tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post7094205242932951560..comments2024-03-28T02:00:11.260-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Do Ebook Preorders Work?JA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-41049784921311623142016-07-13T14:57:40.949-05:002016-07-13T14:57:40.949-05:00Thank you for the specifics you disclose! I find s...Thank you for the specifics you disclose! I find so many of these articles are vague. So thanks a ton!<br /><br />I don't understand KENP and not many people on the internet seem to. Do you have a good grasp on it? I'm searching for someone to explain it briefly. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-42278183577514107262016-05-05T12:14:11.491-05:002016-05-05T12:14:11.491-05:00Thank you for sharing the information! As someone ...Thank you for sharing the information! As someone trying to carve out a career in self-publishing, articles like these are instrumental and provide some great food for thought. I've never given much thought to Amazon pre-orders before, but now I think I might give it a try with my upcoming novel and see if it helps. <br /><br />Thanks again! Great post!Makayla Lovehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00354757094209340346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-15954432799099843432016-04-27T17:55:28.680-05:002016-04-27T17:55:28.680-05:00On pre-orders relative to Fox Emerson's commen...On pre-orders relative to Fox Emerson's comments about TOBY: How do downloads work and your 15 page early submission? Would I receive a 15 page ebook if I pre-ordered? Then automatically a final 119 pg ebook on June 15 release date? How does ranking per category get determined as shown on our Amazon book page B01D1RWP4W?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13650618703761755628noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-89498689566318364202016-04-26T05:26:58.614-05:002016-04-26T05:26:58.614-05:00Joe,
I believe you said it somewhere, "If it...Joe, <br />I believe you said it somewhere, "If it's not working, change it!"<br />ShawnAntifragile Authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02718366632724826266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-78086077716790546632016-04-23T16:53:41.549-05:002016-04-23T16:53:41.549-05:00NO - not Kilborn -- it's got to be KONRATH - K...NO - not Kilborn -- it's got to be KONRATH - KONRATH - KONRATH -- that's the name with the fame.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17770281857128121625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-37668333210289396962016-04-23T16:52:08.223-05:002016-04-23T16:52:08.223-05:00Joe, you are amazing! I was wondering about using ...Joe, you are amazing! I was wondering about using pre-orders and now you have told me. So there you go again - right on the money with your advice - where would we all be without you?<br />I say this because it was reading your blog that got me to self-publish, and I have never once regretted it. <br />Big bucks and big sales to you, Joe, you deserve it - (also I love your Jack Daniels books)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17770281857128121625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-41802442142942778012016-04-21T11:23:34.591-05:002016-04-21T11:23:34.591-05:00But Jack Killborn is SUCH a cool name!But Jack Killborn is SUCH a cool name!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288348108625411237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-67017149006648086222016-04-21T07:57:45.288-05:002016-04-21T07:57:45.288-05:00Thanks for sharing your experience with preorder o...Thanks for sharing your experience with preorder on Amazon. I'm curious about your more recent experiences as I see this is an older blog.<br /><br />My experience with Toby at 99c was really interesting. Like you, I decided to put a firecracker (I have a less polite term I use) in place and set a release date, then went ahead and continued to work on Toby. The first two weeks, I simply uploaded a short 15 page version of what I had finished. Preorder sales were crazy! I was number 1 at one point in the 12-21 pages category and was mystified. It was a lack of knowledge on my behalf and I suddenly realised there was some value in shorter books. As soon as I added more of the document, sales slowed. Though overall, I'm impressed by how many downloads I've had for the book. Though I also suspect the cover is what did the trick!Fox Emersonhttp://foxemerson.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-27068907476689526672016-04-20T07:16:11.830-05:002016-04-20T07:16:11.830-05:00Thanks for taking the time to explain of why you&#...Thanks for taking the time to explain of why you're all in with Kindle Select, Joe. Appreciate it.Easydoesithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17630571352827972928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-14891500564870072822016-04-19T13:52:09.915-05:002016-04-19T13:52:09.915-05:00Since getting all my full rights back to my earlie...Since getting all my full rights back to my earlier (publisher published) 14 novels and now having ALL 22 of my novels under my control and self-published...I, too, have slacked off on writing book #23 (my fourth Dinosaur Lake book). I know exactly what you mean about that. Good luck to us getting our writing mojo back.<br />Also...I hate to ask here...but please email me at rdgriff@htc.net with an update on your ebooksareforever final complete launch date. August hasn't answered any of my emails for weeks and I am anxiously awaiting it's official launch (I have all my 22 novels there). What's up? Should I take my books down? Horror author (since 1984) Kathryn Meyer Griffith rdgriff@htc.net Kathryn Meyer Griffithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05034564063539239120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-56681730960773115592016-04-19T03:57:35.673-05:002016-04-19T03:57:35.673-05:00I used three different names my own and for romanc...I used three different names my own and for romances Isabella Rose or Angel Rose but a literary agent said its hard enough for readers to cope with one name -never mind three.<br />They were different genres but I now stick to Isabella Rose for all my books. So far I have written ten some factual and some fiction. The horror story witchcraft during wartime based on a true story Daddys Little Spy (published as fantasy) sells the best. Not however in huge numbers only in hundreds. So good luck to you whatever name you choose but my advice is stick to one name. pamelastrange.com isabellajrosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08370625852863856599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-11753552177937090842016-04-18T14:56:47.679-05:002016-04-18T14:56:47.679-05:00I would ditch Kilborn. I think pen names are also ...I would ditch Kilborn. I think pen names are also a part of the old system that assumed readers weren't smart enough to understand what kind of books they were buying. When you put "A Novel of Terror" in the title and "A Horror Novel" on the cover, people know what's inside. <br /><br />Now why publishers just put "A Novel" on some covers is beyond me. Like I thought I was buying a turnip.Barbra Anninohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10178069602463458520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-87793910633104548662016-04-18T09:51:35.035-05:002016-04-18T09:51:35.035-05:00Bettye - I hadn't thought of that aspect. Tha...Bettye - I hadn't thought of that aspect. That is, having more control over when the book definitely goes live. As a reader, I hate the promo aspect (i.e. being sent to a link and then can't buy the book), but the certainty of KNOWING when the book is available is a plus.The Daring Novelisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01676188266569869059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-17543092276311357802016-04-17T21:59:19.500-05:002016-04-17T21:59:19.500-05:00I like the pre-orders. It's the one thing abou...I like the pre-orders. It's the one thing about trad publishing I miss. I hated that it's-not-there-it's-still-not-there-oh-look-it's-there aspect of uploading and waiting for a book to go live that was indie publishing. I hounded Amazon for a year or more, suggesting that if they required writers to upload a document at pre-order it would alleviate the mess of them missing their deadlines, which I'm sure was their biggest concern. I like being able to promote my books with a definitive release date. I just wish Barnes & Noble would get on the good foot and allow this (it takes them about 3 days to make an uploaded book live). I find it doesn't have to be that stressful, either. When I put a book up for pre-order the file is 98% tweaked, and I choose a date far enough out where I've got plenty of time to get that last 2% the way I want it.<br /><br />As for what to do about your author name, I vote for "J.A. Konrath writing as Jack Kilborn." Doesn't seem to hurt Sophie Kinsella writing as Madeleine Wickham"...<br /><br />Thanks for all you do.bettye griffinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04457387770524295498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-10361603738002539322016-04-17T17:21:23.472-05:002016-04-17T17:21:23.472-05:00Thinking more about this, I realize my analogies w...Thinking more about this, I realize my analogies with Pepsi and GE were flawed. Kilborn would not be lower quality but rather same quality in a different genre.<br /><br />It is more similar to the question of whether Pepsi branding should go on rootbeer also bottled by PepsiCo. PepsiCo does bottle other things besides cola, but they choose not to make the name Pepsi very prominent on things that aren't a cola of some sort. <br /><br />In my opinion if "Konrath" means a certain thing to a reader, then it shouldn't go onto a Kilborn book (unless it is "Konrath writing as Kilborn" or something similar). I thnk you want people to see "Konrath" and know at a glance exactly what they are getting. The various varieties of colas may all say Coke or Pepsi on them, but the "genre" of the soda (diet, cherry, full sugar, Splenda, caffeine-free, etc) is communicated at a glance through color and design. (Grey or silver means diet, a picture of a cherry means cherry, gold means caffeine free, etc.) If you do use Konrath on everything, make sure that the covers clearly communicate the genre at a glance. <br /><br />I don't think you'd ever find something labeled as a Coke Rootbeer or a Pepsi Rootbeer. So, are Konrath and Kilborn variations on cola that could be distinguished easily with different covers, or is Kilborn a rootbeer that should not be prominently labeled a Konrath? <br /><br />I personally liked the little JK logo that you came up with. If a Konrath reader sees that on a Kilborn book, she'll probably be intrigued enough to look closer and will know that the quality will be of a certain level, but she won't assume that it will be the same experience as a Konrath book. She can then look at reviews and product descriptions, etc., to see whether it will be what she is interested in. More importantly, then next time she sees "Konrath", she will still know what that means because it won't have been diluted across genres.TangledLetterPressnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-2941100174928522672016-04-17T17:00:53.382-05:002016-04-17T17:00:53.382-05:00I've never pre-ordered e-anything because the ...I've never pre-ordered e-anything because the nature of e-anything is that it is there for me to acquire the moment I am ready. If I forget for awhile, no problem, it's still right there the moment I am ready.<br /><br />I do pre-order print books. In that case, they are not there the moment I am ready, they are there 2 days (or more) later. If I pre-order print books, I may or may not forget, but the day Amazon puts the book up for sale, it's also in my mailbox (this has worked for every print pre-order I've made through Amazon).<br /><br />I say roll Kilborn into Konrath. I think you'll pick up a not-insignificant number of cross-over readers who do not read both "authors" yet. Plus I can't imagine you'd lose any readers--the readers who are looking specifically for Jack Daniels books only, will buy still buy those. They're not going to stop buying JD novels because they find out the same guy is writing horror as well as thriller novels. It's not the same problem as GE licensing their logo to uncontrolled companies. It more like Apple trying to roll their computer business into a cell phone business.Guy Riessenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09861881771440505582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-13040267576906717422016-04-17T14:41:41.786-05:002016-04-17T14:41:41.786-05:00Nora Ephron writing as J. D. Robb.
On the other h...Nora Ephron writing as J. D. Robb.<br /><br />On the other hand, Hugh Howie told me...actually, he simply and generously replied to an email I sent to him..."using one name for different genres works fine for James Patterson."<br /><br />Waiting for the results of whatever you choose to do with Kilborn.<br /><br />As usual, thanks for the info.<br /><br />Dan <br />D. C. Chesterhttp://1008productions.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-21350006190371287992016-04-17T11:34:26.719-05:002016-04-17T11:34:26.719-05:00So, you're thinking about branding some of you...So, you're thinking about branding some of your books as "Konrath?" Funny, because I was recently thinking the same thing. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-43692618008065272942016-04-16T19:47:55.028-05:002016-04-16T19:47:55.028-05:00Joe, I would fear that rebranding Kilborn as Konra...Joe, I would fear that rebranding Kilborn as Konrath might harm Konrath. People have come to expect a certain thing from Konrath. That is what a brand means. If, say, Lazy Nate's Cola licensed Pepsi's trademarks and slapped the Pepsi logo on their drinks, they might sell better for a while until people got wise to it, but the damage to Pepsi would almost certainly be greater. <br /><br />True story: I selected a an electronic device with the GE logo on it from a number of similar items because I trusted the GE name. Well, when it failed in less than a week, I went looking at the packaging more closely. The fine print told me that GE was not involved with that product in any way shape or form but just licensed out their logo and name to someone else. <br /><br />The result? I no longer trust GE "products" at all. I now view anything labeled GE as generic and pass right over it if quality matters. Until I see a major announcement from GE that they have stopped licensing out their name, their once-valuable logo is worthless in my mind. And even that will not take away the bad taste from that one stupid $15 piece of junk someone else sold me using their name.TangledLetterPressnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-25103110583762264982016-04-16T13:26:11.373-05:002016-04-16T13:26:11.373-05:00I'm a relatively new writer, having written on...I'm a relatively new writer, having written one series novel, and one stand alone. I have my 2nd series novel up for pre-order (it just started the editing process) but I hedge my bets. My preorder date is June 15, to make sure I don't have a problem making the deadline (I'm kinda slow) BUT, I've found on my stand alone (which I also did preorders on) that I was ready much earlier than the preorder stated.<br /><br />With my cover done and final file uploaded, I was able to move the date forward for an earlier release date. None of my readers seemed to mind that they got the book earlier than expected.Clint Hollingsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07129776783220081121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-14597471902250546312016-04-16T10:51:57.983-05:002016-04-16T10:51:57.983-05:00I stay exclusive with Amazon for two reasons. Firs...I stay exclusive with Amazon for two reasons. First, because I believe KENP more than makes up for the lost sales (and readers) thru other outlets. Second, because I believe ebook subscription models are the future, and will be adopted by the majority of readers, so i want to make sure I'm part of that.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-2824672375058416332016-04-16T10:44:06.400-05:002016-04-16T10:44:06.400-05:00It is SO great that you share your data and observ...It is SO great that you share your data and observations! I have no words for how grateful I am for your generosity! I'm a first-time nonfiction self-published author with a pretty decent following online and a book coming out in late summer. I've read that pre-sales don't count towards launch-week sales volume on Amazon. And that having a large number of sales fall in one week is how you get a high ranking on the amazon charts (leading to more visibility, etc.). Thus it seems there is a tradeoff in potentially lost sales by NOT having preorder available vs. optimizing your shot at hitting a top spot on the charts (which presumably leads to better exposure/sales/unsure?). <br /><br />Not sure if there is a clear answer on this issue but am putting it out there in case anybody has any thoughts on the issue?Alexishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16691048077410081216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-87203445895617952912016-04-16T02:32:34.219-05:002016-04-16T02:32:34.219-05:00Rebrand as Konrath.
Thanks for sharing figures.Rebrand as Konrath.<br /><br />Thanks for sharing figures.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-5652050285426910272016-04-15T19:31:48.664-05:002016-04-15T19:31:48.664-05:00Just wondering about the reasons you've chosen...Just wondering about the reasons you've chosen to stay exclusive with Amazon. I assume you think the KENP reads make up for possible sales thru other vendors. Just wondering. Respect your knowledge and views.Easydoesithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17630571352827972928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-53759813961836227862016-04-15T18:39:13.475-05:002016-04-15T18:39:13.475-05:00Since I self publish, I've wondered why bother...Since I self publish, I've wondered why bother with a preorder when I can just put the book up for sale when it's done too. The thing that keeps me going back to having a preorder is it is nice to have that link before hand. I can set up promotions for release day and include the link instead of waiting last minute to get it. Same with a blog tour. If I'm doing a blog tour, I already have the link they can include to send readers to the book's sale page on the day of release. I've taken part in many blog tours where the day before I posted, I had the author emailing me the link because they finally hit publish.<br /><br />As a reader, I thought I'd add, I do preorder ebooks. I don't preorder paperbacks because every time I did, Amazon would take TWO weeks AFTER the release day to ship my book. Not an issue with preorder ebooks. It's also a bit of an impulse buy for me. I see I'm able to buy it and have it delivered on release day, so I'm more likely to click buy, but if I put it in my wishlist chances are I will end up deleting it and never buying.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com