Self-publishing

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Revised publishing schedule

InnovationI had an idea. I’m not going to tell you what it is, but it is so-o-o good, I’m not aiming to publish Encouraging Prudence in September. Instead, I’m holding it over until October.

And you’ll be glad I did. (Or, at least, I hope you’ll be glad.)

To fill in the gap between the publication of Farewell to Kindness and the publication of Encouraging Prudence, I’m writing another novella, which I’ll publish sometime in July, maybe as a birthday present to myself. It’s tentatively entitled A Baron for Becky, and it isn’t the Marquis of Aldridge’s story. His happy ending is still several years away, but he does have a leading part in the novella, as Becky’s protector.

And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

So, by the end of next month, I plan to have finished the first draft of two novellas (Gingerbread Bride, for the Bluestocking Belles box set, to be published in November), and also of Encouraging Prudence.

And by the end of April next year, two years from the day I started writing Farewell to Kindness, I’ll have published at least three and possibly four novellas and four novels. Or, at least, that’s the plan.

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Why book reviews matter

Book-review-imageWhen I published Candle’s Christmas Chair as a free Novella way back in the middle of December last year, I set myself a stretch target. 10,000 downloads by the beginning of April when Farewell to Kindness was published? Unlikely, I thought, but wouldn’t it be magical?

As readers of this blog know, my expectations have been blown out of the water by the actual figures. I was at 10,000 by halfway through January, and today’s download figures stand at just over 44,000. That’s a lot of books!

Now, Candle is a free book, and it’s impossible to know how many of those copies are languishing in a TBR dungeon on someone’s Kindle or iPad.  But let’s say that a quarter of the people who downloaded the novella have actually read it. Let’s say 13,000, just so my next piece of arithmetic is easy.

So how is it doing in the review stakes? Duplicates make it hard to get an exact figure, but between the various Amazon sites, Goodreads, and other book eretailers, Candle has around 130 to 140 reviews. (Hah! Now you know why I picked 13,000!)  It’s all very rough, of course, but I’m guesstimating that one reader in 100 has written a review.

How reviews help readers

Do you read reviews? Lots of people do. Finding out whether someone else liked or disliked a book (and, more importantly, why) can help you to choose between the huge array of books available. With over a million fiction ebooks on Amazon, some sort of filtering system is essential.

Here’s a comment from a reader I found when researching for this article:

As a reader, I tend to look at the range of ratings for a book, in the first instance. If they are wide-ranging, to me that says, ‘this could be a good book, but just doesn’t float everyone’s boat’. If they are all of a low-rating, then chances are the book might be missable! Difficult however, when there ARE only one or two reviews – it is good to see a number of reviews to get a feel for the book’s reception.  [Cathy Speight commenting on Book reviews: are they important)

How reviews help writers

Reviews offer writers a lot. Reviews (good, bad or indifferent) make a book easier to find by pushing it up through the rankings in google search and on the sites of eretailers. Good reviews encourage writers to keep writing. When someone in a review mentions something that shows they know what I was trying to do, the glow can last for days. For example, I loved the review that mentioned my favourite gift that Candle gave to Min, and said how romantic the reader found it. I thought it was romantic, too! I loved that bit. I’m so glad the reader did.

Bad reviews help writers too. I wrote about this in another blog, but suffice to say I can learn from valid criticisms, and simply accept that tastes differ and not everyone will like what I write. Bad reviews still count for search rankings, and a well written bad review that says why a reader didn’t like a book may even attract a reader who enjoys what the review writer didn’t.

How to write a review

So please, if you’ve read a book (not just mine, any book), write a review. Especially, write a review if you have strong feelings about the review. Here are some tips from Amazon on how:

  • Include the “why”: The best reviews include not only whether you liked or disliked a product, but also why. Feel free to talk about related products and how this item compares to them.
  • Be specific: Your review should focus on specific features of the product and your experience with it. For video reviews, we recommend that you write a brief introduction.
  • Not too short, not too long: The ideal length is 75 to 500 words. Video reviews have a 10-minute limit, but we recommend 2 to 5 minutes to keep your audience engaged.
  • Be sincere: We welcome your honest opinion about the product–positive or negative. We do not remove reviews because they are critical. We believe all helpful information can inform our customers’ buying decisions.
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My plan for world domination

booksIn the past few weeks, I’ve neglected the blog as I worked 15 hour days to keep up with a busy time in the day job, plus publishing work for Farewell to Kindness, plus the launch of Bluestocking Belles (which included writing screeds of dialogue in what may be the world’s first Facebook event-based collaborative novel).

Normal business is about to resume. I have a post planned on working women in the 19th century, and another on coroners’ juries. And Penetrating Analysis has written several articles I’d like to link to and comment on.

First, though, a comment about where I’m going from here.

It has been six months since my first post on this blog. If you’ve been reading along with me, you know that I have since finished, and am about to publish, the book I was halfway through then. I’ve also published a free novella, and at some point today I expect downloads for that to pass the 43,000 mark. (I know! I can’t believe it either!)

I’m partway through writing the second novel, have begun the third, and have written odd scenes out of some of the ones to follow.

See, here’s the thing.

I want to write fiction full time. I have so many ideas- so many half-outlined drafts and characters in search of their happy ever after. But I need to pay the bills. I’m lucky enough to have a day job I love, so I’m not complaining. But my income from fiction so far has been under $2 (for print copies of Candle’s Christmas Chair), and the 57 pre-orders on Farewell to Kindness will net me around $10.

(I’m so excited to have preorders at all! Thank you, everyone who has put one in.)

I have a plan. According to my research, around 95% of published books sell under 50 copies a year, and under 100 copies in total. But the more books a person writes, the more likely they are to be noticed and to be read.

By the end of this year, I’ll have published two novellas (one in a boxed set with the Bluestocking Belles) and three novels, and (if we can work out the logistics) will be named as a co-author in the published version of our mystical magical inn party conversations.

By the end of next year, I’ll have doubled that output. So I’ll have nine or 10 published works out there. Six (the novels) will be earning me income, the collaborative projects will be making a contribution to the Malala Fund, and Candle’s Christmas Chair will continue to be free.

Will that be enough? I don’t know.I hope so. I have some great stories just bursting to get out of my head and on to paper.

Thank you to all the people who have downloaded Candle’s Christmas Chair. A special thank you to those who have written reviews or ratings. Thank you to those who have emailed me, direct messaged me, or commented on FaceBook. All of these things give me confidence to continue.

Whatever happens, I’m going to keep on writing. I love what I’m doing. But a writer without a reader is a sad creature indeed. Please know that you are hugely appreciated.

(Incidentally, for those who have fallen a little in love with the Marquess of Aldridge over the past few weeks at the inn, his cameo appearances start in Encouraging Prudence and will continue from time to time in future books. But his actual story is the third book in the planned series “In the Halls of the Mountain King” coded I and coloured light blue in the chart of story ideas. So it may be a while.

I’ve written the first 600 words though, and might be tempted to publish that here in due course.)

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Because… life

I was doing so well. A blog post every day. 1000 words a day minimum on the work in progress, Encouraging Prudence. Candle’s Christmas Chair published and Farewell to Kindness well on its way. I’d even organised some time off in March, figuring that I’d need to do some major promotion in the lead up to Farewell’s publication date.

Then, life happened. My commercial writing work got really busy, right when three people in the team left for other pastures. One of our daughters was seriously injured and spent 10 days in hospital (she’s on the mend now, thank you). A neighbour and dear friend fell from a ladder and died.

So I haven’t nearly finished the first draft of Encouraging Prudence, I’m behind on organising the launch for Farewell to Kindness, and my recent blog posts have been few and far between and not as interesting as I usually try to make them.

But Farewell is still going to be published on 1 April, I’ve created (and tweeted) some memes to promote it (like the one posted below), and I’ve been having a lot of fun meeting other writers and readers amidst the ongoing madness the Bluestocking Belles have created at our Housewarming Party site.

In the next few days, I’ll post excerpts from Farewell, and links to articles and reviews from the blog tour Enchanted Book Promotions are running for me. And then, I hope, normal service will resume. Thank you for your patience.

Rockfall meme FtK

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Troubles in coverland

BookcoverFtK4I do make trouble for myself. I have this concept for the cover of Farewell to Kindness. Since Anne’s ability as an archer is a pivotal plot point, I want the cover to feature a woman in regency dress with bow and arrow. I put the image on my working cover together from several other images – one person’s hair, another person’s body, and a random background. But all along, I’ve planned a cover shoot for the real cover.

I have a photographer (the charming Britt, who drew the chair for Candle). She has organised a model. We have a selection of places for the shoot. But do you think that we can find someone who will let us borrow their long bow?

I’ve tried the prop hire firms. Long bows are apparently not much in demand for New Zealand movies and television shows. I’ve tried the archery clubs. Some archery clubs do have long bow enthusiasts, but not within easy driving distance of my model and photographer.

I’m pinning my hopes on the re-enactment societies. I’ve made several approaches to different groups, and I think I may be getting somewhere. Yesterday, I spoke to someone who has spoken to someone… But no call last night, so if that hasn’t worked by next weekend, I’m off to the annual joust half an hour from here, where they’re advertising traditional archery.

Watch this space!

Meanwhile, here are the four designs (wrong photo, but experiments to look at typography and placement) Britt has sent me as concepts. What do you think?

Rough draft 1 Rough draft 2 Rough draft 3 Rough draft 4

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What to do with a bad review

Kilburne_The-love-letterI’m thinking about bad reviews this week, because — after a dream run for Candle’s Christmas Chair and over 80 reviews — I have my first two really negative ones. I’ve had some people make critical remarks, and some give low ratings, but the novella has not been truly panned till this week.

What do you do with a bad review? Some people have tantrums. Some weep. Some sigh philosophically and move on. I research and turn it into a blog post. I know! Right?

Steve Aedy, in a guest post on Book Baby, gives three reasons why a bad review is good.

Reason one is that you might be able to learn from it:

Sift through all the “I hate this book,” sentiments.  Find the real substance of the review – characters are flat, grammar and punctuation wasn’t perfect.  Take these tips to heart the next time you pick up your pen.  Look for ways to improve your writing.

Reason two is that bad reviews can get your book noticed. And a debate between people who like the book and those who don’t can attract even more attention. Even bad reviews, then,boost book awareness. Aedy points to the example of 50 shades of grey; 30% of the reviews on Amazon are negative.

Reason three is that bad reviews enhance Search engine optimisation.(SEO)

Every time someone posts a link to your website on their website, it makes Google happy.  This happiness results in SEO.  Google doesn’t care about the reviewer’s scathing remarks.  All Google cares about is the link that reviewer posted.

I found a fourth reason. A bad review gives your good reviews credibility, making it clear to readers that your reviewers aren’t just your Mum in multiple identities.

And a fifth. A bad review that specifies exactly what the reader doesn’t like may attract a reader that loves books just like yours. Your reviewer hates time travel books by means of a magic-wielding cat, and can’t stand wise-cracking heroes and super smart heroines? And they say so? They’ve just marketed your book to those who were searching for all those elements.

Carol Pinchevsky has some advice for new authors.gleaned from interviews with some of sf’s great, all of whom have had bad reviews.

– Think about what the critic is saying.

Carey says, “Obviously, my intention [to deconstruct Tolkienesque epic fantasy] wasn’t clear to that reviewer, so the comment is constructive in terms of forcing me to think about how I could have better executed my idea.”

Brin says, “No matter how good you are, there is always some way to become ‘even better.’ Hence you need to be open to the bad news, as well as the good.” Brin believes in this enough to create his own acronym: CITOKATE (“Criticism Is the Only Known Antidote to Error”).

– Don’t read reviews:

Cherryh reads no reviews, neither negative nor positive. “If they’re good, I might divert my writing to try to please. If they’re bad, I’d feel bad, and maybe be tempted to change my writing to please. In either case, not a good thing.”

– Stay cool.

Carey says, “Readers’ expectations are something authors can’t control…. Taste is personal and reviewers are only human.”

– Remember, it’s nothing personal.

“We review books, not writers,” says Hartwell.

Finally, Pocket full of Books has a regular feature in which they link to authors who have reacted badly to a bad review. Go take a look if you want an example not to follow:

So what did I do about my own two bad reviews?

The first hated the snippets of history, was bored by the use of the language of flowers, and just wanted my hero and heroine to get on with the love story. This reviewer called the novella ‘a total snooze fest’. Best strategy? Ignore. (That said, I’m grateful to the person who posted a five star review on the same site, giving readers two very different opinions to consider.)

The second was on a site that already had a number of positive reviews, and was quite long. Here are some quotes:

‘far too frequent mentions of anatomy and implied love making at the end (married couple).’

‘Min gives in to the hero’s pestering and her baser feelings’.

‘sure [Candle] is kind and caring’

‘some might think his attentions sweet but I found them annoying and over the top’.

On the whole, I think that, if anyone reads the review, such comments are more likely to work for me than against me. Thanks, reviewer.

The reviewer’s most scathing remarks were reserved for a perceived historical error. The review sent me hurrying to check my facts when it claimed that the Roman Baths in Bath were unknown in 1805. I was sure that this claim was wrong, but looked anyway. The discovery was in the 18th Century. I can only speculate that the reviewer confused the 18th Century with the 1800s.

Phew! I expect I will (and probably have) made mistakes, but I try hard not to, and that one would have hurt.

Enough said, and enough attention paid. Time to get back to writing the next book.

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The report of ebooks’ death was an exaggeration

Several times a year we’re told that ebooks are dead, that they were a passing craze and the craze is over.

Just before Christmas, a large UK book chain trumpeted the news of a slump in the sales of e-readers. ‘People are going back to print,’ enthused the commenters. On the Mad Genius blog, Cedar Anderson had a terse response.

I’ve got two words for that. One I won’t say, I’m a lady. But as a kid on a farm, I stepped in it a few times.

The other word? Tablets. Well, and phones, but really it’s the same thing.

And we simply do not have the data on how many apps have been downloaded so that people can read on tablets or phones. We have four people at my house this weekend. Three of us have Kindles. Three of us have iPads. Three of us have laptops. Two of us have desktops. Three of us have smartphones. Different combinations of technology, but every device that isn’t an ereader has an ereader app.

Similarly, we do not have accurate data on how many print books are sold.

Kristin Kathryn Rusch, in a thoughtful blog about her own experience in trying to establish hard data about the sale of her own books says:

In other words, all of traditional publishing from the introduction of the returns system in the 1930s to the early part of this century was based on educated guesses by the sales department in consultation with editorial. Not based on actual numbers. Not based on real sales figures. Not based on any kind of fact-based system at all.

The traditional publishing industry is in transition because it’s gotten gobbled up by international conglomerates who need real numbers for their own internal reports. Digital book and online sales actually allow for real numbers. Since the American Booksellers Association has taught independent booksellers how to manage their inventory (at the ABA’s Winter Institute), those booksellers have lowered their returns to a maximum of 25%.

So the traditional publishing data is becoming solid, but it’s not there yet. And because so many people in traditional publishing—particularly those in its upper echelons—have been in the business as long as I have, they’re a lot more accepting of wishy-washy numbers and fake statistics. Reports that have lovely graphics and percentages that seem real are still the norm in this industry, rather than studies based on real methodology. That’s in the process of changing, but it hasn’t yet changed.

A 2009 report from UNESCO says:

The lack of reliable – or even broadly realistic – data and analysis on the world’s book culture and publishing markets has been deplored time and again. Yet, the gap has not been bridged.

Nor are the ebook sales reports from traditional sources without their flaws, as the Author Earnings report for January 2015 says:

Why do [the industry news sites] continue to insist that indie self-published ebooks only make up a tiny share of the market, and cannot possibly account for a significant volume of sales?

The answer is simple. Bad data.

All of these industry pundits rely on three officially-recognized sources of ebook market size estimates and projections: AAP/BISG BookStats, AAP StatShot, and now Nielsen PubTrack.

Each of these sources arrives at their ebook market-size estimates by collecting self-reported data from a small subset of participating publishers (1,919 for BookStats, 1,200 for StatShot, 30 for PubTrack) and then using average per-title sales numbers from those participating publishers to project the size of the entire ebook market. They do this by multiplying those average per-title sales numbers by the number of active ebook ISBNs (International Standard Book Numbers) purchased from Bowker by the many tens of thousands of non-participating publishers and indie self-published authors.

But these figures don’t count ebooks with an ISBNs  from other sources (I get mine from the New Zealand National Library) or with no ISBN. Author Earnings reports that 30% of ebooks on Amazon do not have an ISBN, so Amazon ebook sales are at least 30% larger than counted in industry statistics. And Amazon is by far the biggest seller of ebooks.

Here’s the Author Earnings analysis of Amazon sales:

shadow-bar-unit-sales

The shonkiness of the data, and the counter evidence freely available, does not prevent print advocates from producing superbly crafted infographics to support their case that ereading has plateaued and that print book sales are up. (It is a nice infographic though, isn’t it? Even if the data is seriously flawed?)

I have loved books my whole life, and I adore the smell of print. But nowadays, I only purchase reference books in print. For fiction, I go ebook all the way. I have a Kindle, and I have both iBooks and Kindle Reader on my iPad. When I travel, I can take a fully recharged Kindle with 600 or more books on it, and read it for five days without recharging. The iPad needs recharging more often, but lets me also keep up with emails and Facebook, take notes in meetings, and write blog posts. What’s not to like?

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Publishing in 2015

2015-Publishing-PredictionsOn The Future of Ink, Penny Sansivieri, guru in book marketing and media relations, makes 12 predictions for 2015.

Click on the article for the details, but here are the headlines and my brief summary of her contention.

One – Discoverability: you won’t sell if your can’t be found

Two – Paid Social: by the end of 2015, you may need to pay to be seen in social media

Three – Goodreads/Amazon Integration: Amazon owns Goodreads; expect to see full integration this year

Four – eBook Pricing: pricing is likely to settle in the sweet spot

Five – The Surge of Audio and Print: books in multiple formats will sell better

Six – The Rise of the Reader: connecting with readers is crucial

Seven – The Rise of the Hybrid/Indie Author: more traditionally published authors will self publish

Eight – Bookstores Step up Their Game: watch for ‘pay for placement’ as bookstores open their shelves to indie authors

Nine – Combining Forces: authors will combine to reach one another’s readers

Ten – The End of the Review: it’s getting harder to find reviewers

Eleven – Publishers Reinventing Themselves: publishers need to change to remain relevant to authors

Twelve – The Bar is Officially Raised: indie authors must have professional editors and cover designers

So what do you reckon?

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First 5 weeks of Candle’s Christmas Chair, graphed.

Where in the world are those books going? This is a chart of the Amazon downloads of Candle’s Christmas Chair. Mostly to readers from the US and UK sites, but a substantial number from Italy, Germany, India, and Australia. Note the enormous jumps on the days each site in turn price matched (to free).

Worldwide sales to 20 Jan