Book Marketing Tips: Finding Time to Sell

© Vladimir Nikulin  | Dreamstime Stock Photos

I have averaged selling 37 books per month since my first book came out in 2010. That doesn't seem like a lot, but I hear it is more than many indie publishers. By tracking average monthly sales, I can identify minute changes and act when sales decrease.

Well, it has happened. I often say if I don't do something to sell my books, I don't sell any. The first two months of 2018 were so busy I haven't had any special events. No KDP Countdown Deals, no giveaways of Goodreads, no ads on Fussy Librarian. And, no sales.

Make that FEW sales. Still, not enough to maintain my average. I had a book signing last week and sold eight books. That's about average for the three-hour event I do once a month and am trying to change to twice a month. Book sales on Amazon were eight in January and three in February. Lowering my overall monthly average to 36.96 because I haven't done anything.

So, last week I decided to set aside one day a week for marketing. Thursday seemed best. The first Thursday I got organized. Made lists of marketing methods I could use. Scheduled all my books for KDP discounts.

Yesterday, the second Thursday in my plan to dedicate one day a week to marketing was a complete failure. The publisher for a book I edited last year wanted to include the first chapter of book 2 in the series that I’m also editing. And, he wanted it immediately. So I had to postpone my marketing to finish that job and get my proofreader to look it over.  And that wasn’t all. I am the secretary for the Diaconate at my church (writers tend to get the writing jobs, right?) and I needed to finalize the minutes from the last meeting to send out before the new next meeting.

If that wasn’t enough to keep me busy, I did some email interviews for a newsletter I publish once a month for an ecumenical wholeness service. I felt I couldn’t put it off if I wanted to get the information while it was fresh.

Sounds like a bunch of excuses, and I suppose writing about it as I’m doing here is another way of putting it off. But, I don’t think so. I think it is an admission that writers have more in their lives than the books, blogs, and articles they’re working on. Some of you also must work for a living. Still, writers tend to find time for writing because they must.

Now, if I can just find time to sell my books.

Book Marketing Tips: Sold By Author

I keep detailed sales records so that I’m ready for tax reports at the end of the year. I track paperback books and Kindle books sold. I also have a category called Sold By Author. The books in this category are the ones I peddled at personal appearances. In most cases, I must collect state sales tax and turn it in to the state at the end of the year.

I’ve tried many ways to reach buyers this way because it is more than just selling a few books. It is a way of selling yourself. Some people may stop by and then go home and buy the Kindle edition. That’s fine.

There are book fairs where you rent space. Or, you may be asked to speak somewhere and then sell your books at the end of your presentation. I like this approach.

For the past year, a friend and I have had a book signing table in an area where people wait for a table at a popular restaurant. They charge us $30 for three hours. We split the cost. I may sale three to fifteen books and my friend, who has children’s books, usually sales twice as many. It is hard to find places like this, but if you can, it is worth it.

When you evaluate how to do this, consider the cost. I've found the cost often exceeds the benefits. For example, the annual Texas Book Fair (http://www.texasbookfestival.org/) is huge. It lasts for two days and draws around tens of thousands of people. However, that means it can charge huge fees. Much of the space goes to large publishers and bestselling authors. I managed to get half a table for a few hours one year as the result of a drawing held by the Writers League of Texas. I didn't sell enough books to cover the cost, but it was fun.

You may find some friends and get a table together and share the cost. It helps to have others with you anyway. I had a table in a book fair a couple of years back and managed to get it free for giving a talk to the group on selling books. Book fairs are only good if the organizers can get the customers there.

My friend and I set up a table at an annual Harvest Fest hosted by a church in town. There is no fee, but they expect us to tithe. That is, we pay them ten percent of our sales. Sales are good and I wish we had more opportunities like this.

Stand in front of the table if possible, to draw people in. Get the book into every visitor's hand if you can. If they turn the book over, be quiet while they read the blurb. I presign all the books to save time but will add their name if they ask. Have a similar pen ready.

We try to get email addresses from buyers, so we can add them to our mailing lists. One way to do so is if they pay by credit card. You can send them a receipt by email. Another way is to hold drawings for free books to get names and e-mail addresses.

Have displays and handouts available. I use business cards, bookmarks, flyers, posters, and other handouts.

A poster could be an enlargement of your book cover mounted on poster board. I use them at book signings to draw attention. Most print shops can make these for you. Business cards and bookmarks can be handed out at book signings, especially to those who didn't buy a book. I notice e-book sales increase after an appearance and I suspect some of those sales were due to the handouts.

I bought a tee shirt with the book cover on the front of two of my books. I’ve sold a few extra books due to the shirts.  

Before you participate in a personal appearance check to see if it is okay to sell books after your talk. Next, learn how to prepare for such events. For my first personal appearance I did an Internet search on "preparing for a book signing event" and found many useful pages of information. Still, it is a challenge to be prepared for anything. I did a book signing in the historic Clarksville neighborhood of Austin and almost blew away.

I grew up in Clarksville and used the neighborhood in my books. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to participate in the annual event. That was when I only had one book. Exhibitor tables were inexpensive and there were several events scheduled to draw visitors. Suddenly a strong wind came up. The table cloth I had brought took sail. I grabbed it and held it down until the wind subsided long enough for me to find a few rocks to weigh it down. It wasn't pretty, but it worked. I only sold one book during that long, hot, windy day, but attending was worth it. I made a connection with the pastor of the church there and he has helped me with book sales since then.

At another book signing, this time at the Harker Heights Public Library, I met several writers who became friends. Watch for networking opportunities at all your book signings and other personal appearances.

One thing you may want to take with you to these events is snack food and a bottle of water. If the signing lasts for a long time, the hosts may provide drinks and sometimes something to eat. But, it wouldn't hurt to take your own just in case.

Take change with you. In Texas, we must charge sales tax anytime we sell books. What I do is change the price of my books so that the price plus the tax comes out to an even amount. In my case, my books sell for $10.00 ($9.24 plus .76 tax).

To compute the selling price so that it plus tax is equal to $10.00 I divided 10.00 by 1.0825 since our sales tax rate is 8.25 percent. You can compute your round-figure price by changing the 10.00 to what you want and dividing by 1.(your sales tax rate). Mathematically, the formula I used for my price and rate is:

X + 0.0825X = 10 (X is the new price for the book)

1.0825X = 10 (the tax rate is 8.25 percent)

X = 10/1.0825

X = 9.2378… (round this to 9.24)

To compute the tax, multiply 9.24 times 0.0825 and you get 0.76.

The price of the book plus the sales tax is 9.24 plus 0.76, or 10.00.

These special personal appearance prices are less than the Amazon price so the customer is happy and I still make a profit. I also am prepared to take credit cards. It is easy now to use a smartphone or a tablet with a credit card reader that is provided free. You do have to pay a fee to the company you're using. I use Square. There are other methods available.

Consider partnering with another writer. It is sometimes easier to sell another person's book. Some of us find it difficult to brag about our own.

Stick a bookmark in each book sold. Especially if you have several books. Have a handout ready for those who don't buy, perhaps something that emphasizes an e-book edition of your books that they may order later.

Don't feel disappointed if you don't sell as many books as you'd like. Part of the reason for a book signing is to build name recognition. You may sell books later as a result of the book signing event.

Selling Yourself

SELL YOURSELF

by

Sidney W. Frost

© 11/9/2017

The activities involved in selling yourself can begin before your book is released. Get your name out there as soon as possible so that when your book is published you will appear to be well-established. If you already have books on the market, read on because it is never too late to build interest in you and your products.

I began a blog called The Christian Bookmobile five months before my first book was published. During that time, I posted articles about why I wrote the book as well as some of the mechanics of self-publishing. At one point, I let readers vote for the cover they liked best. By the time the book was available for purchase, I had written and posted 85 articles. However, there's no magic number. Do as many as you can, though. It takes time to build a following.

Blogging is just one way to sell yourself. We'll also talk about building a website, using social media, joining groups, and other ways to get your name out for potential buyers to see.

WEBSITES

Not everyone will want both a website and a blog so read the section on blogs before deciding. The ultimate purpose for an author website is to reach book buyers, entice them to buy your books, and recommend your publications to all their friends.

Here are some of the pages you'll find on the typical author website.

Home—this is where the reader begins if he or she types in your domain name. My domain name is sidneywfrost.com. The city of Georgetown's domain name is Georgetown.org. The Internal Revenue Service uses irs.gov. However, don't forget someone may reach one of your other pages first if they access your site as the result of a search. In addition to entering your site, you may sometimes direct them to a special place called a landing page during a marketing promotion. So, make your website easy to navigate. Each page in your website should include a simple way to get to the other pages.

Bio—This page, sometimes called Profile, Author, About, or whatever you like, often contains a recent photo and a biography slanted for your writing career. If you have worked in other areas besides what you write about, only include information that is pertinent. Since I write Christian stories that involve a bookmobile in one way or another I mention my experience as a Stephen Minister and the fact that I was a bookmobile driver at one time. The main character in my Vengeance Squad stories is a computer science professor, so I include the fact that I taught computer science for many years.

Books—Although you can highlight your books on the home page, there should be another page with more information about each book. This page could include purchasing information as well as buy links. You may want to sign up with Amazon as an associate and earn commissions when people buy from your website.

Events—This page is sometimes called Appearances or Calendar. It should include the date and time you will be at a book signing or doing a talk. Leave in those that have already occurred to show your activity. I include events such as being a guest on a blog.

Contacts—This page could contain a fill-in-blank form to make it easy for the reader to send you a message without knowing your e-mail address. Or, you could list the various ways a reader could contact you. Examples include Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, e-mail, etc.

Blog—This is a place where you post short articles periodically along with any other information you want to convey. You may choose to have a separate blog site. See a complete description of blogs below.

My website includes a blog, but I use this instead: http://christianbookmobile.blogspot.com/  

Media—Some authors include information for the news media. Various-sized photos of author and book covers, expanded bios and press releases, for example. I'm not sure these are necessary for most authors.

Although not found on all author websites, I also include a Specials section because I think everyone is interested in a deal. This is where I show books that are free and discounted, or are scheduled to be soon.

Here are few examples of author websites selected from The New York Times bestseller lists at the time this book was written:

John Grisham: http://www.jgrisham.com/

Sue Monk Kidd: http://suemonkkidd.com/

Jeaniene Frost: http://jeanienefrost.com/

Anna Quindlen: http://annaquindlen.net/

Check these websites, or those of your favorite authors, to get ideas for your own. Find other sites to study, especially the websites of authors of books like yours.

It can be costly to hire someone to create a website for you. In keeping with our goal of not spending more for advertising than we can make from sales, you will probably need to look for a cheaper way to build a web presence. In the section titled "Blogs", you will see that a free blog can do most everything a website can do. This means you may only need a blog.

I like to have both. Therefore, I look for ways to do so without spending tons of money. I recommend Weebly.com. Even though I have a master's degree in computer science and am experienced in building websites, I didn't want to take the time required to build one from scratch that could be easily and quickly updated. Instead, I looked around for solutions and ended up with Weebly. They offer various levels of service beginning with one that is free. I signed up for the pro plan since it included some features I wanted, and by paying for three years, I could get the service for less than what Yahoo charged for a place to put my previous website. The only complaint I have about Weebly so far is that they are slow responding to questions. When I have more experience, I will blog about it. By the time you read this, there could be a better service available. Do your research and don't spend more than you make.

For an example of a website created in less than an hour, see http://sidneywfrost.com.

BLOGS

Another way to sell yourself is with a blog. Blog is short for weblog, a way to provide discussions or information on the worldwide web. As we saw above, a blog could be included as a page within a website. Often, however, authors use one of the free blog services. Two popular ones are Google's Blogger and WordPress. I've tried both and only recently settled on Blogger. There are many useful features on WordPress, but I wanted all my blogs on the same service and most of the people I worked with used Blogger. Before deciding, check them both. Plus, see if there are others available.

If possible, start your blog before you publish your book so that by the time your book is out your blog will make you look like you've been around for a while. My blog, the Christian Bookmobile, has more than 500 posts and 60,000 pageviews.

See http://christianbookmobile.blogspot.com/.

Successful blogs include posts that keep readers coming back. Your overall goal may be to sell books, but you can't do that without attracting someone to your blog. Don't think about selling. Think about providing a service. An interesting story works. Some useful bit of information. How to do something. Where to find something. A contest with a desirable prize.

Statistics show that my blogs get more visitors when I have a giveaway. I'm not sure if all the visitors are potential book buyers, though.

Another blog post that draws many viewers is an exclusive interview of a major author. Of all postings, including contests and giveaways, the one visited most is a book review of Unconditional: A Novel by Eva Marie Everson. It has had more than 6,000 pageviews since it was published in September 2012.

Have a way for visitors to sign up, or follow. Some way for them to leave their e-mail address so you can contact them later. Encourage comments.

Blogging takes time away from writing the next book, so you will need to decide how much time to spend on blogging. One way to easily increase your blog count and pageviews, both signs of success in blogging, is to join forces with other bloggers. This can be done in several ways.

One approach is to join an alliance where you offer to post an article provided to you. I get one once a week and all I have to do is post it. Make sure the content is something your readers will appreciate. Participating in a blog alliance not only increases the number of posts on your blog, it also leads to more viewers.

Another way to simplify blogging is to create a blog with other writers who have similar audiences. When you all write articles, you don't have to write as many. And, if you all publicize the blog, you'll reach more people.

The third way to increase your blog count and get help directing people to your blog is to open your blog to guest authors. Authors with or without their own blogs may want to post an interview on your blog. But, don't worry, it's not hard work. Many will write the questions and the answers. All you have to do is upload it and post it. You should let the author know when it will be posted so he or she can direct readers to your blog.

How many blogs do you need? At least one for each group of readers.

TWITTER

Twitter is my favorite way to reach people quickly and perhaps convince some to buy a book. But, tweets are like blog posts in that you must be subtle. First, build up a following of people from your target audience, then keep them following you because your tweets are interesting or useful. A secondary goal is to get them to retweet your tweets to reach a wider audience.

If possible, set up a Twitter account before your book is published. This will give you time to gather followers. I see no benefit in buying followers unless a person's goal is merely a high follower count. I only want followers who might buy my books or recommend them to someone else. Building followers is slow. Initially I looked for people with similar tastes for me to follow. My reason was that Twitter makes it easy to follow back. The more people I followed, the more followers I'd get. At least that was what I thought.

I currently have 2,500-plus followers and the numbers continue to grow. Follower count goes up and down, so it is a constant effort to get more followers. I cleaned the list of people I follow by removing all corporations, non-profits, and government agencies. That gave me room for more people to follow. People who might follow me back. Now, when I get a new follower, I don't follow back unless they are in my target audience and then only if they have fewer than 2,000 followers.

I use Twitter mostly for automated tweets which I schedule to announce book specials. Look at TweetDeck for details.

One last comment about Twitter. I've seen some authors create a new Twitter account for each book and others use only one. I think multiple accounts may be needed if your books are for different readers. I only have one, but I can see how multiple accounts might be helpful.

FACEBOOK

I’ve had limited success with Facebook, and have stopped using it to reach readers. I was spending much more for ads than I could possibly make selling books.

However, I have found Facebook groups useful. I have one called Christian Writers Support Group. The purpose is to encourage each other by liking and sharing information. Anything you can do to join forces with others will help sales, and increase book reviews.

PINTEREST

Another way to get your name out there and attract followers is with Pinterest. Pinterest lets you easily create a collection of photos to share. I think everyone enjoys viewing pictures. Sometimes I look through randomly selected Pinterest boards just for the beauty I might find.

The nice thing about Pinterest is that the photos can come from the Internet. You don't need permission to use them since the photo will link to the site where you found the photo, giving them credit. There are some places that don't allow sharing of their photos, but Pinterest knows which ones they are, and you won't be able to pin those photos to your board.

How can using Pinterest help you as an author?

If your book is not yet published, create a board for your future readers. If you're writing a cozy mystery, for example, create a board called "My Favorite Cozy Mysteries." Your photos could be book cover images and you could add a short note about each book and why you selected it. Once your book is published, it would become one of the prominent pins on this board.

While writing The Vengeance Squad Goes to England I created a board with photos of locations and items used in the book. As I wrote the book, I added additional photos for each new scene. This served two purposes. First, the images helped me describe the scenes more realistically. Secondly, once the book was published, I included a link to the board, so readers could see photos of the places described in the book. See http://goo.gl/B6UFcX to check it out for yourself.

Another prepublication Pinterest board I made was one called Bookmobiles. The reason for this board is that bookmobiles are featured in each of my books. I'm still adding images to it. You may think of a similar use of Pinterest for your books. See http://goo.gl/NEXeZO for the bookmobile board. While you're there, follow me and check out the rest of my boards for other ideas.

GOODREADS

Goodreads is a place for readers to post their personal libraries. It is an excellent place for an author, publisher, or publicist to visit often. This is where readers hang out and talk about books. There are many opportunities for you to tell members about your books and we'll discuss these when we talk about implementing the marketing plan. For now, join Goodreads and start using it for your personal library. Ask book reviewers to post reviews here as well as Amazon. Even though Amazon owns Goodreads, they are still treating them as separate organizations.

Goodreads provides an easy way to promote your books with giveaways.

You might also want to start making friends and joining some of the many groups there, especially friends and groups in your target audience. Amazon purchased Goodreads in March 2013.

REVIEWING BOOKS

While we are discussing selling yourself, take time to decide whether you plan to review books or not. When I first got started in the business, I read a book about getting the most out of Amazon and the author recommended reviewing books like my own to help build name awareness. I did that, but I have since decided the author was talking about nonfiction books only. I'm not sure there is a benefit for fiction authors to review books other than trading reviews with other authors to increase review count.

Perhaps you may want to join a group on Facebook or some other social media where you can trade reviews with other authors. It seems the more good reviews you have, the more Amazon and other sites will publicize your book. The Fussy Librarian, for example, requires ten Amazon reviews with a 4.5 out of 5.0 rating to be included in their paid advertising. The thinking is that the number of reviews is associated with the quality of the book. Some bloggers require a certain number of reviews before they will advertise free and discounted books

As an author of nonfiction, reviewing books in the same category may make you look more creditable. Good reviews can show you know the subject and you know how to communicate. However, reviewing your competitor's books could be a problem. You either end up helping them or coming across like sour grapes.

There is a discussion in the implementing the plan section about how to get reviews. For now, all you need to do is decide whether you want to do reviews or not.

AUTHOR AND BOOK AWARDS

Another way to sell yourself is to get recognized in some way. There are writing contests for unfinished books as well as those already published. When I was writing my first book, Where Love Once Lived, I entered many contests. At that time, I thought it was a romance. I joined Romance Writers of America and learned there was a contest going on somewhere in the United States most of the year. I also learned entering contests was an excellent way to get feedback. Some of the suggestions made by contest judges ended up in the final book. In addition to grammar corrections and suggestions for descriptions, one judge warned me against including an abortion in the story, so I changed it to a miscarriage.

There was a charge for these contests, and back then, more effort and expense to copy and mail the manuscripts. Today, you can submit your writing electronically, but many contests still charge a fee.

To my surprise, I ended up winning several contests and placing in others. This helped validate my writing, and, I suspect, caused more agents and publishers to evaluate my work more closely. Each win got me closer to finding a publisher, but I eventually published the book myself.

When you look for contests to enter, evaluate the cost vs. benefit. There are some organizations that make money holding contests. There are others who I believe simply sell awards. That is, you pay, everyone wins. These types of awards are not the ones that will help you to sell yourself.

CONCLUSION

When looking at ways to sell yourself, another consideration is whether to emphasize yourself or your books. I see some people have a Facebook author page for each book. My feeling is that you should sell yourself by grouping similar books. I have published mostly Christian fiction, so my audience is the same for each book. However, if I decide to publish a book for authors on how to market books, I will have a different audience and may need to brand by book rather than name.

 

Books Sold By Author

I had three book signing events last month. I have one scheduled for each of the next four months and will be looking for additional venues where I can sell books during that time as well.

After that, I will be traveling some. But, even while vacationing, I look for ways to peddle my books. For example, we will be in Hilton Head for a week in September so I'm looking for places there. Last year when we were there I learned the two bookstores had closed. This time, I will look for other retail stores.

  

Before they went out of business, I did several book signings at the local bookstore in Georgetown. The first time I was there, I bought a nice ad in the local paper to announce the event. I sold 18 books and the bookstore owner was thrilled. We had agreed on a 60/40 split. I provided the books. She sold the books for full price plus sales tax and I got 60 percent of the selling price for each book. The only problem was the ad cost was about $200 and my income for the books was $172.

After six years of experience, I've learned to use advertising carefully. However, I learned also that ads a provide may provide future sales. Only recently, I had a call from someone wanting me to talk to a group and sell books afterwards. I learned they called because they saw an ad I'd posted in the local paper announcing another book signing. I agreed to talk and sold 14 books.

There are many places to consider when scheduling book signings. In the past, and perhaps still for some known authors, the ideal place for such events was at bookstores. I've done that a few times. However, there are no bookstores where I live and I haven't considered those in nearby Austin, Texas recently. When my first book came out in 2010, I held a book signing in the largest independent bookstore in Austin, Bookpeople. Only once. At that time, the fee for a book signing was $200. It is probably more now. Even at that I had to wait until they had another author to share the time slot with me. It turned out our target readers were about as far apart as possible. Some of my friends who were there were shocked by what the other author was selling.

So, you can set up book signing events at book stores and personal appearances. Usually, at the personal appearance, you will be expected to give a talk first. Many want to know how to write a book and get it published. At my last two talks, I told how to convert personal experiences into novels.

Another venue for book signings is any retail business. I've been using a local market that is connected to a restaurant. I've also done book signings at pharmacies. These places usually charge a fee. The market, for example, charges $30 for a three-hour slot. They provide a table and that’s about all. What I've done is work with two friends and we each pay $10. This makes it easier to make a profit.

Sid Frost and D.A. Featherling

Choose people to share the table with you who have similar target readers. In my case, I team up with my two critique partners. I know their books because I've read them. If one person wants to take a break, the other two can sell the person's books.

We all help promote the event by inviting our friends on. I have put an ad in the local paper for some of these shared events, but not all.

The market is good because people come and go all the time we are there. It is located near the center of the town and we pick the one Saturday of the month when there are activities going on that will draw a larger audience. We alternate times, 10 to 1 or 12 to 3. The market closes at 3.

Selling in this way allows us to adjust the price of the books. My books sell for $12.95. For these events, I changed the price to $9.24. That may seem odd. However, I must collect sales tax which is 8.25 percent. In this case, the tax is 76 cents which makes the total exactly $10.00. This makes it easier to make change.

We use a common bank and accept cash, credit cards, and checks. Customers can select books from more than one of us and pay for all purchases together. They seem to enjoy that.

I have recently started selling Kindle edition claim codes. I must buy them first from Amazon, then prepare a printed claim certificate to sell. I have sold five, four at one event and one at another, so it is too early to see how well this will work. Watch for more about this approach to selling.

Sales for Where Love Once Lived Exceed ONE THOUSAND!

The total number of sales for Where Love Once Lived, including paperbacks and e-books, just got into the four digits.

I know. That's not much compared to sales for many books. However, when you think about the statistic that shows most independently published books sell less than 100 copies, it looks pretty good. I don't know where I read that, but the reasoning was that everyone has a least 100 friends and family members who will buy their book.

Another consideration is that my goal has always been to reach people with my Christian message. So, I can also count the 64,000+ copies of this book that have been given away during Kindle free days to readers in ten countries.

Thanks to everyone who bought a copy and helped me reach this milestone.

To see more information, go to Amazon.com.

Using Pinterest to Sell More Books

Here is an easy way to use Pinterest to build interest in your books.

Pinterest lets you easily create groups of photos to share with others. I think everyone enjoys viewing pictures. Sometimes I look through randomly selected groups of photos just for the beauty I might find. The nice thing about Pinterest is that the photos can come from the Internet. You don't need permission since the photo will link to the site where you found the photo. There are some places that don't allow sharing of their photos, but Pinterest knows which ones they are and you won't be able to pin those photos to your board.

How can Pinterest help author?

If your book is not yet published, create a board for you future readers. If you're writing a cozy mystery, for example, create a board called "My Favorite Cozy Mysteries." Your photos could be book cover images and you could add a short note about each book and why you selected it. After your book is published, one of the prominent pins on this board would be your book.

While writing The Vengeance Squad Goes to England I created a board with photos of locations and items used in the book. As I wrote the book, I added additional photos for each new scene. This served two purposes. First, the images helped me describe the scenes more realistically. Secondly, once the book was published, I included a link to the board so the reader could see photos of the places described in the book. See http://goo.gl/B6UFcX to check it out for yourself.

Another Pinterest board I made was one called Bookmobiles. The reason for this board is that bookmobiles are featured in each of my books. You may think of a similar use of Pinterest for your books. See http://goo.gl/NEXeZO for the bookmobile board. While you're there check out the rest of my boards for other ideas.

Kindle Countdown Deal Works for Reader and Writer

St.-Petersburg: Copyright: Bigstockphoto.com evasilieva

I just completed offering my books on Kindle's Countdown deal for the first time and was pleased with the results. Unlike giving away books on the Kindle Free Days, the books are sold at reduced prices that gradually increase until the price is back to the original. My books are only $2.99 to start with so I don't have many price increments. What I like about this deal is that the reader isn't just grabbing a book because it's free. He or she is making a decision to purchase and read the book.

I also like the Countdown Deal because it adds a sense of urgency to the buyer's decision-making process. The price is going to go up. That is made clear to the buyer who is trying to decide what to purchase. Another consideration is that the countdown deal can only be used once in each marketplace during a 90-day period. Currently, the only two marketplaces are Amazon.com and Amazon.uk. The buyer may not know this, so authors should stress this in promotional information.

Amazon helps readers find books offering countdown deals. See: http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-eBooks/b?ie=UTF8&node=7078878011. On the day I looked, there were nearly 1,500 books listed. It would take time to search such a large list. However, Amazon offers ways to reduce the size of the list by allowing you to drill down to the types of books you like.

First, you can select a specific category. Look at the menu on the left of the page and click on Kindle e-books under the heading Kindle Countdown Deals. This will open a long list of categories from Arts & Photography to Travel. If you are interested in Christian fiction, for example, click on Literature & Fiction, and then select Religious & Inspirational Fiction. At the time I did this, there were only 25 books in this category. From here there are more ways to zoom into what you are interested in, but with only 25 books, you could check on each one.

You may want to view the list of books on special after sorting it in various ways. On the right side of the page, look for a pull-down list called Sort by. You have the following options: New and Popular, Price: Low to High, Price: High to Low, Avg. Customer Review, and Publication Date. And, of course, you can use these sort criteria at any point while you are viewing the list of books.

Sometimes I feel like I'm going around circles while watching for the next best way to reach readers. The Kindle Countdown Deal is a winner for both reader and writer.

Check my specials here: http://www.sidneywfrost.com/specials.html. 

Reaching Readers and Enticing Buyers on the Cheap

Photo by mcfields Copyright: http://www.bigstockphoto.com/

My favorite real estate agent told me the smell of freshly baked cookies would help sell my house. And, to prove it, she set up an open house and baked cookies. The house sold that day for the full asking price.

I wish there was a magic way to sell books.

One of the most difficult parts of indie publishing is selling books. As authors, we'd all like to be writing, not marketing. But, if we don't do it, who will?

What I've learned the hard way about publishing is that the profit margin is so slim you have to pick marketing methods that are not costly. I've placed ads in magazines and newspapers, but I don't recommend that approach. Too expensive. One way to get into the newspaper is to write an article instead of an ad. In the writers group I belong to one of the members writes for the local newspapers and he is doing a continuing series on local authors. Free advertising at its best.

I look for services with high circulation where I can get my books listed for free or for a reasonable fee. The Fussy Librarian (http://www.thefussylibrarian.com/) is a favorite of mine. This service is easy to use for authors and readers both. Readers choose from 40 genres and select content preferences such as amount of sex and violence, and The FussyLibrarian emails them daily e-book deals.

Authors send in book information, cover image, and links to where the book is available. Jeffrey Bruner, the Fussy Librarian, is flexible about posting your book at a time that corresponds with specials such as Kindle's Count Down deal. Allowing readers to limit their daily email list to books they prefer is good for authors, too. It means your book is not competing with every book in the country. Just the ones your target group likes.

There is a charge for this service, but it is quite reasonable. Bruner earns revenues through the affiliate programs and doesn't have to rely solely on author fees.

Look for other book listing services, especially those that are limited in some way to match your target audience. For my Christian novels, for example, I use a website called Christian Book Finds (http://christianfictionebooks.blogspot.com/) that advertises Christian books daily and has a large distribution. The charge is not much, but could add up if you're not careful. There is a reduction in cost if you include a badge for the website on your blog.

Self-Publishing With CreateSpace

 

Editing Services

Basic Copyediting: $160 up to 10,000 words. $0.016/word for 10,000+

Eg. 80,000 word book would cost $1,280 ($160 + 70,000 x 0.016).
Where Love Once Lived: $1,453 (CreateSpace editor – freelance magazine editor)
The Vengeance Squad: $1,162 (CreateSpace – same editor)
Love Lives On: $550 (I used a Christian writer friend who did more than copyedit.)

CreateSpace provides other editing services such as comprehensive editing, editorial evaluation, and multi-round editing. Read about all editing services here:

https://www.createspace.com/pub/services.home.do?tab=EDITING

Cover Design Services

CreateSpace provides a variety of services for cover design. For Where Love Once Lived, I chose the most expensive they had to offer, the Illustrated Cover, drawn specifically for my book. Cost: $1,199.

For my next book, The Vengeance Squad, I paid a friend $60 to do the layout and paid $25 for the photos. For Love Lives On and Job Seekers' Attitude Adjustment Guide, I did the layout myself and paid $10 for photos. Paid Bowker for ISBNs and UPCs.

You'll find links to all cover design services here:

https://www.createspace.com/pub/services.home.do?tab=LAYOUT

Interior Options

CreateSpace charges for assistance in getting your text ready to print. For my first book I paid $379 for this and another $100 when I wanted to change it. For the following books I did this all myself using the Microsoft Word templates CreateSpace provides free. See:

https://www.createspace.com/en/community/docs/DOC-1323?sitesearch_query=templates&sitesearch_type=SITE

Marketing/Publicity Services

CreateSpace provides marketing and publicity services such as book trailers, posters, press releases, reviews, business cards, bookmarks, etc., all priced higher than you can get elsewhere. I did of this for first book only.

For more information see: https://www.createspace.com/pub/services.home.do?tab=MARKETING

Royalties

Royalties are based on costs and selling price. There is a formula for computing the cost. This should be done before deciding on a selling price. See:

https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/ and click oh Royalties tab. Input includes trim size (mine are 5 ¼ x 8 inches) and number of pages. You enter a selling price and the calculator will show the royalty for books sold on Amazon, eStore, and through expanded distribution for U.S. dollars, UK pounds, and euros. Expanded distribution is an option for bookstores, libraries, etc. If you want to set the price of your book as low as possible, pick a price where the expanded distribution royalty is just slightly above zero.

You can buy books and have them mailed to you for book signings and such. The unit price remains the same regardless of how many books you buy. The only variable is shipping cost. I find it is best to order 36 books at a time. Love Lives On costs me $5.40 each including sales tax and shipping. The list price is $12.95 for Amazon, but I can sell for $10.00 and make about the same profit.

E-Books

You can set a different price for Kindle editions. There is no cost. CreateSpace pays a 70% royalty for books priced between $2.99 and $9.99. The royalty is 35% otherwise. CreateSpace will assist you with your ebook for a fee, but you can do it yourself here:

https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/signin
You'll probably want to also set up on Barnes and Noble, iTunes, etc.

Bookstores

Bookstores can order books from Amazon as long as you've paid the $25 fee for expanded distribution. They won't order unless they've made a sale first since there is a no return policy.

Other Services

CreateSpace also provides some package plans with discounts for buying more. Costly $5,000+.

Pros and Cons

CreateSpace is an excellent way to get published quickly with as little or as much help as you need. I don't recommend it until you have exhausted possible traditional publishers.

 

American Christian Fiction Writers Annual Conference

Friday, September 21, 2012—Dallas Texas


Today I met with an agent to give a pitch for my new book. I had 15 minutes to tell him enough about the book so he could see if it is something he could find a publisher for. I had a one-page synopsis to leave with him, but he didn't take it. He did seem interested in the story and asked a few questions. At the end of the time, he gave me a company brochure and asked me to send a proposal by email. He said his readers would check it over, including the first three chapters, and they would let him know if he should read it.

The class with Davis Bunn was informative. It'll be continued tomorrow. He talked about various ways to plot a book. I learned he has completed a new Marc Royce book and I look forward to reading it.

I also attended a session on events. One instructor talked about bookstore signings and the other covered virtual events. I learned a few new techniques to try.

American Christian Fiction Writers Annual Conference

Thursday, September 20, 2012—Dallas Texas


I implied yesterday that next year I would not go so early. However, I've enjoyed the time to write without interruptions from my regular routine. This morning, for example, I didn't turn on the TV news first thing after making coffee the way I do at home. Instead, I woke up early and went to the computer to write.

I'm editing a new book tentatively called, Love Lives On. The story is about what happens when Karen learns marriage to her college sweetheart isn't enough to give her the happiness she has wanted all her life. God presents her with another opportunity to help someone and she soon learns she is the only one in the world who can help this person. She also learns there are people who hate her or envy her and who are obsessed with harming her.

What does this have to do with the conference? Well I'm preparing to pitch my latest story to two agents and one publisher in meetings Friday and Saturday. I have 15 minutes with each of the two agents and the one publisher's representative. I'll let you know more about these meetings later.

Today I went to the first-time attendees' orientation. Sue Brower of Zondervan talked about meeting with agents and editors to pitch our books. She said to give them our one-page synopsis but don't expect them to read it. Use the fifteen minutes to tell them about your book. It doesn't have to be in the same order of the book. Start with, "this is a book about…" and make eye contact. Your book must be finished. If not, let the agent/editor know up front. If they ask for more, get it to them in two weeks or less.

Next, was the opening session with Brandilyn Collins as emcee. This was fun and uplifting.

The keynote speaker followed. Michael Hyatt, former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, gave an excellent talk about his experience in publishing and now as a writer. He said, "now is the best time ever to be an author." And he gave the following five reasons he feels this is true:

1. It is easier than ever to do the writing.
a. Conferences
b. Writing books
c. Writing courses
d. Writing specific software
e. Research is easier
f. Tweet questions to help with research
g. Support groups
h. Critique partners

2. It is easier than ever to do market research.
a. Platform
b. Blog surveys
c. Vote for favorite covers

3. It is easier than ever to get into print
a. Traditional publishing is no longer the only choice
b. Self-publishing is a viable option
c. Author groups helping each other
d. EBooks

4. It is easier than ever to build a tribe (i.e. a reader base)
a. Direct access to readers
b. Instant feedback
c. Encouragement
d. Chance to improve

5. It is easier than ever to build a business
a. Publishing
b. Speaking
c. Blogs
d. Social Networking

Next was a worship service. We sang praise songs with a praise band and vocalist. The words were projected on the screens and I felt the presence of the Lord.

After dinner I went to the B&H Publisher highlight. They are part of Lifeway and follow the tenets of the Baptist faith. The representative said they are doing more movie novelizations. Unconditional by Eva Marie Everson is an example. Davis Bunn just wrote one for them.

They have identified books to be published up to fall 2013 which means anything submitted now will probably published in 2014 or 2015. Romantic suspense is popular now. Their customers are older women who are using eReaders more now.

Lifeway.com will soon be selling ebooks with links to information built in.

They publish 18-19 books a year and hope to up that to 28 in the next five years. They receive about ten submissions per week from agents. If they get down to selecting between several equal works, they'll look at the writer's platform and see if they blog twice a week and can help market the book.

They like books about 90,000 words long.