Where Did Things Go So Wrong?!?

[ardeegee]

Originally Posted by ApK

Try to keep an open mind.....

Keep accusing me of having a "closed mind" because my examination of the information that is available to me leads me to a different conclusion from yours all that you want-- it means jack s*** to me.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by ardeegee

Keep accusing me of having a "closed mind" because my examination of the information that is available to me leads me to a different conclusion from yours all that you want-- it means jack s*** to me.

It's your stated decision to not look at the information available to you that is prompting my comments. I honestly don't care what you read, nor do I have any idea what sort world is presented in Steve's books. I'm not trying to change your mind, I'm positing my opinions of your comments.

[Donnageddon]

I wish I had some advice to give, Steve. But I ain't in the business, I am the business. I have made it a priority not to read or comment in the various DRM, pirating threads, they bore me to tears, since almost all the possible opinions are stated in the first 12 posts... The next 2000 posts in the thread are just restatements of how far back one's arm should be be before laying the whip on the dead horse.

So my opinion of your books is not colored by those discussions. And in any event, I read lots of books by authors whose opinions outside of their books I despise ( I mean I love Heinlein's books but would like to slap him for some of his more fascistic opinions).

Thing is I hope you, and the other authors get this figured out to the mutual satisfaction of yourselves and your readers, because honestly you are a damn fine writer. And a writer of books I always look forward to reading.

Get it figured out and get back to authoring.

We, the business, are waiting for more.

[Frida Fantastic]

@ Steven,

Here's a blog post you might be interested in. Lindsay Buroker (an indie fantasy writer who I've also seen around mobile read) has an e-book publishing blog and wrote an article on 3 indie fantasy authors who are making a couple of thousands a month doing e-publishing: http://www.lindsayburoker.com/e-publ...-e-publishing/

These folks didn't make it overnight, but it still shows that SF/F genre works aren't "doomed niches" in the e-book world. Everyone's doing different kinds of promotions/pricing strategies, etc. but there's folks out there who are making a pretty decent living out of it.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

Okay, feel free to criticize "Onuissance." But for the record, quite a number of the names you listed above are incredibly horrid to me. They don't exactly sell your point that my word isn't as good as those, and any of them on a book cover would keep my money in my pocket. Just sayin'.

In addition to your made-up word being confusing to pronounce and conveying no immediate meaning to the potential reader, consider that it is also difficult to spell. Let's say two days from now someone who's seen the title decides to search for the book. You think that person is going to be able to enter the correct spelling in a search box?

You'd be better off using a simpler, easier title and confining your invented word to a subtitle.

[Tome Keeper]

Steven:

Your cover for the Onuissance Cells on Goodreads is much more appealing than the current one you are using. Perhaps consider using the old one for a while until you can fully review them.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by bashfulbanshee

@ Steven,

Here's a blog post you might be interested in. Lindsay Buroker (an indie fantasy writer who I've also seen around mobile read) has an e-book publishing blog and wrote an article on 3 indie fantasy authors who are making a couple of thousands a month doing e-publishing: http://www.lindsayburoker.com/e-publ...-e-publishing/

Thanks for the link!

[caleb72]

For what it's worth, I like the title The Onuissance Cells - sounds a bit cyberpunk though, not sure if that was intended.

Regards
Caleb

[ApK]

By the way, I may have misunderstood something along the way, bacause I thought there was a formatting problem that made the current offered free "Onuiassance Cells" unusable, but I just downloaded the mobi from Steve's site, and it seems to look fine. I'll give it shot soon.

Steve, are you mainly seeking advice from writers here? Are you looking for editorial comments, or just presence and marketing comments from the potential audience?

ApK

[ApK]

BTW, Steve, did you consider the spelling 'Onusance' for the title?

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

I'm looking for promotional and marketing advice here, not editorial advice, thanks. As to Onuissance, I considered a few different spelling before I went with this one. I happen to like it the way it is, and as it's only a free series of 8 short stories, I confess that changing the name and cover of this one will be a bit low on my list of things to do.

On another note: Regarding the comments I've received about blogs, what blog SW would someone recommend that would allow me to integrate the blog into the present look of my books site?

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

I confess that changing the name and cover of this one will be a bit low on my list of things to do.

Indeed. I guess I'm just tossing things around to see how these kinds of changes could affect recognition, buzz, etc.
IOW to see if the title is, in fact, part of 'Where Did Things Go So Wrong' and what choices might have made a positive difference.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

No, I'm saying he's got rampant homophobia that he manages to hide by pretending (or insisting; I don't know which) that homosexuality doesn't exist in his fictional worlds.

There are those who argue that lack of homosexual & bisexual characters is, itself, a sign of homophobia; I don't go that far.

And how is that bad? It sounds like a sensible business move to me.

OSC avoids writing about topics that will piss people off. Frankly, i find him less offensive than John Ringo and I actually agree with Ringo's politics.

[Nate the great]

I had a number of responses to things people have said but I somehow managed to lose them. So let me summarize.

Writing is a craft. Selling books is a business. You have to consider how much time you have to devote to building the business.

The whole point of this thread is to come up with marketing ideas. I noticed that several people have mentioned Goodreads, blogging, etc, but I don't see that anyone has yet recommended building a connection in person.

Do you have a blog that lists upcoming events you will attend?
When was the last time you were on a panel at a SF con, book fair, or other event?
When was the last time you tried to sell a story to a magazine (or even give it away)?

That's just a few of the suggestions I came up with while reading this thread. Yes, this will cost you time and money, but that's what you have to do to build a business.

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

And how is that bad? It sounds like a sensible business move to me.

OSC avoids writing about topics that will piss people off. Frankly, i find him less offensive than John Ringo and I actually agree with Ringo's politics.

It's not bad in itself, and the homophobia in his books, which is very subtle, has nothing to do with why I boycott him. I don't read or recommend his books because of the sex-negativity and self-negating collectivism; I don't buy his books because of his political views, which I find so antithetical to my own life that I don't want to give him any money, even indirectly.

Ringo's on my list of "authors never to bother reading." That's hypothetically changeable, but it's not likely I'll run out of "authors I want to read but haven't found time/money for" when/if Ringo changes his writing style. (Which I don't expect, because he's making plenty of money with his current system.) There are thousands of authors I have no interest in that I don't keep track of, which I assume holds true for everyone. I'm consciously aware of Ringo because his name shows up on lists with authors I do want to read.