11-14-2010, 05:27 AM | #1 |
Addict
Posts: 355
Karma: 600000
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Boston
Device: Palm TX
|
Effect of MR Promotion, or not?
I wonder if there is a saturation point regarding the benefits of promoting our book on a particular site? Several weeks ago, I stopped promoting my work here and it has not not a single bit of difference in my rate of downloads. I get a steady trickle, averaging 5-10 per day, exactly the same as before.
Early on, in the first months, though I had the impression that promotion had a much more significant impact. Just curious. |
11-14-2010, 10:03 AM | #2 |
Guru
Posts: 997
Karma: 1086596
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Florida
Device: none
|
No effect on mine either. They're still dragging the bottom.
Joyce |
Advert | |
|
11-14-2010, 01:23 PM | #3 |
Feral Underclass
Posts: 3,622
Karma: 26821535
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Yorkshire, tha noz
Device: 2nd hand paperback
|
I've downloaded a few ebooks that were advertised on this site when they were given away free for a limited amount of time, but I've never read any of them. I think the demographic is too large, you would be better off targetting your advertising where there would be a high percentage of potential readers. Zombie sites for zombie books, knitting sites for knitting pattern books, that type of thing. While there will probably be a small audience for those books here, the chances of them seeing your advert would be pretty slim. Whereas on dedicated sites it wouldn't really matter if only a small minority of people saw your advert because they would all be likely to have an interest in what you are selling.
|
11-14-2010, 01:25 PM | #4 |
Markus Kane
Posts: 49
Karma: 50000
Join Date: Sep 2010
Device: Kindle
|
Newbie question. Is "MR promotion" a term of art? Or is it a cute way of referring to PR/book promotion. As in, Mr. or Mrs. promotion? Or something other?
Ready to feel stupid upon response. |
11-14-2010, 01:28 PM | #5 |
Wizzard
Posts: 11,517
Karma: 33048258
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Roundworld
Device: Kindle 2 International, Sony PRS-T1, BlackBerry PlayBook, Acer Iconia
|
It means promoting your book right here on MobileRead, either via a sig link or a little notice in your dedicated thread in the Author Self-Promo forum.
|
Advert | |
|
11-14-2010, 01:34 PM | #6 |
Markus Kane
Posts: 49
Karma: 50000
Join Date: Sep 2010
Device: Kindle
|
Ah. MR, short for Mobile Read.
That makes sense. |
11-14-2010, 02:03 PM | #7 |
Addict
Posts: 355
Karma: 600000
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Boston
Device: Palm TX
|
|
11-14-2010, 02:06 PM | #8 | |
Addict
Posts: 355
Karma: 600000
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Boston
Device: Palm TX
|
Quote:
As a reader, I download lots of free books too, but I usually give them a read, at least the first chapter. Most of them, (2/3?), I never go on to finish, but I like to at least give everything a chance. |
|
11-14-2010, 08:09 PM | #9 |
Wizard
Posts: 1,222
Karma: 769316
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Eternal summer
Device: 350, iPad, PW
|
You know, I wonder about that bud. You've been around here for maybe about a year, and I think you've been plugging both your books for close to 8 - 9 months. I think it may have hit the saturation point here. Its possible that everyone who wanted your book here at MR may have already bought it.
The author promotion thread is getting a little too big for its britches. I don't go more than two pages in once in a blue moon, plus I already bought your books when they first came out. So I don't think I'm in your target demographic anymore... So, here's your solution: Write a new book! |
11-14-2010, 10:59 PM | #10 |
Addict
Posts: 203
Karma: 1007768
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Device: Kindle
|
|
11-15-2010, 05:46 AM | #11 |
Addict
Posts: 355
Karma: 600000
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Boston
Device: Palm TX
|
|
11-15-2010, 08:16 AM | #12 |
Freebie finder
Posts: 907
Karma: 2046472
Join Date: Jul 2009
Device: Sony, Kindle
|
mr ploppy is right. It's going to be easier to get a zombie lover to buy a zombie ebook than a ereader lover to buy an ebook about zombies. Also got to bear in mind that people don't necessarily go to a forum to be sold a book. Both of these are likely to contribute to low sales I reckon.
Forum based promotion is a long slow burn I reckon - and better to think of it as a place you like participating in and may be you might sell the odd book or two rather than a promotional channel. Alternatively if your book appeals to a specialist audience eg dog lovers than being known as a thought leader through your contributions on a dog lovers forum would probably garner you a lot of sales (and may be other business eg consultancy). |
11-15-2010, 10:37 AM | #13 | |
Addict
Posts: 355
Karma: 600000
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Boston
Device: Palm TX
|
Quote:
Regarding targeting, I have no idea where to find a place where people go to discuss contemporary fantasy/adventures with elements of magical realism. I suspect such a place doesn't exist. This kind of problem seems to happen a lot to indie authors who aren't guided by commercial trends and mix other genres or simply fail to hew to the norms. Maybe the answer is to stop writing non-genre-specific stories, but that's not going to happen in my case. I write these kinds of stories because I can't seem to find too enough of them in book stores. |
|
11-15-2010, 12:28 PM | #14 |
Freebie finder
Posts: 907
Karma: 2046472
Join Date: Jul 2009
Device: Sony, Kindle
|
That's interesting, ASparrow. Perhaps it also has something to do with competition too. I suspect there are a lot more authors on here than previously and the novelty factor has worn off?
If you're writing outside of a particular niche (or pigeon hole!) I suspect it's always going to be harder if people can't compare you with something or someone else?* Or perhaps you try finding places where fans of a similar genre hang out and try and persuade them to try something a little different. *This can be taken to ridiculous extremes though. I recently saw an author described as "The female James Patterson" and I've no idea what kind of picture that is supposed to conjure in the prospective buyers mind. But possibly (and I have no idea if this is appropriate) describing yourself as Gabriel García Márquez with an contemporary twist might help paint a picture. I'm reminded of even well established authors doing the same eg The New Confessions by William Boyd - used Rousseau's book as the inspiration for the main protagonist to record their tale. Last edited by greencat; 11-15-2010 at 12:30 PM. |
11-15-2010, 12:32 PM | #15 |
Sci-Fi Author
Posts: 1,157
Karma: 14743509
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Michigan
Device: PC (Calibre)
|
I've treated all my promotions on MR as just "one small stone on the road to success". There is no "one thing does it all" promotional method. In fact, there's so many that you are required to exploit that it becomes rather difficult to keep up with them all, or in some cases even do them. It used to be that there were only a handful of things that you could do to get noticed, and those were usually all you needed. Now the list is hundreds, if not thousands of items long and growing.
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Weird sunlight side-effect on my K2 | delphidb96 | Amazon Kindle | 5 | 08-20-2010 08:54 PM |
PRS-600 flashing effect on page change... | patpat | Sony Reader | 8 | 04-23-2010 04:58 AM |
Seriously thoughtful The Girl Effect | Moejoe | Lounge | 8 | 08-23-2009 11:08 AM |
Changes made in Calibre don't take effect? | Bilbo1967 | Calibre | 8 | 03-23-2009 06:31 PM |
The Saramago Effect | readingaloud | News | 7 | 01-22-2008 02:17 PM |