tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post171547244801537783..comments2024-03-18T06:16:18.802-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Guest Post by Victorine LieskeJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger295125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-47762374099267787112013-03-06T08:17:15.536-06:002013-03-06T08:17:15.536-06:00What neither Victorine nor you discuss are the mar...What neither Victorine nor you discuss are the marketing methods she used. You say "luck" is key, and no doubt it is, but I would like some info on the marketing Victorine did and does.Barry Knisterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03191575373788669991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-41316199912940001202011-02-23T20:13:57.846-06:002011-02-23T20:13:57.846-06:00Ironic that in another thread you are recommending...<i>Ironic that in another thread you are recommending someone turn down a $400,000.00 publishing deal.</i><br /><br />Not the same thing.<br /><br />If a book is earning money at a certain price, it doesn't make sense to mess with the price in an effort to make more money, because it is already working.<br /><br />With the $400,000 deal, the author WILL make more money self-pubbing. It is only a question of how long it will take.<br /><br />BTW, The List is at #126...JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-35373612027645952252011-02-23T12:43:42.828-06:002011-02-23T12:43:42.828-06:00What a fascinating story, thank you so much, Victo...What a fascinating story, thank you so much, Victorine, for sharing your experiences. I also came to the conclusion that offering my book at the lowest price point was the best way to gather interest in it. At the 99c / 71p price, after a slowish start, I've sold 200 books a day for the past week or so and am ranked number 6 in the UK Thrillers chart, in the top 20 All Books. <br />Nowhere near as successful in the US, but with a crime thriller set in Liverpool there may be a degree of reluctance to try a 'foreign' novel!Jake Bartonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15359578310500560311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-72198043212267258412011-02-22T07:28:39.870-06:002011-02-22T07:28:39.870-06:00Congrats, Rachel.
Russell Brooks
Author of Pandor...Congrats, Rachel.<br /><br />Russell Brooks<br />Author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pandoras-Succession-ebook/dp/B00486U6O2" rel="nofollow">Pandora's Succession</a>Russell Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13877653195121083326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-5695930898072859142011-02-21T15:56:51.016-06:002011-02-21T15:56:51.016-06:00So, on Friday (2/18), I joined this experiment - s...So, on Friday (2/18), I joined this experiment - slashing the book price of my ebook The View from Here to 99 cents. I didn't expect much -- well, I expected to be disappointed.<br /><br />You see, I was traditionally published back in 2002. Sold a decent amount of novels. Since then, nothing. Slammed doors over and over. Finally, last November, I decided to put one of my many trunked novels on Kindle. It did okay, more than it did sitting on my hard drive but nothing to make you swoon.<br /><br />Well, since this past Friday, after reading Joe and Vickie's posts, my heart has been racing. As of 1:16, my ratings on Amazon were:<br /><br />#350 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)<br /><br /> * #67 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers > Suspense<br /> * #74 in Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers > Suspense<br /><br />And for some freakish reason, I was also listed on Pixel of Ink today as well. As I expressed to a writer-friend, this type of thing NEVER happens to me. I'm grateful it did.<br /><br />And that's why I love this community of writers. So much advice, so much encouragement -- something that's so sparse in New York.<br /><br />Thanks, Joe and Vickie for sharing your experiences and inspiring all of us to take chances.<br /><br />RachelRachel Howzell Hallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00024968013102962506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-79075880521616557042011-02-21T03:41:39.728-06:002011-02-21T03:41:39.728-06:00Pricing is difficult. I understand the reasons beh...Pricing is difficult. I understand the reasons behind each approach. Myself, I think that I will price the first novel in the Amsterdam Assassin Series $3.99, then lower the price with one dollar when the sequel comes out. And another dollar when the third book comes out – that means the third book will be 3.99, the second novel 2.99 and the first novel 1.99. By that time, the first novel will be out for a couple of years, and will serve as a low-cost introduction to the series.<br />Martyn V. Halm, author of <i>Peccadillo</i>, the Amsterdam Assassin Series.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-57954562902136608902011-02-21T02:13:33.012-06:002011-02-21T02:13:33.012-06:00"The first email I got back made my heart pou..."The first email I got back made my heart pound. An agent read my query and sent me a response. I held my breath and opened it: a rejection. Relief flooded through me. What? Relief? At that moment I realized I didn’t want to get an agent. I didn’t want to spend my advance traveling and doing book signings. I didn’t have time to travel with four kids and a business. I just wanted people to read and enjoy my book."<br /><br />This struck home - I totally get what you mean. I have a regular job, I have two young children, and all I want is for people to read my books. I don't need to strike it rich, although money is always welcome. I want to live in relative anonymity, write books and have them enjoyed. Although I have high standards about my books, I remember what Alistair McLean once said, "If my story eased your boredom waiting at the airport, I'm satisfied", and I do feel the same way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-76485014109924988982011-02-20T18:18:26.659-06:002011-02-20T18:18:26.659-06:00"It isn't wise to risk a sure thing for a...<i>"It isn't wise to risk a sure thing for a shot at something bigger. Bird in the hand and all that..."</i><br /><br />Ironic that in another thread you are recommending someone turn down a $400,000.00 publishing deal.<br /><br />Bird in the hand is exactly right.evilphiliphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10100843889719733921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1803514304019388862011-02-20T13:13:53.777-06:002011-02-20T13:13:53.777-06:00Let's do some "out of the traditional pub...Let's do some "out of the traditional publishing box" thinking here and see if we can alleviate some of the anxiety surrounding the move toward pricing books at 99 cents:<br /><br />- In my estimation, Joe has only priced ONE VERSION of his book THE LIST at 99 c. He makes less on that version than he would at $2.99...<br /><br />- But he gains more potential readers, by lowering the 'sales threshold'. More people read this book, like it, and seek out other books of Joe's. <br /><br />- But the crowd here seems to be focused on just this book, when in fact Joe could be making more money potentially if after a certain time he were to also follow this up with a bundle of books. Say 3 books for $2.49 or some such figure. Add that into the mix and you have those sales figures (divided by 3) to add to the mix. <br /><br />(This happens in DVD all the time).<br /><br />- I'd also like to see Joe's figures for his print sales to determine if they are affected by the gateway of offering THE LIST for 99c. <br /><br />The snag is that people are seeing 99 c as a missed sale, when instead it's an opportunity for more sales across the board - especially in areas like print where he can charge more for creating a more "collectible" package. <br /><br />There's (potentially) a lot of wiggle room here to find the right pricing combination for someone to:<br /><br />- get more readers in the door...<br /><br />- get more products into their hands...<br /><br />- get them to buy...<br /><br />- and more importantly, get them to buy regularly, sight unseen.Cunninghamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07137025404327426886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-70468436934400792012011-02-20T13:02:08.665-06:002011-02-20T13:02:08.665-06:00It's obviously more difficult for those of us ...It's obviously more difficult for those of us not writing in the crime genre to have, dare I say it, the eye catching cover Victorine's has. Mine, for example, shows nothing but a floating hawk seen from a distance, just close enough to see that it is in fact a hawk. A metaphorical symbol, I thought, of my main character, a lonely man drifting through life despite his job as executive vice president of a large corporation. After Isaactown has, with the help of my publicist, received some very nice reviews. But it takes more than nice reviews, especially if they're online like mine are. It takes luck, as Joe pointed out, and patience, which Victorine has in droves. If I weren't so old, I would too.<br />ward jones<br />www.wardrjones.comWard Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05580632011144673357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-62511015194571372192011-02-20T12:26:51.467-06:002011-02-20T12:26:51.467-06:00lots of authors are now
seeing that they benefit
_...lots of authors are now<br />seeing that they benefit<br />_greatly_ from low prices,<br />regardless of how loudly<br />some people try to deny it.<br /><br />many writers are now<br />making great money<br />from the new system,<br />when they made little or <br />no money from the old.<br /><br />readers, of course, do<br />not need to be persuaded<br />that low prices are good.<br /><br />both writers and readers<br />are very happy to observe<br />that authors now can get<br />a bigger percentage of<br />the money readers pay...<br /><br />it's quite sad that the<br />bald vast greediness of<br />the corporate publishers<br />ruined their industry and<br />took down bookstores<br />in the process, but we<br />warned them all along<br />that they had to change,<br />and they did not listen...<br /><br />-bowerbirdbowerbirdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05962115094107919533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-81772329941235532652011-02-20T11:44:54.641-06:002011-02-20T11:44:54.641-06:00A good post on the race to the bottom in ebook pri...A good post on the <a href="http://ireaderreview.com/2011/02/19/what-happens-if-ebook-prices-drop-to-the-1-to-5-range/" rel="nofollow">race to the bottom</a> in ebook prices from ireaderreview.<br /><br />And I quote:<br /><br />"1. Percentage of books at or below $5 out of the Top 100: 5% in 2008, 22% in 2010, 48% in 2011.<br />2. Percentage of books at $1 out of the Top 100: 0% in 2008, 4% in 2010, 21% in 2011.<br /><br />The best way to put it would be -<br />In 2008 there were zero books priced at $1 out of the Top 100 bestsellers of the year. <br />In 2011 there are 21.<br />In 2008 there were only 5 books priced at $5 or below out of the Top 100 bestsellers of the year. In 2011 there are 48.<br /><br />We have gone from 5% of the Top 100 books being at or below $5 to 48%. It’s an incredible change."<br /><br />_____<br /><br />Btw, the main reason for this is simply the rise of the indie. But it's also definitely a trend.<br /><br />For the record, I think the race to $1 is a bad thing for authors and in many ways a bad thing for readers, too, because it's bad for traditional publishing and because with less profit to be made by indie authors at 99 cents, less time and energy will go into the production of indie books, as well. Most authors will simply make less money at these prices, while relatively few will make more.<br /><br />And again, I think pricing a book or two at 99 cents is smart from a promotional standpoint.Moses Siregar IIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14054458331242370871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-78391129501735779232011-02-19T23:02:32.160-06:002011-02-19T23:02:32.160-06:00I just bought both books on my Nook. The thing abo...I just bought both books on my Nook. The thing about the .99 price point is that it's so low I just figured; why not? Compare that with A Discovery of Witches, a book I'm very interested in, but which sells for a whopping $14.99. I didn't even finish the last $15 e-book I bought, so really, no. <br /><br />With .99 I can pick up a book I may or may not finish and not feel guilty when it sits on my Nookshelf for months. I have also discovered that because of smart pricing, I'm more willing to buy the next book of a .99 author at a higher price point (say Moonlight Mile from Dennis Lehane at $11.99.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-25248831935089802182011-02-19T21:42:28.844-06:002011-02-19T21:42:28.844-06:00Now at #174.Now at #174.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-69061475271994771342011-02-19T14:05:00.785-06:002011-02-19T14:05:00.785-06:00joe said:
> #324. Stuck in the 300s
> a...joe said:<br />> #324. Stuck in the 300s <br />> and losing money.<br /><br />how many retailers put an item<br />"on sale" and expect to make<br />_more_money_ on it that way?<br /><br />a "loss leader" is something on<br />which you expect to take a loss.<br /><br />and if you want to gauge the<br />effect of a lower price on the<br />number of units moved, you<br />_must_ leave the lower price<br />in place for at least 2 months,<br />or 3 if you want to be certain.<br /><br />i have said this repeatedly...<br /><br />short-term effects mean zilch.<br /><br />-bowerbirdbowerbirdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05962115094107919533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-80465944230108205352011-02-19T09:35:23.762-06:002011-02-19T09:35:23.762-06:00#324. Stuck in the 300s and losing money.
But my ...#324. Stuck in the 300s and losing money.<br /><br />But my other ebooks seem to have slightly increased in sales. Need more time to be sure.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-81898788349181395162011-02-19T09:32:03.603-06:002011-02-19T09:32:03.603-06:00@Debbi Mack I agree with you with the forums. I go...@Debbi Mack I agree with you with the forums. I go there but I don't post as often. I get hits to my website when I do so, but not necessarily a whole lot of sales that way. My <a href="http://russellparkway.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">blog</a> gets a lot of hits, especially the time I was dared to sing a song and put it up on YouTube.<br /><br />I sponsored Kindle Nation Daily once and made Amazon's Bestseller list in 3 categories while my ebook was still priced at $2.99. But after 3 days I was out of the top 100. After reading this guest post, I dropped the price to $0.99. Sales are beginning to pick up again, even in the UK. I'm still doing a lot of promoting, I have a total of 32 reviews. I'm going to be on Kindle Nation Daily in April and May, this time with their Silver plan, plus another ebook of the day, which should be another boost. I'm experimenting with ads on other sites too. I'll keep you posted on the results.<br /><br />Russell Brooks<br />Author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pandoras-Succession-ebook/dp/B00486U6O2" rel="nofollow">Pandora's Succession</a>Russell Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13877653195121083326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-43378813426436808872011-02-19T09:28:11.705-06:002011-02-19T09:28:11.705-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Russell Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13877653195121083326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1746608401917096452011-02-19T09:26:22.492-06:002011-02-19T09:26:22.492-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Russell Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13877653195121083326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-72774819977586694612011-02-18T23:07:23.366-06:002011-02-18T23:07:23.366-06:00@Russell
To be honest, I use forums sparingly the...@Russell<br /><br />To be honest, I use forums sparingly these days. Seems like you don't get much return for your efforts there.<br /><br />Try a sponsorship on Kindle Nation Daily. Ebook of the Day. That's become my new mantra. :)<br /><br />Otherwise, blog, Twitter, Facebook, podcast, guest posts, interviews, rinse, repeat, etc. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-80291973765878597732011-02-18T17:57:39.960-06:002011-02-18T17:57:39.960-06:00I just thought of something. Isn't Random Hous...I just thought of something. Isn't Random House the only publisher that decided against agency pricing? <br /><br />If I'm right on this, they may just be crossing their fingers with Sizzling Sixteen and hoping Amazon takes a loss on it and lowers the price to $8.99 to match the paperback. <br /><br />Before agency pricing, Amazon was taking a loss on lots of ebooks to price them at $9.99 to help grow the market.Mark Asherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13758940020912520294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-57554622932992462362011-02-18T15:13:27.526-06:002011-02-18T15:13:27.526-06:00mark said:
> What the heck
> is Random ...mark said:<br />> What the heck <br />> is Random House doing <br />> with Sizzling Sixteen? <br />> The mass market paperback <br />> is selling at $8.99. <br />> Why on earth would they have <br />> the Kindle version at $12.99?<br /><br />why? to punish kindle owners.<br /><br />besides, it takes a big bunch of<br />advertising money to get people<br />to purchase a $12.99 e-book...<br />you gotta make 'em want it bad,<br />and that advertising ain't cheap.<br />plus it's becoming less effective<br />all the time, they're sad to find.<br /><br />but that's the way the rich boys<br />play the game -- big money out<br />(all tax-deductible, of course)<br />and big money in. they want to<br />force you to play the same way,<br />because they know you _can't_.<br /><br /><br />> Are they actively trying to <br />> discourage ebook sales?<br /><br />yes.<br /><br />they loathe a level playing field.<br /><br />so you better believe that it is<br />pissing them off _big-time_ that<br />konrath is breathing down their<br />neck on the best-seller list with<br />his 99-cent book, _and_ making<br />more profit per book than them.<br /><br />-bowerbirdbowerbirdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05962115094107919533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-52465420744375327472011-02-18T15:11:04.512-06:002011-02-18T15:11:04.512-06:00Unless they change the way they do things... I thi...Unless they change the way they do things... I think we all know how that's gonna work out.Burritoclockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14374448569322397824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-50356580174586572482011-02-18T14:35:27.722-06:002011-02-18T14:35:27.722-06:00"Are they actively trying to discourage ebook...<i>"Are they actively trying to discourage ebook sales?"</i><br /><br />Of course they are! Do you really think they're not? Joe is 100% correct - if ebooks succeed, publishers (and their big overheads) fail.Sheri Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04634054915514468456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-10088481486108954722011-02-18T14:21:19.743-06:002011-02-18T14:21:19.743-06:00Gary said: Robin, Stephen Carpenter's "Th...<i>Gary said: Robin, Stephen Carpenter's "The Killer" is at $2.99. As far as I now it's always been that price.</i><br /><br />Based on Robin's numbers, that's still anywhere from 75-95K per month. I'd be OK with that.<br /><br />Merrill Heath<br /><a href="http://merrillheath.wordpress.com/bearing-false-witness" rel="nofollow">Bearing False Witness</a>Merrill Heathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00164361657325279390noreply@blogger.com