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News, Fiction Updates & General MusingsAmazon Buys GoodReads: Why it’s Not the End of the World
It’s that time of year again.
Y’know, the time where Amazon makes a move that results in it being branded all sorts of not-so-nice things. What’s the old dog gone and done this time? It’s only gone and bought everybody’s favourite reading social networking site, GoodReads.
No! R.I.P GoodReads. Why can’t Amazon just like, stop being so wise to the contemporary eBook climate? Jesus, it’s as if they want to succeed as a business or something.
Sarcasm aside, the move has naturally been met with some rather discontent opposition. A skim through the comments on GoodReads’ very own announcement post reveals a whole mix of emotions, generally positive but the occasional ‘not happy about this’ sneaks in without any real reasoning. I get it — it’s natural to oppose change, especially when GoodReads is just fine as it is, but I simply can’t see any reason why Amazon’s acquisition should affect GoodReads for the worse.
Firstly, Amazon are the most forward-thinking eBook retailer in the business. That isn’t opinion, it’s fact. No platform offers visibility and exposure anywhere near the level of KDP at present, and for readers, there’s no site better than Amazon to discover new books. Sure, the other stores might claim they’re ahead of the game, but they certainly are yet to show it. It still baffles me that people are so opposed to Amazon when they offer such a good product for both authors, publishers and readers.
‘But Amazon are monopolising!’
Perhaps, but I don’t care. Good for Amazon — they’re taking advantage of incompetent competition. It’s the competition’s job to step up, not Amazon’s job to back down. Right now, all that matters is that my (and many others’) books are selling copies at Amazon and not selling many copies elsewhere. That needs to change, but until then, I’m happy the way it is.
But anyway, back to the point. GoodReads and Amazon. Just think of the potential positives — adding books to your ‘to read’ shelf directly from Kindle, having the option to purchase from Amazon via GoodReads, and even more excitingly, a merged review system across the two sites. How is that a negative thing? It’s Amazon acknowledging the social benefits of the eGeneration. They didn’t buy GoodReads to run it into the ground, did they? I for one am very excited to see how Amazon and GoodReads approach their Kindle output, and you should be too.
‘Amazon supports us continuing to grow our vision as an independent entity…’ That’s taken directly from the GoodReads blog, so again, just chill out a bit. GoodReads and Amazon are still separate entities to look at, so no, they won’t start banning Kobo users and throwing tomatoes at Nook-ites.
The GoodReads and Amazon deal is a really exciting step for all involved. Yes, Amazon are monopolising the hell out of the market. But when their product is so good right now, does it really matter? Perhaps we should take a day to stop groaning and realise how fortunate we are to have such an effective platform right at our fingertips.
Have a great Easter weekend everyone. Remember, What We Saw, my coming of age mystery novel, is free on Kindle until Sunday. The BookBub emails go out today so I’m looking forward to observing the results.
Ryan
What do you make of Amazon’s acquisition of GoodReads? Is it a good or a bad thing?
New Release Announcement! And a Special Easter Treat…
Time for a bit of news!
If you’re a follower of this blog, then you’ll be well aware that I’m currently hard at work on my second novel. I’ve mentioned it in the past without really going into any depth, so I’m delighted to be able to confirm the first details about the new book right here right now.
Firstly, the book will officially be titled Killing Freedom. I initially had this penned as a working title, but it’s just something that’s kind of stuck for me as the writing process has progressed. The depths and layers of the title have revealed themselves to me over time, so that’s a cool process to encounter. I’ll have more info on the title and reasoning at the end of April, when I’ll be posting a full Q&A on the novel.
Secondly, I can also confirm the official release date for the book as the last week of June 2013. I’d love to be more specific, but I learned my lesson the hard way with my debut novel What We Saw. I ended up pushing it back only to bring it forward to push it back to… you get the picture. The final week of June is launch week. That could mean Monday 24th or Sunday 30th. Enjoy the surprise.
Want to know more about the book? Well, tough! Ha, I’m sorry. I want to keep things as low key and gradual as possible. Now I’ve got a few launches under my belt, I’ve learned that a long dripfeed of information can be more effective than throwing everything out there with three months to go and having nothing else to say for weeks. So yes — I hope the title and launch date will be enough to quench your thirst right now.
Where am I actually at with the thing? I’m very close to finishing my personal rewrites before sending it out to some writer friends for critiques. I’ll be looking for general story issues (character development, plot arcs, etc), so if you fancy taking part, please do let me know. It’s quite an intensive process I realise, so I’ll be happy to pay you £20 in Amazon vouchers for your troubles. Drop me an email over at the contact page if you’re interested and I’ll get back to you.
After that, I’ll be able to send it off to my editor for some copy editing, rewrite again, send to friends for proofing, rewrite again, send back to editor for proofing, final polish — release! An intense three months, sure, but three months I’m totally ready for.
To be notified as soon as a put a new release out, you know where to click. Oh, you don’t? Well, > here <. Clear enough?
A quick word of apology for my lack of correspondence lately if you’ve been in touch via email or if I’ve agreed to something or another. I’ve been so snowed under with university dissertations and writing work that I’ve barely had time to sleep. Well, that’s a lie: there’s always time to sleep. But yeah, just to say I will be back in touch with you as things ease off over the next week or so. Thanks for the patience!
Which leads to another announcement…
Easter Special: What We Saw FREE for three days only!
I mentioned a few weeks back that I was planning to experiment with BookBub. The time has arrived: What We Saw, my debut coming-of-age mystery novel, is absolutely free on Amazon Kindle for three days only EDIT: What We Saw is now free for the entire Easter Weekend (until Sunday 03/31). Fancy putting your feet up to a good old-fashioned tale of childhood discovery and nostalgia this Easter weekend? Fancy reminding yourself of Easter holidays and Spring breaks of the past? Then What We Saw might just be for you.
To download your free copy from Amazon.com, click here. UK readers — download your copy from Amazon UK by clicking here
Remember, you do not need to own an Amazon Kindle device in order to read Kindle books. Think I’m bullshitting? Well, I don’t own one and I get by. It’s just as easy to download Kindle books onto your iPhones, tablets, smartphones, PCs, Macs, and whatevers by clicking this link and installing the relevant software. Seriously simple.
If you fancy drumming up some attention about the free promo, why not share a tweet of your most memorable holiday moment as a child? Stumble upon any weird goings on? Not too weird, I hope. Anyway, simply share a tweet with your story and the hashtag ‘#WhatWeSaw’ and we’ll see how it goes.
Have a wonderful Easter! I’ll be back next week with the BookBub results.
Ryan.
Uncovered Books: The Future of Self-Publishing?
I’m always very intrigued when something new comes along in the world of publishing. Whether it be a change in terms that affects the whole landscape, or the launch of an intriguing new service offering another route for independent publishers to consider, it’s all very interesting to speculate how things might play out. Therefore, when I received an email about a new independent publishing platform, Uncovered Books, I thought it would be good to dig a little deeper.
Dig a little deeper I did, and what did I find? Something very, very promising.
What is Uncovered Books?
A little bit of background to start off — Uncovered Books describe themselves as ‘a book discovery experience for readers and an eBook self publishing platform for writers’. Essentially, a service akin to Kobo’s Writing Life or Amazon KDP when you break it all down.
However, Uncovered Books make some rather promising suggestions, both implicit and explicit, that force me to cast a curious watching eye over them.
Firstly, the website promises a ‘unique discovery app’ for readers, making it easier to discover the perfect read. Even more interesting is the claim that the company will ‘bring the audience directly to you without any marketing on your part’. Whereas other self-publishing platforms leave your book to float, Uncovered Books’ philosophy is to create a service whereby the writer can ‘just write’ and still succeed.
The secret to success is still under wraps right now, as Uncovered Books gears up for a Spring launch, but there are still plenty of other interesting aspects of the service worth focusing on, from royalties to returns.
Pricing
On Amazon KDP, you can price your book from 99c upwards. As far as I’m aware, this is a pretty universal tactic across the publishing platform world.
Uncovered Books, on the other hand, have a minimum price point of $2.99.
Why is this a good thing? It encourages authors to respect their work by pricing it to avoid the 99c slush pile that has formed over the previous three years. It also sets a respectable minimum price for readers to re-adjust themselves to, after many reported bad experiences with free and bargain books.
Although I am a huge fan of the $2.99 minimum pricing policy, I do think this is a little steep for short stories. I actually opted out of uploading my shorts to Uncovered Books mainly because they are 99c everywhere else; a price I think is representative of the value of a 6,000 word release. Therefore, more options would be welcome.
I also think it would be nice to be given the option to cut books to $1.99/99c for a set amount of promotional days. The cheaper prices will stand out to readers and increased downloads will boost sales all round.
Royalty rates are currently 50%, with the option to increase to 60% through referrals. This leaves something to be desired with Amazon’s 70% rate at present, but it’s a healthy rise from the 35% of old. read more…
Progress Report: On Novels New and Novels Old…
I realised I hadn’t done a dedicated progress report in quite some time, so seeing as I don’t have particularly much to comment on this week in the way of writing/marketing experience and advice, there’s no time like the present, right?
The last few weeks have been busy indeed. I’ve entered the final stage of my university career, so the pressure really has flicked up a notch. Therefore, I haven’t been able to spend quite as much time on my writing and other commitments recently. It’s all about balance!
However, I have still been grafting away at the rewrites of my upcoming second novel, currently working-titled Killing Freedom. I finished the first draft back in December ’12, so it’s kind of cool to go back to it and remind myself of things I’d completely forgotten about. Time away from a draft really can help you view it from a fresh perspective, so I’ll go on record once again and recommend it.
I’m currently about 45,000 words through the first stage of the rewriting, which for me, consists of tidying up as much as I possibly can. I do go through again a couple of times to check everything is tight and consistent, but if the first draft is like a skeleton of ideas, my first rewriting stage consists of lumping the flesh on the thing. Then, I go through again and wrap the skin around it all. Excuse the incredibly graphic analogy there.
I imagine I’ll have the thing ready to send to my editor by the end of the month, so I’m still confident in targeting a summer release. I really can’t wait for you to read it — it’s quite a change in tone to What We Saw, which is one of the key bonuses of independently publishing. The early stage of the career allows for much experimentation before being tied into a specific genre/approach of choice. That said, much like What We Saw, it’s pretty damn dark in places. I imagine it will be similarly baffling in its narrative approach, which is exactly what I’m going for.
Exciting news…
Good news – graphic designer Lloyd Lelina, who created the beautiful artwork for What We Saw, is back on board for this book! I’m consistently amazed by his great work, so I can’t wait to see what he comes up with this time. Definitely one of the most exciting parts of the entire process!
I’ll share the full book description soon, as well as maybe a sneak-peek or two, but until then, feel free to sign up to my new release notifications to be emailed the second the book is on sale.
What We Saw – A Retrospective
What We Saw has been on sale for four months now, which is plenty of time to reflect on things. I’ll just get this out of the way first — I’m very proud of What We Saw, and am humbled and flattered by the general response it has received. However, I also think my second book is an improvement on it. That’s just natural, right? If you feel like you’re regressing with each release, especially right after your debut, then something is wrong.
You might agree, or you might not. What We Saw might be my masterpiece. Who knows? But I think a feeling and sense of progression is important to the author. Anyway, enough rambling — thanks for the kind words. I’m really pleased it has connected with so many of you in one way or another. I was well aware when writing that the innocent approach to narration would be potentially confusing to readers, as would the descent from a dreamlike exposition to nightmare territory, but it seems the vast, vast majority caught on to the approach I was going for, so I’m very grateful for that!
As for sales — sometimes they’re great, sometimes they’re slow. They are generally great during and following promotions, so that’s something I try to focus on every once in a few months. Keep your eyes peeled for a certain BookBub post over the next couple of weeks…
And the rest…
Of course, I’ve got another first draft to rewrite in the locker (the crime novel I told you about) so as soon as I’ve finished with novel 2, I’ll get straight to that. There’s also a novella that could potentially grow into a trilogy I want to write, so that’s something else to work on. 2013 is set to be a busy but rewarding year!
Cheers,
Ryan.
Paid Book Marketing: Should Authors Bother?
There’s a whole bunch of paid book marketing opportunities on the web today, from paid blog tours to free book notification ads. Whether it be Twitter-blasts or advertising spots, the rise of social media and availability of independent digital content has resulted in the birth of entire new businesses, dedicated to helping content providers (such as authors) reach wider audiences.
I’ve sampled quite a few paid promotional opportunities in the past. I’ve taken a blog tour, had a couple of Twitter shout-outs, and advertised my book after coming off a KDP Select free period.
The main question on every author’s lips is: does paid book marketing work? I mean, some of these sites charge in the hundreds, so it’s got to have some kind of an impact, right?
Well, at risk of sounding like I’m copping out, it really depends on what your definition of ‘work’ is.
Visibility vs. Sales
A question you really need to ask yourself before you consider a paid ad spot, say, with WLC, is whether your goal is to boost sales or expand visibility? Of course, I’ve gone on record in the past saying that visibility boosting is one of the key advantages of paid book marketing, but I really believe there has to be some sort of line drawn somewhere.
If you’re paying for an ad spot following a KDP Select promotion in order to maintain your expanded visibility, then I think that’s absolutely fine. It’s an effective way of keeping your name out there and turning your fifteen minutes of fame into twenty-five. I’ve mentioned before why it is wise to put aside £25-50 per KDP Select promotion, primarily investing that fund pot in post-free opportunities. That’s wise paid book marketing.
On the other hand, if you’ve got one book out and you’re splashing hundreds of pounds on blog tours, guest spots, Twitter blasts and expensive ‘Daily Deal’ exposure, I believe this is foolish paid book marketing. Why? Well, if you slip into this sort of mentality, you’re never going to cover your costs. You’ll be playing catch-up from day one, and that’s not a healthy way to start up. It’s kind of like taking a massive loan out from the bank that you know you’re not going to be able to pay back for a load of years. Or a student loan, for that matter, but let’s not go there just now…
Covering Costs vs. Making Profit
In the early days, after delving to the dark recesses of our wallets for editorial critiques and fancy cover design, I think the vast majority of us are well aware that we’re going to be covering costs, at least initially. And sure — that great paid book marketing advertising opportunity looks really great, and promises to boost your sales by, like, 100!
But really, is it worth it?
How much money is 100 sales? For me, that’s roughly £200. It’s a lot of money, but this advertising spot costs £300, so when framed like that, it’s all about playing catchup. Would it not be better to earn £200 organically over a longer period and for that £200 to be pure profit rather than cost covering? Food for thought.
Before you invest in any paid book marketing, calculate your costs and potential returns. You might just surprise yourself.
When should I pay to market my book?
To summarise — use paid book marketing opportunities wisely. Sure, there’s a great site out there called eBookBooster.com, offering you an easy way to submit to over 50 Kindle sites for your free days. But why not take an extra hour out of your day and submit to all the sites yourself? That way, twenty of your book sales won’t just be mere cost coverers. Just something to think about.
As for blog tours – I found this a helpful way to acquire some early reviews. I’m not sure how many sales this resulted in, but it can’t have hurt. Next time, I’ll try to gather reviews more organically, but I feel this was a perfectly fine investment in the early days. Be realistic about what you want from your paid book marketing and you’ll encounter a lot of success.
That said…
Being a blogger who primarily specialises in publishing, marketing and promotion talk, I like to try things out. Which is why at the end of the month, What We Saw will be advertised over at BookBub. BookBub send out your book details to an audience in the hundreds of thousands, and I’ve heard nothing but praise, even from the previously ad-reluctant J.A. Konrath. I’m interested to observe the results and will have more info for you in a couple of weeks. Wish me luck!
Progress update
Bit of a stall in my rewriting of novel 2 due to lots of university obligations, but I’m going to get straight back on it today. Still rather confident predicting a summer release, so hold me to that.
On another note, it’s just come to light that this very post is my hundredth on the blog! If I’d known earlier, I’d have thrown a party or something. So yes — thank you to all of you who have helped with the growth of this blog over the last nine months. When I started out, I had no idea that in a matter of months, I’d be getting hundreds of hits on a non-blog day, so really, I appreciate it. Here’s to another hundred posts!
Ryan.
Have you ever used any paid book marketing? What have your experiences revealed?
Image courtesy of 401(K) 2013 via Flickr
The Walking Dead Season 3, Episode 12: Clear Review
I’ve made no secret of the fact that The Walking Dead is probably my favourite thing on television right now. Not only that, but season three is undoubtedly the best of the show’s short life so far.
Originally, I took issue with The Walking Dead. While I enjoyed it, I didn’t really find myself invested in the post-apocalyptic world, primarily due to the emotionally impenetrable (read: poorly written) characters. Combine that with the cringeworthy forced character development of the farm and the warning signs began to flash for the show as early as mid-Season 2.
The first half of Season Three put everything right. In those eight episodes there was drama, shock deaths, fantastic new characters and, believe it or not, we actually started to care about our group. Sure, it couldn’t all be perfect — Andrea suffered a character assassination (not literally… yet) and Michonne probably doesn’t speak as much as she should, but the show was in undoubtedly good form, smashing its own ratings records week after week.
Three weeks after the return of Season Three, how are things looking?
The ratings are looking good — the comeback episode, ‘The Suicide King’, smashed records again. As for the episodes themselves, well, the pace seemed to slow down a bit, taking time to focus on Rick’s descent into madness and general frolicking in the woods after Ghost Lori (bloody Lori). We had one of the best set-pieces of the entire show towards the end of ‘Home’, where we said goodbye to another of our characters just as we were beginning to love him (R.I.P. Axel). Other than that, it was all kind of building up to something greater. The episodes seemed to be setting up for the inevitable finale showdown between Rick and The Governor without actually going anywhere. News that episode twelve, ‘Clear’, was to follow Rick, Carl and Michonne on a separate mission of their own didn’t exactly instil confidence in everybody.
Which is a shame, because ‘Clear’ is the best episode of The Walking Dead since Season One’s much-acclaimed ‘Pilot’ episode. Warning – spoilers ahead.
It’s easy to forget amidst all the fast-paced drama and growing conflict between two groups of survivors fading in humanity just how brilliantly this show can handle the more intimate, human conflicts and emotions. Season 2’s ’18 Miles Out’ framed the conflict between Rick and Shane perfectly, exploring the psyche of an isolated, confused character who literally lost everything. The episode was one of my favourites of the entire show at the time, perfectly summed up by the visual metaphor of the lone walker striding through the field.
‘Clear’ is that sort of episode, in which we see Rick, Carl and Michonne return to Rick’s hometown to gather supplies for the inevitable battle between Team Prison and Team Woodbury. The episode opens with Rick still not quite in a sound place mentally, but after a visit from the Ghost of Rick-mas Future, we are grateful as viewers that the characters are in a group and not isolated individuals.
No point dodging around it anymore — yes, Lennie James returns as Morgan. Remember the guy from the first episode? Had a son? Couldn’t shoot his wife? Yeah, him.
Except he’s insane. He has writing scrawled all over his walls.
And he’s on his own.
Through Lennie James’ brilliant, brilliant portrayal of a man without anything else to fight for, we are provided with the perfect mirror of what Rick could become should he allow himself to slip any further down the spiral. We also see the dangers of not being able to make the correct decisions, ultimately costing Morgan’s young son his life. Morgan’s sense of hopelessness was really painful viewing, not just for the viewer but for Rick, who perhaps began to realise just how fortunate he is to have a good group of people around him.
My particular favourite moment of the episode is the fact that Rick, Carl and Michonne simply left Morgan to get on with his life. There was no melodramatic sacrifice, no ringing of a bullet in the closing seconds — they just left, and Morgan continued his solitary existence. I realise this could be to leave it open for the character’s return in the future, but I almost hope they don’t rush to that now — it was a subtle, bittersweet ending, and one of the most striking moments of the entire show in its sheer subtlety.
Also, good news — Michonne speaks! Yes, her and Carl go on a little trip around Carl’s hometown, in which the pair of them make friends and form an unlikely team. I’m fast growing fond of Carl — it’s almost hard to believe this is the same kid who used to run off and cause mayhem just a series ago. His development is great. I particularly liked Carl’s exchange with Morgan towards the end of the episode: we see how far Carl has developed as a human being in this world where growing up is necessary to survive, and get the unfortunate feeling that Morgan’s son couldn’t quite adapt as well as him, costing him his life. It’s a wake-up call to Rick after Carl’s ‘you should stop being the leader’ comment last week, and one which will hopefully see Rick stepping up and making the right calls once again.
It’s a shame that we’ve only got four episodes remaining of Glen Mazarra’s stellar run producing the show, but it instills great confidence that the man taking charge for Season 4, Scott M. Gimple, was the man behind the writing of ‘Clear’. He writes solid, poignant drama, balancing human emotion with the threat of the walkers. ‘Clear’ was a fantastic episode, and everything right about The Walking Dead. Roll on next week.
Rating: A+
I’ll be reviewing TV/films/music every now and then on the blog, with writing/marketing based posts on Fridays. Feedback appreciated!