What's up with all the tacky western romance novels?

[Ea]

Originally Posted by Patricia

Get to the page with the list of latest uploads and the "search ebooks" is on that blue bar, Ea.
It works best with just the author's surmane, or the title.

Thank you. I was certain I'd seen it somewhere, but it wasn't obvious I should go to the latest uploads. I found it anyway - 'carmilla' is not a common word, so I just used the normal search function.

[AnnaM]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But it's not available for people who do not own a Kindle. So you really want to alienate a lot of people who do not own a Kindle? This is one of the major issues we have with Amazon. Exclusive Kindle eBooks does more harm than good. It prevents people without a Kindle from reading them and it gets them pissed enough to not want to read anything else that author may have that they could read. So all you do is piss off potential customers and a bad word of mouth can go a long way.

Good word of mouth also goes a long way. Without Kindle I'd have NO word of mouth about this book.

To create a paper vanity version of my book would cost more money than I have in my budget and more than I've made (a lot more) so far selling it. It would take me 3 or 4 years to recoup the cost. At 99 cents a pop I'm making just a few dollars a month, but the key is in establishing a base of readers who enjoy this type of writing and story. I'm just delighted that there are people who enjoy the book, and that's my #1 reward.

For those who don't think it's difficult to market a romance . . . it has taken me six years to get this book to see the light of day ANYWHERE (I have a thick file of rejections from agents and publishers, and I still get rejections from the legacy publishing industry, even though it is selling well on Kindle).

I put it on Kindle store (it was free to self-publish, and my daughter created the cover art for free). This was what my budget allowed me to do, and I'm sorry I can't afford the investment for paperback at this time . . . if that pisses some people off, well, I'm sorry. They should contact the mainstream publishers that keep rejecting me.

The competition in this space is fierce. Legacy publishers rabidly protect their stable of established authors (they've spent megabucks branding and marketing those names, so they are protecting their investment in those brands).

Bezos is breaking the established paradigm . . . giving new authors a great venue, and the reading public a chance to decide what they want and like (vs. the old model, where publishing houses, B&N, and Borders decide what you'd like to read).

Kindle has given me a way to market my brand -- without it I'd be just another nobody with an aging manuscript sitting in a desk drawer.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by AnnaM

I put it on Kindle store (it was free to self-publish, and my daughter created the cover art for free). This was what my budget allowed me to do, and I'm sorry I can't afford the investment for paperback at this time . . . if that pisses some people off, well, I'm sorry. They should contact the mainstream publishers that keep rejecting me.

Have you thought about selling it through the Mobipocket.com store or through Smashwords in other formats (has nothing to do with paper copies)? It would get you a wider audience.

[calvin-c]

Originally Posted by BenG

I have no problem with it. Just don't expect me to read it. (Unless there isn't anything else to read.)

And I won't read anything by anyone named Kaitlyn, Jaid, or Jordyn.

What if it's their real name? People aren't responsible for what their parents named them. (But I will listen to the argument that anyone with a real name like that who has a 'serious' book published should use a pseudonum.)

[AnnaM]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Have you thought about selling it through the Mobipocket.com store or through Smashwords in other formats (has nothing to do with paper copies)? It would get you a wider audience.

It is available on Smashwords, but in two years I've sold only 1 copy on Smashwords (and I've never received a royalty payment from them). I won't bother to put the sequel books there . . . Kindle is MUCH better.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by AnnaM

It is available on Smashwords, but in two years I've sold only 1 copy on Smashwords (and I've never received a royalty payment from them). I won't bother to put the sequel books there . . . Kindle is MUCH better.

:Shrugs: I couldn't (can't) find it there, so that was why I suggested it. With it available there I'm surprised you didn't mention it when people have been asking for other formats/ways to buy in this thread and some of your other posts. Sucks that you didn't get a good response there.

[nomesque]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

:Shrugs: I couldn't (can't) find it there, so that was why I suggested it. With it available there I'm surprised you didn't mention it when people have been asking for other formats/ways to buy in this thread and some of your other posts. Sucks that you didn't get a good response there.

I think writers/publishers really need to do their own marketing in order to do well on Smashwords - whereas the Kindle store provides a captive market (that's not a dig, btw)

[AnnaM]

AnemicOak -- After Smashwords was mentioned in this thread I took a a look at what I had there (I hadn't checked it in over a year, and I had a very early version on SW), and removed it until I can get the latest version up there. They archived the original version, but I didn't want the old book up there for sale. I also had it at the original price, and I need to consider changing it.

monesque -- right about marketing, but Amazon and Kindle also have much greater brand recognition vs. Smashwords.

I've contacted a few publishers/agents, and I'm still getting rejections (but they are much "nicer" than the rejections I used to get, so I must be making some progress).

;-)

Thanks for all the support and advice here -- this forum is great.