Show Me the Money

The Difficulty in Authorship Today. It's a reality.

In my personal opinion, writing the story, editing it and teaming with an agent are the easiest parts of the whole authorship adventure for me. Selling to a publisher, whether it is from myself or my agent is difficult, yes, but the tension and frustration really mounts with the sheer amount of promotion and marketing that must be employed to sell even a few copies or gain any reviews. We have a serious glut in the number of books and stories being published each year now, ranging into the millions. 

The competition is more fierce than ever. Self-publishing has allowed any and all persons from all over the world to write and publish just about anything and call it a book (this is discounting the real indie authors who have great books and stories to share). 

Unless you are published by one of the Big 5 corporations and one of their imprints, which has vast distributorship capability, you will be lost in a sea of written words. Trying to brand your author’s name today is very difficult and time-consuming, unless you have a breakout best-seller or already have name-brand celebrity recognition and status. It seems all of us have experimented with ads, whether they are banner ads, AMS or booster ads from Face Book and Twitter. Most of these ads are a total bust and do nothing but flood the marketplace with similar ads by authors who have the same desires to showcase their literary merit. It’s nearly impossible to know which ads bear fruit unless an active spreadsheet is maintained to watch orders and sales rank. The key word is "customize" the ad for your specific book. Get your audience right.

Advertisement expenditures can be very costly and disappointing to the uninitiated. Then there are the high dollar ad campaigns that profess to give profitable returns on their investments. BookBub is just one of them, but then again, thorough research is needed to know how to apply that type of ad to reach your target audience. In addition, you must be accepted by BookBub after you register, and you need to explore all of the cost options. Some of the ads can be very expensive. But when your BookBub ad is right, It's really right and shows return on your investment. You can read the testimonials.

WHAT’S ON THE BRIGHT SIDE?

Her is a partial summation of a blog where I talk about promotion. Some is pretty basic and old hat, but it still works.

 A lot of authors reach customers via their website. This is a rather generic article that might encompass other products, but a well designed website does well for books, poetry and short stories that you might have listed on retail sites. 

A website is a wonderful tool to reach the masses whether you are selling products and services, books, or programs. It's almost a given for any serious author and many publishers ask writers if they have a current website, or even a blog that will afford promotion space. Increased website traffic translates to more readership, visitors and ultimately, income. Once you have a website designed and active and you’ve established that you have a viable product or service to sell, it is important to draw as many potential customers and readers to your home base website. Here are some ideas on how to promote your website and draw that much needed attention.

First and foremost, you need to link your website URL to any and all sources on the Internet that you frequent (search engines). If you belong to a group such as Readers Forum, any display sites, several blog sites or other relative websites pertinent to your product or service, you should list your URL in any signature line or profile page provided. When you comment or guest-write a blog or article, your link will take potential customers and readers to your website. This works well if you are an authority on your subject and your interaction piques curiosity. You might have a website that is genre specific, such as Young Adult, science fiction or fantasy. 

Offering something of value free gratis on your site is an excellent way to attract visitors. This could be free excerpts, short stories or entire novels, and you can lay out stipulations for acquiring the freebie. You may offer a free non-fiction tutorial or eBook that has valuable information. Small contests work well where you pose questions or offer free merchandise to a limited number of first responders. You can post questions that have to do with characters or plot points in one of your books and reward for the correct answers.

 Offering discount days also works for drawing attention and you can announce these discount days via FaceBook, Twitter or on a separate blog. Write a small blurb in any website group that features a thread on “latest news” or “goals and accomplishments.” Radio, newspaper and cable TV sources are always on the hunt for local human interest stories and articles—this is a terrific way to reach the masses, especially if your website is new and in need of traffic. You may also convince other websites to give away your freebies, in essence, using their traffic and membership to widen your exposure.

Using “pay for rank” search engines is an economical way to get targeted customers that share your subject matter. Visitors obtained in this matter may cost as little as 10 cents apiece, but the traffic jump may result in the thousands of visitors to your site. Ezine advertising works the same way—you pay a small upfront fee to advertise in numerous ezines that may result in hundreds of thousands of prospective clients and customers. Unlike paper magazine and newspaper advertising, ezine ads are longer lasting and able to reach the masses instantly. You may also publish your own ezine or newsletter that offers a membership. If you have a number of titles, especially in a series, you can create your own little book club. This will bring repeat customers back to your website via embedded email notices, especially if you are adding new information or making announcements.

You may try “joint venturing” where you team up with several competitors or persons in related book and reader groups and agree to cross promote or list your URL on their sites. Joint venturing can go nearly viral if there are dozens or hundreds of similar websites that offer the same products and services you are promoting.  

My new website, Christy's Young Adult Fabuliers: (Note that it is under construction and needs work)

https://christysyoungadultimagineers.com/2019/03/19/screamcatcher-web-world/

Christy J Breedlove's Young Adult Fabuliers

 Published by christybreedlove--You can check out my new (under triage) website below:

I'm from the west coast of California, born and raised on the beaches of Redondo, Venice, Huntington, Sunset and Seal Beach. I learned to surf at an early age, using the hulking long-board, but then settling on the sleek California Creative design. Where I came from, salt was thick in the air and the seagulls scribbled graceful lines in the sky. I learned to fish and captain my own boat, and sailed on many wondrous adventures. The sea is my true mate and lover. 
 
. I became a star gazer and bought my own large telescope, enjoying numerous star parties. Betcha don't know what a star party is, do you? Guess what...I found the second star on the right, but that's my secret to keep. 

I became a story teller. I'm a diehard frantic creator of Young Adult fiction, whether it's paranormal, science fiction, suspense or fantasy. I believe in pure escapism with unceasing action adventure and discovery. If you want a moral message or cultural statement, you're apt to get a small one. But let me tell you something, honey, I'm here to make you laugh until you gag, cry until you're comatose and tear out tufts of your hair. 

Today, young adult lit needs a resurrection. How soon we've forgotten about Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Divergent and Twilight. Oh, the mania! Where has it gone? Are we losing our young readers? We need something really fresh and new. I and several writers are going to pour everything we have into that end. You are the kindly judge--help us get there and we will deliver!

Screamcatcher; Web World–COMING SOON!--Compliments of Melange Press, Fire & Ice!

It’s a Little Taste Of What’s coming Up. There’s a Storm Brewing…It’s Going To Hurl You Off Your Feet And Twist You Into A knot. You Best Name Your Beneficiary Now. You’ll Be Toast.
            When seventeen-year-old Jory Pike cannot shake the hellish nightmares of her parent’s death, she turns to an old family heirloom, a dream catcher. Even though she’s half blood Chippewa, Jory thinks old Indian lore is so yesterday, but she’s willing to give it a try. However, the dream catcher has had its fill of nightmares from an ancient and violent past.  After a sleepover party and during one of Jory’s most horrific dream episodes, the dream catcher explodes, sucking Jory and her three friends into its own world of trapped nightmares—a place where there’s no color or electricity, the houses are derelict, and the streets are filled with murderers and thieves.

 

https://christysyoungadultimagineers.com/2019/03/19/screamcatcher-web-world/

 

The Web World IS Not For Humans–Sometimes Dreamcatchers Can’t Hold Anymore

            They are now trapped in the web world, where every nightmare and evil spirit has been kept in quarantine, and these spirit beasts will stop at nothing to halt Jory and her friend’s passage through the realm.  Jory leads her friends through the web maze, following the clues of her ancestors.  She’ll have to decipher the strange footprints, path markers, and a mysterious riddle.  It all leads to the burning light that sears a hole through the middle of the earth.  But is that the tunnel of light where people really go when they die?  Or is it the Indian light of salvation—the circle of life—the hole in the web?  She soon discovers that she is the key and that none of her friends can escape this upside-down world unless she summons the courage to make the first step.



 

Who Is Eating Its Authors?

I wish somebody would tell me what the heck is going on! Is Amazon going cannibal, eating its own young?

After watching this industry for 29 years, I think I've reached my saturation point. 

Read this HuffPost article, written by no less than Mark Coker (Smashwords CEO and indie author). Anyway you look at this, to me it spells doom

2018 Book Publishing Predictions--Are Indie Authors Losing Their Independence?

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/2018-book-publishing-predictions-are-indie-authors_us_5a4a88e0e4b0d86c803c78ab

In addition to this dire warning/prediction, tell me why, oh why, have sales and reviews dropped off almost completely for small/independent presses and self-published authors. I'm seeing this all across the board. I have not seen such a dramatic halt for reviews and sales, but I can say this: When you put a minimum dollar requirement of $50 per year for reviewers (who wish to enhance the resources of the written word), you are certainly going to cut out a vast amount of readers and fans.  

WHO WANTS TO BE LOCKED INTO A COMPANY OR PRODUCT BY FORCE, WITH NO WAY OUT BUT TO PLAY THE GAME AND KEEP YOU HEAD IN THE SAND. WE ARE NOT WORTHY AS WE BOW OUR KNEES TO THE FLOOR AND RAISE OUR ARMS IN ALLA FASHION. DON'T YOU DARE CHALLENGE THE MASTER OF AL THEY SURVEY. OR...FIND THE EXIT DOOR. 

And what is this cursed algorithm that ferrets out family, relatives and friends from reviewing your book? Is this all in the name of halting fake reviews and page number reads, as Amazon explains? Why do authors have entire blocks of reviews removed without notice or explanation. The believe some master policy had been violate, although they don't quite know which one.

No one dares speak ill of Amazon's treatment for fear of a giant ax coming down on them. Anyone can be pulled from their pages, ruthlessly and efficiently. That is exactly what happens when a corporation gets too big and powerful.

Do you know why Amazon is producing brick-and-mortar bookstores across the nation? To date, they have 19 operational. Do you know what this means? Do you understand what product lock-in can do to the consumer populace?


I'm not a doom-peddler or naysayer. I'm well aware of the better points of Amazon as it pertains to indie publishing. I know all about leveling the playing field and ousting the gate keepers. Fair is fair, yes. I represent Guerrilla Warfare For Writers. I warn, and fight for the rights of authors everywhere. We are the producers--we MUST take control and demand justifiable resolutions. Without us the literary world is a wasteland.

Chime In! Tell me what you think. What are your experiences with recent sales and reviews of your books and stories.

I wish you all the best in your writing endeavors. Never be afraid to stand up face to face with your nemesis and present your grievances.

The Warrior--Red Shifting.

Pen Names: I'm Not Who You Think I Am.

I've agonized over using a pen name. Call it what you will—pseudonym, non de plume. I didn't really specialize in a genre. This has been going on longer than I’d like to admit. One look at my Amazon page will bear this out in a most dramatic fashion. I’d used a shotgun approach to see what genre got the best reaction sales wise. This late in the game, I've decided to use a pen name for my YA series. My small press sales from just about all my publishers have been small to mediocre at best. The older the book, the higher in the millions your rank can get. You might start off as an Amazon best-seller and stay there for weeks, but if you slide and slow down in sales it will show. You have to sell to even stabilize your rank spot. But enough about ranks, which aren’t the end all of your success.

The problem with writing in so many genres with the same author name will confuse your fan base. That’s if you’ve developed a readership in the first place. Your readers can trust your YA SF, but will any of them make the leap to your erotic romance? Using multiple genres can spread you too thin, carving into your sales and decimating a fan base. The same goes for fiction versus nonfiction. Are you an entertainer at heart or are you a social commentator, historian or instructor? I think it’s okay to experiment in the early stages, but it’s in your best interests to make a decision on how you visualized your career. Both J.K. Rowling and Stephen King used pennames, albeit for different reasons because they didn’t want to get overly familiar with using their very popular names for every book they conceived.

What about gender neutral names? Joanne Rowling used the initials J.K. in front of her last name to disguise the fact that she was a she. Her agent had told her that boys were reluctant to read female authors, which was/is particularly true of SF, fantasy, action/adventure and really anything meant for the YA and MG crowd. Likewise, there are a limited number of females who might openly admit to never reading male authors who have scribed romances, most prominently sweet romances where true emotions and depth of feeling is needed. A male author would certainly have a little more trouble than a woman when penning a Sweet Valley High. There are exceptions, of course, where it doesn’t matter what gender is responsible for the work. In Jo Rowling’s case, she was a debut author, so she carried that moniker until she switched to adult novels. She wanted to draw a distinction between her teen books and something meant for an older crowd.     

I've always wondered what the big house publishers thought of my track record when they gave it a glance. So yes, I'm going with a pen name with a certain genre, and to start a new little writer off, even though that writer will be easily identified as me. Notwithstanding, I'm going to do everything in my power to disguise my identity. It can be done, at least for awhile. I really do need a fresh start since I have such a fruit salad of genres and categories. 

If you are making this decision in the relative early stage in your writing career, then you have the jump on it and I think it might be a good idea. There certainly is a definitive difference between comedy and horror or YA and erotica. Don't make the mistake I made. It sounds like you have to insert yourself into an inescapable niche—not to worry. What you are really doing is specializing, branding yourself for easy recognition. You don’t want to confound or confuse. You want to make finding and selecting you and your books as trouble free as possible.

Why do you suppose that the font type of an author name is larger on a book cover written by an A-list celebrity than it is with a midlist author? If you are a die-hard reader of Stephen King, that name will jump right out at you. It’s called name branding. That’s where you want to be.

Red-shifting….

So You Want a Review?

As I've said before, I'm not here to make you like me (as much as I don't mind that). I'm here to try and inform you; let you know what the Chuck Dickens is going on out there in the industry. This one is about seeking review requests for your new release, be it pre-order or not, or one of your back-list titles. IOW, you're going ask/beg a legitimate book review source to give you their honest opinion of your masterpiece. And make no mistake about that, they WILL give you an unbiased opinion of where your book stands in the literary world. There are a few exceptions who will not post a review that is rated two stars out of five or below. They will contact you about this. The process is different from each review source, so read their policy and guidelines thoroughly--every word, and let it sink in about what you are up against. 

Speaking about what you are up against....

Regardless of the genre, review websites and review bloggers receive anywhere from 10 to 50 review requests per DAY. Some suffer a lot more. They are swamped, backlogged and buried in requests. I had one review source contact me who said, "Chris, there are 34 ahead of you, do you still want to proceed?" I answered in the affirmative, but realized this was not a guarantee of a review, but only a perusal of my query, and then, and only then, would a decision be made. What has changed to make it doubly hard today is that about 75% of the reviewers are allowing self-published authors to submit. This is all fine and well, but it adds to the traffic jam. Only some years ago, indie authors were refused reviews--now they are becoming commonplace.

I've harped on this before--there is a serious industry glut. There are far more submissions to agents and publishers than ever before. Take in the fact that sales are down all across the board, and what you have is a cautious industry that is making mergers, cutting back on staff, eliminating entire categories (like YA), and accepting less debut authors. This trickles down and forces authors to promote and market their back-list titles and this usually means hunting down reviews.

You are aware that Amazon's fairly recent policy has really slaughtered the amount of reviews you are seeing today. They require a $50 minimum purchase within a year, an account and a current credit card to post a review. If this doesn't smack of 'product lock-in', I don't know what does. People have enough expenses as it is, let alone open an Amazon account and spend money there. They also have a stipulation that friends, family and relatives will be excluded from reviewing books. I ask you, is not my family, relatives, fans and friends who buy my books? Amazon's excuse for this was that they had to weed out fraudulent reviewers. Ooooooooookay.

Now that you know what you're up against, let's damn the torpedoes and hit flank speed. Google "review sites for your genre or category." Something to that effect. If you get the best 10, 50, or 100 list, click on each website or blog site starting from the top on down. Make sure the sites are current and active. You might get error messages, parked sites, 401s, or is it 404s? Read their policy and guidelines carefully and make notes on exactly what to include in the submission and how it is to be sent. If you skimp on this or get it wrong, kiss that request good bye. They can't tolerate any deviations from their guidelines.

So help me, you had better personalize it and talk it up a bit before you get to the bones of your submission. These review people want to feel human contact and not some spam onslaught from a robot. Read their bios, comment on their bios. Add a few lines about their favorite sub-genre, pets, family, education, reading habits. Use their real name. If you can't find their name anywhere on the site, use a general greeting but continue with the comments. I usually apologize for not noting their name if I can't find it. You can go to their FB or Twitter page and sometimes find it there. Check out Goodreads, and if you are a member at GR, by all means put your book up for review there. 

If you are trade published, ask your publishers which review source they automatically send to--you do not want to cross-post with your publisher, hitting the same review source twice. That can get you yanked out of the review list. Make a note of what format is expected. It could be the more popular PDF, or it could be an EPUB format that the reviewer finds easiest to read on their device. 

Start your review campaign at least three months in advance of your release. Some reviewers will take ARC (author review copies) well in advance of publication!

They will try to get their review to coincide with the release of the book. Other reviewers don't want a gun to their head, expecting to rush a review for anybody. Again, read the policy. The reason you generally want to submit early is that it can take so long for a review to materialize. It could be a few months or longer. This is a maddening process akin to submissions to publishers and agents. In fact, it is not much different. You'll find one reviewer who wants a short intro query via regular email. They want to feel you out. Don't--don't attach your book or anything else. Other reviewers will instruct you to fill out their long forms and upload material there. Obey the rules or suffer the consequences. 

They will contact you if you will get a review. Many of them will post that review on Amazon and many of the other retail stores online. That's a great perk. You should also use that review by spreading it around to your social media sites and other sources. Bring it to your publisher's attention. 

How many review sources are enough for good saturation? Answer: as many open and legit review sources as you can find. The odds are against you. You might get one review for every 15 submissions. If you personally know the reviewer you've just upped your chances significantly. Below is my list. Since the genre was romance, more precisely romantic suspense with some erotica, I found these review sites and gave it a go: 

REVIEW REQUEST SENT TO AAR ROMANCE (DABNEY) 1-17-2019

REVIEW REQUEST SENT TO AESTAS0 ROMANCE BOOK BLOG: 1-17-2019

NATASHA IS A BOOK JUNKIE—1-17-2019

RED HOT BOOKS—1-17-2019

JOYFULLY JAY, ROMANCE REVIEWS—1-17-2019

DIRTY GIRL ROMANCE—1-17-2019

COFFEE TIMES ROMANCE—1-17-2019

TRUE STORY BOOK BLOG—1-17-2019

ROMANCE BETWEEN THE SHEETS—QUERY ONLY—1-17-2019

ROMANCE FOR THE BEACH—QUERY ONLY FOR PDF—1-17-2019

THE ROMANCE DISH—QUERY ONLY—1-17-2019

TBR—TO BE READ PILE—SMALL FORM, QUERY ONLY—1-17-2019

YEARWOOD LA NOVELA—QUERY ONLY—1-17-2019

JOYFULLY REIVEWED (JOY AND MELISA) QUERY ONLY—1-17-2019

TYPICAL DISTRACTIONS ROMANCE—QUERY ONLY—1-18-2019

NON DE PLUME ROMANCE—FORM SENT—1-18-2019

NOT ANOTHER ROMANCE BLOG—FORM—SENT—1-18-2019

ONCE UP AN ALPHA REVIEWS—SMALL FORM-EMAIL—1-18-2019

FOR THE LOVE OF ROMANCE—QUERY WITH SYNOPSIS—1-18-2019

ADDICTED TO ROMANCE—RENNE, QUERY ONLY—1-19-2019

WANTON READS ROMANCE—EXTREMELY LONG FORM—1-19-2019

UNDER THE PAGES ROMANCE—SHORT FORM AND LINK—1-10-2019

ALICEVL.COM ROMANCE—SHORT QUERY—1-19-2019

MY LOVE OF ROMANCE, RENNE—EMAIL QUERY—1-20-2019

DAILY BOOK REIVEWS—SHORT QUERY ONLY—1-20-2019

FOREVER YOURS ROMANCE—LONG SUB-ATTACH—1-20-2019

ALL ABOUT ROMANCE—QUERY ONLY—1-20-2019

BLACK RAVEN’S REVIEWS—LONG FORM—1-21-2019

BOOK LOVER INC REIVEWS—LONG FORM—1-21-2019

DARK DIVA REVIEWS—LONG FORM—1-21-2019

NAUGHTY EDITIONS REVIEWS—QUERY—1-21-2019

RITES OF ROMANCE—QUERY, BOOK,--1-21-2019

LONG AND SHORT ROMANCE REVIEWS—SHORT FORM—1-21-2019

MANIC READERS—LONG FORM, MULTIPLE CHOICE—1-21-2019

THOUGHTS BY TASH REVIEWS—SHORT FORM—1-21-2019

BEAS BOOK NOOK—EMAIL SHORT FORM—1-21-2019

BOOKS MAKE ME HAPPY—SHORT QUERY—1-21-2019

BOOK PUSHERS—SHORT QUERY FORM—1-21-2019

BOOK SMUGGLERS, ANA AND THEA, EMAIL QUERY—1-21-2019

CARABBEAN ACCENT BOOK REVIES—COMMENT QUERY—1-21-2019

CONFESSIONS OF AN UNSUSPECTED BOOK WORM-QUERY—1-21-2019

DEAR RESTLESS READER—LONG EMAIL QUERY==1-21-2019

FORGET HOUSEWORK I’M READING—LONG EMAIL—1-21-2019

LAURA’S REVIEW BOOKSHELF—INITIAL QUERY—1-21-2019

MALDIVIANS PASSION FORM ROMANCE—QUERY—1-21-2019

MARYSE’S BOOK REVIEWS—QUERY/SUBMISSION—1-21-2019

MY TANGLED SKEINS REVIEWS—QUERY SUB—1-21-2019

BAD BIRD READS—EMAIL, SYNOP, SAMPLE, LINKS—1-22-2019

ROMANCE NOVELS FOR FEMINISTS—BOOK SUB, QUERY-1-22-2019

SHAMELESS BOOK CLUB (SMUT)—FULL—QUERY—1-22-2019

THE BOOK TART—SMALL EMAIL FORM—1-22-2019

THE ROMANCE REVIEWS-MEMBERSHIP—LARGE DATA FORM-1-22-2019

THE ROMANCE STUDIO—LONG FORM, FULL, 1-22-2019

WHAT I’M READING-IN SEARCH OF ROMANCE—QUERY—1-22-2019

LOVE IN THE MARGINS—LARGE FORM—1-22-2019

Sorry, no clickables here. Didn't have the time. 

Why so many? Because I was a slimy little smelt in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It took me four days, eight hours a day to make all of these submissions. Prepare for the time and workload knowingly. 

Good Luck!

Red-shifting otta here....