How to attract readers

[mitrodhar]

Originally Posted by CRussel

My interest in freebies is WAY down -- too many of them are just awful. I'm not talking here about PD books or the first in a well established series given away as an enticement. Many of those have proven to be fine. And I'm still enjoying and reading a lot of KU books. But really, my overall book buying is way down the last couple of months. I've been reading my TBR, and doing some re-reads of favourite series. Both have contributed to a much better purchase record.

That is depressing. A lot of gurus out there still preach newbies to giveaway ebooks for free, especially the first in the series. I wonder if that is a viable method anymore?

[mitrodhar]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

My freebie downloads are down, but my purchases are up a bit.
I am still cheap but free has lost its appeal unless I know the author is good.
Though I did get burned on one of the last books I paid for. If it hadn't been on sale for 99 cents I would have asked for a refund.

Usually, what must a new author do in order to attract skeptic readers like you? I might venture into self publishing in future so wanted to know (though I am undecided on whether it would be fiction or non fiction)

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by mitrodhar

That is depressing. A lot of gurus out there still preach newbies to giveaway ebooks for free, especially the first in the series. I wonder if that is a viable method anymore?

First off, read in the genre that you want to write in.
If English is not your first language, find a native English speaker to edit your book.
Most importantly, if you hang out in forums, do not say anything that could be insulting to your future readers.
Free, first in series still work. Make sure the first pages of your book are readable.
Make sure your book description looks good.

Ps: I didn't use to be a skeptic.
The book I got burned on was a new author's 7th book.


Now I did find a freebie I wanted today.

[Rev. Bob]

Originally Posted by mitrodhar

That is depressing. A lot of gurus out there still preach newbies to giveaway ebooks for free, especially the first in the series. I wonder if that is a viable method anymore?

I'm working with a new author on their first book, and we've been giving a lot of thought to this. Due to the content, a flat-out freebie doesn't seem like a good idea; it's significantly NSFW. That said, we still wanted to do a "low-price lead-in" to attract people.

The main work is a lengthy (150K) novel written in four parts. There's a good natural divide between parts two and three, so splitting it "in half" would give two chunks of 65K/85K words. There are okay divides between the other two parts, which would make everything around the 30K-40K marks if we went "four parts" instead of "two halves." There are also some side stories that don't fit into the flow of the book, but they shed some light on some secondary characters and fit into definite places - deleted scenes, if you will. Thus, the plan we've got right now is:

Launch: A short that stands alone but ties into the first half. Price it at 99 cents.
+1 mo.: The first half, possibly at a sale price at first, but not for long. A couple of weeks, maybe?
+3 mo.: Second short, this one tying into the second half, also 99 cents.
+4 mo.: Second half, again, maybe on sale at first.
+6 mo.: "Box set" that contains all of the above plus a third short. Timing gets iffy here, because there's a "win an exclusive short story" contest we've got planned (announced in both halves and expiring at this mark), and that short's going to be box-exclusive at first.
+8 mo.: Release the third short separately.
+9 mo.: Release the "collected shorts" if there's demand, probably at $1.99.

The alternative is to release each of the four parts of the novel separately, which means two more lead-in shorts. In that case, we'd probably put something new out each month instead of keeping that two-month gap between halves, and the shorts collection would be $2.99 because it's got five shorts instead of three. (We're going with the 7500-word cap on "short stories" rather than get mushy with novelette/novella. Short is short is 99 cents and clearly labeled.)

That's what we've come up with, but we're certainly open to suggestions.

[mr ploppy]

I write in a less crowded "genre" but free short stories with links to longer non-free stuff works for me. And serialising a longer one with links to buy it if they don't want to wait for the next episode. If you only have one book I wouldn't give it away, that's just daft.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by mitrodhar

That is depressing. A lot of gurus out there still preach newbies to giveaway ebooks for free, especially the first in the series. I wonder if that is a viable method anymore?

Last time I did much reading on the freebies aspect the gurus seemed fairly evenly divided: some thought giving away a book was a good idea (it says to the new reader: "come on, take the risk, it won't cost you anything"); others believe that giving away your work for free sends all the wrong signals (it says to the reader: "this is so worthless I won't even ask for money").

I believe presentation and exposure are more important than price (at the prices most Indies charge). Does the book appear to be professionally produced? Is the cover and blurb attractive? Are enough people aware of the book so that some reasonable number may actually try it? (It will never be a big percentage.)


My experience, such as it is:

So far I've written three novels that form a complete series. I have never made the first permanently free, but I have twice taken part in the Smashwords July sale to make the first novel free for that month. The response was underwhelming. I think there are a few reasons for this ...

I think my blurb could be better, and I certainly could/should try to do more marketing (I've done only what's fast and easy: a thread in the self-promo forum here on MR). Beyond that, note that on Smashwords a book that is only free through a coupon code (such as during the July sale) is only able to be downloaded if the person is registered with Smashwords. This limits the people who will bother to download the freebie.

Contrast my novels with the short stories I started to publish last July. These were all published with home-grown covers and pretty iffy blurbs. Each has only been mentioned on Smashwords and here (and my blog, fwiw). But as permanently free ebooks they can be downloaded without being registered at Smashwords. The result: Each story has surpassed my novels in downloads within a week.

Being short will count for some of that, I'm sure, but I'm also sure that being free-for-all counts for a big part.

But, of course, downloads doesn't equate to readers; many download to add to their TBR and may never get to it (especially true of freebies). And readers don't equate to reviewers; very few people leave a review, good or bad.


I am not really sure what all that means, you can make your own interpretation. I found the lack of activity was very disappointing at first. It still is, to some extent, but I've grown wiser and more philosophical about it. What more could I expect given my lack of enthusiasm for marketing? Given the choice between spending my very limited spare time trying to do something I don't like (marketing) for dubious benefit (there is no guarantee of sales even with marketing), versus something I do like (writing) for obvious benefit (I enjoy writing), I choose the latter.

[Cinisajoy]

Hi. Since we now have a dedicated thread, here is how to attract the skeptical reader or what cin has learned over the last few years.
1. Don't listen to the ones that say you don't need a second set of eyes. I don't care if you are a college professor or a grade school dropout. Find a second set of eyes to read your manuscript. I mean someone that will be honest, not someone that thinks everything you do turns to gold.
Side note to that one: watch your apostrophe and homonym usage. ( (Yes, I once ran across a published something (sorry cannot call it a book) that had every apostrophe and homonym wrong.))
2. If you want to write in the style of someone, actually read that someone's books to see how they did it.
3. If you want to write a serial, resolve something every episode.
4. If you want to write a serial, don't make it so long your readers start to think you are just writing it for the money. Conclude it in a reasonable amount of books and start a new one.
5. If you want to write a series, remember to resolve the original problem. You can introduce a teaser to the next book.
6. Read in the genre you want to write in.
7. Don't throw in nudity or sex scenes for their own sake. (Unless you are writing erotica or steamy romance.) It can throw off the story. I don't care or need to know what your main character is wearing when he grabs his morning coffee unless it is crucial like the bad guy is attacking him right then. It felt very out of place in an action/adventure.
8. Try to write believable scenes. Side note: please do not do bathroom stuff unless it has a major purpose. I do not need the details of a guy cleaning himself up after an accidental release of crap. And that may just cause your reader to NOT read you again.
9. If nothing else, get a proofreader and run the thing through spell check.
10. If your reader comments on something, do not make excuses or insult them. They are giving an opinion.
11. If you want to write in English and it is not your first language, get a native English speaker to proofread your book. This is especially helpful on singular/plurals.
12. Related to number 11, talk to the English as a second language department at your local college. It will benefit both you and the college. The classes are usually free.
Ok I think that covers the writing side.
Now on to marketing.
1. On free, never put your only book permanently free. It is a waste of your time and the reader's time. If you want to do free make sure to have something I can buy if you are good.
Now if you do KU, you can use your free days. Now the catch to that one is, use free days only on the first in a set. If you do free days on all, some people will wait and pick up all your books free.
2. Never talk about bad reviewers. At least not on a public forum or blog. Remember, it is just one person's opinion.
3. Never tell a person they are not your reader because they like free/bargain books. That will become a self-fulfilling prophecy and if you say it publicly, how many potential readers did you just lose.
4. If you have an English degree, don't brag about it. People will expect perfection. Note that degree means you could please academics, says nothing about your ability as a writer. (Side notene of the worst books I ran across was written by an English professor. )

I think that about covers it.

TLR Get a second set of eyes, read in your genre and watch your words in a public forum.

[theducks]

Cinisajoy's list hit many points spot on.

Spell check is NOT a cure all.
GIGO is still GIGO... even if it is spelled correctly.

Homonyms is the big one that brakes (breaks ) my reading trance.
Technology errors is another one. Be sure to apply John W Campbell's rules: Right or explain it away. Get advice if it is not your field.

Your sample/teaser chapters need to be 100% clean. It is the old 1st impression rule. I need to look at your story, not your writing. I am buying a Story.

Author requested reviews/likes... whatever inside the book: IMHO don't.
Maybe I am old school, but user reviews should be from the heart, not request. Enthusiasm of MY fellow readers has sold more books than any fluff on a cover or NYT list.

My 2cents

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by mishtigur

[This SPAMMER has now been BANNED. - MODERATOR.]

You can talk about your degree. Just don't brag you are the perfect writer because you have a degree.

A serial is like Wool. A series would be like Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys/Bobbsey Twins.
A serial is a continuing story.
To me and this is just my opinion. A series is a set of books that either have the same character or location and each book can stand on its own.
The big difference is a serial must be read in order where a series can be read in any order.

On that note, make sure not to repeat too much background information in later books.
Especially on details that don't add to the story.

I have beta'd a few times. Some good, some bad.
I also proofread a couple. One of them was so bad that the first page looked like a rainbow. I was using a different color for each different type of error.

[gmw]

I would define the difference between serial and series a little differently to Cinisajoy.

A series can be any collection of related books (whether related by characters or setting). A description of "series" won't tell you whether the books in it can stand-alone, or whether they form a single large story arc that must be read in sequence - you have to find that out from other sources (other readers, info on the books, websites or whatever) Some series offer episode numbers that often, but not always, indicate the books need to be read in order.

A serial is typically something published in short contiguous instalments. With a serial it is generally expected that there is one or more larger story arcs joining the episodes together. The serial may or may not have some anticipated conclusion or end. It might be argued that Wool began as a serial and became a series - and it is far from the first set of novels to start out in instalment form).

It would be neater if a definition like that offered by Cinisajoy was in use, but my experience shows no such consistency - especially with the use of "series".

[Cinisajoy]

I would also like to add, if you write a set of "books" that have to be read together, do not ever say they can stand alone. That will get you a reputation in a hurry.
Also if you use cliffhangers to attempt to get your readers to buy the next book, DO NOT use the same one three books running.

Now my best advice is write the best book you can. At the very least get it proofread.
And most importantly, remember this is a business so attempt to act like a professional online.
If you have legal or tax questions, always consult a professional.
I can tell you not to use a trademarked item in your title. Those are protected by laws. I can't tell you if using the"Grinch" as a name in a book is legal or not. I would recommend you don't to be on the safe side.
On taxes, save at least 30%. Keep good records. Also, find a professional to help and I mean an actual tax office not the one set up in Walmart. Those are set up for easy forms.

Note: "I read it on an internet forum" is never a good legal defense. Neither is "but cin did it". That last one didn't work for my brother or sister either.

[Rev. Bob]

Originally Posted by mishtigur

[This SPAMMER has now been BANNED - MODERATOR]

The shorts are 99 cents to give people a cheap way to test the waters and see if they like what they see. The first part of the book may go on sale for the first couple of weeks, but not permanently and not for free. Neither of us are particularly fond of the idea of making explicit content free, just on general "too easy for kids to get it" principles.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by Rev. Bob

The shorts are 99 cents to give people a cheap way to test the waters and see if they like what they see. The first part of the book may go on sale for the first couple of weeks, but not permanently and not for free. Neither of us are particularly fond of the idea of making explicit content free, just on general "too easy for kids to get it" principles.

Smart thinking Rev. Bob. If they have to pay for it then they have a credit card or bank account and are more likely to be of age.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Rev. Bob

The shorts are 99 cents to give people a cheap way to test the waters and see if they like what they see. The first part of the book may go on sale for the first couple of weeks, but not permanently and not for free. Neither of us are particularly fond of the idea of making explicit content free, just on general "too easy for kids to get it" principles.

IMFO Free = a no value tosser. Just watch what happens to all the brochures at trade shows.

If you pay anything, you tend to hold onto it longer (and you might even use/read it)

The Credit card as an age filter is also a great thought

But I wonder why we bother. Grade school traffic uses my street. If I used the language I now hear, Mom would be buying 2 bars of Lifeboy a week, just for my mouth

[Cinisajoy]

Well now,
Some parents allow unlimited access to their Amazon accounts, besides I don't think children will be "buying" adult books. They will just find the free stuff. Think of the kids that have their own iPads or tablets.