My First E-Book "Jak's Play" Progress Thread

[Vincent Law]

Hey there Fastlane.

I finally sat down and wrote a book, self-published, and am living the millionaire playboy lifestyle I always dreamed about.

2 out of 3 of the above statements are true.

But seriously, I am grateful I found this place, found CH's thread and finally sat down and wrote something that I can be proud of.

Now I am switching into the marketing phase of the whole adventure and I was wondering if anyone had any advice to give from their own experiences. I was thinking of submitting it to some of those book promo sites, but apart from Bookbub, which is apparently hard to get into, I've never heard of anyone using the others to great effect. But maybe I'm wrong? I've also posted the book on forums that I frequent that enjoy this sort of thing, and to date they have been the only people to buy the book.

So far its been about one week and I have sold 6 copies- priced at 4.99$ and 300 some pages have been read on the KDU.

I would love to hear some feedback from you guys. The book is sci-fi, dystopian and set in the Europe of the not so distant future. Hell, maybe that sounds right up your alley!

Here is a link to my book, toss me some shekels if you feel so inclined.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B019M349WU/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

Thanks again lads and ladies of the Fastlane. Wish me luck!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Namtab]

Good luck man, recently started self publishing myself, well started writing, not so much publishing! I'm Currently researching marketing books on Amazon and what sells.

Wish you all the best! Oh and I read the first few pages of your book, very good!

 

[Vincent Law]

Thanks mate, Happy New Year.

Do me a favor please, and drop a review when you're done. They are so hard to come by!

And I'd be interested in hearing the results of your research too.

Best,
Vince

 

[Madhu]

@Vincent Out of interest, how did you get those reviews. Did you have a strategy or was it organic?

Good luck!!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Vincent Law]

@Vincent Out of interest, how did you get those reviews. Did you have a strategy or was it organic?

Good luck!!

I asked friends to read my book and leave reviews. When that failed I went on a Taiwanese Sock Puppet Image Forum that I frequent and asked them to do the same. That's how I got the 5 reviews.

But since then, I have literally sold 0 copies.

Not getting any sales at all that aren't from said forum. I've even started an advertising campaign with pay per click ads for Kindle on Amazon with no success at all.

Very disappointing.

 

[ChickenHawk]

A thought...At $4.99, your price-point is on the high side for a beginning indy author. Remember, your goal at this stage is to build an audience, even if it loses you some short-term profits. During my first year, my highest price-point was $2.99 for a full-length novel. Now, my highest price-point for a single novel is $3.99, and even that's on the high side.

If I were in your current shoes, I'd lower the price to $2.99. You might still sell zero copies, but at least you'll have a better chance of getting people to take a look. Also, sad to say, a first novel is often the hardest to get going because you're still finding your voice. I know I've mentioned this elsewhere, but I didn't really "hit" until my seventh book (which happened to be my first released under my current pen name).

Just some thoughts to ponder, for what it's worth.

 

[nitop]

hi your book definitely looking good , but i think u have done something wrong ..
instead of writing a book and then doing ppc, u should first do ppc without writing the book to test the demand of your upcoming book!
give what the market needs not what you think they need!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Vincent Law]

A thought...At $4.99, your price-point is on the high side for a beginning indy author. Remember, your goal at this stage is to build an audience, even if it loses you some short-term profits. During my first year, my highest price-point was $2.99 for a full-length novel. Now, my highest price-point for a single novel is $3.99, and even that's on the high side.

If I were in your current shoes, I'd lower the price to $2.99. You might still sell zero copies, but at least you'll have a better chance of getting people to take a look. Also, sad to say, a first novel is often the hardest to get going because you're still finding your voice. I know I've mentioned this elsewhere, but I didn't really "hit" until my seventh book (which happened to be my first released under my current pen name).

Just some thoughts to ponder, for what it's worth.

Oh really? Damn I had no idea. Thanks for the advice CH. I'll adjust that now.

 

[Vincent Law]

hi your book definitely looking good , but i think u have done something wrong ..
instead of writing a book and then doing ppc, u should first do ppc without writing the book to test the demand of your upcoming book!
give what the market needs not what you think they need!

I mean the market might want soft-core erotica à la 50 Shades of Grey, but I can't provide that. And how do you advertise that which does not exist? Do people just buy your book, discover its empty, and complain about you to amazon? I really don't understand that advice at all.

 

[nitop]

I mean the market might want soft-core erotica à la 50 Shades of Grey, but I can't provide that. And how do you advertise that which does not exist? Do people just buy your book, discover its empty, and complain about you to amazon? I really don't understand that advice at all.

sorry my bad, i really didnt know that you dont know about testing products that dont exist yet ! its a whole process and i dont want to confuse you on this thread,..

all the best!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[EricZ]

Hey there Fastlane.


Now I am switching into the marketing phase ...
Thanks again lads and ladies of the Fastlane. Wish me luck!

First mistake:
"Switching to marketing" phase AFTER you write the book,

The marketing starts BEFORE you write the book, but OK; beginner's mistake.
Now you should do the research and put your book in the right category:
http://www.zbooks.co/p/the-poor-mans-kdspy-niche-finder-and.html

and then you can try facebook ads (also on page above) -BUT- I would wait for paid advertisement until you get a series finished.

Also you most definitely should spruce up your description with H1 and H2 tags etc.
Make some bold sentences to stand out - the Amazon sales page is your #1 weapon - make that description killer with a clear call to action:
"scroll up and grab a copy today" etc.

Is your book in KDP select?
There is a HUGE controversy about the new algo's and payout scam/scheme, -BUT- it is true, KDP select authors are being favored by amazon and their books are placed better and OVER non-kdp-select participants' books.

Amazon is training people to become Prime members, for 9.99 you can read all the books you want, i.e. those books in KDP select - and those authors then get paid per page.

This absolutely sucks for non-fiction writers like me, but some romance and sci-fi authors actually make more now.
https://t.co/FlibFe3aGY

Hope this helps
Eric

p.s. You MUST put an offer to your next book or at least a link to your webpage in the beginning of your book so that people see it in the "Look INside" preview function of -zon. That is weapon #2.

 

[Madhu]

Here are some steps I would try:
1) Drop the price like Chicken Hawk said
2) Enroll the book in Amazon select, and have a free book day session once a week. I had a (non-fiction) ebook that wasn't selling at all and found that holding a free book day once a week helped to kick started sales. Granted, the results were weak (I'd give away 200 books and get 4 sales) but it's better than nothing. I've only done it in the last few weeks (so only 2 times), but I'm hoping some of those free books might buyers might leave some reviews.

 

[ChickenHawk]

First mistake:
"Switching to marketing" phase AFTER you write the book,

I actually disagree with this. IMO, when writing your first fiction book, the most important thing is to get it out there. Even if f I were starting out, brand-new, I'd still write and release the book first, and then worry about marketing afterward. (If I even DID marketing. If you only have one book, marketing might not even be all that worthwhile.)

Maybe it's different for non-fiction, because you could potentially build a platform in advance (establishing yourself as an expert). But for fiction, readers simply aren't going to care. If you're an unknown fiction author, all they'll care about is the book itself. Does it grab them? Do they want to read it? How's the writing?

IMO, worrying about (or spending the time/energy/money on) marketing is just a complication, and probably won't make much, if any, difference in sales.

It's not that I don't think you have some good advice in there. It's just that I think fiction is a different nut to crack. With fiction, it's mostly about the writing. You're not trying to solve some problem for the reader. You're trying to entertain them. It gives it a different twist.

Just my thoughts for what it's worth.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[EricZ]

I actually disagree with this. IMO, when writing your first fiction book, the most important thing is to get it out there. Even if f I were starting out, brand-new, I'd still write and release the book first, and then worry about marketing afterward. (If I even DID marketing. If you only have one book, marketing might not even be all that worthwhile.)

Maybe it's different for non-fiction, because you could potentially build a platform in advance (establishing yourself as an expert). But for fiction, readers simply aren't going to care. If you're an unknown fiction author, all they'll care about is the book itself. Does it grab them? Do they want to read it? How's the writing?

IMO, worrying about (or spending the time/energy/money on) marketing is just a complication, and probably won't make much, if any, difference in sales.

It's not that I don't think you have some good advice in there. It's just that I think fiction is a different nut to crack. With fiction, it's mostly about the writing. You're not trying to solve some problem for the reader. You're trying to entertain them. It gives it a different twist.

Just my thoughts for what it's worth.

Thanks ChickenHawk- You're speaking from experience!

Fiction and non-fiction are two separate beasts for sure.
But I see a trend among new and young authors, a lot of them are getting discouraged, they go balls-out and then later are disappointed.
So my message is simply: Do the research first:
http://www.zbooks.co/2015/06/what-every-author-must-do_9.html

You're right(!) it's incredibly important to get your book out, especially the first one, I would be the last to impede progress. But I get emails like the one above everyday from guys who are "blasting" their books out and then wondering why they don't sell.

So I totally believe in "just get started" and test along the way -BUT- BUT(!) at least test your darned cover (e.g. in a site like ratebookcover.com) BEFORE you publish. So there we are - already on the marketing tangent...

When are you going to write a book/guide about publishing!? Maybe we should compile all of your posts into one?

 

[Guest34764]

I asked friends to read my book and leave reviews. When that failed I went on a Taiwanese Sock Puppet Image Forum that I frequent and asked them to do the same. That's how I got the 5 reviews.

I'm surprised 4chan gave you good reviews lmao.

 

[Madhu]

I actually disagree with this. IMO, when writing your first fiction book, the most important thing is to get it out there. Even if f I were starting out, brand-new, I'd still write and release the book first, and then worry about marketing afterward. (If I even DID marketing. If you only have one book, marketing might not even be all that worthwhile.)

Maybe it's different for non-fiction, because you could potentially build a platform in advance (establishing yourself as an expert). But for fiction, readers simply aren't going to care. If you're an unknown fiction author, all they'll care about is the book itself. Does it grab them? Do they want to read it? How's the writing?

Out of interest: How do you get most of your fiction readers. Is it just organically through Amazon or do you do any other methods. What sort of response did you get for your first book (I'm still reading through your progress thread, so sorry if the answers are already in there). Thanks!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[ChickenHawk]

Out of interest: How do you get most of your fiction readers. Is it just organically through Amazon or do you do any other methods. What sort of response did you get for your first book (I'm still reading through your progress thread, so sorry if the answers are already in there). Thanks!

The answer is a bit complicated, because what's usually considered my "first" book was really the seventh book I'd ever written. But the audience didn't know that of course, so here's the way it worked. (For purposes of explanation below, I'll just dub that breakout book Book#1, because it was the first book under my best-selling pen name).

Basically, I wrote the novel and posted it on Amazon. That was it. No advertising. No promotions. For whatever reason, the book just hit. I don't know exactly why, but the Amazon algos and readers gave it lots of love, which meant that it eventually ended up hitting the Amazon top 30. But (here's the important thing...)

I had a mailing list signup from day one. This meant I had a mechanism for capturing the contact information of fans, which really helped me when I launched book #2. Now, for every book I sell, I stand a chance of getting someone to sign up to my mailing list, which makes things easier as time goes on. I now have over 3,000 readers on my mailing list, which is a HUGE help every time I hit publish.

Also, I should add that I had LOTS of writing experience when I started out. My degree is in writing. I worked as a writer for 20-plus years. I'd already written a few books beforehand. I've read hundreds of fiction books. I spent years studying the craft of fiction-writing, and following the blogs of agents and editors. I mention all of this, because reading above, it kind of comes across as, "Hey, I wrote a book and made a ton of money overnight with zero effort." That is SO not the case. Basically, I'm one of those 20-year "overnight" successes. By the time I hit it big, I definitely had my 10,000 hours in, and then some.

In my case, it was probably the writing itself (and all the experience leading up to it) that led to the breakout success.

Hope that helps!

(Edit to add that I've also done some Facebook advertising, although not when I just started out.)

 

[Selfy]

Nice,

I'm assuming this is for male readership. What are your readers like? The books at the bottom will yield that information. Please report on that info.

I did a quick read. "Hey you look at you." He said. "What are you Jak?"

"Hey you look at you," he said. "What are you Jak?"

There are other ways to do that but the pubbed version is not correct.

Subjective:
It reads to a slow start. I'd start the scene with a gripping encounter with a caliphate harvester (sounds cool), leaving the reader in a what the phuck moment, then start world building. Drop the prologue.

Reduce your synopsis to around three-five sentences? I just want to know if it's the kind of thing I read and not the entire plot.

Cover: I like it. Only because the other bought books had a dude wearing a leather jacket.

Hope it helps. Good job man!

 

[Selfy]

I'd add this because I can't stop my mind.

The caliphate harvester scene should be emotionally gripping but also logically challenging, in a contradictory way. Like it happens in a church but there are bodies around. Or an attack but there are children playing and not caring. Or a technological wonderland but he fights with a pitchfork. Something that grips, that compels, that hints on the nature of the book.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[germandude]

Unavailable in Deutschland.

 

[Vincent Law]

Hey all, was out of town last week. Happy New Year.

Thanks for the advice. I do have the mailing list in the back of the book. And a link to the blog which is doing way better in collecting subscribers- impressive email numbers in one week.

I followed CH's advice and lowered the price. Got 3 more sales. Next I will try the one day a week free book thing. I am also going to submit it to a bunch of those sites like Bookbub.

Book 2 is coming along nicely- maybe the Phoenix effect will save me.

 

[Vincent Law]

Unavailable in Deutschland.

That doesn't surprise me considering the content...

But it might just be a KDP Select thing.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[germandude]

That doesn't surprise me considering the content...
But it might just be a KDP Select thing.

Dude sorry I was to post that comment in the google domains thread, must have mixed it up. Your book is available in Germany.

 

[Namtab]

Hey all, was out of town last week. Happy New Year.

Thanks for the advice. I do have the mailing list in the back of the book. And a link to the blog which is doing way better in collecting subscribers- impressive email numbers in one week.

I followed CH's advice and lowered the price. Got 3 more sales. Next I will try the one day a week free book thing. I am also going to submit it to a bunch of those sites like Bookbub.

Book 2 is coming along nicely- maybe the Phoenix effect will save me.

Apologies for no reviewing your book yet, its on my to do pile! With your emailing list, how did you put the list in the book? Is it a direct link to the sign up form? With my email marketing site, I'm not even sure direct links are possible as I just have the HTML version on my website.

 

[Vincent Law]

Apologies for no reviewing your book yet, its on my to do pile! With your emailing list, how did you put the list in the book? Is it a direct link to the sign up form? With my email marketing site, I'm not even sure direct links are possible as I just have the HTML version on my website.

Well you just go to MailCheat(Chimp) and it creates a short url that you can leave at the end of your book. People click it and it redirects them to a signup form for your list. But I haven't gotten any signups because of that. I have however gotten almost 40 sign-ups through the blog I set up alongside the book. I provide other content that people read and ask them to sign up there with a Sumome pop-up. It has a 15% conversion rate. Idk if thats good or bad.

Thanks, would love that review mate.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Namtab]

Well you just go to MailCheat(Chimp) and it creates a short url that you can leave at the end of your book. People click it and it redirects them to a signup form for your list. But I haven't gotten any signups because of that. I have however gotten almost 40 sign-ups through the blog I set up alongside the book. I provide other content that people read and ask them to sign up there with a Sumome pop-up. It has a 15% conversion rate. Idk if thats good or bad.

Thanks, would love that review mate.

40 seems pretty good to me, definitely doing something right! I have more of a static website/homepage so getting people to sign up with just a plain sign up form with not much added content may be a little difficult!

 

[Vincent Law]

So I bumped up my price back to 4.99 $ because several weeks of it being 3$ didn't do much and the people who are interested in buying it don't mind spending a few shekels more. So far I have been advertising it with my niche group and they have been my main buyers. Hopefully some reviews will flow in because the reception is without exception very positive.

My plan is to keep relying on my base to get the initial sales and reviews. I hope that this will translate into bumping me up in the ranking so that eventually non-forum members see it on their Amazon. I have also been reaching out to other groups online with similar interests. Sort of like direct shilling, but that parts been unsuccessful as well so far.

But I think I will continue shilling for my book in comments sections of videos/posts/articles of topics related to the themes in the book.

In the meantime the blog continues to thrive and the mail list grows. When the second book is ready- I will craft a sales letter and see how that goes.

Takeaways so far:

1) I was very surprised to find that of all my friends, family members and acquaintances- none were willing to read my book.
b) They seem blissfully unaware that I know that most of them haven't even clicked the link, despite effusively promising to do so. Very shocking to be quite honest.

2) People that do not know me but share tribal solidarity over the topics that we are interested in have astounded me with their willingness to support a complete stranger and their encouragement of my project. I am moved and touched.This was supposed to just be a business project. I never expected to feel these feels.
b) Funnily enough points 1 and 2 are explored in the book. Prophetic.

3) There have been 0 sales that are not accounted for by my direct advertising. No organic sales whatsoever. This may just be me, but it is an interesting takeaway for people that think their book will grow on its own and become big once they hit publish. Need to advertise.

4) PPC was the most disappointing of all! 0 sales! Perhaps my advertisement was lacking. But I am biased and think it was pretty on point. Hmm, perhaps the blurb and book description need work.

5) I find myself constantly thinking of new ways to advertise my book. I feel that being a self-publisher is a unique position because of the equal amounts of time you spend creating the product and then thinking of how to sell it. You must be good at both to do well, whereas a regular book might only need to be good at the first. The publisher handles the rest.

 

[mws87]

I'm no expert (if you're looking for one, go read all of the @ChickenHawk and @Held for Ransom threads), however, I'd like to add some input in hopes that it helps you, even if a little.

1) I was very surprised to find that of all my friends, family members and acquaintances- none were willing to read my book.
b) They seem blissfully unaware that I know that most of them haven't even clicked the link, despite effusively promising to do so. Very shocking to be quite honest.

Welcome to Entrepreneurship. Everyone will shell out empty promises and, when you're getting the wheels in motion, suddenly forget about you. I'm sure the same thing has happened to 100% of us on here. The majority doesn't care about process (eg: writing and publishing your book), they will only care when they see the event from process, like, when they find out you're making $100k from book sales.

Don't rely on relatives and friends to help you, rely on yourself and your product. Don't get upset about it. Laugh about it and realize its the truth.

2) People that do not know me but share tribal solidarity over the topics that we are interested in have astounded me with their willingness to support a complete stranger and their encouragement of my project. I am moved and touched.This was supposed to just be a business project. I never expected to feel these feels.

That's what it's all about. Help other people feel the feels (perhaps through your writing) and receive the feels in return. Reciprocity.

3) There have been 0 sales that are not accounted for by my direct advertising. No organic sales whatsoever. This may just be me, but it is an interesting takeaway for people that think their book will grow on its own and become big once they hit publish. Need to advertise.

You will get organic sales, eventually. Hell, I had a couple titles I published back in August that are just now starting to get good, organic sales.

4) PPC was the most disappointing of all! 0 sales! Perhaps my advertisement was lacking. But I am biased and think it was pretty on point. Hmm, perhaps the blurb and book description need work.

I experimented with KDP's ads for a while. Just like any business, you have to have a sales funnel and, when things aren't working, find out where that leak in your funnel is. Sounds like you've already grasped that concept, though.

For example: If you have an ad campaign on Amazon and are getting a lot of impressions but no clicks, it's likely your copy or your cover. Change up both (your cover looks fine to me, btw). Check out some of the copywriting threads here on the forum.

If you're getting clicks, but no purchases, you're left with the following: Description, Price point (sometimes), the content viewed via the "Look Inside" function and possibly reviews. If people think your reviews are bogus, they're probably going to feel like they're being had. With my experiment, the opening content of the book and the description were the most important in converting sales. After all, I've read some great books (and watched great movies) with terrible covers. If all else fails, it could be something as simple as the genre.

It just takes some tweaking with to figure it out.

5) I find myself constantly thinking of new ways to advertise my book. I feel that being a self-publisher is a unique position because of the equal amounts of time you spend creating the product and then thinking of how to sell it. You must be good at both to do well, whereas a regular book might only need to be good at the first. The publisher handles the rest.

Yup, you're right. I'm not sure where the whole misconception of "set it and forget it" came from as far as self-publishing goes. I had that delusion when I first started and learned the hard way.

I like your enthusiasm and drive, I think you'll do fine. Just don't lose momentum or you'll be kicking yourself in the tail for a while.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Selfy]

I want you to succeed because I like your genre. It is much, much harder than mine. Pardon, let me dispense some tough love. (Maybe bc the others are too nice?)

IMO, the reason for lack of organic sales has to do with the writing. I mean your dialog tags are crooked a first few pages in, and there are 300+ of these pages. If you have time to write 300+ pages, then an hour learning punctuation should have come first.

The intro was not compelling. Prota wakes up from bed to start the day and nothing happens for a whole time. I didn't read the rest.. because I lost interest. It doesn't matter if there are pink unicorns battling pirate iguanas in a sinking roboship shaped like a kraken in the midpoint, if the story can't entice and sustain my interest up to there then I'm not reading it.. and you won't be paid.

I'm not trying to knock you down. KDP 2.0 is brutal on the quality nowadays and you'll need to quality-up before you spend any minute on the promotion. It's painful to see you spend PPC. Promote a quality book after you skill-up on the writing part. Not before. A dud will be a dud even if you pay for it to get front page. Work on the next one. Focus on improving. Tryn' to help you.

 

[Vincent Law]

I want you to succeed because I like your genre. It is much, much harder than mine. Pardon, let me dispense some tough love. (Maybe bc the others are too nice?)

IMO, the reason for lack of organic sales has to do with the writing. I mean your dialog tags are crooked a first few pages in, and there are 300+ of these pages. If you have time to write 300+ pages, then an hour learning punctuation should have come first.

The intro was not compelling. Prota wakes up from bed to start the day and nothing happens for a whole time. I didn't read the rest.. because I lost interest. It doesn't matter if there are pink unicorns battling pirate iguanas in a sinking roboship shaped like a kraken in the midpoint, if the story can't entice and sustain my interest up to there then I'm not reading it.. and you won't be paid.

I'm not trying to knock you down. KDP 2.0 is brutal on the quality nowadays and you'll need to quality-up before you spend any minute on the promotion. It's painful to see you spend PPC. Promote a quality book after you skill-up on the writing part. Not before. A dud will be a dud even if you pay for it to get front page. Work on the next one. Focus on improving. Tryn' to help you.

Thanks for the tough love I guess.

Here's a review I got just now.

"Hi OP, back, book is fantastic, already read about 60% of it. I'll come back when I've finished but I hope you're already writing more.

This kind of fiction is what has been missing from my life."

No accounting for taste. You hate it, but others love it. Whattaya gonna do?

As for the spacing you are the first to mention it and I don't see any problems. Its indented by one space deliberately?