Secrets of Indie Success - Page 13

davidwfleming · 05-12-2012, 12:56 PM

Vydorscope, to be perfectly honest, I never read the rules.

But you aroused my curiosity and so I did just now. I don't think I'm in violation because my posts are just my content. They seek to entertain or inform. They are not solicitations to buy anything. I think in social media, being too much about yourself is just frowned upon, not verboten. Anyways, I'll post the link to the rules here for everyone to read and interpret.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/community-rules/

davidwfleming · 05-16-2012, 06:09 PM

All writing is subjective. But what does the word "subjective" mean? To me it means that the interpretation of the message is dependent on the context. Or, for all you NLP nerds, the reference frame.

Social proof from social media in the form of 'tweet, facebook, follower, like' counters form a positive reference frame in an over-saturated fiction market.

This is partly why I said earlier in this forum that I think indie publishing should be done in "layers". You publish your stuff for a while, then you try to drum up some "social proof". Then you write some more. Then you try to develop some more "social proof".

And, the cool thing about layers is that as you move up through those layers, the nature of the game being played changes. i.e. a Twitter user with 40 followers doesn't have the same experience as one with 4000. Life isn't fair. But once this fact is accepted, it can be used advantageously.

Steven Lyle Jordan · 05-17-2012, 10:36 AM

Who do I have to f@&# to get 40 followers on Twitter? Just askin'. Actually, I'd probably be a lot happier doing that than writing and using Twitter to sell the books...

mr ploppy · 05-17-2012, 01:16 PM

I was hoping getting one of my books banned by Barnes & Noble would sell a few extra copies, but it sort of got lost in all the fuss over the zombie publisher guy.

orlok · 05-17-2012, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

I was hoping getting one of my books banned by Barnes & Noble would sell a few extra copies, but it sort of got lost in all the fuss over the zombie publisher guy.

Care to explain why you got banned?

mr ploppy · 05-17-2012, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orlok

Care to explain why you got banned?

They said inappropriate content.

teh603 · 05-17-2012, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

Who do I have to f@&# to get 40 followers on Twitter? Just askin'. Actually, I'd probably be a lot happier doing that than writing and using Twitter to sell the books...

Thought about getting some QR code business cards made? The name of the book and QR code on the front, short blurb on the back?

orlok · 05-17-2012, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

They said inappropriate content.

Think I'll have to try some of your stuff

. Was it just the one story, or everything?

mr ploppy · 05-18-2012, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orlok

Think I'll have to try some of your stuff

. Was it just the one story, or everything?

Just the one story (ACAB) and the short story collection it was in. But those were my gateway drugs for everything else.

Steven Lyle Jordan · 05-18-2012, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teh603

Thought about getting some QR code business cards made? The name of the book and QR code on the front, short blurb on the back?

Yes (though I might have a time picking which books to put on the card), but I'm not doing that unless I know of a place where I can drop them off AND be assured that the crowd is truly interested. Otherwise, I've just committed second-hand littering, like the promo cards I see on the sidewalks all over town (I don't know about you, but I HATE when people indiscriminately stick cards and menus on my car when it's parked in a lot... they get left behind). Maybe the next SF convention.

kennyc · 05-18-2012, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

Yes (though I might have a time picking which books to put on the card), but I'm not doing that unless I know of a place where I can drop them off AND be assured that the crowd is truly interested. Otherwise, I've just committed second-hand littering, like the promo cards I see on the sidewalks all over town (I don't know about you, but I HATE when people indiscriminately stick cards and menus on my car when it's parked in a lot... they get left behind). Maybe the next SF convention.

Yes, that makes me crazy when they litter the parking lots like that!

I think the convention promotion thing is a great idea Steve.

Steven Lyle Jordan · 05-18-2012, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennyc

Yes, that makes me crazy when they litter the parking lots like that!

I think the convention promotion thing is a great idea Steve.

Well, it's about the only thing I've got left. But so much depends on creating a card people will pull out of their goodie bags (or off the promo tables), stop and read, and click through. That can be tough, people are so hardened against advertising of any kind.

kennyc · 05-18-2012, 10:41 AM

The additional thing would be to get on panels at the convention .. try to arrange a signing if that's a possibility... etc. any way to get the word out.

Steven Lyle Jordan · 05-18-2012, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennyc

The additional thing would be to get on panels at the convention .. try to arrange a signing if that's a possibility... etc. any way to get the word out.

That's the thing: I rarely have the opportunity to go to conventions (drat those day jobs!), so I can only arrange to have something added to people's goodie bags or freebie tables. Besides, I've already glommed onto the fact that no one wants to hear me talk!

David Munch · 05-18-2012, 04:33 PM

I'm curious; Have any of you seen an increase in sales of your stand alone ebooks, after you've published a series?

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05-12-2012, 12:56 PM	#181
davidwfleming Ebook Dude Posts: 88 Karma: 5183884 Join Date: Feb 2012 Device: Kindle	Vydorscope, to be perfectly honest, I never read the rules. But you aroused my curiosity and so I did just now. I don't think I'm in violation because my posts are just my content. They seek to entertain or inform. They are not solicitations to buy anything. I think in social media, being too much about yourself is just frowned upon, not verboten. Anyways, I'll post the link to the rules here for everyone to read and interpret. http://www.stumbleupon.com/community-rules/

05-16-2012, 06:09 PM	#182
davidwfleming Ebook Dude Posts: 88 Karma: 5183884 Join Date: Feb 2012 Device: Kindle	All writing is subjective. But what does the word "subjective" mean? To me it means that the interpretation of the message is dependent on the context. Or, for all you NLP nerds, the reference frame. Social proof from social media in the form of 'tweet, facebook, follower, like' counters form a positive reference frame in an over-saturated fiction market. This is partly why I said earlier in this forum that I think indie publishing should be done in "layers". You publish your stuff for a while, then you try to drum up some "social proof". Then you write some more. Then you try to develop some more "social proof". And, the cool thing about layers is that as you move up through those layers, the nature of the game being played changes. i.e. a Twitter user with 40 followers doesn't have the same experience as one with 4000. Life isn't fair. But once this fact is accepted, it can be used advantageously.

05-17-2012, 10:36 AM	#183
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	Who do I have to f@&# to get 40 followers on Twitter? Just askin'. Actually, I'd probably be a lot happier doing that than writing and using Twitter to sell the books...

05-17-2012, 01:16 PM	#184
mr ploppy Feral Underclass Posts: 3,622 Karma: 26821535 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Yorkshire, tha noz Device: 2nd hand paperback	I was hoping getting one of my books banned by Barnes & Noble would sell a few extra copies, but it sort of got lost in all the fuss over the zombie publisher guy.

05-18-2012, 10:41 AM	#193
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,872 Karma: 118716293 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	The additional thing would be to get on panels at the convention .. try to arrange a signing if that's a possibility... etc. any way to get the word out.

05-18-2012, 04:33 PM	#195
David Munch Scholar Posts: 1,008 Karma: 3999312 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Denmark Device: Kobo Libra H2O + iPad Air 4	I'm curious; Have any of you seen an increase in sales of your stand alone ebooks, after you've published a series?