Jumping on the bandwagon

[COSenior]

Starting a thread on this distinguished forum is almost as scary as clicking 'Publish' on my first book! But I promised someone I would, so here goes.

My self-publishing journey started with non-fiction. I've always been opinionated, so writing about my experience from my own point of view was appealing. Imagine my surprise and consternation when NO ONE bought the book! Imagine my surprise and delight when I received a check for $11 from KDP Select last year. I still don't know what it was for.

Late in the year, I started paying more attention to my oDesk account, took some tests to rank among contractors for editing and started receiving requests to write. Now, writing on oDesk is NOT a lucrative business. Most people want 500-word articles, for which they are willing to pay up to a princely $5. By the way, they want you to do your own research. So I turned most of those down. However, I received a query from a gentleman who was willing to both provide research for my convenience, and pay a little more. We formed a collaboration, and to date I have written 5 or 6 books for him. He's pleased with the way they're selling. Along the way, he strongly encouraged me to write for myself, too. So I dusted off a couple of Word files I had written years ago, updated them, and published them. Also collaborated with my daughter to publish her story, which concerned a health issue. That brings us to May or early June of this year when my mentor discovered Held for Ransom's epic thread https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/se...006-hello-denver-self-publishing-success.html.

Both of us were set on fire! He started writing children's books, and I, having just read Fifty Shades of Grey, said, 'I can do that!'

After finishing up the work to publish the non-fiction books, I published my first story on July 23rd, the second on July 24th, and the third on July 29th. Then I slowed down and started writing longer stories. The fourth, 16,000+ words went up on August 15th, and the fifth, 30,000+ words, went up on August 28th. Then I started a full-length novel, which I finished at 60,500 words a couple of days ago.

Here were my mistakes:
1) Made my own covers with free images (yes, I used the correct licenses, no worries), which limited me in art. My covers aren't very good, I'll admit it. I'm working on that.
2) Jumped in with little or no research into the genre.
3) Didn't get another pair of eyes on the stories before I published them.
4) Placed one book in KDP Select for the ability to hold a free event, limiting my ability to publish the entire series on other platforms.

Here's where I was lucky:
1) I found a treasure trove of readers of my genre on social media platforms, chiefly Facebook and Goodreads, who have helped get some publicity to the books at no cost to me other than the free copies I've given to reviewers.
2) My reviews and ratings have generally been positive. I wish that the people who returned my books (3) would have given a review so I would know what they didn't like; but, realistically, you can't please everyone. I assume that my very explicit descriptions of sex scenes or the circumstances surrounding them were distasteful to some. Poor souls, I wish them the best.
3) My free event resulted in 854 downloads.

Here's what I'm doing now that I think is right:
1) Maintaining social media relationships with others who can either beta read my work to improve it, review it, or publicize it. I could spend a little less time doing this, but I was a Facebook junkie before I started publishing.
2) Reading and reviewing other authors in my genre and taking note of what works, what I hate and pitfalls to avoid.
3) Occasionally acquiring and reading how-to books on the craft of writing.
4) Following the original thread that inspired me and a few others that have cropped up in this category, especially the very detailed progress threads.
5) Putting a number of these tools together to plan out an extensive series. Meanwhile, I'll be publishing a couple more shorts, just to keep the schedule on track.

At this point, I'm not satisfied with turning out stories that are merely fast to write and steamy in nature. I don't particularly care to read those stories myself, I want more out of a plot. I want to improve both my pacing and my dialogue. I want to write less stiffly and with less formal grammar, as most people speak, but still maintain an eye toward quality that is sorely lacking in indie authors in my genre.

As far as sales go, the stories are selling, albeit slowly. A couple here, a couple there. I'm going on faith that the advice promulgated by Held for Ransom, Thriftypreneur, britnidanielle and ChickenHawk (among others) to write, publish and write some more will eventually result in better sales. To that end, I'm trying to achieve a balance between writing fast and writing well. Wish me luck!

 

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[Thriftypreneur]

'Bout time! Great intro!

Interested to hear more about your experience with Select as I'm still debating on using it. I'm really, really hesitant because of the 90-day lock. Having a book missing from a series on another platform seems like quite the price for some promotion.

 

[COSenior]

'Bout time! Great intro!

Interested to hear more about your experience with Select as I'm still debating on using it. I'm really, really hesitant because of the 90-day lock. Having a book missing from a series on another platform seems like quite the price for some promotion.

Thank you sir!

I automatically put all of my non-fiction in KDP Select, and I'm sure that belonging to that pool is what earned me that $11 last year, which was 100% more than I earned from actually selling the books. If you do decide to do it but don't want to keep it that way after the first 90 days, be sure to uncheck the autorenew box. Amazon is sneaky that way, just like premium channels on satellite tv providers.

However, I agree that it is a steep price to pay for some promotion. If I ever do a free event again, it will be through Smashwords where it's a heck of a lot easier and doesn't affect your ability to publish on other platforms. It's my understanding from another thread as well as my mentor's advice, that leaving it free on Smashwords will also eventually create permafree on Amazon. In fact, it could have been you who gave that answer, I can't remember. A couple of my earlier stories are good candidates for permafree or unpublishing, but I want a larger catalog before I do that. I'll let you know my experience then.

 

[COSenior]

[UPDATE] Yesterday I finished my initial proofread and edit and then sent my baby (first and maybe only full-length novel) out to beta readers. I've been devouring other writers' work, which at this point may be counterproductive. There's a lot of trash in my genre, two I couldn't finish in the past couple of days. But there's also enough that I can't come close to that I'm beginning to lose confidence in my own work. I'm hoping the beta readers can straighten me out.

I'm about to leave on vacation and intend to take a complete break from writing. I have written thousands of words every day for the last seven weeks, but it feels like seven months. I have published three short stories, a novelette and a novella in that time, and finished a novel that I hope to publish by month-end. In addition, I've written but not published three or four more short stories that need either work or expansion--I'm not going to publish anything else for which I can't charge at least $2.99.

I'm not burned out exactly, but I feel the need to fall back and regroup. Maybe if I'm not doing so much, I will have time to think a little. My strategy requires me to come up with a durable series idea, maybe two, to work on through the rest of the year. I'd like at least one of them to be of the type to which I can just keep adding loosely related stories, for the sake of longevity. So far, nothing.

One thing I will do is invest in Scrivener. It isn't a huge investment, but it is symbolic for me. It means I'm serious about writing. It means I won't allow myself to lose sight of the goal while I'm away and never get back to it when I come back. There are a number of you whom I now consider friends, although we've never met. I'm asking you to hold me accountable. If you don't hear from me by month's end, please give me a virtual kick in the patootie. :thankyousign:

 

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[Thriftypreneur]

But there's also enough that I can't come close to that I'm beginning to lose confidence in my own work.

This is why I'm not really reading much in my genre, at least for now (but, then again, I've never been much of a reader). It's also why I'm not going to view my reviews much (because I'm sure people are going to rip my first few titles apart). I think doing whatever needs to be done to keep your confidence, at least in the early stages, is pretty important.

One thing to keep in mind though, is that you have something no one else has - your author voice. No matter how hard anyone else tries, they can't tell a story the same way you do. They can't portray something the same way you do. They won't be able to connect with your readers the same way you do. That is yours and yours alone. Find solace in that fact.

On a side note: I wish I had half of your production ability, it's really impressive. Have a great vacation! I'm sure after forgetting about writing for a little while, you'll come back rejuvenated and ready to crack the best-sellers lists.

 

[Breaking Free]

I absolutely, positively guarantee you that if you proofread and edit your work, you're 80% ahead of the rabble out there. That doesn't count beta readers. Doesn't count getting feedback before publishing. Just by putting out clean work is such a huge step.

And again, don't think of your early work as being crap. Think of it as refining your craft. I've written five stories, started on my sixth, and I'm already wishing I could start over and re-write my other ones just because I know I'm better at writing now. I'm not (well, except for my second series, only one book in and I want to give the characters and story more oomph), so I'm going to hammer out my first series of about 10-12 novellas and then start the next.

Point is... just keep writing. You will get better. My favorite authors have gotten significantly better as they put out more books, so why can't anyone else do it?

 

[Rawr]

I absolutely, positively guarantee you that if you proofread and edit your work, you're 80% ahead of the rabble out there. That doesn't count beta readers. Doesn't count getting feedback before publishing. Just by putting out clean work is such a huge step.

And again, don't think of your early work as being crap. Think of it as refining your craft. I've written five stories, started on my sixth, and I'm already wishing I could start over and re-write my other ones just because I know I'm better at writing now. I'm not (well, except for my second series, only one book in and I want to give the characters and story more oomph), so I'm going to hammer out my first series of about 10-12 novellas and then start the next.

Point is... just keep writing. You will get better. My favorite authors have gotten significantly better as they put out more books, so why can't anyone else do it?

Let us all take this advice. Just keep writing and shipping, that's all that will matter in the end.

 

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[COSenior]

Point is... just keep writing. You will get better. My favorite authors have gotten significantly better as they put out more books, so why can't anyone else do it?

There it is again! JKW. And I think I shall. Got feedback from one beta reader on my novel and a short story today, and it was very complimentary. I'll wait for the rest of the readers to get back to me, but I'm feeling great right now. Guess the old saying is true, we're our own worst critics.

 

[COSenior]

Just got back from a vacation that was fun but too long for my preference. Can't wait to get back to writing!

I've heard back from all of my beta readers now, and got some absolutely great suggestions. I'm glad I sent my book to four of them, because each one had a different insight that will help me with re-write for the novel. Also sent out a short story to a couple or three, and got good feedback. That's going to allow me to use that work, in which I had lost confidence, and move forward with the series in a slightly different way. I'm mindful of Thriftypreneur's theory that planning the series in advance rather than letting it happen organically is the way to go. I've got a LOT of work cut out for me in the next few weeks, but hope to get at least one of the short stories expanded to novella length and published this week.

I've been reading the other progress threads, and it's so inspiring to see the success that some of my friends are experiencing. I'm sad, though, that reviews are a problem for some of you. I really, really, really recommend a 99 cent book by Christine Nolfi, called Reviews Sell Books. Hopefully, the link is live. Amazon.com: Reviews Sell Books eBook: Christine Nolfi: Kindle Store

I've had great success in getting reviews through both Facebook pages that exist for that purpose and through Goodreads. They haven't for the most part been 5-star, for various reasons, but someone pointed out to me that ANY review is better than no review--citing an author in my genre who generates a lot of hateful reviews because of the way she sells her work. The fact of the matter is, it's selling, and selling well, in spite of the negative reviews.

I've seen less than stellar sales while I've been on vacation, while before I left I was selling a title every day or so, including the non-fiction titles. That tells me that some promotion is going to help at the beginning, while I have only a handful of titles published. Maybe that's because my genre is so crowded that titles fall out of the New and Popular lists so quickly, but I see some staying high on the Top 100 in the genre for several months at a time, mostly from well-known names or people who have publishers that hype the books. That tells me that the more titles I get out there with decent reviews, the easier it's going to get.

Here's my plan for the next few weeks:
Enhance the short story I thought was no good into a novella (both beta readers liked it, and one compared my writing to de Sade and Miller!), get a professional cover, and publish as the first book in a new series
Do the re-write I want for the full-length novel, get a professional cover, and publish
Enhance the second short story (already written) in the new series into a novella, get a professional cover, and publish
Plan the rest of the new series, incorporating the work I've already done and the suggestions I received from beta readers

I'm hoping I can get that all done in three weeks.

In the same three weeks, I also hope to do some contract work that will pay for those covers and for new covers for the five stories I've already published. The feedback I've been getting is that although some of the stories aren't for every reader, they are well-written and hold the readers' interest. I think I can develop a following. So I'm going to take the advice of everyone here and get some covers that will capture the attention of browsing readers, and maybe tweak the titles as well. Looking forward to actually making some progress.

 

[Breaking Free]

Just got back from a vacation that was fun but too long for my preference. Can't wait to get back to writing!

I've heard back from all of my beta readers now, and got some absolutely great suggestions. I'm glad I sent my book to four of them, because each one had a different insight that will help me with re-write for the novel. Also sent out a short story to a couple or three, and got good feedback. That's going to allow me to use that work, in which I had lost confidence, and move forward with the series in a slightly different way. I'm mindful of Thriftypreneur's theory that planning the series in advance rather than letting it happen organically is the way to go. I've got a LOT of work cut out for me in the next few weeks, but hope to get at least one of the short stories expanded to novella length and published this week.

I've been reading the other progress threads, and it's so inspiring to see the success that some of my friends are experiencing. I'm sad, though, that reviews are a problem for some of you. I really, really, really recommend a 99 cent book by Christine Nolfi, called Reviews Sell Books. Hopefully, the link is live. Amazon.com: Reviews Sell Books eBook: Christine Nolfi: Kindle Store

I've had great success in getting reviews through both Facebook pages that exist for that purpose and through Goodreads. They haven't for the most part been 5-star, for various reasons, but someone pointed out to me that ANY review is better than no review--citing an author in my genre who generates a lot of hateful reviews because of the way she sells her work. The fact of the matter is, it's selling, and selling well, in spite of the negative reviews.

I've seen less than stellar sales while I've been on vacation, while before I left I was selling a title every day or so, including the non-fiction titles. That tells me that some promotion is going to help at the beginning, while I have only a handful of titles published. Maybe that's because my genre is so crowded that titles fall out of the New and Popular lists so quickly, but I see some staying high on the Top 100 in the genre for several months at a time, mostly from well-known names or people who have publishers that hype the books. That tells me that the more titles I get out there with decent reviews, the easier it's going to get.

Here's my plan for the next few weeks:
Enhance the short story I thought was no good into a novella (both beta readers liked it, and one compared my writing to de Sade and Miller!), get a professional cover, and publish as the first book in a new series
Do the re-write I want for the full-length novel, get a professional cover, and publish
Enhance the second short story (already written) in the new series into a novella, get a professional cover, and publish
Plan the rest of the new series, incorporating the work I've already done and the suggestions I received from beta readers

I'm hoping I can get that all done in three weeks.

In the same three weeks, I also hope to do some contract work that will pay for those covers and for new covers for the five stories I've already published. The feedback I've been getting is that although some of the stories aren't for every reader, they are well-written and hold the readers' interest. I think I can develop a following. So I'm going to take the advice of everyone here and get some covers that will capture the attention of browsing readers, and maybe tweak the titles as well. Looking forward to actually making some progress.

Congrats on your progress! Speed +

Now, to ask about reviews, what did you use to get them? I think that's what's holding me back, and getting my books exposure. I know they're being downloaded, but I think my genre is balking a bit at the $2.99 price for a novella from an unknown.

 

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[Thriftypreneur]

Great update CO... look forward to seeing your results after you accomplish all you've set out to do.

Congrats on your progress! Speed +

Now, to ask about reviews, what did you use to get them? I think that's what's holding me back, and getting my books exposure. I know they're being downloaded, but I think my genre is balking a bit at the $2.99 price for a novella from an unknown.

I've thought that this may be an issue for me, but I'm way behind production when compared to everyone else. My novella is part of a series that I haven't finished yet. I think that may be an issue for the low numbers. If yours is part of a series as well, I would be interested to see if that may be the same problem.

My genre seems anti-novella, but I thought about something earlier when I was trying to find something on hulu, on my break. I don't like watching incomplete series (specifically anime, which I watch a LOT of). Incomplete series with 1 or 2 episodes I pass over for series I know I can start and complete. I noticed I'm infinitely more likely to watch something that has all the episodes rather than start and wait for an ongoing story arc.

Which is why I wouldn't be surprised to see a surge in sales if I ever get this novella series finished (half-done book two at the moment). I think that part may play into series sales more than we realize.

Edit: sorry if that's not as well-spoken as I'd like, I'm having a few beers tonight.

 

[COSenior]

Now, to ask about reviews, what did you use to get them? I think that's what's holding me back, and getting my books exposure. I know they're being downloaded, but I think my genre is balking a bit at the $2.99 price for a novella from an unknown.

At first I sent requests to Facebook pages that are dedicated to review and post links to books in my genre. They mostly seem to be Amazon Affiliates. Later I found groups on Goodreads that are dedicated to reviewing and one that will do beta reads as well. I'm going to do some dedicated posts on the details over the next few days.

I really, really, really recommend a 99 cent book by Christine Nolfi, called Reviews Sell Books. Hopefully, the link is live. Amazon.com: Reviews Sell Books eBook: Christine Nolfi: Kindle Store

Also, the book I referred to above has even more ideas that I haven't yet implemented due to vacation intervening. I highly recommend it, and I'll be posting results from the other ideas as I am able to implement them. I see upon posting that the link in the quote isn't live, but it is live a few posts up the thread.

 

[COSenior]

My genre seems anti-novella, but I thought about something earlier when I was trying to find something on hulu, on my break. I don't like watching incomplete series (specifically anime, which I watch a LOT of). Incomplete series with 1 or 2 episodes I pass over for series I know I can start and complete. I noticed I'm infinitely more likely to watch something that has all the episodes rather than start and wait for an ongoing story arc.

Thrifty, I really think you need to get the word out. I don't know your genre of course, so maybe your titles aren't lost in a crowd, but it's difficult for me as a reader to browse through Amazon's listings. I usually read books that a) have been recommended by people whose tastes I know and trust or b) are written by authors I have read before and liked. I'll also read descriptions and reviews, but I have the impression that I'm unusual in that regard. I won't pass up a book for a bad cover, but a great cover does catch my eye. I do like series, and like you I hate waiting for the next episode. I once waited over 10 years to start a series I knew wasn't finished yet, so yes, that could be an issue. My first series was not planned to be such, but I managed to get it out in under a month (4 titles total). The next one was loosely planned but I have some re-write to do on the first two stories and then I need to get a move on to turn out the last two or three. I'm going to follow your advice and plan the series in detail before I move on.

Have you considered putting out some shorter 'teasers' at a low price or forced free using Smashwords pricing to make Amazon put them on sale? Maybe if people discover they like your writing, sales of the longer works will follow. I'm planning to force the shortest of my titles to free and then bundle the first series as a long novella a little later this year. People will still be able to get the parts at a lower price, but the bundle will be cheaper than buying all of them separately. By having one title in the middle of the series free, I'm hoping to encourage readers who like it to buy the bundle. Again speaking as a reader, I downloaded a free book that was the beginning of a series. It was so well done (unusual in my genre) that I have now purchased the other two books, because I have to finish the story. Considering I have never read the genre prior to this spring, and seldom buy books in any genre (preferring to check them out of the library to prevent bankruptcy), I believe the strategy works.

 

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[COSenior]

Since I am procrastinating just about everything today, it's a good time to give some details about how to get reviews and beta readers on Goodreads.

First, if you are writing under a pen name and don't want to reveal the connection, you will need to make a profile for your pen name. I sent a support request to them to learn if they had a way to link your pen name to your real name without revealing the connection, and it turns out they don't do it at all, unlike Amazon. So make a new profile if you already have one.

Goodreads' top-level menu has a tab called Groups, logically enough. You can search for a group that will support your interests by name or description. If you enter your genre only, or coupled with the word 'genre', you will get suggestions for groups that you can then join. There are many groups that connect authors with readers in single or connected genres, or in multiple genres separated into tabbed discussions. Some groups are for promotion, where you can announce your book or events, sales, etc. Spend some time looking at posts in the groups you think might interest you, to learn what the purpose of the group is. Also, some are more formally run than others. For example, I belong to Contemporary Adult Romance/Erotica: New and Upcoming Books/Authors (CARE NaUBA) Group (515 Members), which has a very structured and specific discussion list. This is where I find reviewers for my work. It is modeled after an older group that is interested in paranormal (romance) and urban fantasy. If you don't find a group that works for your genre (doubtful), you could always start one.

Reviewers should post to Goodreads and sometimes also to B&N or Amazon. You are usually expected to provide a free copy of the book to your reviewers, who will post a disclaimer that they received a free copy for an honest review. Expect an honest review. I have received three-star reviews when the reviewer didn't like an aspect of my story, but at least they stated that the story was well-written, and what they didn't like about it to merit a lower rating. Usually a reviewer will decline to post the review if they would rate it two stars or lower, opting instead to communicate only with the author. This should be very good feedback, well worth a copy of the book. You do not need to purchase a gift copy of your book to provide a free copy. If you publish through Smashwords, you are permitted to download a file in the appropriate format. If not, you can always convert it with Calibre and download the file. If all else fails, provide a PDF copy.

Finally, find beta readers at Beta Reader Group Group (1461 Members). There are posts by people who offer to beta read and posts by authors looking for readers. If you solicit readers, be sure to specify the genre and maybe the theme of the book, so you will get a reader who appreciates your genre. While there, look for a beta reader questionnaire (Beta Reader Group - Beta Reader Questionnaire (showing 1-7 of 7)) that will help less experienced readers understand what you want from them. You aren't looking for a review from beta readers, but a discussion of what could be improved. This thread is a bit difficult to navigate, since the posts are listed in reverse-chron order, but if you scroll down the list you might find posts that discuss what a beta reader can do for you. Do not expect editing from a beta reader, although some will point out errors if they notice them. Finally, note that some of the posts offering reading or editing are for paid services and may not mention that. Just be sure to email the reader for their preferred reading format and clarify what you want. If they want pay, they will let you know at that point. You are under no obligation to pay for this service, as there are plenty who will read for the opportunity to develop a relationship with an author and help shape the books. You are also under no obligation to accept all or any suggestions. Often, you will get conflicting advice. Trust that you will never be able to please everyone, and take only the advice that rings true for you.

Goodreads has many other amenities that are intended to be helpful to authors. Be sure to claim your status as an author so you can see how many members have reviewed or rated your books, how many have added them to their to-read lists, etc. Goodreads also provides a blog platform that will allow you to blog directly from there or tie to your existing blog, and a giveaway program that is unfortunately only for print books at this time.

You don't need to spend a lot of time with Goodreads once you have it all set up, but as with any social media, your interaction builds more engagement with the readers. I have set aside a certain amount of time each day to interact with Goodreads, which then feeds to my Facebook account as posts, which then feeds to Twitter. With just one post, I have a presence in the platforms I consider most important. I seldom visit Twitter, yet every day my email is filled with new followers and new 'likes' for my author page on Facebook. I am careful to balance promotion of my books with reviews and discussions of other books in my genre, to prevent annoyance among Goodreads and Facebook friends.

Has this paid off in new sales? I have no proof except the fact that none of my books were selling before I started letting the world know that they were out there. Now they are, albeit slowly. As time progresses, maybe I'll be able to differentiate between readers coming from social media and readers coming from momentum. I'll let you know.

 

[Breaking Free]

Thanks for the breakdown for goodreads. I'll give it more time tonight (and link it to my pen name on Facebook and Twitter) and see how it goes.

I'm all about trying to get feedback on my writing, so this looks to be a good avenue.

 

[Rawr]

Speed+++! Great tips!

 

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[COSenior]

After writing all that, I'm discouraged tonight by a thread I found on Goodreads. You may find it interesting. Goodreads Authors/Readers - III. Goodreads Readers: Are your reviews wrong? (showing 1-18 of 18)

Now I'm wondering if it will be possible to get reviews on ARCs in future. Why am I always a day late and a dollar short.

 

[Breaking Free]

I'd wait and see how it plays out. There might be something else going on, since they just synced with Goodreads.

 

[COSenior]

I'd wait and see how it plays out. There might be something else going on, since they just synced with Goodreads.

Thanks, and I'm feeling better this morning. Think I was just tired and overwhelmed, trying to catch up in one day after taking 10 off for vacation. One thing I've discovered about entrepreneurs is that they don't allow one closed door to stop them from opening five more. We'll figure it out.

 

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[COSenior]

I haven't been as productive since returning from vacation as I wished. The first thing I did was attempt to expand a novelette to a novella to justify a $2.99 price point. More about that in a minute. Then I put the new sections through the prowritingaid wringer, and by the time I finished revising, I had virtually nothing left. At this point, I'm contemplating just publishing as-is, although I'm now concerned about diction, sticky sentences, etc.

Next, I worked on some obligations I had taken on, first doing a beta read for someone who had done the same for me. Then other similar activities, along with reading some interesting articles that related to adult filters for my genre and pricing issues. In other words, anything but writing.

Finally, I spent quite a bit of time analyzing pricing vs. length vs. rank on Amazon. This is the main point I want to get to today. My conclusions are based solely on my genre, and I may not have taken a big enough sample to trust them, but here they are:

FSOG knockoffs are still popular. However, out of a sample of about 25 (from which I removed some outliers and irrelevant items like audiobooks), most of them are publisher-supported, not indie. All publisher-supported books are FSOG knockoffs, but all authors are making great money if we assume 50% of the royalty gets to them.

Only three of the 10 top-selling indie books are FSOG knockoffs; but they are the oldest of the indie books in the sample. Indie books that aren't FSOG knockoffs and are appropriately priced are ranking higher on average than publisher books that are FSOG knockoffs, with the exception of the longest-running of the publisher books.

Nothing over $4.88 in the top 25 or so is indie-published. All ranking top 25 or so and selling for 2.99 are over 100 pages, most over 200. If over 250 pages, 3.99 is selling well.

A relatively short (for the price) indie series with a motorcycle gang at it's focus is outselling almost everything. And, HEA sells, but trilogies with a sad second book (star-crossed lovers attempt to go their separate ways, like FSOG) are most popular. Almost all top 25 belong to series or trilogy. Many of the indie authors of trilogies put the first book on sale at 99 cents to entice, then use the second book's disappointing ending to compel purchase of the third.

So, I'm back to the drawing board with planning my writing, and torn between publishing what I have finished as-is or improving it first, even if it isn't quite what the market is looking for. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a bit compulsive. The work I'm trying to determine whether to publish includes 2 related novelettes and a novel that would be about 60k words unchanged. If I publish the two novelettes, I will have to write and publish a third for the series to be complete.

I guess the final choice would be to abandon all of the work I've done this month and get straight to the changed focus. Have posted in HfR's thread for advice, since he may have come to the same point when he was starting out. Anyone else with advice for me?

 

[Breaking Free]

So my experience with pro-writing aid is that I take some stuff, and leave the rest. Diction and sticky sentences are going to exist everywhere; keep in mind this tool is for ALL types of writing, so use it to make your stuff better, but not necessarily perfect.

Second, what's your genre? And what were your sales numbers like, with how many books? Remember, books sell books. My sales are low, probably lower than yours, but for several writers, it's the norm when you start.

I've spent just as much time as any other new writer here, and over analyzed price points, sales, trying to get reviews, marketing, etc. But it keeps boiling down to producing content.

And I wouldn't ditch this pen name after such a short amount of time, unless you're thinking of a new genre.Then just link everything back to the first pen name, several readers realize authors use pen names for different genres.

Just keep going. Not many people see results until between 30-50 titles.

 

[COSenior]

Second, what's your genre? And what were your sales numbers like, with how many books? Remember, books sell books. My sales are low, probably lower than yours, but for several writers, it's the norm when you start.

The genre is erotica, but mine aren't romantic and don't usually have the HEA that the top sellers do. So I'm going to move the plots in that direction. Got the same advice from the master.

In this fiction category, I sold nine books in August starting with three titles and ending with five, and so far ten with two returns this month. It's ironic that a non-fiction title I published in my own name is selling better than any one smut title, which are supposed to be selling like hotcakes, lol. I haven't published anything in September, first because I was waiting for beta reader feedback and then because of a 10-day vacation, followed by serious doubt.

Thanks for the advice about prowritingaid. I got the same advice from another author in my genre with whom I've made friends on Facebook. I'm beginning to think this is a problem of stage-fright, or simple lack of confidence. Fortunately, I can hide behind my computer and just keep forcing myself to do stuff whether I'm scared or not.

 

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[Thriftypreneur]

Anyone else with advice for me?

I've also been struggling with productivity, but probably for much different reasons than your own. Being a relative self-publishing and writing newbie, myself, probably even moreso than you, I'm sure my advice isn't as valuable as others, but I'll give it nonetheless. Maybe it will help.

Almost all top 25 belong to series or trilogy. Many of the indie authors of trilogies put the first book on sale at 99 cents to entice, then use the second book's disappointing ending to compel purchase of the third.

I've been looking at this scenario in my genre as well. 250-400 pages is the standard, selling for an average of anywhere from $2.99 up to $6.99. This makes my novella series a uniquely tough sell at $2.99 each for around 100 pages each.

To combat this, I think I've figured out a great way to both market the series and bring the total cost of the story down to a comparable price point, which may help you figure something out.

Once my full series is published and the first book is no longer under the conditions of KDP Select, I plan to use price matching to make the first book in the series a permanently free book, while the other two will remain priced at $2.99. This will bring the price of the entire, 3-book series down to $5.98.

This serves two important purposes. One, if KDP Select promos are anything to gauge free downloads off of, it will bring a constant stream of readers into my fold and serve as hands-off marketing for the other titles. Two, it will bring the entire series more in line with the prices of other complete stories in the genre.

I'm not sure how you've structured your stuff or how it relates together, but even using one perma-free novella to bolster sales to a corresponding novel would likely show some sales that could add to your bottom line (which, at the end of the day, is what really matters).

So, I'm back to the drawing board with planning my writing, and torn between publishing what I have finished as-is or improving it first, even if it isn't quite what the market is looking for. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a bit compulsive. The work I'm trying to determine whether to publish includes 2 related novelettes and a novel that would be about 60k words unchanged. If I publish the two novelettes, I will have to write and publish a third for the series to be complete.

You once told me, "Never throw anything away," and that is very good advice. In any form of publishing, even in the blog/website space I've been a part of for years, I believe that advice holds true. One of the first things I learned when producing content for websites was to never throw anything away (thus deleting your online real estate) and never go backwards. ABC - Always Be Creating. The small gains from even weak pieces of content can add up to significant results.

Even if the work you've done so far isn't up to the high standard you hold yourself to, wasting it would be criminal, in my opinion. As I've been slogging along through my first series, I've also started to doubt its worth (even considered abandoning it once or twice), very much so, but the one thing I try to keep in mind is that same rule from publishing web content: If you have a great idea to optimize your content or implement something new, your time will be much better served using your gained experience on new material, rather than going back and trying to change and optimize all your old material.

I think this holds true for novelists as well. Rather than try to constantly add your ever-growing experience and expertise to things you've already created, you'd be better served simply finishing off what you have and using that knowledge on your next products. Following this line of thinking, I've been forcing myself, albeit at a snail's pace, to finish this series and not let any work go to waste. If I were in your shoes, I would try to make use of what you have and then move on to a new product.

Anyway, think I'm rambling a little, but I hope my newbish advice might spark an idea or two for you. Us OCD types have to be careful not to let our never-ending pursuit of perfection get in the way of actually making progress. In any case, I have the utmost faith that you'll come out on top after this little speed bump. Good luck.

 

[Breaking Free]

I've been looking at this scenario in my genre as well. 250-400 pages is the standard, selling for an average of anywhere from $2.99 up to $6.99. This makes my novella series a uniquely tough sell at $2.99 each for around 100 pages each.

Quick question, how many words in an ebook is Amazon giving you 100 pages for? I'm trying to sell 10k word novellas for 2.99, and Amazon gives me roughly 30 pages. Yeah, I can do the math and guess, but I'm interested in your experience/results.

 

[Thriftypreneur]

Quick question, how many words in an ebook is Amazon giving you 100 pages for? I'm trying to sell 10k word novellas for 2.99, and Amazon gives me roughly 30 pages. Yeah, I can do the math and guess, but I'm interested in your experience/results.

From my very limited experience, page estimates are based on roughly 315 words per page.

 

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[COSenior]

Us OCD types have to be careful not to let our never-ending pursuit of perfection get in the way of actually making progress.

You nailed that one!

I'm not sure how you've structured your stuff or how it relates together, but even using one perma-free novella to bolster sales to a corresponding novel would likely show some sales that could add to your bottom line (which, at the end of the day, is what really matters).

I already have plans to do that with the four-part series I already have published. Since I can only charge 99 cents for the first three anyway, I'm cool with letting one go free. I'd like to have it be the second one, which isn't germane to the series (just uses the same setting and characters), but that one doesn't sell well, and it's been returned twice.

Quick question, how many words in an ebook is Amazon giving you 100 pages for? I'm trying to sell 10k word novellas for 2.99, and Amazon gives me roughly 30 pages. Yeah, I can do the math and guess, but I'm interested in your experience/results.

I agree with Thrifty on the word count per page. That's exactly what mine average, although there's a little variation. Another useless timewaster I did over the past few days was try to order the erotica genre by price so I could determine whether shorter work really would sell at $2.99. But there are so many pages of 99 cent ones that I never got there. It doesn't work from the other end, either. But I did learn that Germans seem to be willing to pay a lot more for erotica. Anyone know German well enough to translate my stuff? (Kidding)

 

[Thriftypreneur]

I did over the past few days was try to order the erotica genre by price so I could determine whether shorter work really would sell at $2.99

Eh, I think it depends on too many factors to even bother analyzing without first-hand data. As I've said, based on everything I've seen in my genre, it really doesn't look like novellas would sell at all. But, even combined with the fact that my book has only been in the proper categories for a few days out of the month it's been live, I've started seeing sales of the title at the $2.99 price point (albeit only a few) with no returns, so far.

Edit: I'd suspect, just by erotica's very nature, that novellas at any price point would do better in that genre than any other, by far.

 

[COSenior]

I'm beginning to feel like a weathervane, blowing back and forth in the wind over pricing. After listening to a podcast interview of Dean Wesley Smith and his wife (can't recall her name off-hand), I'm back to thinking I should price higher. Her position was that free and 99 cent pricing gives the reader the impression that the writer doesn't value her own work, unless it is a temporary sale price. Both of them were quite passionate about this point. I think Mr. Smith said something along the lines of $2.99 being way under-priced for a 20k word book. His wife cited having purchased a Lee Child short story of 15 pages for $2.99 without even thinking about it. I guess there are cheapskates like myself, who wouldn't pay $4 for a cup of coffee except on a very special occasion, and the majority, who do that a couple of times a day and will buy books that cost about the same, again, without even thinking about cost.

The link is in Breaking Free's Road to Becoming a FastLane Author thread, and it's very interesting, but if you watch, start the video and do something else for fifteen minutes or so to avoid wasting time before the interview starts. The podcast starts with some silliness that has no value that I can recall.

Before listening to the podcast, I had raised the price of the last book in my first series, 20k words, to $2.99. Almost immediately, it made a sale. Now, this is embarrassing, because the other authors in this community are reporting tens or dozens of sales, while my total for September is 15. Yet, I'm encouraged because a) two of those have come in the last two days after a couple of weeks of nothing, and b) that one was in the 70% royalty range. In addition, the covers suck, so I have no right to expect any sales. I'm considering raising the price to $3.99 and the next-shorter one from 99 cents to 2.99, just to see what happens. It isn't as if playing with the prices is going to disrupt a buying frenzy. Maybe I'll purchase better covers first. We'll see. I do know to change only one thing at a time in the interest of testing what is making the difference.

After my stumble over a too-long writing hiatus while on vacation, I got busy again this weekend and have completed either a third novelette for my second series, or Part 3 of the novella that the three together create. I need to edit and then decide whether to break them up again and publish separately, or publish together. It won't be hard either way, only the decision will be tough. In the interest of boosting the number of books in my catalog, maybe publishing as three 10,000 word novelettes is the better idea. Any thoughts?

As a side note, and without the slightest intention of tooting my own horn, I'm always surprised when I've put something aside for a couple of weeks and then come back to it to find it is much better than I remembered. Not that I can't tweak a sentence or two every time I read; but I digress.

I have been offered the opportunity to collaborate on a novel with my mentor and a friend of his who has supplied plot outline and characters. I'm very excited about the plot and the project. It will be completely outside the genre I chose for this FastLane experiment, and much longer than anything I've attempted before. I think it will be interesting to learn if I can keep the different styles from bleeding into each other as I work half a day on the novel and the other half of the day on my own writing. Wish me luck! For those who would question why I would interrupt my writing with such a project, it will be like getting a part-time job, on salary. The steady cash will come in very handy to invest in editing and covers to improve my own chances at finding an audience. Yes, I'll be slower for my goals, but I'll still be able to write my stuff quickly I think. If I stick with the 10k to 30k length, I should be able to publish 2-4 titles a month anyway. In addition, it will give me a chance to write in a genre I wouldn't necessarily have chosen for myself, and give me virtually no-risk feedback on whether I can adjust my writing style for a more main-stream audience. Win-win as far as I'm concerned.

For my special friends in the community, those who take the time to comment or PM me with encouragement, support and advice, thank you so much for sharing this journey with me. It has been immensely gratifying to find community, and such constructive support. :thankyousign:

 

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[ChickenHawk]

without the slightest intention of tooting my own horn, I'm always surprised when I've put something aside for a couple of weeks and then come back to it to find it is much better than I remembered. Not that I can't tweak a sentence or two every time I read

Isn't this such a great feeling? I think it's good you can step back and recognize quality when you see it, even if it's your own stuff. Sometimes as writers, we're our own harshest critics, but that distance of even just a few days can really help give us some perspective.

I'll also chime in and say that the Podcast Breaking Free recommended was excellent. For anyone short on time, here's an idea if you haven't thought of it already...What I did was download the podcast audio only. Then, I listened on my IPod Shuffle while doing chores around the house. That way, I was able to learn AND mop my floors at the same time. (Yes, I live a very glamorous life.)

 

[Thriftypreneur]

I had raised the price of the last book in my first series, 20k words, to $2.99. Almost immediately, it made a sale. Now, this is embarrassing, because the other authors in this community are reporting tens or dozens of sales, while my total for September is 15. Yet, I'm encouraged because a) two of those have come in the last two days after a couple of weeks of nothing, and b) that one was in the 70% royalty range. In addition, the covers suck, so I have no right to expect any sales. I'm considering raising the price to $3.99 and the next-shorter one from 99 cents to 2.99, just to see what happens. It isn't as if playing with the prices is going to disrupt a buying frenzy. Maybe I'll purchase better covers first. We'll see. I do know to change only one thing at a time in the interest of testing what is making the difference.

I haven't listened to the podcast, but I already agree with their stance on it. Given Amazon's royalty model, unless you're doing a 99c promotion, multi-day free promo, or perma-free listing, I see zero reason to list anything below the $2.99 70% royalty threshold. So, in my mind, I want to write only what I know can go at that price point. Anything that can't, will be used as a loss leader.

Here's some sobering math behind 99c vs $2.99:

Let's say your goal is $1000/mo.

At 99c price point, it will require you to have around 2857 sales in a one month period.
At $2.99 price point, it will require you to have 476 sales in a one month period.

That's six times as many sales in the same time period, and I highly, highly doubt going from $2.99 to 99c will produce over six times the amount of sales you would have had otherwise. I don't know about you, but because of that math, I want everything I list to be $2.99 or higher. If it can't be $2.99, it'll be perma-free for promotion.

After my stumble over a too-long writing hiatus while on vacation, I got busy again this weekend and have completed either a third novelette for my second series, or Part 3 of the novella that the three together create. I need to edit and then decide whether to break them up again and publish separately, or publish together. It won't be hard either way, only the decision will be tough. In the interest of boosting the number of books in my catalog, maybe publishing as three 10,000 word novelettes is the better idea. Any thoughts?

Depends on your price point. Going back to the math above, if you list all 3 at 99c, it will be more profitable to publish it as a single novella at $2.99.

(3 sales x 99c) x (35% royalty) = $1.05
(1 sales x $2.99) x (70% royalty) = $2.10

By posting as a novella, for the exact same amount of words, you get double the profit, and I'd argue that it's easier to sell 1 book than three. Of course, if you think the 3 stories will sell at $2.99 each, then that becomes more profitable, by far.