The Shelfless Book: How We Made Our First Million on Kindle

by Bob Mayer, Jen Talty

We sold 347 eBooks in January of 2011. In just six months, by July 2011, we were selling 65,000 eBooks a month. From that modest beginning, by 2011’s end, we had sold over 400,000 eBooks. This book will give you the details on how we did that and built a seven-figure indie publishing house in just two years.

Whether you have been published by a New York publisher, an independent press, an ePublisher, self-published or considering all of your options, this book contains all the information you need to make an informed decision about your career as an author in today’s fast moving digital world.

We start out with content and theory, giving you a feel for where the industry has been and where it is going. We cover the various types of publishing, goal setting and help you find where you fit in the 3 P’s (Product, Platform and Promotion). From there we go into the digital process and the nuts and bolts of covers, editing and uploading.

Finally we cover pre and post publication strategies. Everything from creating your own unique branding plan, social media and marketing, pricing, understanding the market, metadata and discoverability. All of which is your roadmap to being a successful author regardless of your path to publication.

Its a great time to be an author. Lead, follow or get the hell out of the way!

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

166 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 15, 2012

About the author

Besides my own interests, I read whatever my wife tells me to read-- she's a voracious reader and has wide-ranging tastes as my reviews show (she also always has the TV remote and she's always right about what to watch). I read a lot of nonfiction, mostly for research. Some of my favorite books are Lonesome Dove, Mystic River, LOTR, and an array of science fiction classics including the Foundation series. Our house is covered with books, although I finally broke down and started reading eBooks, strangely enough on my iPhone. Since I carry it pretty much everywhere, it means I always have an entire library of books with me.

I'm a West Point graduate, former Green Beret and a New York Times Bestselling Author. I've sold over five million books. My newest series begins with New York Minute, a thriller set in New York City in 1977.

I love using history and science in my books. My Area 51 series pretty much had me rewriting our entire history of civilization.

Reviews

[Daniel G Keohane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good quick read which gives a decent overview of the different avenues of self-marketing - and it's very up-to-date which is also helpful (as things change so much). The perspective, for the most part, was self-publishing but many of the tips are universal (though the book is defintely slanted towards the self- angle, and within the conversations there are many references to their other works). Most of the individual points made don't get into gritty detail, but this book is a great overview.

[Cody Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are few authors who share sales and marketing strategies as freely and candidly as Bob Mayer. This book is packed with step-by-step information about how to get your book up and out there, and how to find your readership through promotional strategies that actually work. It is a must-read for anyone wanting a career as a writer in the digital age. Highly recommended - even if you are NOT thinking of turning indie.

[Alora Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot of great info in this book. Much is given in practical steps that can be followed for the e-pubbing process. It contains many options for publication, as well as helps for understanding some valuable tools for promoting your work.

[Laura Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot of great info in this book. Much is given in practical steps that can be followed for the e-pubbing process. It contains many options for publication, as well as helps for understanding some valuable tools for promoting your work.

[Shannon Donnelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are some very good tips in here for even the author who has already started down the digital path (such as myself), and for any author just starting to look at digital, I'd recommend this highly to get a great overview of what has been happening, and what can you do to better go digital.

[Kent Winward · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book contained a significant amount of quality information about digital publishing, but it was overpowered by the sense that it was a constant advertisement for the author -- kind of like a really helpful info-mercial.

[Virginia Boylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a keeper--at least for now. It's chock full of useful information about publishing, whether traditional or self-publishing, but with the industry changing so rapidly, we will need an update in a year or less. I plan to comb through it again and take notes!

[Angela Abderhalden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was an excellent to help with helping to promote self published authors. I've attended Bob Mayer's workshops before... excellent. If you get the chance it is well worth the money.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Let's Get Digital does a much better job of laying out the same information in a way that's easier to follow and implement.

[Julie Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well of v useulf advice. I shall probably dip in and out of it from time to time.