Support for Indie Authors discussion
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To sell direct or not? Hmm...
Oh, just to give you an idea...On May 6th, I released book 1 exclusively on my site and didn't succumb to the Amazon gods until June 8th. So zero of my sales on Amazon are from my "following" (that sounds so dumb haha). But, yeah, I'm not sure if that was the smartest choice in hindsight.
XD
Congratulations. 60+ awesome possums are nice to have when you release a new book. And they fry up real nice.
I'll probably release a new book in a few months, a sequel to my second novel. None of my books are exclusive to Amazon, nor do they sell well outside of Amazon, but when I release the sequel I'm thinking of making them both exclusive to Amazon for the first 90 days. I'd like to hear other opinions on this topic as well.
I'll probably release a new book in a few months, a sequel to my second novel. None of my books are exclusive to Amazon, nor do they sell well outside of Amazon, but when I release the sequel I'm thinking of making them both exclusive to Amazon for the first 90 days. I'd like to hear other opinions on this topic as well.
Thanks for this, Ken!! And, yes, I cherish my loving and cuddly group of readers like you wouldn't believe!!Personally, I won't "technically" be exclusive with the Kindle Select program or anything like that (Ann = control freak + major issues with authority *smirks*). But I can easily direct my amazeballs little following to Amazon. Like, they're sooo supportive. They just wanna help, ya know?
Hugs,
Ann
P.S. - I can't eat my awesome possums, Mr Ken. They're not all that easy to find in the first place. Maybe I'll try breeding them instead... XD
AnnieAre you paperback, digital or both?
Tara wrote: "AnnieAre you paperback, digital or both?"
Just digital, ma'am. Although, I will release a paperback version soon (only because I promised it as a prize for a draw hahaha). Why do you ask?
That's amazing that you have that many people who are supporting you like that.It's really your call on where you're trying to direct your brand. Does the feeling of delivering directly to your awesome possums directly + higher profit margin weigh greater than the exposure of 60 people boosting your book on Amazon for the first month? It's all about how you view the pros and cons and you'd likely get many different responses depending on how many people you asked.
My personal preference, I'll let Amazon do some of the work for me (like handling transactions, shipping/data transmission, whatever else) and less I have to focus on in building my brand and more time I get to spend on writing/editing. Do I get a lower profit, yep. But my attitude is to not care about the money right now.
I was wondering what platform you use to publish your book. I am still learning lots of stuff and find your situation interesting. I don't do KDP select because I don't see the point of hoping I get 70% of jack squat when just anybody can come along and borrow my book almost for free. Plus I find it stifling to lose control over when i can run a promo, change my prices etc. However, it works very well for lots of other people - just my two cents (which is about what I made per page read in KDP Select ha!)
Thomas wrote: "That's amazing that you have that many people who are supporting you like that."Thank you, Thomas XD
To be completely honest, I didn't realize how lucky I was. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love and appreciate every single reader!! But...yeah...I just had absolutely zero clue.
Hmm. The money doesn't hold much weight with me at this point. I mean, an extra $1 on 60 sales isn't something I care about. But...
I simply never considered Amazon in the beginning. I didn't even intend to publish anything at all. I was just randomly serializing chapters for this little group of readers I adore. When I finished, they asked me to flesh out the story and release as an ebook for them. Sooo, I whipped it up and delivered an (error-laden) ebook 3 weeks later (stupid deadline, hence the errors LOL). Without them, I'd never even consider publishing *group hugs my awesome possums*
Seriously, though, it wasn't until after chatting with other peeps here that I was like, "Huh. I guess I should actually release my book to the rest of the world, eh?"
Did everything bass ackwards, as always *smirks*
Tara wrote: "I was wondering what platform you use to publish your book."
Ah, gotcha. I use an EDD (Easy Digital Downloads) plugin on my Wordpress site.
https://www.anniearcane.com/book/hart...
I'm not 100% satisfied with how it looks but I'm too tech-illiterate to tinker with too much hahaha. Oh, and I accept payments through PayPal. Their fee is 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction if I'm not mistaken. So my fee on $3.99 is under 50cents when I sell direct vs $1.40-ish with Amazon.
But, like I said, I don't really give a rat's bottom about that. I just didn't think of Amazon at first. Like, my readers were like, "Give us a book" and I was like, "As you wish. Just lemme Google how the heck to do that..." XD
I publish on Amazon and Smashwords, and paperbacks through Createspace. I recently hired a business manager because after 6 books published, I am not making as many sales as I would like. He is recommending that I start selling my books directly on my website. You can offer your fans an *extra* for posting a review on Amazon and I think that will give you a boost. The last book I released in March has not sold a single copy on Amazon (I spend most of my energy directing traffic to my website, and then they click out on one of the buy links. I have all of them, and most go either to B & N or Smashwords, go figure!) Yet, despite that, I am not ranked at the bottom of my category. I am on the low end, but I think that because I have 15 ish reviews, it has boosted my ranking despite not a single sale.
Of course, no one really knows how Amazon works because, like Google, they are always changing stuff up to keep cheaters out.
What a cool way to start writing! There is something to be said for turning some of the headache over to the Zon, not to mention being able to reach so many more readers. You only are locked in for three months so the commitment is not that extreme if you decide you don't like it.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Miss Heidi!It's funny that you found Amazon to be lacking because I listed on Amazon and Kobo (June 8th for both) and have sold over 100 times more copies on Kobo. Yeah. That isn't a typo. Like, does no one know what the heck Kobo is??? hahahaha. I tried to do B&N, but realized I couldn't as a Canadian *sigh* And I have no idea why I wasn't drawn to Smashwords. The interface, maybe? Dunno *shrugs*
Aiya!! Now I'm really starting to feel like a n00b for not hiring anyone. It's literally just me in my "basement" making an ebook from scratch *gulps* I don't think I'd ever get a business manager (again, control freak here *giggles*) but an editor? Perhaps...
Hugs,
Ann
P.S. - Miss Tara. Many authors have recommended Select...but...I just can't do it. Ugh. I don't know what's wrong with me. Did I mention the control freak part? And the issue with authority? XD
Hey Annie! I moved you over to the Marketing folder. Most authors would sacrifice a limb for that kind of support, so first off, congrats! Now as for your question, direct sales might seem to be a financial benefit, but I'm going to argue that a rank boost of 30+ awesome possums (or oawesome opossums for the pedants among us ;p) could propel you to greatness by getting your book in front of a whole lot of new possums, which means more readers, more money, higher rank, the circle of life, bestseller!
Really though, I had no idea possums could read! ;P
Thank you, Miss Christina! (I never put threads in the right place, eh? Forgives me *grovels*)While I still refuse to let Kindle Select shackle me (go ahead, everyone, gimme an eye roll *smirks*) I do think you're 100% right. I shall direct all opossums of the oawesome variety to Amazon for the next book XP
Hugs,
Ann
P.S. - They can learn to read, but you have to be really patient and feed them lots of Skittles. Only the red ones, though.
Ken wrote: "Congratulations. 60+ awesome possums are nice to have when you release a new book. And they fry up real nice...."
Why, Ken, I never pegged you as one to eat fried roadkill!
Annie, I don't sleep enough to be a possum... assuming I'm part of that group?Does Amazon tell you the names of who bought your book?
Annie wrote: "Thanks for sharing your experience, Miss Heidi!It's funny that you found Amazon to be lacking because I listed on Amazon and Kobo (June 8th for both) and have sold over 100 times more copies on K..."
Annie,
It was me in my basement for 5 years, so I totally feel you! And to be fair, my business manager is a relative (who also happens to have a lot of experience with business!) who has been kind enough to "guide" me for a % of sales. Hard to say no to that kind of help, right?!
Best of luck with your adventures!
Sue (Dog Mom) wrote: "Ken wrote: "Congratulations. 60+ awesome possums are nice to have when you release a new book. And they fry up real nice.
..."
Why, Ken, I never pegged you as one to eat fried roadkill!"
Well...it does have to be fried, or I won't touch it. I'm sorta picky.
..."
Why, Ken, I never pegged you as one to eat fried roadkill!"
Well...it does have to be fried, or I won't touch it. I'm sorta picky.
Sue (Dog Mom) wrote: "Annie, I don't sleep enough to be a possum... assuming I'm part of that group?Does Amazon tell you the names of who bought your book?"
Not that I've ever seen. You just find out on which platform (co.uk or com or whatever'.
Heidi wrote: "And to be fair, my business manager is a relative (who also happens to have a lot of experience with business!) who has been kind enough to "guide" me for a % of sales. Hard to say no to that kind of help, right?!"Don't blame ya one bit! XD Huh. I think I'm poop outta luck on that one because I'm pretty sure I am the business-minded relative hahaha...haha...ha... *sigh* But, thank you for the best wishes, ma'am! Just appreciative of expertise from people such as yourself :)
Sue (Dog Mom) wrote: "Annie, I don't sleep enough to be a possum... assuming I'm part of that group?
Does Amazon tell you the names of who bought your book?
Sleep is for the dead *smirks* and I hadn't the pleasure of meeting you yet when I was serializing my chapters...but...it would be an honor to have you be a part of my awesome possums. They are awesome, after all XP
And to actually be helpful and answer your question: No. You can't see the names on Amazon. Or any other book retailer (because you're sorta a contractor, in a sense, vs the owner, if that makes sense?). The only way would be to set up your own storefront. Then you handle all the backend, books, etc.
Hugs,
Ann
Ann, Thanks for the info! Sorry for the mis-assumption. Hugs
Sue (Dog Mom) wrote: "Ann, Thanks for the info! Sorry for the mis-assumption. Hugs"Aiya!! I hope that didn't come off wrong!!! I only meant that I didn't have the pleasure of knowing you back when I was randomly plopping chapters up online, but I would love, love, loooove to have you as part of the awesome possums (which you already are haha). Ann, why do you speak idiot? Whyyy?? Bah!!!
*hugs Miss Sue appreciatively*
Annie, No, no, no, you did not come off wrong!!! I was presumptuous!!I'm way behind the eight ball. All my GR messages went into my SPAM folder instead of my inbox!! Ugh... gotta catch up.
Heidi wrote: "I publish on Amazon and Smashwords, and paperbacks through Createspace."That's the mix I use too. Note - people talk about Select and that turned me off Amazon at first, but with a bit of digging I realized that the KDP program is not exclusive. It only becomes exclusive if you enroll specifically in KDP Select. They do try to push you in that direction though. With my fat fingers and mouse jitters I just know I'll accidentally hit that big fat "Enroll in KDP Select" button they keep putting right next to the button I actually meant to hit.
Annie wrote: "I tried to do B&N, but realized I couldn't as a Canadian"
If you bite the bullet and publish through Smashwords you can get into B&N, as well as Kobo and iTunes and more. Also worth mentioning is that Smashwords can distribute into Overdrive which a lot of Canadian libraries use for ebooks.
Is smashwords the formatting nightmare some people say it is?
Miss Tara: I looked at smashwords for 1/2 a second and was like, "Meh, next" hahahahaI can give it a go and letcha know, though, if it helps you out :)
Miss Sue: Oh, thank goodness!! And I WANT you to be presumptuous!!! You are my awesome possum, you hear? You. Are. *stern face*
Mr Ian: Ah, thank you for that! Well, Smashwords might be getting my business soon after all XP Oh, and I did set up iTunes. Just haven't gotten around to listing yet hahahaha...I'm such a bum *sigh*
Hugs,
Ann
EDIT: Ian, my buddy told me the same thing about KDP being exclusive. Instead of researching, I just listened to the little bugger *facepalm* A month later, I finally googled it and am obviously listed on Amazon now XD
Tara wrote: "Is smashwords the formatting nightmare some people say it is?"I had no problems with it. All three books got accepted in MS Word format, and into Premium distribution.
Admittedly the Smashwords style guide is a beast of a book, but mostly because it takes you through the process a very small step at a time. If you know your way round MS Word then the instructions are actually very simple to follow and a lot of it boils down to common sense. Most of the effort goes into persuading Word NOT to do all the clever-dick stuff it wants to do without your permission, because, ya know, Microsoft knows better than you do.
Mr Ian, may I ask which formats Smashwords accept? Like, would they take a formatted ePub? I'm just super duper anal retentive about stuff looking perfect, exactly the way I want it *smirks*
AnnieSounds good. I should have my book on Kobo, B&N, iTunes and Smashwords by the end of summer. I was exclusive to Amazon for the first three months and it wasn't for me That is primarily because my book is non-fiction and in a moderately populated category. There were never going to be a lot of eyes on my book at one time so I didn't see the need of giving people the opportunity to borrow it. The page read payout on a 126 page book is laughable. Also, the benefit of KDP Select is the fact that you get to use promotional tools like Kindle Countdown and you have five days in which you can make your book free. Again, it didn't do me that much good and scheduling any sort of deal or price change was a nightmare for me. I had to reschedule my Booksbutterfly promotion twice because the dates Amazon gave me to make changes were incorrect. i know it sounds irresponsible of me to assert that a multibillion dollar company could make mistakes but I assure you that there were errors. luckily, the guys over at Booksbutterfly were very understanding - they said they are quite used to people having issues with their Amazon scheduling ha ha.
Anyhoo, this is just my experience. There are tons more who absolutely love KDP Select and say the bulk of their book's income comes from KU borrows and page reads. I'm sure I might feel a bit differently were I a fiction writer in a hot genre but I'm not. I like the freedom of being able to go in and change prices when I see fit and run promotions on my own time/dime. And who knows, maybe some of the other platforms may yield a sale or two. My book is a parenting guide so I know there will be no chart climbing activity for me (especially since I suck at promoting). But it is a book that has potential to steadily interest readers over the years and remain relevant. I'm in it for the long haul.
Annie wrote: "Mr Ian, may I ask which formats Smashwords accept? Like, would they take a formatted ePub? I'm just super duper anal retentive about stuff looking perfect, exactly the way I want it *smirks*"Not sure about that. Their recommended format is MS Word because they take the text (with minimal formatting) and convert it to multiple formats through the meatgrinder. The whole premise is that with ebooks the final look is in the hands of the e-reader anyway so the less you try to control it the better.
I can see that will rub you up the wrong way, control freak and all :) but that's the nature of e-publishing. The reader gets to tinker with fonts and sizes and flow etc.
I realized all this discussion got totally off topic of the OP, which was about direct selling.My inclination, for what it's worth, is to direct buyers to the main outlets like Amazon, B&N, iTunes etc. in order to boost rank and also to validate any reviews people might write as "verified purchases"
I actually had a guy at work buy my two novels as e-books, and he wanted to buy them direct and give me cash. Sure, I said, and I generated a couple of Smashwords coupons to allow him to download for free. Effectively I sold him the coupons, net cost to me = 0, profit = 100%. Bargain! Except on reflection I wish I'd directed him to the Amazon site just to have the recorded sales.
My one exception is paperbacks sold face to face. I will always happily sell direct because I can give people a good deal. A big percentage of my book sales to date have been direct to work colleagues. That's where my biggest band of possums lives :)
Annie wrote: "Mr Ian, may I ask which formats Smashwords accept? Like, would they take a formatted ePub? I'm just super duper anal retentive about stuff looking perfect, exactly the way I want it *smirks*"OK, checking out their "How to publish" page it looks like they will indeed accept ePub files.
Miss Tara,You keep making such goooood points about Kindle Select for my genre, and so have many others. I 100% see the logic. It's crystal clear. And I know I'm being a stubborn rebel (or moron), but I...just...can't...do....it... *sobs in corner* XP
Ian wrote: "I realized all this discussion got totally off topic of the OP, which was about direct selling."
Umm...Mr Ian...I am the OP... ROFLMAO!!!
Ah, the verified purchase thingy. Another thing to consider for sure. Yeah, I'm gonna direct everything to Amazon next time and see how much of a diff it makes. I reckon quite a bit, actually.
I like your band of possums *smirks* Why not, eh?
Oh, I realize that readers control the font size/formatting/whatevs. Like, I read on both my iPhone and iPad, using both kindle and iBook apps. However, if someone is on their laptop or computer, the ePub does look "perfect" like I made it. Unless I mess up the formatting, then it looks like shizz. Sooo...yeah...I'm actually more anal about it looking "off" in the latter case...
*battles control freak raging inside**loses**eats a cookie*
And thank you for checking that out! I'm being such a lazy bum, eh? haha.
*control freak does happy dance for ePub*
Hugs,
Ann
I've been considering self-hosting myself. Had a go with Amazon, wasn't amazing, better than Smashwords though, but I'm looking into doing it myself on my blog or something like that. Have no idea what I'm doing though.
Daniel wrote: "I've been considering self-hosting myself. Had a go with Amazon, wasn't amazing, better than Smashwords though, but I'm looking into doing it myself on my blog or something like that. Have no idea what I'm doing though...."Daniel, I assure you that you are not alone. I'm working on my first book and intend to publish on KPD and CreateSpace. I tried to start creating a free website on Weebly and totally flubbed it up. Having no money equals lots of self-promotion. I shall overcome my technical inabilities and persevere!! I wish you the best of luck in your writing career.
Daniel wrote: "I've been considering self-hosting myself. Had a go with Amazon, wasn't amazing, better than Smashwords though, but I'm looking into doing it myself on my blog or something like that. Have no idea what I'm doing though."Hmm. You didn't technically ask but I'm gonna go right ahead and share my thoughts anyway. My twisted logic: You know me and therefore, I can get away with being frank XP
Personally, I have zero plans to ever sell on my site exclusively. While I'm very much a seller by nature, my reach can't possibly hope to compare to that of Amazon's. Like, readers in Germany, UK, Australia, etc. would never have a hope in Hogwarts of randomly stumbling across my book, ya know?
And for once I'm not talking outta my butt either. I can totally compare because I had it exclusively on my site for a month before listing on Amazon. Trust me. It. Is. Different. 100%.
Daniel, if you wanna talk copies sold or whatevs, I don't mind sharing numbers at all if it helps ya. Just lemme know, buddy ^_~
Hugs,
Ann
P.S. - Miss Sue, have you looked at Wix. I've never used it myself, but have heard good (and simple) things from lots of people.
Annie, you're the first indie author I've heard of who has had success selling direct from your website (except for a few "Big Names"). I think that's great!Regarding your dilemma about Select and being exclusive to Amazon: it's easy enough to try it for 90 days and then renew or cancel, depending on your experience. I use it for some books but not others.
I even had one series that I took out of Select because it seemed to have reached the end of its life. I sold a few copies on the other channels, then sales dried up there as well, so I put it back into Select. It started to sell again!
--Ken (not to be confused with the other, possum-eating Ken)
Ken wrote: "Annie, you're the first indie author I've heard of who has had success selling direct from your website (except for a few "Big Names"). I think that's great!"I echo that! Annie already had a readership following before releasing a book, and that is an unusual path to follow. The problem with selling from your own site is that hardly anyone is going to stumble on it by accident. They'd have to be searching for you or your book, in other words they already know about you - which is a large part of the battle. At least with the big online sites there's a chance that someone who doesn't know you is searching for a book on "Fiction / Humorous food stories / British Rail" and might find yours in the search results.
It's not either-or: I sell anywhere I can sell. I'm fiddling with WooCommerce at present because I also sell swag. But my best sales are at live events (comic cons, craft fairs, local fundraising shows, etc), mostly selling paperbacks. But I'm on Smashwords, IngramSpark, KDP, CreateSpace ... I have my digital ones on Gumroad but haven't promoted them much.
You never know what venue is going to work for you, so try them all! :)
Ken wrote: "Annie, you're the first indie author I've heard of who has had success selling direct from your website (except for a few "Big Names"). I think that's great!Regarding your dilemma about Select..."
Mr (anti-possum-eating) Ken! Thank you!!
I'm gonna start backward. Shocking, eh? XD
Just for the record, I have absolutely zero dilemma regarding Amazon! In fact, I'm currently listed there with no intention of ever delisting! Heck, I've sold over 100 times more copies on Amazon than Kobo (listed with both 3 weeks ago), so believe me, I am digging Amazon!! It's only the exclusive Select program I refuse to touch with a 10-foot pole *smirks*
Hmm. I've by no means experienced "success" selling direct. Please don't get me wrong! I love and adore my tiny niche following like you wouldn't believe!! Just keep in mind that they've all been reading online as I serialized chapters (over the past 9 months or so) and they are the ones who asked me to whip up an ebook. So, of course, they all bought it. I mean, they asked, right? hahaha.
I just wanna make it clear that I've only sold ~65 copies on my own site and 98% of that was in the first week (May 6th). As Mr Ian correctly deduced, after this, sales stopped. Which is exactly what I expected, seeing as how no one else on the planet knows the book even exists, right?
It wasn't until June 8th that I was like, Huh, I wonder if I should release this sucker into the "wilderness"? and ventured into the Amazon (and Kobo). So, again, I LOVE Amazon and would never bite the hand that feeds *nods obediently* I just won't let them shackle me completely *grins defiantly*
Patricia wrote: "You never know what venue is going to work for you, so try them all! :)"
Sage words, Miss Patricia! Thank you!!! I think it's super interesting how different genres (and even subgenres) play by different rules. It's kinda fun to play the game and figure out what works for each. And, I'm rambling again...
Hugs,
Ann
Annie wrote: "Just for the record, I have absolutely zero dilemma regarding Amazon! "Understood...I was referring to your hesitation regarding Select (not Amazon as a whole).
Annie wrote: "I just wanna make it clear that I've only sold ~65 copies on my own site and 98% of that was in the first week (May 6th). "
That's still better than most indie authors I know. I realize you had a captive audience, but it's still a great accomplishment.
Oh, gotcha! Yeah, I totally hear ya in regards to Select. You make extremely valid points! Thank you for the insight!! Honestly, I'm just being a stubborn brat on that one. I recognize this XDAnd thank you so much, Mr Ken!!! Believe me, it was beyond humbling to have anyone follow my shizz, much less request an ebook. I mean, without them, I'd have never whipped up a book at all, ya know? Bah! I may or may not be suffering from a mild form of open-mouth-insert-foot-and-come-across-like-a-complete-jerk syndrome...
All I meant by not having experienced "success" selling direct is that outside of the sales to my awesome possums (which I 100% expected so I don't consider it "selling") I haven't actively sold many more copies on my site. I believe just three. Sooo, had I not decided to venture into the Amazon, I'd not be selling now, if that makes sense?
Again, sorry if I sound like an ungrateful butthead!! I'm totally not!!! Like I said, I love and appreciate my little crew soooo freakin' much!! Just didn't want anyone to think that I've figured out how to actively "sell" on my site. Haven't mastered that one yet hahaha.
Hugs,
Ann
I've shipped about 120, I think. Most of those free promotion. So far, the biggest pay-out I've received was... brace yourself... $11! :P
Lots of good feedback here, and in the end, it depends on what you want to accomplish and what works for your book. For the "go wide" strategy is a nonstarter. Our readers are on Amazon; they also may be other places (readers don't buy from just on outlet), but they seem to prefer Amazon. Our readers also love KU, so we stay exclusive to Amazon for that. Therefore, direct sales are out of the picture for us.
But the main thing is: what sells your books? For us, it's the "Also bought" lists on Amazon. Those acts as our "word of mouth". But other books sell by other forms of "word of mouth" which might be blogs, people talking, or even social media. In those cases, readers arrive at the outlet (Amazon or another) "pre-sold" on the book, buy it and leave. They don't browse. (Maybe readers don't.) If they don't browse, a lot of the reasons to favor one outlet over another don't apply (except for KU, since that is a revenue source).
However, I see that your book is doing quite well on Amazon right now, during the on-going SIA event. That could well build on the success you've already achieved. On which case, it's often best to go with the flow and see where it leads.
Owen wrote: "wise words"Thanks for this, Mr Owen!! I appreciate your experience a ton!!
Yeah, I haven't figured out what sells my book yet. I honestly have no clue why random people buy it. I mean, it's only been on Amazon for 3 weeks, so I don't even know how long sales (excluding this weekend) will remain consistent for.
With that being said, I've decided I'll be releasing book two "exclusively" on Amazon so I can drive the initial batch of 65 or so sales there. I'm curious to see what difference that will make...
*mad scientist laugh*
Hugs,
Ann
Heidi wrote: "I publish on Amazon and Smashwords, and paperbacks through Createspace. I recently hired a business manager because after 6 books published, I am not making as many sales as I would like. He is rec..."Heidi, based on what you just told us here, may I ask if your last book is in the 100 list? I ask this because I sat and actually went through all of the books on the 100 list in my genre, which covers three areas on Amazon, and it took me forever, but I'm determined to figure Amazon's process so I can sell more books. My conclusion after going through the 100 list on mystery, 100 list on suspense, and 100 list on thriller is that it's definitely financial. Some had only a few reviews on there books (even in the beginning of the 100 and others had 25,374 for an example. At least one person even had only one review. The dates the books were published--some were even 2015 and some were current with dates in-between. I tried to look at everything and could only come to the conclusion that it's all about how high your sales are when they make the list. Anyone else on here have better information or think it's something else, please tell us.
Ian wrote: "I realized all this discussion got totally off topic of the OP, which was about direct selling.My inclination, for what it's worth, is to direct buyers to the main outlets like Amazon, B&N, iTune..."
Maybe you can help me with this question, Ian, since you are talking about it on here. I bought books from Amazon and gave them away when my book first came out (I know, everyone says that's a mistake). But anyway, my question is with the reviews. A few people I gave those books to tried to put a review on Amazon after reading my book and were rejected. Was their review rejected because they didn't buy the book, and if that's the case what about the books I bought for my book signing? Not every book is bought by the readers. Can you help with this? Thank you so much.
Patricia wrote: "It's not either-or: I sell anywhere I can sell. I'm fiddling with WooCommerce at present because I also sell swag. But my best sales are at live events (comic cons, craft fairs, local fundraising..."
Sorry I'm posting so much on here, but have to ask this, Patricia. You mentioned selling on Gumroad. I just sold my book on Gumroad and was confused. I had never heard of it. Is that part of the distribution program or did you sell it yourself through there? Thanks.
Annie wrote: "P.S. - Miss Sue, have you looked at Wix. I've never used it myself, but have heard good (and simple) things from lots of people. "i did browse thru the wix options. looks good insofar as website-building goes. on par w/wordpress.
so, it really comes down to pricing:
https://wordpress.com/pricing/
- $8.25/mo for your own domain.
http://www.wix.com/upgrade/premium-plans
- $9.75/mo, which includes your own domain.
Gippy wrote: "could only come to the conclusion that it's all about how high your sales are when they make the list."
correct. furthermore, it is updated continuously in real-time; that is how authorearnings.com compiles their analyses.
Gippy wrote: "A few people I gave those books to tried to put a review on Amazon after reading my book and were rejected. "I don't know a lot about the review process but were they unable to leave a review in the first place, or did they leave one which was subsequently removed?
I went on to Amazon and picked a book at random and clicked on the "Write a customer review" button. Here is the information Amazon gave back: "To submit a customer review: you need to use an Amazon account that has successfully been charged for a purchase. Free digital downloads don't qualify (including free Kindle books, apps, videos, or MP3s) as well as any free promotional items received. You don't need to have purchased the product you're reviewing."
That seems clear enough. You need to use an account through which you've made a paid purchase of some sort before you can leave a review. As for removing reviews, there's been a lot of internet buzz about Amazon cleaning up fake reviews and being overly aggressive about it - like deleting reviews where there is any connection between reviewer and author, which for starting-out Indie authors is pretty much all their readers! I've not had that happen to me (yet) but it does happen.
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Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World (other topics)Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (other topics)
Okay. Sooo, I have a teeny tiny niche following of wickedly loyal readers. I know 100% that when I release a book, there are 60+ awesome possums who will buy it within the 1st week (~30 in the 1st day).
The thing is that they all buy direct from my author site, as they've been supporting my shizz since the beginning when I was serializing chapters online. Of course, this is fantastic because I don't have to pay 35% to Amazon (*sobs*). However, I also don't get the initial boost in ratings or whatever through Amazon. Sooo, I'm wondering if it would be wise to stick with Amazon when I release book 2...
What are your thoughts?
Big hugs,
Ann