What I'm Doing Wrong, The Kindle Edition...
At this time, I have five titles available via Kindle. More if you count what's offered by St. Martin's Press. Still, this may be the first thing I've done wrong. I have two more short story collections and two more novels I could put out there, and I hear you need a critical mass of products out and about before you can get traction. Five in the first half of 2011 seems like enough, but apparently not. If I can complete one project - a Viktor Petrenko novel - I could have a total of ten products out by the end of the year.
Secondly, I haven't really announced my work to the world. People at a couple of listservs will have heard the news that I'm on Kindle, but most of the people who have bought my traditional books are not on those listservs. In fact, those lists are mainly for writers, not readers. I plan to begin remedying this situation by going to a couple of conferences including Bouchercon in St. Louis and giving out some promotional trinkets and, of course, talking up my Kindle stuff, but I've also gotten some invitations to guest blog, so I'll start following up on that. I would like to put up at least one more novel before I do that, but we'll see. It takes me forever to make long works Kindle ready.
Thirdly, but related to secondly is the fact that I have a low profile web-wise. No Facebook or Twitter for me or any of the Kindle related forums/boards. Not yet. I've visited some Twitter pages, but I can't understand what's going on. Facebook seems like an extra job - it's not creating the Facebook page, but getting people to go there. I can't get people to come to my blog, why/how would I get people to go to a Facebook page? My website was updated a few months ago, and I'll have it revised again next month, I hope. There's one Kindle title that's not mentioned there yet, and I hope to have another up and running in a couple of weeks.
Of course, I haven't even bothered with the other ebook formats just yet. Everyone says Kindle is far and away the leader in the field, but it might be useful to have works on the other formats - people might read something on a Nook and comment on it at Amazon, for instance.
Anyway, much to learn.
Secondly, I haven't really announced my work to the world. People at a couple of listservs will have heard the news that I'm on Kindle, but most of the people who have bought my traditional books are not on those listservs. In fact, those lists are mainly for writers, not readers. I plan to begin remedying this situation by going to a couple of conferences including Bouchercon in St. Louis and giving out some promotional trinkets and, of course, talking up my Kindle stuff, but I've also gotten some invitations to guest blog, so I'll start following up on that. I would like to put up at least one more novel before I do that, but we'll see. It takes me forever to make long works Kindle ready.
Thirdly, but related to secondly is the fact that I have a low profile web-wise. No Facebook or Twitter for me or any of the Kindle related forums/boards. Not yet. I've visited some Twitter pages, but I can't understand what's going on. Facebook seems like an extra job - it's not creating the Facebook page, but getting people to go there. I can't get people to come to my blog, why/how would I get people to go to a Facebook page? My website was updated a few months ago, and I'll have it revised again next month, I hope. There's one Kindle title that's not mentioned there yet, and I hope to have another up and running in a couple of weeks.
Of course, I haven't even bothered with the other ebook formats just yet. Everyone says Kindle is far and away the leader in the field, but it might be useful to have works on the other formats - people might read something on a Nook and comment on it at Amazon, for instance.
Anyway, much to learn.
posted by Steven at
8:55 AM
1 Comments:
Hi, Steven,
You and I both. I lack the expertise to format and upload my books and stories, so I've been going though my agency so far. I expect they are swamped by other writers, and the process has been slow. We did get 4 Akitada titles, where I own e-rights, up on a Kindle exclusive, and we're working on putting up a historical trilogy. Sales have been good, but they're slowing down, and I also need to learn promotion. Blogs tend to be for writers, though many starting writers go there and will buy books. I have done my own covers (still learning), will soon have PhotoShop, and have ordered my Kindle. It's a new world out there and actually pretty exciting.
Much sucess to you!
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