Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book General > Writers' Corner

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 06-26-2012, 04:30 PM   #16
Steven Lyle Jordan
Grand Sorcerer
Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Steven Lyle Jordan's Avatar
 
Posts: 8,478
Karma: 5171130
Join Date: Jan 2006
Device: none
Quote:
Originally Posted by ScalyFreak View Post
More likely a standard search feature or tag cloud function on the torrent site where that reader found the book
Ah, torrent fairies, then. I shoot those on sight.
Steven Lyle Jordan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-26-2012, 04:32 PM   #17
kennyc
The Dank Side of the Moon
kennyc ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kennyc ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kennyc ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kennyc ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kennyc ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kennyc ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kennyc ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kennyc ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kennyc ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kennyc ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.kennyc ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
kennyc's Avatar
 
Posts: 35,872
Karma: 118716293
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Denver, CO
Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire
Laser or Sonic Screwdriver?
kennyc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-26-2012, 04:37 PM   #18
ApK
Award-Winning Participant
ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 7,310
Karma: 67564074
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: NJ, USA
Device: Kindle
Quote:
Originally Posted by kennyc View Post
Laser or Sonic Screwdriver?
Boomstick.
ApK is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-26-2012, 04:38 PM   #19
Steven Lyle Jordan
Grand Sorcerer
Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Steven Lyle Jordan's Avatar
 
Posts: 8,478
Karma: 5171130
Join Date: Jan 2006
Device: none
Quote:
Originally Posted by ApK View Post
Boomstick.
That's right. Shop smart. Shop S-Mart.
Steven Lyle Jordan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-26-2012, 04:47 PM   #20
ScalyFreak
Sith Wannabe
ScalyFreak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ScalyFreak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ScalyFreak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ScalyFreak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ScalyFreak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ScalyFreak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ScalyFreak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ScalyFreak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ScalyFreak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ScalyFreak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ScalyFreak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
ScalyFreak's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,034
Karma: 8017430
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: I'm not sure... it's kind of dark.
Device: Galaxy Note 4, Kobo Aura H2O, Kindle Fire HD, Aluratek Libre
Quote:
Originally Posted by ApK View Post
Would not a similar search on a legitimate book store site yield similar results?
Probably, but I assumed it would be harder to get the book free there.
ScalyFreak is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-26-2012, 06:21 PM   #21
mr ploppy
Feral Underclass
mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
mr ploppy's Avatar
 
Posts: 3,622
Karma: 26821535
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Yorkshire, tha noz
Device: 2nd hand paperback
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan View Post
And how would that have happened, exactly? Is an ebook fairy involved?
Well in your case, it happened because you put them on your website for free and someone bundled them up with thousands of other scifi books they'd acquired from somewhere and then put them all on a pirate site.
mr ploppy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-26-2012, 08:13 PM   #22
VydorScope
Wizard
VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
VydorScope's Avatar
 
Posts: 3,418
Karma: 35207650
Join Date: Jun 2011
Device: iPad
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan View Post
And how would that have happened, exactly? Is an ebook fairy involved?
I am not defending this practice, but I know many people to use torrent and other sites to sample things before they buy them. They would in this case read your book, and if they like it buy it (or send you money directly), and if not delete it. The people that do this do it with anything can can be distributed via a torrent: Software, movies, music, and etc. This is more common then you would think.
VydorScope is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-26-2012, 08:32 PM   #23
Steven Lyle Jordan
Grand Sorcerer
Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Steven Lyle Jordan's Avatar
 
Posts: 8,478
Karma: 5171130
Join Date: Jan 2006
Device: none
Quote:
Originally Posted by VydorScope View Post
I am not defending this practice, but I know many people to use torrent and other sites to sample things before they buy them. They would in this case read your book, and if they like it buy it (or send you money directly), and if not delete it. The people that do this do it with anything can can be distributed via a torrent: Software, movies, music, and etc. This is more common then you would think.
It may be common, but I don't consider it right or honest; and I'd bet my house that the number of entertainment products that are enjoyed and NOT paid for would fill the Atlantic. I don't condone it, nor do I think much of anyone who does it.
Steven Lyle Jordan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-26-2012, 08:38 PM   #24
Steven Lyle Jordan
Grand Sorcerer
Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Steven Lyle Jordan's Avatar
 
Posts: 8,478
Karma: 5171130
Join Date: Jan 2006
Device: none
Quote:
Originally Posted by mr ploppy View Post
Well in your case, it happened because you put them on your website for free and someone bundled them up with thousands of other scifi books they'd acquired from somewhere and then put them all on a pirate site.
I'm not talking about free samples; obviously I don't mind people downloading free material. We're talking about products people are intended to pay for, and you know it.
Steven Lyle Jordan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-26-2012, 11:32 PM   #25
hrosvit
Moron
hrosvit ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hrosvit ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hrosvit ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hrosvit ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hrosvit ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hrosvit ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hrosvit ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hrosvit ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hrosvit ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hrosvit ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hrosvit ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
hrosvit's Avatar
 
Posts: 333
Karma: 3113890
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Southwest PA
Device: iPad 3, Galaxy Note 2, Nook ST
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan View Post
That's right. Shop smart. Shop S-Mart.
Gimme some sugar, Baby.
hrosvit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-27-2012, 05:04 AM   #26
mr ploppy
Feral Underclass
mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
mr ploppy's Avatar
 
Posts: 3,622
Karma: 26821535
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Yorkshire, tha noz
Device: 2nd hand paperback
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan View Post
I'm not talking about free samples; obviously I don't mind people downloading free material. We're talking about products people are intended to pay for, and you know it.
Until you get famous enough for people to search for your ebooks by name it's not worth stressing out over. Anyone who chances over it by accident while looking for something else was never going to buy it anyway.
mr ploppy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-27-2012, 07:00 AM   #27
VydorScope
Wizard
VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.VydorScope ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
VydorScope's Avatar
 
Posts: 3,418
Karma: 35207650
Join Date: Jun 2011
Device: iPad
Mark Cook (that his name, right? ) said it best when he said that piracy was not the biggest problem for the independent author, it was anonymity. I think there is a lot of truth in that.
VydorScope is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-27-2012, 07:55 AM   #28
ApK
Award-Winning Participant
ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.ApK ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 7,310
Karma: 67564074
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: NJ, USA
Device: Kindle
Quote:
Originally Posted by mr ploppy View Post
Until you get famous enough for people to search for your ebooks by name it's not worth stressing out over. Anyone who chances over it by accident while looking for something else was never going to buy it anyway.
Really? You've never tried a new author without stealing from him first?

I've paid (small amounts) to several names I'd never heard of but for stumbling over them on the web, including Steve, for that matter.
ApK is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-27-2012, 08:32 AM   #29
Steven Lyle Jordan
Grand Sorcerer
Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Steven Lyle Jordan ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Steven Lyle Jordan's Avatar
 
Posts: 8,478
Karma: 5171130
Join Date: Jan 2006
Device: none
Quote:
Originally Posted by VydorScope View Post
Mark Cook (that his name, right? ) said it best when he said that piracy was not the biggest problem for the independent author, it was anonymity. I think there is a lot of truth in that.
Ha! That's gotta be the fourth person I've heard that quote attributed to... maybe you're thinking of Smashwords' Mark Coker?

Quote:
Originally Posted by ApK View Post
Really? You've never tried a new author without stealing from him first?

I've paid (small amounts) to several names I'd never heard of but for stumbling over them on the web, including Steve, for that matter.
As have I... and without stealing them first. I've found most of my independent author reads by word of mouth, though that method has not served me well at all (despite offering my ebooks in all the ways readers like 'em). Good reviews and ratings likewise haven't driven sales.

To an extent, I can blame the subject matter (serious science fiction is being heavily overshadowed by Star Wars-type space battle sci-fi, and all SF is being overshadowed by romance and urban fantasy) and the prevailing publisher-driven attitude (to wit: Indie authors suck), as well as the above-mentioned lack of word of mouth from satisfied readers to their friends... but let's face it, all that blaming only goes so far.

Sooner or later, a carpenter who's good at making chairs looks around his shop, sees a roomful of unsold chairs... and realizes it's time to stop making chairs. That's not to say he has to give up on chair-making; but he needs to stop and figure out how to sell the chairs he's got first. Once that problem is solved, he can go back to making new chairs... or find something else to make.

This is where I am right now (and have been for about 2 years now): Trying to figure out how to sell the stories I've already written, before I write any more. Whether or not I'll write another novel is fully dependent on my success in marketing myself.

And getting back to the OP, I think this is something every writer should consider when deciding if this field is right for them. In hindsight, I should probably have never started writing, since I've never been a good self-promoter, nor do I have a horde of friends to support me and my work. I wish someone had explained it to me, so I might have gone into some more worthwhile activity and spared myself the hassle of writing.
Steven Lyle Jordan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-27-2012, 10:36 AM   #30
mr ploppy
Feral Underclass
mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mr ploppy ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
mr ploppy's Avatar
 
Posts: 3,622
Karma: 26821535
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Yorkshire, tha noz
Device: 2nd hand paperback
Quote:
Originally Posted by ApK View Post
Really? You've never tried a new author without stealing from him first?
If stealing includes library and second hand purchases, I would struggle to think of anyone in my entire life, to be honest. These days, most of my new-writer reading is from people giving them away on Amazon, and most of those get discarded long before I reach what would have been the end of the sample anyway.

Too much to read, not enough time to read it in for anything else. That, I think, is the main problem for anyone new trying to sell books, assuming they can string a coherent sentence together. Everyone already has more books than they will ever read.
mr ploppy is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Losing Wedding Ring Less Stressful Than Losing Mobile Device xg4bx General Discussions 41 07-04-2012 07:16 AM
Confidence in Books staying inthe Cloud ??? TheSFReader Self-Promotions by Authors and Publishers 5 12-23-2010 01:40 PM
Other Fiction James, Henry: Confidence, v.1, 27 Jan 2008. Patricia IMP Books 0 01-26-2008 10:36 PM
Other Fiction James, Henry: Confidence, v.1, 27 Jan 2008. Patricia BBeB/LRF Books 0 01-26-2008 10:29 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:43 AM.


MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.