McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
"The Report" (imperical data on self publishing $)
superpsycho:
--- Quote from: Shecky on April 06, 2014, 01:40:56 PM ---Trad-pub "marketing" is far less advertising (what most of the general public thinks of as "marketing") and much more the ability to get shelf space (whether physical or virtual). Just having it out there where people can see it makes it far more likely to catch someone's attention. That being said, the rapidly inflating presence of social media's word-of-mouth effect is really starting to make inroads on those and other aspects of marketing, and word of mouth is the wild card in all of this.
It's a big, nebulous, churning, rapidly evolving world in publishing right now, and trad pub is working hard to incorporate those changes. Will it succeed? Says the Magic 8-ball, "RESULT UNCLEAR." We'll see.
--- End quote ---
Visibility is what marketing is all about, whether a storefront, self space or facebook. The difference is publishers will do it for you, while a self-publisher, either hires someone or they do it themselves. Automatically, as a self-publisher you don't have access to a lot of channels because you haven't got the connections or pull. Yes, you can use social media but that's a lot of work and can be very time consuming. It also requires some knowledge of what you're doing or your chances of success are small. Yes it can be done but only if you willing to stick to it.
The problem for a writer, is doing it yourself means being taken away from the writing and perfecting your craft. Most people starting out are both writing and working at a day job. They have little time to spend on getting the word out or learning the 'ins and outs' of the web. Again that doesn't mean it can't be done but it helps to have friends, family or belong to a group that can bring their talents and knowledge together. A friend that's into social media can help spread the word. Another that knows websites can help with a blog.
Marketing takes man-hours and a minimum understanding of the channels you're working. It's part of what a publisher does. Self-publishers are starting from scratch. The chances of getting recognized by a publisher are small for beginners. Self-publishing gives people a chance to get noticed and succeed where they couldn't otherwise. But the odds that you'll make big money doing it are small.
The Deposed King:
--- Quote from: superpsycho on April 06, 2014, 06:35:57 PM ---Visibility is what marketing is all about, whether a storefront, self space or facebook. The difference is publishers will do it for you, while a self-publisher, either hires someone or they do it themselves. Automatically, as a self-publisher you don't have access to a lot of channels because you haven't got the connections or pull. Yes, you can use social media but that's a lot of work and can be very time consuming. It also requires some knowledge of what you're doing or your chances of success are small. Yes it can be done but only if you willing to stick to it.
The problem for a writer, is doing it yourself means being taken away from the writing and perfecting your craft. Most people starting out are both writing and working at a day job. They have little time to spend on getting the word out or learning the 'ins and outs' of the web. Again that doesn't mean it can't be done but it helps to have friends, family or belong to a group that can bring their talents and knowledge together. A friend that's into social media can help spread the word. Another that knows websites can help with a blog.
Marketing takes man-hours and a minimum understanding of the channels you're working. It's part of what a publisher does. Self-publishers are starting from scratch. The chances of getting recognized by a publisher are small for beginners. Self-publishing gives people a chance to get noticed and succeed where they couldn't otherwise. But the odds that you'll make big money doing it are small.
--- End quote ---
I'm perhaps biased. Having succeeded with the whole, if you build it they will come philosophy. Even if you start with a really campy cover. For me it only took a few months, with a decent enough book but one that was by no means without any number of editing flaws still in need of work, and I was organically generating a peak sales of 50 a day.
Now I'm sure that if you work facebook and the internet and all your advertising options you can hit it bigger than I did and a lot faster too. That said I still believe there is a way/chance to make it organically without great advertising skill in the self-publishing genre.
Sure its faster, quicker and possibly more certain you'll get your look, than if you throw yourself on the mercy of the amazon's organic search system. But even so....
Lets just say that my first book had all kind of errors upon release and no advertising or internet foot presence and still found its way to working author success.
The Deposed King
superpsycho:
--- Quote from: The Deposed King on April 07, 2014, 07:21:38 AM ---I'm perhaps biased. Having succeeded with the whole, if you build it they will come philosophy. Even if you start with a really campy cover. For me it only took a few months, with a decent enough book but one that was by no means without any number of editing flaws still in need of work, and I was organically generating a peak sales of 50 a day.
Now I'm sure that if you work facebook and the internet and all your advertising options you can hit it bigger than I did and a lot faster too. That said I still believe there is a way/chance to make it organically without great advertising skill in the self-publishing genre.
Sure its faster, quicker and possibly more certain you'll get your look, than if you throw yourself on the mercy of the amazon's organic search system. But even so....
Lets just say that my first book had all kind of errors upon release and no advertising or internet foot presence and still found its way to working author success.
The Deposed King
--- End quote ---
You're a decent story teller and with your brother's help, you've been able to get your work up to a level people enjoy reading. Even with the errors in the first book, the story was there and you continue to sharpen your skills. But I doubt if you're making a ton of money. People view success differently. To some any sales at all is a success. For others it's being able to pay the bills each month. If the majority of your reviews are positive, that can certainly be considered a success, it all depends on your expectations.
If a writer is prolific enough and can tell a decent story, they can make a good living doing nothing but book e-books. And there are a lot of traditional published writers who don't make big money either. However, I would guess that most e-book authors are hoping to be picked up by a publisher at some point.
As you know, I have a lot of respect for aspiring authors and do what I can to help and encourage them to succeed but I don't tell anyone it's easy. I think you'll agree that often the hardest part for many, is just getting a story finished.
Sully:
Conversely, The Deposed King, I know a couple somebodies who have several books on Kindle who haven't had much success at all, despite being definitely readable, and making an attempt at advertising.
superpsycho:
--- Quote from: Sully on April 12, 2014, 10:44:42 PM ---Conversely, The Deposed King, I know a couple somebodies who have several books on Kindle who haven't had much success at all, despite being definitely readable, and making an attempt at advertising.
--- End quote ---
There are variables. A book may be readable but compared to other books in the genre it doesn't standout or that market is saturated --more authors than readers.
It's the same with advertising, there's a lot of factors that go into marketing. It's just not a good ad but where it's placed. Just putting up a blog isn't enough, who have to know how to get search engines to the page.
One of the best ways to get a book on Amazon started, is make the first day free, so all your friends and family can get it. Then they can do reviews over the following week or two after the book's release. If the reviews make the book sound interesting, and the first people that buy it agree (and right more reviews) then it might pick up speed from there.
The author should pay attention to the reviews, good and bad. That way you're always improving and correcting the weak areas with each new book. Just readability often isn't enough. There has to be some emotion for the reader at the end of the book. The first, is that it was satisfying.
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