Explorations In Reading, Writing, and Publishing
“There isn’t a single thing I’m saying here that you should automatically believe. Don’t trust me, or any other so-called expert. Instead, try things out for yourself and draw your own conclusions.”
Well, I didn’t just say that…
That was Joe Konrath and I’m going to share an article he’s written about selling e-books; but, first, I want to link to a couple past posts where I featured Joe because he really ( no, Really ) knows what he’s talking about:
Protection from Publishers ~ Critical Info…
Writing Can Be A Very Dangerous Business . . .
The Best Book On How To Be Successful As A Writer?
O.K., back to e-books.
Joe has recently written a post called, simply, How To Sell Ebooks.
He begins by saying:
“I just hit a milestone that is hard for me to grasp. As of January, I’ve sold over one million ebooks.
“That’s a lot of ebooks.
“The question I get asked more than any other is: How can I make my ebooks sell more copies?
“That’s actually not the right question to ask. Because there is nothing you can do to make people buy your ebooks, except maybe hold them at gunpoint or kidnap their pets.
“This business isn’t about what you have to sell. It is about what you have to offer. And luck plays a big part.
“But I’ve found you can improve your odds. Here are some things I’ve done that have seemed helpful.”
So, without copying the whole post, here are his topic titles:
GOOD COVERSGOOD PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONGOOD BOOKS [duh...]
GOOD PRICEVOLUMESOCIAL MEDIA AND ADVERTISINGAnd I can’t help but put just a bit of what he says on this topic: “My take on Twitter and Facebook is similar to my take on advertising. Maybe it’ll bring in some sales, but I haven’t found it brings in enough to justify the time and money spent.”PLATFORMSFOREIGN SALESAGENTSEXPERIMENTThe first paragraph at the top of this post is from this topic :-)
Then he asks a series of questions that, if you read the full article, will tune you in to the ways Most people do Not find e-books:
“When was the last time you:
So, if you want to know some of the ultra-real methods of giving e-book sales a boost, go read Joe’s article.
Then, come on back and let me know what you think in our Comments :-)
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Our Comment Link Is At The Top of The Post :-)
For Private Comments, Email: amzolt {at} gmail {dot} com
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Just glad I have found you. Too much to think about at present. Must write a magazine script for the blind.If I click the big W I may find you every time. Julie.
Very glad you made it, Julie !! :-)
I feel blessed that you have directed me to this post before my anthologies birth. It makes sense to me that our product is GREAT as writers, but I never pondered the rest.
I will address at this point my decision is to go with a professional cover like Joe said this is a big key.
1. At a glance, it should convey the type or genre of the book you’ve written.
Short works with a social conscience
2. It should be readable in grayscale.
(I’ll need a professional to aid me)
3. It should be readable as a thumbnail.
(See above)
4. Your name and the title should be large and clear.
(Now I am getting goose bumps)
Aww… John, take a deep breath and suck it up—perhaps the title could be in starkly legible type and your name could use that new “fuzzy-smear font”? — Whoot :-)