Hello from Denver - self publishing success

[Jonleehacker]

I still would love some ideas for plot development resources (or any other writing tools) from Held for Ransom, but I found this book and I've been reading it and it is an excellent guide to plots:

20 Master Plots: And How to Build Them: Ronald B Tobias: 9781599635378: Amazon.com: Books

It gives all the major storylines that you will find in novels and movies and breaks down how they are developed through the characters... very good tool.

 

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[Held for Ransom]

Thanks for your insight and advice. Yes, I mean setting up a website for the book specifically outside of Amazon. For example, if I would write a "How To" course as an eBook and create a catchy website for it which is showing why the visitor has to buy this book.

My idea behind it is that by doing it in-house without Amazon I would be able to generate more revenue (avoiding the Amazon fees). There are many of such websites (called "landing page" or sales page) that are selling eBooks for $39 - $79 each. But such websites are not common for fiction books though. Hope this makes sense now.

Right, I am familiar with the concept. I wasn't sure if that's what you mean but gotcha now.

Hmmm... Well, I suppose that if you could generate an equivalent (or better) amount of sales from your own site, then go for it. I mean, it's always better to keep as much of that profit as you can. That said, Amazon fees are pretty minimal when you compare it against the huge volume of traffic they could potentially provide.

The bigger question to ask is there a need for your book? If it were me, I'd spend some time researching Amazon for titles that are similar to what you are considering. That is, if you haven't already done that.

It sounds to me like your objective is to make money from your books exclusively so this step is super important. Amazon is littered with books that no one buys. It's worth the extra time to dig deep first and see if there is a market for what you are doing. I think it would matter less if you had some other way to monetize the reader but if it's book sales alone, it's going to take lots and lots of book sales to make you money.

If you want, you can PM me, and I'll shoot you a link to my research tool. It's not completed by any stretch but it will help your research process move along much more quickly than sitting on Amazon for hours on end.

By the way, I was wondering how do you get the inspiration and creativity to produce different stories for your books over and over again. Do you have to fight with the "writer's block" condition some times?

Pretty much I read popular books and come up with different angles, stories, characters, etc. I wish I could say there was more to it for me but there just isn't.

It sounds to me, that if you were to write for 5 years straight you could live in the fast lane for the rest of your life off of the residuals. not to mention you could later take the most popular of your writings and adapt them to screen plays.

Man, that scenario sounds friggin' incredible. I suppose anything is possible. If someone ever did have stuff that gets into that realm, screenplays/movies, etc. then yeah, they are basically Fastlane at that point.

However, even though those types of events are pretty rare, there are plenty of people making $250,000, $500,000 and even $1,000,000 per year writing fiction and do so in relative anonymity. Writing fiction is in some ways like any other career. You have to keep churning it out or your sales will go down. That's just the way it is. But, you can do very well if you just keep at it.

So, unless you are in the league of superstars, your time will never be completely free as a writer. In that sense, it comes up short in failing the commandment of time. But, I've had nearly a month off (unexpectedly) and I'm still looking at my best earning month to-date. So while it isn't perfect timewise, a month off isn't bad - especially when I had no choice in the matter.

I feel myself moving towards a similar journey as you. Is there any books that you could recommend I read?

It gives all the major storylines that you will find in novels and movies and breaks down how they are developed through the characters... very good tool.

I'll have to check that out. I have to admit that I'm not terribly traditional when it comes to all of this stuff.

So, I do feel bad that I can't offer much advice to folks on building storylines and things. I pretty much just sit down and brainstorm it out. I suppose I could always benefit from learning a more traditional approach to building a story. I think from the very beginning I was so focused on just putting stuff out that I never really delved beyond what I needed to accomplish that.

I guess the point I am trying to make is that there's always room for improvement so long as it winds up making me faster at the end of the day, not slower.

 

[thorn]

First and foremost I just wanted to thank Ransom and everyone else participating in this thread, as it has been sort of the kick in the a$$ I have been needing. This is my first post here on the forums and I wanted to jump on this conversation as the questions have been brewing in my head as I have been reading through. I have been considering getting into the self publishing arena for a bit and the information here has provided some amazing insight.

That said, I had a few questions of my own...

When you starting writing your first book, what was your career status at the time? You mentioned the working hours it took you to achieve your numbers, but was that drawn out over a period of time, in between other work/activities, or did this receive the focus of your attention once you started?

Secondly, I know that you mentioned that you read within your genre to help stay on top of what your readers want, but prior to getting into self publishing, were you someone who spent a fair amount of time reading books? Did you start reading in your chosen genre before you wrote your first book or did you decide to start reading once you started writing?

Finally, if I may be so bold, would it be possible to ask for the link to the tool you are using for your research? I would be curious to see how the areas I have been looking at stack up.

 

[Rawr]

Erotica writer shares her thoughts:

IAmA successful Erotica author! I turn naughty words into dollars and have crazy adventures. AMA! : tabled

 

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[Jonleehacker]

Another question... do you write for a particular gender?

I have a hunch that the majority of fiction buyers are female? It could be different for each niche, if so, do you factor that in somehow?

 

[Mercury]

..You probably get this a lot HfR, but would it be possible to get a copy of that there tool you were mentioning?

In terms of the Fastlane I aim to be exceptional, eventually overdelivering on quality...

 

[Held for Ransom]

When you starting writing your first book, what was your career status at the time? You mentioned the working hours it took you to achieve your numbers, but was that drawn out over a period of time, in between other work/activities, or did this receive the focus of your attention once you started?

Uhhhm, I had a bunch of stuff going on that produced marginal enough results to allow me time to at least get started. But, once I saw the potential, I just ditched everything else and went nuts basically. I should mention that I am fanatical budgeter so I have a pretty good handle on my income and expenses for months in advance. I sort of knew what I had available to me in terms of time and resources so I figured it was worth the gamble.

It has been so far *fingers crossed*!

Secondly, I know that you mentioned that you read within your genre to help stay on top of what your readers want, but prior to getting into self publishing, were you someone who spent a fair amount of time reading books? Did you start reading in your chosen genre before you wrote your first book or did you decide to start reading once you started writing?

No, I was never a fiction reader. I'm still not. Honestly, I find most fiction reading to be sleep inducing...

I only started reading in the genre once I decided to write in it. I'm investigating a new genre at the moment and just repeating the process all over. Not being a reader or a writer, much of this process was very tedious for me. But, as I continued to get good results I just looked at it as kind of game. Every time I see something I want to try, I just imagine myself as some sort of writing chameleon. You know, just to see if I can do it.

Other than that, I really don't know any other way to describe it. My feelings about reading fiction have not changed - if I'm not researching it, I'm not reading it.

It just bores me to tears man.

By the way, I certainly don't mean to offend fiction readers or writers who love reading fiction. It's just the way I am. As I've said since I first came into the forum, in my case I am running a business that is all about identifying market needs and filling them. In that respect, I'm really no different than the guy doing importing or e-commerce or lead generation.

So, no disrespect to writers who love everything about the craft. It's just not my cup of tea personally.

Finally, if I may be so bold, would it be possible to ask for the link to the tool you are using for your research? I would be curious to see how the areas I have been looking at stack up.

I'll shoot you a PM!

Another question... do you write for a particular gender?

Women.

I have a hunch that the majority of fiction buyers are female? It could be different for each niche, if so, do you factor that in somehow?

I don't know about fiction as a whole but for my niche, overwhelmingly female.

..You probably get this a lot HfR, but would it be possible to get a copy of that there tool you were mentioning?

PM on the way.

 

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[McNandez]

Amazing thread. HfR, thanks so much for your insight and advice. Reading this thread put some much-needed fuel into my tank. :thankyousign:

Could you PM me a link to your tool as well?

For the other posters asking about structure/plotting, here is a link to such a tool. YMMV: Save the Cat! Beat Sheet for Novels | Liz Writes Books
I think there's a few spreadsheets like this floating around the internet, but I like this one for its simplicity.

 

[Held for Ransom]

Could you PM me a link to your tool as well?

PM sent. Thanks for the link!

 

[Rawr]

Ditto on the link bud. Thank you.

 

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[Cyberseraph]

If you want, you can PM me, and I'll shoot you a link to my research tool. It's not completed by any stretch but it will help your research process move along much more quickly than sitting on Amazon for hours on end.

Held for Ransom, could you also PM me a link to the tool? You must have my PM in your inbox by now. Thank you!

 

[Held for Ransom]

PM sent!

 

[carozy]

I'd also love the tool if you wouldn't mind sending it. Thanks!

 

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[Mercury]

The Avg. Sales Rank has disappeared..

Guess I better get off my a$$ & open Excel

 

[Held for Ransom]

I'd also love the tool if you wouldn't mind sending it. Thanks!

PM sent!

The Avg. Sales Rank has disappeared..

Hey there. Sorry, SR has disappeared from what? Nothing has changed with the tool if that's what you are referring to. They had been doing a few things yesterday but AFAIK, it's the same. Refresh it if something seems off.

 

[Syc]

I had an interesting idea for a spin on this method but using non-fiction.

Initially I just wrote about what interested me, and it was a bit hit and miss to be honest. I'm starting to see that research and picking what the market wants is key. But even good research doesn't always equal a good seller.

I started a few months ago and currently have 8 books in my catalogue. 1 usually hits 90-100 sales a month and the rest are around 10 sales per month.

Sales are lower than fiction, but as the books are relatively short I'm hoping in the long term it'll be offset by volume of books.

I've set up a website and I'm really trying to create a brand for this. A few people mentioned that non fiction needed an upsell. Number of sales is lower so I think that is something ill have to look at. Either coaching or a sort of special customised report. I've also had an idea for a membership site off the back of this but not sure there is enough interest yet.

HfR, could I also take a look at your tool?

Anyone else doing non fiction?

 

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[GuestUser113]

Could you send that tool my way! Thanks man!

 

[dru-man]

Latest Progress Update:

Now have published novel and two published stories, all with covers completed. So three total.

I finished another short story today and am going to give it a few days to simmer before redrafting and publishing. I have another story and a novel started already and a few more ideas in mind.

Making some sales here and there but nothing spectacular - although feedback on my work from those who have read it is extremely enthusiastic! People seem quite taken with it, and my novel seems to be bringing yet more people to tears. Would be nice to see some of those strong emotions translate into more sales.

I'm cross-promoting between books, and I've even had people I gave free review copies to (other writers) email me to say they were thinking about buying the other pieces. So that clearly has an effect.

Again, none of the stuff I've uploaded so far has been targeted to a particular market, as it was all written quite some time ago without a market in mind. I have the tool access so hopefully that will help me there.

Held For Ransom: I think in another post you said you promote and link to your other books in your Amazon descriptions (or am I thinking of a poster in another forum?). I saw JA Konrath does this too - are you doing it similar to the way he does?

 

[Held for Ransom]

Now have published novel and two published stories, all with covers completed. So three total.

Great job man, keep going!

I think in another post you said you promote and link to your other books in your Amazon descriptions

No, I don't do it my descriptions. I use the back matter of my books. I just create affiliate links for my other titles and then when people buy them, I pick up a few extra nickels.

 

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[Jason Murphy]

Awesome thread! It was long, but so worth reading the whole thing!

Kind of a supercilious question. How do y'all keep your amazon history clean? I mean, you're obviously researching in the genre you are writing in and checking out the competition. I find every time I do that, my shopping experience at Amazon is greatly altered for the worse and I have to remove my history. (I'm one of those annoying Prime members who gets 2-3 shipments per week for cheap stuff from Amazon because I'm too lazy to go to the store. So my history means a lot.) Do you research in one account, and then be yourself in another? Or does it all eventually blend together anyway. lol

Also, HfR: What's the tool I hear people raving about? Can I get in on that action too?

My progress: First chapter of my first non-fiction book done! Sadly, I'm realizing that non-fiction requires a lot more research and annotations than just dumping words on paper.

My Fiction progress: I have 3/4 of a novel left from nanowrimo that I'm readying to dust-off and finish. This is after the non-fiction title is published, as that's pertinent to my career needs right now too.

 

[Syc]

Awesome thread! It was long, but so worth reading the whole thing!

Kind of a supercilious question. How do y'all keep your amazon history clean? I mean, you're obviously researching in the genre you are writing in and checking out the competition. I find every time I do that, my shopping experience at Amazon is greatly altered for the worse and I have to remove my history. (I'm one of those annoying Prime members who gets 2-3 shipments per week for cheap stuff from Amazon because I'm too lazy to go to the store. So my history means a lot.) Do you research in one account, and then be yourself in another? Or does it all eventually blend together anyway. lol

Also, HfR: What's the tool I hear people raving about? Can I get in on that action too?

My progress: First chapter of my first non-fiction book done! Sadly, I'm realizing that non-fiction requires a lot more research and annotations than just dumping words on paper.

My Fiction progress: I have 3/4 of a novel left from nanowrimo that I'm readying to dust-off and finish. This is after the non-fiction title is published, as that's pertinent to my career needs right now too.

I personally find writing fiction harder than non-fiction. It's easier to work with facts, rules and 'how tos'. With fiction you have to create a plot, detailed characters, villains, etc. I could blast out 5k words of non-fiction a day, but I'd only be able to do 2k fiction a day.

 

[GuestUser113]

Here is something we haven't talked about. How are the taxes?

 

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[Held for Ransom]

How do y'all keep your amazon history clean?

If you are researching bestsellers, hot new releases, etc. your history won't matter since it's the same for everyone.

Can I get in on that action too?

No problem, I'll PM it.

I have 3/4 of a novel left from nanowrimo that I'm readying to dust-off and finish.

Cool, congrats!

How are the taxes?

Too high.

 

[NJ Bred]

Hello HFR,

First, thanks a bunch for this thread. You opened my eyes to something similar to what I am trying to do right now (iOS app development) but can be done without learning a new skillset or spending money to have somebody else do it.

When you said that your fastlane may be showing people how to do this sort of thing, you can count me as a charter member whenever that service goes live.

Just a few questions :

Do you ever make your books free as a way to increase sales or draw attention to it or yourself?
Do you every do any sequels or have a series of sorts?
Do you enable lending on your books? It seems that would be throwing money away but it seems alot of the top 100 books keep it enabled.
Finally, may I have access to the tool that you mentioned earlier?

Thanks again and good luck on your journey to $100,000 a month.

 

[Jason Murphy]

Here is something we haven't talked about. How are the taxes?

Although I have yet to publish my books, I think I know this one because it's the same for most of what I do (online affiliate marketing). Most cases of self-employment on a continual contract are treated with a W9 form. This classifies you as an independent contractor for [Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Apple / Kobo / etc.] and in the governments eyes as a self-employed tax rate. Taxes are extremely high for the self-employed, but the tax breaks can truly help bring that down. You'll be able to claim a portion of your mortgage payment if you have a home office, internet and phone bills, a portion of other utilities, any other business expenses (writing during coffee / lunch time... save the receipt!), gas and/or miles, office supplies, computer and other equipment, etc.

It's best to find a CPA that works with W9 / Self-employed persons (most do). Let them be your guide. They will most likely pay for themselves after just the first years filing of taxes if you've earned anything substantial. They can also help you decide if/when you should change your business to LLC, Inc., S-corp, or another classification for other tax benefits.

 

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[Liz]

Held for Ransom, could I also get the tool. I am busy marketing non-fiction e-book.

 

[Rawr]

Another AMA with erotica writer. Seems he pushes the edgy stuff that sells

IAmA: I am Raminar Dixon, an author of dirty, naughty erotica who quit his job to write smut! AMA! : tabled

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Another AMA with erotica writer. Seems he pushes the edgy stuff that sells

IAmA: I am Raminar Dixon, an author of dirty, naughty erotica who quit his job to write smut! AMA! : tabled

Cool, he even mentioned our very own Delilah Fawkes as an author he likes.

Mainstream fiction - I love the authors of literary classics, first and foremost, like Orwell, Heller, Steinbeck, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, etc. That might seem strange from a guy that writes filthy erotica stories, but I love the older stuff so much.
More modern mainstream things? I absolutely love Stephen King. Suzanne Collins and Rowling are also fun to read. George R.R. Martin's series is highly entertaining. Patterson writes a LOT, but his Alex Cross stuff was always engaging to me.
As far as erotica is concerned, I like Delilah Fawkes, Sara Fawkes, Virginia Wade, E.L. James (the entire erotica authors' community thanks her for that one), my friends Cassandra Zara and Francis Ashe, and Sylvia Day is pretty good, too!

 

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[RahKnee]

Held For Ransom and anyone else who might be able to answer:

I've found a graphic artist to put together some covers for ebooks I'm working on. Does anyone know if there is a standard resolution or picture size for the kindle that should be used? Or is there a size that works best if there is not a standard?

Thanks,
Rahknee

 

[Held for Ransom]

Do you ever make your books free as a way to increase sales or draw attention to it or yourself?

No. I just write a lot of books.

Do you every do any sequels or have a series of sorts?

Sometimes but I really haven't done it in a while. I may again though at some point. The only thing is the bar for me is so much higher now that really I would have to crack the Top 500 or so to do it now.

Do you enable lending on your books? It seems that would be throwing money away but it seems alot of the top 100 books keep it enabled.

Mine has always been enabled by default but that's because I always choose 70% for my royalty rate. I think if you opt for 35%, you can opt out of lending but to me that's nickels holding up dollars so I really don't care.

Finally, may I have access to the tool that you mentioned earlier?

PM sent!

Thanks again and good luck on your journey to $100,000 a month.

Thanks, that's very kind of you to say!

This classifies you as an independent contractor for [Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Apple / Kobo / etc.] and in the governments eyes as a self-employed tax rate.

Yeah, I was kind of joking there but you'll get 1099s from them. Better save your tax monies throughout the year...

Held for Ransom, could I also get the tool. I am busy marketing non-fiction e-book.

PM sent!

I've found a graphic artist to put together some covers for ebooks I'm working on. Does anyone know if there is a standard resolution or picture size for the kindle that should be used?

From KDP help...

Dimensions

Requirements for the size of your cover art have an ideal height/width ratio of 1.6, this means:

• A minimum of 625 pixels on the shortest side and 1000 pixels on the longest side
• For best quality, your image would be 1563 pixels on the shortest side and 2500 pixels on the longest side