tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post6851319977568968316..comments2024-03-18T06:16:18.802-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Notice to AppearJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger119125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-21974694352696004412011-07-12T23:33:13.158-05:002011-07-12T23:33:13.158-05:00Good post, Joe. I used to spend a lot of time doi...Good post, Joe. I used to spend a lot of time doing book signings until I figured out that it wasn't cost effective. I still do a few author events, but mostly I stick to other marketing methods.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-37027315301364788132011-06-22T00:42:09.346-05:002011-06-22T00:42:09.346-05:00Jude said:
It works, but I'll make it easier....Jude said:<br /><br /><i>It works, but I'll make it easier.<br /><br />CLICK HERE<br /><br />The gist of the article is that thieves are copying our ebooks and selling them on Amazon and making money from them.</i><br /><br />I copied and pasted into my address bar and it didn't work for me. I got one of those 'address not found' notices, and a re-direct to the site's title page.<br /><br />But thanks! I already used the link provided on a Crimespace post on the topic. A related article is also reference there.Max Brandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07404871912193614516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-51129167980272495762011-06-21T15:09:50.368-05:002011-06-21T15:09:50.368-05:00I was at Printers Row and sold something like 40 b...I was at Printers Row and sold something like 40 books which covered my costs.<br /><br />But I find that even at an event where sales were tepid, something serendipitous almost always happens ... meeting a teacher who gets me into a school ... or a newspaper shows up ... or a reviewer gives me her card.<br /><br />It's almost gotten to the point that I count on something good happening wherever I go. Maybe it's because I make it a point to engage people... plus I try not to smell too bad.<br /><br />I hope I don't get so big I start skipping these type events. <br /><br />(Joe's probably thinking, "don't worry about that, Norm" ... grin)<br /><br />Norm<br /><br />http://www.normcowie.comNorm Cowiehttp://www.normcowie.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-56945143478214992432011-06-21T11:54:23.757-05:002011-06-21T11:54:23.757-05:00I'm curious, are these numbers all that's ...<i>I'm curious, are these numbers all that's needed to be a bestseller? 1200 sales of a single title in a month seems really low.</i><br /><br />Vicky, that was e-book sales only-- and that was in 10 days. My point is that you don't need a publishing contract or an agent to sell 5,000 copies. People don't give e-book sales enough credit-- just think about how much money an traditionally published author earns from the sale of a cheap paperback romance. Is it more than 35 cents? And I know from experience that most of those paperbacks end up stripped in the dumpster behind the bookstore every time they do a physical inventory. <br /><br />To give you some perspective, I made over 100K from publishing independently last year. Not as much as Joe, but still a very good living. Some of it was POD, some of it was e-books, and some of it was audiobooks. I do some ghostwriting and other freelance work as well. The point is that THIS is my day job.Marie Simashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07255293343641053930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-28781126643965009192011-06-21T11:10:01.725-05:002011-06-21T11:10:01.725-05:00@Selena
I wanted to say I'm sorry if my origin...<i>@Selena<br />I wanted to say I'm sorry if my original comment came off snipey to you. I was in a crappy mood and I wrote the note. My anger wasn't at you or your friends, but I can see it wrote like that and I'm sorry.</i><br /><br />No apologies necessary. <br /><br />It does rather suck - but it's highly unpreventable given the current, open system. There was something on the 'net months and months ago about someone actually plagiarizing a Hocking book. Someone wrote to Amanda Hocking saying, "Hey, you plagiarized this book!" and pointed it out to her. Except that Hocking's book had been written and published before that one, and was clearly her own - while this other person had slapped her name and a new cover on Hocking's book. (I can't remember where I read this, or I'd provide linkage... I think it was actually Amanda's blog?) <br /><br />What amazes me is Amazon's lack of planning all the way around. They couldn't have predicted that a "Ped0phile's Guide" (or something equally as objectionable) might get published if they opened their platform to everyone? They couldn't have predicted that erotic material might end up in the hands of minors? They couldn't have predicted that plagiarism would occur in mass quantities? <br /><br />All of the above could have been planned for - policies could have been made, problems headed off at the pass. <br /><br />The rumor out there is that Amazon could avoid many of these issues if they start a "pay to play" system. It wouldn't surprise me if they started charging us to upload a book.Selena Kitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17783685215421352626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-55324233866604286382011-06-21T09:49:15.221-05:002011-06-21T09:49:15.221-05:00Regarding marketing, I think most authors (self-pu...Regarding marketing, I think most authors (self-published or not) would do well to follow Selena Kitt’s advice. Participating in forums and online discussion groups about books and writing is a good idea. But constant self-promotion is an immense turn off. Squirreling every issue raised into a plug for your book is transparent to all and can only hurt your sales, because it makes you sound like an uninteresting, one-note shill. Anyone can follow the link to your blog or website without a list of every book you’ve written.<br /><br />Come to that, it’s an absolute mystery to me why more writers don’t follow one of the golden rules laid down in every novelist’s handbook: don’t talk about yourself unless you’re really, really, really interesting, because no one but your mama cares about your trials and tribulations. Write a blog about people or things that are interesting to draw attention to you and your books. <br /><br />Joe’s blog is a case in point. He’s providing useful and interesting insider information about e-publishing. That’s why I come here. The reason I (and many others) don’t go to your blog (and hence buy your books) is likely related to the fact that you’re talking about you and your books and your friends’ books and their relation to you and your books. <br /><br />Does this mean you should talk about e-publishing too? No. But maybe you should talk about something interesting or be funny—keeping in mind that more in-depth talk about yourself probably doesn’t qualify as interesting. I guarantee that you will generate far more interest than talking about you and your books, because any time I clicked on a blog and saw the first three posts are about you, your feelings and your book, I back-clicked forever.W. Deannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-35030684994515891502011-06-21T09:29:51.603-05:002011-06-21T09:29:51.603-05:00@ Sean and James
***James- I agree that online is ...@ Sean and James<br />***James- I agree that online is the place that people look for YA books. I wonder, however, that connecting with the audience(9-13) is harder in the ebook world because their parents,or whoever is respobsilbe for them, ***<br /><br />When you are targeting young teens like you mentioned you write the blog primarily for the parent. Check out Melissa Wiley's blog to see how it is done.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-27914883601455890552011-06-21T08:58:58.144-05:002011-06-21T08:58:58.144-05:00It's a tough balance. On top of the financial...It's a tough balance. On top of the financial and emotional drain, there's also the time involved. Time that could be spent writing.<br /><br />You need to be out there so people know about your books, but if you have no time to write them, there's no reason to go out there and promote them.<br /><br />And, when you're out there, people want to be able to get it SOON, while they still remember you, not six years down the road when you finally sat down to write.<br /><br />Every time you receive an invitation or sit down to send out a pitch for an appearance, you've got to weigh all the different aspects of what it will mean in both the smaller picture and the bigger one.<br />BTW, now that I live in a house on Cape Cod with a guest room, I can put you up if you do come out to do a guest appearance -- provided you're not allergic to cats! ;)Devon Ellingtonhttp://devonellington.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-41431043311571046882011-06-21T08:41:54.799-05:002011-06-21T08:41:54.799-05:00@Selena
I wanted to say I'm sorry if my origin...@Selena<br />I wanted to say I'm sorry if my original comment came off snipey to you. I was in a crappy mood and I wrote the note. My anger wasn't at you or your friends, but I can see it wrote like that and I'm sorry.<br /><br />I am sorry that Amazon treats erotica writers with more disdain than plagiarizers. I hope it gets resolved. <br /><br />I do wish there was a better way to keep work on the net protected so this wouldn't happen. I do think a person's hard work should be protected under their name.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-73146278719787288532011-06-21T08:38:47.985-05:002011-06-21T08:38:47.985-05:00James- I agree that online is the place that peopl...James- I agree that online is the place that people look for YA books. I wonder, however, that connecting with the audience(9-13) is harder in the ebook world because their parents,or whoever is respobsilbe for them, has the money to buy the books. I am also curious how many kids/students have a Kindle or any ereader. As a teacher I think they would be a great fit for the classroom.<br /><br /><br />Sean McCartney<br />The Treasure Hunters ClubAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-83959785654261512172011-06-21T07:27:12.200-05:002011-06-21T07:27:12.200-05:00Yes but would you like it if I put my name on it a...Yes but would you like it if I put my name on it and sold it. Piracy is one thing stealing credit is another.<br /><br />If they couldn't trace your work back to you. -- or is it ok to have people rip you you off in every way. I wasn't talking about piracy, but others getting credit for your work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-81750324466631167642011-06-21T05:24:23.564-05:002011-06-21T05:24:23.564-05:00That link doesn't work Jude. What's the gi...<i>That link doesn't work Jude. What's the gist of the piece?</i><br /><br />It works, but I'll make it easier.<br /><br /><a href="http://tiny.cc/idepi" rel="nofollow">CLICK HERE</a><br /><br />The gist of the article is that thieves are copying our ebooks and selling them on Amazon and making money from them.<br /><br /><i>I get daily Google Alerts of torrent sites and filesharing sites that have my pirated ebooks and audiobooks.<br /><br />I'm not hurting financially.</i><br /><br />So it's okay if someone copies all your books and slaps new covers on them and sells them as their own? That's what's going on, not just file sharing. It could put an end to self-publishing as we know it.Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-39267385360562925072011-06-21T03:28:35.581-05:002011-06-21T03:28:35.581-05:00Another great article by Joe, on the subject of ma...Another great article by Joe, on the subject of marketing. <br /><br />Marketing is toughest of all for the newbie, the author who isn't publishing enovels to an existing paperback audience.<br /><br />You get your novel on Amazon, but what then - how to get public interest?<br /><br />Well actually there is a win-win way I haven't heard discussed much.<br /><br />Enovelists need to create regular product to help generate sales and interest. <br /><br />Those Eauthors that are doing moderately well (selling 100 to 1000 books a month) could help a Newbie and themselves.<br /><br />Agree to joint publish with a newbie whose novel you really like. <br />You do nothing except agree to have your name as joint author to the book and include on your website. You get large chunk of royalty for doing nothing, you get extra product for your audience. The Newbie author gets a ready made fanbase - the desperately needed marketing.<br /><br />This strategy probably isn't viable for top eauthors. But for those mid-rangers selling a few hundred novels a month, needing extra income and extra product - taking on a newbie whose work is similar to yours under a joint publishing agreement could be a great step.<br /><br />I'm a newbie with a great young adult novel, but wanting a strong marketing plan before I publish. My novel is suitable for matching up with an existing selling eauthor (in the genres of young adult or science fiction, and perhaps adventure).<br /><br />Interested? <br />email me: realgoodbookstoread@gmail.com<br /><br />type 'joint publishing' in the subject header.<br /><br />I can send intro chapters etc...<br /><br />MAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-19950984307068519192011-06-21T02:38:17.888-05:002011-06-21T02:38:17.888-05:00@Moses Siregar III...I agree with you and J. Konra...@Moses Siregar III...I agree with you and J. Konrath. Re book tours, signings, conferences, the author seldom comes out ahead sales-wise. But once or twice a year, I recommend them for networking. Otherwise, its all about online marketing. If readers want to see us, they can catch us on Youtube. (See Konrath and his bat!) <br /><br />In an interview, Kurt Vonnegut once said, "Forget all that marketing/ promoting mumbo-jumbo. The best marketing for your first book is your second. For your ninth book is your tenth. Stay home. Write all day. Keep the loam well-dunged."<br /><br />@ Anonymous on Ray Bradbury, one of our all-time geniuses. You're right: few signing, few interviews. But I encourage everyone to read his NBA Awards acceptance speech from 2000. Its brilliant, humble, hysterically funny. And encapsulates his whole writing career. EVERY WRITER SHOULD READ THIS! Google: Ray Bradbury/ NBA/ Acceptance Speech.comKiana Davenporthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18006822100662057905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-82510243558157415402011-06-21T01:45:25.455-05:002011-06-21T01:45:25.455-05:00>As a YA author does
>anyone have any thoug...>As a YA author does <br />>anyone have any thoughts? <br />>There is a step between <br />>my readers and the book <br />>and it is the buyer. <br /><br />The most effective way for my teen librarian to reach our YA patrons (for anything) is through Facebook, Twitter, etc. <br /><br />When it comes to buying books for the YA section of our library, both of us rely heavily on online resources. She buys YA books for the library, I buy everything else. <br /><br />Amazon is probably my favorite resource. My YA librarian relies quite a bit on Facebook "Likes," teen blogs, etc. Neither one of us care for Library Journal and such, since we can get reader reviews directly online.Jamesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-77778328540579833242011-06-21T00:27:17.616-05:002011-06-21T00:27:17.616-05:00BTW: Locke's book is sitting at 54.
Not too b...BTW: Locke's book is sitting at 54.<br /><br />Not too bad for one day listing and $4.99 price point.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02954491818835301102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-21333856460464487602011-06-21T00:25:18.187-05:002011-06-21T00:25:18.187-05:00@Joe:
Locke credits his use of twitter and his bl...@Joe:<br /><br />Locke credits his use of twitter and his blog for his success (outside of content).<br /><br />He calls his marketing strategy 'Loyalty Transfer'.<br /><br />Suffice to say, what he is talking about is something that requires huge amounts of time. This is not 'publish and hope for the best' stuff. This is 'work your arse off marketing' stuff.<br /><br />I think 95% of authors will not follow Locke's model simply because it requires huge effort.<br /><br />I've seen this heaps of times with affiliate marketing. You can even give people ad copy, a media source, a product... but people still don't want to do the hard yards.<br /><br />C'est la vie.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02954491818835301102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-76022748706948673832011-06-21T00:08:56.096-05:002011-06-21T00:08:56.096-05:00As long as your material is something that people ...<i>As long as your material is something that people want to read, you can make money.</i><br /><br />I get daily Google Alerts of torrent sites and filesharing sites that have my pirated ebooks and audiobooks. <br /><br />I'm not hurting financially.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-27612406609901717072011-06-20T23:50:53.002-05:002011-06-20T23:50:53.002-05:00If I were a dishonest person looking for easy mone...<i>If I were a dishonest person looking for easy money I would be a kid in a candy store with all those ebooks so easily copied.</i><br /><br />It's hilarious how often I hear this from self-published and traditionally published authors. <br /><br />Don't fear piracy. WISH for it. As soon as my book started getting requested on the torrent sites, my sales increased. <br /><br />The biggest hurdle for a new author is <i>obscurity</i>, not piracy. After that, make your books affordable, and no one will bother going to find a pirated version of your books.<br /><br />Trust me. <br /><br />I've sold thousands of books. Under more than one pen name, even. As long as your material is something that people want to read, you can make money.Marie Simashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07255293343641053930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-84843136897714567232011-06-20T23:39:47.964-05:002011-06-20T23:39:47.964-05:00I haven't read Locke's book, and I think h...I haven't read Locke's book, and I think he's a smart guy, but it's a trait of human nature to try to understand why things turned out the way they did, and point to factors that likely contributed to them. <br /><br />But such logic dictates that everyone doing what Locke did will wind up with a million sales, and that just won't happen.<br /><br />It's easy to believe that we control our destinies, but luck is the big factor. <br /><br />There are a lot of business books written by moguls about getting rich. And those things worked--for those moguls. But the advice rarely translates, because or luck. <br /><br />Hindsight is always 20/20. For the advice to be good, it has to be predictable, and subject to the scientific method.<br /><br />I've worked harder, and smarter, than the majority of my peers. I've earned more than most of them. But I still believe luck is the key. <br /><br />Locke has sold a million. That's $333,000. I'm pretty close to that figure too. But I haven't written a ebook about getting rich writing ebooks, because the gist of it would be, "Keep working hard until you get lucky."JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-12162588656331007132011-06-20T23:02:26.938-05:002011-06-20T23:02:26.938-05:00Jude Hardin said: "Piracy's one thing, bu...<i>Jude Hardin said: "Piracy's one thing, but how about outright plagiarism?<br />http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/012933" </i><br /><br />That link doesn't work Jude. What's the gist of the piece? Just that there is a lot of plagarism? Anything quantifiable? Is there more plagarism than occurs with paper books?<br /><br /><i>So what's a self-published author to do? Might make an interesting future blog post...</i><br /><br />I assume you meant Joe, but I would also like your thoughts. Do a post on the topic on your blog.Max Brandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07404871912193614516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-75786320403124218592011-06-20T22:41:23.160-05:002011-06-20T22:41:23.160-05:00Jude, since Locke says he sold very few ebooks for...Jude, since Locke says he sold very few ebooks for seven months and only began to climb the bestseller lists when he implemented his marketing system suggests it ain't about luck.<br /><br />Good Content + Successful Marketing = Big SalesChrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02954491818835301102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-75885545804616218262011-06-20T22:16:23.704-05:002011-06-20T22:16:23.704-05:00John Locke just released his 'How I sold 1 mil...<i>John Locke just released his 'How I sold 1 million ebooks in 5 months'</i><br /><br />Locke contradicts Joe's assertion that everything boils down to luck.<br /><br />So who's right?Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-27314411370003699572011-06-20T21:05:44.227-05:002011-06-20T21:05:44.227-05:00Thanks for sharing, really like your view. Waiting...Thanks for sharing, really like your view. Waiting for some more great articles like this from you in the coming days.Travel For Lesshttp://travelforless.fastprofitpages.com/?id=jdmnet30noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-78324900609065785492011-06-20T18:45:11.799-05:002011-06-20T18:45:11.799-05:00Off topic: John Locke just released his 'How I...Off topic: John Locke just released his 'How I sold 1million ebooks in 5 months'<br /><br />Interesting read.<br /><br /><a href="http://amzn.to/llTWCH" rel="nofollow">How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months! [Kindle Edition]</a>Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02954491818835301102noreply@blogger.com