Tag: free e-book strategy

Ch-ch-ch-changes in Indie Publishing

publishing industry changes psychic-72085_960_720I received an email from another author recently, asking me if I could send him a link to a podcast I did on how to effectively leverage free days to promote your book. I had forgotten about that particular interview, but thanks to Google, it lives forever. After I found and listened to it, I knew I couldn’t send it to him. Almost everything I said at the time – the spring of 2014 – is wrong today.

Oh, it was true at the time, but in the ever-changing landscape of indie publishing, the advice I gave wouldn’t fly today. Continue reading “Ch-ch-ch-changes in Indie Publishing”

Soft-Selling Books in the Digital Age

hard selling eBooks I’m an Indie author, with only a shaky grip on the whole concept of Marketing, however I recently stumbled across something that really resonated with me as a reader:

‘We are all competing for clock share. First our work has to be worth our audience’s time; only then can we talk about trying to get some of their money.’ – Tom Simon, Clock share: Writers vs. the competition, February 2, 2015

The context for this comment was a discussion about pricing, and the value of ‘free’, or to be more exact, the devaluing of free.

The commenters were indicative of the two opposing camps on this issue: those who believe that we should not devalue our books by putting them up for free, and those who believe that free is merely one more tool in the quest for visibility. Continue reading “Soft-Selling Books in the Digital Age”

A Self-Publishing Journey Which Debunks Conventional Wisdom

Author Shawn InmonI started my publishing journey three years ago — a fifty-something year-old realtor that hadn’t written anything in decades, but had a story to tell. Like so many others, I nearly fell into the orbit of a vanity press, a company that was thrilled to publish that story for me for around $5,000. Luckily, before I signed on the dotted line, I found Indies Unlimited and a few other worthwhile sites that showed me a different path. Now, three years later (I think publishing years should be like dog years and count at about a 7 to 1 ratio, don’t you?), I now find myself with the opportunity to write for IU. Who says dreams don’t come true?

Long before I ever wrote my first guest post for IU, I subscribed to the blog posts to make sure I didn’t miss any of them. If I had a question I needed answered, IU was always my first stop. Why? Because I had learned that I could trust the information. With so many publishing blogs, there’s an obvious slant, trying to recruit for some cause or belief, but not at IU. If they have a cause, it is to help us all be better writers and publishers. Continue reading “A Self-Publishing Journey Which Debunks Conventional Wisdom”

Indie Authors & eBooks: Freedom to be Free

No money needed for free ebooksSince the first indie authors figured out a way to make their eBooks free on Amazon, other indies have been badmouthing them. Some of the same authors – with an assist from traditionally published authors, their publishers, and various publishing pundits – have been making the same arguments about cheap eBooks. (Cheap being 99 cents, $2.99, or whatever is less than what that particular whiner thinks is the “right price.”)

There are plenty of good reasons why authors might want to make one of their books free or relatively cheap, whether for a limited time or for the foreseeable future. There are also bad reasons to do so. An indie author considering this should understand their rationale for how they price their book, have reason to believe this will accomplish what they’re hoping for, and a way to measure whether or not it is working. Just as any good businessperson would do when making pricing decisions on their products. Continue reading “Indie Authors & eBooks: Freedom to be Free”