serbanvcenache
SWF Writers
Posts: 712
Joined: Jan 26, 2013 4:50:56 GMT -8
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Post by serbanvcenache on Dec 7, 2015 2:29:47 GMT -8
Love the second one, Gary. You nailed the lady's expression, giving her life. ^_~ And the background fits everything perfectly.
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Post by garyweston on Dec 7, 2015 5:14:16 GMT -8
Thanks, Serbs. My impression of an impressionist's painting. Impressionism is the art world's version of space opera. This is my version of the complete painting. Also, my version of my story, "Abandoned on Earth" The retro "Flash Gordon" comic style is deliberate. Sadly not good enough to make a cover of.
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Post by garyweston on Dec 7, 2015 5:30:51 GMT -8
How about adding our artistic interests other than writing? I would love to do some clay sculpture sometime. Anyone like the idea for this? Here are a couple of mine to kick off. One used for a short story cover, (strangely popular) and the other adorning my lounge wall. Both done with just black and white and 50 shades of grey acrylic on 30 x 24 inch canvas . The yellow of the dove's claws is the only other colour used. The cover had a sepia tweak with my pc. Creative people often explore other art forms and I would love to see yours. I hope that's ok, Ted, as I think it helps show other sides to the members.
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Post by garyweston on Dec 7, 2015 13:48:45 GMT -8
Just a thought for those on the cusp of going K U. (and possibly those not) IF you have several titles out but a couple of sleepers doing nothing either with paid sales or reviews, consider re-publishing it with Zon. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this should put it in the new releases again. People are always looking for the latest of anything. Re-publishing strips reviews so be careful if you do this. Then go into K U as a "new" release. Your paid version will also be that way. Anyone know if I'm right or not with this? I only have a few left to play around with so I can only try this after un publishing off other sites. This lady has done ok by the look of it. Worth a read. mlouisalocke.com/2014/12/19/time-for-a-pivot-kindle-unlimited-and-marketing-in-2015/
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Post by Ted on Dec 7, 2015 22:39:01 GMT -8
Gary, I must have missed something in the link you posted, in regard to the "lady has done ok by the look of it".
She writes her income dropped significantly on KDP Select, but I don't see any mention of her success on KU. The conclusion by the writer is "In summary: While KDP Select has worked very well for me in the past (and may still be working well for others), once again it is time to take advantage of being an indie author with the ability to pivot quickly in response to external changes. While the current drop in my income is distressing—particularly at holiday time—I can’t help but look forward to the next year with a fair degree of hope and excitement—hence the rather joyful photo at the top of the post!"
Earlier in her article she wrote, "I have taken my longer books out of KDP Select and made them available in a wide range of ebookstores. If you have followed my blog posts for the past few years you know I have done this before but found that the sales I picked up in other bookstores didn’t compensate for the sales (and borrows) I lost on Amazon. Right now, my sales on Amazon are so low that I am assuming this will no longer be true."
She also writes, "Now, after using the KU program for five months, I have come to a conclusion. The overall impact of the introduction of Kindle Unlimited has been negative for my books.
As a result, I decided to remove my series novels, Maids of Misfortune, Uneasy Spirits, Bloody Lessons, and my short story collection, Victorian San Francisco Stories, from KDP Select."
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Post by garyweston on Dec 8, 2015 1:43:26 GMT -8
Ted. I must admit I only had cursory glance at the blog before posting. Late last night I saw 2015 for the blog and assumed it to be current. So it relates to early days of K U. Amazing. I'm already on about the early days of K U. Goes to show how quickly we come to accept change. Still, as a history lesson, it may be amusing. But I did take a look at her position on Zon now and she is still in K U / Prime with most of her books and they all have respectable rankings and she is now using K U tactically by leaving certain ones out. Obviously she has generally reconciled any previous concerns about K U. My own experience of K U is still with the jury waiting in the corridor to give the verdict. Yesterday I had 1,717 pages on my K U graph, all in Zon France. Prior to that I only sold a couple of books in France. 1717 pages would be approximately 6 complete books but I assume it is more readers reading parts of books. So, about 10 readers at a guess. Zon should make this simpler to understand. Another 58 pages thus far today, this in Zon. com, probably U S A. Cash sales are roughly crawling along the bottom of the graphs. Has my readership grown? Excluding freebies, now mostly gone, it would seem so. Things seem to be heading back in the right direction. Doing some basic maths, not my strong point, 20,000 K U pages per day would give me a modest basic wage (beer money + expenses). Will I get there? Dunno. Probably the day before Mighty Zon rearranges the playing field again and gets us all running around in circles once more.
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Post by Ted on Dec 8, 2015 2:11:15 GMT -8
Probably the day before Mighty Zon rearranges the playing field again and gets us all running around in circles once more. Yes, Amazon is well known for its tactic of changing the playing field, usually to its advantage. Thank you for undertaking this exploration with KU and sharing your experiences. We truly appreciate it.
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Post by garyweston on Dec 12, 2015 2:36:15 GMT -8
My blue graph has recorded reads on the last 8 days and with it a modest increase in overall readership from the start of my devil may care plunge into K U. Still hard to see what is being read. I think Zon can learn from the graphs and reporting by smash with their pie charts etc, and I expect that day will soon come with demand from authors. Fewer books in my list would make it easier I suppose. As expressed to a fellow wordsmith, I think a little patience is required before results manifest. This was the case pre K U as well, where we had to build up those reviews and readers by whatever means possible. Going into K U isn't quite starting over, but we are trying to reach readers with a different mindset in the way they acquire their books. Some K U readers will be new ones where this model works for them better than actual ownership. I had no peaks on my blue graph for a week or two after going in K U before it kicked off. The price of books becomes less of an issue with K U, but it is still important to remain competitive for book sales. With paid and K U books we have two revenue streams with Zon. Cutting our ties with the other sites means we must make everything we can of this fact. Because of the understandable reluctance of Trads to go into K U, we Indies have K U as our own exclusive club. Regardless of any negative opinions about Zon's business methods, they are undeniably one of the most successful companies on the planet. In their quest for global book domination they must make K U work for both readers and authors. Sure, mistakes will be made along the way but they will make it work. Trads won't dare jump in until it looks a safe bet. (if ever) so we should enjoy our time in the sun. In the meantime, the old adages prevail. Write well, write what readers want to read, (including yourself), write some more. Go get it, tigers.
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Post by garyweston on Dec 12, 2015 5:05:56 GMT -8
WOW!!! Three more affiliates for smash. Be still my beating heart. Tolino is one. I do recall selling two or three books with the D2D Tolino deal. The other two I never heard of, but they are welcome to my freebies. Never a dull moment being an Indie
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serbanvcenache
SWF Writers
Posts: 712
Joined: Jan 26, 2013 4:50:56 GMT -8
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Post by serbanvcenache on Dec 12, 2015 5:23:24 GMT -8
A-zon looking to acquire more market share via KU is good for readers. I can't help but make a comparison between them and the Saudis, with respect to Saudi oil price & production vis-a-vis the rest of the world. So far, I'm satisfied with the page reads I'm getting. Got to press on with book 3, though. Need to weave more intrigue and lore. I foresee another depressing Christmas and New Year's Eve for me; so instead of "partying", I'll be writing and reading, reading and writing.
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Post by garyweston on Dec 12, 2015 5:42:15 GMT -8
Ah, depression. Excellent for writing dark horror like the one I started yesterday. A pity you can't pop over for a beer. I'll be on my own recovering from an op over Christmas and the new year. That should be perfect for churning out a nasty book. Bah, humbug!
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serbanvcenache
SWF Writers
Posts: 712
Joined: Jan 26, 2013 4:50:56 GMT -8
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Post by serbanvcenache on Dec 12, 2015 7:22:02 GMT -8
Speedy recovery I wish you, Gary. And I'm certain you'll write line after great line too. ^_~
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Post by djmills on Dec 12, 2015 12:57:05 GMT -8
Gary, hope you have a quick recovery from your op. so you can bounce back to full health in 2016.
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Post by garyweston on Dec 12, 2015 13:44:54 GMT -8
Thanks, DJ. But I don't bounce like I used to, even though I get more ball shaped by the day. To be honest, I hate Christmas and am looking forward to locking myself away for a couple of weeks. Me, Jack Daniels and maybe a mince pie to go with it. I hang a sprig of mistletoe over a mirror and usually open Christmas cards in February.
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Post by garyweston on Dec 12, 2015 17:36:57 GMT -8
Just had some conflab with Fussy Librarian.Always a favourite. Suggested she poked Mark Coker with a sharp stick to offer us a serious alternative to K U. Chill. It won't happen. It's far to radical.
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