tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post7116635741109712961..comments2024-03-18T06:16:18.802-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Your Second StorefrontJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-91874551761465882922011-07-16T11:51:48.401-05:002011-07-16T11:51:48.401-05:00I was skeptical about BookRooster, so since I'...I was skeptical about BookRooster, so since I'm a book reviewer, I went undercover there and here's what's happened so far.<br /><br />http://alchemyofscrawl.blogspot.com/2011/07/bookrooster-update.htmlCoralhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02211853852350425927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-39731296192242740852011-07-14T09:15:12.115-05:002011-07-14T09:15:12.115-05:00More great advice, Joe. I'm adding book descr...More great advice, Joe. I'm adding book descriptions at the front of my ebooks now.NavyThrillerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03895760509837359092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-35442521332408967812011-07-11T13:41:19.344-05:002011-07-11T13:41:19.344-05:00In the legacy world, the more books you had in pri...<i>In the legacy world, the more books you had in print, the more you'd sell, because you took up a lot of shelf space (both in a single store, and in thousands of stores.)</i><br /><br />Yet another unsupported opinion. Keep 'em coming!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-71399625802189819822011-07-08T22:09:12.196-05:002011-07-08T22:09:12.196-05:00Amazon is yanking review services that are not Kir...Amazon is yanking review services that are not Kirkus. Just started. I wonder if this service is having the same problem and why they are doing it???Craighttp://www.thedarkslayer.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-13422306279385047542011-06-29T07:23:22.546-05:002011-06-29T07:23:22.546-05:00Sometimes, I wonder if you're too fkn brillian...Sometimes, I wonder if you're too fkn brilliant for your own good.<br /><br />This probably has more to do with the fact that we've never sat down with a beer together.<br /><br />Awesome stuff, as always mate, and yet another arrow in the quiver of the e-pubber that's seeking a bullseye.Judd Exleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00340121178111136623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-51222401337773909252011-06-28T16:55:17.132-05:002011-06-28T16:55:17.132-05:00Good ideas, Joe. I like your idea of adding the bl...Good ideas, Joe. I like your idea of adding the blurb at the start.<br />I realised quite quickly that if the first 10% of a download was my copyright page, readers wouldn't have much of the actual story to sample. I put a brief summary copyright in my opening paragraphs and a full copyright notice at the end.<br />Aslo... Add Smashwords coupons to the text at the end so that readers who buy a short story can get the money off the collection where the short is featured. Links to your blog, links to appropriate reference material, sources of inspiration, cartoons, music that you listened to when writing the story - the list goes on.<br />In the gaming world they're called Easter Eggs (and you have to hunt for them). In music, it was the vinyl LPs with secret messages in the outplay groove, and picture discs, gatefold sleeves, inserts with artwork and lyrics.<br />This is going to be so much fun...Lee McAulayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03007625547920829612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-72703761365387006972011-06-26T13:36:03.181-05:002011-06-26T13:36:03.181-05:00fantastic idea! I had started putting a chapter at...fantastic idea! I had started putting a chapter at the end of each novel, but hadn't added the blurb at the top. I spent the whole day updating my novels to add these ideas consistently.<br /><br />thanks for a great blog and your generosityThea Atkinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16192013320797924624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-86388717433623590302011-06-26T10:01:23.128-05:002011-06-26T10:01:23.128-05:00Thank you for the great tip. I'm just getting ...Thank you for the great tip. I'm just getting started, but I will be doing this with everything I put out. Wow!Lisa Toppinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16401059696365760851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-60837107571072611342011-06-25T21:05:37.081-05:002011-06-25T21:05:37.081-05:00Fantastic advice! Now I just need to figure out ho...Fantastic advice! Now I just need to figure out how to do it all!<br />The Last LetterHttp://kshoop.comhttp://Admin1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-24985185567107260032011-06-25T20:58:46.654-05:002011-06-25T20:58:46.654-05:00Great ideas! Thanks for sharing.Great ideas! Thanks for sharing.Duane Spurlockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06102074370101800708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-22055950193524648652011-06-25T19:43:30.241-05:002011-06-25T19:43:30.241-05:00For those worried about cluttering up your book wi...For those worried about cluttering up your book with front matter, here is how I've always done it:<br /><br />Page 1-- Title and author, space down, copyright statement<br />Page 2--Pull quotes from reviews that describe the book. For example, "Donna Ball knows the Smoky Mountains, knows dogs and knows how to write a page-turner" might remind someone that this book is a dog mystery set in the Smokies. If I don't have good quotes, I sometimes use an excerpt here from a particularly gripping part of the novel, like they used to do in the paperback originals. From now on I will definitely be using an abbreviated (3 sentence) product description. Great idea! But this is still just page 2.<br />Page 3--Chapter One<br /><br />After the last page of the novel I always include a page that begins. "Don't miss the other great books in this series" or "If you enjoyed this book, you may alsio like..." with hyperlinks and 1 paragraph descriptions of all my other books. This is the single most important piece of promotion I do, and I owe the vast majority of my sales to this one thing. <br /><br />Great post, Joe. Thanks as always.Donna Ballhttp://www.donnaball.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-28863520301821080092011-06-25T15:02:23.790-05:002011-06-25T15:02:23.790-05:00Great tip, Joe. Thanks!
@John French
Your story ...Great tip, Joe. Thanks!<br /><br />@John French<br />Your story is inspiring. I hope you do write and publish your book, and let us know when it's up for sale!Karen Woodwardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05497346859460691324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-54901708190693849142011-06-25T10:33:42.325-05:002011-06-25T10:33:42.325-05:00@Melissa
I think links to other books by the auth...@Melissa<br /><br />I think links to other books by the author are definitely end material, not to be front loaded.<br /><br />Personally, it would kill me to place the copyright notice at the end, not the beginning, because that's where I've seen it my whole reading life, but I think we're all going to get used to the structure of books changing.<br /><br /><b>Andy Conway</b><br /><i>Publishing 11 titles before 11.11.11 on Amazon and Smashwords : 3 down, 8 to go </i><br /><a href="http://www.andyconway.net/fiction/index.htm" rel="nofollow">The Very Thought of You, a timeslip ghost story, out now...</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-79936017959878198322011-06-25T09:57:52.642-05:002011-06-25T09:57:52.642-05:00Can the set-up of an ebook be done by the author o...Can the set-up of an ebook be done by the author or is it better to hire someone out?<br /><br />Sean McCartney<br />The Treasure Hunters ClubSean McCartneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06021291935983850700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-23397859142791512802011-06-25T08:35:57.048-05:002011-06-25T08:35:57.048-05:00Great advice! Although I'm not too good with ...Great advice! Although I'm not too good with some of this stuff, so the clickable bibliography will pose a challange, but I'll get it done somehow. I'm glad to get this recommendation now, seeing as how I'm going to be publishing my first e-book in 2 weeks. Thank you. When I'm successful (I say when, not if), I hope to help authors like you do...pay it forward.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-8683502917147656852011-06-25T07:28:47.431-05:002011-06-25T07:28:47.431-05:00As a YA author won't it be more difficult for ...As a YA author won't it be more difficult for your auidence to find you if they don't have an ereader? I would think you'd need to do ads or some other promotion.<br /><br />Sean McCartney<br />The Treasure Hunters ClubSean McCartneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06021291935983850700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-21524949186637291852011-06-25T07:20:30.142-05:002011-06-25T07:20:30.142-05:00Joe:
Great bit of advice. Thanks for taking the t...Joe:<br /><br />Great bit of advice. Thanks for taking the time to share it.<br /><br />- ZAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-22179089705342972011-06-25T06:43:28.436-05:002011-06-25T06:43:28.436-05:00As an author, I see merit in these ideas. As a rea...As an author, I see merit in these ideas. As a reader, I really hope folks don't overdo it and load up their front matter with marketing stuff. I'm a sampler, and if the bulk of the sample is just links to the author's other books and a description of the book (and I believe John Locke advises reprinting reviews in the front matter, too), then I'm not going to get enough actual book in the sample to decide if I want to buy.<br /><br />Just something to keep in mind while everyone's busy retooling their books today. ;)Melissa F. Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17770938835981389251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-45069896538808461502011-06-25T06:35:15.395-05:002011-06-25T06:35:15.395-05:00Thanks for the good ideas Joe (and Barry).
I was...Thanks for the good ideas Joe (and Barry). <br />I was thinking your title should be 'Papa Joe'. If Hemingway was the father of the last era the certainly you are the father of this one.<br /><br />JosieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-79448588700761221052011-06-25T05:41:07.028-05:002011-06-25T05:41:07.028-05:00What great ideas. I'm going to try these out w...What great ideas. I'm going to try these out with my next novel.<br /><br />Russell Brooks<br />Author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00486U6O2" rel="nofollow">Pandora's Succession</a>Russell Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13877653195121083326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-74714197904803824772011-06-25T04:22:48.849-05:002011-06-25T04:22:48.849-05:00Old model for agents who accepted submissions from...Old model for agents who accepted submissions from unpublished authors:<br /><br />Read from slush pile - send gem to publisher<br /><br />Next model for agents accepting submissions from unpublished authors?<br /><br />Read from slush pile - find gem - notify existing Eauthor of compatible novel and suggest that author take the novel on under joint-name deal so that existing author has free product, and new author has great marketing start.<br /><br />For non-gem novels, agent suggests pure self-publish in standard reply - given names of companies that do edit, cover, upload etc at good price.<br /><br />Mike<br /><br />[ realgoodbookstoread@gmail.com ]Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-70954802818902732842011-06-25T04:07:58.444-05:002011-06-25T04:07:58.444-05:00Great post Joe, one to bookmark.
For a newbie the...Great post Joe, one to bookmark.<br /><br />For a newbie the most tricky part must be (I quote)<br /><br />1. A reader must discover that your book exists.<br /><br />Where do readers go to look for great new enovels? To existing enovelists they like - You for instance Joe.<br /><br />Enovelists could be the new Estributors too?<br /><br />Mike<br /><br />realgoodbookstoread@gmail.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-90779219305200197882011-06-25T03:53:03.712-05:002011-06-25T03:53:03.712-05:00This is a great post, Joe. One I will save in my f...This is a great post, Joe. One I will save in my files of ideas.<br /><br />One key point you make is getting the novel/author noticed by the reader, being the first step.<br /><br />You focus on pre-published authors on this thread. For Newbies, I'd say this 'getting noticed' step is the most difficult of all (as in a sense, it has always been).<br /><br />I know people who have reasonable novels, good blogs, websites, on goodreads, etc - yet aren't really being noticed. One person has joined a group of newbie enovelists and has seen a slight increase in sales but not much.<br /><br />You have mentioned Estributors before, Joe. In recent posts I've suggested that moderately selling Eauthors could take on a newbie's novel and publish it under their joint names. The advantage to the moderately selling author is that they have more product (which they didn't have to do any writing for) and you have often said more product is good. They also have more chance of earning revenue. In return, they have put their name to a novel they like, written by someone else. They have given that someone else, a newbie, marketing oxygen.<br /><br />Returning to your estributor idea, Joe. What better marketing technique could they use for newbie writers, than to have a database of moderate Enovel sellers who wish to be paired with a newbie's novel in a similar genre? The Estributor would then have a similar selling role as the agent of today, but rather than promote to publishers, he would promote to EXISTING Eauthors.<br /><br />I think this would only work with newbie authors (have novel, need legup in marketing) and moderate selling Enovelists (sale some novels but not huge amount, and could really use more decent product with high royalty share, for free). <br /><br />The interesting thing is, no one has really commented on my suggestion - it's as if those that get any sort of known name as authors are somehow reluctant to share the fanbase which allows them to sale 200+ novels a month in exchange for a free novel product at high royalties.<br /><br />I'm not sure if there is something of a 'treasure of the sierra madra' mindset to those that start selling ;-) <br />... or whether they just don't <br />see themselves in a role that is more publisher than author. <br /><br /><br /><br />Mike<br />[unpublished newbie realgoodbookstoread@gmail ]Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-6649276690524635132011-06-25T01:05:03.740-05:002011-06-25T01:05:03.740-05:00Except Smashwords, who insist that the copyright g...Except Smashwords, who insist that the copyright goes in the front. I had a book refused Premium Distribution because of it, even though I had the Smashwords license at the beginning.<br /><br />To get the stupid reviewer to stop looking at the larger copyright at the end of the book, I had to put it under and "Appendum" and not CALL it a copyright.<br /><br />So very frustrating. Putting a full copyright at the beginning of a book takes up too much valuable real-estate.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004RPS3T4/r" rel="nofollow">Into the Forest Shadows</a>: A planet-wide conspiracy is waiting at Grandmother's House...J.A. Marlowhttp://jamarlow.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-2160960185775308102011-06-24T23:24:21.314-05:002011-06-24T23:24:21.314-05:00A few disliked the idea of putting the book blurb ...A few disliked the idea of putting the book blurb inside the cover, and I can understand why it might throw some readers. Breaking with tradition causes confusion. Let me suggest a tweak that makes for an easy way to transition from the old way to the new. <br /><br />Remember that on paper books the book’s description usually goes on the dust jacket or the back cover. So keep the “back cover/dust jacket” concept by running your cover art onto the page after the cover and write your description and author bio there. The third page, then, is chapter one (i.e., the first page of the sample).W. Deannoreply@blogger.com