Lycanus. Good idea pricing your books at the dollar point. Makes less money for you but until you are known it will sell more copies. And at this point you want exposure, not cash.
However here is something important DO NOT (note the emphasis) let friends and family review your book. They will always give it 5 stars. And people who stumble across the book looking for something cheap to read will check out their other reviews. There is nothing that can kick a new author onto to the "never buy this stuff" list faster than having 5 star reviews by people who have never reviewed any books other than those by that particular author. The kindle market has been flooded with really terrible authors since it costs nothing to put a book there. As a result kindle readers tend to immediately check out the reviews to see if they follow the all positive reviews by people who have never posted another book review. There are even forum threads that exist for the sole purpose of telling others which authors to avoid.
You have a 5 star review on this book by a person listed as an editor. That's one step away from you writing your own review stating how you love your own writing and are looking forward to reading more of it in the future.
Also, look into hiring a professional editor. It is a huge investment but friends and family are never brutally honest even when they desperately need to be. If you won't go that route then ask some total strangers to critique your book. Give them $20, a double spaced printout, and a pen. If you only have friends and family help you hone your craft then you will be just like those singers on American Idol who show up and screech badly enough to make eardrums bleed and then are astonished by the criticism because their family always told them they were awesome.
Now the positive. Love the cover.
Don't count your weasels before they pop dink!
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Yeah, was worried about the one he put up, he's got insider knowledge of later parts of the story and might be a bit influenced. He's also a fan of some of my other books that offered to help out as a pre-reader. But didn't want to say I've got one 5-star from an unknown and one from one of the editors and point him out.|
Originally Posted by Mandu
You have a 5 star review on this book by a person listed as an editor. That's one step away from you writing your own review stating how you love your own writing and are looking forward to reading more of it in the future. Also, look into hiring a professional editor. |
I'm more interested in the "Jason" person whom I don't really know who that is. I think they might be someone that watches me on deviant art...but I'm not really sure.
Anyway, of the editors, one of them apparently does editing and proposal writing for a living as part of being on staff with an Australian University. I'm not sure what exactly he does, but his mentions of day job often discuss such things as proofs and formating and the like.
So I had at least one professional editor on staff who just donated time. Last I heard, he put it on his resume.
and thanks on the cover, I lucked out with a great artist
Thrythlind's Deviant Art Page
"Notice at the end, there: Arcanaville did the math and KICKED IT INTO EXISTENCE." - Ironik on the power of Arcanaville's math
I picked up a copy. I've got a few books ahead of it that I want to read (I'm on a big "science of music" kick right now), but I'll make sure to submit a review once I read it. Best of luck to you!
You're not super until you put on The Cape!
Attercap.Net
Thanks for the support!
Thrythlind's Deviant Art Page
"Notice at the end, there: Arcanaville did the math and KICKED IT INTO EXISTENCE." - Ironik on the power of Arcanaville's math
I just downloaded the book because I figure it's only a buck. And I will definitely give an unbiased review.
However I was forced to engage in a facepalm so violent that I now look like a pug. A third 5 star review has been added... by another one of your editors... who also has no other book reviews.
Sorry about that Lycanus.
Don't count your weasels before they pop dink!
Quote:
yeah, I and one of the other editors noted that we kind of wish they had at least mentioned they were on staff in the review. He's not reviewing for the reason you mentioned. The other two consider themselves primarily fans, I guess.
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Originally Posted by Mandu
I just downloaded the book because I figure it's only a buck. And I will definitely give an unbiased review.
However I was forced to engage in a facepalm so violent that I now look like a pug. A third 5 star review has been added... by another one of your editors... who also has no other book reviews. Sorry about that Lycanus. |
Thrythlind's Deviant Art Page
"Notice at the end, there: Arcanaville did the math and KICKED IT INTO EXISTENCE." - Ironik on the power of Arcanaville's math
wait, we can post about stuff like this? My bf just released his collection of short stories, horror/thriller/supernatural stuff...
I can make a post too?
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Yes, you are free to post self promotions here so long as they have something to do with the culture. For instance a book about a school of super powered kids is very on topic. On the other hand a book about rock climbing would probably get nuked.|
Originally Posted by Teeko
wait, we can post about stuff like this? My bf just released his collection of short stories, horror/thriller/supernatural stuff...
I can make a post too? |
Horror and supernatural are certainly on topic enough. You can promote but not try to sell.
Don't count your weasels before they pop dink!
well, I've sold 13 copies of that book (25 books overall) in the last 6 days and I can only account for 4 of them. The two mentioned here and two other people. So doing better than I'm used to.
Thrythlind's Deviant Art Page
"Notice at the end, there: Arcanaville did the math and KICKED IT INTO EXISTENCE." - Ironik on the power of Arcanaville's math
Congrats to a fellow author! I've got the book's page marked and will snag it shortly! (Once I get paid...everything went to bills this week)
Wish I could snag the PDF versions off of LULU (last I checked you tended to get more money that way 
)
Is this the first book in a new series, or is it book six in a series despite appearing to be a book one?
Goodbye may seem forever
Farewell is like the end
But in my heart's the memory
And there you'll always be
-- The Fox and the Hound
Unless there's some pressing reason not to do so I'd like to suggest making a Nook (B&N) version of the book as well. Last time I saw analysts discussing B&N's market share of the ebook market (mid-summer) they accounted for about 22%-25% of ebook sales.
Also I own a nook tablet (fantastically zippy little thing it is) so ....
MA Arcs: Yarmouth 1509 and 58812
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On a semi related tangent. Have you, or anyone here, tried Smashwords? Seems like a decent way to get the works on multiple formats. Iirc, you upload to them and they send it to multiple formats of e-readers, including Kindle, Nook, and others. |
Originally Posted by Oliin
Unless there's some pressing reason not to do so I'd like to suggest making a Nook (B&N) version of the book as well. Last time I saw analysts discussing B&N's market share of the ebook market (mid-summer) they accounted for about 22%-25% of ebook sales.
Also I own a nook tablet (fantastically zippy little thing it is) so .... |
They take a cut, of it, of course.
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it's book one of a series....it's based on a bit of something I wrote for fun up to 430k words, this first book represents the first 34k arch of that story...which exploded into 150k words on the rewrite...which accounted for removal of elements that weren't mine and the accompanying need to provide more info for the readers in a way that wasn't infodump exposition....I could have conceivably broken it up into 3 50-60k books covering the students' first day at the new school in one book, another one-two weeks after in the next and the danger/action complement in the third, but I think putting them in one volume works better....I'm wondering what will happen with the remaining 400k words|
Originally Posted by Tenzhi
Is this the first book in a new series, or is it book six in a series despite appearing to be a book one?
|
though, granted, I'm already seeing major divergences between the two versions
I'll lookinto smashwords and B&N...also might put up the pdf tonight and look at drivethrurpg as well
Thrythlind's Deviant Art Page
"Notice at the end, there: Arcanaville did the math and KICKED IT INTO EXISTENCE." - Ironik on the power of Arcanaville's math
lulu has turned annoying with its system for pdfs...but will still try to get it available
meanwhile forgot I had internal art:
have 6 pieces, but I've deemed the two act III pieces as being too spoilery:
Thrythlind's Deviant Art Page
"Notice at the end, there: Arcanaville did the math and KICKED IT INTO EXISTENCE." - Ironik on the power of Arcanaville's math
This is now on Drivethru RPG as well....pdf is an option:
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/produc...ducts_id=97332
Thrythlind's Deviant Art Page
"Notice at the end, there: Arcanaville did the math and KICKED IT INTO EXISTENCE." - Ironik on the power of Arcanaville's math
Finally....after two months of editing and one month of working with artists on the cover and internal pieces....my sixth book is out!
Lots of people helped on this one, including some members of the CoX community. Anyway, thanks to everyone that did help out getting this thing done and for those that haven't been part of the project, here's a link to a simple promo one of the pre-readers put together for me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_D1f_DFYrg
and the book is found below:
kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006ESG092
print: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperbac...start/18709886
Thrythlind's Deviant Art Page
"Notice at the end, there: Arcanaville did the math and KICKED IT INTO EXISTENCE." - Ironik on the power of Arcanaville's math