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I'M ADDICTED TO CHECKING MY SALES STATUS!!!
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Just put it to good use. Learn multiple regression analysis so that you can figure out approximately how many sales you will have if the temperature goes up or down a little or a lot. Figure out what you sales will do if you change a word or a phrase on your website or run a advertisement. Multiple regression can take the guess work out of sales. Here is the site: http://ncss.com/
Jack! You are feeding my addiction! Thanks!
I'm the same. My book went on sale on the 3rd, and I love seeing the "Out of stock" message on my Amazon wall. Publisher can hardly keep up. So YES, Kenya, there is joy in checking your sales status! :-D
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Just think and let the writing take care of itself.
Iv'e been checking for months and have only a few sales. Should I quit writing?I am giving away a pdf of my book for review.
let's exchange pdfs wrigkenya@gmail.com! I can review your book next weekend. Warning it will be an honest review, but then I expect the same in return.
Sales seems to be related to both writing in a popular genre and doing some degree of promotion (like submitting to book blogs and so on)-- and also by having a number of books out. I have Books 1 and 2 of a serial for sale and I've done no promotion of them, have However, releasing more books promotes books previously published. So the best solution to 'no sales' is to write more.
And we authors promote way too much to each other. How to reach all those new ereaders out there every week?
Run naked down Broadway.... No sorry that is done every year and also on bicycles.
I think the time-honored way is to write a book so cracking good (at least in the opinion of its main readers) that they feel like they must talk about it to everybody they meet.Alternately, spend a lot of money on advertising.
Randy wrote: "And we authors promote way too much to each other. How to reach all those new ereaders out there every week?"The promotion comment is an understatment! Authors realy do promote way to much to each other.
I've only been published for a week and I'm sick and tired of twitter and facebook posts of everybody's book covers and ads! I'm tired of doing them myself.
This week I am going to try something new. I'm going to stop the tweeting, facebooking, and even promoting on goodreads. I am going to mainly write interesting guest posts for blogs of my genre.
Personally, this is how I find my own books.
I myself am doing old fashioned shoe leather marketing. Am producing cards and brochures and taking them to coffee shops, etc. Happy to send copies to anyone who contacts me at randyattwood@hotmail.com. In fact, can send microsoft publisher files which can be used as templates!
I can relate! After 5 months for my first ebook and 3 months for my second novel, I've sold a total of about 40 copies and given away about 35 with the hope of getting online reviews. I still don't have a review here on Goodreads, but several people at least have them in their to read lists and have promised reviews when they've had time to read.I've had a few reviews on Amazon and some great feedback via email, but it's so easy to start doubting your work when nobody's buying. So far Twitter hasn't seemed to make much difference to my sales, however it certainly has resulted in more visits to my blog site, so maybe it just takes time. (I've only been on Twitter for a couple of weeks. @RuthEDonald)
R.E. And what is very dangerous is focusing too much on these sales efforts. I have a body of work I'm promoting that I've created, really, over the last 40 years! Lot of rejection, lot of doubt. Be warned about spending too much time and being depressed over too much rejection, which now means low sales, that you don't go on and keep writing new things. I believe this is a real poison for young writers. This blogpost may give some perspective, at least from this old writer: http://www.randyattwood.blogspot.com/...
Thanks, Randy. Read your blogpost. My novels were both started in the 90's, and I am semi-retired myself. However, I have to share my time with four horses, two dogs, a cat and a French Canadian cowboy, so I don't always find time to write. I am working on my third mystery plus a collection of short stories featuring my series characters, but did take a break of several years after getting discouraged from mailing query letters into the void.Best of luck!
R.E. I applaud you for doing short stories based on the characters in your series. Great way to develop and get to know those characters. It tempts me to spend some mental time so see if any of the characters in my books may have some more stories to tell.
It really is addicting, and with my dang smartphone I can check 'em wherever I am. It drives my wife nuts. :)
I wish I had a smartphone so that I could check mine! lol!
It is. All in the marketing reviews.and more word of mouth than you can imagine.
It is tempting to check the sales status every second, but that is taking time away from more important things, like marketing and writing. Now I only check after a promotion to see if it caused a bump in sales. It's supposed to be a tool, not a distraction.
Sarah wrote: "Stop checking your sales and get back to writing! ;)"Don't listen to Sarah! She tries to stop you from knowing whether or not you are selling your books. She's mean! LOL
I do the same thing, I'm constantly checking to see how many have sold. I only first published back in October and I still can't stop...no matter what Sarah says!
Randy wrote: "It's a kind of drug: http://www.randyattwood.blogspot.com/..."Psst, Randy! Let's go look at our sales again. We'll distract Sarah. She'll never know!
Let go downstairs and grab another gin first...
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hic...checking now...oh my, one more sale!
Randy wrote: "hic...checking now...oh my, one more sale!"*Pretends to check her email*
Woohoo! Got another one....err I mean spam!
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Sarah wrote: "You will be punished severely by the Gods of Writing. They will curse you with the dreaded Writer's Block if you continue to check your sales."Is it writer's block if I keep typing "check my sales, check my sales, check my sales" over and over?
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Is it writer's block if I keep typing ..."
Yes. You are already cursed.
Sarah wrote: "Bridget wrote: "Sarah wrote: "You will be punished severely by the Gods of Writing. They will curse you with the dreaded Writer's Block if you continue to check your sales."Is it writer's block i..."
Cursed noooo!!!!!
*runs off to check my sales and google up some curse breakers*
That may be better than writers blog.... blag....
i am fighting with the government over an issue so I check my site to see certain hits all the time. Should I stop and trust our Government?
My sales drove me nuts the first month- I think I checked about every hour at one point? Until it sort of smacked me on the head.Checking my sales isn't going to increase them. Writing my next project will.
Ugh, it's hard to stop once you start. It's so fun when you go there and see new sales...the fun wears off when it's the same all the time. I'm nearing the end of my next book's first draft, so that's kept me busy.
Adam wrote: "Sorry, what? I was checking my sales."LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lol! I find it hard to only check once a day, but I challenge myself to only do that much. I get what you mean though! It is addicting. I also google my book way too much to see if I'm on any new review blogs, but it's worth it when I find that my book is on a blog that I hadn't even sent a review request to. ;)
At least you are getting checks. I'm having trouble giving mine away.
Interesting idea... was it a big metropolitan paper, or more of a local city-type thing?
I'm wondering does this die down eventually?