Month: January 2015

The Season of Kindle Unlimited Discontent

Kindle Unlimited discontentI believe there are three possible scenarios that can take place when you release a book. Firstly, (and I hope this happens to you), you do very little to promote your book yet based on the phenomenal content – and readers spreading the word – your book hits the upper plateaus of the bestseller rankings. And, it stays there for a considerable amount of time. Yes, this does happen. Consider Andy Weir’s (originally self-published) The Martian, Hugh Howey’s Wool, etc.

The second scenario is that you release your book; it takes an initial sales spike to those same envied upper plateaus and then settles into the 8,000 to 20,000 overall (using Amazon’s charts for this example) rankings. And again, it stays there. This happens occasionally.

My books fall into the third scenario. When I release a new book I have a following of readers who purchase my work, but from that point on I have to find ways to connect with new readers. Every month I run some sort of promotion. Fortunately, because of the promotional opportunities KDP Select provides, I always manage to sell some books.

Those of you who have read my articles know I’m a proponent of Select. I was on the initial Select train at the beginning of 2012 and took advantage of the program that helped many of us sell books faster than we ever thought possible. When Amazon added the benefits of Kindle Unlimited (KU) borrows to Select I got excited, and I hoped that a little bit of that initial magic might be duplicated. Continue reading “The Season of Kindle Unlimited Discontent”

Buying Opportunities to Sell Your Script

Screenwriter William MunnsGuest Post
by William Munns

In my last article, we discussed the bizarre challenge of proper script formatting and coming to terms with the absurd appeal of “more white on a page.” If your literary integrity has survived reducing your work to an anorexic level and you feel you have a wonderful movie/TV/media script, you are now ready to try and sell it. If you’ve sold to any other publishing medium or industry, and think that the movie/TV script selling process is the same, change your name to Alice and start chasing the White Rabbit into Wonderland.

I don’t say this to intimidate, because in an absurd sort of way, selling a script is actually quite pragmatic in its current process. You buy your way to a sales opportunity. Gone are the days of discretely greased palms, bribes, kickbacks, and similar under-the-table attempts to gain the recommendation or accessibility of a person who can get you closer to a buyer. Now, the process is remarkably open and publicized, with credit cards and PayPal gladly accepted. The trick is to buy your opportunities in the right order. Continue reading “Buying Opportunities to Sell Your Script”

Featured Book: Playing Charlie Cool

Playing Charlie CoolPlaying Charlie Cool
by Laurie Boris
Categories: Literary Fiction
Available from Amazon.com and Amazon UK.

Managing demanding divas has taught producer Charlie Trager patience. But how can he bear watching the man he loves crumble under the stress of a divorce and a political campaign? Charlie aches to help, but it’s a risk that could destroy everything the two have worked so hard to build.

Increasing the “Look Inside” Preview on Amazon

Look Inside the BookOne of the best marketing tools self-published authors have is the “Look Inside” feature on Amazon. If things go well, your title, cover, and book description will catch the attention of a reader who eagerly clicks “Look Inside” to read a sample of your writing, and they see…

…nothing more than your copyright page and table of contents? Well, that’s not very helpful, is it? I’ve honestly never known anyone to buy a book based on the “Look Inside” preview of a copyright page. This is especially problematic if you’re hoping to send your book out for reviews or list it on a site that vets books for quality (ahem…IU, anyone?). From formatting to tone, to grammar usage and typos, the first pages of your story show it all. But what if they aren’t displayed? Continue reading “Increasing the “Look Inside” Preview on Amazon”