Pulled the Trigger on ‘Impressive Bravado’

I got to thinking (Danger! Danger!) that while I had ‘Impressive Bravado free on Smashwords until the end of May – it would take a very long time for B&N’s Pubit site to process the file.

I’ve been hearing horror stories. Days, weeks and even a month of processing time until the story would be on sale.

So – I thought – why not post it today?

The story peaked 3 days after I posted it to Smashwords. The hits have trailed off to nothing as of today – 10 days later. A $.99 price tag isn’t that much to ask – the story is funny enough. Sooo why not give it a shot?

I can’t lose anything on this one – and who knows – I might sell another book or two.

Meanwhile it’s still free on Smashwords for a couple more days. I’m not messing with the Smashwords edition – I’m not putting up an Amazon edition until the sale is over.

There – I’ve done something positive.

Do E-books Have Lifespans?

This is a serious question since my 1st release seems to have hit the end of it’s life…or I have found the true depth of my platform as a writer.

This isn’t a whine – I’m thinking with my fingers.

Reviews, new covers, ads on Nookboards, participation in more forums than I can name off hand. Hand selling to friends and aquaintences, promotion, $.99 pricing, $3.25 pricing, changes to the cover, Goodreads, Library Thing – I’ve done everything I can think to do.

It’s been more than 60 days since my last sale. There are 150 odd samples out – that I know of – yet the book is stalled.

Is the problem that the book sold cheap and was snapped up by book hoarders who have hundreds or thousands of titles on their e-readers? Possibly – most likely is the book has hit the saturation point for my little bitty niche.

My regret is the bottoming out on the ratings charts for Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The book has vanished, never to return. Both sites ‘also bought’ feature shows free and $.99 books – Nookbook click-through rate is 11% – though this may pick up after 3 months.

Realistically, what are my options? Drop the price? It didn’t help the last time, or the time before – the book sold the best at $3.25 it died as a $.99 book (for 8 weeks.) The ad may revive it – miracles can happen.

What I need is a plan.

There is a short story I wrote a long time ago. I think that I can use it as a ‘loss leader’ to market my writing. The story itself need some polishing. But I know where I can market it.

So – I’m back to work on something short – to refresh my imagination that has gone stagnant. Keep an eye out for more.

The Militant Writer Blogs Again

A mere two years after her landmark blog post “The Talent Killers” Mary W. Walters is serving up a look at the brave new world that Indie publishing has become.

As a merely interested bystander in those days – I was horrified at the vitrol heaped upon someone who dared to tell the truth. The flame fest went on for weeks!

It was then I decided to do something different – I didn’t know what – or how – but I didn’t want to do business with the sneering ‘gatekeepers’ and those who toadied to them. I started to research my findings and blogged about them until I took the plunge myself.

Since then – the face of publishing has changed more than anyone has ever dreamed. It’s something out of an agent’s worst nightmare! The flood of ‘slush’ the agents so distained has turned into a gold rush for the cream of the crop. It is the reader who decides what they want to read – and genre long ‘dead’ or ‘blacklisted’ have sprung to life – without the blessing of the gatekeepers.

Rumors fly about agencies combing the Kindle Store to find clients because they aren’t getting first dibs on a huge slice of the e-book pie. Famous agents have gone part time or out of business completely. Millions of dollars has been made by a young woman with some good stories that were rejected by the ‘establishment’ of publishing.

I shouldn’t crow – but I can’t help it.

(an essay in five pieces) I. There are a lot of chickens running around these days trying to convince us that the literary sky is falling—and that if we don’t somehow find a way to slow or at least manage the digitization of book publishing, good writing is going to disappear forever. Well, guess what, kids and pundits? You can stop reading (and writing) those articles, and you can also stop debating the issue: the traditional world of books has … Read More

via The Militant Writer