr. Rogers in return for posting an honest review).
First thing you need to know, it’s a short read – 48 pages. It’s packed with tips about what motivates Amazon’s top reviewers, how to approach them, what to say / what not to say – when you get a bad review, and more.
Interesting facts you probably didn’t know.
·         There are certain categories reviewers tend to shy away from – Religion and politics. Why? Because people are emotionally invested in these topics, and they are often magnets for negative votes, which can quickly sink a reviewer’s helpfulness rating.
·         “Most reviewers, even the bad ones, are honestly calling it like they see it.” You may think they’re out to get you, but the truth is – they didn’t like your book. Get over it!
·         “Reviewers take reviewing seriously.” Much like writers, reviewers are serious about their craft. Remember that when you approach them.The rest of the book explains how to find the right Amazon reviewers for your book, how to make sure your book is a good fit for them, and the right way to ask a reviewer to check out your book.
Believe it or not, the approach Mr. Rogers gives is very similar to what most guides suggest for marketing your book on Amazon…
1.      Find reviewers who like your book2.      Set a fair price, relative to your content3.      Make sure Amazon is the right place for your book
In other words, give your readers what they want; under promise, and over deliver on content and value; and, target the right audience for your book.
If your book does all of these things it’s time to start contacting reviewers.
The book explains how to find reviewers who are a good fit for your book. It shows you how to tailor your pitch to the reviewer so he / she is more likely to accept your request. And, it has sample emails you can use.
Mr. Rogers also offers one important tip to help you close the deal. “If you want to be successful, I strongly suggest that you write your initial contact letter to a reviewer as if you were the one asking the reviewer to do you a favor.”

Pretty simple stuff.
Even if you don’t plan on contacting Amazon’s top reviewers, this book gives you a great look at reviewing from the other side of the table. It should help you understand that good reviews happen, and so do bad reviews. You need a balance of good and bad reviews to sell your book. Too many good reviews and readers will think you stacked the deck. Too many bad reviews and readers will realize there may be something wrong with your book.

The perfect balance of good and bad reviews will help readers decide if your book is right for them or not.

Becoming a bestseller is easier than you think

The great thing about Amazon is that it’s easy to become a bestseller in your specialty.Here’s why.
According to the book Bestgorize by Joe Oye, Amazon has 3847 categories. And, the really great thing is when you dig down into each category, they number the top 100 bestsellers in each category.
If you want to be a top ten bestseller, that gives you 3847 opportunities.
Below you will see a screenshot for the bestsellers list in the eBay category. The books are presented twenty to a page. You can see it is labeled Amazon Best Sellers, and just before it begins showing thumbnails of the books, it says Best Sellers in eBay.

Think about it for a minute. Most of us will never be a number one bestseller, or even make the top one hundred bestseller list on Amazon. There’s just too much competition for those spots. And, for a lot of authors, the subject matter of their work further limits these opportunities.
But, with a great book, and a thorough understanding of how the Amazon Marketplace works, just about anyone can become a top ten best seller in their chosen category – Maybe even a number one best seller.
That’s what all of the information in this book is about, how to use the tools provided by Amazon and Kindle to propel your book to best seller status. Forget about all of the BS out there telling you why you need to build an author platform and why you need to start blogging, Tweeting, and putting it out there on Facebook.
Social Media is not the answer!
When was the last time you looked for a book using these methods. NEVER! Most people go to Amazon when they’re ready to buy a book. They browse and search for titles and subjects using the Amazon search bar. People don’t use Google to find a book they want to read. They may use Google later to find out more about it, but before they do that, they have already found your book on Amazon.
So before you do anything else optimize your book's marketing opportunities on Amazon.
When I published my last book, Freaking Idiots Guide to Selling on Fiver, I offered it for free for three days in the Kindle Free Store using the KDP Select Program.
At the end of this three day run my book was number 416 in the entire Kindle Free Store. It ranked number one in its subcategory within Computers, and ranked number 2 in the entire Computer Category.
All of this brings up the next topic. By offering your book in the Kindle Free Store you have 3847 additional opportunities to make your book a best seller. Amazon recalculates best seller status hourly, so you have even more opportunities to make the top ten.
And the great thing is, once you make it there, you can make a screenshot of it to show everyone that you wrote a bestselling book. 

(This is an excerpt from my book - Freaking Idiots guide to Writing a Kindle Bestseller).

Free Book From Author Rob Cubbon

Author Rob Cubbon just released his new book, Freelancer to Entrepreneur: How Changing my Life Created My Business. It's FREE right now on Amazon at the following link -

http://www.amazon.com/Freelancer-Entrepreneur-changing-created-business-ebook/dp/B00J7BK4MC/

Short description:

Don't see Yourself as a freelancer swapping out your hours for dollars; see yourself as a business!

Rob was caught in a rut professionally, emotionally and mentally. He drifted from freelance job to freelance job, lived for his pay check and the less said about his spare time the better. Warning: the book contains language and situations of an adult nature. 

Then the internet came along and changed his life – but not in the way that you think. 

This book doesn’t center around one transformative life-changing moment. Instead, this book contains a whole host of them. 

There's lots of advice here that can help you turn your life around and start a business online. And, if you'd like, Rob would love to help you do this. 

The book follows Rob's journey from his first disastrous job, through his stagnation on the London freelance design circuit, then from starting a blog and working from home as a freelance graphic designer to eventually to becoming director of his own company and an entrepreneur. 

We find out exactly how Rob created a trustworthy brand online enjoying recurring passive income and client work.

When was the last time you updated your book?

It’s a jungle out there. If you want to sell your books, you need to keep them fresh.
Add new information every six months, every year at the least. Write a bold headline, and place it at the top of your book description – new and revised on 09/09/09. This lets everyone know your book is current and up to date.
Let me give you an example. Just over two years ago Kindle gurus cracked the Amazon html code. Dozens of books were written proclaiming this one small trick could help you sell thousands of extra books. Six months ago Amazon started sending out notices they were going to enforce html standards, and listing that violated their policies would be taken down.
What that means is no more pictures in book descriptions. No more videos.
Ninety-five percent of those books haven’t been updated to reflect the new policies. Why? The authors don’t care enough about their books to keep them current.
Let me give you another example. These same eBook gurus suggested writing reviews in your genre was a great marketing tool to bring readers to your books. To make it work, you just had to change your profile name to “author a. author, author of my greatest book.” It was a great strategy, and it worked for over a year. Then one morning I woke up to discover Amazon changed my signature to “An Amazon Reader.” Again, very few authors have updated their books to mention this change.Why is this so important?
Other authors are watching. You have to keep an eye out for interlopers in your niche. It’s like a jungle out there. These are the new guys. They smell the money you’re making. They can’t wait to grab a piece of your action. Who can blame them?
You don’t have to worry about most of them. Most of them are lazy. These are the guys who copy and paste a little from here, a little from there. It’s mainly bullshit, and no one’s going to read their books anyway. But there are a few really smart interlopers out there. They study what you’re doing. They focus in on a segment of your niche looking for a spot where they can grab a foothold.
You need to intervene early.
Smart authors are constantly studying their niche, and their competition. Look at your niche the way one of these interlopers would. Ask yourself, what else is there? Can I get more specific? Rather than writing about selling on eBay, can I write about selling clothes on eBay? What other areas do my readers need to know more about – international shipping, lowering fees, bookkeeping, etc.

Be proactive. Go after those niches before the trolls push you out of your own market.

Interview with Author Martin Crosbie

Today I'm talking with Martin Crosbie. He is the author of My Name Is Hardly - Book Two of the My Temporary Life Trilogy, Lies I Never Told - A Collection of Short Stories, How I Sold 30,000 eBooks on Amazon's Kindle - An Easy-To-Follow Self-Publishing Guidebook, 2014 Edition, and Believing Again: A Tale Of Two Christmases._____
The title of your book is How I Sold 30,000 eBooks on Amazon’s Kindle. That’s a lot of books. What’s it feel like to hit that number? Do you feel lucky? Blessed? Or __ ?
Martin: Both! I’m totally blessed to have been able to connect with so many readers, and part of that was due to being in the right place at the right time. I signed on to Amazon’s KDP Select program at the end of 2011 and my timing was perfect. The program was structured at that point to enable authors to find lots of readers by utilizing Amazon’s tools and programs and I was able to take advantage of it.______
No matter how much we deny it, authors (indie or traditionally published) really are responsible for promoting our own books. When did that realization hit you?
Martin: I knew right away. I was lucky enough to have a couple wise mentors who walked me through the steps. And, my background is sales and marketing so fortunately it wasn’t foreign to me.
You say “there are no secrets; there is simply a change in process and a change in thinking if you are going to succeed…” You look at indie publishing as a business. How important is that to being successful as a writer?
Martin: It’s the difference between hopeful optimism and consistent earnings. I’m finding the longer I do this the more time I spend planning, and it’s making things easier. I plan my promotions months in advance. I keep a spreadsheet that charts how I did during previous promotions. I have a list of bloggers who I work with as well as lists of promotion sites, twitter hashtags, etc. I keep those listed on www.martincrosbie.comunder “Author’s Tools” so that other writers can take advantage of them. And, I’m in the process of adding a list of places where you can access free photos and pictures as well as lists of places to submit your book to reviewers. It’ll all be on my website in the “Author’s Tools” section shortly. Although it may sound like a lot of work, once you have those lists established and the processes in place it cuts down on the time you’re spending not writing.
            And, the change in thinking happened for me when I realized that there were a lot of very good books that weren’t being read. It isn’t enough to just write a great book. That’s certainly the most important element and without it nothing happens, but it’s more than that. You need to approach your writing career as just that – a business where your goal is to connect with readers. That doesn’t mean abandoning the muse and spending all your time formulating spreadsheets and poring over forums and blogs, balance is still very important, and writing should always come first. But, it does mean taking the time to know the industry that you’re involved in and doing the things necessary to brand yourself and market your work._____
You also believe in a “Pay it forward” policy. One of the things you wrote is, “share information, help promote others’ work that you believe in, and generally help each other.” How important is this philosophy to your success as an author?
Martin: I’ve never been involved in an industry where information, especially information that helps you connect with readers, is more freely shared. I absolutely love it. I had lots of help early in my career and I try to pay it back and forward as much as I can. Now, having said that, it doesn’t always boomerang and come back to me but many times it has. I’m a believer in positive energy. I truly believe if you send out positive energy then that’s what you’re going to get back. That’s what I try to do, and so far, it’s working._____
You use several processes to ensure your books are error free, and the best they can be. Specifically you mention using beta readers, copy editors, and proofreaders. Talk to me a little bit about beta readers. What exactly are they? How does an author go about finding beta readers? And, how can they help you improve your work?
Martin: Beta readers have quickly become an integral part of the process for writers. My first beta-readers were friends of my sister who I did now know. Now I utilize beta reader groups on Facebook or LinkedIn to find test readers for my new works. And, I’m contacted from time to time by readers who want to help too. Beta readers are exceptional people. They take delight in finding new authors or works that they believe in. I’d be absolutely lost without them._____
Everybody says you need an author website, and a blog. You say, “Readers are looking at places where there are books, not at author websites.” I know Steve Scott says he directs most of his traffic to his Amazon Author page because that’s where readers can purchase his books. You seem to agree with this strategy? How important is it to keep an up to date dynamic presence on Author Central?
Martin: One of the challenges with writing a book that helps authors succeed in self-publishing is that the world changes and in Indie world it changes quickly. When I released my self-publishing book the information in the book was absolutely current but as quickly as three months later it was already becoming dated. The basic philosophy and start-up processes remain the same but some of the marketing strategies had. So, I changed the content of the book. I updated the content and asked Amazon to alert previous purchasers that there was an updated version (which they did).
The current version, in my opinion is the most current information on the market in terms of helping authors connect with readers in a professional, cost-effective manner. There will be an even newer version updated this summer and in it I plan on talking about author websites. My thinking has changed in that regard. As an author I now want to talk about more than just my books and the process. I teach workshops, I speak at writers groups and festivals, I will soon have teaching videos available, I blog a few times a month, and as mentioned I have free lists of resources to offer authors too. I can no longer effectively do that through my Amazon Author page. There’s just too much information. So, for the past few months I’ve had a very talented web person re-do my website. So, although your author page is very important I now believe that having a central area where you can direct your readers, one that is strictly yours, is important._______
Many authors overlook print. They look at Kindle as the end all, best solution to publishing. I know in my case I couldn’t make a living writing until I put my books in print using CreateSpace. Why do you think authors elect to pass over print when they publish their books?
Martin: I don’t know why authors wouldn’t take advantage of CreateSpace. As you know, Nick, it really doesn’t cost anything to release a print book. And, there’s nothing like holding a print book in your hands. Although the majority of my sales are e-books I still sell print books, especially my self-publishing guidebook. _____
One thing I like is that you don’t look at any book as dead in the water. What is it you said, “Fortunately, you can resurrect them. You can start all over again and take another stab.” I think you had to do that with your first book, My temporary Life, before it took off on its road to becoming a bestseller. Can you talk a little bit about how an author can breathe some new life into a seemingly dead book?
Martin: Fortunately, the problem with My Temporary Life wasn’t the content. I didn’t have to change that. The problem was the way I was presenting the book. I had a cover that wasn’t indicative of the story, a blurb that had no snap, and I wasn’t utilizing Amazon’s tools. When I did those things and presented my product in a more professional manner I was able to find readers. As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of good books out there that are not being read. Sometimes all it takes is some tweaking and you can find those (sometimes) elusive readers.______
You posted a blog on Indies Unlimited concerning Kindle Count Down Deals. It didn’t appear that they were a great experience for you. You also talked about KDP Free Days not being what they used to be. What’s your take – Free, or Count Down Deals? What’s the best choice for authors?  
Martin: Aha, that’s the question we all want answered! Currently I am seeing results utilizing Kindle Countdown Deals through KDP Select. I run a three day promo with my book at 99 cents and I supplement the promo with an ad on Ereader News Today, Kindle Books and Tips or Bookbub. As you know Nick, ENT takes 25% of your royalties from the promo day and day after, FKBT has two price levels beginning at $25, and BB pricing is in the hundreds of dollars.
From what I can determine, free giveaways don’t seem to be effective right now unless you have a series of books and give away one of the books in order to experience sales of the others. I hope to be able to run a free promo again as I’ve had great success with them in the past. That’s why I’m trying to complete the last book of my trilogy and the next book in a series that I’m writing. ____
I ran across this quote in your book, and would like your take on it. "Everything leads to something else, and you never know who might be reading your work or watching your career." 
A lot of authors I've talked with, famous and not so famous, have echoed these sentiments. Some of the best things in life happen when you're not really expecting them. We talked about this earlier, with your thoughts about "Paying it forward." 
Can you talk about a situation like this that has played out for you.
Martin: Yes, I’d love to talk about this. I have a workshop that I’m teaching this weekend and to help spread the word I’ve visited a lot of writers groups. I’ve spoken at groups where there were four or five members and some where there were packed rooms. I also blog or write articles for anyone who asks, no matter how small or large their following is. In fact I now have a tab on my website offering my services, with testimonials from some of the folks I’ve written for or spoken to their groups. Almost each time I’ve reached out and done something another opportunity has presented itself and with each opportunity I’ve made friends who have the ability to help me. I have friends who I count on as part of my support group and I’ve met them from extending my virtual hand and asking what I can do to help. The most significant opportunity came recently. I haven’t announced it yet but I will be opening the prestigious Whistler Readers and Writers Festival in October. I’ll be teaching a one day workshop on self-publishing. It’s a very progressive move for the festival and a great opportunity for me too. And, that came about because I was taking my career seriously and approaching it as a business, paying it forward and trying to help others.
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AboutIn a press release, Amazon called Martin Crosbie one of their success stories of 2012. His self-publishing journey has been chronicled in Publisher's Weekly, ForbesOnline, and Canada's Globe and Mailnewspaper. Martin's debut novel, My Temporary Life has been downloaded over one hundred and fifty thousand times and became an Amazon top ten overall bestseller.
He's also the author of My Name Is Hardly - Book Two of the My Temporary Life Trilogy, Lies I Never Told - A Collection of Short Stories, How I Sold 30,000 eBooks on Amazon's Kindle - An Easy-To-Follow Self-Publishing Guidebook, 2014 Edition, and Believing Again: A Tale Of Two Christmases.
Martin was born in the Highlands of Scotland and currently makes his home just outside Vancouver, on the west coast of Canada.
You can learn more about Martin on his new and improved website www.martincrosbie.com, follow him on Twitter @martinthewriter, or email him at martin@martincrosbie.com.
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