Authors Helping Authors: It May Not Work For You

Oct 282011

Today I’m going to share my publishing journey, but first I’m going to let you in on a shameful secret. Okay. Maybe it’s not too shameful, but perhaps a little on the obsessiveness side. I check my Amazon sales at least once a day. In fact, admitting to once a day isn’t close to an estimate. Let’s go with several times a day and leave it like that. After all, a gal has to have a little pride right?

Control Freak: Brandon's Story by Reena Jacobs

Released September 2010

My best selling work, Control Freak: Brandon’s Story, averages about 3 sales a day. Though it’s listed at $0.99, the price isn’t bad for a 3+k piece of work which took me 1-2 weeks to write, polish, and edit. I have to admit, I’m quite pleased with the results, profit-wise. Not stellar, but at least it’s something. It’s rather nice knowing I’ll have $30-50 a month from Brandon’s Story to fund various promotions and what not. And anyone who’s tried to promote a book, knows that amount doesn’t go very far.

Still, if only my other works did so well.

It’s interesting to note, I did pretty much no marketing for Brandon’s Story. In fact, I offered it for free for the longest time. Honestly, I didn’t think it was a piece anyone would want to purchase at $0.99. After all, it’s a short story, and a very short story at that. When I set a price for Brandon’s Story, and people started buying it, I could hardly believe it!

Released January 2011

Why? Because Shadow Cat, which had all favorable reviews was having an extremely difficult time getting off the ground. I’ve been all over the place with the price, from $0.99 to reel in folks who only buy cheap, to $4.99 to lure in folks who think cheap is crap. No matter what price I slap on Shadow Cat, it averages about 2 sales a week. <sigh>

Shadow Cat and I even went on tour together. Me and my kitty… tiger. I put up ads on various blogs, paid for advertising on Goodreads, Facebook, Google Adwords. I’ll be honest, I’ve yet to see a return on investment (ROI).

Allow me to go off on a tangent, as I’m known to do at times. I was driving to pick up my son from preschool today and thinking about my ROI. With no out of pocket expenses by only publishing Brandon’s Story in eBook and not spending a dime on advertising (I think), I’ve already earned a decent salary for at least 1 week. Remember, I mentioned it took me 1-2 weeks to write, polish, and edit Brandon’s Story for publication.

ROI for Shadow Cat? I might have covered the marketing expenses for Shadow Cat… maybe. And the time writing, polishing, and editing? haha Let’s not even go there.

Released July 2011

Next up, we have I Loved You First. With I Loved You First, I cut back on the advertisements and went straight for the blog tour… full force. 45 days and I don’t know how many blogs. The book received lots of great reviews. Last I checked, we were up to 16 reviews at Amazon and averaging about 4 stars. Way to go Alex!

You’d think folks would flock to pick up a copy. Not so, my friends. Of all my works, I Loved You First has the least amount of sales. Lean a little closer, I don’t want this getting around the blogosphere. Can you hear me? Well, I Loved You First has only received 3 sales this month. Shhh. Don’t tell anyone. Last month was only slightly better at 6 sales. Yikes!

In terms of my ROI? I think I spent about $60 in promotion materials for the blog tour, which doesn’t include the costs of books and shipping. I’m certainly not crying over the fact. I spent a lot more trying to get Shadow Cat off the ground and still only have 8 reviews on Amazon. Of course, Shadow Cat has slightly better sales, but not enough to make me feel I’ve gotten my money’s worth with advertising.

Control Freak: Regina's Story by Reena Jacobs

Released October 2011

Okay. Last piece, which I released early this month. Control Freak: Regina’s Story. I did even less advertising with Regina’s Story than I did Brandon’s Story. For the most part, I just set it out there and tweeted a couple of times about the availability. Interesting enough, the sales on Regina’s Story are comparable to Shadow Cat — averaging about 2 sales a week. Actually, the sales for Regina’s Story are slightly (not by much), but still slightly better than Shadow Cat.

Like Brandon’s Story, Regina’s Story is another shortie — a little over 4k words. I will admit, it took me longer to write. I just wasn’t in the mood to write erotica. In fact, I’d considered giving erotica up entirely. However, I felt I owed readers the sequel to Regina’s Story. After all, the back of Brandon’s Story ended with a promise to have the sequel out shortly. That “shortly” took about a year to get around to writing.

So here I am, a little over a year into the self-publishing game, 4 works up for sale, 2 free flash fiction pieces, and completely clueless over what works and what doesn’t.

Just how effective are blog tours, ads, promotions, etc? Perhaps I’m not trying hard enough or better yet, perhaps I’m not giving my attempts at marketing long enough to kick in and take effect. What says you?

What types of marketing have you tried?

Do you have a story to tell? Share with us your successful and less than successful campaigns. In fact, email me (reenajacobs@reenajacobs.com), and I’ll open Ramblings of an Amateur Writer to you for your own guest post.

Authors Helping Authors – Reena on Book Reviews

Authors Helping Authors, Reviews 3 Responses »

Aug 262011

I come across quite a few indie authors with low sales. Let’s face it, low sales are the norm, big success is the rarity. In the end, majority of us remain in dismal obscurity. Even so, there are low cost methods authors can use to get their books a little publicity, reviews being one of them.

One of the first things I tend to notice when I hit an author with low sales are the lack of reviews. I’ve yet to find a book with an abundance of reviews doing poorly. Some might say, of course high selling books have lots of reviews, they’re selling books like crazy. No book sales, no reviews. No reviews, no books sales.

People! This is not a catch-22 situation. You don’t have to have book sales to obtain reviews. In fact, your work doesn’t even have to be available to the public in order to start earning those reviews.

Ever hear of Advance Reading Copies (ARCs)?

ARCs are not just for authors who go the traditional route. I started sending out ARCs for my latest release (I Loved You First) about a week before publication. Why an ARC and not the final version?

Here’s the thing about ARCs. They don’t have to be perfect. Now I’m not talking about sending your first draft. The ARC I sent had received outside editing and a read through by me. However, I knew it needed one more read through, plus I had a few copyright issues in the air which needed to be settled before releasing it to the public. For the most part, the ARC was pretty solid.

If you’re pretty confident in the quality of your work, but aren’t quite ready for publication, I highly recommend sending out ARCs to reviewers. But remember, don’t send crap. Reviewers will still call you on your typos, grammar, and misused words.

So, you’ve got an ARC or final version.

Now What?

Well, you can continue to wait for folks to find your works and review them. This method might work for established authors, but I doubt it’ll work for many debut authors. If you want those reviews, you’re going to have to go out and get them, my friend. And I don’t mean sitting behind your blog asking folks, “if you’re interested in reviewing my work, send me an email.” You can try that (I certainly have), but that’s not enough.

Remember your querying days? Researching agents, following submission guidelines, and sending out letters. Welcome back to the grind. Great thing about sending queries to reviewers is the success rate is far greater than seeking representation from an agent.

A few notes. Don’t send queries arbitrarily or in a mass email. Use the same care in picking out reviewers as you would an agent. Just as agents only represent certain genres, reviewers only read certain genres.

Research is beneficial

I came across more than a few dormant review sites. It doesn’t make sense to put together a review packet for an individual who isn’t serious about reviewing your work. Some of the things I look for:

Review Policy – Starting here is a given. Not all reviewers have them. I’ll be honest, if I don’t find a review policy or verbiage giving me a clue to their likes and dislikes, I’ll often bypass the review site.
Number of followers – It’s great to get a reviewer with a huge following. After all, the point of a review is to get some publicity. However, reviewers with smaller followings have pros also. For one, their reading lists may be shorter, which means they may be more willing to commit to a review and do one sooner than later. And their review policies might indicate they post reviews in places other than just their blog/website. For me, this is huge, particularly if the review is posted on a retail site.
Post consistency – This goes along with dormant sites. If the site is dead (most recent post is a month or so ago), I move to the next blog. How often a blogger posts is important also. Large gaps between posts gives me the impression the blogger isn’t serious about blogging. And if the blogger isn’t serious, chances are, folks aren’t serious about checking in either.
Accepted formats – I prefer to send out digital copies due to the costs associated with print copies. And with so many reviewers accepting eCopies and even preferring them in some cases, digital is the way to go (at least for me and my purse).
Indie authors – Some reviewers don’t accept self-published works. Simple response to that is to move on to the next reviewer.
ARC versus Final – Can I send out an ARC? Some reviewers will take into account the ARC isn’t the final version. Others won’t. Make sure whichever version you send is the one you’re comfortable with them reviewing. Don’t be surprised if a review rips your work apart because you sent the wrong version.
Where they post their reviews – Their blog only? Goodreads? Retail sites? The more places, the more publicity.
Time line – Many reviewers have reading lists a mile long. 3-4 months isn’t unusual. If you know your release date, consider making arrangements early. Don’t discount the reviewers who take a bit longer. Early reviews are great, but latter reviews can act like a revival.
Other Features – Does the reviewer participate in blog tours, interviews, giveaways, or other events? If so, make your availability known at the time of submission. If your work is accepted for submission, be sure to put in a reminder in your response.

Where the heck are the reviewers?

I hit two spots when it comes to reviews. First, because I’m an indie author, is Simon Royle’s list of indie reviewers. The list isn’t comprehensive, but it’s a great start. All the individuals on the list review indie work for free. However, some on the list have guidelines so strict, it’s difficult for an indie author to get a yes. For example, some only review indie works they’ve previously reviewed/read in the past. So that’s something to keep in mind.

My second stop is the Book Blogger Directory. I love this place. The bloggers are categorized, and the database is HUGE. Indie authors do have to pick through since there are no indicators as to whether a blogger accepts indie work or not, at least not at the time of this post.

The bottom line

Using the methods above, I found plenty of reviewers willing to take a peek at I Loved You First, enough that I managed to fill a month and a 1/2 long blog tour. I’m not going to pretend like my sales are all that grand, because they’re not (at least not yet <wink> <wink>). And if we get to the truth of it, I’m not all that great at marketing either. But I will tell you, reviewers are out there waiting to pounce on a good read. If you don’t tell them your book is available, who will?

Authors Helping Authors – Reena Jacobs on Proofs

Authors Helping Authors, Publishing No Responses »

Aug 192011

So I thought a Vlog would be fun this time around. Today we’re going to address proofs, and the importance of ordering them by comparing the proof copy of I Loved You First versus the copy actually on the market.

A Recap:

Always check for typos. Whether it’s the inner works or the cover, be sure to proofread.

Assess the cover.

Is everything in the proper place?
Are there any glitchy items?
Is the wording correct?
Is it aesthetically pleasing?

Front matter

Are the pages in the proper place?
Title page in the front?
Do you have enough blank pages?

Proofing (after all, it is called the proof copy)

Are the pages numbers in the proper place?
Did you suppress the pages number on the chapter pages?
Read through for typos, grammatical errors, etc.
Cost assessment: Is it cheaper to order a proof copy for editing rather than print out the manuscript?
Do you have any funky pages with widows, orphans, or other oddities?

Authors Helping Authors – Gerard de Marigny Talks Quality Standards

Authors Helping Authors, Publishing, Weekly Schedule No Responses »

Aug 052011

A few weeks ago, you might remember my writer friend, Gerard de Marigny visiting. He shared with us an excerpt from his novel, The Watchman of Ephraim. Today he’s here to share his thoughts on publishing.

Why Self-Publishing Needs Quality Standards

Gerard de Marigny

EXAMPLE #1: Here’s a review of a work published not too long ago on Smashwords …

“Sorry, this may or may not be a great story but there are too many spelling, grammatical & punctuation errors to find out.

“I really dislike giving up on a book but in this case the many very simple spelling errors (fealt instead of felt for example) are simply too distracting so whilst the plot description intrigued me I gave up pretty early on. A simple spell check would have picked up most of the spelling mistakes; if the author can’t be bothered to do that how can he expect us to read his work?” [Emphasis mine]

EXAMPLE #2: Here’s the short and long descriptions one author gave for his work:

“Ebook Short Description

Children’s fantasy…

Extended Description

Children’s fantasy…”

… And here’s the one and only review that author’s work was given:

“I would find it much easier to decide to download if it actually had a proper description and tags to tell me whether it is worth it!! So in conclusion I have not downloaded it because of the reasons above!!”

EXAMPLE #3: Here’s one more piece of a review – keep in mind that all of these reviews were taken recently from Smashwords.com:

“It is difficult to review when I can’t tell what is a typo and what is supposed to be slang.”

I think I speak on behalf of ALL self-published authors (as those examples above were obviously all self-published) when I say that I’m embarrassed … embarrassed and frustrated at being included in the same light with those lazy, unprofessional writers above!

Anyone who has ever been the victim of bias can relate to the frustration experienced by professional self-published authors because of the poor perception most readers have about self-publishing in general. Growing up half Spanish-half Italian in a tough area of Brooklyn, NY where the Italians and Latinos pretty much hated each other, I can tell you from experience that perceptions can be a POWERFUL force. Negative perceptions can prove to be a profound disadvantage for anyone affected by them.

It’s difficult enough for a self-published author to learn the crafts of writing and publishing. You spend the money, time and effort on creating written works that are polished and professional, only to be dismissed by a growing mass of people simply because you are self-published. They haven’t read your works or even looked at your cover or summary – many won’t even do those things if the work was self-published. They’ve just dismissed all self-published works from the onset.

Here’s the really bad thing … I don’t even blame those people – because I’m almost one of them! Being a SelfPubber, that really pains me, yet, I cannot say that I don’t have a certain bias against self-published works. Now, I don’t dismiss them – of course I don’t – but I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I do wonder about the QUALITY of a work when I know it’s self-published. That’s not something I concern myself with, when it comes to a traditionally-published work … and that’s the real point of this article.

With a TRADPUB work, I concern myself with the normal, subjective things like genre, topic, and author but with a SELPUB work, my primary concern is about an objective thing … QUALITY!

I’ve heard that self-published authors contend that some of them are too poor to be able to afford professional editors to edit their work … to which I say, “If you can’t afford an editor, find another way!” By the way … spell checking is free! Bottom line: those people would still be able to publish (if my proposed quality standards process went into effect), they just wouldn’t be able to receive the “Quality Approved” seal. Would that potentially hurt their ability to sell their work? I’d say, “Yes!” At least I hope it does, for the folks sake, that it is!

I was raised in a relatively poor family – a family that did not give quarter to laziness and a family that did not accept excuses! My Dad was a U.S. Marine. He taught my brother and me the same things he learned in the Marine Corps. When you face a problem and you can’t solve it easily … improvise and adapt so that you can overcome!

In order for the bias against self-published works to ebb, there is a need for quality standards to be established and maintained, and then for some sort of ‘Quality Seal” to appear on works that meet the established benchmarks.

What would this do? Well first, it WOULDN’T prevent any lazy fool from self-publishing … and you know something … I don’t want to prevent people from having the freedom to self-publish. I’m all for liberty and the freedom to do things like publish your own written works, even if they are garbage. I believe in the capitalist system of allowing the consumers to decide on what they will and will not consume.

HOWEVER … we must address the concept of “caveat emptor” (let the buyer beware), when it comes to self-published literary works. That’s correct – we need to protect the folks first – NOT OURSELVES (read: self-publishers). People should have a quick and easy way to see that a self-published work meets certain quality standards with respect to the objective craft portion of the work – namely, proper grammar and spelling. A Quality Seal that represents that a work has met the criteria set out in established quality standards would be just the thing.

Now, I’m NOT talking censorship here. I do not believe that any subjective portion of the work should be considered in a quality standard. Subjective aspects of writing are things like storyline, characters, settings, etc. Dialog would also be included as a subjective aspect – so, writing dialog that utilizes vernacular or slang would not be subject to review by the quality standard review process.

Self-publishing needs quality standards so that readers can easily determine whether a self-published work meets a certain level of professionalism. Currently, when a reader purchases a book published by a legacy publisher, the very fact that the book was published traditionally serves as a quality-approved seal. Until readers can make that quick of a determination of whether a self-published work is of acceptable quality, ALL self-published works will be circumspect.

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About the Gerard de Marigny

Gerard de Marigny is the author of the geopolitical thriller, _The Watchman of Ephraim_, Book 1 of THE WATCHMAN OF EPHRAIM series. The sequel, _Signs of War_ is scheduled for release in September 2011.

Gerard de Marigny resides in the beautiful foothills of Las Vegas, NV with his wife Lisa and his four sons. When not bending an arm with friends at the local pub, he’s putting to paper the stories and characters that are alive in his mind.

Connect with Gerard de Marigny online: Website, SelfPubber’s Pub, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, LinkedIn, and MySpace

Find The Watchman of Ephraim by Gerard de Marigny at:

Barnes & Nobles