This is another article written from experiences from my other personality. I won't be sharing exact numbers, but I'll be telling you about when I put book 1 up as free as a loss lead. With my particular series, I had started out with a free short story. It hit page 1 on most downloads for it's genre on Smashwords, but it didn't do a whole lot on Amazon. I was optimistic thinking that these insane amount of people who downloaded it were going to buy book 1, boy was I wrong.
I released book 1, my second novel (my first novel was a standalone) and sold very few copies in the first month. That was over a year ago now. Since then I've released two other books in the series. Sales were down and despite doing many of the things I had read in the marketing books I wasn't improving. A good friend told me to follow the loss lead idea. Put the first book free. I was reluctant. Why should I do that? I shouldn't have to discount my work for people to pick it up. So I waited. When I was getting ready to release the third book, she gave me that final push.
"Get to it."
What did I have to lose? It wasn't selling anyways, it's not like I'd be missing out on money. So I took a deep breath and changed it, soon it became permifree on Amazon and BOOM it made it to the top 20 for free in several categories. I was floored. So that meant all those people would by my second and third book right?
Well, not right off the bat, but let me tell you something. It was worth putting that for free. My numbers doubled the first month and just kept climbing from there. From looking at my royalty statements, I can tell the month that I put the book for free, because my numbers jump. So yes. I think it's worth putting the first book for free. Some people are saying that it's loosing it's effect, but I really think that it's just as effective. Suck it up buttercup, if that first book isn't selling well, what do you have to lose.
Am I going to do this for my other series under that name, I sure am!
Showing posts with label amazon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label amazon. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Tip and tricks: Track your Numbers
So I'm once again speaking as my other personality here, because well I don't really have numbers to track yet as Alexandra. This is one place that indie authors have the advantage, we get to see and track all of our own numbers, which means we get to see what is working and what isn't working. Why is this important? Which numbers should you track? Well this is what I'm going to cover today, and hopefully not forget anything.
Let's start with why. There are many reasons why you want to track numbers, some are going to tell you your rank on amazon, some are going to give you the obvious, like sales, and some is going to let you know what marketing tactics are working for you. Like I stated above, this is going to help tell you what is working and what isn't. Everyone has their own way of doing it, so you need to find yours, but do it.
I'm going to start with the most obvious first: Sales. Most authors, especially newer ones check their sales daily, I record them at the end of the month. I like the good old pen and paper way. I have a printed sheet that has the categories (print, ebook) and distributors listed, it also has a spot for last month's sales, and a running total for the year. On top of that it has a spot for how much money I made, because hey...who doesn't like royalties?
What this allows me to do: After a while it'll give me an overview, if I see one month is better than another I can see what I did that helped my sales. Was I more active on a certain social media? Did I run a sale? Did I have an ad going? Was there a new release? Did I have any reviews come out? All of those can play factors in my sales. Keeping track of the money allows me to see my finances, how much I made (I also have a way to track expenses.)
Next number? Amazon Ranking: I hate this one because Amazon doesn't lay out exactly what affects it and that drives me nuts. This one, because Author Central will give me an overview, I check once a week (unless I've had high sales) if your author rank is super high, check the best seller ranks and see if you've made it the (by high, I of course mean low #100's or so not the 100,000's).
What this allows me to do: See what I'm doing on Amazon. My goal is to hit best seller status, checking these numbers is a lot easier than hunting myself down on Amazon. Most days anyways. If my number jumped I can try and correlate that to a particular thing I did in marketing.
So those are the main numbers you want to keep track of, other authors keep track of different ones, but really I want to make it as simple as I can. If I can find a connection between those numbers and my marketing, than I can figure out what is working. Some months it may be different than others. Find a tracking system that works for you, it may be different than mine. Just do it.
Let's start with why. There are many reasons why you want to track numbers, some are going to tell you your rank on amazon, some are going to give you the obvious, like sales, and some is going to let you know what marketing tactics are working for you. Like I stated above, this is going to help tell you what is working and what isn't. Everyone has their own way of doing it, so you need to find yours, but do it.
I'm going to start with the most obvious first: Sales. Most authors, especially newer ones check their sales daily, I record them at the end of the month. I like the good old pen and paper way. I have a printed sheet that has the categories (print, ebook) and distributors listed, it also has a spot for last month's sales, and a running total for the year. On top of that it has a spot for how much money I made, because hey...who doesn't like royalties?
What this allows me to do: After a while it'll give me an overview, if I see one month is better than another I can see what I did that helped my sales. Was I more active on a certain social media? Did I run a sale? Did I have an ad going? Was there a new release? Did I have any reviews come out? All of those can play factors in my sales. Keeping track of the money allows me to see my finances, how much I made (I also have a way to track expenses.)
Next number? Amazon Ranking: I hate this one because Amazon doesn't lay out exactly what affects it and that drives me nuts. This one, because Author Central will give me an overview, I check once a week (unless I've had high sales) if your author rank is super high, check the best seller ranks and see if you've made it the (by high, I of course mean low #100's or so not the 100,000's).
What this allows me to do: See what I'm doing on Amazon. My goal is to hit best seller status, checking these numbers is a lot easier than hunting myself down on Amazon. Most days anyways. If my number jumped I can try and correlate that to a particular thing I did in marketing.
So those are the main numbers you want to keep track of, other authors keep track of different ones, but really I want to make it as simple as I can. If I can find a connection between those numbers and my marketing, than I can figure out what is working. Some months it may be different than others. Find a tracking system that works for you, it may be different than mine. Just do it.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Two Short Stories & Alexandra's First Release
Both Alexandra and I had written up short stories with criminals
as the main protagonist and both stories had the theme of being held captive.
In the end our original plans for the stories didn't pan out so we thought,
"hey we should combine them into one book and self-publish it." And in
the end that is what we did.
So first off congrats to +Alexandra Webb on her first
official release! She has two books coming out later this year from Ellora's
Cave but this short story will be her first published work under this name.
Second, we don't do a ton of self promotion here but every
once in a while it doesn't hurt to toot your own horn. If you enjoy erotica and
are looking for a quick read come and check out Criminal Behavior when it
releases on Friday. You will be able to find it on Smashwords and on Amazon.
We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we enjoyed writing
them. And remember, word of mouth and reviews help indie authors so if you like
what read please tell a friend, recommend it, and leave a review. We really do
appreciate it.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Review: Special Assignment by Niki Becker
Special Assignment
By Niki Becker
Synopsis: Jake left Justice, Kansas shortly after the wreck. His life had been forever changed and he didn't know how he could stay in the one place that was a constant reminder of both women. Now on a quest to prove himself he taps into the one thing better left alone.
Charlie knew that eventually she’d have to run again. Resolution, California wouldn't be safe forever, someone would learn about her past. She just never imagined it would be the one person she’s spent a decade trying to forget.
Charlie and her brother Justin have made a new life in their beach side house on the banks of California. Justin stripping and Charlie hooking - neither wanted these jobs but they both paid the bills. Life was calm until trouble happened inside one seemingly friendly hotel.
Jake and Charlie, face to face with each other and their past.
Will they both overcome their shadows that haunt each of them?
Is there ever a way to forgive and forget when death is involved?
Special Assignment - The only thing special about this assignment are the two people involved.
Review: What can I say but wow? I'm a bit new to the world of Erotic Suspense, but I really feel like I hit the nail on the head with what I like to read in this genre and holy cow does Ms. Becker just steal me away with this book. I have to say that I think my favorite thing is that the characters aren't perfect. At all. A lot of times you find that either the guys is perfect (with a dash of a tortured past) or the woman has no real past and one of them ends up falling flat. That is not the case with Charlie and Jake! The two have a past together that they can't get rid of and it creates amazing chemistry between them. It gives a realistic aspect to the story.
The plot had me hooked right away. It's not often that you have someone killed within the first fifty words of a book. The twists and turns weren't predictable which I liked. I found myself reading a page here and there where I could and often forgetting that I was reading on my phone instead of my e-reader. I just got sucked in. The sex was amazing, there was a nice verity of it, which helped from keeping it repetitive. I highly recommend that if you like erotica and suspense, pick this book up!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
5 out of 5 Stars
Heat Rating: Scorching
(mild, medium, hot, spicy, scorching)
Buy It!
Add it on GoodReads
About the Author: Niki Becker is the pen name for Ashley Nemer.
Ashley is married and lives in Houston with her husband
Tony. They have two dogs named Toto and Doogie. They have been together for
almost 8 years and he brings her more joy than she could ever imagine as a
child. She loves to read and has been hooked on the romance genre ever since
her lifelong best friend Laura gave her "Ashes to Ashes' by Tami Hoag to
read when they were younger.
Ashley finds her strength through her family, especially her
parents. They always support her in life, they push her to strive for
greatness. There once was a motto that Ashley heard in her youth through her
Taekwondo life 'Reach for the Stars' and that is what Ashley has always done.
It was through her upbringing that the values Ashley has and display's came
from. With her Parents always cheering her on in life she was able to grow up
having faith in herself and her ability to conquer the world.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Review: Waking Up in Bedlam
Waking Up in Bedlam by Mia Bishop
Synopsis: Ryder is a fake- and he knows it. He spends his days pretending to be a paranormal investigator and his nights entertaining groups of believers with his claims of communicating with the dead. Life is good and business is booming until the night a beautiful woman storms out of his seminar and a mysterious man drops an unexplainable case in his lap. Ryder finds out the world he thought was fake is actually real and even worse, he has become the paranormal world's most wanted.
Jessa wants answers and the human, Ryder, is the only one who can give them to her. She has one goal, keep him alive long enough to figure our why he has been haunting her dreams. The only problem is the more time she spends with him the more she realizes the answers she seeks are ones she isn't ready to face.
Can either one of them accept what fate has laid out for them? Or will they fight their destiny at the cost of everyone they hold dear?
Synopsis: Ryder is a fake- and he knows it. He spends his days pretending to be a paranormal investigator and his nights entertaining groups of believers with his claims of communicating with the dead. Life is good and business is booming until the night a beautiful woman storms out of his seminar and a mysterious man drops an unexplainable case in his lap. Ryder finds out the world he thought was fake is actually real and even worse, he has become the paranormal world's most wanted.
Jessa wants answers and the human, Ryder, is the only one who can give them to her. She has one goal, keep him alive long enough to figure our why he has been haunting her dreams. The only problem is the more time she spends with him the more she realizes the answers she seeks are ones she isn't ready to face.
Can either one of them accept what fate has laid out for them? Or will they fight their destiny at the cost of everyone they hold dear?
Review: I loved the plot of this book. It took me away and the characters were amazing. The one thing that I have to rave about though is Mia's ability to crave dialogue. It flows well, it keeps the story moving, and it's not cheesy. That's hard to find in a PNR book. I was privileged enough to receive and ARC of this book and I'm glad I was on the list.
The plot has twists and turns that aren't predictable and I love the Fae lore in it. It's clear that Bishop has her own image of the Fae as well as uses elements that we are all familiar with when it comes to their world. (Light and Dark Court, back stabbing, so on so forth.) The relationship between Ryder and Jessa is clear and though Ryder isn't an instant like (don't worry, you learn to like him, that's the point!) he is a great character. Imagine this, he isn't flawless! Neither is Jessa. The sex in this book is well written and hot!
Overall Mia did a great job at crafting her debut novel and I urge you to check it out!
5 out of 5 Stars
Heat Rating: Spicy
(mild, medium, hot, spicy, scorching)
Buy it:
Amazon (Paper back and Kindle)
Barnes and Noble (Nook)
Smashwords (all e-formats)
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Titles
Ahhh titles, I think that's the second thing I hate most (writing synopsis being the first). You have to come up with something catching, relatable to the book, and something that's not so common 20,000 other books come up with the title. It's a pain in the butt. Some recent advice I was given about titles was to keep them short 2-3 words show up best on thumb nails and you want to make sure you can see titles. The one thing I recommend is to check Google, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and even Smashwords for books with similar titles, hell give Goodreads a try!
These are the results that I get for In Black and White:
This is Amazon, there is no romance or erotica that matches the title exactly, which is good. However, I do see that black and white is used often in erotica. Good to know, that wasn't something I was aware of until I saw Amazon.
This is what I get on Google. A few articles on interracial sex, a christian novel and a Goodreads link. That's without quotes and specifying novel, if I put quotes around it, I get a ton of photography references.
My results on BN are a bit more varied, but still nothing with an exact title match. So we're still going strong, it's a unique title that is relevant to the book, and I think it's catchy.
This is what I found on Smashwords, I have to say I was a bit surprised because Smaswords normally has a tone of smut under the strangest of names. However, only having six results (and they all belong to that same series...) I'm a happy camper.
I have to say with all of these results, I'm confident that my title will stick out. Yes there are similar titles, but nothing the exact same, as well as little-if not none- of them deal with BDSM.
So remember when you are picking a title, make it catchy, make it unique, and relevant to the story.
These are the results that I get for In Black and White:
This is what I get on Google. A few articles on interracial sex, a christian novel and a Goodreads link. That's without quotes and specifying novel, if I put quotes around it, I get a ton of photography references.
I have to say with all of these results, I'm confident that my title will stick out. Yes there are similar titles, but nothing the exact same, as well as little-if not none- of them deal with BDSM.
So remember when you are picking a title, make it catchy, make it unique, and relevant to the story.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Amazon and Smashwords
So while Mia and I are both working hard on our edits, I thought I would cover distribution a little bit. When I first looked into this, I was completely overwhelmed. There's Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Kobo, Ibook and so many others out there. What was I going to do? I want my book out to as many readers in as may formats as I can. At one of the conventions I went to I sat through a panel that kept mentioning Smashwords, and I had to wonder what on earth was this magical website where authors only had to formate one document and were able to distribute to all kinds of different places? Naturally, I went home and I googled it. Now, I plan (and have used under my non-penname) to use Smashwords and Amazon to publish the digital copy of In Black and White.
Amazon is fantastic for Kindle and it's rare that Smashwords will distribute straight to Amazon (I'm not sure what the trick is behind it.). Kindle is easy to format for and simple to upload. Amazon has their KDP Direct program, where you have certain benefits for only having your book on Kindle for a specified about of time. I've never used this program, nor have I talked to others who have, so I can't tell you if it's worth it or not. Personally, I won't participate in this because I feel like I'm isolating my readers who don't have a kindle.
My Pros for Amazon:
-Widely known and trusted site
-Easy for readers to purchase and leave reviews
-Easy to up load and sell
My Cons for Amazon:
-Kind of a pain in the butt to run sales
-Other authors cannot leave reviews
-Kindle only
-Cannot offer free book without hassle
Smashwords to me is magical. I know a lot of people who have problems with Smashwords because they are DRM free (Digital Rights Management, read Smashwords' comments on it here in the FAQs). I read through their thoughts, did some research and decided it wasn't a deal breaker for me. Smashwords has guidelines you must follow in order to make it into their premium catalog so you can be distributed to the different companies they work for. It's a super simple guideline and easy to follow. They also have many different formats on their website (including Kindle, even though it's rare they distribute a book to Amazon.). I love the idea of uploading one document and them converting it for me. It saves me a ton of time. The biggest downfall to this is some times it takes a while for the book to show up at Barnes and Noble and Ibook, because of the days that Smashwords 'ships' books out. (But I feel they make up for that by offering all the different formats from their website.)
Pros for Smashwords:
-Different formats and distributions options
-Easy to format
-Easy to change price and run sales (Also offers coupons, great for giving free copies to review blogs.)
-Easy for readers to review
-Easy to put up a free story
Cons for Smashwords:
-Not widely known to readers who are new to the indie game
-DRM free (though again, not a deal breaker for me)
-Lots of smut and crap (There seems to be more on Smashwords than Amazon...)
So there you go, some basics on the two of them, a small comparison. My advice to you, read into it, do some research and see if they are both right for you.
Amazon is fantastic for Kindle and it's rare that Smashwords will distribute straight to Amazon (I'm not sure what the trick is behind it.). Kindle is easy to format for and simple to upload. Amazon has their KDP Direct program, where you have certain benefits for only having your book on Kindle for a specified about of time. I've never used this program, nor have I talked to others who have, so I can't tell you if it's worth it or not. Personally, I won't participate in this because I feel like I'm isolating my readers who don't have a kindle.
My Pros for Amazon:
-Widely known and trusted site
-Easy for readers to purchase and leave reviews
-Easy to up load and sell
My Cons for Amazon:
-Kind of a pain in the butt to run sales
-Other authors cannot leave reviews
-Kindle only
-Cannot offer free book without hassle
Smashwords to me is magical. I know a lot of people who have problems with Smashwords because they are DRM free (Digital Rights Management, read Smashwords' comments on it here in the FAQs). I read through their thoughts, did some research and decided it wasn't a deal breaker for me. Smashwords has guidelines you must follow in order to make it into their premium catalog so you can be distributed to the different companies they work for. It's a super simple guideline and easy to follow. They also have many different formats on their website (including Kindle, even though it's rare they distribute a book to Amazon.). I love the idea of uploading one document and them converting it for me. It saves me a ton of time. The biggest downfall to this is some times it takes a while for the book to show up at Barnes and Noble and Ibook, because of the days that Smashwords 'ships' books out. (But I feel they make up for that by offering all the different formats from their website.)
Pros for Smashwords:
-Different formats and distributions options
-Easy to format
-Easy to change price and run sales (Also offers coupons, great for giving free copies to review blogs.)
-Easy for readers to review
-Easy to put up a free story
Cons for Smashwords:
-Not widely known to readers who are new to the indie game
-DRM free (though again, not a deal breaker for me)
-Lots of smut and crap (There seems to be more on Smashwords than Amazon...)
So there you go, some basics on the two of them, a small comparison. My advice to you, read into it, do some research and see if they are both right for you.
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