tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post3860024484298205382..comments2024-03-18T06:16:18.802-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Guest Post by Robin SullivanJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger220125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-64711861162440663982013-10-16T00:24:43.719-05:002013-10-16T00:24:43.719-05:00It feels awesome to read such an informative and u...It feels awesome to read such an informative and unique articles on your websites. Keep blogging!! Thank you.art courseshttp://www.studyart.com.aunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-21627326928305594692012-05-10T16:58:59.121-05:002012-05-10T16:58:59.121-05:00This was super encouraging! Thanks for posting thi...This was super encouraging! Thanks for posting this and having Ms. Sullivan as your guest spot! Was just what I needed to hear :)<br /><br />-JennJennifer Silverwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15322134152952927871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-74045844953307656922011-11-19T17:07:09.366-06:002011-11-19T17:07:09.366-06:00J.A., I should be on your list, I sold 60,000 copi...J.A., I should be on your list, I sold 60,000 copies of just one of my books in October:-)<br /><br />Melissa Foter<br />http://www.melissafoster.comThinkhappyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13358563329616033338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-56361890910588416002011-09-05T22:30:09.660-05:002011-09-05T22:30:09.660-05:00Wow...we need to form a "Wives in charge of p...Wow...we need to form a "Wives in charge of promoting author husbands!" ...it would be a powerful group, right? Haven't read all the posts, and will..but enough to know my wife Margie and I are in the same relationship ... all comments re www.thrillerpublications.com are welcome!Liam McCurryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16689451758938272911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-34689159159206320232011-04-11T12:28:15.852-05:002011-04-11T12:28:15.852-05:00Awesome! I wanna see my name in the top 10 best se...Awesome! I wanna see my name in the top 10 best seller kindle authors list. :) Anyways, the blog and the post are very interesting and inspiring. Thanks for this.Manohttp://onemano.biz/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1772117506979255752011-04-05T00:45:38.184-05:002011-04-05T00:45:38.184-05:00Thank you so much for this post. I knew some e-boo...Thank you so much for this post. I knew some e-book authors and some e-publishers were doing extremely well, but not so many! I'd love tips on marketing. I started e-publishng my own books around 1998. I have my books up at fictionwise.com and now am adding them to smashwords. The books I have published, mine and my family members have very good reviews, but they are old reviews. Please, everyone come and give me some marketing advice at my blog: mangaartandstory.wordpress.comCynthiahttp://www.mangaartandstory.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-84495307633450907442011-02-13T14:11:28.097-06:002011-02-13T14:11:28.097-06:00Today is my "catch-up" day for this blog...Today is my "catch-up" day for this blog and I've enjoyed reading all the comments.<br /><br />I wanted to thank those that thanked me for posting. Truly it is my pleasure...I love sharing experiences so thanks again Joe for the opportunity to share mine.<br /><br />Also I'm glad to see my "higher than bargin basement" pricing strategy is resonating with a few. I recently finished by $0.99 price test and the results was a loss of $9,000 a month. You can see the <a href="http://write2publish.blogspot.com/2011/01/crunching-some-numbers.html" rel="nofollow">full results of my test here.</a><br /><br />Granted this was for a book that was already positioned at $4.95. I'm thinking of doing another $0.99/$2.99 with another author in our stable to see if I can get their book "kick started". I'll of course post the results of that.<br /><br />Robin | <a href="http://www.write2publish.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Write2Publish</a> | <a href="http://www.ridanpublishing.com/michaelsullivan.html" rel="nofollow">Michael J. Sullivan's Writings </a>Robin Sullivanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00613910688999698522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-45505684811378311702011-01-18T11:50:57.663-06:002011-01-18T11:50:57.663-06:00@JT"If Amazon had initially pegged their 70% ...@JT<i>"If Amazon had initially pegged their 70% royalty at 3.99 (or any other price), then that would be the benchmark considered "fair", because indies would have priced at that level in order to take advantage of the higher rate. "</i><br /><br />100% true. But the 'cat is out of the bag.' I wonder if there woudl be more $0.99 though (if the minimum price was $2.99) or if it would have slowed (even a little) ereader adoption?<br /><br /><br />@JT<i>"I rarely see bitching over 3 to 5 dollar pricing on ebooks."</i> <br /><br />True. There is a 'slowdown' above the 'benchmark price.' I don't complain until $6.49. To me, that seems a fair price for a MMPB equivalent. <br /><br />Neilwannabuyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04297458705683991405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-5146729491005357992011-01-18T00:31:43.479-06:002011-01-18T00:31:43.479-06:00Very interesting post, I enjoyed reading it (and I...Very interesting post, I enjoyed reading it (and I also picked up book 1 of your series). My standpoint on the pricing of ebooks is that I will never ever pay as much for an ebook as the retail price of a paperback book. Simply because there is no physical cost or product with the production and purchase of an ebook. If the price is any higher, I'll either buy the book at borders, or I'll download a "free" copy of it through a torrent site. I love reading, and I love supporting the authors, but I don't want to be put through the ringer.BigZ7337https://www.blogger.com/profile/16318914598125245493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-33719362206451717692011-01-17T04:16:29.173-06:002011-01-17T04:16:29.173-06:00Just an FYI about Kindle: http://www.facebook.com/...Just an FYI about Kindle: http://www.facebook.com/notes/luke-wroblewski/data-monday-amazon-kindle/481493155473Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11535023856428709691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-45184305520755923972011-01-16T07:15:31.557-06:002011-01-16T07:15:31.557-06:00Nice post...its interesting
keep posting..!Nice post...its interesting<br /><br />keep posting..!Old Hindi Songshttp://old-hindisongs.blogspot.com/2011/01/aas-paas-1981-download-old-hindi-songs.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-12998716982217347702011-01-12T15:07:43.369-06:002011-01-12T15:07:43.369-06:00dear "bev"-
i'm glad that robin ins...dear "bev"-<br /><br />i'm glad that robin inspired you,<br />vaporized your biggest fears,<br />and get your eternal gratitude.<br />onward and upward.<br /><br /><br />> I'd looked at Lulu as an option<br /><br />lulu's prices are a bit too high...<br />at least last time i checked 'em.<br /><br />might want to try createspace...<br />consider lightning source too...<br /><br />but keep in mind that physical<br />product is an albatross today,<br />since the cost of reproduction<br />and distribution is just too high.<br />it's _great_ we can do one-offs,<br />with customers bearing the cost,<br />but it's still not the best way to<br />make money, especially at first.<br /><br /><br />> Knowing that I WILL <br />> be published has<br />> massively boosted<br />> my confidence<br /><br />in time you'll take it for granted.<br /><br />but it's nice that, at least now,<br />you appreciate the struggle that<br />always presented as the _first_<br />major obstacle for writers, one<br />that stopped many (if not most)<br />of them from going farther --<br />i.e., pleasing gatekeepers, for<br />the benefit of _being_heard._<br /><br />in an age where production and<br />distribution was _so_ expensive,<br />it was understandable. but gee,<br />thank goodness we're past that.<br /><br />-bowerbirdbowerbirdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05962115094107919533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-38082662878741937362011-01-12T02:10:32.481-06:002011-01-12T02:10:32.481-06:00Especially for "bowerbird"...
Firstly, ...Especially for "bowerbird"...<br /><br />Firstly, I deleted a comment only because it was a duplicate.<br /><br />More importantly...<br /><br />I found Robins post to be absolutely inspirational. As someone who has recently given up their day job to finally pursue a lifelong ambition the alternative option of Kindle publishing is massively attractive to me. <br /><br />One of the things I find most scary about the whole writing thing is the publishing side of things. The thought of being at the mercy of someone (agent or publisher) and their lengthy processes is quite daunting. I'd looked at Lulu as an option for self publishing but there are so many negative opinions around about "vanity publishing" and avoiding deals where you have to pay to be published.<br /><br />In effect, Robins article (along with others Joe has written about publishing via Kindle) has vapourised my biggest fears about the transition from writer to Author. Knowing that I WILL be published has massively boosted my confidence and given me just the push I needed to take the next step, and for that I will be eternally grateful. <br /><br />Thank you Robin and Joe. :o)Bev Morleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17638606713307375541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-82260579143805346752011-01-11T17:42:40.776-06:002011-01-11T17:42:40.776-06:00oh, i guess her comment
is still there. it looks ...oh, i guess her comment<br />is still there. it looks like<br />she deleted a duplicate too.<br /><br />-bowerbirdbowerbirdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05962115094107919533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-83361800171895622712011-01-11T17:35:27.038-06:002011-01-11T17:35:27.038-06:00so "bev" deleted her comment.
i don'...so "bev" deleted her comment.<br /><br />i don't delete mine.<br /><br />(any deletions you see by me are<br />posts where i corrected a typo, or<br />posts the system issued twice.)<br /><br />-bowerbirdbowerbirdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05962115094107919533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-16472544076987281522011-01-11T17:30:05.240-06:002011-01-11T17:30:05.240-06:00"bev" said:
> Do you actually have ..."bev" said:<br />> Do you actually have <br />> anything constructive to say <br />> about Robins guest post or not?<br /><br />surely it can't be that difficult to<br />find something "constructive"<br />in what i have already posted...<br /><br />but, since you asked so nicely...<br /><br />i believe that robin's remark that<br />amazon's recommendation system<br />will link _similarly-priced_ books<br />was a rather astute observation...<br /><br />now, on reflection, it's not really<br />surprising. it's essentially saying<br />"people who buy some books at<br />$5.99 also buy others at $5.99".<br /><br />or, to put it slightly differently,<br />"people who buy $2.99 books<br />tend _only_ to buy $2.99 books".<br /><br />thing is, it seems like there are<br />a whole lot more of the former.<br /><br />either way, it tells us something<br />about _positioning_, which is<br />something that robin is wise to,<br />since she does the marketing...<br /><br />if you're attempting to do such<br />"positioning", then i'd guess you<br />could learn something from that.<br /><br />and i think many writers here<br />_are_ wondering how they can<br />"market" their work, which might<br />include doing that "positioning".<br /><br />you want any "edge" you can get,<br />and this might be such an edge...<br /><br />because it is difficult to convince<br />people your $6 pastrami sandwich<br />is better than the $3 pastrami<br />being offered by your competitor.<br /><br />and not just a little bit better,<br />but fully _twice_as_good_.<br /><br />and if you can do that convincing,<br />maybe you should do advertising,<br />not book-writing. i'm just sayin'.<br /><br />but i'm not sure i'd agree that<br />"marketing" makes a difference,<br />not when a customer is able to<br />read a long sample of the book.<br /><br />seems to me that the proof had<br />better be in the pudding itself,<br />rather than in any "positioning".<br /><br />if the customers can take a bite,<br />a big bite, from both sandwiches,<br />they won't listen to "advertising",<br />or pay attention to "positioning".<br /><br />anyway, "bev", i hope all that was<br />"constructive" enough for you...<br />oh, and hey, what did _you_ think<br />of robin's post. because i guess i<br />must've missed the "constructive"<br />part of your comment up above...<br /><br />-bowerbirdbowerbirdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05962115094107919533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-76844447505801410392011-01-11T16:49:40.183-06:002011-01-11T16:49:40.183-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Bev Morleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17638606713307375541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-3597523176316930402011-01-11T16:49:17.493-06:002011-01-11T16:49:17.493-06:00To "bowerbird"...
You really like the s...To "bowerbird"...<br /><br />You really like the sound of your own voice don't you?<br /><br />My understanding of the comments sections after blog posts is that it is an opportunity to pass opinion on the topic/content of the post itself (In this case, a very interesting post by Robin Sullivan). It's not supposed to be an opportunity for narcissistic wannabes to jump on their soap boxes and bleat.<br /><br />Do you actually have anything constructive to say about Robins guest post or not?Bev Morleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17638606713307375541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-89021115759032316612011-01-11T14:44:02.888-06:002011-01-11T14:44:02.888-06:00as i was saying...
these issues simply vanished.
...as i was saying...<br /><br />these issues simply vanished.<br /><br />technology and its march<br />seem to inspire such issues.<br /><br />back in the early 1980s,<br />i started word-processing.<br /><br />for me, this was _magical_.<br /><br />drafting stuff on paper was<br />a nightmare of cross-outs<br />and arrows and twisty type.<br />it involved countless rewrites,<br />and re-types, all of it painful.<br /><br />but in a word-processor?<br />magic. my "sheet" of "paper"<br />was always clean and neat,<br />and writing became _easy_.<br /><br />so i started telling people,<br />like fellow grad students,<br />professors, and secretaries,<br />about this writing miracle<br />called word-processing...<br /><br />almost uniformly, at first,<br />they just pooh-poohed it.<br /><br />i thought they didn't get it,<br />so i persisted, only to find<br />their resistance increased.<br />they _refused_ to hear it!<br /><br />i was stunned. here i was,<br />telling them about _magic_,<br />and they insisted that they<br />liked writing the old way...<br /><br />i knew this was just stupid,<br />but some of them persisted,<br />for a very long time. they all<br />came around _eventually_,<br />mind you, but it took a while.<br /><br />it was the same with e-mail.<br />i saw the potential right away,<br />but it took others a long time,<br />even to just give it a little try.<br />they liked old-fashioned mail.<br /><br />then, over the course of years,<br />they experimented and found<br />that it was extremely useful,<br />and eventually all of society<br />came to discover the utility...<br /><br />in each of these cases, i knew<br />the answer was _inevitable_.<br /><br />but the dialog was _heated_.<br /><br />in the end, i should've known<br />just to avoid the whole thing.<br /><br />so i'm gonna opt out of<br />these pricing discussions<br />from now on, or _try_ to.<br /><br />because the answer is<br />inevitable, whether you<br />or anyone else, knows it<br />or not. it is _inevitable_.<br /><br />-bowerbirdbowerbirdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05962115094107919533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-16272856254371346912011-01-11T14:21:56.304-06:002011-01-11T14:21:56.304-06:00ok, pricing appears to be
"the stupid issue d...ok, pricing appears to be<br />"the stupid issue du jour"<br />in e-books these days...<br /><br />some of you are new to it,<br />but i've been playing the<br />e-book game for decades,<br />and it's been marked by<br />a continual evolution of<br />"stupid issues du jour"...<br /><br />for instance, the question<br />of whether readers would<br />embrace e-books was once<br />"the stupid issue du jour"...<br /><br />and speculation about the<br />nature of the hardware<br />needed for e-books was<br />"the stupid issue du jour"...<br /><br />then later the question of<br />whether publishers would<br />embrace e-books became<br />"the stupid issue du jour"...<br /><br />and then the position that<br />only _beginning_ authors<br />benefit from e-books was<br />"the stupid issue du jour"...<br /><br />and then the position that<br />only _established_ authors<br />benefit from e-books was<br />"the stupid issue du jour"...<br /><br />and all along the long way,<br />people bellowing about how<br />they liked the look and feel<br />and the touch and smell of<br />paper-books and how they'd<br />never accept e-books was<br />"the stupid issue du jour"...<br /><br />and now e-book pricing is<br />"the stupid issue du jour"...<br /><br />all of these issues were<br />tremendously _heated_.<br />and if you weren't here<br />to witness it all yourself,<br />you'd be simply _amazed_<br />that they stirred so much<br />dialog, debate, and dissent.<br /><br />because, in the long run,<br />each of these "issues" just<br />simply vanished into thin air.bowerbirdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05962115094107919533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-61191247338861141472011-01-11T14:01:44.171-06:002011-01-11T14:01:44.171-06:00jtplayer said:
> But then again, you have
&g...jtplayer said:<br />> But then again, you have <br />> a history of interpreting <br />> people's posts around here:<br />> ...<br />> Bowerbird to Moses Sirega<br /><br />you didn't link to that, did you?<br />you pretended to link to it, by<br />giving a quote and a date, but<br />you didn't actually give a link...<br /><br />so you still don't get it, do you?<br /><br />because if you _would_ have<br />given the link, people could've<br />seen that _i_ gave a link, back<br />to the blog of moses, where he<br />had said the very thing which<br />i had supposedly "interpreted".<br /><br />> http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2010/09/ebook-pricing.html?showComment=1285544510110#c1101881764111632512<br /><br />so here you are again, jtplayer,<br />making stuff up and failing to<br />give links so people can check.<br /><br />but hey, at least you have the<br />integrity to sign your comments,<br />unlike the "anonymous" trolls,<br />who have nothing to lose<br />by cursing and being rude...<br /><br />-bowerbirdbowerbirdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05962115094107919533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-6222382096394504242011-01-11T11:08:25.526-06:002011-01-11T11:08:25.526-06:00"I'd be careful with that logic. What peo...<i>"I'd be careful with that logic. What people get used to changes pretty fast. If they find good deals at $2.99 that's what they get "used to" overnight"</i><br /><br />Very good point.<br /><br />If Amazon had initially pegged their 70% royalty at 3.99 (or any other price), then that would be the benchmark considered "fair", because indies would have priced at that level in order to take advantage of the higher rate. <br /><br />And the readers would have adapted and paid the higher price. IMO.<br /><br />In all my reading on the subject of pricing it seems to me the majority of "anger" on the part of the buyer lies with 9.99 and above. I rarely see bitching over 3 to 5 dollar pricing on ebooks.jtplayerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14231456054855215404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-89321895028848832152011-01-11T11:04:33.711-06:002011-01-11T11:04:33.711-06:00"Nook is backing into the idea, but I don'..."Nook is backing into the idea, but I don't want to spend an hour on what's wrong with B&N. They got the idea of 'lending' right, but they screwed their customers by exempting ebooks from their discount program."<br /><br />At least the Nook works with library ebooks, which is really nice. Amazon really needs to let the Kindle work with libraries too. Don't make people feel like a pirate because they have to strip off DRM just to read a library book.Marknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-65066531307904141652011-01-11T10:53:00.701-06:002011-01-11T10:53:00.701-06:00Wow how many posts on word count and what not? Se...Wow how many posts on word count and what not? Seems like an awful waste of time.<br /><br />Anyway, I saw a few posts about what readers are "used to" with regard to price (e.g., romance readers "used to" paying more than $2.99 so $2.99 is a bargain).<br /><br />I'd be careful with that logic. What people get used to changes pretty fast. If they find good deals at $2.99 that's what they get "used to" overnight.<br /><br />I bought a $5000 Apple II+ new. I didn't get used to that price for very long at all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-12524125914043412862011-01-11T10:34:54.851-06:002011-01-11T10:34:54.851-06:00I'm on my way to being inclued in the list on ...I'm on my way to being inclued in the list on this post. I have one sale in the US and one in the UK. Hell it's a start. I'm also doing a giveaway if anyone is interested.Stevehttp://prophecyofthemedallion.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com