AuthorHouse / WordClay / Words of Belief / Author Solutions, Inc.

Re: 1stBooks Library-POD

First off...ANYONE who would pay to have their book published is not an author. If you pay, then you are on eht same level as a brain-damaged monkey with a box of crayolas and a stack of paper, because that's as good as your work is. Obviously, you have no respect for your work, so who gives a s*** if the quality is crappy. YOU shelled out the dough, YOU paid the price, YOU have no right to complain, you hypocrittical losers!

Sheesh Marky,

follow your own advice and read before you blast--I did not use publicist in the same sentence with POD.

And, when in another thread I suggested it to someone who had self published, well, think about it. If you had the money, just maybe someone in the publishing PR business may be able to get you some sales.

"The Christmas Box" comes to mind. It was self published then went traditional when sales merited. The author hired a publicist.

Also--as to being a monkey with a box of crayons--well, I have not self published, gone POD or vanity. My work is too good to do that to it. And i also understand that every EVERY writer needs an editor.

If you're going to bash someone, read their post carefully first. You may get further with your own work if you lose the chip on your shoulder.

Shawn

Re: 1stBooks Library-POD

dogpile - people do not ask to be disrespected, your statement is unwarranted. In any case, if one does not want to be disrespected, then one must not disrespect.

Re: Sheesh Marky,

The writers disrespect themselves by using the POD venues they do. When one has a publisher then they can talk about what worked. Arguing the Mark Twain self-publish cliche, (in which he went broke) isn't an option for most. The examples are a microscopic compared to the pile. And bashing, or what constitutes such, is in the mind of the beholder.

Re: 1stBooks Library-POD

Marky- even if one disrespects ones self, does not constitute disrespect from others.

We all are human beings, and if any peson that uses a pod to put their writings in a book format should not be disrespected.

Afterall, if ever the person does get actually published through the real deal publishers, then the person that conveyed themself as an "idiot" towards the self published is mandated by their own actions in return by the one that has now been unself published.

RE

That kind of circular logic may work in poetry but it doesn't fly very far in the rest of the business. Respect has to be earned. The POD pirates at PA and others earned what they got.

Re: POD Publicity

Spiritual Marketing
by Joe Vitale
Author is an Amazon.com Bestseller
...

How many of YOU have been an Amazon best seller? You may not be Joe Vitale, but if you published with a traditional publisher would it not be easier for you to make the best seller's list? He did it and his book is with 1stBooks Library. Strange hun? A POD book selling in large enough quantities to be an Amazon.com best seller. How is that possible? Maybe it's a good book.

-- ebookren, back on page 1 of this thread, 6/11/03



Spiritual Marketing is a specialized non-fiction title. I'm just guessing here, but my guess is that Joe Vitale sells them from the back of the hall when he gives talks on Marketing. That's a perfect niche for self-publishing.

And since Joe knows the value of publicity and marketing, when it comes time for him to reorder the books to sell from the back of the hall, he orders them from Amazon. Gets free shipping for orders over $25, sells them at full-cover price, takes the royalty from 1stBooks, and gets to call his book "A #1 Seller at Amazon." Which is worth it from his point of view. My guess again is that the points where Spiritual Marketing hit #1 and #3 were the months when Joe reordered. I'll further bet that the book was in those slots for a couple of hours at most.

Right now his book is around the half-million mark in Amazon Ranks. That just isn't believable as a pattern for books that are selling regularly. There should be a steady curve, not sudden peaks separated by wide valleys.

Re: Wrong answer

We as human beings should not need to earn respect in order to receive it.
People should and must respect each other freely so that humans and the human race can prosper on earth.

If people give respect, then people will get respect.
This is common courtesy among people. Just because people have an attitude, don't constitute that others should be disrespected.

It’s about getting along with other people regardless or race, color, national origin, or if one chooses to dislike or like red meat, or even self publish.

The brainwashing of societies as to think one needs to earn respect to get it, is a stepping stone that humans need to overcome in their life.

If I were to tell you that any person that did not complete a military boot camp, and did not serve their country, should not obtain the respect of the military- then you would think me insane. After all, if not for the military, publication in the USA would not be taken place; we would be run over by communists and dictators. i.e, no USA.

If I were to tell you that your GED will not get you in any college so that you may earn a 4 yr degree, you would think me insane; After all, the people that went to high school took the “Traditional” route to get their diploma, so only they get to go. So now let’s all disrespect the people that didn’t finish HS, and got the GED instead. Matter of fact if you don’t have a 4 yr degree you will have to earn my respect first by getting your 4 yr degree before you may even talk to me.

You see what I mean? This doesn’t work in society, and the disrespect has to stop. Why must people disrespect one another? Well, if you don’t know by now then you’re an idiot. See? Now if I disrespected you because of that feeling, I would be the idiot.

Re:

JD-
I have not read the book, but from what I read about it, it sucks. However, he did not buy his own books from Amazon. My understanding is that an Amazon account can only move the rank of a book one time when making an initial purchase of that item. Any other purchases of that same item after the first will have no effect on the ranking.

What JV did was the same that Jenna did. He promoted his book to be purchased on one day. He offered a free ebook to any person that purchased it on that particular day. He used his website, and his circle of friends to promote it. Usually, all one needs to get to the top 10 is fifty to one hundred sales in any given day.

Jenna offered many, many nice items. This is a sound and strategic strategy in becoming successful in the business of writing and selling books. If the book gets into the top 10, then many, many people will see it their and purchase it as well. Publishers will see it there and do reviews, ask for interviews, and possibly make an offer for a future publication.

With writers helping fellow writers to become successful, there surely is harmony and happiness within these threads. Wouldn’t it be cool if everyone here did the same for everyone here?

JD- If I got a bunch of people to buy one of your books on Amazon in one day and you made it to the top 10 how would you feel?
Well, if it happened to me, I know I would be extremely happy.

respect

It's not all relative in a competitive society. Judgements are made all the time. When you get out of the military you'll find that out. There's no protection for the incompetent and with this crowd in charge there's no compassion either. Respect in business and in humanity are two different things. The dumb don't move up, and many times neither do the wise.


Is that Joe Vitale the loud basketball announcer?

Amazon numbers

Tony, I've been in the top 100 on Amazon a couple of times. Maybe I was in the top 10 sometime when I wasn't looking -- I wouldn't know. That was without mobilizing the troops or offering bribes or calling in favors.

A one-time spike in Amazon sales doesn't help you. It's the long, slow, steady sales history that does you some good.

If as you say, 50 to 100 sales on one day get you into the top ten, what of it? That's a pretty pathetic number, especially if those are all the sales you see for the next six months.

re:

I used to spend a lot of time wondering what the Amazon sales rankings meant, but I've pretty much given up.

The first week my book came out, it was ranked something like 1 million. Then in one day it went up to 80,000. Then it went to 7,000 and stayed in that area for a day or so (which coincided with a conference my publisher was attending) and ever since then it has stayed at 50,000 - 90,000.


I know one self-published success story. John DeVito's The Devil's Apocrypha is self published fiction, and gets a steady stream of sales because a bunch of people have decided to form a new religion around the book's concept.:rollin

Re: Amazon numbers

Let's give some specific numbers. I called Ingram's line at (615) 213-6803 to see about Joe's sales. Here they are:

24NOV03

5 on hand
2 on order
0 on backorder
0 shipped this week
0 shipped last week
79 shipped this year
22 shipped last year

I checked my most recent title (written under a pseudonym, no marketing whatever done by the author, released 04NOV03 ... that is, a bit under three weeks ago).

1071 on hand
0 on order
0 on backorder
14 shipped this week
119 shipped last week
913 shipped this year
0 shipped last year

You see why I'm not entirely impressed?

Re: re:

Again, with personal facts in hand, the difference between real and fake publishing illustrated. It's not all relative; one is as good as the other and the ship will come in with enough hot air behind it and so on. It just flat isn't the same.

Re: Amazon numbers

No Marky, he's not that anouncer.

Yeah, I see JD.

Evidently that tactic didn't work out for JV because his book must be crap and self published.
However, Lets see how jenna's book is doing:

0 on hand
700 on order
7 on backorder
19 shipped this week
667 shipped last week
101 shipped this year
0 shipped last year

Since she has done that (Amazon Sale) she has been asked for interviews and book reviews.

Mine for giggles:
Soft cover

0 on hand
17 on order
6 on backorder
0 shipped this week
14 shipped last week
10 shipped this year
0 shipped last year

I think the Amazon Sale can help a legitimate book and its aurthor. Reviews and interviews are long term.

Re: Amazon numbers

How did y'all manage to get more shipped last week than were shipped this year?

Re: Amazon numbers

Good question, maybe i screwed up listening to the freakin' computer. (I have bad hearing)

I just rechecked mine, I got it right as I stated. Weird indeed.

Ingram numbers

Weird!

Re: Amazon numbers

Jenna has a reputable publisher. I've not checked, but wasn't it Lyons Press?

Re: Amazon numbers

Lyons puts out between 200 and 300 titles per year; it's a mid-size specialty publisher.

Guidelines are <a href="http://www.globepequot.com/globepequot/index.cfm?fuseaction=customer.author" target="_new">here</a>.

Re: Amazon numbers

Here's yet another article on what <a href="http://www.booksandtales.com/pod/salesrank.htm" target="_new">Amazon numbers</a> mean.

(Short version: not much.)

Re: Amazon numbers

Thanks James. I submitted to Lyons but haven't heard back yet. I remember them from the John Gierach fly-fishing chronicles.

Hi James

James Macdonald writes>>

I'm interested in the exact words, and exactly where you saw the "top selling" label.

Click to expand...

Hi James,
amazon.com advertised my book as a 'best seller' on a few occasions this year. I beleive 3 different dates which I do have copies of too.

A few other websites did the same too and have advertised my book as a 'best seller' and a 'top seller' on other dates.

I am travelling on the road for a few weeks though and do not have access to the dated copies of those webpages at this second. So, I won't be answering very fast for now.

I will be calling that number you gave me, later this week when I get a chance, and investigating the marketing tactics that are being used by the online book stores. As the two are obviously not matching up.

Thanks again for the info, James.

Re:

Tomorrow I’m mailing off my manuscript for the “Walt Whitman Award.”

I figure this will give me my first true book. Why else would anyone enter a contest unless they knew they were going to win?

I wonder how many manuscripts will be entered…..

Contest

If you know you're going to win, then it's no contest.