Your Book is Invisible

No one will stumble across your work.

There will be no avalanche of book sales upon release.

Hopefully that didn't just destroy your hopes of publishing success, if it did, keep listening and pick yourself up off the floor.

Everyone out there is busy. Readers have full Kindles, and no one knows the name of the next Newbie Author. Success will not be had by clicking "publish". Instead success will come from telling people about your work. Not in a blatant roar, not in a mass of tweets every day: Buy my Book! Buy it Please! It's Awesome! I'll Pay You to Read It!

No, not that. But when you run into someone and start talking about books, mention yours, talk about it, give them a free taste if you can. Ask if they like it, to review it. Look for book reviewers: These passionate readers don't just consume your work, they shout about it to others. They value taking the time to do so.

Just don't brandish your book about like a weapon. But make sure you adjust the hilt at your hip, flash a bit of the blade at your reader. Time will build your list of connections, and if the work is good, one day that will all matter.

A far cry from "Shhh... Don't talk about your work", posted back in 2014. But I've learned. And as I slowly build up a list of interested readers (people that may one day be fans), I look at the fast approaching release of Kip the Quick and wonder what will happen.

Will it fade into the background faster than a shy chameleon at prom, or will it stand proudly upon the shoulders of a reader base, built one at a time?

What Does "Best Seller" Mean?

A harsh take, but a good point.

Observer.com article, by Brent Underwood "What Does it Take to be a ‘Best-Selling Author’? $3 and 5 Minutes."

In brief, the articles points out:

As with most best seller lists, Amazon's designation of "Best Seller" status is flawed. Updated hourly, with obscure, little-used categories, the ranking can be achieved easier than you might think. The author then goes on to show how he did just that.

While clearly not the same as ranking #1, or high, in a popular category, the point that this can be achieved quickly is worthwhile — and those writers out there gaming the system for prestige, or false social proof, should exercise authenticity.

Now, it can be said that Amazon will (mostly) raise quality books, and the overhead of eBooks isn't there like it was during the crash of the videogame industry in the early 80's (when a flood of lackluster videogames went unsold). But no one is rewarded by virtual eBook pulp in Amazon's great landfill Cloud.

Hourly updates. They appeal to the web-driven need for instant everything, and sound good but how representative are they for what actually matters? (Like quality?)

Should Amazon's list ranking be retooled? Make it more indicative of reality? Or does it just take away the ability for new authors to make a mark alongside big names that have big marketing budgets?

For the responsible, passionate writers out there, this article is not for us. Instead, it is for the reader that lies unaware of a sordid few that are trying to game the system.

The article could use a little more balanced explanation. I wouldn't want the takeaway of a casual reader to be that Amazon Best Sellers never mean anything. They can, and certainly do.

To the false advertisers out there, we give a solid nod of the head: We know what you are doing.

Living the Published Life

The honeymoon is over, the book and the novelette have been on Amazon for over a month and people are buying. And in most cases, I have no idea who they are. Strange, and fun. They aren't selling like the iPhone, or my pie-in-the-sky dreams would have hoped for, but like Logen Ninefingers from Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law series, I’ve gotta be realistic.

I set up a book trailer to give someone a brief 2 minute idea of what the book is about, gave away a couple free copies to bloggers/book reviewers (want one?) and got the book up on the "Book Received" page for SFSignal.com and the "New Releases" on AdventuresinSciFiPublishing.com.

Shhh... Don't talk about your work

I find myself in an interesting position. My first piece of finished work is up on Amazon, and my book is coming. I plan to talk/publicize about it some. But I just listened to the great Rocking Self Publishing podcast by Simon Whistler w/ author Nathan Lowell. And it is shaping my approach.

This Nathan character is brilliant and fascinating to listen to. I love his simple concept of letting the work (mostly) stand on its own. His marketing advice is minimal and he likes to call it "contrarian", but it is sensible. Word of mouth spreads of its own volition. Yes, granted, it will need a little shove, but if your work is good, once you get that little pebble shoved off the top of a mountain, it will build steam until you have a thoroughly satisfyingly massive avalanche.

*BOOM*

Or at least, so goes the theory. It's a theory I like, and I plan to adhere to. Time will tell if it is effective or not. I'm only going to put out work that I'm proud of, so hopefully there is someone else out there that likes it, too.

Hello? Anyone out there?

And not to gloss over, but Nathan also talks about Podiobooks. Lots of good content. It is a long listen, but worth it for the author/creator.

UPDATE - 2/29/2016
Hello from the future! Yes, you in the sweats, you in the tie, and you in the vintage cartoon T-shirt. After (mostly) following this approach, I want to add a VERY strong caveat:

No one will stumble across your work.

There will be no avalanche.

Hopefully that didn't just destroy your hopes of publishing success, if it did, keep listening and pick yourself up off the floor.

Everyone out there is busy. Readers have full Kindles, and no one knows your name. Success will not be had by clicking "publish". Instead success will come from telling people about your work. Not in a blatant roar, not in a mass of tweets every day: Buy my Book! Buy it Please! It's Awesome! I'll Pay You to Read It!

No, not that, but when you run into someone and start talking about books, mention yours, talk about it, give them a free taste if you can. Ask if they like it, to review it.

So yes, don't brandish your book about like a weapon, but make sure you adjust the hilt at your hip, flash a bit of the metal at your reader. Time will build connections, and if the work is good, one day that will all matter.

SEO Butchery for Your Fantasy Novel

How many keywords can you cram into your title? I had to wonder after doing a recent Amazon search.

But first, a quick primer for the SEO uniniated: SEO is Search Engine Optimization. A fancy way to say that a search engine is more likely to find your site (or in this case: book) than someone else’s.
1) Use meaningful descriptions. As in, don’t title your website “Clifton’s Hair-Brained Adventure”, call it “A Fantasy Writer’s Adventure”. Boring, yes, but it is what a lot of people swear by.
2) Add lots of keywords that relate to your craft, site, book, whatever, and voila! You have SEO.

I was doing some research for my book’s release and searched for "epic fantasy" on Amazon. I found The Way of Kings (yes!), some Kindle e-books promoted as Free (to be expected) and a new series titled: An Epic Fantasy.

What? They really called it An Epic Fantasy? That just strikes me as odd. Clicking over, the book descriptions for ALL of the author’s work included SEO keywords galore.

Rocking Your Marketing w/ RSP

I’m no business person, but I think I understand the fundamentals, and I know I have a lot of work ahead. I may write because of the love of the story and because it pulls me down a fantastic path that I must follow. But, what I really want to do with this creation is share it with others. That is when the book will live and breathe on its own and THAT is when the true magic happens.

Sales are ancillary, a fringe benefit. But then, I have a LOT of books I want to write, so, validating that time expenditure needs to happen…one day.

So, how in the world do I tell the world about Veil of a Warrior? And how do I make them care?

One List to Rule them All.

The New York Times Bestseller List is synonymous with success. Though it does not sway me from reading a novel without one, it stands boldly out on those that do. Awards and mentions of any kind are always helpful in the pursuit to sell more books, but the attention garnered from this list seems more valuable than most. We've all heard of it, and for the general reading populace I think it strikes a familiar--perhaps subconscious--chord.

So how does one make this list and attain Star Writer status? Ensuring a future and a steady income to rely upon (or so we hope)? Unfortunately...I don't know, and after doing some research, it seems no one else does either.

It is a trade secret.

Yes, numbers count, but there is more than that. Read this fascinating and occasionally facetious article by Jamie Ford for more.

In my wanderings I also found this Wikipedia entry both intriguing and horrifying, where co-authors schemed to gain the NY Times Bestseller list artificially by buying up their own books in strategic locations. Apparently it worked--as unethical as it may have been.

I have heard (by Brandon Sanderson--I believe) that you can gain a foothold in this esteemed list by as little as 10,000 books sold (not bought by bookstores, but by actual people). This seems such a small number, yet so large when you consider that time is of the essence and the ever-increasing glut of content you have to stand out from.

So, do you care about the NY Times list? Do you see it as beneficial or helpful? Are there other lists that are more relevant and helpful for one pursuing fantasy or sci-fi publishing? I can't recall ever seeing them on the cover of a novel before, but perhaps I was merely blind to it...

To Blog for Me, or Blog for Free?

That is the question. Or rather my wonderings and whatnots are specifically wondering if I should look into blogging on a well-known blog to gain interest in my own and thereby: my writing. Currently I blog for me. Yes it's free, but it is on my own site. I own the content, can do whatever I want, whenever. If I blog for another it will be less for me and more for free (not taking into account the benefits down the road).

I hear of a couple that are looking for contributors, and they seem like they would be a good fit. I'd name names, but I'm not sure if that information is free to be shared. So for those of you that know better, feel free to name them for me in my comments.

But...

Is there a point to blogging for free on another's site? Are there those "benefits" down the road, that I hope for?

What do I want out of blogging anyway?

Foremost in my mind are thoughts of building an audience that knows me and finds interest in my future novels and art. Secondly, I think of all the experience I'll gain by working out my thoughts on "paper" and hearing from the masses and the more experienced--of which there are so many. Yikes!

It seems too simple to say, "Of course it will help build me as a brand," but then nothing is simple. Blogging time takes away from creative writing time. Spending more, would take away even...more. And who's to say someone will even click over from another blog to my own. I expect some will. But will the traffic increase be worthwhile?

There is money to consider, which would make the decision easier. But is there money in blogging for me? In the near future I don't see any direct money from it (yes, the ads are THAT successful). It is a vehicle for me to form thoughts, network, and to talk about my novels (eventually), oh yeah...art too--well, I will again...at some point. I swear. (In fact I have a specific project in mind that will bring that back to the fore, but my 3rd draft agony has been delaying that. Ok, not agony. Just delayed gratification...ewwww. Mind out of gutter. Now.)

What are your thoughts? Anyone do the same that saw a benefit and what was that benefit? Any detriments? How about condiments?

Ok, I'm done. Now your turn.

To Hate is to Love? A guide to creative success.

I have this absolutely absurd theory: That an anti-fan club is a greater sign of success than a fan club.

What? You ask. First let me preface by saying I often think of how I can make a full time living as a writer and artist. In those thoughts I consider how I might grow an audience and make enough money to not need a "day job".

As a creative, I know that I can not possibly please everyone, no matter how good I get in my craft. I could write an improbably wonderful novel or create a beautiful illustration and in the subjective eye of many it will appear either wonderful, passable, drab, horrible, uninspired, and any other descriptor that may come to the mind of the masses. It is a simple fact we all have to live with IF we want success, because everyone's taste is subjective: colored by their world-view and experiences thus far.

Most creatives start out in a vastly different environment, amongst a heyday of appraise from friends and family and a small (but growing) network of supporters.

But one day, if we're lucky, that will all change.

One day hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions will want to see, read, listen, experience and talk about your work. Here comes the problem: Criticism. I know that during a creative's rise, they will invariably face constructive critiques, but in large they will be tempered by the knowledge that this individual is trying to improve and words are held back. Encouragement is the focus.

Once the cloak of obscurity is removed though, there can be a loss of interest in stroking egoes. Brutal honesty, even rabid attacks come forward. I've heard Brandon Sanderson mention before that after a while he stopped reading the reviews...because it was too much of a downer and a poor use of his time (perhaps engendering too much doubt as well). We can't please them all. It's not possible. To do so would make our work lifeless and dull...well, except to those few people that actually like, lifeless and dull.

If you are lucky enough to rise to such meteoric success, then you may very well have the extreme prestige of an anti-fan club with the likes of Rowling, Meyer, Tolkien, etc. With Great Fame comes Great Loathing. Be prepared.

With this in mind, I wonder: Is it the Fame that brings the Loathing, or is it the Loathing that brings the Fame?

Spurious claims you say? Maybe.

Since I am not yet popular, I lack a fan OR anti-fan club to say for sure. I know I can not yet earn the former, but can I ask for the latter? Would having an anti-fan club elevate me to fame and prosperity?

Or would it just be really, really mean?

Because I'm absurd like that, I'd like to take a moment now to ask if anybody wants to register and run http://www.cliftonhillsucks.com/. Any takers? (Just keep in mind that you might get some angry Canadians, as Clifton Hill is also a major tourist promenade in Canada, close to Niagara Falls. Or you could get some annoyed Aussies, as it is also a suburb near Melbourne, among other localities.)

I suppose nobody will take on the task. So I will bide my time and hope that one day I am popular enough to earn my very own...anti-fan club.

Writers Beware

Good note by Victoria Strauss about your search for a publisher, and the perils of doing so in the internet age: http://www.sfwa.org/2009/10/victoria-strauss-the-perils-of-searching-for-publishers-on-the-internet/

I haven't done any publisher searching myself (yet), but I have done a fair amount of reading on the subject, and though it can be a contentious subject for some I don't think anyone can argue that getting sucked in by a vanity press (aka self published) such as Publish America is less ideal than going the traditional route. Some less read on the subject may not realize that vanity presses allow a writer to essentially get their book published whether it is a good or bad story, well edited or grammatically and thematically appalling. This may sound fantastic to some, but unless you just want to share your book with some friends and family, don't go there. Main reasons from what I have read is:

Marketing via Twitter and other

So I'm trying to build up a presence for a variety of reasons: To share what I'm up to in my writing and art, and to help those pursuits along with more exposure to my work as an artist and writer. My art portfolio http://www.crusadingthought.com/ will remain committed to showing myself artistically for now, but my blog I'm looking to turn into a bit more of a marketing machine - hopefully for the good of mankind (I do hope that I don't become a soulless spambot in the process).

Naturally as an artist I want people to see my work, and know what I can do in case they have work for me. As a writer I have a need to write creatively, and am interested in sharing my thoughts with people in general. Add to all of that an article I read recently by a higher-up at TOR, if I recall correctly, that noted with beginning authors only selling between (on average) 10k-15k books, having even a decent web following can help to decide whether they take on a new author. All that leaves me wanting to spread my presence and following, which is where this blog post comes from.

I'm certainly not an expert on marketing, and am looking for advice from those that know better. I'm not looking (at this time) to make money off of this blog, it is just a vehicle for my pursuits. What can you share with me that has worked or have you heard that works? You could perhaps share how you market yourself on Twitter, Facebook, via your Blog, or just in general. Particularly in reference to being an aspiring author, and digital artist.

The few things I have done lately is:

Twitter
-talk about what I'm up to
-search for other like-minded individuals - the nice side benefit is meeting some great new people I wouldn't have otherwise
-created a specific promotional twitter account to send out information about myself to potential network contacts - this is to keep from cluttering my main account with spam, no one will want to read/wade through (aren't I considerate :) ).

Facebook
-connected my twitter feed
-connected my blog feed to send updates with each new blog
-network with other like-minded individuals

Blog
-update on interests

Linked In
-connected blog feed, linked to blog and art portfolio, do some networking, etc. Not very active on Linked In lately.

Thanks for your feedback! Er..if there is any.

Free e-Books = More Sales

I just read a synopsis for an intriguing book by Cory Doctorow called "Little Brother" with an even more fascinating opinion piece dissecting why offering a book for free online will help with physical book sales. Read the piece here: http://craphound.com/littlebrother/about/#comment-10831 . Below is my posted reply.

"Fascinating rationale with many valid points. One thing I would note though is that I presume your intent is not to encourage people to copy and pass the work off as their own. It is not mentioned, but probably should be as some people out of ignorance do not understand that despite having the ability to copy and then sell something does not make it appropriate or legal. Some recent examples I have seen were centered on art being taken from a website and then uploaded to one of those sites that sell t-shirts, coffee mugs, posters, etc. created from your uploads. This was done for profit and was thankfully caught by an observant fan of the artist's. The individual subsequently pulled it down.

In my travels to hopefully becoming a published author and trying to increase my visual art presence I certainly don't want to have to deal with something so low and underhanded as this.

Granted that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I would still not be flattered if someone outright stole my work. If they were a fan and loved it so much they made their own work after being inspired by mine that is entirely different and absolutely acceptable.

I certainly found this article intriguing and will ponder it for my own journey."

What are your thoughts on the piece? Too risky or is this the future?