New Authors Talk Shoppe discussion
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I have used Goodreads Giveaways (3 times now) to try to get eposure. The result is 970 unique users and 2000 books on to-read shelves here on Goodreads. Now, I don't know what that means exactly, so I thought there might be others who can talk about their own experiences.
I know an author who used the giveaway and got 900 to reads, around half dozen reviews, and then nothing much after that.
I know books are added automatically for users that enter giveaways, but not sure if they are added directly to to-read shelf. It's hard to know what any of this means.
The To-read shelf is part of the system, you can't delete it, seems like that's the shelf that gets the giveaways. I was thinking of trying it now that they are doing e-books for giveaways.
You can give away just one book if all you're after is exposure, more if you hope to get reviews. I think it has helped me. I have 35 unsolicited reviews/ratings on goodreads for my books. I assume some of those came from giveaway exposure, though I only gave away about a dozen copies total. Cheap and maybe a little effective?
Exposure using the e-book giveaway allows you to give away 100 copies for only the price of the giveaway, $119, no books to print, no postage.I read that bookbubs is a lot cheaper per e-book copy, "for $500.00 one can expect around 30-35,000 downloads, which equals around a cent per copy."
Not everyone can advertise on bookbubs, they have standards for accepting a book to advertise.
http://lindsayburoker.com/book-market...
The question is then would you expect a different number of entries for ebooks over print books on Goodreads? If not, then the ebook route would be quite expensive by comparison (exposure-wise), though you give more copies away for potential reviews. Providing reviews are optional for winners, however, so I wouldn't expect that many. Bookbub is another animal altogether, I think.
Bookbub is way too expensive for me. I live on social security, and that ties my hands a bit. I tried KDP Select/Unlimited with no success. I had better results using Smashwords.
Anyone have any ideas where the future of self publishing is going? Digitalization adds jobs and subtracts jobs. Has the increased numbers of indie authors, editors and distributors completely offset the number of jobs lost in the traditional publishing business?
Is the number of indie authors increasing or decreasing? I saw one article that said indie productions should be separated from the mainstream publishing authors because there are so many indie titles that they clog up the search engines so a reader can't search for a book they want to read.
For an indie author to be noticed do they have to be a jack of all digital marketing trades and fully engaged in every social networking system ever invented?
Even with a traditional publisher, the marketing is on the author's shoulders. I feel that brand-name authors and/or celeb authors have the support of the publisher for marketing. A publisher only has so much in the budget for marketing and they are more likely to put those resources on a sure bet where they know sales will grow.The author market seems glutted to me, and it's near impossible to cut a deal with one of the big 5 or 6 publishing houses.
---brand-name authors and/or celeb authors have the support of the publisher for marketing. That's one of the primary reasons for using a traditional publisher. The advertising, printing, distributing is all done by the publisher. They take their time, up to a year, and you probably have little control over your final product, or how it is advertised.
There are a lot of indie authors and I keep hearing the advice, don't stop writing, keep writing more books until someone notices you. All these books being published every month might seem to make it harder for someone to find your book by searching for it.
Robert wrote: "---brand-name authors and/or celeb authors have the support of the publisher for marketing. That's one of the primary reasons for using a traditional publisher. The advertising, printing, distrib..."
Yes, but if you're not a celeb, have connections with a big trad publisher, or are a brand name, marketing is still on your shoulders. Small presses don't have much of a marketing budget either. Fifty Shades was one that took off partly due to connections---someone knew someone who knew someone.
Robert wrote: "I know an author who used the giveaway and got 900 to reads, around half dozen reviews, and then nothing much after that."Some of your paperback giveways end up unread, on Amazon, sold by other sellers. Basically, there is an industry whereby people enter competition to sell books on ebay, Amazon, etc.
Goodreads is swelling with Authors, huddling like zombies, waiting to rip the flesh from any reader passing by. Marketing on Goodreads is difficult. I certainly donot have the knack.
Many readers demand formulaic books that entertain, that distract from reality.
Marketing has taken all pleasure out of writing.
Escapism, the number one rule of entertainment.
Feel free to invite any of your writing friends, as well.
BMB