For the best part of a week now, I have been unable to make changes to my ebook published via Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing because of a maddening technical error.
Last weekend, I made a couple of minor amendments to my listing and to the categories my children's novel was published in. This causes the book to go from "Live" to status "Publishing" in the author's account and until the status changes to "Live" you can't make any further alterations. Usually it takes 12 hours or less but for more than four days my book has been permanently stuck in "Publishing".
Fortunately, it is still available for sale but as a result of this error I cannot alter the price, the listing, the categories, or the book itself.
And worryingly, I cannot withdraw my own book from sale should I wish to - and there might always be reasons why one might need to do that.
I have contacted KDP customer support about it but so far just received the one reply saying that they are aware of the problem and are trying to sort it. But I have no idea when that will be.
To make things worse, I have got my book marooned in the wrong category - Adults Action & Adventure when it should be Children's Action & Adventure. Until my book's status goes Live I am powerless to correct this.
Has it affected sales? You bet - only one this week, when I would normally have expected three or four by now.
I have pointed out to Amazon that bearing in mind people like me are contractually bound not to sell our book anywhere else (a condition of membership of KDP Select) to be left stranded like this for days on end unable to make any changes we deem necessary is just not acceptable.
Update May 4, 2315: Book finally went Live in my account around 11am today after having been frozen in status "Publishing" for around five days. Pleased to say that I made the amendments I wanted to and after going back into greyed-out status of Review then Publishing, it is now Live again, just a few hours later. So well done Amazon for (finally) sorting this problem out!
Showing posts with label Kindle Direct Publishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kindle Direct Publishing. Show all posts
Thursday, May 03, 2012
Saturday, April 21, 2012
With some reservations, I've put my ebook price up to £1.99
I've decided to increase the price of Smugglers at Whistling Sands to £1.99, at least as a temporary measure, and see how things go at this higher price.
I have actually seen a marked increase in UK sales at 99p compared to my previous bargain basement rate of 77p for my ebook, although with a drop in sales to the United States.
That said, since my last slightly tongue-in-cheek post, I have had a flurry of sales on Amazon.com which is very pleasing.
I still hold the view that a debut indie novelist such as myself cannot and should not ask the kind of prices that authors with the full weight of HarperCollins or Hodder & Stoughton behind them can command. I have no intention of doing that, but at £1.99 the book is still cheap.
Furthermore, the kind of folk likely to buy a Blytonesque children's adventure book probably don't need to be cajoled into buying the book with a 77p price tag.
I was right to start out at 77p but not to carry on with that indefinitely. I think £1.99 is a good, realistic price which strikes a balance between giving people excellent value for money and providing a reasonable return for the author.
Also, independent writers selling through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing programme have to be mindful of the fact that if we all screw prices ever further downwards, everyone will turn out to be a loser.
Most readers do not expect to get books for free, nor are they in fact likely to get as much pleasure out of their reading if they feel they have given nothing for it. And there is always the option of going to the public library if cost is a factor. Ultimately, if people cannot make a living out of writing, then there will be fewer quality books.
For me, if I can carry on getting my current rate of sales at a price of £1.99 then there is a chance, albeit small, that I could realise my dream of making it as a novelist.
Undoubtedly I would be poorer than if I remained a full-time journalist. But being rich doesn't interest me - so long as I have enough to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table and maintain a reasonable standard of living I would be happy.
That's not to say I'm unhappy as a journalist - I think it's a good job, albeit an increasingly precarious one, it's just that I would rather spend my time writing fiction which might be read and appreciated for years to come rather than non-fiction which has a 24-hour shelf life.
And there's the question of subject matter. I have just penned a dull but worthy feature about the cost of long-term care in Britain, going in the paper on Monday. By Tuesday, it will only be of any further use to wrap chips in, line drawers with, or to get a fire going. Most probably, it will already be in the recycle bin.
I quite enjoyed researching it and writing it but it didn't exactly lift my heart. I'd rather have spent my time working on my new thriller or a sequel to Smugglers at Whistling Sands.
So, in putting my price up for the book, I will keep my fingers crossed that I can continue to achieve the modest rate of sales I have managed to date. If I can, then the dream of being a full-time novelist is still alive.
I have actually seen a marked increase in UK sales at 99p compared to my previous bargain basement rate of 77p for my ebook, although with a drop in sales to the United States.
That said, since my last slightly tongue-in-cheek post, I have had a flurry of sales on Amazon.com which is very pleasing.
I still hold the view that a debut indie novelist such as myself cannot and should not ask the kind of prices that authors with the full weight of HarperCollins or Hodder & Stoughton behind them can command. I have no intention of doing that, but at £1.99 the book is still cheap.
Furthermore, the kind of folk likely to buy a Blytonesque children's adventure book probably don't need to be cajoled into buying the book with a 77p price tag.
I was right to start out at 77p but not to carry on with that indefinitely. I think £1.99 is a good, realistic price which strikes a balance between giving people excellent value for money and providing a reasonable return for the author.
Also, independent writers selling through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing programme have to be mindful of the fact that if we all screw prices ever further downwards, everyone will turn out to be a loser.
Most readers do not expect to get books for free, nor are they in fact likely to get as much pleasure out of their reading if they feel they have given nothing for it. And there is always the option of going to the public library if cost is a factor. Ultimately, if people cannot make a living out of writing, then there will be fewer quality books.
For me, if I can carry on getting my current rate of sales at a price of £1.99 then there is a chance, albeit small, that I could realise my dream of making it as a novelist.
Undoubtedly I would be poorer than if I remained a full-time journalist. But being rich doesn't interest me - so long as I have enough to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table and maintain a reasonable standard of living I would be happy.
That's not to say I'm unhappy as a journalist - I think it's a good job, albeit an increasingly precarious one, it's just that I would rather spend my time writing fiction which might be read and appreciated for years to come rather than non-fiction which has a 24-hour shelf life.
And there's the question of subject matter. I have just penned a dull but worthy feature about the cost of long-term care in Britain, going in the paper on Monday. By Tuesday, it will only be of any further use to wrap chips in, line drawers with, or to get a fire going. Most probably, it will already be in the recycle bin.
I quite enjoyed researching it and writing it but it didn't exactly lift my heart. I'd rather have spent my time working on my new thriller or a sequel to Smugglers at Whistling Sands.
So, in putting my price up for the book, I will keep my fingers crossed that I can continue to achieve the modest rate of sales I have managed to date. If I can, then the dream of being a full-time novelist is still alive.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Simply maddening - Amazon lost my ebook listing today
What possible hope do debut authors like myself have when Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing go and lose our ebook listings?
I have been getting steady sales over the last few days of 1 or 2 sales a day, sometimes three or four. I had hoped I might slowly be building up a momentum, and then this happens. My ebook listing has simply disappeared from Amazon and I have no idea when it will go back up.
I had a nice email from KDP Support this afternoon apologising and saying they were aware of the problem and would get it fixed as soon as possible, but I have no idea when that will be.
But it is hugely frustrating - to anyone searching for the book it simply looks unprofessional that it should suddenly disappear. If you click the links to my book on the right hand side of this blog you'll find they won't work (as of 6pm Weds). From a couple of tweets I have seen on Twitter, it sounds like other people have suffered the same problem.
I mustn't be too hard on Amazon / KDP - it's still the best indie publishing platform around - I suppose it's when things like this happen that you realise how much one's novel-writing dreams rest on their technology. So please, Amazon, get this problem fixed soon!!
* UPDATE 7.40PM - And they have, the listing for my ebook Smugglers at Whistling Sands is now working again. I would guess, however, having lost most of the day, that I am set for zero sales. Let's hope this sort of glitch doesn't happen too often.
I have been getting steady sales over the last few days of 1 or 2 sales a day, sometimes three or four. I had hoped I might slowly be building up a momentum, and then this happens. My ebook listing has simply disappeared from Amazon and I have no idea when it will go back up.
I had a nice email from KDP Support this afternoon apologising and saying they were aware of the problem and would get it fixed as soon as possible, but I have no idea when that will be.
But it is hugely frustrating - to anyone searching for the book it simply looks unprofessional that it should suddenly disappear. If you click the links to my book on the right hand side of this blog you'll find they won't work (as of 6pm Weds). From a couple of tweets I have seen on Twitter, it sounds like other people have suffered the same problem.
I mustn't be too hard on Amazon / KDP - it's still the best indie publishing platform around - I suppose it's when things like this happen that you realise how much one's novel-writing dreams rest on their technology. So please, Amazon, get this problem fixed soon!!
* UPDATE 7.40PM - And they have, the listing for my ebook Smugglers at Whistling Sands is now working again. I would guess, however, having lost most of the day, that I am set for zero sales. Let's hope this sort of glitch doesn't happen too often.
Saturday, March 03, 2012
My book is free in Amazon's Kindle store today!
If you haven't already got yourself a copy, now is your chance. My Abersoch-based children's novel Smugglers at Whistling Sands is free for 24 hours in Amazon's Kindle store. The promotion only started about 20 minutes ago (just before 9). So please go ahead and get yourself a copy.
If you like it, all I ask is that you remember the value to unknown authors of reviews and feedback and consider doing me a review on my Amazon listing. But I'll leave that up to you! Alternatively you can always give me feedback via this blog or on email at georgechedzoy@hotmail.co.uk*
Anyway, it's Saturday morning, under a rainy and overcast sky - at least that's the case here in north-east Wales - so I'd call that the perfect excuse for putting your feet up and reading a thrilling children's mystery story on your Kindle! Just click on the links to my book on the right hand side of this screen - Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com and get Smugglers at Whistling Sands for free. It's something of a cross-over book and can be enjoyed by adults as well as children.
*And on that note, I have just discovered I've got a third review on Amazon.co.uk - five stars and a very nice write-up. That's the second really good review in two days and I'm absolutely chuffed to bits! Such a nice surprise.
If you like it, all I ask is that you remember the value to unknown authors of reviews and feedback and consider doing me a review on my Amazon listing. But I'll leave that up to you! Alternatively you can always give me feedback via this blog or on email at georgechedzoy@hotmail.co.uk*
Anyway, it's Saturday morning, under a rainy and overcast sky - at least that's the case here in north-east Wales - so I'd call that the perfect excuse for putting your feet up and reading a thrilling children's mystery story on your Kindle! Just click on the links to my book on the right hand side of this screen - Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com and get Smugglers at Whistling Sands for free. It's something of a cross-over book and can be enjoyed by adults as well as children.
*And on that note, I have just discovered I've got a third review on Amazon.co.uk - five stars and a very nice write-up. That's the second really good review in two days and I'm absolutely chuffed to bits! Such a nice surprise.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Two sales today (which is progress!)
I am quite pleased today that I have had two sales of my book, one on Amazon.com and the other on Amazon.co.uk. That is better than nothing and it does mean that since my book promotion I have sold an extra five. Added to that are the two books I sold immediately prior to the promotion starting.
So that is seven paid-for sales for Smugglers at Whistling Sands since it was relaunched in Amazon's Kindle store Friday. It could start to build momentum from this point, or it could just fizzle out, but we shall see. I believe strongly that I have just got to keep the faith now, I have got the book how I want it and I've got to start pushing it in various different ways.
The twin planks to my strategy as an unknown author is a) sell cheaply - 77p UK and $1.22 including sales tax in America and b) to promote and promote. I shall be using all the remaining four of my free promotion days over the next three months, but spacing them out sparingly.
Tomorrow, my target is to sell three . . . !
So that is seven paid-for sales for Smugglers at Whistling Sands since it was relaunched in Amazon's Kindle store Friday. It could start to build momentum from this point, or it could just fizzle out, but we shall see. I believe strongly that I have just got to keep the faith now, I have got the book how I want it and I've got to start pushing it in various different ways.
The twin planks to my strategy as an unknown author is a) sell cheaply - 77p UK and $1.22 including sales tax in America and b) to promote and promote. I shall be using all the remaining four of my free promotion days over the next three months, but spacing them out sparingly.
Tomorrow, my target is to sell three . . . !
Monday, February 20, 2012
And now for the reality check . . .
What a difference 77p makes! I had a total of around 312 downloads of Smugglers at Whistling Sands during its 24-hour free promotion. After this I had three I think paid-for sales fairly soon afterwards. I can't be totally sure of exactly what came after the end of the promotion.
I can be clear, however, on the fact that from 10.30am today all sales have completely dried up. On the face of it, it is very disappointing. But it has to be borne in mind that offering something for free is inevitably going to be easier than charging money.
Insofar as more than 300 people have now got a copy of my book, I think it was a successful exercise. If some of them bother to read it, like it and tell others, then it may help what is an unknown book gather momentum. I suppose it was inevitable that once it went back into the paid-for category sales would revert more or less to what they were previously. I should remember that I've only had it back on sale from Friday - ie. four days ago!
I think it is great that Amazon allows authors five days of free promotion during a three-month period. I just wish it was more than that.
My hope is that some of yesterday's downloaders will read it, review it and get the word out - and that slowly but surely, the paid-for book will get bought. I know how much better it is than the version I published last year, I really think I've got it how I want it now.
I can be clear, however, on the fact that from 10.30am today all sales have completely dried up. On the face of it, it is very disappointing. But it has to be borne in mind that offering something for free is inevitably going to be easier than charging money.
Insofar as more than 300 people have now got a copy of my book, I think it was a successful exercise. If some of them bother to read it, like it and tell others, then it may help what is an unknown book gather momentum. I suppose it was inevitable that once it went back into the paid-for category sales would revert more or less to what they were previously. I should remember that I've only had it back on sale from Friday - ie. four days ago!
I think it is great that Amazon allows authors five days of free promotion during a three-month period. I just wish it was more than that.
My hope is that some of yesterday's downloaders will read it, review it and get the word out - and that slowly but surely, the paid-for book will get bought. I know how much better it is than the version I published last year, I really think I've got it how I want it now.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Free promotion going really well - 245 downloads of Smugglers
I am over the moon at having had so many downloads of my ebook Smugglers at Whistling Sands. By 10.15pm, there had been 245 downloads, of which 125 were from Amazon.com and 120 from Amazon.co.uk
Actually, two of the American purchases were before the free promotion started, which is maybe a good omen.
Very surprised that more downloads should be from the American site than the British one. For a couple of hours this afternoon, someone somewhere was downloading the book every two minutes. Demand has tailed off somewhat since, but still a regular trickle of orders.
Of course, I realise one shouldn't read too much into this since giving something away for free is asking far less of people than a paid-for novel. But nonetheless, there are plenty of other free books out there, it is still great news I feel to have had this number in little over 12 hours.
Will it bear fruit in terms of reviews and further orders once it has a price tag back on it from tomorrow? I am hoping so. For an unknown author, the important thing is to get my book onto people's Kindles, (or other electronic devices) and read and hopefully appreciated.
That is what a free promotion is all about and I feel sure that it will help towards that end.
Actually, two of the American purchases were before the free promotion started, which is maybe a good omen.
Very surprised that more downloads should be from the American site than the British one. For a couple of hours this afternoon, someone somewhere was downloading the book every two minutes. Demand has tailed off somewhat since, but still a regular trickle of orders.
Of course, I realise one shouldn't read too much into this since giving something away for free is asking far less of people than a paid-for novel. But nonetheless, there are plenty of other free books out there, it is still great news I feel to have had this number in little over 12 hours.
Will it bear fruit in terms of reviews and further orders once it has a price tag back on it from tomorrow? I am hoping so. For an unknown author, the important thing is to get my book onto people's Kindles, (or other electronic devices) and read and hopefully appreciated.
That is what a free promotion is all about and I feel sure that it will help towards that end.
Friday, February 17, 2012
At last - Smugglers at Whistling Sands is back on sale!
Hello again, have you forgotten me? I wouldn't blame you if you had! Anyway I have finally come out of hibernation to reveal that I have now got my children's novel back on sale in Amazon's Kindle store - the new, improved Smugglers at Whistling Sands is now back on sale!
If you click on the product link on the side of this page it will take you straight to it. I've listed it for an introductory price of just 77p - the minimal possible. Thanks to the VAT reduction, that is the cheapest it has ever been and there is now about 3,500 words more to read. It was originally 22 chapters long and I've had to create two new chapters to accommodate the extra length.
The important thing, however, isn't that it is longer, but that it is better. It is simply a much better read than before. I had the making of a good book before (if I may say so) but I committed a fundamental error by allowing the mystery involving the smugglers to be effectively solved by the forces of law and order. In short, the kids, and in particular Lou the lead character in the novel, simply did not do enough.
I believe I have now got a far more satisfying, rounded, exciting novel than before - fun where it should be fun - and nail-biting where it should be nail-biting.
It isn't for me to say that it's a good book, that's for readers to judge, but I can hand on heart say that it is in a different league to the earlier version. I had 46 buyers before I removed it from sale at the end of October - if you are one of them, you may find that the version you have already bought is over-written with the new file, it depends on your Kindle preferences. If not I hope you will not be too annoyed with me if I suggest that you might like to purchase the new version. I will keep it priced at 77p for the foreseeable future, and maybe indefinitely, if I can pick up reasonable sales at this price.
Please try it - and if you like it, please consider taking time out to post a review on Amazon, for unknown authors it can help enormously to picking up a wider following.
Bye for now, and sorry for leaving it so long . . .
If you click on the product link on the side of this page it will take you straight to it. I've listed it for an introductory price of just 77p - the minimal possible. Thanks to the VAT reduction, that is the cheapest it has ever been and there is now about 3,500 words more to read. It was originally 22 chapters long and I've had to create two new chapters to accommodate the extra length.
The important thing, however, isn't that it is longer, but that it is better. It is simply a much better read than before. I had the making of a good book before (if I may say so) but I committed a fundamental error by allowing the mystery involving the smugglers to be effectively solved by the forces of law and order. In short, the kids, and in particular Lou the lead character in the novel, simply did not do enough.
I believe I have now got a far more satisfying, rounded, exciting novel than before - fun where it should be fun - and nail-biting where it should be nail-biting.
It isn't for me to say that it's a good book, that's for readers to judge, but I can hand on heart say that it is in a different league to the earlier version. I had 46 buyers before I removed it from sale at the end of October - if you are one of them, you may find that the version you have already bought is over-written with the new file, it depends on your Kindle preferences. If not I hope you will not be too annoyed with me if I suggest that you might like to purchase the new version. I will keep it priced at 77p for the foreseeable future, and maybe indefinitely, if I can pick up reasonable sales at this price.
Please try it - and if you like it, please consider taking time out to post a review on Amazon, for unknown authors it can help enormously to picking up a wider following.
Bye for now, and sorry for leaving it so long . . .
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Smugglers at Whistling Sands to get a new ending
I've spent a few hours today, including the extra one from the clocks going back an hour overnight, mapping out a new structure for the closing chapters of Smugglers at Whistling Sands.
As I explained in my previous post, because this is major surgery and not just minor tweaks, I no longer wish to be selling a version I am not happy with and am poised to replace and for that reason the book can't be bought any more.
Such is the flexibility of publishing a novel as an ebook, one can make these changes without having to wait for the end of a print run. I absolutely guarantee to allow those who have bought my book so far to have a copy of the revised ending.
I am very pleased at the progress I have made today in mapping out what I believe to be a better, more satisfying, more exciting ending for Smugglers at Whistling Sands and one which does proper justice to the confident, capable, strong-willed lead character, Lou (Louise) Elliott.
That now leaves me with the small matter of a complete re-write of the last 4,000 words. If the book becomes longer, and it might, then this will be possibly a writing job of some 6,000 words, some of which will ultimately be cut away in editing.
I do feel that I have grown as a writer since I penned this book. I can see flaws in it now that I could not see when writing it. By putting those flaws right, I will then have a novel which I feel I can be proud of and be confident in offering for sale.
How long will it take before I am in a position to sell it again? I'm not sure, but I've set myself a month to get it sorted and back on sale from December 1, 2011. It's frustrating in a way, because I want to be getting on with writing a second book, not fiddling with my debut one. But by getting this one right, I've got more chance of getting my next one right as well.
As I explained in my previous post, because this is major surgery and not just minor tweaks, I no longer wish to be selling a version I am not happy with and am poised to replace and for that reason the book can't be bought any more.
Such is the flexibility of publishing a novel as an ebook, one can make these changes without having to wait for the end of a print run. I absolutely guarantee to allow those who have bought my book so far to have a copy of the revised ending.
I am very pleased at the progress I have made today in mapping out what I believe to be a better, more satisfying, more exciting ending for Smugglers at Whistling Sands and one which does proper justice to the confident, capable, strong-willed lead character, Lou (Louise) Elliott.
That now leaves me with the small matter of a complete re-write of the last 4,000 words. If the book becomes longer, and it might, then this will be possibly a writing job of some 6,000 words, some of which will ultimately be cut away in editing.
I do feel that I have grown as a writer since I penned this book. I can see flaws in it now that I could not see when writing it. By putting those flaws right, I will then have a novel which I feel I can be proud of and be confident in offering for sale.
How long will it take before I am in a position to sell it again? I'm not sure, but I've set myself a month to get it sorted and back on sale from December 1, 2011. It's frustrating in a way, because I want to be getting on with writing a second book, not fiddling with my debut one. But by getting this one right, I've got more chance of getting my next one right as well.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Good! I'm back in Amazon's bestseller list for children's adventure stories on Kindle
Another sale puts me back in the top 100 bestseller list for children's fiction, action & adventure category - at #83 (as of 4pm Sunday afternoon) with Abersoch-based Smugglers at Whistling Sands.
# Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #9,811 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
* #83 in Kindle Store > Books > Fiction > Children's Fiction > Literature > Action & Adventure
Really chuffed about this, since being on this list is an important part of getting one's book known about and acquiring more readers. Again, it is evidence that you don't have to virtually give your novel away just to get readers.
Well the sun is not far off setting on another weekend and I wish I could say that I have been furthering my writing ambitions these last two days. Unfortunately, the demands of being a dad to two young children and hosting a friend of my wife's who visited for the weekend have conspired against me.
Mind you, right now I have no excuse. My wife has given me a couple of hours' grace to disappear to the top floor where I have my office to do book-related stuff. And what I have been doing - reading rather than writing or promoting. I've been tucking into the No.1 bestseller in the Kindle store: The Alchemist's Secret by Scott Mariani.
The ebook version costs the not-very-princely sum of 49p, which rather disproves my theory that selling too cheap will discourage sales. Ok, but I will say this: Mariani is an excellent writer and this is by all accounts an excellent book. I would have been happier to pay a good pound or two more for it and for him to have been rewarded accordingly. Mind you, he has several books for sale on Amazon and most are for £1.99 and a couple for £2.99. If giving one or two away at 49p apiece helps win more readers for his other novels, good luck to him. Certainly, I am happy to plug The Alchemist's Secret - really gripped by it (not that Mariani is in any need of being plugged of course!).
* I've just tweeted to say that I have set a deadline of Sunday, October 9th, 2011 to notch up my 50th sale of Smugglers at Whistling Sands. If I have reached that milestone by then, I GUARANTEE to write a sequel, bringing siblings Jack, David, Emily and their friend Lou back to Abersoch for another exciting adventure! I am currently 14 short of that target and must sell an average of one book a day to achieve it. Fingers crossed! (If I don't reach that figure, I intend to start work on a wholly different book aimed primarily at adults rather than children.)
# Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #9,811 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
* #83 in Kindle Store > Books > Fiction > Children's Fiction > Literature > Action & Adventure
Really chuffed about this, since being on this list is an important part of getting one's book known about and acquiring more readers. Again, it is evidence that you don't have to virtually give your novel away just to get readers.
Well the sun is not far off setting on another weekend and I wish I could say that I have been furthering my writing ambitions these last two days. Unfortunately, the demands of being a dad to two young children and hosting a friend of my wife's who visited for the weekend have conspired against me.
Mind you, right now I have no excuse. My wife has given me a couple of hours' grace to disappear to the top floor where I have my office to do book-related stuff. And what I have been doing - reading rather than writing or promoting. I've been tucking into the No.1 bestseller in the Kindle store: The Alchemist's Secret by Scott Mariani.
The ebook version costs the not-very-princely sum of 49p, which rather disproves my theory that selling too cheap will discourage sales. Ok, but I will say this: Mariani is an excellent writer and this is by all accounts an excellent book. I would have been happier to pay a good pound or two more for it and for him to have been rewarded accordingly. Mind you, he has several books for sale on Amazon and most are for £1.99 and a couple for £2.99. If giving one or two away at 49p apiece helps win more readers for his other novels, good luck to him. Certainly, I am happy to plug The Alchemist's Secret - really gripped by it (not that Mariani is in any need of being plugged of course!).
* I've just tweeted to say that I have set a deadline of Sunday, October 9th, 2011 to notch up my 50th sale of Smugglers at Whistling Sands. If I have reached that milestone by then, I GUARANTEE to write a sequel, bringing siblings Jack, David, Emily and their friend Lou back to Abersoch for another exciting adventure! I am currently 14 short of that target and must sell an average of one book a day to achieve it. Fingers crossed! (If I don't reach that figure, I intend to start work on a wholly different book aimed primarily at adults rather than children.)
Monday, September 19, 2011
Have now dropped introductory price of 86p
I don't want to send the Retail Price Index through the roof but I have decided to drop my ultra-low price of 86p and leap back up to £1.71. Boo hiss!
There are a number of good reasons though, and I'll start with the obvious one: Amazon punish anyone selling their Kindle books for less than £1.71 (£1.49+VAT) by allowing them only a 35% royalty. Thus from an 86p sale, I would take only 26p - that is simply not enough of a return to reap an author a noticeable reward for his efforts unless he was lucky enough to sell huge quantities of books.
At £1.71 - I will take 70% royalty (minus an obscure 'delivery' charge introduced at this rate) which gives me 99p - a reasonable sum per book and one which I feel, can leave buyers with the satisfaction that they have paid a fair price for their ebook and the author has had his fair reward.
Of course, the priority for any fledgling novelist should be to acquire a readership - and not worry about trying to make money from it. I still hold to this principle so it may seem counter-intuitive on that basis to jack the price up, but I also feel that asking a mere 86p is sort of saying to people - "look my book may not be very good but come on, I only want 86p for it". In other words, by appearing not to value my own work, I may actually be losing sales.
Let's put it this way, if anyone reading this would like a copy of the book but doesn't want to risk £1.71 on it - then I will gladly send you a PDF of the thing for free - and you can pay for it afterwards if you like it!
Pleasingly, I have already had my first sale at the higher price - making a grand total of 35 sales. When you consider that some people struggle to get anyone buying their ebooks, I think that is a result which I ought to be reasonably happy with.
There are a number of good reasons though, and I'll start with the obvious one: Amazon punish anyone selling their Kindle books for less than £1.71 (£1.49+VAT) by allowing them only a 35% royalty. Thus from an 86p sale, I would take only 26p - that is simply not enough of a return to reap an author a noticeable reward for his efforts unless he was lucky enough to sell huge quantities of books.
At £1.71 - I will take 70% royalty (minus an obscure 'delivery' charge introduced at this rate) which gives me 99p - a reasonable sum per book and one which I feel, can leave buyers with the satisfaction that they have paid a fair price for their ebook and the author has had his fair reward.
Of course, the priority for any fledgling novelist should be to acquire a readership - and not worry about trying to make money from it. I still hold to this principle so it may seem counter-intuitive on that basis to jack the price up, but I also feel that asking a mere 86p is sort of saying to people - "look my book may not be very good but come on, I only want 86p for it". In other words, by appearing not to value my own work, I may actually be losing sales.
Let's put it this way, if anyone reading this would like a copy of the book but doesn't want to risk £1.71 on it - then I will gladly send you a PDF of the thing for free - and you can pay for it afterwards if you like it!
Pleasingly, I have already had my first sale at the higher price - making a grand total of 35 sales. When you consider that some people struggle to get anyone buying their ebooks, I think that is a result which I ought to be reasonably happy with.
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