liviangrey
Junior Member
Posts: 33
Joined: May 17, 2016 18:06:21 GMT -8
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Post by liviangrey on Dec 16, 2019 0:38:51 GMT -8
Despite not me really pushing my social media (I removed myself from Twitter due to being discontent with their inaction over certain accounts - I do not care who you are if you violate the terms of agreement your account should be shut down) I've managed to do really well with my Smashwords books. Yes, they are free, however most of them were posted over three years ago and yet I've been seeing copies picked up on my report nearly every day, and I've given away more this year than any other year, as in the last two years I've given away less than 300 but this year it's reached roughly 2600, which is the best year I've had since starting here.
What I don't receive is much in the way of reviews or feedback, so I don't now if this picked up because of word of mouth or out of luck. I'm still getting page views even if they don't generate downloads. It's really difficult for me to gauge what's going on as I'm not engaged with this audience at all.
I've also stopped releasing books as the featured system seems to mean that views are weighted in favour of authors with bigger reach and output, so it's feeling a bit rigged now despite us all having an equal chance to do well opening day when the featured section wasn't in operation.
It's left me really confused about which roads to go down now. I'm not querying agents or publishers while I don't have anything new to offer but I feel like I have made a "connection" of sorts with readers and would love to know what they think. Given there wasn't a paywall involved with free books, I also checked SW wasn't subject to bot downloads and they confirmed they had checks in place for this, so it's not like some trawler is out there reposting my stuff to pirate websites.
I'm not sure what to think or how to account for this spike so any ideas would be helpful, if there are any.
Thanks
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Post by garyweston on Dec 16, 2019 9:13:28 GMT -8
It sure ain't easy these days. Truth of it is that ebooks are losing out to audio books which can be produced for about 1800 $ USA if you shop around. Not the sort of spare change I carry around these days. 4.5 million ebooks with a lot of freebies (guilty) make it tough. Worth checking goodreads (now owned by Zon) to see feedback / reviews etc as sometimes you will see them there but not appearing on the Zon sites. My last ebook, Drifta's Quest, was and still is a freebie. Had a load of hits especially off the smashwords site, but the reviews have been few and far between. A couple of 5 stars on goodreads. As this book still draws readers, It is primed for Drifta's 2 with a price on it for next year. I just have to write the damned thing! Advice, such as it is, is keep chugging along but write because you have a story to tell, not with £ /$ as the primary objective. Hope this is food for thought. Happy writing. Just had a look at your stuff on smash and looks ok on there. Lovely covers. But why are you not on amazon etc?? Nowhere to be found. Confused by that.
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liviangrey
Junior Member
Posts: 33
Joined: May 17, 2016 18:06:21 GMT -8
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Post by liviangrey on Dec 16, 2019 14:26:10 GMT -8
The audio book market is the last place I wanted to go. I did have a contract with an indie that was insisting on us recording our own books, and clips for podcasts they were going to cobble together with their side of the interview. They only did two eps of it and they sounded dreadful considering I'm listening to a podcast right now recorded by three young guys in three different countries and you'd think they were in the same room. I don't resent people wanting to consume literature via audio given it's too hard to read everything, I just don't want to spend the money myself either. I tell people this when they ask me if they can get my books on audio. I think they assume it's not an expensive process but you're paying predominantly more than a paperback for a reason. I'm happy to keep them free since the money hasn't been the draw card for me, just reaching readers and seeing what they think. I did have a little luck on Goodreads but it was sporadic and waiting for reviewers to get back to you tends to get draining, especially when you're arranging physical books to be mailed to them. I don't appreciate Zon owns them but it makes sense for Goodreads to be affiliated with someone. I write a lot more for myself so when I decide to do a book for others now it's a conscious decision to make it different and viable. Covers were just another part I didn't want to send money for, but thanks! I like to keep them different. Only one (Progeny) went through Fiverr but this is a misnomer for a company name, I asked for two different cover dimensions and had to pay more for the second, and the "five bucks" applies to the lowest amount of work (ebook cover) not a full package for promo and paperback. So I spent way too much but I do like it the results. I am on Amazon but only for paperbacks. I started out on KDP and had the same ebooks on there (not in KDP Select) since I uploaded to Zon first, but I ended up with a refund on one of them because I was supplying for free here, so I never used SW to distribute to Amazon because it would've doubled the listings. So I'm only selling paperbacks through there since I can price fix here on ebooks. I like having stuff on Kindle for ease of use but I didn't want to charge for them. Unfortunately the listings from my other publisher are still on there from their previous ISBNs and getting Amazon to recognise I had the rights back involved some back and forth but it worked out. Sadly since amazon split to the AU store, anything I post to KDP has to go through expanded distribution to reach the AU storefront, which means increasing the price. Worst thing about living in Aus is you can't get author copies of anything anymore you have to pay full market price as a normal customer. I did try Lulu for a while they were easier and quicker but I heard they don't pay authors as readily and have terrible customer service if you choose to pay them for their packages so I closed it down. www.amazon.com/Livian-Grey/e/B010FNPY98/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
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Post by garyweston on Dec 16, 2019 15:12:25 GMT -8
Tried fiverr but not nowadays. I'll be making use of the fine art uni course I'm doing to get to know the right people to create my next covers. I use Draft2digital for general distribution but keep a few titles just for old times sake with smash. Again lulu years ago. I just find d2d easy to work with and they are quite innovative. When zon finally called me a naughty boy for having last flight for craggy free everywhere else but priced with them, they 'punished' me by putting it free with zon and things took off again, especially the Craggy books. Zon does like to push their weight about when they want, just control freaks. I never bother with isbn's these days,but d2d add one free. Don't underestimate audio books. I've a link somewhere I'll add here later. Maybe not get too wrapped up in chasing reviews etc, and just get on with writing instead. Far more therapeutic. I think there is still a luck element to it all. I'd rather lose myself in painting these days even if the BS and PC at the uni plus all the crap being called art still does my head in. Today I had three lectures from conceptual artists, all M A's or doing M A's (I'm a humble undergrad) one thinks dust on the floor is art, one has something mad going on with plates of toast and I still haven't figured out the third one. Takes all sorts I suppose. findawayvoices.com maybe worth looking at for audio books
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Post by jjmainor on Dec 16, 2019 20:57:43 GMT -8
I thought it was just me, because my freebies on SW spiked this year despite not having published anything under this name for a couple years. Things have slowed down in the last month or so, but still, the numbers that came in seemed surprising for books that I thought were past their prime.
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Post by jjmainor on Dec 16, 2019 21:05:01 GMT -8
But why are you not on amazon etc?? Nowhere to be found. Confused by that. Might sound weird, but there have been times where I found not being on Amazon boosts sales elsewhere - especially on Apple. Maybe it's just coincidence, but in the last year or two here in the US, we've been seeing a backlash toward Amazon thanks to nutjobs like AOC. If an author struggles to sell books on Amazon, it could be a potential niche market to try. "Oh let's check out this author! He/She's not on that evil Amazon!"
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liviangrey
Junior Member
Posts: 33
Joined: May 17, 2016 18:06:21 GMT -8
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Post by liviangrey on Dec 16, 2019 22:30:04 GMT -8
Maybe not get too wrapped up in chasing reviews etc, and just get on with writing instead. Far more therapeutic. I think there is still a luck element to it all. I'd rather lose myself in painting these days even if the BS and PC at the uni plus all the crap being called art still does my head in. Today I had three lectures from conceptual artists, all M A's or doing M A's (I'm a humble undergrad) one thinks dust on the floor is art, one has something mad going on with plates of toast and I still haven't figured out the third one. I've definitely left the whole thing behind me at this point. I feel like things have reached a peak and whatever happens now is purely based on happenstance. The more I think about pushing it further the more roadblocks I see. People have so much coming in at them in all mediums I don't even know how anyone keeps up with any trends. I definitely had that issue doing writing at an undergrad level especially when you were taught by published authors who'd all had different experiences and ideas about how to approach a piece. I'd say visual art would definitely have more "interesting" perspectives. The reason I really don't want to go down an audiobook road (aside from knowing I can't afford to and won't make a return on it) is I *cannot* abide hearing people read my stuff out loud. And I personally cannot do it myself, I managed to do readings in workshops but that was my limit. So if it happened it would be from someone else reading it because the publisher wanted it done. Thanks for your responses though, I think it helps to talk stuff like this out so you're not stuck in your head or boring a friend or loved one who isn't in on the joke so to speak lol.
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liviangrey
Junior Member
Posts: 33
Joined: May 17, 2016 18:06:21 GMT -8
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Post by liviangrey on Dec 16, 2019 22:32:43 GMT -8
I thought it was just me, because my freebies on SW spiked this year despite not having published anything under this name for a couple years. Things have slowed down in the last month or so, but still, the numbers that came in seemed surprising for books that I thought were past their prime. I was so curious if anyone else had had this happen, maybe we were better off for feature sections or the readership grew on the website so people went trawling further for free items rather than going for whatever was brand new. But yeah, I've had a slump. I like knowing things are still trickling out there I was just very accustomed to having smaller amounts coming through.
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liviangrey
Junior Member
Posts: 33
Joined: May 17, 2016 18:06:21 GMT -8
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Post by liviangrey on Dec 16, 2019 22:43:38 GMT -8
But why are you not on amazon etc?? Nowhere to be found. Confused by that. Might sound weird, but there have been times where I found not being on Amazon boosts sales elsewhere - especially on Apple. Maybe it's just coincidence, but in the last year or two here in the US, we've been seeing a backlash toward Amazon thanks to nutjobs like AOC. If an author struggles to sell books on Amazon, it could be a potential niche market to try. "Oh let's check out this author! He/She's not on that evil Amazon!" I get pretty conflicted about my praises for Amazon when I hear they're treating workers badly however I haven't ever had issues with their customer service (KDP and just as a buyer) I get responses and was even offered a call back on an issue I thought they'd ignore me over. So I'm not always quick to jump on the anti-zon bandwagon, I don't like Bezos as a person, I thought it kind of laughable you could nominate to add a buck for charity rather than Bezos himself donating. I heard his wife joined some sort of group of billionaires working towards being benefactors. I'd rather be told by someone working for Amazon if they were unhappy or not, or ask them what the branded healthcare package was like. Having a warehouse in Aus hasn't reduced prices for us, buying from US is either cheaper or comparable and often they're sourcing from US because our distribution here is woefully inadequate. So I don't know how much our workers are paid either. I think my only issue was with them branching outside of being a basic online store to buy up places like Pill Pack, I just feel like there are some things Zon has no interest in being but they're obviously owners of the companies and not owner operators.
One day, we'll all be working for Disney or Amazon, one way or another lol.
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Post by garyweston on Dec 18, 2019 6:34:54 GMT -8
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Post by djmills on Dec 18, 2019 12:25:15 GMT -8
I am one of many people who have to read an article. I can't stand listening to someone talk an article/interview/novel, etc. I think it is a generational thing. :-) However, the D2D Melinda Wade interview notice said there was a transcript but no link to read the article. So I ignored the interview. :-) liviangrey, do you have a link in the front or back matter of each of your free ebooks that takes your readers to an email sign up page for your email list? If not, slip that link in every ebook as soon as possible so you can start collecting email addresses. You need to know your readers, so when you write another ebook you can announce it to your list before you publish. Offer your loyal readers a discount on each new book, then put the price on your book fitting your genre (eg. $3.99 - $5.99). Your list will grow slowly, but you will get sales from your true readers. :-) I have pulled my 20+ print and ebooks off Amazon because they insisted on a phone number so they could ring me for password or verification checks on my account. (In their dreams!) I am now waiting for D2D to finish beta testing their POD setup (like Createspace before Amazon closed it). However, being in Australia I will still not purchase author copies of my books when D2D system comes on line. If D2D does not get print working soon I will have to pay the expensive amount of money for my own Australian ISBNs and rip-off publishing joining fees so I can go directly with Ingram. This is because people want to purchase my print books but have no way to get them now. :-) I will keep writing, learning to get better at story telling and let my email list know when I pubhlish something new. And hopefully get my books back in print as soon as D2D lets me. YOu can too. And have fun. :-)
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liviangrey
Junior Member
Posts: 33
Joined: May 17, 2016 18:06:21 GMT -8
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Post by liviangrey on Dec 19, 2019 3:38:35 GMT -8
liviangrey , do you have a link in the front or back matter of each of your free ebooks that takes your readers to an email sign up page for your email list? If not, slip that link in every ebook as soon as possible so you can start collecting email addresses. You need to know your readers, so when you write another ebook you can announce it to your list before you publish. Offer your loyal readers a discount on each new book, then put the price on your book fitting your genre (eg. $3.99 - $5.99). Your list will grow slowly, but you will get sales from your true readers. :-) I have pulled my 20+ print and ebooks off Amazon because they insisted on a phone number so they could ring me for password or verification checks on my account. (In their dreams!) I am now waiting for D2D to finish beta testing their POD setup (like Createspace before Amazon closed it). However, being in Australia I will still not purchase author copies of my books when D2D system comes on line. If D2D does not get print working soon I will have to pay the expensive amount of money for my own Australian ISBNs and rip-off publishing joining fees so I can go directly with Ingram. This is because people want to purchase my print books but have no way to get them now. :-) I will keep writing, learning to get better at story telling and let my email list know when I pubhlish something new. And hopefully get my books back in print as soon as D2D lets me. YOu can too. And have fun. :-) djmills I did have working links to other titles in my ebooks but after some updates for print I think I accidentally uploaded the new ebook versions without links. I should update them with my web address where my contact details are. Do you use a mailing service like MailChimp or just collect emails and keep a personal list?
I'd love to check out D2D. I had to ask Ingram to shut my account down after it asked me for an ABN, which I felt they could've stated well before I reached that point it was required, not just a TFN (People did say it was a good idea to get an ABN but I can't trust it'll just be shut down by the ATO for some random reason). The only reason I haven't moved from Amazon is knowing the listings for print remain, I'd much rather use a service I can pull books without leaving any dead links or records, it's one of the things I hate about Amazon because of their third party seller system. Because of it there were listings from a previous publisher, one of which was a Kindle listing they claimed couldn't be removed until I had to do my own take down notice to remove it, and of course it made reuploading my own versions a little trickier. D2D looked pretty straight forward when I did do a test run. Lulu was quicker to print and send, plus they printed out of Melbourne, but it wasn't making a difference to sales so I've left them behind.
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Post by djmills on Dec 19, 2019 14:59:51 GMT -8
liviangrey , do you have a link in the front or back matter of each of your free ebooks that takes your readers to an email sign up page for your email list? If not, slip that link in every ebook as soon as possible so you can start collecting email addresses. You need to know your readers, so when you write another ebook you can announce it to your list before you publish. Offer your loyal readers a discount on each new book, then put the price on your book fitting your genre (eg. $3.99 - $5.99). Your list will grow slowly, but you will get sales from your true readers. :-) I have pulled my 20+ print and ebooks off Amazon because they insisted on a phone number so they could ring me for password or verification checks on my account. (In their dreams!) I am now waiting for D2D to finish beta testing their POD setup (like Createspace before Amazon closed it). However, being in Australia I will still not purchase author copies of my books when D2D system comes on line. If D2D does not get print working soon I will have to pay the expensive amount of money for my own Australian ISBNs and rip-off publishing joining fees so I can go directly with Ingram. This is because people want to purchase my print books but have no way to get them now. :-) I will keep writing, learning to get better at story telling and let my email list know when I pubhlish something new. And hopefully get my books back in print as soon as D2D lets me. YOu can too. And have fun. :-) djmills I did have working links to other titles in my ebooks but after some updates for print I think I accidentally uploaded the new ebook versions without links. I should update them with my web address where my contact details are. Do you use a mailing service like MailChimp or just collect emails and keep a personal list?
I'd love to check out D2D. I had to ask Ingram to shut my account down after it asked me for an ABN, which I felt they could've stated well before I reached that point it was required, not just a TFN (People did say it was a good idea to get an ABN but I can't trust it'll just be shut down by the ATO for some random reason). The only reason I haven't moved from Amazon is knowing the listings for print remain, I'd much rather use a service I can pull books without leaving any dead links or records, it's one of the things I hate about Amazon because of their third party seller system. Because of it there were listings from a previous publisher, one of which was a Kindle listing they claimed couldn't be removed until I had to do my own take down notice to remove it, and of course it made reuploading my own versions a little trickier. D2D looked pretty straight forward when I did do a test run. Lulu was quicker to print and send, plus they printed out of Melbourne, but it wasn't making a difference to sales so I've left them behind.
Yes, I used to use MailChimp but when they changed their TOS rules to include marketing to my deleted email addresses I moved my list to Mailerlite and closed down the Mailchimp account. I have a link in the back of each ebook that goes to my Tift Publishing web site. They enter their email address into an embedded Mailerlite form which is saved to Mailerlite. I then email everyone on the list when I publish something or have a sale they might be interested in. I did have an ABN but the Australian Tax office (ATO) decided I should be sending them collected GST on my sales so they shut down my ABN. I explained that Amazon and the other sites collected the GST. I did not. They said they would reactivate my ABN. Then I told them to cancel my ABN, as it was not worth the hassle. They said it would always be mine even if deactivated and I could reactivate it if needed in the future. :-) So, you are correct, ATO can cancel your ABN any time they like. But, it does not cost anything, so better to have if using Ingram to produce print books. However, I want to go through D2D because it is easier, no publishing fees and no need for ABN, just use my TFN, which they already have and my IRS W-8BEN form. I just need patience until they finish beta testing, then I can upload my pdf files or .doc files and D2D can automate the process like CreateSpace used to do. :-)
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chelsfield
SWF Writers
Posts: 700
Joined: Mar 28, 2012 3:07:24 GMT -8
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Post by chelsfield on Dec 20, 2019 1:09:09 GMT -8
Great discussion! And generating a mailing list for promotion purposes is a useful tool. I would caution that certain countries have personal data protection rules, some more stringent than others. It is important you specify to readers what use will be made of their data and have their permission for those uses. It's just ethical business practice, laws or no.
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liviangrey
Junior Member
Posts: 33
Joined: May 17, 2016 18:06:21 GMT -8
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Post by liviangrey on Dec 20, 2019 2:50:32 GMT -8
I've had to explain a lot of these issues to people outside the know as it were, so I just jokingly tell them I'm my own representation/legal/marketing department lol. I did have a mailing list but I was using it for newsletters to set up pre-orders. I would probably see how successful collecting information went, I know wordpress can link easily to most services to collect emails, and you specify there what the emails are used for. I do know Mailchimp needs you to use their unsubscribe system to avoid spamming violations.
Most services should have the basic rules but yes, it does vary depending on the country. Most of us could run a short course on this stuff to novices!
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