Jason Matthews's Blog, page 33

Amazon.DE for German Kindle

Amazon.de is the latest and greatest Amazon addition for a German Kindle Store, and the people of the great country are clearly uber-excited about it. There are over 650,000 titles to choose from, 25,000 of which are in German (so  assumedly that means the vast majority of the rest are in English). Any author already signed up for Amazon US or UK is automatically eligible for sales in the German store. In fact, think this is probably a given that requires no special attention from the authors, as this is the page for one of my titles. This morning there was an additonal Amazon store reporting sales for my books which made me think, "What the heck is DE?" Now it's clear. Ja, ser gut. Sell ebooks in Germany!

Are the Germans big Kindle readers? Hope so, we'll find out soon enough. Are my titles translated? Not yet, in fact the book descriptions aren't even translated. Just the sections like "Product Description" becomes "Produktbeschreibungen" and "About the Author" becomes "Mehr über den Autor." Yes, my author profile will have to be updated again, as it was in the UK. (Why doesn't Amazon just sync these things together along with tags and reviews? Annoying, but oh well, they still sell a lot of books for me.) From the news reports Amazon also has their apps for the iPad, PC, Mac and Android devices in German versions.

What's next? Probably more and more countries, but what would really be great is if Amazon figured out an excellent translation device that could automatically translate our best selling masterpieces to any language on Earth. Russian, Spanish, French, Chinese, Hindi and more.

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How to Get Reviews for Your Ebooks and Paperbacks?

Reviews are (in my opinion) far more important than covers. Most people read books that were referred to them. When first starting out, it can be quite a task to accumulate reviews of your book. In fact, one of my recent titles has been out for a few months with decent sales, and it currently hasn't received even one posted review. Yikes! Great thing that it's selling, but I sure would love to see some reviews for Get On Google Front Page.

Part of the reason is that I haven't been overly active seeking reviews. This may be a lazy and stupid effort on my part; we'll see in time. However, you may want to make a real effort to generate reviews, and this is often easier said than done. Here are suggestions for getting the reviews ball rolling:

1. Ask friends and family to read and write one. It's likely some of these people have already read your book and would be happy to continue helping. Caution them not to write overly sweet and gushing reviews that might be met with skepticism from other readers. Nothing annoys an unhappy customer more than finding out a pack of misleading reviews were left by zealous friends and family. Ask them to be candid and encourage them to list items they didn't particular enjoy to keep it realistic.

2. Ask members of forums to write a review. Offer a free book in exchange or offer to give a review for another author as a fair trade. Amazon Kindle discussion groups do this frequently as well as forums like http://indiespot.myfreeforum.org/.

3. Dan Poynter of ParaPublishing has a newsletter with a monthly reviews wanted section. It's how I got many reviews that ended up on my website for How to Make, Market and Sell Ebooks All for Free. Just sign up for the free newsletter and follow the submission advice at http://parapublishing.com/sites/para/.

4. There are plenty of people that can be found with a Google and forum search. Some charge money, some don't. Many have a long waiting list while others might be available right away. Because this field is constantly in flux, you'll need to do some searching. A member of Red Adept's staff at http://redadeptreviews.com/ did a review of The Little Universe, but I had to apply for it and the posting came out 6 months later.

5. Make a mention to readers at the end of your book that it would be greatly appreciated if they would be so kind as to leave an honest review. Let people know it's okay to include elements they didn't like as well as those they did. In fact, I encourage readers to do the same for my books at Amazon, Barnes&Noble or anywhere else for either the ebook or paperback versions. And if you didn't like it, that's okay too. I am sorry if that's the case, but not everyone will like the same book.

Now comes the scary part. What if a lot of readers have complaints or simply don't like it? Maybe they mention poor formatting, errors with grammar and typos, or even that the story just didn't work for them. Unfortunately, it's happened to me plenty of times. I can report with good conscience that not everyone likes my books and that's okay. This will possibly be the case for you too.

However, there is a beautiful thing about ebooks that's not true with paperbacks. Ebooks can be regularly edited and updated. If a dozen typos are discovered by you (or readers), then those can be fixed and updated immediately. Amazon usually takes about 2 days to publish a newer version, Smashwords sometimes a week or more, and these updates can happen as many times as you want.

Content of the story and other narrative issues can be harder to work out. For authors who sense that the book simply needs to be better, it will probably be wise to join some writing critique groups and work on improvements. I mentioned earlier a few forums for writers which is a good place to start, and there are plenty more with a Google search for "writing critique groups."

http://indiespot.myfreeforum.org/ – a place for readers and authors to connect.

http://www.goodreads.com/ – all about books.

http://redroom.com/ – where the writers are.

http://www.authonomy.com/ – where writers become authors and more.

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XinXii for Indie Authors to Publish-Sell Ebooks

XinXii is a German outfit that promotes Indie authors and helps them sell ebooks. What exactly is it? From their website:

XinXii is Europe's leading online marketplace for all kind of written works. The platform empowers everyone to market his works in his own XinXii eStore: At XinXii, every author can upload and sell his texts, documents or books (ebook or audiobook version) on the web – that means any kind of written works such as recipes and manuals to novels, Diploma Theses or Excel spreadsheets.

XinXii acts as most other ebook stores, allowing authors to upload and sell through them while they handle the transactions and take a fairly standard cut of the sale. They give 70% royalties to authors with books priced at $2.49 and above, 40% for those priced between the minimum $1.49 to $2.48. They also accept all the major file type formats for upload like pdf, word doc, rich text, epub and many more, but they don't make conversions as outfits like Smashwords.

Of course, the company does not currently produce an e-reading device, like a Kindle/Nook/iPad etc, so sales here could be slow. But in my experience, the more places to promote your written words, the better. Sometimes a reader will sample a book at a place like this, Scribd, YouPublish, etc, and then buy the actual ebook at their preferred retailer. And sometimes they buy from the venue where it was found.

I've just uploaded 5 of my own titles which can be seen at my XinXii author page (which I could only find with a site search, could be my newbie error). I found the upload process to be very simple and professional. Actually, it seems like a great company. Will my ebooks sell there? Not sure. If any readers have experiences with this company, please leave a comment.

By the way, don't ask me how to pronounce it. Like Zin-Zee, perhaps?

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#SellEbooks Twitter Hash-Tag

For writers who want to sell ebooks, it comes as no surprise that social media is a helpful, if not mandatory, tool for self-promotion. I believe Facebook to be fairly straightforward to learn by anyone while Twitter is an often misunderstood entity. In all honesty, I don't use Twitter anywhere near its potential which is something that needs to be addressed.

In a small effort, I've just started a Twitter hash tag for #sellebooks or #SellEbooks. The case isn't sensitive to search engines, but it does help people recognize the words.

For those unfamiliar with hash tags, they are used to designate a category that can easily be searched and found by others interested in updates. Reportedly, the whole revolution began in 2007 with reports of the San Diego fire by someone adding the phrase #sandiegofire to their Twitter posts. Word spread that was the way to get updates and share updates on the event, and the phenomenon grew from there.

Twitter doesn't regulate the hash tag community. Because Twitter's search engine sees everything as individual words (or symbols), the phrase March Madness compared to #marchmadness will result in entirely different results depending on the phrasing of the search. Because the Twitter community is now thoroughly aware of hash tags for finding specific Tweets, it's just a wise thing to do.

Anyway, if you're into this whole ebook business, self-publishing, Indie author thing… please use #SellEbooks to accompany any Tweets that have to do with those subjects. It could start a forum of like-minded people as well as help your own self-promotion.

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Want to Sell Ebooks but it's slow going? Here's what to do…

For authors who sell ebooks, it's often a real challenge to begin the process. The hardest part can be coming up with ideas to jump-start sales. Ultimately a book that sells well will generate reviews, referrals and more sales. So how do you go from just starting out to selling ebooks in quantities that matter?

Asking this question to a group of writers who frequent a site called Authonomy prompted many great answers. Please note the author's name and her/his book link accompanies the advice which reads in italics.

Question: what to do when ebooks sales are slow?

K. A. Jordan, author of Let's Do Lunch, gives a few quick tips. She says, Stay visible, don't spam, get the book reviewed on an Indie friendly book blog… I'm on Nook boards, Kindle boards, Goodreads, Facebook and Authonomy…. I also have my book links on my email signature.

Having an online presence in many forums (including emails) without spamming sounds very wise indeed.

Sarah R. Yoffa, author of Coming Home, says, Successful authors don't just sell books; they build communities, have followings, are personable but not personal, are professional but not businesslike, are fun but not too silly (okay, a little silly at times but not all the time or you lose credibility; none of the time and you seem to have no sense of humor)… The Amazon Kindle Communties, Nook Boards and Goodreads are all great places to mingle–but Goodreads is a no-sales-safe place. Respect that and they'll click through your posts to buy your book. ALWAYS put your book's link into your sig. Keep it in a text file on your desktop so you can copy/paste it into posts in places that don't let you set one up by default… Facebook (a Page, not a personal profile) is a good place for building a private community but be aware that not everyone in the world is on Facebook (I know, hard to believe!) so don't make that your #1 or exclusive destination for news. More people are tweeting than doing Facebook FWICT and Twitter trends go viral really fast. Learn to use the Twitter hashes for trending topics (# for hashes and @for mentions)… If you're already on Goodreads and would like to share buzz, please friend me. I'm releasing my first book on March 21 and will start to build up my Goodreads profile... You can also put a video onto YouTube. One caution, though, a bad video trailer for a book will work against you and YouTube is full of bad things being shared so as to make fun of how bad they are.

Okay, Sarah is echoing online presence without spamming. She's also talking about professional relationship building, which is exactly what many of my readers appreciate the most. YouTube videos are smart, as many readers have found me from my videos, even though they're far from Oscar quality. This Twitter # (hash tag thing) is a confusing entity for many, and we'll be hearing about it again below.

Gerald Hornsby, author of Bleak Midwinter Tales, says, Participate in something called #SampleSunday. The hashtag is a clue to the fact that it's a Twitter-based promotional tool. The idea is that you publish a sample of your writing to your blog, and 'Tweet' the link using the above hashtag. I've got some brilliant feedback from fellow writers using this. Have a look at my blog for examples of my #SampleSunday pieces at http://geraldhornsby.wordpress.com/

Very wise advice. If you go to Twitter, in the search box type #samplesunday to find plenty of info.

This one seems like a final resort though maybe it shouldn't be since it has worked wonders for some authors. Consider this great advice from Jennifer Bogart, author of Remember Newvember. She says, What about offering a free upload for a limited time? …people like to receive things for free. If those that do download it offer up a review, then you are on your way with word-of-mouth promotion.

In fact some authors have experienced tens of thousands of downloads in less than a month when offering free ebooks. This could be especially brilliant for an author with a sequel or a series of books, as happy readers are likely to continue with an author and characters they enjoy.

Brooklyn Writer, author of On the Verge, says, The people who have done really well, the Amanda Hockings, Stephen Leathers, etc have a few things in common:

-fast paced commercial GENRE fiction with great openings and hooks

-lowest Kindle price

-forum presence (but this could get overwhelming)

-multiple books and/or series.

-blog that also creates a fan base and attracts readers

Here we see great recommendations including adding a blog to the online presence, engaging the readers right off the bat with blurbs, hooks and sequels, and having very low prices. Amanda Hocking is on her way to millions by selling books at 99 cents.

Don A. Martinez, author of The Advance Guard, says, Find a local writers' guild who might be able to offer support for their membership. This can include (but usually isn't limited to) financial support in the form of purchases. A member of my home writers' association (http://www.etwritersassn.com) tends to only buy Kindle/Nook e-media books, while offering her own in both traditional and electronic formats. She bought a copy of my own e-book after I offered it on Kindle.

Writers tend to read and help, so being active in writing communities is a great way to network and share your books.

Siamzathang'a Hauzel Sailo, author of Lallula, Fairies and Super Beings: In a Mysterious Land: How to Become a Wiseman and a Superhero, says, I would join, register or publish in as many places as possible…. You can also publish with http://youwriteon.com to make it available to order through leading bookstores in UK…. I think http://myspace.com is also a good place… Spread about your book to whoever and wherever you can… And do mention and add a link to your other book(s) in your free book (if you give them away). If people don't know, how will they come and take it even if it is a diamond? So, if you are on http://twitter.com make followers. And http://twiends.com?i=shsailo (my referal link) is the best site I ever found to increase followers for twitter and likers for http://facebook.com.

Good additions. Many authors don't think of MySpace, but they have writing/reading groups similar to Facebook. Didn't know about Twiends either.

This was helpful. I plan to return to this topic with a new post and tips in the future.

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Viviti Changing to Jigsy

Viviti is one of the free venues to make websites discussed in my book, How to Make, Market and Sell Ebooks All for Free. It's not the most highly recommended free website company, but it is great for speed and ease of use. This site, http://ebooksuccess4free.jigsy.com/, was the Viviti site example for the book and is now a Jigsy example because…

…they've changed names. Anyone with an existing Viviti account is already 301 redirected to Jigsy. I just got the following email;

Important notice from Viviti.com : Your website URL is changing

Effective March 10, 2011 Viviti.com is rebranding as Jigsy.com. Please visit Jigsy.com and bookmark for your future account logins.

On June 1, 2011 your website ebooksuccess4free.viviti.com will be found at ebooksuccess4free.jigsy.com

To help make this transition as smooth as possible for you and your website viewers a few reminders:

Remember to update your bookmarks and e-mail signatures.

Your accounts recurring billing will now be listed as Jigsy.com on your Credit Card statement.

Your Viviti website URL will be redirected until June 1st. This will be an HTTP code 301 permanent redirect so search engine rank will not be affected.

Users will notice no difference other than the new URL subdomain.

After March 10, 2011 all logins to manage your account will be done at Jigsy.com.

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Typos in Amazon Kindle Ebooks!

Just read an old favorite on Amazon Kindle, Dan Millman's WAY OF THE PEACEFUL WARRIOR: A Book That Changes Lives.

What a great book to re-visit, but holy cow, there were a ton of typos. We're not talking a few but dozens and dozens of glaring ones. How can a former international bestseller, a professionally agented, edited and published book have so many typos? Mind-scratcher.

For all the indie author self-publishers out there, this is the number one complaint from Kindle readers; typos, typos, typos, and it's clearly not limited to the small guys. Big publishers also make mistakes, so don't fall into the same traps.

What to do? It's really hard to see them all yourself especially on the computer screen. For some unknown reason, it's much easier to see them in print or to see them in someone else's work. Even English majors can read the same paragraph over and over and miss their own glaring typos, so you must have at least a half-dozen people (hopefully brutally honest strangers from writing critique groups) read your manuscript. If it's friends and family let them know they will only be doing you a favor by pointing out anything and everything they find, even if they don't like certain parts or the book in general. Writers need thick skin to make books better. Get rid of the typos and your book will be ahead of the crowd.

And once you do finally upload to Amazon Kindle or Barnes&Noble Nook, remember that there is a Preview option to see what it looks like before publication. Might as well read at least ten pages checking for any typos. If you don't have any typos after ten pages, chances are you won't have dozens of them the rest of the way.

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