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I track my DLs when I do these free giveaways through mailing lists, and as far as Mysteries and Thrillers go the ranking is Bookbub >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> eReader News today = FreeBooksy > Robin Reads >>> Everybody Else My data is about a year out of date, but I haven't seen much that makes me think it's significantly different. I've hit #1 in the Free store on two different books off two Free Bookbub listings (domestic and international both times), so Bookbub is very good. ENT and FreeBooksy have gotten my stuff sub-100, and everything else is still pretty decent. ----- So I'm doing a co-authored book for the first time. The other guy is pretty well established and has a nice following, so things are looking pretty good. But, before we self-pub, he wants to make a pitch to Thomas & Mercer. I'm super excited! I feel like I'm playing with house money, and I can't lose no matter the direction we go. KrunkMcGrunk fucked around with this message at 18:04 on Sep 19, 2019 |
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Sep 19, 2019 18:01
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pseudanonymous posted:Have other goons tried, or how do you feel about, using self-publishing not so much as a vehicle to make money but rather as a way of trying to build an audience to break into more traditional publishing? Gaining an audience and making money self-pubbing (or any publishing route, I'd imagine) go hand-in-hand. If you want to self-pub your work and ignore the marketing half of the job you are entirely free to do so. However, without marketing you're unlikely to gain much of a following, which wouldn't make your work very attractive to a publishing house. However, you can absolutely self-publish a single book a year, and still make a livable income. It's not easy, but it is possible--and you can't neglect marketing, even if it's something as simple as setting up an Amazon Advertising campaign, or FB ads, or BB ads. If you are vehemently opposed to marketing work, I don't think self-pubbing is going to do you any good. However, if you're serious about writing, you should absolutely look into agents accepting submissions of the kind of work you want to make.
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Sep 23, 2019 21:06
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pseudanonymous posted:I'm not opposed to marketing, I just want to limit my time in it to what's effective that kind of 80/20 thing, and I don't want to try and go the route of spamming out mediocre books. This is what I've read quite a few "succesful" self-publishing authors pretty much do. Finding an audience on reddit and blogging is good, but those things can take up a lot of time! I should add that in my experience, PPC ads (through Amazon, FB, BB) and a regularly-updated mailing list are also a great way to find and keep an audience. People def push out low-quality books quickly as a way to game the Amazon algo, but you can absolutely publish much, much slower and still earn a living. It's all about finding your audience and keeping them engaged. KrunkMcGrunk fucked around with this message at 15:53 on Sep 27, 2019 |
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Sep 27, 2019 15:49
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jazzyjay posted:
That sounds like a solid gameplan to me!
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Sep 27, 2019 15:53
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feedmyleg posted:Alright, I'm looking to release my (horror-adjacent) book mid-month to capitalize on Halloween hype. I'm still solidifying my full release strategy, but I'm about to put the book up for pre-order and need to pick a release date. Anyone have insight as to what day of the week would be best to release on? I could see Monday or Friday being equally good picks for different reasons. Or is it just better to go as soon as possible to get more time to build before the end of the month? I have personally never noticed any sort of appreciable difference in release-day sales based on the day of the week. n8r posted:It's pretty easy to glean sales data from Amazon sales rank. I can tell you a 50,000 sales rank is probably 100 copies a month. 5000 is 1000 copies a month - very roughly. No idea what 500 or 5 correlates to, but I can tell you that very few authors are making a living just off their books. Have you seen the fees authors charge for speaking? That's where some of the big money is... It's true that most people writing books don't make a livable income off their book sales. However, any chart about incomes from five years ago should be heavily questioned. That said, I don't think that chart is all that far off. I've never heard of DigitalBookWorld.com--Author Earnings Report was my go-to for industry earning numbers. AER was a fantastic analysis on author earnings, but it seems that Dataguy has moved on to start his own company, BookStat, so AER is defunct. KrunkMcGrunk fucked around with this message at 18:43 on Oct 4, 2019 |
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Oct 4, 2019 18:38
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Don't you have to be trad to be part of the authors guild?
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Oct 5, 2019 22:44
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SurreptitiousMuffin posted:Got my first self-pubbed novel going up for sale later this week and I'm just a nervous wreck. I know wildly successful self pubbed authors who are still like this. In fact, just this week, one said, completely earnestly, she's going to start drinking while writing to take the edge off of worrying about releases. It happens! But it does dull a bit when you're working on releasing your twelfth title and you know what to expect.
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Oct 9, 2019 20:10
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Writing the next book is always good. When I ran fb ads heavily about a year ago, 10% conversion was pretty good. A lot of people click, but don't buy. It just happens. Having a big back list helps mitigate it
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Oct 31, 2019 05:18
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Echoing Freebooter's advice, just stick with it. It's hard to judge the viability of a series based on book 1 alone. Both of my series didn't really out-earn their ad spend until Book 3-ish (which is why I wrote 3 books before releasing the first). That being said, don't be afraid to change gears if the series simply isn't selling. There's no shame in that. Sometimes your tastes don't appeal to the tastes of a big audience. The only real tricks are don't half-rear end it, and don't quit!
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Oct 31, 2019 19:32
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SurreptitiousMuffin posted:My first novel came out 8 days ago. Tamsyn Muir said she loves it, and it's already getting some lowkey awards buzz. It's selling alright, some real honest-to-god bookstores are stocking it, and honestly I'm a bit overwhelmed at everything that's happening Congrats dude!
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Nov 19, 2019 21:05
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I've been working on this co-authored story that is in a different subgenre from what I normally write, and it's been a shitload of fun. it's both new and familiar. And I get to do lots of research on boats and boating, so that's cool. I'm also trying to create a book that is more honest to me and my worldviews. Maybe it's my insecurities, but I've felt like mysteries and thrillers have a majority conservative, boomer readership, and I'm leaning pretty hard on my anti-corporate beliefs here, esp. as it pertains to drug manufacturers. Anyway, it might blow up in my face. It might not. I'm not printing hammers and sickles on every page, and I think just about everyone can agree that the current drug market in the US is utterly hosed. Perhaps even retired boomers (many of whom are directly affected by price gouging of drugs) will identify with the things I'm writing. Also, I got to do a bunch of research on Catamarans yesterday, so that was cool.
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Nov 19, 2019 21:16
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Ahhhhhhhh HOLY poo poo! My co-author got a meeting with the Editorial Director at Thomas & Mercer next week!!! e: triple post, but oh well! I'm so excited!
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Nov 27, 2019 16:36
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The meeting with Thomas & Mercer went really well! The Editorial Director there liked our initial idea, and she wants to see what my co-author and I are working on, so we're going to send them the stuff we've both worked on. I almost can't believe this is happening!
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Dec 6, 2019 17:53
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Dadliest Worrier posted:That must be incredibly exciting. What’s the latest? It is very exciting! Yesterday, we sent them a synopsis of the book and the first 7 chapters. They said they'll be able to make a "quick decision" about signing or not. The publishing world is extremely slow, so I'm guessing we'll actually hear something after the holidays. Regardless of what happens, we still need to have a book to publish, so I'm just trying to keep my head down and continue moving forward with the work. I've been in this game for five years with some mild success, I am so ready to for my big break to come around.
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Dec 17, 2019 16:21
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freebooter posted:We would all like to have really cool, unique covers that we think are neat as stand-alone pieces of art. Unfortunately publishing doesn't work that way. The purpose of your cover is to immediately identify your book as belonging to a certain genre, even when it's shrunk down to a tiny Amazon thumbnail. I 100% guarantee you that if you go the traditional publishing route, and are lucky enough to succeed, your publisher is going to give you a cover you think is really boring and generic. Your publisher will be right. If you end up self-publishing: emulate your fictional publisher. There's a reason so many covers looks the same. Don't try to give yourself a cover which is recreating a scene from your book or mimicking a style of art you really like. Cough up the cash and go for a professionally made cover. Solid advice. I agree completely. Cover is all about transmitting genre, and appealing to readers with specific preferences.
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Dec 20, 2019 16:07
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I think most of the people at Thomas & Mercer had a week or two off for the holidays, so I haven't heard anything yet. Dunno! Publishing moves slow. We've got a spot lined up with a freelance editor in March, so if Thomas & Mercer doesn't pick us up, we'll just release it ourselves.
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Jan 15, 2020 02:05
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Leng posted:So this popped up on my feed today: i'm always weary of transactions that use Fun Bucks. Why does Amazon need a go-between currency?
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Apr 21, 2021 17:57
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also, hello thread, the last year has been hard. Last I popped in here, I was shopping a book to Thomas and Mercer with my co-author. They declined last winter, but w/e. Rejection happens. We released the book early this month, and it's doing very well. I'm looking forward to having writing income again after not publishing anything in a year and a half. I also have a solo book in the same genre that I got back from my editor last week. Hoping to drop it on Amazon in May. It's been two years since I've launched a first in series, so I'm a little rusty (and short on cash), but I think I can make it work with newsletter spots from other authors in the genre I've gotten to know. That said, I'm nervous about a new release without having a sequel nearly ready to go, but since this co-authored book is hot and in the same genre, I think I'll get a nice lift on my solo book if I release before co-authored book cools off.
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Apr 21, 2021 18:03
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Breath Ray posted:all other things like the standard of storytelling and cover art being equal, what are the most popular genres in self publishing in a hierarchy? ime, crime/mystery/thriller are more popular than scifi, but i haven't looked closely at scifi in a few years
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May 4, 2021 20:05
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drat divabot, somebody got $10 worth of mad at you. or like 1/10000 of a bitcoin mad at you, since i'm assuming it was a crypto goon
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May 5, 2021 18:35
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Grand Theft Autobot posted:I wrote an 89k word novel in 2019 and submitted it to agents in early 2020 after doing live pitches at a conference. I got 5 requests and 5 rejections, and they all said essentially the same thing: it was clear that an adult was writing the book or narrating the story which was meant for a young-adult audience. I got the same feedback from the friends and acquaintances who read it. I'm not sure how applicable it is to YA, but my favorite book about editing is called Self Editing for Fiction Writers, and it's by Renni Browne.
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May 9, 2021 06:24
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Ccs posted:So this might come in handy for people: The Self Published Fantasy Blog Off is coming up and I thought "it'd be cool to submit to that, too bad my book is trapped as a KPF file and thus stuck inside the Amazon ecosystem, whereas bloggers require the files provided to them in Mobi for review." one question: is there a specific reason why you're using Kindle Create? Draft2Digital can format ebooks pretty easily, and doesn't lock you into a proprietary file format. if you need to add backmatter or change the TOC, it's pretty easy to open the files in calibre and manually add/edit what you need.
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May 17, 2021 20:58
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divabot posted:just signing them's a great start really. Offer individualised dedications! Signed copies are great. If it doesn't cost too much, maybe some exclusive artwork would be a good incentive too?
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May 21, 2021 19:06
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Zaepho posted:Wait a few months and KDP or Ingram or somebody else will change something on you again. ha, yeah, the reason this isn't well documented is because the workflow is constantly being tweaked by Amazon, and competitors. It sucks if you're navigating it for the first time, but it's better to have storefronts making changes than not, imo.
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Jun 7, 2021 17:02
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Does anyone here have experience advertising pre-orders? What platforms work? I was thinking about throwing down on some cheapo facebook and Bookbub ads. Maybe A/B test some blurbs?
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Jun 8, 2021 15:29
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Leng posted:I kind of half-assed mine and I regret it. What I did: I just split off people from my mailing list for ARCs. Just straight-up asked if anyone would like to volunteer, and said I'd take the first X number of people who responded. It has worked decently. ARCs are funny in that, you'd assume people who sign up for them would actually, like, download and read the book and leave a review, but a maximum of only about 50% of people actually *do* those things, ime. Anyway, I guess I'll run some FB ads. I have a couple early reviews that I'm going to pull quotes from and put in the ad image.
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Jun 8, 2021 19:34
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poo poo man, I forgot how useful canva is for making ads.
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Jun 18, 2021 20:14
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okay so i've written/published 16 novels, i think? and with my newest series i'm finally getting proper audiobooks out. i'm very excited. I talked to my narrator for like an hour via zoom yesterday and hammered it all out. he really loves the book. i have a good feeling about this one, but we'll see. i think it's my best work (i always think my latest book is my best work).
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Jun 28, 2021 16:23
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i'm releasing a book tomorrow that has been through one editor, a dozen or so ARC readers, two proof-readers, and my narrator and I are still finding freaking typos!!!!!! ahhhhghghhghashdfhasd
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Jul 1, 2021 19:05
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i am now firmly in the "compulsively check sales and second guess every piece of marketing" phase of my launch day
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Jul 2, 2021 20:27
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Leng posted:That was me as well. this is my 16th release, so no probably not haha
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Jul 5, 2021 17:00
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hoooo boy, lemme tell ya: if you're selling paperbacks, do NOT choose a 6 x 9 trim. Doing so will lower your page count on Amazon, and, as much as writing in an art form, there is still a value proposition that readers care about, and if they think your book is too short for the price, they ain't buyin'. I switched from 6 x 9 trim, and a 192 page count, to 5 x 8 trim, and a more genre-appropriate 280 page count. it's been kind of a hassle with phone calls to KDP support, but I think the higher page count will make a big difference for me.
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Jul 7, 2021 15:24
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so i worked with a producer/narrator to make an audiobook on ACX and I am so out of my element here. the audiobook is live, but i haven't the slightest clue how to promote or manage it, or even how to change the price. jesus this is like publishing my first ebook all over again. e: well! seems i can't change or set my price myself. i am suddenly feeling way less optimistic about audiobooks.
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Jul 19, 2021 18:23
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Captain Log posted:Hearing about the audio book stuff is pretty dang cool, too. From the little bit of research i've done since yesterday, it seems like audio is very much where ebooks were like 6 or 7 years ago. things are still shaking out, there are a lot of players, and there aren't many options for marketing. right now it seems like my best marketing vehicle is my ebook's amazon page, since the audio book is listed there. i did sell 7 audiobooks yesterday, so that was cool. some folks also recommended https://theaudiobookworm.com/ but i haven't looked too closely at that. i guess they do blog tours? im not a huge fan of blog tours. anyway, i paid $2k for narration of this audiobook. i'm pretty dubious about it actually paying out, but i have a few more experienced colleagues who assure me audio is worth it, even with the high barrier for entry, and investment in more audiobooks for my series is worth the money. i mean, i can see that maybe they're right? the market for audiobooks is no where near as saturated as the ebook market, but making 40% off a $17.95 cover price means selling a lot of audiobooks before i come close to breaking even. KrunkMcGrunk fucked around with this message at 15:34 on Jul 20, 2021 |
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Jul 20, 2021 15:30
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As much as I bellyache about the numbers for audio, I will say that as an author, hearing my book read out loud by a professional narrator helped me improve it. it was far easier to catch awkward phrasing or repetitious words when i had the manuscript open on my monitor and listened to the audio for proofing. that helped a lot.
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Jul 20, 2021 16:57
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Fuschia tude posted:I wonder if a decent TTS program could work similarly, for a cheaper method. probably. i know some people do that as a matter of course. I never have, but i'm thinking i should.
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Jul 20, 2021 18:07
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oliveoil posted:Can people make decent money self-pubbing now? I got the impression it became so competitive that one had to be willing to spend 60hrs a week writing smut for minimum wage. yes, people can make decent money. i mean, if you want to write smut (i haven't) my impression is your impression is accurate. I know people who do, and they work like loving crazy, but its def better money than minimum wage. i write mysteries and thrillers. i haven't quit my day job yet, but I could easily put 8+ hours a day into writing if the time were available to me. There is money in it, and over the last six years, i'm lucky enough to have met and worked with people who pull in bigger salaries than i've ever had. tbh i'm not sure what prospects are like for someone who is 100% brand new to self-pubbing. is it competitive? yes. is it a ton of work? yes. You might swing at the ball a hundred times and never hit it out of the park, but you can certainly make an impact for yourself if you're patient, tenacious, and can set your ego aside long enough to make smart moves (personally, I still struggle with the ego bit).
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Jul 22, 2021 01:00
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i'm in KU because it is a significant moneymaker for me. probably 50% of my gross comes from KU page reads (right now ~$25-$40 a day). and based on the experiences of other authors in my genre, going wide doesn't really bridge that gap until you have more than 10 books published.
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Jul 28, 2021 20:06
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also, people wanted to hear about audio. here's my take, 1.5 weeks after releasing my first solo audiobook: if you can afford the up front costs, do audio. Audio books sell all on their own. I have had to put in 0 advertising for audio, specifically (i still advertise my ebooks) and audio is roughly an additional 30-50% of my daily gross royalities. getting people to buy audio has been 0 effort, and i'm seriously considering putting one or both of my backlist series into audio.
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Jul 28, 2021 20:09
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LiterallyATomato posted:Do you do the readings yourself or hire someone? Just curious. i hire somebody. if I did it myself, the initial cost would be near zero, but yeah it's a shitload of work that i don't need. plus a professional voice actor sounds a hell of a lot better reading my book than I would.
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Jul 29, 2021 00:27
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