Some of them may be listed at $2.99, but that doesn't mean they necessarily sell at that price.
Mostly, it's a gimmick to get borrows through Kindle Unlimited. That strategy may change now with the new payment system.
And here... we... go.
- Thread starter ASeiple
- Start date
Some of them may be listed at $2.99, but that doesn't mean they necessarily sell at that price.
Mostly, it's a gimmick to get borrows through Kindle Unlimited. That strategy may change now with the new payment system.
Oh my...
Got back home from work, to find that the short story I'd based this one on, which I'd originally posted on the Sufficient Velocity forum, won an award.
https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/posts/3990952/
Right.
Price is gonna be $2.99 tomorrow.
Shouldn't be any public domain issues... The original short is only a third or so of the full story, and editing and reviews have changed that part heavily anyway.
I won an award. My god. Excuse me, I gotta find the bragging forum.
Got back home from work, to find that the short story I'd based this one on, which I'd originally posted on the Sufficient Velocity forum, won an award.
https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/posts/3990952/
Right.
Price is gonna be $2.99 tomorrow.
Shouldn't be any public domain issues... The original short is only a third or so of the full story, and editing and reviews have changed that part heavily anyway.
I won an award. My god. Excuse me, I gotta find the bragging forum.
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- May 13, 2013
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- San Jose, CA
- Website
- www.rlkingwriting.com
Almost two weeks since "Thin Black Line" was released. With minimal fanfare and no advertising beyond a few strategic forum posts, I've managed to sell 25 copies. Most to close friends and family, probably, but the trickle overseas shows that some of my forum friends are buying, too.
Well, goal's achieved! I made enough for a movie ticket and more, within the two weeks I expected it to take. Everything else from here on is icing on the cake.
And once I finish up the short stories, and start putting them out there for .99 cents, my old reliable novella will be there as part of the bedrock. They'll be in Kindle Select, natch. A mixed approach seems the best way to go, with this little venture.
Most of the profits for the first couple are probably going to go toward a good cover for the first novel. Though if my usual artist curse strikes, I've got a simple idea ready for a fallback if I absolutely have to. Still, that's months off.
I think I'm going to try Createspace for this one. A lot of my friends want autographed print copies. I'd kinda like one myself, a little vain that way.
Well, goal's achieved! I made enough for a movie ticket and more, within the two weeks I expected it to take. Everything else from here on is icing on the cake.
And once I finish up the short stories, and start putting them out there for .99 cents, my old reliable novella will be there as part of the bedrock. They'll be in Kindle Select, natch. A mixed approach seems the best way to go, with this little venture.
Most of the profits for the first couple are probably going to go toward a good cover for the first novel. Though if my usual artist curse strikes, I've got a simple idea ready for a fallback if I absolutely have to. Still, that's months off.
I think I'm going to try Createspace for this one. A lot of my friends want autographed print copies. I'd kinda like one myself, a little vain that way.
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Haha, it's a trip. Don't ever get discouraged, compadre, just keep plugging and enjoy the ride.
And today I got my first review! Thin Black Line pulled 4 stars out on Amazon. I'm quite happy with that, and hope that the next few are that high or better...
And today I got my first review! Thin Black Line pulled 4 stars out on Amazon. I'm quite happy with that, and hope that the next few are that high or better...
It's easier the second time around.
One of my old friends came through with the cover art for my latest short story on Friday, and after an hour or two of fussing on Saturday, I put it up on Amazon Kindle.
This one's different. This one's the gateway. Another brick in the wall that is my supers setting. It's a good, solid little story, originally targeted for an anthology. But the company turned it down, so now it gets its own little release.
So it's in Kindle Select, and I'm burning three free days straight off the bat, to give it away.
My friends are spreading the word in social media, and it's already racked up about 40 downloads and a review. And best of all? I'm seeng a couple of sales on my first ebook... the plan is working! Muhahahahha!
So far, so good.
In a month or two, I should be ready to release the novel, assuming none of my outstanding queries pan out. (I don't expect them to. This one's weird.)
This one is going to require me to fuss around with Createspace. That'll be a whole new learning curve, but it'll be worth it to hand my parents a signed copy. It'll be more... real. I suppose.
Well.
We'll see how it goes.
One of my old friends came through with the cover art for my latest short story on Friday, and after an hour or two of fussing on Saturday, I put it up on Amazon Kindle.
This one's different. This one's the gateway. Another brick in the wall that is my supers setting. It's a good, solid little story, originally targeted for an anthology. But the company turned it down, so now it gets its own little release.
So it's in Kindle Select, and I'm burning three free days straight off the bat, to give it away.
My friends are spreading the word in social media, and it's already racked up about 40 downloads and a review. And best of all? I'm seeng a couple of sales on my first ebook... the plan is working! Muhahahahha!
So far, so good.
In a month or two, I should be ready to release the novel, assuming none of my outstanding queries pan out. (I don't expect them to. This one's weird.)
This one is going to require me to fuss around with Createspace. That'll be a whole new learning curve, but it'll be worth it to hand my parents a signed copy. It'll be more... real. I suppose.
Well.
We'll see how it goes.
Thanks, vicky!
I hope you get some good tips out of it. I'm doing some things the way I am because of my circumstances and situation. If I were approaching this as a total career shift rather than a slow and gradual cultivation of a new resource stream and skillset, then I'd do things differently.
I'll try to get more in depth with the pros and cons as I go. Right now it's all very new to me, though, and I don't know all the variables in play.
(That's one of the reasons I'm posting in this thread, actually. It's... hm... not quite a diary or a blog, but a record of my progress.)
I hope you get some good tips out of it. I'm doing some things the way I am because of my circumstances and situation. If I were approaching this as a total career shift rather than a slow and gradual cultivation of a new resource stream and skillset, then I'd do things differently.
I'll try to get more in depth with the pros and cons as I go. Right now it's all very new to me, though, and I don't know all the variables in play.
(That's one of the reasons I'm posting in this thread, actually. It's... hm... not quite a diary or a blog, but a record of my progress.)
One week later, I'm still blinking at the numbers.
Putting my li'l short story into Kindle Select was the right move. Giving it three free days, and notifying my various friend and social networks was even better!
(Edited to reflect the reports, and proper accounting for KENP)
169 free downloads, and about 13 copies sold.
And as predicted, some of the people who bought my short story, went out and bought my novella. Since its release, I've moved 40 copies total. About a third of the sales came after the short story's debut.
This is good.
I think... I think what I'm going to do is wrap up my novel, put it on there with Createspace, enter it into Kindle select, and hang onto those free days. But I'll put the novella in Kindle Select too, and have a free day for both short story and novella when the novel makes its debut.
After that, it's time to start working on short stories to keep building on my universe and ensure at least one release every 2 months, and longer books for release next year. The holidays will be a good time for that, plenty of time over the fall and winter to relax, kick back, and write.
I keep getting the niggling feeling I should look into buying ads and making a serious marketing push, but I think I should hold off on that until I have more money and more of a body of work available. At the very least, I should wait until my first royalty payment arrives.
Sweet Jegus. I'm gonna get royalty payments.
Still feels so unreal, when I stop to think about it...
Putting my li'l short story into Kindle Select was the right move. Giving it three free days, and notifying my various friend and social networks was even better!
(Edited to reflect the reports, and proper accounting for KENP)
169 free downloads, and about 13 copies sold.
And as predicted, some of the people who bought my short story, went out and bought my novella. Since its release, I've moved 40 copies total. About a third of the sales came after the short story's debut.
This is good.
I think... I think what I'm going to do is wrap up my novel, put it on there with Createspace, enter it into Kindle select, and hang onto those free days. But I'll put the novella in Kindle Select too, and have a free day for both short story and novella when the novel makes its debut.
After that, it's time to start working on short stories to keep building on my universe and ensure at least one release every 2 months, and longer books for release next year. The holidays will be a good time for that, plenty of time over the fall and winter to relax, kick back, and write.
I keep getting the niggling feeling I should look into buying ads and making a serious marketing push, but I think I should hold off on that until I have more money and more of a body of work available. At the very least, I should wait until my first royalty payment arrives.
Sweet Jegus. I'm gonna get royalty payments.
Still feels so unreal, when I stop to think about it...
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I'm with you here. As a reader, I don't understand why $1.99 would be the dead zone. To me, the number of pages dictates if I'm willing to shell out more money. And surely I'm not the only one (and you) thinking this. So why is that price point such a flop? Yeah, I know it's about the perceived worth, but as I said, for me number is pages determines the worth for me. I don't get it.*
*I will just add that I never did very well in economics...
Eh, well... In a world where the average Starbucks coffee wasn't about $3-4, I'd agree with you.
But it's all good. I just chalked the 1.99 dead zone down to an e-book quirk, and moved on.
But it's all good. I just chalked the 1.99 dead zone down to an e-book quirk, and moved on.
You've inspired me (in addition to reading raelwv's short) to write a short story that links into my novel, a good way to gear up the writing process again after release whilst fitting into the promotional strategy and getting another item out quickly. Really appreciate your updates on this side of things, as it's reading these diaries that is teaching me more than anything else really.
Have picked up Keep an Ace in the Hole on KU and looking forward to reading it
Have picked up Keep an Ace in the Hole on KU and looking forward to reading it
Thanks, Interfaced!
I'm glad it's helpful. Gods know I learned a lot from reading the other self-publishing logs on this forum. It's a really sweet little community we've got here, and if you're willing to listen to what people have to say, the benefits are measureable.
(I'd say immeasureable, but well, you can actually measure them. This is a good thing. )
And thanks for picking up the story! I hope you like it. I plan to return the favor, once I get a Kindle Unlimited subscription.
I'm glad it's helpful. Gods know I learned a lot from reading the other self-publishing logs on this forum. It's a really sweet little community we've got here, and if you're willing to listen to what people have to say, the benefits are measureable.
(I'd say immeasureable, but well, you can actually measure them. This is a good thing.
)And thanks for picking up the story! I hope you like it. I plan to return the favor, once I get a Kindle Unlimited subscription.
Still alive. My volunteer editor finished the first pass on the novel, and the cover art is coming along. I've got some serious rewrites to make, but before that happens, I've got lots of little mistakes to fix.
After that's done, and the rewrites are started, it'll be time to start seriously looking at Createspace. And time for the big decision... Buy my own ISBN, or go without?
I'm leaning toward purchasing the ISBN. I was hoping that royalties from the other two e-books would cover it, but my estimated profits to date are between $50-60. I don't see them stretching into the hundreds by the time I'm ready to publish.
(I also don't expect word back from that last publisher I queried, but I'm waiting to give them time to judge. There's that .05% chance that I don't have to pony up for an ISBN or do the extra work, so I might as well wait a couple more weeks to be fair...)
So. I turn to you, dear friends of AW...
Anyone got any thoughts or good threads to share about ISBN's and Createspace?
After that's done, and the rewrites are started, it'll be time to start seriously looking at Createspace. And time for the big decision... Buy my own ISBN, or go without?
I'm leaning toward purchasing the ISBN. I was hoping that royalties from the other two e-books would cover it, but my estimated profits to date are between $50-60. I don't see them stretching into the hundreds by the time I'm ready to publish.
(I also don't expect word back from that last publisher I queried, but I'm waiting to give them time to judge. There's that .05% chance that I don't have to pony up for an ISBN or do the extra work, so I might as well wait a couple more weeks to be fair...)
So. I turn to you, dear friends of AW...
Anyone got any thoughts or good threads to share about ISBN's and Createspace?
It depends on what you want to achieve with the print edition, I guess. I've been perfectly happy using a Createspace-assigned ISBN but under my publishing imprint. They used to call this a "custom ISBN" but I don't know if that's changed.
Is that the custom ISBN that runs you about $99 or so?
Yeah. I got to thinking about that. I definitely plan to publish more novels, so shelling out $100 a manuscript seems pricey.
But if I go and buy the ISBN's at 10 for $300, I'm going to profit in the long-run. 10 ISBN's should last me a while, if I only use them for novels. My line of logic there says I might get picked up by a publisher long before those 10 run out. And if I don't, then if I get 10 novels in print and e-book form, I'll have made back the $300 by then.
I think. Uh, you don't have to tie them to a book right away, right? Once you buy an ISBN, you can hang onto it for a while, yes?
Yeah. I got to thinking about that. I definitely plan to publish more novels, so shelling out $100 a manuscript seems pricey.
But if I go and buy the ISBN's at 10 for $300, I'm going to profit in the long-run. 10 ISBN's should last me a while, if I only use them for novels. My line of logic there says I might get picked up by a publisher long before those 10 run out. And if I don't, then if I get 10 novels in print and e-book form, I'll have made back the $300 by then.
I think. Uh, you don't have to tie them to a book right away, right? Once you buy an ISBN, you can hang onto it for a while, yes?
Buying 10 is a much better deal, but I guess the question is why even pay $30 instead of using one CreateSpace will supply for free?
For 99% of self-pub books, I don't see the need for a paid one. (And, when I don't see a clearly articulated reason why an author is choosing to buy ISBNs, I assume they're in the 99% group and going by 2005 reasoning that it's just what you do.)
For 99% of self-pub books, I don't see the need for a paid one. (And, when I don't see a clearly articulated reason why an author is choosing to buy ISBNs, I assume they're in the 99% group and going by 2005 reasoning that it's just what you do.)
Great thread! I was hoping for an update when I went to page two. About the ISBN- I just use the free one at CreateSpace. It seems to work great. Is there something specific you are worried about by doing that?
Mmm... Not so much worried, as trying to be prepared.
See, I'm a big fan of little effort. That is, achieving good opportunity and effect, with small things done early on. I'm also preparing for eventual success.
As I read on a user forum...
"CreateSpace offers a $10 Custom ISBN, and you can use whatever name you want for the imprint. If you use that, CreateSpace will distribute your book to bookstores. They will not distribute it to libraries and academic institutions. This Custom ISBN is a ton cheaper than the Bowker price for a single ISBN."
"CreateSpace $99 Custom Universal ISBN. I'm not clear on the benefits and limitations of this one. It looks like it has all the benefits of an ISBN you obtain from a registrar, but at a slight discount from Bowker's single-ISBN price. I'm not confident that I understand this option fully."
"If you use your own ISBN (as I do), you can put your own imprint on the book. CreateSpace will handle the distribution through the channels you choose (with some limits), and will print the books for those channels. You can distribute the book yourself through other channels, and you can get them printed wherever you like (CreateSpace or elsewhere)."
I'm with Amazon NOW, but I might not be FOREVER. Eventually if I get deeper into the self-publishing, I'll probably find a printer that won't cost so much. I might want to jump ship over there for printed copies.
If I have an Amazon ISBN when I jump ship, then I'll have to release a new edition. If it's my own ISBN, then I can just take it wholesale and slap it over.
Also, there's that bit about libraries to consider. I freaking LOVE libraries, used to work at one back in high school and college. I would get such a big kick out of seeing my work available in the local libraries... And more importantly, my parents would, too. It wouldn't be a very profitable market, not to start, not for years, but I want to set things up so that I can tap it early on without having to scramble and put effort into it later.
So yeah. The $10 custom ISBN would be the way to go, save for the library vector. Put that into the mix, and it's either the $99 custom option, or provide your own. And when you can get 10 for $300, and plan more books down the road... Well, it blows the $99 option out of the water.
IF it works like I think it does, and I don't have to tie them to titles right away. Need to research that.
It was $10 when I purchased it, IIRC.
Edit: And I wouldn't let the lack of library listings sway you very much--very few libraries will purchase self-published books in my experience, unless you get a review in Library Journal.
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Their are some minor benefits to portability. But some people tend to have an exaggerated understanding. For example, if you leave CreateSpace for another printer, it's not uncommon to want to make other changes, perhaps trim size, or cover, or front/back matter, or text update at the same time. (It's not often that people drop the exact same files on the new printer months or years down the road.) And that means new ISBN anyway because the ISBN refers to a particular edition of the book. If you went with Bowker, you're now paying them for two ISBNs. So for most it's preferable to save their money until this unlikely situation comes to pass. And, worst case, changing ISBNs at that time isn't really any more work than getting a Bowker ISBN up front. It's just when you do it.
There is a very real situation for someone simultaneously using CreateSpace to print for Amazon, and IngramSpark/LightningSource to print for other vendors, and using the same files for both. It's a rare case, but an understandable one where you'd want both to have the same ISBN for clarity.
And there's a very real situation for someone who plans to venture into direct sales either to bookstores (like trade pub sales staff do) or direct to customers. It makes sense to want a portable ISBN in this case because the CreateSpace one is with the understanding CS is going to be doing the sales. This tends to affect non-fiction self-pubbers more than fiction self-pubbers but it's a clear-cut case of need rather than desire if it's your situation.
The library stuff is harder to find verifiable facts on. But it sounds like nonsense to me on the surface. There's truth that pretty much no library or bookstore will stock self-published books but this is true regardless of whether it's got a CreateSpace or Bowker ISBN. And it's true there is some additional lingering bias among individual retailers about stocking a book printed by CreateSpace/Amazon. But there are plenty of anecdotal reports from authors about getting their books in both libraries and bookstores with their CreateSpace ISBNs. There are also anecdotal reports that using a Bowker ISBN actually LIMITS your library options when published through CreateSpace specifically. (I'm not sure how much stock I put into these accounts, but the story goes something like this: CreateSpace as a pseudo-publisher has a relationship with Baker-Taylor which results in everything with a CS ISBN getting listed in this catalog where books with a Bowker ISBN do not benefit from this relationship and the self-pubber must create their own publishing relationship with B-T to get listed. A potentially daunting task for most self-publishers. This resulted in the author(s) switching to a CS ISBN so their local library could find it in B-T and order. This sounds weird to me--my expectation would be no difference either way, so take it with a grain of salt and do more research if you're on the fence either way.)
There is a very real situation for someone simultaneously using CreateSpace to print for Amazon, and IngramSpark/LightningSource to print for other vendors, and using the same files for both. It's a rare case, but an understandable one where you'd want both to have the same ISBN for clarity.
And there's a very real situation for someone who plans to venture into direct sales either to bookstores (like trade pub sales staff do) or direct to customers. It makes sense to want a portable ISBN in this case because the CreateSpace one is with the understanding CS is going to be doing the sales. This tends to affect non-fiction self-pubbers more than fiction self-pubbers but it's a clear-cut case of need rather than desire if it's your situation.
The library stuff is harder to find verifiable facts on. But it sounds like nonsense to me on the surface. There's truth that pretty much no library or bookstore will stock self-published books but this is true regardless of whether it's got a CreateSpace or Bowker ISBN. And it's true there is some additional lingering bias among individual retailers about stocking a book printed by CreateSpace/Amazon. But there are plenty of anecdotal reports from authors about getting their books in both libraries and bookstores with their CreateSpace ISBNs. There are also anecdotal reports that using a Bowker ISBN actually LIMITS your library options when published through CreateSpace specifically. (I'm not sure how much stock I put into these accounts, but the story goes something like this: CreateSpace as a pseudo-publisher has a relationship with Baker-Taylor which results in everything with a CS ISBN getting listed in this catalog where books with a Bowker ISBN do not benefit from this relationship and the self-pubber must create their own publishing relationship with B-T to get listed. A potentially daunting task for most self-publishers. This resulted in the author(s) switching to a CS ISBN so their local library could find it in B-T and order. This sounds weird to me--my expectation would be no difference either way, so take it with a grain of salt and do more research if you're on the fence either way.)
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See, this is the sort of thing that helps me immensely!
These anecdotes are about what I was looking for. I've been trying to nerve myself up for the $300 plunge, but if I can accomplish the same thing for about $10, then I'll happily go that route.
Still, I've got a little while before it's GO time. Research will continue...
These anecdotes are about what I was looking for. I've been trying to nerve myself up for the $300 plunge, but if I can accomplish the same thing for about $10, then I'll happily go that route.
Still, I've got a little while before it's GO time. Research will continue...