Kindle Marketing - BookGrow discussion
Hello everyone.
Hey guys, I am after some advice. My third book and first attempt at something for a mainstream market is going well. It has stayed in the Amazon UK Horror chart top 10 and the UK Amazon Horror/Thriller chart top 5 since its launch at the start of December. The January sale are around 700, whilst this fugure seems great to me, I need to know just how these stack up in the real world. My chart position is great and for a self-published indie author it is more than a little daunting to be around professional published authors. I want to make the most of this success, but I need some professional opinions on the scale of success (if that makes sense) Obviously I am not about to get a publishing deal with these stats, but are they good enough to use to make an agent take the time to have a second glance at my novel. Any thoughts very welcome.Matt Drabble
Hi Richelle, i think you mean "the Hex Factor," don't be scared, i love a good Disney movie too! I do have other books,the others arn't so scary! My author page is: www.amazon.com/Darren-Worrow/e/B0071O...With reference to self publisher mag, drop me an email at toonedelic@hotmail.com - tell me something about yourself and your book(s), possibly send me a sample or the whole book so i can get some background. I look forward to hearing from you!
Hello everyone,My name is Stephen B Fraser, I have been a life long reader and just decided to fully delve into writing. I am not really a novice at it since I have had a few short stories published. (I do mean short 500 to 1000 words.) I have no genre limitations so I can write just about what ever I feel like writing. Currently I am writing another non-fiction title, to go with the two books I have already published.
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007N6VNJG
Website: http://trader961.wix.com/stephen-b-fr...
Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/stephenbfraser
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/StephenBFraser
My Books on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Men-The-Handboo...
http://www.amazon.com/Politics-101-eb...
Brothers and Bones
Drawn
Jack of SpadesHi, everyone. Nice to read about all the good things going on with your books. I write thrillers. I've been pleased lately, as BROTHERS AND BONES received a terrific "starred review" from Kirkus (which, for anyone interested, can be found at https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...).
Also, this past weekend the book reached #20 on Amazon's list of best selling Kindle suspense thrillers, as well as Amazon's overall list of suspense thrillers (though it has since fallen to #46 and #47 respectively). It's incredible how quickly these numbers can change!
I'll certainly be checking out links posted in this thread. If anyone's interested, my website is http://www.jameshankinsbooks.com, and below are the Amazon links for my books.
Nice meeting you all!
http://www.amazon.com/Brothers-and-Bo...
http://www.amazon.com/Drawn-ebook/dp/...
http://www.amazon.com/Jack-of-Spades-...
Such a great group and thread! So after some encouragement from this group, I've decided to offer my award-winning book Askari to my Goodreads friends as a free download for a limited time. This is a learning venture for me...still trying to figure out Goodreads and would love some reviews. Not sure how to inform others, so any advice on how to spread the word that there is another free book out there would be really appreciated! Any others with free books who need reviews, just say the word and author interviews are always a welcome venture!Askari: Child of Muralia Book I
Does anyone else post excerpts from their books? I try to put a short one up once or twice a week. Just something to tweak the readers interest. I just put a new one up at http://www.inthesticks.net
Darren, I WILL drop you an e-mail as soon as I have time. You can drop me an e-mail about yourself as well at r_e_goodrich@yahoo.com and I will post something about you on my author blog. Mikko, I downloaded your book on my iPhone. Can't wait to read it!
For anyone's information, and in response to an earlier question, I've found a great deal of helpful advice by following literary agents on Twitter. They tend to vent their pet peeves as well as toss out their wishes for queries and submissions. For example, one agent, in venting, tweeted, "Unless your self-published book has reached 20,000 copies sold, don't bother asking for representation!". Okay. Good to know. I've learned of writing contests, querying opportunities, what certain agents specifically are looking for, and so much more just by following them on twitter. It's interesting to discern their unique personalities too, if nothing else! : )
Hi Richelle, thanks i will do just that! I was looking at your Eena book 1, it looks lovely, something my daughter may like - what sort of age range is for? (she is only 5 but reads like a 15 year old! Whereas i am a 40 year old that reads like a 5 year old!)Self Publisher is centred around comics but i am assigned to change that and include more books. We look forward to hearing from you.
Joel,I have excepts, the first 10 or so pages, for all my books on my website, http://dburtonwriting.wordpress.com.
If I can ever figure out my Facebook page, David Burton Writing, I think posting different excerpts there might be a good idea to draw some attention to a website or Amazon page.
David wrote: "Joel,I have excepts, the first 10 or so pages, for all my books on my website, http://dburtonwriting.wordpress.com.
If I can ever figure out my Facebook page, David Burton Writing, I think postin..."
I know Amazon does that on their site. I try to post a few paragraphs or so just to get the reader interested. I also try to change them up every week or so. I'm not sure if it helps?
Well, it can't hurt. If I ever finish this novella I'm working through, getting Facebook figured out is my next project. Posting a new excerpt will give me something new to post, because otherwise I got nuttin.Such is my exciting life.
updated the goodreads blog today, please have a lookie. I will update every wednesday as that is my day-off from my "real" job, god how i hate "real" jobs, but you didn't need to know that. Thanks to everyone that responded to the interview requests for Self Publisher Magazine, i'm putting the questions together and will get back to you all.
You know normally i don't do forums, they seem to be infested with over-egotistical nerds that take it all so seriously, try and promote on the wrong board and they will give you bad reviews and generally put you down. Of course they do not realise that you are no big time publishing house and that you cannot push your book by having its own stand in the supermarket. They do not understand the plight of the self-publisher and they hav e no manners in trying to put them off self promotion. well, that is my experience of most forums, particularly on that website that sounds like a rainforest.
Seeing as i started this forum i declare that anyone who has such intentions should go find a different group, lets all be friendly on here as we have been doing so far. Help each other and support them.
I'm just writing to say that i'm overwhelmed by the response of this one and glad to meet you all, you have renewed my faith in the internet forum!
Amen!
Isn't it sad how you just gotta pay those monthly bills.
You should try living where I do. A monthly bill is a real headache. I try to avoid them like the plague.
I try to Avoid the Monthly bills too. The only problem is it usually results in the Power guy knocking on my door and giving me the option of Power or money. Obviously I cant run my computer with out power so he always wins. People always refer to me as an Independent Author I quickly inform them that I am a Starving Author. hehehehe!
So you save your pennies and buy yourself a little generator. It's usually enough to run vital functions, and buying the gas is cheaper than paying the electric bill. hahaha
Good Idea... OK at my current commission rate I need to sell 75 books to get enough for a Little Generator and pay the sales tax, and by the first tank of gas. :-)
Sounds about right. Best investment you'll ever make. hahaha
Is it jus me or have we gone slightly off the subject here?! Probably my fault though!
Ok. I have a question. Did everyone here try submitting queries to literary agents before going the self-publishing route? Or was self-publishing so enticing - offering the ease of ebooks and control over your own work - that you opted to do it yourself? Just curious.
Richelle,I've sent hundres of query letters of various kinds, with little result.(So much for my query writing skills) Most of them before self-publishing became the new thing. Now I just write, put them up and move on. Now, if my self-marketing efforts matched my self-publishing efforts, I'd be writing this from the sun deck of my yacht. But that's another story. And why I'm here.
A bit off topic, I'd like to thank any of you who voted for my SS An Accidental Vampire. I did ineed win, though I have no official confirmation yet. Probably investigating for voter fraud or some such. Anyway, thanks again. Third time was the charm.
I came a cross a website called Lunchtime Reads. (Don't have the link handy. Google does) They post short stories, to read during lunch. Duh. When you click on a cover it takes you directly to the story's Amazon page where a reader can buy it. It costs something to list, $15 for 2-3 months, I think. E-mail them here lunchtimereads@gmail.com to get submission info.
Richelle wrote: "Ok. I have a question. Did everyone here try submitting queries to literary agents before going the self-publishing route? Or was self-publishing so enticing..."I submitted samples to a few agents and got a lot and I mean A LOT of "You Suck Letters" and "Thanks for Giving Us a Good Laugh letters". I decided that you have to build an audience first so you have something to show you can make them money. Incidentally this was the same thing I was getting from publishers too. I don't mind rejection I just wish people would give me a reason or something to work on, other than just a form letter and a copied signature.
Richelle wrote: "Ok. I have a question. Did everyone here try submitting queries to literary agents before going the self-publishing route? Or was self-publishing so enticing - offering the ease of ebooks and cont..."
I'm one of those who skipped the literary agent route altogether. I'm a student, live in with my parents, and have no money whatsoever, which is why I opted for the cheapest way to get myself published. I've not spend a single dime so far on self-publishing my e-books and paperbacks, nor do I pay for the website I set up. I simply can't afford it!
I'm not sure how professional my books look to others, since I did everything myself, but the covers look good in my own eyes at the very least:
http://www.amazon.com/SonnyGoten/e/B0...
I'm one of those who skipped the literary agent route altogether. I'm a student, live in with my parents, and have no money whatsoever, which is why I opted for the cheapest way to get myself published. I've not spend a single dime so far on self-publishing my e-books and paperbacks, nor do I pay for the website I set up. I simply can't afford it!
I'm not sure how professional my books look to others, since I did everything myself, but the covers look good in my own eyes at the very least:
http://www.amazon.com/SonnyGoten/e/B0...
Richelle wrote: "Ok. I have a question. Did everyone here try submitting queries to literary agents before going the self-publishing route? Or was self-publishing so enticing - offering the ease of ebooks and cont..."Yeah, I gave the agent querying thing a shot, but then I found a couple publishers willing to bypass the agent requirement and got a couple books out, Probably from now on though, especially since I got brave recently and did one all by myself, I'll probably do that from now on. How often will more than likely be dictated by how sales go. I gotta be able to afford the cover art and I refuse to let my stuff go without passing it by a professional editor first.
Thanks for the responses, everyone!I've sent out my fair share of query letters also, with no success. I've collected many, many 'Thanks, but no thanks' rejections, and keep them in a file. I'm planning to wallpaper a room with them someday. (You think I'm kidding?) Gratefully, Stephen, I've never received a 'You suck' response yet. Ouch! You're a courageous soul.
Well, I personally wasn't fond of the idea of self-publishing to begin with, but it seemed the only door open to me. And I'm not one to just stand there and not move forward. The upside is having more cotrol over what you put out there - knowing it's truly YOUR work. The downside is very little recognition and (in my case anyway) disappointingly low sales. So far. So far, I repeat. It's not over yet. And I'm not a professional editor, so I know there are multiple mistakes in my book. But the story is spellbinding! That's what counts, right?
Anna, I'd be curious to know which route you find easier and/or lucrative and/or more fulfilling.
I plan to continue sending out queries for my newer projects. I don't have enough rejection letters yet to wallpaper an entire room. : )
-Richelle
Richelle wrote: "Thanks for the responses, everyone!I've sent out my fair share of query letters also, with no success. I've collected many, many 'Thanks, but no thanks' rejections, and keep them in a file. I'm ..."
I always have and always will send to agants first. It is the only way to have any chance to advance to the major book publishers. I have had an agent interested in each of my books and request partials before turning them down.
Joel
Well I was tongue in cheek when I said it was a You Suck letter. But no matter how nice they say no thank you, it still feels like a You Suck letter. I wouldn't call my self a courageous soul. I just know that I enjoy what I do. I know that I won't get rich doing it. And I know that you can't make everybody happy. I have brought a new outlook to my writing. That is just write what you want and the sales will come. My first book sells more now that it has been out there for over a year. The more you write the better you will get.
Richelle wrote: "Thanks for the responses, everyone!I've sent out my fair share of query letters also, with no success. I've collected many, many 'Thanks, but no thanks' rejections, and keep them in a file. I'm ..."
Well, I'm not getting any younger, so I figured I wouldn't try too hard on the agent thing. I mean, the big publishers want us to bring in all our platform anyway, so if I'm already doing all the work, I don't see why they should get such a big cut of my royalties.
My trilogy will stay with the one publisher I have, but recently, I've discovered 2 very good cover artists so I don't see why my future publishing endeavors can't be all on me.
Stephen wrote: "Well I was tongue in cheek when I said it was a You Suck letter. But no matter how nice they say no thank you, it still feels like a You Suck letter. I wouldn't call my self a courageous soul. I ju..."Lol! I take everything literally.
I know you can't please everyone. Heck, you're lucky to please one person, let alone the masses! That's why I write for myself - the kind of stories that I enjoy reading. If nothing else, writing this way pleases me. I guess I just need to hunt down an agent who's my twin!
-Richelle
There's always new agents looking for to build their list. Find an author who writes what you write and find out who their agent is. I read someplace that if you haven't sold 20,000 copies on your own don't bother querying an agent for a work you've already published.
On topic, I think, any help getting those Kindle sales flowing will be appreciated. Only 19,000+ sales to go!
I wonder if my Freebie sales would count????? :-)
I used to do stand-up comedy. I was never very good so I decided to write a book about how much I sucked at it. Don't worry, the book is actually funnier than I ever was on stage because I don't need to publicly speak. Even if you hate the book it's temporarily free right now so you should take advantage if this is something that would interest you.http://www.amazon.com/Silence-Stand-U...
Richelle wrote: "Thanks, Tim!"Anytime Richelle!
Just published a new novel! It's a Round Robin. Only the Kindle version is out now, but the paperback should be available on Amazon in a few days and I'm still working on the Smashwords edition. You can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BBNB3EW/
Thanks Tim, I look forward to reading Silence.For those of you with blockbuster asperations I came across this guide to marrying literary and genre writing to achieve Amazon and World blockbuster domination. Haven't read it all (142 pages) but it has some good stuff.
http://blog.inkubate.com/pdf/SSBrown_...
I picked it up too Tim, I look forward to reading it.
Hi Everyone, I have a few moments to say hello. I have written a first book called A Paradigm Shift: The Legacy and I am currently writing the 2nd in the series to be finished by June.
I feel bad because I have had no time to set aside lately to market my book aside putting out prompts on twitter (@ccdailly).
Here is a link to my first book: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
If anyone is interested in reading it for free on this blog, send me a message and I will be happy to send you a "free" code to download it at smashwords.
I do have a question. I notice that your book covers are amazing and I will want to change my book covers. Have you designed your own covers, or did you have someone do it for you? If so, would you happen to have any designers names to pass on?
It's amazing to see so many writers out there. It keeps me going as a writer. I just wish I had more time to read everyone's work!
Thanks so much, and nice to meet you all!
CC
Oops I forgot to mention that I do not have my book on Kindle yet. But, that has to do with timing and not because I don't want to. Plus, smashwords does not have a link to amazon yet. So, I will have to do that separately. CC
You can put your book on kindle very easily yourself. I have links to 2 cover artists I'm very happy with. They both charge around $100.
Hi Anna, Thank you for your answer! I would love to get the links to those cover artists if you don't mind. Is there an agreement that they sign or anything like that or is the charge a one-time fee?
I will look into setting up the Kindle upload.
thanks, CC
My Book Politics 101 is available on Amazon.com for free this weekend. Please stop by and pick it up. Any reviews would be greatly appreciated as well.http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007B44V4E
One time fee: Harris Channing http://coversbyharris.weebly.com/
Kayden Mcleod http://www.kaydenmcleod.com/home.php
and here http://www.otherworldspublicity.com
Great people to work with too
CC,I'd like to read your new book, though I'm heavy into the sequel to my Blood Justice novel, so can't say when I'll be able to get to it.
dcburtonjr@gmail.com
I have Tatiana Vila do my covers. She's good at a fair price. http://tat-94.wix.com/viladesign
Thank you to all for responding so quickly. It really is great to have this community of writers! I have bookmarked the links you have sent. David: Thank you!
I will put the link here with the code so if anyone else is interested they are welcome to download and read for free. I would love some feedback. The great thing about e-book writing is that you can always update your books! Since I am currently in the middle of writing the second installment, it is always good to get feedback to make it better! I can already tell you that I will be going back to update my first one, and the more feedback I get the better.
Thanks again!
Hi Everyone, So here's the link to the book:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Here is the coupon code to get it free: NC95J
This offer goes to February 14th!
Make sure you don't forget to put the code when purchasing the book!
Thanks again!
Hey, everyone!Check this out if you're seeking a helpful guide to some literary agents.
http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-b...
-Richelle
C.C. wrote: "Hi Everyone, So here's the link to the book:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Here is the coupon code to get it free: NC95J
This offer goes to February 14th!
Make sure you don't f..."
I'm not a member of SmashWords but it sounds very interesting. I'll try to watch for it when it hits Amazon Kindle.
Kindle Marketing - BookGrow
Books mentioned in this topic
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White Space Van Man (other topics)
Blood Justice (other topics)
Eena, The Return of a Queen (other topics)
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To the extent that you can share such info, how is it going for you having shifted from self-pubbed to 'into orbit'? It strikes me that your books are now inaccessible due to bundling to a high price point, whereas before they were perfect for the digital market - a series of short works with double the cross-selling opportunity. Have your digital sales gone up, down, sideways? Have print sales royalties made up for the loss?