Secrets of Indie Success

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Thanks for all the helpful advice.

[davidwfleming]

And for extra trivia points who can name the book where "the media is the message" mantra first came from? The title escapes me and I feel this work may be exceptionally valid in the present context.

My belief is that our audience hangs out at Mobile Reads and at Goodreads amoung other places.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by davidwfleming

My belief is that our audience hangs out at Mobile Reads and at Goodreads amoung other places.

I believe the members of MR, Goodreads, TeleRead, etc, are a small segment of our "audience." Otherwise, just hanging out at these sites would make us all rich.

That's why we need to master promotion techniques that get out to the masses and beyond these sites.

[davidwfleming]

Originally Posted by richnettleton

You have to take your work to the community. Find out where your target audience is and ask them why they are not buying your work.

Ah, the elusive obvious. Perhaps this was the secret to indie success all along... I'll start right now on this thread:

ATTENTION ALL READERS AND WRITERS! What are your impressions of my Amazon Author page? Would it entice you to purchase an eBook? Any turn-offs?

Everything is up for critique: profile pic, bios, covers, ebook formating, product descriptions.

Let's get some insights into the mind of book buyers going on this thread, please. I'll enforce critique circle rules on myself. Meaning I won't respond to my critiquers other than to thank them or clarify a direct question. Here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/David-Wallace-...g/e/B0053TI9OC

[Lazer]

Originally Posted by davidwfleming

Ah, the elusive obvious. Perhaps this was the secret to indie success all along... I'll start right now on this thread:

ATTENTION ALL READERS AND WRITERS! What are your impressions of my Amazon Author page? Would it entice you to purchase an eBook? Any turn-offs?

Everything is up for critique: profile pic, bios, covers, ebook formating, product descriptions.

Let's get some insights into the mind of book buyers going on this thread, please. I'll enforce critique circle rules on myself. Meaning I won't respond to my critiquers other than to thank them or clarify a direct question. Here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/David-Wallace-...g/e/B0053TI9OC

David:

Well–I'm not your market! Now let me explain. Your photo on your page said who your were; youth (–I'm 60!). It took me to your books to see what they are about (young stuff and dating–remember, I'm an old fart–not into social media) and that's what an author page should do–define your market–I think. Having said that, does anyone get to your author page before they look at your books? I don't have the answer.

Now, if you've got something in there that you'd think an old fart like me might want to read, then your page missed something. (fiction? I like mysteries)

My first book is for a very limited market: Investigators, crime writers, and maybe a few CSI fans. Thoughts?
http://www.amazon.com/Tony-H.-Latham...r_dp_pel_pop_1

Critique mine too please–but don't let me hijack David's preemptive strike.

[davidwfleming]

This is the first time I've been asked to critique a nonfiction page but here goes. Overall, it seems like you're doing pretty well. My only critique is that I feel you have too much unbroken text in both your author profile and product descriptions. Honestly, I didn't read all of it.

I recommend adding more structure so that online browsers can skim just to the info they want. Perhaps I bulleted list in either of the two.

I like the photo for your cover. However, the current typography/color of the title blends in with the hair on the person's head and makes it a little difficult to see. You might experiment with different title typography in any future versions.

Other things to think about: is your Shelfari profile for this book filled out?

[Lazer]

Originally Posted by davidwfleming

This is the first time I've been asked to critique a nonfiction page but here goes. Overall, it seems like you're doing pretty well. My only critique is that I feel you have too much unbroken text in both your author profile and product descriptions. Honestly, I didn't read all of it.

I recommend adding more structure so that online browsers can skim just to the info they want. Perhaps I bulleted list in either of the two.

I like the photo for your cover. However, the current typography/color of the title blends in with the hair on the person's head and makes it a little difficult to see. You might experiment with different title typography in any future versions.

Other things to think about: is your Shelfari profile for this book filled out?

David:

Thanks for the look-see and write up. I certainly like your bullet idea.

TL

[altworld]

More sleep...

[orlok]

Don't want to hijack this thread, but I'm just curious. If you self pub and then sell (or give away free) your book via Amazon or any of the other sites, could you then at a later stage offer the book to a publishing house to distribute as a pBook, or have you blown it as far as exclusive rights etc. are concerned?

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by davidwfleming

Ah, the elusive obvious. Perhaps this was the secret to indie success all along... I'll start right now on this thread:

ATTENTION ALL READERS AND WRITERS! What are your impressions of my Amazon Author page? Would it entice you to purchase an eBook? Any turn-offs?

Everything is up for critique: profile pic, bios, covers, ebook formating, product descriptions.

Let's get some insights into the mind of book buyers going on this thread, please. I'll enforce critique circle rules on myself. Meaning I won't respond to my critiquers other than to thank them or clarify a direct question. Here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/David-Wallace-...g/e/B0053TI9OC

The photo puts me off, it's too smiley. Also, I don't care about what jobs you've had in the past, all I care about is what writing experience you have or what experience you have about what you write about. (If your books are about high jumping robots, ignore this).

I don't have one of those pages, but if I made one I would play up on my hooligan/unemployed past, and play down my degree in graphic design. It's about putting your target audience at ease, and the more like them you appear, the better.

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by orlok

Don't want to hijack this thread, but I'm just curious. If you self pub and then sell (or give away free) your book via Amazon or any of the other sites, could you then at a later stage offer the book to a publishing house to distribute as a pBook, or have you blown it as far as exclusive rights etc. are concerned?

You would be better off starting a new thread with that question, but quite a few writers have sold their rights to corporations after self publishing. What happens is they remove all the self published ones as soon as they sign the contract. So there will be at least a year where it is unavailable. Some corporations will also demand a non-compete clause, so you won't be able to self-publish any other titles either.

[latepaul]

Originally Posted by davidwfleming

ATTENTION ALL READERS AND WRITERS! What are your impressions of my Amazon Author page? Would it entice you to purchase an eBook? Any turn-offs?

Well first thing is about Author pages generally is that I mainly click on them as a way of finding out a list of books by an author. I'm not sure I'd happen upon it for an author I didn't already know. I'm more like to find a new author through a specific book recommendation (whether that's through a friend, a site like goodreads, "people who bought X also bought Y" etc).

That said, the main thing I want from your page is to know what your books are about. All I get by default is the titles, cover and the price. Is there any way to get a one-line summary in there?

So I click on the "more details" buttons. For "Growing Up Wired" I get a summary that starts "He decides to move into the fraternity house..." He? Who he? OK, so I can figure out it's a story about a student. Then interspersed in the text is the word (SPOILER) and what looks like a key plot detail. Clearly this summary ("Provided by Shelfari") is formatted for another system. But I'm not reading it on Shelfari I'm reading it on your Author page.

"Not from Concentrate" summary is bizzarre. It looks like a random list of tag words. Again presumably from another site where it makes sense in context. If I could be bothered I could probably glean something from it but I'm more likely to move past it.

"Modern Manhood" doesn't have a summary but quotes a customer review (did you choose that review or did it pick one for you?) which is useful as the reviewer has thoughtfully given us a one-liner description. Also worth noting is that this is a short piece. Nothing wrong with that but it's nice to know when a "book" is a pamphlet/essay/short story rather than a longer form. This is only apparent when the "more details" is expanded.

"With and Without Class" doesn't have a summary or a review. The only "more details" I get is the length (useful, see above) and its sales rank and I really couldn't care less about that. At the very best, even if I was influenced by a book being popular in its niche then I'd still want to know what it's about.

I don't know how much control you have over these things - especially whether you can get at least some of the "more details" info displayed by default but it's worth trying to find out.

HTH

[orlok]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

You would be better off starting a new thread with that question, but quite a few writers have sold their rights to corporations after self publishing. What happens is they remove all the self published ones as soon as they sign the contract. So there will be at least a year where it is unavailable. Some corporations will also demand a non-compete clause, so you won't be able to self-publish any other titles either.

Thanks, that's exactly what I wanted to know.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

I'll play: Here's my Amazon page:
http://www.amazon.com/Steven-Lyle-Jo...qid=1331731157

And while we're at it, my homepage:
http://www.RightBrane.com/StevenLyleJordan

All comments (not related to dentistry) are welcome.

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

I'll play: Here's my Amazon page:
http://www.amazon.com/Steven-Lyle-Jo...qid=1331731157

And while we're at it, my homepage:
http://www.RightBrane.com/StevenLyleJordan

All comments (not related to dentistry) are welcome.

The first paragraph is good, and will appeal to your target audience. But the second paragraph makes you sound like a hack writer. I think it's mainly the "banging them out on a smart phone" that's at fault here. Other writer types will understand what you mean by that, but readers will see it completely different.

As the Mirror Cracks looks interesting, I've downloaded a sample of that. It's also encouraging that you got away with using a superhero called Zenith when there's already one with the same name that's trademarked, that gives me hope for my Humpty Dumpty story.