World, Writing, Wealth discussion
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FAQ - What are all the great things you can do in this group?
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As more people join, something you would want to know: if you have something to announce - do so in the announcement folder, more importantly - feel free to set up threads you feel may evoke interest, you want to hear opinions about or may have public resonance.
Another great thing: you can make intelligent new friends and see what they're reading/publishing.
Updated with 2 new FAQ Q&A items:5. How do I get started with self-publishing and marketing my book?
6. How do I get started with getting my book traditionally pubished?
Updated with 1 new FAQ Q&A item:2. Can I start discussions about movies and film series? How about Netflix series?
You can have input via a survey as to what you like about this group and what you would like to see in the future. I think that's great.
Scout wrote: "You can have input via a survey as to what you like about this group and what you would like to see in the future. I think that's great."Thanks for appreciation and kudos to Alex for running the survey!
Dear Friends, there is this wonderful option at the upper right side of the screen to invite people into the group. Please, feel free to use it, so you can enlarge and enrich this growing community by your friends on GR! :)
Andreas wrote: "Great info, thanks"Welcome, Andreas! The info is not up to date: re monthly reads and Author Resources spreadsheet, but otherwise contains some helpful links
What you can do in this group is have a reasoned discussion with respect for others' opinions. In another group, I asked specific questions about how Biden would have handled things better than Trump regarding the virus. This is part of a member's reply: "All I can say is that if at this point you're not convinced who the best candidate is for the future of this country, then I'm not sure what will do it.
Biden is a decent man of character who cares about people. Trump is a lying asshole who only cares about himself."
In effect, shutting me down without addressing my questions. Not exactly a reasoned discussion.
That wouldn't happen here.
Scout wrote: "What you can do in this group is have a reasoned discussion with respect for others' opinions. In another group, I asked specific questions about how Biden would have handled things better than T..."
I thought we were deciding this election on preference to flavours of milkshake, or that might just be the press!
And, Greame, that just made me appreciate what we have here. I find this group truly unique.
Another great thing you can do here is to make friends with people from other countries and learn what life looks like from their points of view. You can't get that from the news.
Scout wrote: "Another great thing you can do here is to make friends with people from other countries and learn what life looks like from their points of view. You can't get that from the news."That remains true...
I am wondering why this page has not been deleted, if this site and the monthly group read option listed have been dormant since 2017. I was all set to submit one or more of my novels for consideration, in January 2021, when I read the very disappointing note that this group read option was closed in April 2017. So why give people false hope until they read the fine print? Paul F. Murray
Is this page still active or not? Can someone please tell me?Paul F. Murray
One of the great things you can do in this group is sprinkle yourself with pixie dust and tip-toe naked through a tulip patch, then sit back on your Lazy Boy recliner and wax philosophically-oriented posts regarding political, socioeconomic, and moral issues of the day. Who's to judge? ;)
G.R. wrote: "One of the great things you can do in this group is sprinkle yourself with pixie dust and tip-toe naked through a tulip patch, then sit back on your Lazy Boy recliner and wax philosophically-orient..."
Undoubtedly the best bit :)
Undoubtedly the best bit :)
Nik wrote: "Currently, no monthly read, Paul"Then why hasn't this page been deleted if it is not active and has not been active since 2017? It's not like this page is active every once in a while. This page has been dormant since 2017. Why is this page still up and giving false hope to authors like me who do not have hundreds of dollars for book giveaways?
Paul wrote: "Nik wrote: "Currently, no monthly read, Paul"Then why hasn't this page been deleted if it is not active and has not been active since 2017? It's not like this page is active every once in a while..."
There's a whole section for Book Promotions as there are in many forums. There are also other sections where if your book is relevant to the discussion the Mods will allow limited self promotion within a non-promotion thread
Paul, this thread is really only about what you can do in the group, but one thing you can't do is a monthly read. Graeme did a read-along for some of his books on, I think, the Castle Dracula or Horror Aficionados group. You can look for that. This group is more for discussing writing techniques and venues, discussing financial topics, and discussing world topics of interest. There was recently a thread in which people talked about what they're currently reading, but no Monthly Reads as such. Many other groups do a lot of those. Try Crime, Mysteries & Thrillers
Thank you for the suggestion. I will definitely look into Crime, Mysteries & Thrillers, and hopefully there will be some other threads as well that would be appropriate. I am confused, however. Are you saying that just this particular thread is for "discussing writing techniques and venues, discussing financial topics, and discussing world topics"? Or is the entire World, Writing, Wealth group solely for the purposes you mentioned? If that is the case, then this group would be primarily for established and financially successful authors who have the time and luxury to engage in activities that are not in some way tied to book sales potential. Please understand that I am an unknown author who is trying to find room in the crowded marketplace for my novels. That said, however, I don't want to be looking for love in all the wrong places. I have to say, though, that thus far, the Goodreads platform has been a major disappointment. It seems the only way to get attention--beyond the crowd of other authors--is to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on book giveaways, money that I don't have. As for other techniques, I don't think I've sold a single book through creating a blog, using "Introduce Yourself", reviewing novels, creating a Western novels group or other free options.
Paul wrote: ".... It seems the only way to get attention--beyond the crowd of other authors--is to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on book giveaways, money that I don't have...."That's an important realization, although I'd put "promos" instead of giveaways, and even then the net gain can be negative. If I need to summarize author's experience - "make money elsewhere and then enjoy the fun of being an author". However, there are a relatively few that actually make money from writing, still fewer - lots of it.
Another impression from goodreads - phrases like "buy my book", "look at my book" and so on, may often entail negative attitude.
Hate to disappoint, just being honest sharing my own experience...
Paul wrote: "Thank you for the suggestion. I will definitely look into Crime, Mysteries & Thrillers, and hopefully there will be some other threads as well that would be appropriate. I am confused, however. Are..."Hi Paul, welcome to my world.
I spend approx. $2K USD on paid advertising each year. I'm making about half that back in any given year (i.e. a negative return on investment) from book sales. On top of the advertising spend, I spend money on covers ($250 a pop), on the .Gov fees ($400 annual) for the trust I established to wrap around my book sales (i.e. my 'System Zero Productions Pty Ltd company,' which cost me another $2K USD just to set up.
Hence in any given year, I'll probably spend $2500 USD to make back $800 USD in royalties - I.e. I'm losing money every year on an obsession I spend 15 to 20 hours per week on every week of the year, and there are plenty of people who think my stories are quite readable, but I'm apparently no where near making money from this game.
Note: I view Goodreads as the most useless platform for selling books, however, it is good for finding power readers and reviews - but it takes years of cultivation of real relationships based on real trust to do that ... Goodreads is not some sort of 'overnight make me a star,' system. The thing about Goodreads is that it was never (and still is not) about the author - it is all about the reader (and fortunately, I'm an avid reader too).
With regard to my authorial addiction, I always say I could be playing golf - that would also consume 10 -15 hours a week and $2500 a year... but be less fun.
Look, I have a day job in IT that pays the bills. Perhaps, maybe, one day, over the rainbow ... I'll actually break through and start making some real money, pay off the mortgage on my house, chuck in the day job and go full time (my personal dream) but it may never happen.
That said, I'm not going to my grave without doing my level best to achieve that outcome.
All that said, if you want to make a living - being an author is not a reliable way of doing that. Nearly every author I know has a day job to pay the bills. Can you make a living as an author, sure - but the odds are not in your favour.
As, I said, I work in IT, back in the day I used to work with the lead guitarist of an Australian rock band. He was a engineer too. They had two hits in the top 10 charts in a year. They did lots of gigs with their music. He told me, they were in the top 1.5% of the industry. The band turned over $100K per year, and it just paid the bills of operation for the gigs and everything else - hence why he was still working. He told me that only those in the top 1% of the industry got past the break even point and began to make real money.
Music and novels - are in the same basket. To make money, you need to get into the top 1%.
For myself, I rate my writing as within the top 1%, so I persist and will continue to do so until I'm not able to write anymore. We'll see what happens. The choice for any author is how much do you believe in your own stories? If you believe - you'll persist. However, marketing is a whole skill in it's own right, and not easy to master especially if you need $ today to put food on the table.
Trying to make money from books - I don't envy you.
I run my literary efforts as a business, since I have been self-employed anyway for most of my life, and for the last few years my tax returns show I make a small profit. However, that is accompanied by rather small sales as well - nowhere nearly as much as Graeme. I try to restrict my very limited advertising to what actually comes at least close to breaking even, and most of it doesn't. I regard it more as a hobby to keep me alive, and something that every now and again gives me enough to buy a small something like a bottle of single malt (preferably from Islay).
Graeme wrote: "Paul wrote: "Thank you for the suggestion. I will definitely look into Crime, Mysteries & Thrillers, and hopefully there will be some other threads as well that would be appropriate. I am confused,..."
Graeme, that is a fantastic post and very informative too. Thanks and good luck with your writing aspirations. Your books are certainly very highly regarded already.
By the way, was the rock band you were referring to Midnight Oil?
Graeme, that is a fantastic post and very informative too. Thanks and good luck with your writing aspirations. Your books are certainly very highly regarded already.
By the way, was the rock band you were referring to Midnight Oil?
For all the authors in the group, interested in promotional and neighboring issues, Graeme here regularly updates and shares his own journey: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... , which, I'm sure, many will find very helpful and informative
I regularly hear that "only 5% (if that many) of authors make a living writing novels". That's very true, and that can be a good thing because it clears the marketplace of "dreamers" who get one or two novels published, don't make a million bucks, and then quit, leaving the marketplace for authors like me who are substantially more determined. I am more determined than most and I have options beyond Goodreads for selling books. My "day job" is my monthly social security check (I am semi-retired) and I do some part-time work as a tutor for upper-elementary age school kids. So no, I'm not unrealistic. If I can get to the point where I make a few hundred extra dollars a month from writing, that would a realistic goal for me. And, please understand, I'm not in this simply for the money (what little there is of it). I am in this because I would like people to read my novels, be entertained and inspired by them, as I have been by some of the novels I have read in my life. P.S. I don't think that authors like James Patterson, Clive Cussler, Nora Roberts and that crowd are living in the county poorhouse. Paul F. Murray
Best of luck, Paul, hope you’ll get both audience and sales!Btw, I would hope a semi-retirement should at least avail some time to engage in activities not only tied to book sales potential
Beau wrote: "By the way, was the rock band you were referring to Midnight Oil?...."Area 7,
[Wiki] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area-7
[Second Class Citizen]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnKXP...
Graeme wrote: "Beau wrote: "By the way, was the rock band you were referring to Midnight Oil?...."
Area 7,
[Wiki] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area-7
[Second Class Citizen]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn..."
I really enjoyed that song. I see they've got historic links with the UK too. Great stuff.
Area 7,
[Wiki] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area-7
[Second Class Citizen]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn..."
I really enjoyed that song. I see they've got historic links with the UK too. Great stuff.
Paul wrote: "Thank you for the suggestion. I will definitely look into Crime, Mysteries & Thrillers, and hopefully there will be some other threads as well that would be appropriate. I am confused, however. Are..."To answer your question, Paul, this particular thread, "What are all the great things you can do in this group?" just tells you the things members appreciate about the World, Writing, and Wealth group. That's all, and I'm not sure why you think it should be helpful in promoting your work. This thread is not for promoting books, but there are other threads where you can talk about your current novel and tell us something about it. The group generally comprises people who write and enjoy discussing current world topics and financial topics (plus other topics just for fun). I don't see that you've introduced your work under the topic "Announcements and Book Promotions." You should do so if you want people to know about your work. Also check out "All Things Writing and Publishing" and "Storytelling and Writing Craft." There's good info there for writers like yourself.
I hope you people are done with scolding me. Please forgive me for paying attention to your thread. I was not wanting to say anything further, but since you want to keep this discussion going, here goes: LOOK AT THE TOP OF THE THREAD and the questions that are there, e.g."Do you have monthly group reads?" "Can I promote my book?" etc. I am not a mind reader. I assumed these questions were still valid, as they were not taken down after the end of the contest in 2017. To answer your unnecessary question: THAT is why I thought it should be helpful in promoting my works. The very name of the group, "World, Writing, Wealth" suggests that. I did not feel your scold was necessary, as I had not intended to say anything further in this thread, but please understand--again--I am not a mind reader, and if you do not intend this thread to be for book promotion, then why are the questions at the top of the thread still there?
Please do me a huge favor and cancel my membership in this group. That way, there is no more scolding, no more of me being made to feel like I'm a mental retard for misjudging your group intentions, and I can spend my time on groups and threads that will hopefully be more profitable. Thank you.
Paul wrote: "Please do me a huge favor and cancel my membership in this group. ..."Done as you wished. Best of luck with making profits!
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Absolutely! We focus on lesser-known books and authors in any genre. See this nominations post for more information:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
2. Can I start discussions about movies and film series? How about Netflix series?
Yes, you can! Post in:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...
3. May I nominate my book for the group read?
Definitely, see the aforementioned post for more information.
4. May I promote my book?
You sure can! In fact, we encourage it. Simply make an announcement in the "Announcements & Book Promotions" folder. See the posting guidelines for more information:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
5. Could I get free or paid help writing or marketing my book?
For free help, simply start a discussion in the “All Things Writing & Publishing” folder and another writer is sure to answer you. Also, see our Author Resources spreadsheet, which contains a plethora of resources, including links to book promotion websites, writing tools and advice, and cover design:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Paid help is only indirectly available. Goodreads does not allow the advertising of paid services.
6. How do I get started with self-publishing and marketing my book?
Although there’s a lot of information out there, it can be difficult to sort through the chaff. A number of writers in our group have found Jane Friedman’s website to be an invaluable resource. The following article is an excellent place to get an overview as well as advice on selected topics and links to more resources:
Start Here: How to Self-Publish Your Book (Updated: 2 July 2017): http://janefriedman.com/self-publish-...
Who is Jane Friedman?7. How do I get started with getting my book traditionally pubished?
For the longer explanation, see question 5 or simply click the following link:
Start Here: How to Get Your Book Published (Updated: 12 June 2017): http://janefriedman.com/start-here-ho...