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How do you select new ebooks?
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[deleted user]
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Oct 06, 2014 05:35AM
I am trying to decide how to do marketing for my ebooks. I would like to know how people choose ebooks. Do you look on the top 100 paid in Kindle? How do you or do you even look for new authors to discover? Thanks in advance.
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I look at the top 100. If something looks interesting then I will see what the book is about. Then I check reviews on Goodreads. I also use Goodreads to find new books.
It depends. I am on several Deal and Low Cost Ebook newsletters, so I usually pick up a few of those a week. I also look at Goodreads reviews, and will pick up books based on those. Finally- I find that the groups I belong to are good at suggesting other books I might liked based on something I have read.
If you write a specific genre, them you might want to join the Goodreads groups that are focused on it. Of course, sometimes I just get annoyed by authors opening threads just to put links to their book. If they are going to do this, they should put some effort into putting a short synopsis of what the book is about (more than a line). And I am a big fan of previewing the first few pages of a book. I can usually tell whether it will be something I want to read.
I look for good deals on the blogs I frequent, favorite authors and highly rated books. I will read the review and if the storyline sounds good, I buy it! Of course, I listen to my friends, Goodreads and Bookbrowse sites to help me out too.
If you do go to different GoodRead groups to promote books, make sure you follow their rules on posting. If they are a bookgroup, let them know that if your title is selected you are open to participating in their discussions. Look into getting onto OverDrive and see if your library systems in your state will buy your ebooks to support a local author. (They might have to have a minimum number of requests before purchasing a title.) Make the same offer to their book groups about participating in discussion.
I wrote this last year, but it may be pertinent here. How I choose a free KDP book...or not
http://sadieforsythe.com/wp/?p=3155
I look at the "Recommendations" here, read the reviews of what my friends are reading, go to Amazon and go to the category and read the description of the books then I might come back here to see how others liked the book.
I start with the book math...my way of a preliminary decision of where to spend my book dollars: number of pages divided by price times 7.99 (the latter being the basic price for a mainstream paperback). If the result is greater than 300, then I'll consider it. If not, not.My rationale here is whether the price of the ebook (which involves so many fewer costs than a physical book) is proportional to the cost of an ordinary paperback is important in deciding how to spend my money. And since 300 pages is roughly an "ordinary" number of pages in a paperback, that's the basis for the math.
As for content: I tend mostly to read the AMZ blurbs, and then look at the ratings. Perhaps oddly, I also tend to pay more attention to the 1 and 2 star ratings. Sometimes these ratings are just "I didn't finish" "I didn't like" and those I ignore. But if there are explanations, preferably with some detail, of flaws in the book...particularly whether it's littered with problems that good editing/good proofreading would/should have solved, I'm far less likely to buy. (I don't like to constantly get jerked out of the flow by your instead of you're, discrete instead of discreet, their for there, etc., etc.)
Mostly, though, I rely on my own interest and reaction to the blurbs. I don't have enough time to spend reading samples.
Just my USD .02.
Eric
My first cut is to look at the free Kindle books in my genres of preference. I can usually find enough there that are of interest that I don't need to go further.Once there, cover is the first impression. Many have no ratings, so the blurb is important. But if it does have a lot of ratings (i.e. 40+) with a high average rating (i.e. 4+), I'll give it a closer look.
I also have a number of authors and books on watch lists over on eReaderIQ. Almost all my purchases are from known authors, so the free books get them on my watch lists. But the most I've paid for a work of fiction is $5.99. I usually figure under a penny a page is a bargain. While over two cents a page is expensive. But it depends on the author.
There's one I'm looking at that is $15.99, but it's a compilation of 14 separate books and is over 3000 pages. :)
Some of my friends use http://www.yournextread.com/I haven't tried it yet, but I plan to give it a go soon.
I get a lot of email advertisements. If a book catches my eye or attention (cover and description), then I go check it out online and if it appeals, I get it. These are "reward" books for me. When I do x, I can read it. :)
Someone asked about reviews. I do look at them but pay more attention to my gut reaction to what I see and read. If there's a variety of ratings, I like those best.
Sadie wrote: "I wrote this last year, but it may be pertinent here. How I choose a free KDP book...or not
http://sadieforsythe.com/wp/?p=3155"
Hi Sadie:
I found your post to be helpful and informative. I do suggest, however, that you consider not using yellow ink on your page. It's a bit hard on the eyes and I'm blind enough thank you. :)
Thanks L.J. and good point. I wrote that last year and have changed my template since then. It would have originally been on a black background, standing out much more. I've changed it to black font now.
