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Sundae posted:Most people don't do fake reviews. Fake reviews are surprisingly expensive and are generally stupidly obvious. (Yes, I've looked. No, I haven't done it.) How many ARCs do you give away on your mailing list?
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Jun 5, 2014 12:04
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Any tips on how to grow a mailing list would be sweet too. Plugging it in the books isn't doing much.
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Jun 5, 2014 14:15
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magnificent7 posted:I've been lurking among the writers and agents and editors on Twitter lately, and I'm beginning to think that Twitter (among other social networks) is replacing the mailing list. That, a tumblr and an instagram. It's all about building the rapport with the target audience without shouting constantly about your own book. If anything, I think mailing lists are back in vogue. The people on it actually care enough to get your emails about books, while people on twitter don't necessarily want to buy anything from you. Don't get me wrong, they're both useful, but I'm more interested in mailing lists. I can't spend all my day on twitter talking poo poo, I got things to write.
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Jun 5, 2014 15:53
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Abusing the selfpub thread again with my small press stuff. I just put out this thriller/crime novel. Amazon page looks a bit bare now, but working on getting some reviews and quotes. Gina French is not a Waste of Roofies  After escaping a sexual assault, Gina French is outraged by the lack of sympathy and when a questionable opportunity falls into her lap—one that could both turn things around and prove everyone wrong—she takes it. As she chain-smokes her way through the paranoia and fear of the inevitable violence, those she’s left behind wonder who the real Gina French is: a tragic single mother desperate to shortcut her way to a better life—or a bitter, self-serving narcissistic bitch?
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Jun 6, 2014 19:14
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Every time I see a bad cover on this thread I want to take 10 minutes and make a passable one for them, but  and also I gotta make a living.
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Jun 6, 2014 19:19
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Whenever I sell a copy of that horror anthology I did, it jumps to like #20 for Horror Anthologies. It's bizarre.
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Jun 7, 2014 15:46
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Is Bookblast still worth trying? It says on their website it's unlikely they will accept a short story collection that's not free, anyone know how strict they are about it?
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Jun 10, 2014 14:29
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EngineerSean posted:i haven't been using booksends (same thing, right?) ever since they started requiring my company to buy onto the bestseller list rather than the romance list. i feel that the ROI is negative for it at the $225 they charge for that. i'd contact them but if they say anything about thir bestseller list, walk away. Sent them an email. The Literary category is like 10$ too, so worth a shot.
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Jun 10, 2014 16:20
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Sundae posted:Agreed with this. Every time I try to list with them now, they want me in their bestsellers list (laughable - I'm only a bestseller in the sense that I put the word "BESTSELLING" in my blurbs). Way, way too expensive to justify, and the efficacy just isn't there. It's okay for an expensive last push in the same way that Kindle Nation Daily is, but with their new pricing, you're not going to turn a profit with it. Any other places besides Bookbub that are worth doing for sales?
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Jun 10, 2014 17:24
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I don't even bother with Smashwords. Should I? I remember the process to format the ebooks was a pain in the rear end.
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Jun 12, 2014 13:11
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Roar posted:I make a fairly consistent 250-300$ from Smashwords every quarter. I depend on it for Steam games. What percentage is that from your total sales? Which distributors through Smashwords?
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Jun 12, 2014 14:33
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I set up a new store for my premade covers: http://store.ravenkult.com/ Code NEW gets you 20% OFF, but that ends today. Let me know and I'll set you up with a goon discount.
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Jun 14, 2014 19:03
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EngineerSean posted:I love that Welcome to Ritual one, makes me wish that I wrote occult horror so I could buy it. Just write a southern gothic romance or something, I'm sure it'll move some copies.
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Jun 14, 2014 19:43
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Icon-Cat posted:
Is that what it's supposed to be? In that case I'd just make it as close as possible.
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Jun 15, 2014 17:07
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Anyone got any nifty spreadsheets for calculating royalties and such?
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Jun 17, 2014 19:56
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After some success with selling covers on Kboards, I feel like I should ask: Where else do selfpub authors gather? e: Oh yeah, I set up this ebook bundle type deal. If anyone wants to be on the next one (genre fiction or crime stuff only), let me know. I'll have numbers once the bundle ends. http://arcanebundle.com/
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Jul 4, 2014 18:21
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If your protagonist isn't an orangutang, I'd change that first and foremost.
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Jul 17, 2014 14:14
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Is it saying that you should price at 6.99$? What is it basing that on?
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Jul 17, 2014 16:08
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Back me up here, the ape on the cover is terrible. Just because it's ''different'' doesn't mean it's good.
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Jul 18, 2014 08:33
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For anyone curious, the pay-what-you-want bundle I did sold 23 copies and made 156$. So yeah. I'm gonna keep going though, hoping it will pick up steam.
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Jul 19, 2014 18:45
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Nobody's gonna take you on, or even publish, with a short story collection. They sell like crap too.
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Jul 19, 2014 21:05
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Grizzled Patriarch posted:Is that true for self-pubbing too? I mean obviously some people manage to get published, short story collections are mostly what I enjoy reading and often they are by relatively unknown or even first-time authors. I don't have any starry-eyed expectations of getting rich from short stories or anything, but there are a decent number of authors who choose not to write novel-length fiction. They don't sell well at all. Unless you're well known for your short fiction (short story sales in top magazines) or have a bunch of novels out, you won't move copies.
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Jul 19, 2014 22:24
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magnificent7 posted:Oh yeah? This got me to buy the book within the hour. It's a cost vs efficiency thing. Most forms of advertising have a terrible efficiency ratio so especially in publishing it's not a good idea unless you're a multimillion dollar company. I did a trailer for the first book my press published, I think it has 300 views on youtube. Waste of time.
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Jul 21, 2014 18:49
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Too bad Facebook sucks and it won't let you reach your audience.
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Jul 23, 2014 13:59
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I'm looking for books for the next 2 Arcane Bundles (low sales withstanding). Let me know if you want in. I think the next one is going to be Lovecraftian/Cosmic Horror/Weird Fiction.
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Jul 24, 2014 15:39
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The HWA (Horror Writers Association) has changed the rules to allow selfpub authors to join. The tears are so delicious I might never drink anything else ever again. http://www.nicholaskaufmann.com/2014/07/24/hwa-votes-to-allow-self-published-works-to-qualify-for-active-membership/ as an example of said tears. Party game: Change ''self published authors'' to ''illegals'' as you read. And this is my response: ''...it makes me laugh that people think this is a problem. It's not that the HWA is terrible or anything, but it's not like becoming a HWA member is especially hard (I don't qualify, but I only need one more pro sale to do so). You're not exactly keeping the riff-raff out by keeping selfpub authors from joining. All you need to join the HWA right now is some story sales at a pro rate or a novel with a 2000$ advance. So really, all you need is a buddy with a magazine that is willing to say ''I totally paid this guy 800$ for 3 stories.'' IF you wanted to game the system. Same goes for a novel. You could claim whatever you wanted, it's not like the IRS is gonna bust down your door and check it out. I'm not sure why it's posited that selfpub authors can buy their way in so easily, but traditionally published authors can't. It's 100% the exact same thing. So now the problem is that someone might self publish and ''cheat'' his way into a HWA membership by lying about his sales or over-promoting? Bah, humbug. The last couple of paragraphs find me in complete disagreement. I know self published authors who are complete workhorses and very knowledgeable about the industry (they have to be, if they want to make it).''
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Jul 24, 2014 18:53
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EngineerSean posted:On the other hand, there has been very little change in quality of self-published books. Anyone can poo poo out a book with incomprehensible prose and tortured plots, upload it to Amazon and B&N, and call themselves a published author. And in the current paradigm, they would not be wrong to call themselves that. This is something of a slap in the face to those of us who actually put effort into our craft, those of us who work hard and pay our dues in the trenches of rejection and the classrooms of trial-and-error to earn the title of published author. If you're familiar with the HWA at all, you know that's bullshit. You could publish with the smallest of small press and bullshit your way into the HWA with a snap of the fingers. If you don't automatically think that selfpub authors will scam the HWA to get in, the 2000$ in earnings threshold should be good enough to keep the terrible authors out.
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Jul 24, 2014 20:08
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I have been bamboozled!
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Jul 24, 2014 20:19
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Yooper posted:Could I get a blurb check? Lieutenant William Grace, the sole survivor of the Farshore genocide, has held the line against the invading Sa’Ami and cleaved a gap for the United Colonies to assault Sa’Ami space. Now he finds himself cast aside by the Earth-born Admirals, a colonist pariah in a fleet that trusts only those born on Earth. But with a Navy that distrusts him, a corporate renegade who wants to manipulate him, a colony set on the path of treason, a crew of misfits and miscreants, and a ship that will disassemble itself if (that's what you mean right?) he goes rogue - will they find empty space, or a new enemy? (I don't understand what that means. That list of things doesn't affect what they will find) If he follows orders he might get to keep his career, but if he makes a stand he might find his place, or lose everything. (Explain. What does finding his place mean?)
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Jul 31, 2014 19:37
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Yooper posted:A bit more refinement here. I've always wanted to keep it sparse in the blurb, but here's a version with some more details. Why do you do this '' But with a Navy that distrusts him, a corporate renegade who wants to manipulate him, a colony set on the path of treason, and a ship that will disassemble itself if he goes rogue - will they find a silent front, or a new enemy? '' It doesn't make sense as a sentence. The navy distrusts him, so they will find a new enemy or a silent front? What? It should be something like But with a Navy that distrusts him, a corporate renegade who wants to manipulate him, a colony set on the path of treason, and a ship that will disassemble itself if he goes rogue, the stakes are as high as ever. (generic as poo poo, but I don't know your book)
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Aug 1, 2014 23:47
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Yeah, got it too. It's kinda dumb.
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Aug 9, 2014 22:07
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moana posted:Are you doing Select? If so, free at launch, hit up a ton of freebie promotion sites. Does that actually work?
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Aug 14, 2014 21:18
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Nessus posted:I guess the psychological block for me is "won't everyone who's interested just get a copy at free/99 cents and then I'm missing out on sales?" Obviously from Amazon's perspective it doesn't matter, they kind of win no matter what. Same. Not doubting you, just trying to figure out the logic behind it.
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Aug 14, 2014 22:17
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Trustworthy posted:I'm currently at Gen Con and overall the Writer's Symposium series of panels/workshops has been pretty nice. Was that scammer from Damnation Books on there?
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Aug 16, 2014 19:23
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Here's a book my small press has put a lot of work into. It's available for pre-order, but it'll be on Amazon on September 18th. (hosting mine) The Mind is a Razorblade is a supernatural neo-noir horror novel of a man born into death. Drowning, he wakes beside two corpses. His memory has been wiped clean. He doesn’t know his name, what he’s doing here, who these people are, or even why one of them is a cop. Nor can he explain his strange telekinetic abilities. Questions plague his mind like hellfire, questions that begin a journey leading into the rot of downtown America, a journey that will not end until every one of his questions have been answered, despite who has to die in the process. Even if those who have all the answers aren’t even human. A story of identity and redemption, satanic cults and funny bunny slippers, The Mind is a Razorblade is the deformed lovechild of a lunatic raised on cheesy ‘80’s science fiction movies. Hope this one does well. Small press sucks.
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Aug 18, 2014 19:32
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PoshAlligator posted:Creepy cover, love it. Good job. Thanks man. Also thanks to the poster above for the blurb comment, taking it into consideration. It's a lot of work, the profit margins are slim but I do everything myself so I keep costs down. That anthology did well both by mine and small press standards. Made about 650$ or about 130 sales in 6 months.
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Aug 19, 2014 23:11
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I'm broke as gently caress, so take advantage of me if you need a cover. Use code FIFTY to get 50% off any cover(s) when you spend 100$ or more. http://store.ravenkult.com/   
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Aug 25, 2014 05:43
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Szmitten posted:This is more relevant to those of you using CreateSpace and such, but what fonts do you like to use for the main body of text? Do you just use Garamond? Minion? Caslon? I was looking through Cloud Atlas and which apparently uses Requiem and is so, so good. Has anybody tried Linux Libertine? I'm finding interior book design fascinating. Garamond and Caslon, yeah.
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Sep 5, 2014 13:37
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Here's some pics of the paperback of the antho I edited. 
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Sep 5, 2014 20:51
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Instead of saying ''the first, the second,'' etc, use the story names.
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Sep 9, 2014 20:55
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