tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post5045248855908818974..comments2023-09-25T02:24:22.087-07:00Comments on Anne R. Allen's Blog: 10 Obsolete Beliefs that Can Block Self-Publishing SuccessAnne R. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-26596285906431694052015-10-29T09:23:14.793-07:002015-10-29T09:23:14.793-07:00That's supposed to be "profits from a boo...That's supposed to be "profits from a book". I need stronger tea this morning...:-) Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-32642937123274029982015-10-29T09:18:27.105-07:002015-10-29T09:18:27.105-07:00John--Nice to have continuing profits book that wo...John--Nice to have continuing profits book that would have been out of print in the trad-pub paradigm. That's the #1 draw for self-publishing.<br /><br />I wrote this post in August of 2014, just before Kindle Unlimited was introduced. KU pretty much erased all the tips and tricks David Gaughran and others found worked for selling on Amazon. My own sales plummeted by 2/3 in the three months after KU launched. <br /><br />So definitely the freebie book isn't working the way it used to. Nothing is. But I do find that having the first book in a series cheaper entices people to sample the series. If they go back for more depends a lot on the series and whether you end with a few cliff-hanger storylines that compel people to read more.Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-47262787240023012942015-10-29T05:01:48.221-07:002015-10-29T05:01:48.221-07:00I agree with a lot of these points. I especially l...I agree with a lot of these points. I especially like the point about not needing to make a big splash, and allowing time for ebook sales to build. I have some short horror fiction collections that still sell regularly every month, and I published them in 2009. If I had gone the traditional publishing route they'd probably be out of print now. <br /><br />The one thing I haven't figured out is how to work the strategy of giving away the first book in a series for free. In my experience, discounting a price or giving away a book for free has not resulted in more sales. I have a historical romance series where I reduced the first book to half the price of the others, but it hasn't really boosted sales that much. Still trying to get that one right. Anyway, great advice!<br /><br />JohnAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08236529774839136879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-41614549713407538122014-09-05T09:55:47.069-07:002014-09-05T09:55:47.069-07:00M Pax--That's the one thing that never changes...M Pax--That's the one thing that never changes: put out a well-crafted, professional book. I'll check out your new series. Best of luck with it!Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-63010099226805879482014-09-05T09:49:40.795-07:002014-09-05T09:49:40.795-07:00It's a new age. There is no magic secret. Alth...It's a new age. There is no magic secret. Although I tell people it helps to put out a professional product. I just launched a new series with some new ideas on marketing... we'll see how it goes. Great article, Anne.M Paxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14096697282530998519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-47526872087713704692014-08-29T19:59:18.582-07:002014-08-29T19:59:18.582-07:00Jurassic--You'll see more on the subject if yo...Jurassic--You'll see more on the subject if you scroll down to #9.Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-88470039157325313762014-08-29T19:50:08.035-07:002014-08-29T19:50:08.035-07:00Jurassic--I'm so sorry if Blogger ate your com...Jurassic--I'm so sorry if Blogger ate your comment. They can be really annoying. Sometimes my own comments don't go through.<br /><br />Do click through to Ruth's post on the other bargain newsletters. I've had great results from Fussy Librarian and EBookBargainsUK. They charge a fraction of what BookBub does.<br /><br />I'm just saying that if you want to throw money at your book, bargain newsletters are way better than print ads and publicists. Mostly, you want to write another book. Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-11321081406617705082014-08-29T18:47:58.660-07:002014-08-29T18:47:58.660-07:00Thanks so much for this information. I'm excit...Thanks so much for this information. I'm excited to have cards made!Natalie Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15524054883379964808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-77149289850593300562014-08-29T18:35:14.419-07:002014-08-29T18:35:14.419-07:00Why didn't my comment go up a few days ago?
A...Why didn't my comment go up a few days ago?<br /><br />And, depending on the genre, Bookbub's rates go as high as $1600, which is absolutely outrageous, especially if you're forced to sell your book for under $3.jurassicporkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01673461210301442978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-48306788167575723562014-08-29T13:40:47.143-07:002014-08-29T13:40:47.143-07:00Barry--I was speaking in general terms about hobbi...Barry--I was speaking in general terms about hobbies. I'm saying there's nothing wrong with writing as a hobby any more than it's wrong to golf as a hobby. If going to book fairs is fun for you, then you should go. Just don't expect it a great ROI. (That's a collective 'you", translated in some quarters as "y'all" or "youse guys" :-) I'm not speaking of you personally.) <br /><br />I don't mention anything about not hiring an editor and a designer--both required for self publishers. <br /><br />I'm talking about buying swag and going to book fairs and paying a publicist to get you lots of personal appearances.. <br /><br />The first two things are very important. The others are money wasters. Some things work and some things don't. I'm suggesting you don't spend money on the things that don't work unless you're doing them for the entertainment value. Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-1086064970670683532014-08-29T11:59:41.320-07:002014-08-29T11:59:41.320-07:00Anne--thanks for a thoughtful reply. Of course I w...Anne--thanks for a thoughtful reply. Of course I wish your very talented cover designer nothing but luck.<br />In the interests of clarity, let me be, well, clear: I don't play golf, and I don't view my fiction writing as an expensive hobby. After many years ago commercially publishing a successful thriller, I lost my agent, then got two others in succession who failed to sell my work. I finally saw no alternative to self-publishing (if I knew how to get a "small publisher" without an agent, I most certainly would). I now pay a professional to create my own good covers, and do my formatting. I also have paid a pro to create my website. It's the social media thing that baffles me. Barry Knisterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03191575373788669991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-1316632171547759202014-08-28T21:34:54.065-07:002014-08-28T21:34:54.065-07:00R. A. I'm not telling you not to pay for adver...R. A. I'm not telling you not to pay for advertising. Bookbub is VERY expensive--from $500-$1000 for one ad, and it's also very selective. But if you read Ruth Harris's blogpost I linked to, there are other bargain book newsletters like Bookbub that are cheaper and easier to get into. <br /><br />What I'm saying is PRINT ads aren't effective for selling ebooks. You want your advertising to be online, which is where people will be buying your books. You want them to be able to click through to the buy page. No delayed gratification. :-) Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-76140801054411643122014-08-28T20:35:00.723-07:002014-08-28T20:35:00.723-07:00A friend in my writing circle posted this blog in ...A friend in my writing circle posted this blog in our Facebook group. It was AMAZING to read it. <br /><br />I'm finally nearing the end of my long journey with my first book and I'm almost ready for publishing. I spent years trying to decide whether I should try with traditional publishing or if I should go with self publishing. I finally decided it was in my best interest to hire an editor and book cover designer and try my hand with self publishing. <br /><br />These tips are really helpful. Some things I knew from my research, but a lot of them I didn't, and they've changed my thinking on what I should do as a self published author.<br /><br />One of the biggest surprises for me was the paid advertising one. I had a whole section of my marketing plan for paying for advertising, but I think that BookBlurb may be a better option for me. =D Thanks for the advice! R. A. Meenanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14250828348872453976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-48507049114754279022014-08-28T18:56:28.419-07:002014-08-28T18:56:28.419-07:00Barry--Thanks so much for the kudos on the cover. ...Barry--Thanks so much for the kudos on the cover. The genius who designed it is Keri Knutson, who found out last week she has ovarian cancer. She's a young mom, and a fabulous human being to work with. Do send her healing thoughts. I think she's a genius, too. She loves the Pre-Raphaelites. <br /><br />I know what you mean about us oldsters throwing up our hands at tech. I did it for years. And I'm with a small publisher because I simply can't handle all this stuff myself. Not all small publishers are created equal, but mine offers great editing and formatting and even though I have to do most of the marketing, I get solid advice from them on what works and what doesn't. <br /><br />I agree that self-publishing isn't for everybody. I'm a "full service" person myself, and I'd still pay for somebody to pump my gas if they were available. <br /><br />But paying a publicist for a single title isn't going to pay for itself. It just won't. If you're writing as an expensive hobby, like golf, and you think this stuff is fun, then go ahead and spend money for the swag and the book fairs and the personal appearances--but those things won't sell any books. <br /><br />If you want to make money, save the cash, keep networking in social media, do a soft-launch, and write the next book. <br /><br />Or look for a publisher. Small presses usually pay very nice royalties. <br />Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-11189727438807653642014-08-28T18:30:59.611-07:002014-08-28T18:30:59.611-07:00Anne-- You get the year's realpolitik award fo...Anne-- You get the year's realpolitik award for this post--thank you (and by the way, I think whoever did your Pre-Raphaelite smoker book cover is a genius!)<br />I know everything you say here is the truth. BUT as one who got taken badly by a high-profile, respected online marketing "expert," I feel obliged to remind you of something: the impediments facing older writers to learning all that's needed in order to self-market one's own stuff. <br />It's the machines themselves, the right buttons to push and so forth that often make how-to manuals close to useless. It's not enough to know what to do, it's knowing how, in the most rudimentary way, to implement the what. Unless you live with or have easy daily access to someone who "knows," you soon find yourself throwing up your hands and (foolishly, I agree) succumbing to a false hope: that someone will take your money and make all the monkey talk and incomprehension go away.<br />Isn't that what you do with your car? Tell me you do your own oil changes! Plumbing, electrical? You need a service, you hire a professional, etc. But with marketing self-published books, apparently no such luck.<br />And since I'm clacking away here, something else: If the best strategy for an indie writer is to gin up five or so titles before rolling out his work, this means that only those writing easily produced, quickly consumed "product" need apply. That, too, would seem to be a realpolitik aspect to what you're saying. I am currently spending serious money to have a serious professional editor help me to make my latest book as good as it can be. I'm old, and it's a matter of pride with me, it has nothing to do with the (obviously) specious bromide about writing "the best book you can." Obviously as well, the process doesn't lend itself to the program you recommend. But my editor--another professional--isn't going to take my money and give me zip in return.<br />So what am I saying? Just that writers who take pains with their work are at a distinct disadvantage as indie authors--because output is so important. <br />That said, covers matter, and I'm going to have to find out about that Pre-Raphaelite smoker. Barry Knisterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03191575373788669991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-27113332965823499292014-08-28T13:58:01.240-07:002014-08-28T13:58:01.240-07:00Christa--I'm a Boomer and I like my paper book...Christa--I'm a Boomer and I like my paper books too. I probably read half on my Kindle and half in paper. But I've got to admit I love the adjustable font on the Kindle. <br /><br />My publisher is just coming out with two more of my books in paper, because they're locally set and I think they'll sell in local bookstores, but we probably won't do more than break even. E-books are where the money is.<br /><br />Thanks much for buying The Lady of the Lakewood Diner! I hope you enjoy it!Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-34750096817463402112014-08-28T12:46:46.223-07:002014-08-28T12:46:46.223-07:00Lots of great information, Anne. EBooks are defini...Lots of great information, Anne. EBooks are definitely the best way to go these days. Since I'm from the Boomer generation, I still like paperbacks as well, and so far have produced them through CreateSpace in addition to my ebooks. It's a little luxury and I do it for my own bookshelves as well as for the many friends who still prefer paperbacks. Moneywise it is certainly a loss and yes, your idea of spending the money on a Bookbub ad does make sense. We'll see. And, of course, as a Boomer, I just ordered The Lady of the Lakewood Diner! author Christa Polkinhornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14609212815347152668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-87255149430205297032014-08-28T12:44:21.843-07:002014-08-28T12:44:21.843-07:00Catherine--Children's books haven't jumped...Catherine--Children's books haven't jumped into the e-age as quickly as adult fiction and memoir. So self-publishing hasn't been as lucrative for children's book authors. But I think that's about to change. As more and more kids have iPads, children's books will go electronic in a big way. Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-27655887799251628372014-08-28T12:04:37.857-07:002014-08-28T12:04:37.857-07:00What a fabulous post, Anne. Thanks a lot! I hope t...What a fabulous post, Anne. Thanks a lot! I hope the same rings true for children's books. catherinemjohnson.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14682281308178996823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-91756816836817508182014-08-28T11:59:09.355-07:002014-08-28T11:59:09.355-07:00Jennifer--You're right that the market is diff...Jennifer--You're right that the market is different for nonfiction, especially the fields that have niche audience. When you get into technical manuals and specialized textbooks--you're talking a whole different set of rules. I should probably have made that more clear. <br /><br />This blog is aimed at creative writers: novelists and memoirists.<br /><br />But yes, absolutely, if you only have a small number of people interested in your subject matter, then you're not going to make money selling quantities at a low price. And if you have specific knowledge that nobody else has, you can charge a premium. <br /><br />But that's not true of all nonfiction. If it's a memoir, or "how I fought my addiction" or "How to use the law of attraction" or a cookbook or diet book where you have a whole lot of competitors, you want to price yourself in the same ballpark as the other authors.<br /><br />Technical manuals and textbooks are another field altogether as you have stated in good tech manual style. :-) Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-15620814988259204182014-08-28T11:16:31.614-07:002014-08-28T11:16:31.614-07:00"Charging over $5 for a self-published e-book..."Charging over $5 for a self-published e-book by an unknown shows nothing except the author has no knowledge of the market."<br /><br />... or that they know their market very well. <br /><br />This is a problem in the post-Amazon era, where so many authors coming in late in the game know far too little about direct sales and rely far too heavily on a single retailer and artificially low price expectations. Now, with fiction, you might expect more standardized rates because the goal is generally the same -- entertainment. <br /><br />But it's a much bigger problem for nonfiction authors where market sizes, buyer motivations, and saturation are a completely different story. <br /><br />While Amazon buyers might scoff at paying $10-15, many buyers would consider that a bargain for quality books in tighter nonfiction niches. It's why business-oriented e-books can sell very well for $10, $20, and even $40 or more if they cover things not touched on a hundred different times already. Buyers happily spend that much if the information could help them earn much more. <br /><br />It's also the case in areas where books need specialized expertise behind them and where the target markets are very small (such as sufferers from not-terribly-common diseases where there might only be one or two books on the market to help them; the books probably wouldn't exist if the authors couldn't profit, and in very small markets that can mean charging more -- and having the ability to bring these books to market when publishers never would have touched them is one of the biggest benefits of the indie movement). <br /><br />Supply and demand is often neglected in author price discussions, but there's a reason so many of us can charge more and make far more money than the average e-book author on Amazon while selling to smaller, more targeted audiences, often directly. We know our niche markets better than a big retailer does. <br /><br />So while it's important for some authors to realize that their books aren't necessarily special little snowflakes in the eyes of readers, worth twice as much as everyone else's in a saturated niche or genre, it's equally important for authors not to artificially deflate their prices because they're worried more about the pricing opinions of generic "book buyers" than the specific market they're targeting. And sadly, the more authors I meet, the more surprised I am by how few of them have done any real market research at all before making what amounts to one of the biggest marketing decisions in their careers. Jennifer Matternhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10571241143341125229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-66199228559912715072014-08-27T11:51:54.213-07:002014-08-27T11:51:54.213-07:00Jan--Thanks! So much stuff out there is NOT sensib...Jan--Thanks! So much stuff out there is NOT sensible that common sense can seem like an amazing revelation. I just read a blog by a book promoter who says writers should spend an hour a day on Goodreads. I'm sure they also think we need to spend an hour a day each on Twitter, FB, Google+ and Pinterest and of course blogs, Who needs to write books anyway? And a writer who sleeps or eats is just not trying. Arrgghhh.Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-70373123594849468932014-08-27T11:11:47.457-07:002014-08-27T11:11:47.457-07:00Anne, I agree with Ruth's comment above: "...Anne, I agree with Ruth's comment above: "Sane, sensible, down-to-earth advice! This is a gem. Read it, bookmark it, re-read it and then re-read it again."<br />I did need a shot of sensible marketing advice today, and you've provided it once again. Thank you. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-43144037154563038002014-08-26T20:45:38.661-07:002014-08-26T20:45:38.661-07:00Autumn--That's what I've heard too. Althou...Autumn--That's what I've heard too. Although I don't know about a Gravatar ID. I use Gravatar to comment on Wordpress blogs, so maybe Gravatar would work on Blogger. But you'd probably have to sign out of Wordpress and sign in to Gravatar to make it work.Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-75094165136499994762014-08-26T20:41:54.764-07:002014-08-26T20:41:54.764-07:00Publishing a new book is probably the best way to ...Publishing a new book is probably the best way to dust those virtual bookshelves!Autumn Macarthurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15376992769171145754noreply@blogger.com