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Post by jaydax on Nov 10, 2014 12:33:01 GMT -8
I took a look at your book on Amazon and downloaded the meta tags for it. The keywords you have there, which I assume are the same as your Smashwords keywords, are: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction, Horror, Dark Fantasy, Short Stories & Anthologies, Short Stories, Single Authors 'Scary short stories' and 'scary' don't appear in your meta tags - strike 1 Next your book description in the Meta tags starts with: 'Love paranormal urban fantasy and scary stories? You Did a Bad Thing is a quirky collection of creepy tales created to amuse and disturb. They contain a captivating mix of supernatural mystery thriller elements along with dark fantasy horror for those who enjoy being surprised or who are not afraid of a little gore. You will discover a chuckle or two as well. Come along and step into my world…' 'Scary short stories' doesn't appear as a complete phrase there either - strike 2. Finally does the phrase appear in the 10% sample most publishers allow as a free download? - strike 3.
Load your epub file into Calibre and edit the keywords and description to include the phrase 'Scary short stories'. In the description get it as near the start as possible and repeat it in a natural speaking way twice more if possible. You can also right click and use the Calibre editor to include 'scary short stories' in the preface you have. Save the epub and post it back to Smashwords.
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chelsfield
SWF Writers
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Post by chelsfield on Nov 14, 2014 3:07:03 GMT -8
Great advice here, Jaydax. Working search engines is a whole science unto itself as well as being a form of marketing. I do think it is important to remember that search engines differ across publishers, distributors, platforms.
And, Ted, a great deduction of how sales work. Sounds like you have made quite a study of it!
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Post by Ted on Nov 14, 2014 20:22:55 GMT -8
And, Ted, a great deduction of how sales work. Sounds like you have made quite a study of it! I read a lot, so much if not all of my previous post was stuff I read somewhere sometime. PS: You ought to see the newspapers and magazines in my bathroom. Yikes. I've got such a reputation for reading in the bathroom my friends now put magazines there when they know I'm coming for a visit. It's the old cranky wheel gets the grease routine. My friends simply got tired of me asking why there isn't something in the bathroom to read and then having to hustle around to find something for me read. Try it yourself next time you're at a party. Ask the host for something to read in the bathroom, assuming you've already checked the lavatory and found it lacking suitable material. If your host suggests you look over there, drop them as friends as they are more concerned with their well-being than yours. They're just weeds. However, if your host stops everything and scurries away and returns with a selection of reading material then keep them in your garden of friends. Now you know why I don't have lots of friends. I prune my garden religiously. Hell, I'm worth it!!!
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serbanvcenache
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Post by serbanvcenache on Nov 15, 2014 3:16:14 GMT -8
I agree with you, Ted. Not sure why, but the bathroom is a great place for meditation/reflection - whether you're sitting on the toilet or not. For me, it's usually when I sit on it; presuming the stool is nice and healthy (and not diarrhea), that's one of the simplest yet greatest pleasures I enjoy in life. ^_^
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Post by galatea on Nov 15, 2014 4:46:26 GMT -8
I agree with you, Ted. Not sure why, but the bathroom is a great place for meditation/reflection - whether you're sitting on the toilet or not. For me, it's usually when I sit on it; presuming the stool is nice and healthy (and not diarrhea), that's one of the simplest yet greatest pleasures I enjoy in life. ^_^ It's a typical male thing. All men I know say the same thing. Even the specimen I hold at home.
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serbanvcenache
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Post by serbanvcenache on Nov 15, 2014 6:41:35 GMT -8
^_^ Such is our beastly nature...
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Post by Ted on Nov 15, 2014 9:20:32 GMT -8
" Even the specimen I hold at home."
It is my mind which, when discussing bathrooms and men, causes wondrously hilarious imaginations of exactly what 'specimen' you hold.
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Post by galatea on Nov 15, 2014 14:38:36 GMT -8
I remember my son on his pot a couple of years ago: a toddler, with a Playmobil catalogue in his hands... sitting there for over half an hour. Back then I was already thinking: 'O dear, this phenomenon starts early in a man's life.'
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chelsfield
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Post by chelsfield on Nov 17, 2014 3:53:49 GMT -8
" Even the specimen I hold at home." It is my mind which, when discussing bathrooms and men, causes wondrously hilarious imaginations of exactly what 'specimen' you hold. Great minds, Ted. Thought the exact same thing. The bathroom is the perfect retreat during social functions. When the jollity all gets too much for me, I slip off to the facilities for peace and quiet. My friends and family probably think I have some bladder control problems, I will disappear that frequently. Not sure if it's just a man thing. But it could explain why I don't have many friends and my family don't seem that upset I live in another country....
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Post by David Ellis on Dec 3, 2014 20:36:57 GMT -8
I confess reading in the bathroom is second best to reading in bed.
Back to the topic. I understand what is said and like it. Ted's long post at the end of page one is great, but I have a real problem with the fake series being promoted on Smashwords and elsewhere. A series of 7 "books" at 15k words a piece is not a series. It is a novel. I feel cheated when I fall victim to that. It makes me suspect legitimate series.
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mickthompson
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Post by mickthompson on Feb 13, 2015 15:26:15 GMT -8
If you write for a niche market then those people searching will find your book because few others write for them. Especially if your characters represent those personality types within that niche market crowd.
"Scary" is a very un-scary word. "Scary" is ordinary evil, like nice young men and women working in torture camps. Like force feeding a prisoner up the backside with pasta and sauce. That is scary, almost too scary to think about.
Your photograph is scary. A quiet suburban rage. What goes on in the secret parts of your mind are more scary than your book, I bet. And it takes incredible courage to write scary books because it can unleash literary and legal forces against you that you hadn't counted on, and don't want.
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Ria Stone
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Post by Ria Stone on Feb 25, 2015 12:57:51 GMT -8
Hi eefkliff:
When I used the first link in your post, I got "no longer published." When I went to your author's page, it says you have not published anything.
What I was going to look for is the keywords you used on Smashwords. I think that may be part of the search problem.
Keep writing.
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mickthompson
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Post by mickthompson on Feb 28, 2015 22:46:58 GMT -8
eefkliff, is your book at dirty book? You might have to switch on the "Dirty Book" button on Google to see it.
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