# Can you write a good book in 21 days? I'm about to find out. Destroyer is live.



## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Last month I successfully completed my 21 Day Novel Challenge. The rules were simple. I had to write, and edit, a full length novel in 21 days. Quite a few people started challenges of their own, and hundreds of thousands of words were written (or in Jim's case are still being written). But here's the thing. My challenge wasn't just about writing. My challenge was also about selling.

When I started this process I was very clear that I was writing Destroyer to market. Part of the challenge was how well this book would sell, and I made the bold claim that the book would stay sticky in the top #10,000. What's more, I hoped it would crack the top #1,000 at launch. This is for an untested pen name, in a genre I have never written before. None of my books have ever cracked the top #1,000, either. I've gotten close, but #1,152 is still my best ever.

This morning, that test began officially. Destroyer is now live.










Over the next 30 days I will be documenting all the tactics I'm using to launch it. Every Wednesday I'll be putting out a video talking about what choices I made, and why I made them. I'm also doing screencasts that dissect the Amazon sales page, Mailchimp metrics, and other launch related tools I think newer authors are curious about. I'm a visual learner, so my goal is to provide something that will help people like me.

For those who'd prefer a written version I'll be tracking that here. I'm going to include rank data and sales info, so you can see how the book tracks for the entire first month. I'm an open book about this entire process, so please feel free to ask any questions you'd like. If you're following the videos and there's an area you want me to screen cast let me know, I'm happy to do that.

Either way, thanks for being part of the journey. I'll be honest. I was a little terrified when I quit my cushy startup job to write for a living. Destroyer is my first major launch as a full time author, and making it public has been incredibly rewarding. We're part of such an encouraging community, and it's humbling to see us all rally behind people like Kevin, Jim and the others running challenges.

Thank you, Kboards.









Week 3- Facebook & YouTube Ads
Week 4- Results

_Edited. PM me if you have any questions. --Betsy/KB Mod_


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## Lydniz (May 2, 2013)

Best of luck, Chris. I'll be watching with interest!


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## X. Aratare (Feb 5, 2013)

Chris - you're incredibly inspiring!  Watching you is demystifying all of this and making me feel like I can take control of book launches rather than just putting them up and then doing nothing else ... Yeah, crazy, I know.  Looking forward to all of your videos and updates!


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## aimeeeasterling (Sep 22, 2014)

I just finished reading your book Write to Market (and doing all of the exercises) this past weekend, so it's perfect timing to watch your launch in action. Thanks so much for sharing. And I especially appreciate written updates since videos and I don't mix well.


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## 80593 (Nov 1, 2014)

Congratulations, Chris! Good luck, and I'll be watching with interest. Please put more Choco Tacos in your videos kthx.


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## stoney (May 24, 2015)

You're an inspiration, Chris. Good luck!


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## Jim Johnson (Jan 4, 2011)

Chris Fox said:


> Last month I successfully completed my 21 Day Novel Challenge. The rules were simple. I had to write, and edit, a full length novel in 21 days. Quite a few people started challenges of their own, and hundreds of thousands of words were written (or in Jim's case are still being written). But here's the thing. My challenge wasn't just about writing. My challenge was also about selling.


Good luck, Chris! Hope Destroyer achieves and exceeds your goals! I won't even worry about marketing until May, when I'm closing in on the end of the third book's draft. I have fairly good idea how I'm going to launch, but I keep tweaking the plan as I read more great threads on marketing by the other fine folks here.

Thanks for the inspiration! Now get cracking on book 2.


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## Matthew Stott (Oct 22, 2014)

Good luck! Though I would argue that failing to reach, or even get close to, any targets you've set for yourself does not automatically make it a 'bad book.' Shit happens.


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## Shiriluna Nott (Aug 26, 2014)

Good luck! I have been, and will continue to, watch this challenge with interest!


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## amy_wokz (Oct 11, 2014)

Fantastic, Chris! I can't say enough about your courage, authenticity, and heart in providing insight into this process for everyone. Thank you!


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Matthew Stott said:


> Good luck! Though I would argue that failing to reach, or even get close to, any targets you've set for yourself does not automatically make it a 'bad book.' [crap] happens.


That's a great point, Matthew. I'm tying quality to sales rank, because that's the only objective metric I can track. If readers buy and review it, I can prove it's a 'good' book, as opposed to quickly written trash. I'm trying to bust the myth that fast = crap.



X. Aratare said:


> Chris - you're incredibly inspiring! Watching you is demystifying all of this and making me feel like I can take control of book launches rather than just putting them up and then doing nothing else ... Yeah, crazy, I know. Looking forward to all of your videos and updates!


That's the whole goal. When I showed up to Kboards people like Annie Jacoby, Wayne Stinnett, and Elizabeth Ann West were dissecting their launches. I learned an immense amount in a short time, because they (and countless other authors) were so free with their data. I have an obligation to pay that forward, and so do you once you're selling at the numbers you'd like to =p.

To everyone else, thank you for being so encouraging. You people rock. I've got my fingers crossed for Destroyer.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Jim Johnson said:


> Good luck, Chris! Hope Destroyer achieves and exceeds your goals! I won't even worry about marketing until May, when I'm closing in on the end of the third book's draft. I have fairly good idea how I'm going to launch, but I keep tweaking the plan as I read more great threads on marketing by the other fine folks here.
> 
> Thanks for the inspiration! Now get cracking on book 2.


First, I had to write the prequel. Exiled is done and edited. This week I work on Launch to Market while I'm at the Smarter Artist Summit, and I start writing Void Wraith when I get back. =)


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## D-C (Jan 13, 2014)

Good luck, Chris. I'm nervous for you! Whatever happens, it's a wicked-wild ride and an amazing experience. Well done.


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## PhilipColgate (Feb 11, 2016)

I watched your YouTube series daily but avoided reading the files you shared.  I was waiting to download the final live version of Destroyer.  It's not my genre, but I'm dying to read the finished product after seeing its "manufacture" each step of the way.  Good luck, bro.


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## C. A. Mitchell (Aug 6, 2015)

Chris, thank you so much for taking the time to share with all of us. I watched your challenge videos and your attitude is really inspiring. Fingers crossed for Destroyer! If the words are anywhere near as awesome as the cover, then I think it'll do just fine 

Enjoy Austin


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## ufwriter (Jan 12, 2015)

Good luck, Chris! I can't wait to see how this goes!!


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## A Woman&#039;s Place Is In The Rebellion (Apr 28, 2011)

Good luck, Chris! I've enjoyed your videos and hope this experiment goes even better than expected.


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## Darren Kirby (Oct 6, 2014)

Good luck, Chris!  I just started getting into your 21 day challenge videos, but right away I went and pre-ordered your new book as I wanted to see what the finished product would be like.  Very excited for you!  And thanks for being so transparent, hopefully I can do the same in the future for others coming along behind us.


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## mrforbes (Feb 16, 2013)

Buying my copy now.


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## mearle (Oct 4, 2015)

I like the name of your new book


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## sela (Nov 2, 2014)

I checked my Kindle this morning and WOOHOO! My preorder of Destroyer was downloaded! I have all your books and am looking forward to reading and watching your launch and all the videos that go along with it. Whatever the results, you've done a great job providing us indies with lots of material to consider in our own careers. I wish you the best of luck and all the success you hope for. I'll be trying to replicate your process in the fall when I do my own SF debut!


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## Brock O. Lee (Mar 10, 2016)

You are a saint, Chris. I feel like I should be paying you for all this valuable information. Thanks so much, man!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## J.T. Williams (Aug 7, 2014)

Chris, holy blurb.

I was into the second paragraph and all I could think was, "Protoss are about to burn a planet". I halfway expected an excerpt where an Archon said "ERADICATE!"

Void Wrath =Void Ray (SC2 unit, not sure if you wanted that mental checkmark but it was the first thing to come to mind.)

...then you listed that this baby was raised by StarCraft. Perfect. 

Good luck. You're in the four digit ranks. Awesome!


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## barryjhutchison (Feb 21, 2016)

Just bought from the UK store. Looking forward to reading it. Good luck!


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Sela said:


> I checked my Kindle this morning and WOOHOO! My preorder of Destroyer was downloaded! I have all your books and am looking forward to reading and watching your launch and all the videos that go along with it. Whatever the results, you've done a great job providing us indies with lots of material to consider in our own careers. I wish you the best of luck and all the success you hope for. I'll be trying to replicate your process in the fall when I do my own SF debut!


I have every confidence that you will kick butt in SF, Sela. I can't wait to read whatever you put out.



mrforbes said:


> Buying my copy now.


This made my day. The author of Starship Eternal is reading my book.



J.T. Williams said:


> Chris, holy blurb.
> 
> I was into the second paragraph and all I could think was, "Protoss are about to burn a planet". I halfway expected an excerpt where an Archon said "ERADICATE!"
> 
> ...


You're the first person to notice the Starcraft influences, which really surprises me. My Primo feel very much like Protoss, and of course I've got my Terrans. If you've played Mass Effect you'll definitely recognize other elements, too.



SpencerDeVeau said:


> You are a saint, Chris. I feel like I should be paying you for all this valuable information. Thanks so much, man!


Others did exactly the same thing for me when I showed up to Kboards, and I think we all have an obligation to pay it forward.

I may do a course eventually, but only if I can prove my methodology works. This is where we find out if I know what the hell I'm talking about =)


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## alex dire (Mar 19, 2016)

Wait. Why are you not in the "Space Marine" subcategory!!!!


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## Lisa Blackwood (Feb 1, 2015)

Thanks for sharing your journey. It's inspiring.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

alex dire said:


> Wait. Why are you not in the "Space Marine" subcategory!!!!


I am. If you look at the bottom of my product page I'm in both Space Marine and Space Fleet. o.o


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## C. Michael Wells (Feb 26, 2014)

Any particular reason you decided to price at .99? 

I mean I'm not complaining or anything. It certainly enticed me to pick up my own copy. Just thought I would check on your thought process on the price.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

C. Michael Wells said:


> Any particular reason you decided to price at .99?
> 
> I mean I'm not complaining or anything. It certainly enticed me to pick up my own copy. Just thought I would check on your thought process on the price.


Sure. I'm running a sale for the first week, because this is my first release in a new genre. I don't have an existing platform, and building one is far, far more important than short term profit. I want every person interested to buy this book, and the lower price adds a bit of scarcity pressure. They know it will return to full price soon, so it's a deal.

That means maximum sales early on, which means wider also bought books. It means greater exposure, and if the book is going to take off this helps provide the window to do that. By the end of the first week I'm hoping for 1,000+ sales. I'll have given up a lot of cash in the process, but if the book makes it into the top #1,000 I'll make it up once it goes back to full price.


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## Taitrina (Oct 17, 2014)

Can someone smarter than me add 'Exiled' to Goodreads? I know it's a mailing list freebie and perhaps that's not the done thing, but I'm already 5 books behind on my reading challenge and I don't know how to count it otherwise.

Chris you said that questions were acceptable. May I ask what promotion you did for your book? I watched your video and I didn't hear anything about that. I can see your week 3 video is Facebook and YouTube ads, so I'm possibly jumping ahead. However, I'm just wondering is that all the promotion you are doing? I've not heard of YouTube ads being used before, so that's really interesting. I suppose you have a pre-existing fanbase which can get the ball rolling.

Thanks  I'm really enjoying the book btw, only read the first seven chapters so I'm not far in but I'll finish it next couple of days.


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## BeachB (Sep 3, 2013)

Just purchased a copy.  I am looking forward to reading it.  I am not typically a reader of this genre but who knows, you may convert me to one!  Thank you and the others for sharing your journey with us.  All of you just freakin' rock!


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Taitrina said:


> Can someone smarter than me add 'Exiled' to Goodreads? I know it's a mailing list freebie and perhaps that's not the done thing, but I'm already 5 books behind on my reading challenge and I don't know how to count it otherwise.
> 
> Chris you said that questions were acceptable. May I ask what promotion you did for your book? I watched your video and I didn't hear anything about that. I can see your week 3 video is Facebook and YouTube ads, so I'm possibly jumping ahead. However, I'm just wondering is that all the promotion you are doing? I've not heard of YouTube ads being used before, so that's really interesting. I suppose you have a pre-existing fanbase which can get the ball rolling.
> 
> Thanks  I'm really enjoying the book btw, only read the first seven chapters so I'm not far in but I'll finish it next couple of days.


Sarah (my incredible assistant) will get Exiled added once I publish that on Amazon. I'll probably do that two weeks from today, as that will trigger another release email from Amazon to my followers there.

My promotion will be covered in the videos, but since not everyone will see those:

Day 1- A fellow author is announcing me to their list. Facebook post on main account, blog, twitter, a couple private communities.
Day 1.5- Facebook ads begin at 1pm.
Day 2- First segment of multiple email lists go out. Announce on several big subreddits over on Reddit. Create another set of Facebook ads, and prune poorly performing ones.
Day 3- Send larger segment, ramp up spend on Facebook ads.
Day 4- Send larger segment, ramp up spend on Facebook ads.
Day 5- Send larger segment, ramp up spend on Facebook ads.

After that I'll continue Facebook ads that perform. I'm waiting for my first book trailer to be complete before I begin YouTube ads, but those start the second my editor gives me the green light. I haven't seen many people use them either, but I think I see an angle that will help them work for my genre.

I will also be on a fair number of podcasts in the next several weeks to help promote the book past the first week. I'm fairly confident I can give it a strong launch, as I have a decent platform. The real question is, how will the book perform when I stop pushing promo so hard?


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## EC Sheedy (Feb 24, 2011)

Good luck, Chris, and thank you so much for the fearless sharing of your journey. You just sold a copy in Canada. Not my usual genre, but I am curious after watching your process.

I will light a candle to that best-seller goddess.


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## Taitrina (Oct 17, 2014)

Chris Fox said:


> Sarah (my incredible assistant) will get Exiled added once I publish that on Amazon. I'll probably do that two weeks from today, as that will trigger another release email from Amazon to my followers there.
> 
> My promotion will be covered in the videos, but since not everyone will see those:
> 
> ...


Thanks Chris!

You are publishing Exiled? I thought that was a mailing list thing, or is it that people can get it free from your mailing list but it's not exclusive? I'd not thought about that. I always assumed that mailing list book magnets had to be exclusive, or if people found you from buying the book magnet, they'd then be mad because they could have got it for free. I'm guessing you are active on reddit, unless there are places that allow promotion? Reddit often comes up in my results when I'm googling questions, but I don't know much about it otherwise.

I really appreciate how open you are being about this. I'm relatively new to all this and so seeing your process is invaluable.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

Great blurb, great cover, great concept that is conventional enough to be comfy for space opera lovers.

The total package


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## harker.roland (Sep 13, 2014)

Another purchase over here. Not my genre but I want to keep supporting you and all you do to give back to us.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Taitrina said:


> You are publishing Exiled? I thought that was a mailing list thing, or is it that people can get it free from your mailing list but it's not exclusive? I'd not thought about that. I always assumed that mailing list book magnets had to be exclusive, or if people found you from buying the book magnet, they'd then be mad because they could have got it for free. I'm guessing you are active on reddit, unless there are places that allow promotion? Reddit often comes up in my results when I'm googling questions, but I don't know much about it otherwise.
> 
> I really appreciate how open you are being about this. I'm relatively new to all this and so seeing your process is invaluable.


I am publishing Exiled. I did a reader magnet for my Deathless called The First Ark, and no one has ever objected to that being on Amazon, Apple, etc. I do it for two reasons. First, it makes it possible to do audio. Second, some people don't want to mess with mailing lists, but still want to read the book.

Also, I'll occasionally run across someone who just cannot get a free book on their Kindle. I'll usually just gift the reader magnet to them.

To everyone else, thank you for the purchases. You guys Rock. Destroyer just adjusted rank again to around 4k, and I suspect it will get much better before the end of the day.

Edit: Stay far away from Reddit, unless you are already a Redditor. I can get away with a little self-promo, because I contribute a lot to several communities.


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## BWFoster78 (Jun 18, 2015)

Chris,

Enjoyed 5000 WPH (it helped me a lot) and plan to buy and read Write to Market.



> I'm trying to bust the myth that fast = crap.


Okay, I'm in. I don't know that I'm qualified to judge good vs crap, but I just bought it. I'll try to read this quickly and leave you a review.

Thanks for all your informative posts.

Brian


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## DC Swain (Feb 24, 2013)

Chris Fox said:


> That's the whole goal. When I showed up to Kboards people like Annie Jacoby, Wayne Stinnett, and Elizabeth Ann West were dissecting their launches. I learned an immense amount in a short time, because they (and countless other authors) were so free with their data. I have an obligation to pay that forward, and so do you once you're selling at the numbers you'd like to =p.


I think this is a great point Chris, and something we need to be grateful to kboards for. I first stumbled through the doors here back when it was known as kindleboards and the authors giving their information and support were the likes of Hugh Howey, Elle Casey and Russell Blake. To see where they are now, and the "next generation" coming through, is really inspiring.

It would be an interesting comparison to look at your posts compared to Hugh's from 3-4 years ago. While some things have changed, the need to listen to your readers and put out quality products has stayed the same.

So thanks for sharing Chris and good luck with the launch.


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## My Dog&#039;s Servant (Jun 2, 2013)

Good going, Chris, on hitting each of your goals so far. Here's rooting for you to reach all the rest!


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## MinnieC (Feb 19, 2016)

Nabbed my copy. It's the least I can do after how much I learned from your videos! Looking forward to the next batch. 

Good luck, Chris!


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## PJ_Cherubino (Oct 23, 2015)

Rock, you do, I say!

You sold me in the pre-order phase. I'm taking a break from my WIP to check out this thread and to download Destroyer.

I can't thank you enough for providing inspiration, invaluable knowledge and experience. Your generosity is amazing and equally inspiring.

It's very cool to see Destroyer doing so well in the rankings already. It gives me hope for my own work.

OK, back to the WIP.


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## Logan R. (May 13, 2011)

Picked up my copy, Chris! Got four or five flights over the next week, so I'll have plenty of time to dig into it. Can't wait!


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Logan R. said:


> Picked up my copy, Chris! Got four or five flights over the next week, so I'll have plenty of time to dig into it. Can't wait!


You're going to Smarter Artist, right? If so, we need to grab lunch.


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## hardnutt (Nov 19, 2010)

Best of luck, Chris. You've been incredibly honest, not to say generous, with all you've shared. To payback, I'm off to Amazon to purchase Destroyer. It's not a genre I read, but what the heck. Like the poster up-thread, you might convert me!


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## Logan R. (May 13, 2011)

Chris Fox said:


> You're going to Smarter Artist, right? If so, we need to grab lunch.


Just got into Austin yesterday! Yep, lunch is a must. Looking forward to a great week at the Summit!


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

Congrats! Wishing you lots of success!


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## Seshenet (May 20, 2015)

Good luck, Chris! As a newbie, I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out. And I love that cover!


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## KL_Phelps (Nov 7, 2013)

snagged a copy this morning at 5 am

didn't know you did a youtube series, I'll have to check it out


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## NoCat (Aug 5, 2010)

Good luck! Your initial alsoboughts will likely be pretty messed up because of your non-fiction and people from Kboards, but hopefully it settles out as more Space Opera type fans pick up the books.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Annie B said:


> Good luck! Your initial alsoboughts will likely be pretty messed up because of your non-fiction and people from Kboards, but hopefully it settles out as more Space Opera type fans pick up the books.


Yup, you nailed it. My also bought are pretty polluted right now, though thankfully the space operas are mixed in. Hopefully it settles out quickly.

This was the weakest area of my launch strategy, because I didn't really have a way to deal with also bought. Thankfully, that will be easier with the 2nd book since I'll have a mailing list in the right genre.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

btw

#3,169


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Nice! After rank finishes adjusting there's a chance I'll break the top #1,000. Sales have been very strong today.


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## brandoncourcy (Mar 5, 2015)

I'm so excited for you, Chris! I'll be rooting for you over here on the East Coast 

Oh, and that new cover looks amazing. Definitely stands out more than the original. It's way more dynamic.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

I used the old cover for the prequel story, so that worked out. 

Now I have a reader magnet with a great cover =)


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## aimeeeasterling (Sep 22, 2014)

Wow! You're already up to 398 before even emailing your list!


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

*398!!*


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## Maggie Dana (Oct 26, 2011)

Best of luck, Chris. I notice you are using C.T. Fox on the book's cover, but Chris Fox on the product page. Which one is the pen name?


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## RinG (Mar 12, 2013)

Congrats! Sounds like you're exceeding all your goals! 

And thanks for updating here as well as on video. My bandwidth just doesn't really allow me to watch that many videos, but maybe next week, once we get our upgrade.


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## GP Hudson (Sep 16, 2013)

Congrats on the amazing launch Chris. I picked up my copy today after getting the email blast. Keep up the great work.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

aimeeeasterling said:


> Wow! You're already up to 398 before even emailing your list!


Wow =O

I made it into the top 1,000 for the first time ever. Woohoo!

I'm at a little over 500 sales for today.

About the pen name, I think I'm going to change the covers to Chris Fox. The pen name is feeling less and less necessary.


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## Andrew Dorn (Dec 30, 2015)

Rooting for you. Best of luck, Chris


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## Nicholas Erik (Sep 22, 2015)

Thanks for being so open with your numbers and launch plan, Chris. All the content you've been putting out over the past few months is a fantastic resource.

Bought a copy of DESTROYER - best of luck with the launch. Although I doubt you need luck, given day one's sales response.

Nick


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## Mxz (Jan 17, 2015)

Congrats!


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

I'm glad you changed your cover. The new one really works. Congrats.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

#399 now.


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

Big congrats, Chris, and thank you for sharing so much info!


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## Nick Endi Webb (Mar 25, 2012)

Congrats on the launch!

Something tells me your alsoboughts will be all sorted out very, very soon


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Nick Endi Webb said:


> Congrats on the launch!
> 
> Something tells me your alsoboughts will be all sorted out very, very soon


You are my hero. Officially.


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## Lisa Blackwood (Feb 1, 2015)

geronl said:


> *398!!*


First Day!!!! Woot. Congrats. (Not to jinx you, but my Bet is #27 in the Kindle store for a peak rank in like a week and a half....totally just a guess)


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## dragontucker (Jul 18, 2014)

Wow Chris!!! I knew I was gonna check your book and see it below 1,000 in the paid store. I didn't expect it to be in the 300's though lol. That must be an amazing feeling. The sky is the limit now


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## Dominique Mondesir (Dec 15, 2015)

Well done Chris! Hard work pays off!


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## Matt Ryan (Nov 16, 2012)

#229

Looks like you have that launch you were hoping for. Congrats!

Lets step it up on book 2: 20 day challenge!


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

229!!


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## ufwriter (Jan 12, 2015)

WOW! This is incredible!!!


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## Steve Shelley (Jan 10, 2015)

Balls of steel I reckon.

Comes on here, says 'this is what I'm gonna do', and does it.

Well done Chris, you deserve everything you get


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## PearlEarringLady (Feb 28, 2014)

Now at #220... 

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #220 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

    #2 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Genetic Engineering
    #2 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Military > Space Fleet
    #3 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Genetic Engineering

And this is pretty sweet, too...

Amazon Author Rankbeta  (What's this?)
#49 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure
#53 in Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction
#63 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure
#68 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction

So cool to watch this happening in front of us. Thanks a million for sharing, Chris.


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## alex dire (Mar 19, 2016)

Not seeing "Space Marine" still.

[/img]


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## A Woman&#039;s Place Is In The Rebellion (Apr 28, 2011)

Awesome launch! Now Alex Dire has me obsessing about the absence of space marine. Email KDP -- you could be number 1 there!


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## lilywhite (Sep 25, 2010)

alex dire said:


> Not seeing "Space Marine" still.
> 
> [/img]


It's at the bottom, under "Look for Similar Items by Category." The rank listing you're looking at only shows the two or three categories in which the book is ranking the highest at the moment.


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## Matthew Stott (Oct 22, 2014)

Chris Fox said:


> Day 1- A fellow author is announcing me to their list.


Looks like the book is flying off the digital shelves! I'm interested in the above tactic; how much of an effect is that other persons list having in this rocket launch d'you think..? If it's a big name in the same field, then that's a super boost for early visibility.


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## Writer&#039;s Block (Oct 29, 2014)

Dear Chris,

I have long suspected that you are not, in fact, human. That you are actually an alien supreme being that has come to Earth to show us all the way.

That said, I've snagged myself a copy to read later. However, I will take the precaution of wearing my tin-foil hat while I do so -- just in case.

P.S. Best of luck and thank you for your generosity.


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## Ann H (Jan 9, 2016)

Matthew Stott said:


> Looks like the book is flying off the digital shelves! I'm interested in the above tactic; how much of an effect is that other persons list having in this rocket launch d'you think..? If it's a big name in the same field, then that's a super boost for early visibility.


Going by the post above, i'd say it's Nick Webb


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Ann H said:


> Going by the post above, i'd say it's Nick Webb


I can neither confirm nor deny this 

Thank you all so much for the support. I cannot believe how well this is going so far. I still haven't alerted my own lists, so today and tomorrow should be really strong as well.

I also have a Hungry Author blast going out today!

WOOHOO!!!


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## RBK (Nov 28, 2014)

Serious, serious congrats, Chris. You put the work in, you're seeing the rewards. Very happy for you. Thank you for sharing this journey (so far!)


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## Jim Johnson (Jan 4, 2011)

alex dire said:


> Not seeing "Space Marine" still.


As lilywhite said, you need to look at the bottom of the sales page. All the categories are listed there:


----------



## GP Hudson (Sep 16, 2013)

Ann H said:


> Going by the post above, i'd say it's Nick Webb


Looks like Nick Webb has his own personal Bookbub. Amazing results.


----------



## Gina Black (Mar 15, 2011)

#220 and I bought a copy. It's not even close to my preferred genres but I'm going to read it and maybe it will broaden my tastes!

It's been so inspiring and helpful to watch and learn from your experience.


----------



## Book Cat (Jan 3, 2016)

I got my copy on preorder. Funny thing was being that I am ahead of the US in time I was reading it before the American market got access to it least I seem to have as it exploded both here on Kboard and Amazon hours after I started reading it. It has been a good read so  far, though I do not normally read that genra. 

I even got Chris' werewolf book for free!


----------



## Craig Andrews (Apr 14, 2013)

I've been looking for a new sci-fi series for a while, Chris. Can't wait to dig in! Congrats on the successful launch!!


----------



## Matthew Eliot (May 4, 2015)

Fantastic Mr Fox!

You worked hard for this. Enjoy your well-deserved success.


----------



## sela (Nov 2, 2014)

What an amazing amazing ride, Chris!!!

You beat out Scalzi!!!

LOL and The Alien King's Baby and THAT is an accomplishment ... 



_Edited to shrink image to accommodate those using mobile devices or older monitors. Thanks for understanding. --Betsy_


----------



## geronl (May 7, 2015)

It's got the sales and looks like the good reviews are coming in.

Looks like your plan has succeeded on all points  (except for the longer term ones - but it's on track)


----------



## harker.roland (Sep 13, 2014)

Gotta say Chris, well done. The only space fiction I have ever read was Ender's Game. It just is not my type of genre. I initially bought the book just to support you, but today found myself in-between books and stuck in the restroom with nothing I really wanted to read. Destroyer popped up in my Kindle Cloud and I gave it a chance. I am now 20% through it 

I think it is safe to say you can give a mic drop for writing to market!


----------



## geronl (May 7, 2015)

harker.roland said:


> I think it is safe to say you can give a mic drop for writing to market!


definitely, a textbook example!


----------



## Craig Martelle (Feb 6, 2016)

Nicely done Chris and to your unnamed email list benefactor (Nick - I love the Tom Edwards covers, I'll have some of my own soon from him), helping each other out is a huge win for everyone, especially the readers. I just picked up my copy, too.


----------



## Lisa Blackwood (Feb 1, 2015)

*#212!!!!!*


----------



## juliatheswede (Mar 26, 2014)

Congratulations, Chris! May you have many, many more sales!


----------



## lilywhite (Sep 25, 2010)

RobCornell said:


> How the frack do you get into that many categories


http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,205816.0.html


----------



## Jim Johnson (Jan 4, 2011)

The power of keywords. Read that thread, learn it, love it, buy it flowers and chocolate.


----------



## geronl (May 7, 2015)

Presently #213


----------



## Lisa Blackwood (Feb 1, 2015)

Jim Johnson said:


> The power of keywords. Read that thread, learn it, love it, buy it flowers and chocolate.


I have been waiting for a rainy day....I think it's supposed to rain tomorrow night....I dang well better getting reading.


----------



## PJ_Cherubino (Oct 23, 2015)

Jim Johnson said:


> The power of keywords. Read that thread, learn it, love it, buy it flowers and chocolate.


Keywords strong medicine.


----------



## A. S. Warwick (Jan 14, 2011)

I'm certainly getting the Mass Effect vibe off of the blurb.  Given how...poorly...the resolution of that series played out I'm looking for something that will help heal the lingering wounds.


----------



## C. E. Stocker (Sep 18, 2014)

Just  picked up Destroyer tonight, looking forward to reading it and the rest of the series.

And like most on here, I really appreciate the help you've provided with your 21-day Novel Challenge videos (and beyond). Hope the success continues for you.


----------



## Johnconner (Mar 7, 2016)

This is great, Chris. You're so generous with information and insight. It's really fantastic


----------



## Bbates024 (Nov 3, 2014)

Very nice Chris looks like it worked out just fine.


----------



## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

Forgive me if this was mentioned before, but was it intentional for the book to be in Courier font? It is in the look inside/preview at least; don't know about the ebook version itself.


----------



## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

Kylo Ren said:


> Forgive me if this was mentioned before, but was it intentional for the book to be in Courier font? It is in the look inside/preview at least; don't know about the ebook version itself.


That's not Courier, I don't think. See how it's mostly sans serif? I like it.


----------



## Abalone (Jan 31, 2014)

In! I'm a big fan of your work. And I loved the interview you did with out mutual friend, Sean "The Kindle Platter Busting" Platt.


----------



## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

Becca Mills said:


> That's not Courier, I don't think. See how it's mostly sans serif? I like it.


Hmmm. What I'm looking at most definitely seems to be courier (and it's definitely a serif font). I'm talking about the Look Inside. Is that what you're looking at too? I checked other books, and they display with more typical fonts (like Garamond or whatever). But the Look Inside for Destroyer definitely seems to be displaying in a Courier (which I'm pretty familiar with). Would post a screenshot, but I don't think I'm allowed.

Nobody else is seeing that? It's just me?


----------



## Matthew Stott (Oct 22, 2014)

No, I see it too if I click the look inside.


----------



## The 13th Doctor (May 31, 2012)

Kylo Ren said:


> Hmmm. What I'm looking at most definitely seems to be courier (and it's definitely a serif font). I'm talking about the Look Inside. Is that what you're looking at too? I checked other books, and they display with more typical fonts (like Garamond or whatever). But the Look Inside for Destroyer definitely seems to be displaying in a Courier (which I'm pretty familiar with). Would post a screenshot, but I don't think I'm allowed.
> 
> Nobody else is seeing that? It's just me?


Yeah, I'm seeing Courier, too. On both the UK and US 'Look Inside' bit.


----------



## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

RobCornell said:


> I just checked. My copy of Destroyer is also in Courier font. Weirdness. I doubt that's how Chris wanted to release these books.


That's so strange. Wonder how that happened.


----------



## 鬼 (Sep 30, 2012)

RobCornell said:


> Interestingly enough, my copy of Chris's Write to Market is in Courier font. That's how it came when I bought it. (This is the ebook version, FWIW.)


I was going to post the same thing. First time I've ever had an ebook look like that, actually.


----------



## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Kylo Ren said:


> That's so strange. Wonder how that happened.


I don't know, but it's driving me nuts. The book is compiled in Helvetica, and see to free-floating so users can change it. Some people, on some devices, say that it's in courier and they can't change it.

I have no idea how to fix that, but may have to stop using Scrivener to compile my books.


----------



## Matthew Eliot (May 4, 2015)

On a side note Chris, my copy of Write to Market is also set to courier by default, and I can't change the font.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Kylo Ren said:


> Hmmm. What I'm looking at most definitely seems to be courier (and it's definitely a serif font). I'm talking about the Look Inside. Is that what you're looking at too? I checked other books, and they display with more typical fonts (like Garamond or whatever). But the Look Inside for Destroyer definitely seems to be displaying in a Courier (which I'm pretty familiar with). Would post a screenshot, but I don't think I'm allowed.
> 
> Nobody else is seeing that? It's just me?


Kylo Ren--

You can definitely post a screenshot here--but the image has to be stored online, in Photobucket or on your site or somewhere. Then, get a link to the image, click on the little picture icon (second from the left, next to YouTube, above the smileys) and insert the [nobbc]







[/nobbc] and then paste the link between them.

Betsy


----------



## lilywhite (Sep 25, 2010)

Chris, I checked my most recent version of the Scriv project, and I think I know why this is happening. I messaged you privately.


----------



## Jim Johnson (Jan 4, 2011)

RobCornell said:


> Interestingly enough, my copy of Chris's Write to Market is in Courier font. That's how it came when I bought it. (This is the ebook version, FWIW.)


I had the same issue. Might be a setting somewhere in the depths of Scrivener, Chris. Sorry it's come up again!


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Hm. What devices are y'all reading on? I downloaded it to my Voyage, and it defaults to Bookerly, my font of choice, and I'm able to change it. See screenshots. Maybe, if there was a problem, it was fixed before I downloaded it this morning?










Showing the font selection









After I changed the font to Helvetica


----------



## lilywhite (Sep 25, 2010)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Hm. What devices are y'all reading on?


On my Paperwhite it's Courier, and changing the font changes the size a bit but does not take it out of Courier. On my Fire it's some fairly pleasant sans-serif font, but again I can't change it.

I think I know what setting is doing it. Chris will check later and, if I'm right, I'm sure he'll report back so the hive mind can assimilate the new info!


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

lilywhite said:


> On my Paperwhite it's Courier, and changing the font changes the size a bit but does not take it out of Courier. On my Fire it's some fairly pleasant sans-serif font, but again I can't change it.
> 
> I think I know what setting is doing it. Chris will check later and, if I'm right, I'm sure he'll report back so the hive mind can assimilate the new info!


Interesting. On my Fire, it's Bookerly, and I can change it to Helvetica. On my basic Kindle, however, it IS in Courier and I can't change it. Checking my Paperwhite 2d gen now. EDIT: My Paperwhite 2nd gen shows it in Bookerly (my default font) and I was able to change it (currently Helvetica).


----------



## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

Chris Fox said:


> I don't know, but it's driving me nuts. The book is compiled in Helvetica, and see to free-floating so users can change it. Some people, on some devices, say that it's in courier and they can't change it.
> 
> I have no idea how to fix that, but may have to stop using Scrivener to compile my books.


This shows up in both the Look Inside and the read-online for me (but not in my Android ap, where I see whatever I usually see ... Garamond or something). I see why people are calling it Courier, but it doesn't look like Courier to me. See how only the Is and lowercase Ls have serifs? Maybe it's some fancy-pants Courier, and I'm being a Courier traditionalist.


----------



## lilywhite (Sep 25, 2010)

Becca Mills said:


> I see why people are calling it Courier, but it doesn't look like Courier to me. See how only the Is and lowercase Ls have serifs?


Nope, mine's definitely Courier, or something so close as to be pretty much indistinguishable. Serifs on everything!

Having looked at the Compile settings, I can see why it compiled in Courier. What I'd like to know is how is it overriding users' ability to change it? Because that's weird.


----------



## Gina Black (Mar 15, 2011)

Chris Fox said:


> I have no idea how to fix that, but may have to stop using Scrivener to compile my books.


When I compile my books in Scrivener I end up with multiple (6+) css stylesheets, which is ridiculous. A book only needs one. Each separate document within your compile (all those nice little files on the sidebar of Scrivener) calls for a particular css sheet, and many of them do share. But, in a sample, sometimes the wrong css sheet is used to style the pages. It shouldn't make a difference with the final product, but it could.

What I've been doing is going into Sigil and cleaning all that up by consolidating the css sheets into one and re-tagging my paragraphs with the proper command when necessary. It's a true PITA, but my books are clean.

If you don't want to figure out how to do that (and I wouldn't blame you), you might check out Vellum instead. I've never used it, but it makes pretty books.

I see Courier on the "look inside" and it's also the font in my copy of the book. I don't seem to be given the choice to change it.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Just for completeness, I tested on almost all of the devices I currently have:

Voyage (Bookerly, can change)
Paperwhite 2d Gen (Bookerly, can change)
Kindle Touch (Caecilia or some look alike, can't really change though the size changes)
basic Kindle (the one with buttons, no touch screen) (Courier, can't change)
Kindle Fire 2d gen (Bookerly, can change)
iPad Air (Bookerly, can change as shown below )










K1 (haven't been able to test this one yet, it's having trouble connecting to my account though it can connect to the Kindle store.)

This is very interesting to me as a geek, but I'm sure disturbing to an author. Note that people who like to change their fonts REALLY like to change their fonts, and this is the kind of thing that could result in complaints.


----------



## Benjamin Douglas (Aug 1, 2015)

*We interrupt your regularly scheduled font discussion to say:

Chris, you are absolutely killing it (to no one's surprise, but everyone's delight). Way to kick some donkey (I do not condone animal violence)! Just nabbed my copy. Looking forward to a good read--


----------



## mrforbes (Feb 16, 2013)

I've never had a complaint about fonts... I hope mine are okay 

Chris, here's a link to the Scrivener format settings .plist file for Starship Eternal. Maybe you can compare it to yours and see if there's anything different about them.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vxvgmdmj91ifn5y/chapter%20only%2C%20with%20images.plist?dl=0


----------



## I&#039;m a Little Teapot (Apr 10, 2014)

Woah! Outstanding job, Chris!


----------



## JTriptych (Aug 23, 2015)

Chris Fox said:


> That's a great point, Matthew. I'm tying quality to sales rank, because that's the only objective metric I can track. If readers buy and review it, I can prove it's a 'good' book, as opposed to quickly written trash. I'm trying to bust the myth that* fast = crap*.


I think the only people who ever said that were those starving literary authors who publish traditionally. 

Good luck, but I dont think you even need it since you've been a bonafide star on Amazon for awhile now!


----------



## Gina Black (Mar 15, 2011)

My paperwhite doesn't show it as courier (the Kindle app on my Mac did) and allows me to change typefaces.


----------



## Tulonsae (Apr 12, 2015)

Content removed due to TOS Change of 2018. I do not agree to the terms.


----------



## Jim Johnson (Jan 4, 2011)

I just borrowed it through KU and checked my Kindle Touch. It's all Courier. I can change to Helvetica and the title page and the copyright page changes to Helvetica, but the TOC and all the chapters are in Courier.


----------



## harker.roland (Sep 13, 2014)

Have the same issue with fonts on any kindle reader I use, but when I use the Kindle app on my phone and ipad it looks normal.

Also, it looks like your also boughts have kicked in perfectly.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

RobCornell said:


> See, on my Paperwhite it shows up as Courier and I cannot change it. So I am not sure what the heck determines who has this issue and who doesn't. The device doesn't seem to be a definitive factor.
> 
> I wonder if it is something with Amazon? Could this have to do with some people getting the wrong version upon Pre-Order? Because I pre-ordered my copy. (Though I don't think I pre-ordered Write to Market, and yet I have the same issue with that one.)
> 
> I'm stumped.


Well, there are three generations of Paperwhite and also the software version to consider.

Betsy


----------



## Abalone (Jan 31, 2014)

Chris Fox said:


> I don't know, but it's driving me nuts. The book is compiled in Helvetica, and see to free-floating so users can change it. Some people, on some devices, say that it's in courier and they can't change it.
> 
> I have no idea how to fix that, but may have to stop using Scrivener to compile my books.


If the user doesn't have Helvetica on their computer or Kindle, then it'll revert to another font from a small list.


----------



## Incognita (Apr 3, 2011)

And...this is why I use Vellum.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

RobCornell said:


> Ah, yes. Mine is the latest generation and software.


Mine is the second... And it isn't preorder vs not, by the way, as I have the problem on some devices, not others. Same file.



AA2014 said:


> If the user doesn't have Helvetica on their computer or Kindle, then it'll revert to another font from a small list.


Helvetica is an installed font on later Kindles; it's an installed font on my Kindle Touch, for example, and yet the book is stuck on Courier. On my basic Kindle, the options are "regular, condensed, San serif" and the book appears in Courier and selecting "sans serif" does nothing.

Betsy


----------



## Patty Jansen (Apr 5, 2011)

ChristinePope said:


> And...this is why I use Vellum.


Another vote for Vellum. That, and a professional formatter. They don't usually change more than $100 (some are cheaper). Money well spent, because when a problem like this crops up (or Amazon brings out a new device), I send him an email with "Can you sort this out?" and new files magically appear in my inbox.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

And hopefully, Chris will be by soon to tell us how things are going on his launch.


Betsy


----------



## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> And hopefully, Chris will be by soon to tell us how things are going on his launch.
> 
> 
> Betsy


I've been at the Smarter Artist Summit in Austin, so I'm only online for brief periods over the next few days. Running a launch during the Summit has been...difficult to say the least =p. So far, so good though. Rank has stabilized around 350, but I'm fired off all my big promo, so from here until the end of the month it will all be organic except for Facebook ads.

About the font issue, I suspect Calibre. Right before I published Write to Market Scrivener lost the ability to export to Mobi format. I started using Calibre to convert, and I bet I'm doing something wrong.

My solution? I just purchased Vellum. I'll be fixing all my books next week when I'm back home.


----------



## geronl (May 7, 2015)

#352

Still doing well.


----------



## Dom (Mar 15, 2014)

If anyone finds Scrivener isn't working for them anymore, you might want to check out StoryBox. It's like a simplified Scrivener that outputs a clean/basic file (although no fancy formatting). It does use KindleGen for mobis, though, which might be a bit bloated.


----------



## 鬼 (Sep 30, 2012)

Chris Fox said:


> Right before I published Write to Market Scrivener lost the ability to export to Mobi format.


Since when? I uploaded a mobi to KDP fine in Dec, Jan, and Feb. Haven't encountered any issues.


----------



## Nick Endi Webb (Mar 25, 2012)

Dirty secret: amazon accepts epub files. And Scrivener exports epub beautifully. So easy, so simple.


----------



## Abalone (Jan 31, 2014)

Using latest Scriv on OSX and Windows still shows Mobi export. I like to use Sigil for complicated formatting.



Nick Endi Webb said:


> Dirty secret: amazon accepts epub files. And Scrivener exports epub beautifully. So easy, so simple.


Not to much a secret. They claim that .doc and html files are more reliable uploads.


----------



## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

Chris Fox said:


> Right before I published Write to Market Scrivener lost the ability to export to Mobi format.


I too am curious about what you mean by this. As far as I can tell, Scriv still exports mobis.


----------



## A. S. Warwick (Jan 14, 2011)

Hrm, I had been thinking of getting Scrivener in part because of its ability to export .mobi files.  It is good to know before hand that there might be issues with it.


----------



## geronl (May 7, 2015)

#332

#2-3 in space fleet and space marine

now has eight 5-star reviews


----------



## The 13th Doctor (May 31, 2012)

I used Scrivener a couple of weeks ago and it was converting to mobi.


----------



## Andrew Broderick (Aug 6, 2014)

Chris, thanks for being willing to share your knowledge with us. I can't think of any other business where successful people share their strategies in detail without the expectation of gaining something in return. When I'm writing full time for a living you will be one of the people I have to thank.

PS I got my WPH up from between ~700 to 1500 from your book, and I only just started it!


----------



## Bbates024 (Nov 3, 2014)

Chris Fox said:


> My solution? I just purchased Vellum. I'll be fixing all my books next week when I'm back home.


I tell you what, and I'm almost ashamed to say it but I bought an older mac the other day just to give Vellum a try. It looks like a fantastic program for formatting. I'm a windows guy so it was tough for me to pull the trigger, but I did it.

Wonder what the person that wrote the same type of program for windows would make. Something that is so simple to use would be a huge boon for the macless people of the world.

Anyways, Chris, I picked up my copy of Destroyer to give it a whirl. It's pretty darn fun so far, and it's fun to watch how your experiment is going.

I'm planning out a syfy series right after I wrap up book three in my legacy series. I'm hoping to write all three before I launch and put them out every three weeks through book five. I guess we will find out if it worked later this year.


----------



## SidK (Jul 7, 2015)

Just purchased a copy of _Destroyer_ for myself. Read the first few chapters and enjoying the story, both the actions and the suspense.


----------



## sela (Nov 2, 2014)

Andrew Broderick said:


> Chris, thanks for being willing to share your knowledge with us. I can't think of any other business where successful people share their strategies in detail without the expectation of gaining something in return. When I'm writing full time for a living you will be one of the people I have to thank.
> 
> PS I got my WPH up from between ~700 to 1500 from your book, and I only just started it!


I want to second this -- I used to get 1,000 words done in an hour at most. Now, I get 2400 - 3000 an hour on a regular basis! Chris's method rocks!


----------



## Lisa Blackwood (Feb 1, 2015)

Well, my last post just got ate. blah. Anyways, I just wanted to thank Chris for sharing his methods, too. 

I'm slow, but hope to increase my word count daily totals thanks to his methods.


----------



## Abalone (Jan 31, 2014)

#298 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

    #2 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Military > Space Fleet
    #3 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Genetic Engineering
    #3 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Military > Space Fleet


Was at #297 for a few hours. #23 under science fiction and #50 on science fiction and fantasy. Go Chris! This means a round of beers for all, right?!


----------



## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Nick Endi Webb said:


> Dirty secret: amazon accepts epub files. And Scrivener exports epub beautifully. So easy, so simple.


Okay, this is a game changer. Thanks, Nick.



Andrew Broderick said:


> Chris, thanks for being willing to share your knowledge with us. I can't think of any other business where successful people share their strategies in detail without the expectation of gaining something in return. When I'm writing full time for a living you will be one of the people I have to thank.
> 
> PS I got my WPH up from between ~700 to 1500 from your book, and I only just started it!


Awesome, sounds like you are kicking butt, Andrew! Consistency is the single biggest contributor to success in this industry. Keep after it sir.

As far as sharing, I said it earlier in the thread. Anything I've achieved, I've done by learning from other authors. It feels right to give back, and the thing I most love about this industry is how willing people are to share. =)



AA2014 said:


> #298 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
> 
> #2 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Military > Space Fleet
> #3 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Genetic Engineering
> ...


It seems to have stabilized around 300, though I haven't raised the price yet so we'll see. So far, so good. I may raise the price back to $3.99 early, maybe Saturday morning.

Facebook ads have really under performed, but I brainstormed a bit with Boyd and am going to make another crop of them over the weekend.


----------



## harker.roland (Sep 13, 2014)

Chris Fox said:


> It seems to have stabilized around 300, though I haven't raised the price yet so we'll see. So far, so good. I may raise the price back to $3.99 early, maybe Saturday morning.


Without getting too personal Chris, how many copies have you sold?
EDIT: NVM Chris, I realize that this might be too personal. Sorry


----------



## PJ_Cherubino (Oct 23, 2015)

harker.roland said:


> Without getting too personal Chris, how many copies have you sold?
> EDIT: NVM Chris, I realize that this might be too personal. Sorry


http://lmgtfy.com/?q=amazon+sales+rank+calculator


----------



## Lisa Blackwood (Feb 1, 2015)

PJ_Cherubino said:


> http://lmgtfy.com/?q=amazon+sales+rank+calculator


Okay. I'll bite for curiosity's sake.

Hmmm. Nope, not so much.

Borrows might be messing my numbers up a bit, but that wasn't very accurate.


----------



## Ian Jaymes (Jan 22, 2015)

Just picked up a copy. Looking forward to it this weekend. Thanks for all you provide to the community Chris.


----------



## Nick Endi Webb (Mar 25, 2012)

harker.roland said:


> Without getting too personal Chris, how many copies have you sold?
> EDIT: NVM Chris, I realize that this might be too personal. Sorry


A decent rule of thumb is to divide 100,000 by your rank to arrive at a rough sales+borrows number. That's to reach the rank from nowhere. The number of sales+borrows to maintain that rank is about half. It's a good ballpark estimate for most ranks between around, oh, 50 and 100,000.


----------



## Matthew Stott (Oct 22, 2014)

Chris Fox said:


> Facebook ads have really under performed, but I brainstormed a bit with Boyd and am going to make another crop of them over the weekend.


Won't it be tricky with Facebook at the moment, anyway? First book, and it's a paid item (even though it's very cheap at the moment). I understood, generally, you're more likely to push sales through Facebook ads if it's for a box set; or at least if it's a new book in an established series. Or is it different depending on genre?


----------



## Abalone (Jan 31, 2014)

Quick question for you all. I haven't messed around with free giveaways much. But can you do a giveaway and still get paid KENPC?


----------



## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Matthew Stott said:


> Won't it be tricky with Facebook at the moment, anyway? First book, and it's a paid item (even though it's very cheap at the moment). I understood, generally, you're more likely to push sales through Facebook ads if it's for a box set; or at least if it's a new book in an established series. Or is it different depending on genre?


It's definitely tricky, but I am selling copies via Facebook ads. Just not as many as I'd like. It's easier to get mailing list signups than sales, but I wanted to boost the launch.



harker.roland said:


> Without getting too personal Chris, how many copies have you sold?
> EDIT: NVM Chris, I realize that this might be too personal. Sorry


I've sold about 1,400 copies at 99 cents, and had about 60k page reads. Rank has slipped into the 400s, and since the slide has begun I've decided to raise the price early to 2.99.


----------



## SidK (Jul 7, 2015)

Chris Fox said:


> I've sold about 1,400 copies at 99 cents, and had about 60k page reads. Rank has slipped into the 400s, and since the slide has begun I've decided to raise the price early to 2.99.


Are sales and rank holding after price increase?


----------



## Briteka (Mar 5, 2012)

Chris Fox said:


> I've sold about 1,400 copies at 99 cents, and had about 60k page reads. Rank has slipped into the 400s, and since the slide has begun I've decided to raise the price early to 2.99.


Wow, that's a pretty shocking disparity between sales and reads. Any idea why the sales are so much higher?


----------



## geronl (May 7, 2015)

Briteka said:


> Wow, that's a pretty shocking disparity between sales and reads. Any idea why the sales are so much higher?


Might change with the price hike


----------



## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Briteka said:


> Wow, that's a pretty shocking disparity between sales and reads. Any idea why the sales are so much higher?


People haven't had a chance to start reading yet. I only had 6k on day one, but by day 3 it was up to 25k and climbing.

After the price hike the rank slipped a bit. I'm at #480 as of this morning.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Oh, and Nick's tip about uploading an ePub was perfect. It fixed the font issue. Looks like Calibre was definitely the culprit.


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## Craig Martelle (Feb 6, 2016)

Chris Fox said:


> Oh, and Nick's tip about uploading an ePub was perfect. It fixed the font issue. Looks like Calibre was definitely the culprit.


Good stuff Chris on the font fix and most importantly on the 25k/day page reads. You have fans! I think Destroyer is tapping a hot genre - space marine, space fleet, galactic empire. You're sitting at #6 and #7 in Kindle in those categories. Well done!


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

Chris Fox said:


> Oh, and Nick's tip about uploading an ePub was perfect. It fixed the font issue. Looks like Calibre was definitely the culprit.


That's good, but I still don't understand why you're not able to export mobis directly from Scrivener.


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## onguard74 (Apr 3, 2014)

Kylo Ren said:


> That's good, but I still don't understand why you're not able to export mobis directly from Scrivener.


I export mobi from Scrivener using Kindle Gen. Works fine.


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## Jim Johnson (Jan 4, 2011)

onguard74 said:


> I export mobi from Scrivener using Kindle Gen. Works fine.


Ditto. Super easy.


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

onguard74 said:


> I export mobi from Scrivener using Kindle Gen. Works fine.


Right. But Chris was saying something about Sriv losing the ability to compile mobis, so I was confused by that.


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## ConnerKressley (Feb 23, 2014)

It's been awesome to watch your efforts in action Chris. It's good to see hard and smart work pay off.


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## harker.roland (Sep 13, 2014)

Does the TOC still work when using a pdf from scrivener?


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

This is the kind of launch I could only dream of.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Kylo Ren said:


> That's good, but I still don't understand why you're not able to export mobis directly from Scrivener.


I've done it successfully for about a year and a half. I didn't change Scrivener, the Kindlegen software, or the OS. One day it started erroring out on export. I re-installed Scrivener and Kindlegen, but that didn't solve the problem. Rather than wrestle with it I just started using Calibre.


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## Kylo Ren (Mar 29, 2014)

Chris Fox said:


> I've done it successfully for about a year and a half. I didn't change Scrivener, the Kindlegen software, or the OS. One day it started erroring out on export. I re-installed Scrivener and Kindlegen, but that didn't solve the problem. Rather than wrestle with it I just started using Calibre.


Weird.


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## C L Walker (Mar 19, 2014)

Chris Fox said:


> Oh, and Nick's tip about uploading an ePub was perfect. It fixed the font issue. Looks like Calibre was definitely the culprit.


When you upload an ePub, does the table of contents still work after Amazon does its conversion thing?

When I upload ePubs created through Calibre they don't have them, and I'm curious if it's a tick box I've missed somewhere.

Also, congrats on the awesome launch!


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

C L Walker said:


> When you upload an ePub, does the table of contents still work after Amazon does its conversion thing?
> 
> When I upload ePubs created through Calibre they don't have them, and I'm curious if it's a tick box I've missed somewhere.
> 
> Also, congrats on the awesome launch!


Looks like it preserved the TOC when I uploaded the ePub. I don't see any issues or side effects in the new Look Inside.



Kylo Ren said:


> Weird.


Tell me about it, Stu. I'm just glad to have an interim fix, though I'll still be using Vellum going forward.

I'll have a lot more launch details starting Monday when I'm finally back in California. It's gone much better than I could have hoped, and raising the price hasn't slowed momentum much.


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## Abalone (Jan 31, 2014)

It's went up in rank. It was 487 last night, and it's now 409.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

AA2014 said:


> It's went up in rank. It was 487 last night, and it's now 409.


awesome


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

I've had my first big 'this was written in 21 days' gaffe. The version of the book that went out has the _wrong name_ in the Epilogue. Every instance where I referenced the character, I used another character's name. I've gotten over 50 emails about it, and there are already two reviews pointing it out. The corrected version was uploaded Friday, but there are a few thousand error ridden ones out there.

Honestly? I'm kind of glad it happened. When you use a shorter timeline, you cut corners. It can definitely come back to haunt you. I doubt it will have any impact on sales, but it is more than a little embarrassing ;-)

Sales have normalized between 400-500 over the last couple days. I'll have a lot more detail in the next few days about tactics I've used, but for now I'm going to go collapse. Just got home from the Smarter Artist Summit.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

Chris Fox said:


> I've had my first big 'this was written in 21 days' gaffe. The version of the book that went out has the _wrong name_ in the Epilogue.


Hiding in the epilogue! The last place anyone would look.


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## Craig Martelle (Feb 6, 2016)

Chris Fox said:


> I've had my first big 'this was written in 21 days' gaffe. The version of the book that went out has the _wrong name_ in the Epilogue. Every instance where I referenced the character, I used another character's name. I've gotten over 50 emails about it, and there are already two reviews pointing it out. The corrected version was uploaded Friday, but there are a few thousand error ridden ones out there.
> 
> Sales have normalized between 400-500 over the last couple days. I'll have a lot more detail in the next few days about tactics I've used, but for now I'm going to go collapse. Just got home from the Smarter Artist Summit.


It's a damn good book Chris - _people are reading all the way the Epilogue within a day or two after buying it!_ I think that rates a hearty Score! A direct hit.


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## vkloss (Sep 22, 2014)

First of all, many congratulations. You've put a great product out there that people clearly love.

I did have one question with regards to the experiment, especially in terms of using your process as a model for other writers. It's only small, but in my opinion, quite significant. You mentioned that a fellow sci-fi author was kind enough to help you with the release. If this author is significant, and you end up on his also-boughts, that is massive. This is obviously something that most people cannot call upon, and so throws the experience off a little.

Just wondered what your thoughts were on this?


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## SidK (Jul 7, 2015)

Chris Fox said:


> Sales have normalized between 400-500 over the last couple days. I'll have a lot more detail in the next few days about tactics I've used, but for now I'm going to go collapse. Just got home from the Smarter Artist Summit.


Excellent book Chris. I have finished it in just three days and looking forward to Book Two.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

SidK said:


> Excellent book Chris. I have finished it in just three days and looking forward to Book Two.


You might have to wait more than 21 days though. (maybe not)


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

vkloss said:


> First of all, many congratulations. You've put a great product out there that people clearly love.
> 
> I did have one question with regards to the experiment, especially in terms of using your process as a model for other writers. It's only small, but in my opinion, quite significant. You mentioned that a fellow sci-fi author was kind enough to help you with the release. If this author is significant, and you end up on his also-boughts, that is massive. This is obviously something that most people cannot call upon, and so throws the experience off a little.
> 
> Just wondered what your thoughts were on this?


Great question! I don't think it's possible for me to truly launch in a vacuum, unless I tell no one about the pen name. Since I like paying rent, I threw my full weight behind this launch.

That added two factors that most people wouldn't have. First, I received author support from a big name. Second, I had the substantially sized 21 Day Novel Challenge mailing list. Most people will have neither.

Here's my take. I launched Hero Born to #1,800. It began to fall immediately, and nothing I do can keep it above ~50k or so in rank. After my recent Kindle Countdown it fell right back to where it was before. That suggests what I'd already suspected, that it just isn't an attractive enough buy to keep a high volume of readers purchasing.

Destroyer is facing the same test right now. If the book stays in the top #10,000, or even better the top #1,000, then I'd argue it means I succeeded. How much rank slips in the next month will really determine the validity of my methods.

It's definitely not a pure experiment, and a few people have already cried foul.


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## Patty Jansen (Apr 5, 2011)

Chris Fox said:


> Great question! I don't think it's possible for me to truly launch in a vacuum, unless I tell no one about the pen name. Since I like paying rent, I threw my full weight behind this launch.
> 
> That added two factors that most people wouldn't have. First, I received author support from a big name. Second, I had the substantially sized 21 Day Novel Challenge mailing list. Most people will have neither.
> 
> ...


Crying foul? Seriously? Sour grapes, methinks.

No launch is ever made in a vacuum, as you say, and this is where your network and previous experience comes in. People who start out and have neither will have a hard time.

If you want to launch big, as you can do with a new series, you should use your networks, simple as that. However you do it, the sales figures after the launch are up to the book.

Some people believe that you can plan a book that stays up in the ranks, I tend to think it's a bit more dicey than that, but whatever. We do our best, that's all that can be said about it. Even a book that underperforms will add to your inventory that you can use to play around with in terms of ads, box sets, giveaways and whatnots.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

As usual I think Patty is right.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Chris Fox said:


> It's definitely not a pure experiment, and a few people have already cried foul.


I'm not an author, but I do sell stuff...and I don't get how using all of one's resources to move product is "foul." If I knew Oprah, you can damn well believe I'd ask her to mention my stuff on her website/radio show/cable show.

Betsy


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## aimeeeasterling (Sep 22, 2014)

Chris Fox said:


> If the book stays in the top #10,000, or even better the top #1,000, then I'd argue it means I succeeded. How much rank slips in the next month will really determine the validity of my methods.


I agree that this is the real measure of whether a book is written to market. Throwing everything you've got behind it can toss a book very high at launch, but the real question is whether it acts like a helium balloon or a rock once it's up there. I've definitely have books that did one or the other after roughly equivalent initial pushes, and when it comes right down to it the balloons were the ones written to market.


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## PJ_Cherubino (Oct 23, 2015)

Chris Fox said:


> Great question! I don't think it's possible for me to truly launch in a vacuum, unless I tell no one about the pen name. Since I like paying rent, I threw my full weight behind this launch.
> 
> That added two factors that most people wouldn't have. First, I received author support from a big name. Second, I had the substantially sized 21 Day Novel Challenge mailing list. Most people will have neither.
> 
> ...


Yeah, I echo Patty's sentiment about people crying "foul."

Chris deserves a lot of credit for being honest and forthright about his experiment. This isn't a science lab. He's testing his methods and ideas in an open market. He's open to challenges to his premise and constructive criticism. How cool is that?

It is a valid criticism to point out that the launch of Destroyer had a significant advantage over most launches from authors without a significant fan base or mailing list. So the experiment doesn't closely model a new author starting from zero. But so what? The underlying methods of the experiment are sound. The performance of the book still demonstrates a collection of sound techniques that Chris has taken great pains to share with fellow authors.

Again: how cool is that?!


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## JalexM (May 14, 2015)

PJ_Cherubino said:


> Yeah, I echo Patty's sentiment about people crying "foul."
> 
> Chris deserves a lot of credit for being honest and forthright about his experiment. This isn't a science lab. He's testing his methods and ideas in an open market. He's open to challenges to his premise and constructive criticism. How cool is that?
> 
> ...


I'm sure VKloss wasn't crying foul. Just mentioning the advantage he had over traditional launches.


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## PJ_Cherubino (Oct 23, 2015)

JalexM said:


> I'm sure VKloss wasn't crying foul. Just mentioning the advantage he had over traditional launches.


I wasn't referring to VKloss. I did not say, or suggest, that VKloss cried foul. I also point out Destoyer's advantage.

None of this diminishes the great value offered by Chris's efforts and techniques.


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## MKK (Jun 9, 2015)

Chris, I'm humbled by your willingness to put it all out there. I'll admit to being envious as heck while I watched the Destroyer-rocket take off. Now, as you recount your support system and the results you're seeing, it should highlight for everyone just how tough this gig is. I'm watching every little step you take trying to figure out what parts would or wouldn't work for me. Having you call it out semi-live as it unfolds makes it even more real.

At the risk of being too geeky, those of us who are just starting out should remember the funky little tree graph is what it is all about. The more 'well connected' early nodes are, the better the chance of success. Even so, if the network doesn't continue to grow beyond those early nodes, sales will fizzle. Sales require that you keep connecting readers to the book. One of them might be the node that carries you to your next level of growth. But it is all so easy to piddle away your hard earned money on snake-oil and ill-conceived promotions.


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## Guy Riessen (Mar 27, 2016)

Chris Fox said:


> I launched Hero Born to #1,800. It began to fall immediately, and nothing I do can keep it above ~50k or so in rank. After my recent Kindle Countdown it fell right back to where it was before.
> 
> Destroyer is facing the same test right now. If the book stays in the top #10,000, or even better the top #1,000, then I'd argue it means I succeeded. How much rank slips in the next month will really determine the validity of my methods.
> 
> It's definitely not a pure experiment, and a few people have already cried foul.


The Hero Born cover is poorly targeted to the market...if the market is the same. That in itself says it doesn't work correctly, since I cannot tell if the market is the same. Close up of eyes over words over horizontal planet arc? There is nothing exciting and nothing informative there. To make it worse, it has poor composition and is extremely static. The color choices are not complementary and are pulled from the 'soothing' end of the spectrum. In other words, boring.

The second book is better though it still suffers from a lack of statement about the contents--seriously I have no idea what the book could possibly be about. But on the plus side, the color is at least not 'calming-blue.' Still no complementary color to draw the eye, although the angles of the pyramid profiles are better than an arc for implying dynamics, but not by much.

Destroyer's cover is dynamic, makes excellent use of complementary colors and nothing screams action more than diagonal movement across the frame. Cool colors with the dynamic action highlighted with complementary warm colors is the exact recipe for creating excitement for the viewer.

If you want to improve the sales on Hero Born, especially now that you have a *much* larger audience looking at your work with Destroyer's release, re-do those covers.

The blurb for Hero Born isn't quite as exciting either--Destroyer's blurb starts with a bang. Hero Born is a slow build. For the sci-fi market, I'd bet the 'starts with a bang' is a better sales technique. But I won't make the same ironclad statements I do for the art, since with the art I have 25 years as a professional artist, matte painter and art director to back it up.


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

Chris Fox said:


> I've had my first big 'this was written in 21 days' gaffe. The version of the book that went out has the _wrong name_ in the Epilogue. Every instance where I referenced the character, I used another character's name. I've gotten over 50 emails about it, and there are already two reviews pointing it out. The corrected version was uploaded Friday, but there are a few thousand error ridden ones out there.
> 
> Honestly? I'm kind of glad it happened. When you use a shorter timeline, you cut corners. It can definitely come back to haunt you. I doubt it will have any impact on sales, but it is more than a little embarrassing ;-)


Not good, of course, but it's important to keep in mind that this sort of thing happens *all the time* in books that took months or years of writing time and had multiple professional editing/proofreading passes. It just ... happens.


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## Briteka (Mar 5, 2012)

Chris Fox said:


> It's definitely not a pure experiment, and a few people have already cried foul.


People shouldn't cry foul. You've been completely honest with everything you've done, and honestly, you don't even need to write this thread. It's your business, and only foolish people would skip legitimate chances at increasing sales.

I do want to say, though, that on *this* book in particular, the sales trends may not say much about your writing to market strategy. Writing to market isn't going to launch a book as strongly as your book launched. It just isn't. Word of mouth hasn't kicked in. The people buying your book have no idea what they're buying. You've done a million correct things, but I don't think writing to market has been a huge factor. Your writing to market strategy can be gauged in the follow up books, though. You should see a high sell-through rate and maybe even a stronger launch. That's where you'll see the strategy really pay off if you truly hit the market, which I'm sure you have.


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## SidK (Jul 7, 2015)

Is it just me or the 'About the Author' under 'Editorial Reviews' has some strange information in there


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

SidK said:


> Is it just me or the 'About the Author' under 'Editorial Reviews' has some strange information in there


I think it makes sense for folks writing sci-fi to show their science credentials, if they're lucky enough to have some. But yeah, maybe it could be made a little more digestible for the non-programmers among us.


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## Matt Ryan (Nov 16, 2012)

This next week will be interesting. I imagine pages read will continue to climb and you might see a bump is sales when amazon's algos notice a hot seller and drive some numbers through their selling machine.


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## ......~...... (Jul 4, 2015)

Maybe some are side-eyeing this launch because of the Write to Market book? I haven't read that book but I've already borrowed it through KU, so I'm not really sure what the strategies shared in the book are. If it suggests using every resource available to you, then that's fine. If it's suggesting something else, it would have been interesting to see how a book from a new pen name would have launched. That would be the true test of whether Write to Market would be useful for most people.


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## lilywhite (Sep 25, 2010)

SidK said:


> Is it just me or the 'About the Author' under 'Editorial Reviews' has some strange information in there


That's an entirely different Chris Fox. I pointed it out to Chris a week or so ago but he's been quite busy  and hasn't sorted it out yet.


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## ......~...... (Jul 4, 2015)

oakwood said:


> Watch the videos.
> 
> This whole operation is less about the launch and more about creating the book, from outline, to writing to edit in a daily documented sprint. It's an interesting experiment and a generous share.
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC4FzEJ7MlpzoUt9xhqG2htdBEeTSZs8I


Thank you! I'll check those out!


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## Ann H (Jan 9, 2016)

Chris Fox said:


> I may do a course eventually, but only if I can prove my methodology works. This is where we find out if I know what the hell I'm talking about =)


My understanding was that Chris set himself a challenge: he was going to write fast, in a new genre, under a new name, using tactics from his Write to Market book, to see if he can make the book rank consistently above 1000.

I think those crying "foul" feel that having Nick Webb (I think?) promoting Chris' book is "cheating" the challenge. *But I don't see how*. Chris wrote a book. It created some buzz here on kboards. Somehow, a very popular author of the same genre read the book, or heard of the book or something, and liked it enough to promote it to his readers. *That's called networking, not cheating*. I'll bet if the book was bad, no author would associate himself with it.

So this is proving exactly what Chris set out to prove (to himself, I think). Write fast, write well, act smart, promote....see good things happen.

What Chris has NOT done (yet) is prove that he has written a successful book. He will only be able to judge that much later, when the hype has died down, when he launches book 2 and 3, when he track sell-throughs, when he can see how faithful his mail list subscribers are, etc etc. Not even 5 star reviews show that the book is a success. Only time will tell. (Well, the bottom line will tell, in time)

BUT....having said all that...I _am_ amazed that Chris managed to write and sell the "Write to Market" book, without _actually_ having written to market himself. In fact, if I remember correctly, he wrote the book based on the (failed) experiences of _not_ writing to market. So that takes chutzpah, and a certain personality. And I think it is that personality trait (which is a positive one, btw) that is as much a contributor to Chris' success as his writing methodology and skill.

Hats off!


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## Matthew Stott (Oct 22, 2014)

Ann H said:


> BUT....having said all that...I _am_ amazed that Chris managed to write and sell the "Write to Market" book, without _actually_ having written to market himself. In fact, if I remember correctly, he wrote the book based on the (failed) experiences of _not_ writing to market. So that takes chutzpah, and a certain personality. And I think it is that personality trait (which is a positive one, btw) that is as much a contributor to Chris' success as his writing methodology and skill.
> 
> Hats off!


Hehe! Yes; I initially felt the same way. Whilst I agreed with the book, there was a part of me wondering why he put it out before he actually had the first hand experience. But there's that confidence, and now he's gone and done it.


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## Bbates024 (Nov 3, 2014)

I loved watching this happen first with the 21 day challenge and now with the launch thread.

I think people crying foul aren't right, I mean who writes books in the hopes that they aren't successful.

I can see why some people would say it, the book launched with a different name on the title but for me at least, it was still listed under Chris Fox on his Amazon page, not under a separate page for the pen name. So right away you are going to have fan's from your other work (maybe a few), and Chris is already successful at this. He had built a pretty big following of people from doing write to market and all the podcasts that came with it. He got a successful push from another hot author in the SyFy space, and the .99 preorder.

Now does that mean a new author couldn't do some of the same things, absolutely not. A new author could follow along and have the same kind of push following his methods. It's a good blueprint, with some logic behind it.

Personally, I think it was great to see just what you can do when you go about things the right way. I would use all of my resources and more to try and get a great launch, anyone who begrudges Chris for doing the same might just be envious. (bad word), I'm envious, man I'd love to have a launch like that. I can tell you I bought a copy of the book just finished it last night. It was a fun quick read, and I'll pick up book two. Can you really say much more, if book one makes you want book two then he did his job as a writer. 

Haha, maybe when I launch my Syfy later this year I can talk Chris into giving me a retweet 

All the best of luck Chris, I think you have a real winner on your hands.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Ann H said:


> My understanding was that Chris set himself a challenge: he was going to write fast, in a new genre, under a new name, using tactics from his Write to Market book, to see if he can make the book rank consistently above 1000.
> 
> I think those crying "foul" feel that having Nick Webb (I think?) promoting Chris' book is "cheating" the challenge. *But I don't see how*. Chris wrote a book. It created some buzz here on kboards. Somehow, a very popular author of the same genre read the book, or heard of the book or something, and liked it enough to promote it to his readers. *That's called networking, not cheating*. I'll bet if the book was bad, no author would associate himself with it.
> 
> ...


_5,000 Words Per Hour_ was absolutely written to market. It was a wild success, and the first time that I tapped into that process. I got cute with Hero Born, and realized there was less wiggle room than I'd expected. That, and seeing others write to market, got me to write the book. I knew how the process worked, and figured the best way to test it would be publicly. I also knew that was a risk. If Destroyer crashes, so too does my credibility. People love train wrecks, which meant a lot of people were willing to give the book a try just to see if I'd fall on my face.

As an aside, Write to Market came up repeatedly at Smarter Artist. Johnny enthusiastically recommended it to the crowd.

About the cheating, here's a snippet from one of the emails I received:

_Ok... this is just cheating. You're building your mailing list saying 'follow me, this is the way to sell a zillion copies' (and go on all the writing podcasts saying I know how to do this...buy my non fiction books to learn how you can too) I mean if I had multiple 1000s buying my book I'd get picked up by the lovely algorithms too. If your process works, and you've created a 'guaranteed bestseller', this book should work just cause you hit the right tropes. Not because you have a big mailing list._

Bear in mind though, these people are a tiny segment. Almost everyone has been supportive.



SidK said:


> Is it just me or the 'About the Author' under 'Editorial Reviews' has some strange information in there


This [crap] drives me nuts. I mean, how does this even get added? I have no idea who it belongs to, or why it would have been added to my page. It isn't me, I can't see the info in either KDP or author central. I have no way to remove it or modify it. I've put in a ticket with KDP but haven't heard back yet.

Quite a few people have brought it to (and continue to bring it) to my attention. Hopefully they'll get it sorted. I do wish we had a little more control over product pages, because the idea that random information can be added is a little scary. It's minor, but irksome.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Jeff Tanyard said:


> Yeah, I read those reviews, too. Sorry that happened, man.
> 
> Will you do things differently next time? Use beta readers/proofreaders, perhaps, or some other method of ironing out the kinks before publishing? Or does publishing speed trump the presence of such glitches? Will you treat the next book the same way you did _Destroyer?_ I'd love to hear whatever conclusions you've reached so far.


I'm not sorry it happened =)

I messed up, and I take ownership of that. What's more, I would do it exactly the same way over again. I will use this process next time, too. It was far faster, and less expensive than my previous books. A few flaws slipping through doesn't seem to effect success, so I don't see a reason to backpedal.

I still believe you need a great book. Strive for excellence, not perfection. I will say that I'll try to be more careful about adding chapters after a line editor has seen them, but in this case I had a good reason for doing so =)

A page or two back someone pointed out that the cover for Hero Born wasn't right for the genre (I think it was that person's first post). Yup, you nailed it. That was one of the chief issues. My gut told me the cover wasn't right, but I let sunk cost syndrome prevent me from fixing the issue. I'll be rebranding that series eventually, with a new blurb and cover.


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## I&#039;m a Little Teapot (Apr 10, 2014)

Chris, there's a Chris Fox who wrote:

http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Microsoft-Operations-Manager-Chris/dp/0596009534

Seems they've mixed up your About the Author with the other Chris Fox.

Edit: Or is that you? I'm confused.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

SevenDays said:


> Chris, there's a Chris Fox who wrote:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Microsoft-Operations-Manager-Chris/dp/0596009534
> 
> ...


Apparently Amazon is confused too =p

That's not me. There are at least four Chris Fox's who are authors. One writes Erotica, as I learned the hard way on iTunes.


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## Matthew Stott (Oct 22, 2014)

Chris Fox said:


> A page or two back someone pointed out that the cover for Hero Born wasn't right for the genre (I think it was that person's first post). Yup, you nailed it. That was one of the chief issues. My gut told me the cover wasn't right, but I let sunk cost syndrome prevent me from fixing the issue. I'll be rebranding that series eventually, with a new blurb and cover.


Ah, I thought that might have been the covers you were thinking about when you mentioned changing covers in one of your 21 Day vids. I'd agree, though they're not 'bad' covers by any means, just perhaps not quite right for 'superhero', which is obviously an issue if you're hoping to get superhero readers clicking when the cover pops up; and so the book drops easier than it might have otherwise.


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## Bbates024 (Nov 3, 2014)

Chris Fox said:


> About the cheating, here's a snippet from one of the emails I received:
> 
> _Ok... this is just cheating. You're building your mailing list saying 'follow me, this is the way to sell a zillion copies' (and go on all the writing podcasts saying I know how to do this...buy my non fiction books to learn how you can too) I mean if I had multiple 1000s buying my book I'd get picked up by the lovely algorithms too. If your process works, and you've created a 'guaranteed bestseller', this book should work just cause you hit the right tropes. Not because you have a big mailing list._
> 
> ...


That seems kind of harsh to send to someone, granted that is what you get sometimes when you put yourself out there. You are right people love to watch someone crash and burn. I'm happy that didn't happen here, and you succeeded. You have been a wealth of information on these forums, and I want that to continue.

For your about the author, can't you just log into author central and change it? I update mine all the time. I guess the good news there is that it's not totally horrible, for a second I thought maybe someone hacked it and wrote some nasty stuff.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

The area on author central is blank, so I don't see a way to change it. I suppose I could add something to that area and see if it overwrites what they have.

Oh, and harsh emails are common. The more books you sell, the more haters you accumulate. Fortunately, they're usually a tiny but vocal faction. On the flip side, you'll have super fans that will staunchly defend you =)


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## Craig Martelle (Feb 6, 2016)

Your Facebook ad dropped into my feed this morning. Looks like you're already getting some likes and that you are targeting the correct audience as I've purchased a number of space opera, space Marine books from Facebook ads.  Good luck Chris. I think you've had a successful launch.


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## PJ_Cherubino (Oct 23, 2015)

Bbates024 said:


> That seems kind of harsh to send to someone, granted that is what you get sometimes when you put yourself out there. You are right people love to watch someone crash and burn. I'm happy that didn't happen here, and you succeeded. You have been a wealth of information on these forums, and I want that to continue.
> 
> For your about the author, can't you just log into author central and change it? I update mine all the time. I guess the good news there is that it's not totally horrible, for a second I thought maybe someone hacked it and wrote some nasty stuff.


I agree. That email goes well beyond valid criticism and into the sour grapes vinyard.

One of the many things I like about this thread and Chris's approach is the fact that he is so open. He is the first person to point out that his launch is a bit different from the typical launch.

I think people who get their undergarments bunched up over this are missing the point. Destroyer is more a demonstration than an experiment. It shows what happens when a set of business and marketing techniques are applied to writing craft.

The "experiment" part of the exercise is a simple validity test and not a clinical trial.


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## amy_wokz (Oct 11, 2014)

Chris Fox said:


> One writes Erotica, as I learned the hard way on iTunes.


Very punny!


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## JalexM (May 14, 2015)

Chris Fox said:


> About the cheating, here's a snippet from one of the emails I received:
> 
> _Ok... this is just cheating. You're building your mailing list saying 'follow me, this is the way to sell a zillion copies' (and go on all the writing podcasts saying I know how to do this...buy my non fiction books to learn how you can too) I mean if I had multiple 1000s buying my book I'd get picked up by the lovely algorithms too. If your process works, and you've created a 'guaranteed bestseller', this book should work just cause you hit the right tropes. Not because you have a big mailing list._
> 
> Bear in mind though, these people are a tiny segment. Almost everyone has been supportive.


I would've sent them this.


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## ......~...... (Jul 4, 2015)

Chris Fox said:


> About the cheating, here's a snippet from one of the emails I received:
> 
> _Ok... this is just cheating. You're building your mailing list saying 'follow me, this is the way to sell a zillion copies' (and go on all the writing podcasts saying I know how to do this...buy my non fiction books to learn how you can too) I mean if I had multiple 1000s buying my book I'd get picked up by the lovely algorithms too. If your process works, and you've created a 'guaranteed bestseller', this book should work just cause you hit the right tropes. Not because you have a big mailing list._
> 
> Bear in mind though, these people are a tiny segment. Almost everyone has been supportive.


So you're building a mailing list from your non-fiction titles and using it to promote your fiction? Basically selling your fiction to other writers?

I myself would never do it, but I don't think it's cheating. Those writers have a choice whether to buy it or not. I myself only buy books I'm interested in, not because of who wrote it or just to "support a fellow inside." I don't think it's sour grapes to point any of this out though. That's a very easy way to shut down a conversation one isn't interested in having.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

NeedWant said:


> So you're building a mailing list from your non-fiction titles and using it to promote your fiction? Basically selling your fiction to other writers?
> 
> I myself would never do it, but I don't think it's cheating. Those writers have a choice whether to buy it or not. I myself only buy books I'm interested in, not because of who wrote it or just to "support a fellow inside." I don't think it's sour grapes to point any of this out though. That's a very easy way to shut down a conversation one isn't interested in having.


The purpose of the challenge list isn't to sell fiction, but yes I did tell them about Destroyer because that's relevant to what I'm teaching. Showing them every part of the launch, and every part of the writing / editing has led to a lot of them buying the book. That wasn't the point, but I'm not going to apologize for it either.

I don't think it's sour grapes, but it does feel like a rationalization to me. Some people are looking for a way to discredit, and when you start with a conclusion it's generally easy to find evidence to support it. All I can do is be as open as possible. If some people take issue with that, that's on them.

Edit: Love your user name. I don't know many Defiance fans.


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

Chris Fox said:


> The area on author central is blank, so I don't see a way to change it. I suppose I could add something to that area and see if it overwrites what they have.


FYI, once you add something in that field, the field will always show up on the book page, even if you delete its contents (it'll show up as blank). At least, that's how it used to be.

It's beyond weird that another Chris Fox's material showed up on your book page. I thought this was why Author Central made us go through the claiming process -- to keep this sort of thing from happening.


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## ......~...... (Jul 4, 2015)

Chris Fox said:


> The purpose of the challenge list isn't to sell fiction, but yes I did tell them about Destroyer because that's relevant to what I'm teaching. Showing them every part of the launch, and every part of the writing / editing has led to a lot of them buying the book. That wasn't the point, but I'm not going to apologize for it either.
> 
> I don't think it's sour grapes, but it does feel like a rationalization to me. Some people are looking for a way to discredit, and when you start with a conclusion it's generally easy to find evidence to support it. All I can do is be as open as possible. If some people take issue with that, that's on them.


I definitely appreciate how open you've been throughout this whole process. It's super helpful to see what other indies are up to and since one of my goals has been a book a month, it's been doubly useful!



> Edit: Love your user name. I don't know many Defiance fans.


I miss that show! At least it ended on a good note.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

I sure hope the other Chris Fox isn't the one getting paid.


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## X. Aratare (Feb 5, 2013)

I just wanted to add as someone on that list for the 21 day challenge who bought the book, I bought the book because the book truly sounded awesome! You do NOT need to buy the book to follow the videos.  He even gave a copy of the rough draft for free.  So if people from the non-fiction list bought the book it was the same as anyone else on an email list of an author's buying the book, i.e., they wanted the book.  Did they also want to support Chris for all his helpful comments and seemingly being an all around awesome guy?  Maybe, but so what? I have readers who get my books for free on my site, but then BUY then again to support me, because they like me, too.

Chris seems very sensible and to have thick skin about this, but it bothers me to think he's being a little disparaged, because readers like ME who like his teaching bought his fiction, too. 

***

Also, as a writer who followed Chris' journey so far, I never expected I would be able to 100% duplicate it myself. I have positives and negatives that he does not. But the information is good. Really good and he explains things in such a way that it's easy to understand, engaging, and makes you feel like you can do it too.

JA Cipriano, Domino Finn and a bunch of other great folks on Kboards have actually proved Chris' hypothesis before Destroyer was even published.


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## harker.roland (Sep 13, 2014)

X. Aratare said:


> I just wanted to add as someone on that list for the 21 day challenge who bought the book, I bought the book because the book truly sounded awesome!


I will say I am in the camp that initially bought the book just to support Chris and what he does. Why wouldn't I want to support someone who has helped me grow so much in my own craft? And as an aside, I looked through the first few chapters of the book and ended up blowing through it it was so good.


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## PJ_Cherubino (Oct 23, 2015)

NeedWant said:


> I definitely appreciate how open you've been throughout this whole process. It's super helpful to see what other indies are up to and since one of my goals has been a book a month, it's been doubly useful!
> 
> I miss that show! At least it ended on a good note.


That show was awesome. I miss it, but I think they ended at the right time in the right way. They came very close to shark jumping a few times, but pulled off a great many crazy plot twists. Great example of writing. I literally took notes.

It kind of felt like the ending left things open for more stories in that world, which was pretty cool.


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## ......~...... (Jul 4, 2015)

PJ_Cherubino said:


> That show was awesome. I miss it, but I think they ended at the right time in the right way. They came very close to shark jumping a few times, but pulled off a great many crazy plot twists. Great example of writing. I literally took notes.
> 
> It kind of felt like the ending left things open for more stories in that world, which was pretty cool.


I definitely agree with you. Some shows go on for too long and mess everything up. Though I have to admit I wasn't a fan of _all_ the plot twists in Defiance (see my avatar ).

If you haven't seen it yet, I definitely recommend The Expanse. Great show!


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## Dom (Mar 15, 2014)

Here's the thing: Chris is very open about his process. It's public for all to see. He didn't do a secret promotion on another author's email list - he said it was happening plain and simple. Instead of looking at his 21-day challenge lead-up as contaminating the experiment, it should be looked at as a way to build goodwill and cultivate an audience for a book launch.

Yes, if you're a brand new author starting from scratch, you won't have Chris' mailing list, facebook likes, and fans. But he's laying out a way to get even more fans. He's laying out his launch strategy. Tons of other authors have gained similar exposure by "writing in public" (even some kboards authors post chapters to blogs beforehand). Use these as launch examples and try to mimic them if you like - just don't call it cheating.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Victory! KDP removed the weird info from the Editorial Reviews section.

The book has begun to slide. It's down to #668 as of this writing, and I have no idea where the settling point will be. I'll be recording the week 3 video today, and will post that tomorrow.

I'm learning so much from this launch. A lot of my theories are bearing fruit, though it remains to be seen how they'll do in the long run.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

Thank you Chris,

You have given us a roadmap on how to launch an indie book. It's not the only one out there, but it certainly looks extremely effective so far. I don't know about writing a novel in 21 days, although I did do a short novella in that much time before. The information from this project is invaluable to us who are amateurs and noobs.


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## harker.roland (Sep 13, 2014)

Have you decided if you are going to do the experiment over again for book 2? I know you mentioned you were considering not.

I think it would be an interesting follow-up to see how the second book would be if done the 'normal' way from a quality standpoint. There is a lot to the mantra that your first guess is always best.

PS: As someone who is eagerly awaiting book 2, I would much prefer you do the next in 21 days


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## Abalone (Jan 31, 2014)

Total sales so far?


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

AA2014 said:


> Total sales so far?


As of this morning 2,562 sales and about a half a million pages read. The book has held steady at the #700 rank for the past week.

I've been recording more videos, and compiling my data around Facebook and Amazon ads, which I'll compile and release here when the book has been out for a month.

The short version? Neither Facebook nor Amazon has been directly profitable, but both are selling books and the more I experiment the closer to break even I get.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

I couldn't agree more. Even at the current spend I think my ads will be profitable long term.

The thing is, people like Mark Dawson have proved that you can have the best of both worlds. You can make a return off ads, and keep growing your brand in the process. I'm determined to crack that, and I'm getting closer!


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## D-C (Jan 13, 2014)

Chris Fox said:


> I don't know many Defiance fans.


Sneaking in. *raises hand* Sneaks out again.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

Chris Fox said:


> As of this morning 2,562 sales and about a half a million pages read. The book has held steady at the #700 rank for the past week.


The fact that the sales have continued enough to keep it in the top 1,000 with the price hike is awesome. I know your original measure of "success" was to keep it there for a month but this is very remarkable.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

D-C said:


> Sneaking in. *raises hand* Sneaks out again.


The main character in Destroyer is named Nolan 



geronl said:


> The fact that the sales have continued enough to keep it in the top 1,000 with the price hike is awesome. I know your original measure of "success" was to keep it there for a month but this is very remarkable.


My goal was to breach the top #1,000, then have the book stabilize around #10,000 (or better). Big success in my mind was the book stabilizing in the #4,000 range. I'm floored by how well it's doing.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

I noticed that a lot of the good-selling sci-fi have that gold-white title coloring, maybe I should try that too.


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## Abalone (Jan 31, 2014)

Chris Fox said:


> As of this morning 2,562 sales and about a half a million pages read. The book has held steady at the #700 rank for the past week.
> 
> I've been recording more videos, and compiling my data around Facebook and Amazon ads, which I'll compile and release here when the book has been out for a month.
> 
> The short version? Neither Facebook nor Amazon has been directly profitable, but both are selling books and the more I experiment the closer to break even I get.


Awesome. So assuming you didn't do the freebie or the 99 cent pricing at first, at 2.99 a pop you would have made 7,660.38, 70% of which would be 5,362.27 rounded.

And for pages read, assuming .5MM pages read at a KENPC rate of 0.0054, you get 2,700 for a total taking of 8,062.27?

That's 2 weeks and a few days of sales and reads. Assuming it keeps up for the next 2 weeks, you're looking at 16.2K and more later on.

Or have I done the math wrong here? Maybe Amazon will bless us with KENPC rates of 0.03 this month! Yeah right.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

That goldish font thing is the secret!!


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## Lisa Blackwood (Feb 1, 2015)

Chris Fox said:


> I couldn't agree more. Even at the current spend I think my ads will be profitable long term.
> 
> The thing is, people like Mark Dawson have proved that you can have the best of both worlds. You can make a return off ads, and keep growing your brand in the process. I'm determined to crack that, and I'm getting closer!


I've been playing around with Amazon and FB ads, and like you said, neither are making a profit--although I think it's close to breakeven on the advertised book thanks to page reads--but as long as that book is visible, my backlist is visible and selling. If you ever figure out how to make a profit off the ads, please do share. (I'll do the same--although I'm an absolute newbie to FB ads.)


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## X. Aratare (Feb 5, 2013)

Chris, 

Said this before and others have said it better, but its so great and inspiring to follow you!  Loved the newest video on motivation.  I check Destroyer's rank more than my own books and am thrilled to see it still so high up there!  

Can't wait for your next video!


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## NoCat (Aug 5, 2010)

AA2014 said:


> Awesome. So assuming you didn't do the freebie or the 99 cent pricing at first, at 2.99 a pop you would have made 7,660.38, 70% of which would be 5,362.27 rounded.
> 
> And for pages read, assuming .5MM pages read at a KENPC rate of 0.0054, you get 2,700 for a total taking of 8,062.27?
> 
> ...


You did the math wrong. Page reads have been hovering in price at about .0041 and .0048 the last few months. So it might be 2100ish in pages read monies. And the book was .99 for some of the time, so not all sales were at 70% I think.

Still, it's doing great.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

AA2014 said:


> Awesome. So assuming you didn't do the freebie or the 99 cent pricing at first, at 2.99 a pop you would have made 7,660.38, 70% of which would be 5,362.27 rounded.
> 
> And for pages read, assuming .5MM pages read at a KENPC rate of 0.0054, you get 2,700 for a total taking of 8,062.27?
> 
> ...


Actual revenue is somewhere around $5,000, assuming a .0040 KENPC. If sales hold, that means five figures the first month. I just pulled the trigger on the audio this morning, so that should help the end of April sales, plus May.



X. Aratare said:


> Chris,
> 
> Said this before and others have said it better, but its so great and inspiring to follow you! Loved the newest video on motivation. I check Destroyer's rank more than my own books and am thrilled to see it still so high up there!
> 
> Can't wait for your next video!


Thanks. I'm having a blast with the videos =)



Lisa_Blackwood said:


> I've been playing around with Amazon and FB ads, and like you said, neither are making a profit--although I think it's close to breakeven on the advertised book thanks to page reads--but as long as that book is visible, my backlist is visible and selling. If you ever figure out how to make a profit off the ads, please do share. (I'll do the same--although I'm an absolute newbie to FB ads.)


That's the real trick! It's definitely gotten more competitive since I started signing up, and ads are only a small part of my marketing. My most effective avenues are all organic.


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## harker.roland (Sep 13, 2014)

Chris Fox said:


> Actual revenue is somewhere around $5,000, assuming a .0040 KENPC. If sales hold, that means five figures the first month. I just pulled the trigger on the audio this morning, so that should help the end of April sales, plus May.


Congrats on the success Chris! Well deserved. You are the perfect example of how to take risks, put your money where your mouth is, and having great success because of it.


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## PhilipColgate (Feb 11, 2016)

Another measure of success is that you now have an Amazon Author Rank!  To me, that alone is awesome.  It puts your name on the map.  Keep it up.


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## Antara Mann (Nov 24, 2014)

Chris Fox said:


> As of this morning 2,562 sales and about a half a million pages read. The book has held steady at the #700 rank for the past week.
> 
> I've been recording more videos, and compiling my data around Facebook and Amazon ads, which I'll compile and release here when the book has been out for a month.
> 
> The short version? Neither Facebook nor Amazon has been directly profitable, but both are selling books and the more I experiment the closer to break even I get.


I'm curious about FB ads - are you experimenting with video views? Those ads seem to be the cheapest. I'm glad you raised the price to $2.99, I'll suggest you raise the price to 3.99 or 4.99. 
How are the KU numbers, does it make sense being in it?


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Antara Mann said:


> I'm curious about FB ads - are you experimenting with video views? Those ads seem to be the cheapest. I'm glad you raised the price to $2.99, I'll suggest you raise the price to 3.99 or 4.99.
> How are the KU numbers, does it make sense being in it?


My trailer is just about done, after which I'll be doing video ads. In the meantime they're just your standard image / text. I'm not great at ads, but I'm putting in the time investment to get better.

My pricing structure is designed for maximum exposure. I did 99 cents for the initial burst of sales, and it worked wonderfully. Five days later I went to 2.99, so I'm earning at least $2 a sale. After the book has been out for 30 days I'll raise the price to 3.99. Once all three books are out the price will go to 4.99.

About KU, see above with the half million page reads to date. I won't be exclusive forever, but in the short term the pages read are a huge source of revenue.



PhilipColgate said:


> Another measure of success is that you now have an Amazon Author Rank! To me, that alone is awesome. It puts your name on the map. Keep it up.


Thanks! I'm still more than a little surprised at how successful this has been. I've only ever had author ranks during promos until now, though all my other work was wide.



harker.roland said:


> Congrats on the success Chris! Well deserved. You are the perfect example of how to take risks, put your money where your mouth is, and having great success because of it.


Thanks, Harker. I had high hopes, but not this high =p


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

If I could get a tenth of that, I would be astoundingly happy.


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## Abalone (Jan 31, 2014)

Right. I grabbed the .0054 rate from an old entry I had made. I watched one of the interviews you did with Platt and Truant. There was a guy who's a software developer and he writes full length books out in a week? I don't have the link anymore, but it wasn't that long ago. That shows a lot of commitment! I bought Destroyer, by the way. I'm enjoying it so far, even if it's not usually a genre I read.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

#781

wow. amazing


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## MichaelRyan (Nov 23, 2015)

I don't think the accusation of "cheating" is fair, but I understand the frustration behind the sentiment.

It's like the old joke:  "How can you make it really big in business?"
"Oh, it's easy."
"Really, how?"
"Well, first, get a million dollars..."

Building a platform from a non-fiction book (or blog, or both) and getting shout out's, posts, mentions, etc., from another top author is obviously going to make it easier to launch a new author name in a new genre.

It goes without saying.

So the idea behind the seemingly bitterness is this:  It's kind of like that joke above.

If you want to have a huge launch of a new pen name in a new genre...all you have to do is write some non-fiction books, get a huge audience, and have a massive mailing list and get someone like Joanna Penn to have you on her podcast to plug your new book...

Yeah, okay, anyone could do this if they wanted too and tried really hard, etc.

It's the left brain/right brain problem.

Not everyone wants to become a businessperson and a marketing person.

But, of course, perhaps those people have to go traditionally published.

I think this whole thread is an amazing eye opener and very helpful, thank you Chris.

I am struggling myself to look at my goals of being a writer and realizing I need to become a business person/marketing person, etc., in order to become the author I want to become.

This was very helpful.

Now, since I'm rambling away here....I have a warning, or at least an observation.

I am a huge fan of Chuck Wendig.  I mean I have bought his writing books, given them 5 star reviews, ect.  I recommend his writing books on forums and threads about writing books, etc.

So, I finally got around to reading his book Zeroes because I like the topic/genre and I figured he was such a good writing coach, etc., that the book should be good.

It was horrible.  I mean, I was aghast.  And I don't use the word aghast, ever, so there you go.  I felt bitter, like I'd been cheated out of my ten dollars.

I almost never ever write 1 star reviews of books.  Generally, if a book is that bad, I don't finish it and don't review it.

But in this case, I felt so cheated and so abused I wrote a long one star review.

I mentioned this whole thing on Twitter to Chuck and it went badly.  I guess he can poke and stab other people when he feels that they are doing something wrong but he can't take a simple observation that maybe he overwrote that book.  I don't know.

It's got 30% bad reviews, so it's not like it's just a taste thing.

Anyway, here's my point:

If you use your platform to write a book in a completely new genre, and you send a bunch of people to that, it could back fire.

I'll never ever buy another of his books.  It was that bad.  

I mean a fiction book.

If he writes another non-fiction, yeah, I'll probably buy it.  But my respect for him really dropped.

I say all this as a very active reader (not as an author) and as someone that buys a ton load of books.

Anyway, sorry if this went off on a vent-fest.

I just think it's fair to look at the whole picture.

Anyone else trying to emulate Chris' experience here is not going to be able to do so without a platform and an audience to market too.

That's not bitterness or calling what he did cheating, it's just an observation.

And I think the danger is that if you're not careful with this powerful tool (cross promoting, using audience A to buy an Audience B item, you could get into trouble).

All that said, I'm right behind everyone on this write fast, get things to market, meet genre expectations train.

My experimentation in this will be in the romantica genre.  I'm 2 books down, the third in process.  I can write a 40,000 word novella in ten days, my bug a boo is editing and a cover....

I write fairly clean copy even in a first draft, can clean it really decently in the second pass through, but I really need to save up some ducats to hire a pro editor with experience in the genre.

As far as platform....I have zero.

So, what I learned from this thread, and thanks again Chris, this was very generous, is building a platform (or finding a way to piggy back) is a must do.  If you launch the greatest book ever written to zero platform I don't see how it's going to sell...I mean, maybe it's The Martian and just gets its own traction...otherwise, there needs to be something to get eyeballs on the page.


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## Matthew Stott (Oct 22, 2014)

JaydenHunter said:


> I mentioned this whole thing on Twitter to Chuck and it went badly. I guess he can poke and stab other people when he feels that they are doing something wrong but he can't take a simple observation that maybe he overwrote that book. I don't know.


I think if someone engaged me on Twitter to tell me why my writing was 'bad' I might get a bit peeved, too, and think it was, you know, kinda rude.


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## Benarroch (Apr 18, 2016)

My bestelling book was written in 11 days (Gates to Tangier), although I had one page I worked on for a year where all the characters and plot and ideas were.

I had a house by the sea all alone so I wrote, went to the sea, came back to write, ate, slept a bit for 11 days.

Since I couldnt believe it myself I spent 3 months writing a long part and then just dropping it because it didnt add anything. The actual published book is hardly different that was written those 11 days.

I had also one novel written in 30 days. But others took 4 and 5 years. 

I guess it's what the novel itself demands and decides, you cant force it.


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## MinnieC (Feb 19, 2016)

I'm a bit confused by this cheating thing. 

Like, was Chris born into some kind of special situation where some higher being had arranged for there to be guaranteed readers for whatever he wrote or something? Or did he start out like everyone else with zero readers and zero contacts and write some books and work his backside off to build a readership?

I don't understand why people are miffed that he already had a platform when he launched this book, because ... he created it, right? By writing some other books. And by whipping up lots of interest in THIS book by the way he did the 21 day challenge and invited us all to watch him succeed (or FAIL), which was a fantastic piece of marketing in itself because he got people invested in what he was doing and so we all bought the book. 

But no-one else did that for him. And surely this was "an experiment" in that he set a challenge for himself to see if it would work, and he did this thing that we all enjoyed watching him do, and yes, it attracted attention and he did really well. It wasn't some kind of scientific clinical trial with legally binding rules. It was just a thing he felt like trying. Was he supposed to release his written-to-market book in secret and not tell anyone about it? And then we could all say, "Well, that was a terrible idea, look it doesn't work!" But I'm not sure why that would be very much use to anyone, because we could all write a book and never tell a soul or do any promotion and watch it sink if we wanted. But why would we want to?! I'm not sure Write To Market tells you that if you write a book to market you can then just release it and sit back and watch the zillions of dollars roll in. If it does, can someone tell me where, because I missed that bit and it sounds like the best part.  

Personally I love seeing people on here succeed and do well, and I love seeing HOW they do it, too, because that helps me learn. But I'm not going to get very far if I look for all the things they've got and I haven't and then shrug my shoulders and say, "ah well, I can't do that then"; surely what I need to do is look at what they've got and I haven't (e.g. a big platform and an invitation to be on Joanna Penn's podcast) and think, "ok, how do I go about getting those things?"

I think Chris has been really generous with all his information I love his, "I'm not special, we can all do this!" attitude. It's very encouraging to new authors and I'm very grateful for all the tips and hints and inspiration Chris' challenge has given me.  I truly find it really weird that people would be sniffy about it and talk about "cheating" as if Chris has special magical reasons for doing well that they can't access.


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## I&#039;m a Little Teapot (Apr 10, 2014)

JaydenHunter said:


> I mentioned this whole thing on Twitter to Chuck and it went badly. I guess he can poke and stab other people when he feels that they are doing something wrong but he can't take a simple observation that maybe he overwrote that book. I don't know.


That was incredibly rude of you.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

JaydenHunter said:


> My experimentation in this will be in the romantica genre. I'm 2 books down, the third in process. I can write a 40,000 word novella in ten days, my bug a boo is editing and a cover....


40,000 is a novel, IMO.


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## BWFoster78 (Jun 18, 2015)

> It's got 30% bad reviews, so it's not like it's just a taste thing.


There's this saying that I really like (and have used before on this board; sorry):

There are two types of drivers - Maniacs who drive faster than you and idiots who drive slower.

I think that, when talking about a book's quality, it's helpful to keep the perspective that you're always someone's idiot and, simultaneously, someone else's maniac.

If 30% of reviews are negative, it stands to reason that 70% are positive or neutral. So yes, it is a taste thing.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

MinnieC said:


> I'm a bit confused by this cheating thing.
> 
> Like, was Chris born into some kind of special situation where some higher being had arranged for there to be guaranteed readers for whatever he wrote or something? Or did he start out like everyone else with zero readers and zero contacts and write some books and work his backside off to build a readership?
> 
> ...


Thanks for the kind words, Minnie. I think a controlled test is exactly what a lot of people wanted, one where I launched the book in secrecy and it still rocketed up to #100 in the store. If that was the case, then Writing to Market would be the 'magic bullet'. A lot of people are searching for the magic bullet, but it doesn't exist. This business involves a lot of hard work, and the hardest for most is building your platform.

Running the challenge helped build mine. So did having another successful fiction series. But, like everyone else here, I started at 0 subscribers with no influence. There are many levers newer authors can pull. Find a mentor in your genre. Network with other authors. Learn. Experiment. Share what you find with others. The longer you do that the bigger your platform will grow.



Benarroch said:


> I had also one novel written in 30 days. But others took 4 and 5 years.
> 
> I guess it's what the novel itself demands and decides, you cant force it.


The whole point of my challenge was proving that you can force it. =p

Mind you, I'm not suggesting that everyone should. I just wanted to show that it could be done successfully.

Anyway, quick performance updates. The book is #610 in the store right now. It's been bouncing back and forth between #600-800 since it went back to full price, and I haven't seen any sign of momentum slowing yet. It will hit the 30 day cliff on the 28th though. Audio launches this week, and I'm pretty jazzed at how well it turned out.


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## A Woman&#039;s Place Is In The Rebellion (Apr 28, 2011)

Chris Fox said:


> Anyway, quick performance updates. The book is #610 in the store right now. It's been bouncing back and forth between #600-800 since it went back to full price, and I haven't seen any sign of momentum slowing yet. It will hit the 30 day cliff on the 28th though. Audio launches this week, and I'm pretty jazzed at how well it turned out.


You're still hanging in triple digits - that's great! Please keep us updated on audio. I'll be launching my first audiobook in May so it's a timely topic for me


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## Guest (Apr 18, 2016)

Now THIS...is an awesome thread! Thank you and much success!


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## MichaelRyan (Nov 23, 2015)

SevenDays said:


> That was incredibly rude of you.


Perhaps.

Chuck has no problem blasting and criticizing people from his blog.

Hell, he calls out people for being complete cheating stealing liars and frauds.

I simply told him I was confused how the excellent wonderful writing teacher I loved so much could write a book that was so poorly written that it was getting such horrible reviews.

Rude?

I don't know.

If someone wants to tell me my work sucks but back it up with a 1000 words WHY.....go for it.

I'm always more interested in criticism than praise.

I misread Chuck. He dishes out shit like crazy, but doesn't like it back. Okay, I won't bother him again.

But rude?

I don't know.

I didn't attack him personally. And I have nothing but praise for his non-fiction...I've 5 starred 2 of his writing books.


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## MichaelRyan (Nov 23, 2015)

Matthew Stott said:


> I think if someone engaged me on Twitter to tell me why my writing was 'bad' I might get a bit peeved, too, and think it was, you know, kinda rude.


Yeah, so I've been told.

I guess I'm more concerned with craft than my feelings.

If anyone wants to read my book and write a 1000 or 2000 or 4000 words about what's its problems are, I'd love them and thank them and love them some more.

If anyone wants to write a 1000 word review that isn't a personal attack, but tells why my book sucks....I'd love that.

Hell, I got a negative one star review (that actually bordered on personal attack) and I emailed the blogger and asked her if she wanted to beta read for me.

I don't get Chuck, being an outspoken vocal writing teacher that bashes people all the time from his blog, I think he'd have a little bit of a thicker skin.

But that's not even the point.

The point is that if a good reader wants to point out where you went astray, and you care about craft, you shouldn't cry about it, you should be happy.

My opinion.

I'll not bother Chuck again. So what, I'm a nobody as he made clear.


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## MichaelRyan (Nov 23, 2015)

Boyd said:


> So your sentence "Anyone else trying to emulate Chris' experience here is not going to be able to do so without a platform and an audience to market too," is kind of false.


I don't think so.

I think Chris said himself that the only true test would be an A/B test.

One book launched as he did.
One book launched the same day, with the same quality, to the same audience, at the same price, etc., without the platform.

I think people took my post the wrong way.

I'm not criticizing Chris at all.

I was trying to explain where the people that were complaining were coming from because I understand the frustration.

Lindsey Buroker launched a new project under a pen name to see if she could have success in a niche genre with zero platform and reported back that she made like 5 grand the first month and 10 the second (or something...like that) because she'd got the same thing from people:

"OH, your successful because you have a platform....."

Blah, blah, blah...

But, you know, I don't know if Lindsey made those numbers without having some platform to launch from.

I'm going to email her because I find it hard to believe she had zero platform for the new pen name.

If she says she did it from complete and utter obscurity, then I would stand corrected. But I find it hard to believe someone could reliably launch a book without a platform and make 10 grand in the first month.

All that to be said: Of Course, build a platform. Of course.

But that's the lesson: Build a platform.

Not: write a great book in a niche genre and you'll make 10 grand in the first month.

I doubt even Steven King could do this. The market is too saturated. Nobody sees new books unless there's a reason.


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## MichaelRyan (Nov 23, 2015)

geronl said:


> 40,000 is a novel, IMO.


Probably semantics, I don't know.

I've googled this and read quite a few blogs about length.

General consensus seems to be that novel length starts closer to 60,000 than 40,000...

But it's just like the arguments about what is actually a scene. I've heard a bunch of definitions and it comes down to your own personal language about it.

Anyway.... novel or novella, I can write fast.

But it doesn't do any good without editing and formatting and covers and a platform....

Or a traditional publisher.

Which I'm not in the mood for.


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## NoCat (Aug 5, 2010)

The first ten weeks of her pen name, Lindsay kept it totally secret. She did it without her platform. http://www.lindsayburoker.com/amazon-kindle-sales/pen-name-update-at-10-weeks/


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## MichaelRyan (Nov 23, 2015)

Annie B said:


> The first ten weeks of her pen name, Lindsay kept it totally secret. She did it without her platform. http://www.lindsayburoker.com/amazon-kindle-sales/pen-name-update-at-10-weeks/


Yes,,, but she did launch with more than one book, however, and advertised.and used perma-free..here..she just wrote me back a few minutes ago:

_I'm sure it helped that Chris had a mailing list built up, but I've seen people do quite well launching into space opera, especially if they're in Kindle Unlimited and getting an extra rankings boost from borrows. I think it's a genre that's underserved by traditional publishing but that has a lot of hungry readers, because a lot of indies are killing it with the space adventure stuff right now. Timothy Ellis (also on Kboards) is doing space opera, too, and he was a nobody when he launched the first one, but he published something like 8 novels in less than a year, and that momentum really helped. I'm sure he's over six figures by now.

I actually did launch the pen name anonymously, but I had three books ready in that first month. I put the first two out only a week apart and made the first one permafree, then bought some ads for it. It got 15-20,000 downloads in that first couple of months. That really helped get the ball rolling. When I published the third one about three weeks later, things were still doing well, and people snapped it up. I'd do something like that again today if I was starting from nothing - prepare the first three books in the series before launching. I'd also do KU.

Hope that helps. Good luck!_

So there you go: under-served niche, launch three at once, buy ads, use perma-free.

BTW,,,,I just read Chris' book a couple hours ago. Very good advice. I'd add a few things, like what Lindsay writes above, maybe some more about building a platform.

I just think that some people took the book:_ write to market_ as a way to make it without doing anything else and I think that's a hard way to go, just writing to a market with a good book might not be enough.

Anyway, I never meant in any way to criticize Chris, I just wanted to chime in with what people that were criticizing him were thinking because I understood (understand) the complaint and I don't think it's completely invalid.

Hope that doesn't make me a bad guy...

I'm here to help and learn, and asking questions and such is the way I learn, trying to find the holes, etc.

And speaking out loud....or writing out loud...

Well, Lindsay is one of my hero's so I'm glad she was on her email tonight, I think her input completes the picture for me.


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## MichaelRyan (Nov 23, 2015)

Btw.

I'm working on master list of a obligatory scenes and conventions (what Chris refers to as tropes in his book).

It's available on The Story Grid forum in the room called "Obligatory Scenes & Conventions."

For some things, like fantasy/magic or thrillers we have compiled a pretty decent list.

For literary historical coming-of-age novels we are definitely lacking and always looking for book/writer nerds interested in helping out.  

So, for anybody looking to emulate this, per his book (and he's damn right about it) you need to know the readers expectations really well.

To do so, it really takes a lot of reading, but it's nice to see what lists other people come up with because sometimes its hard to see the trees.


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## Gone Girl (Mar 7, 2015)

We miss you, Harvey Chute.


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## kcmorgan (Jan 9, 2013)

You're doing great. Congratulations. I've been watching your videos. Very useful info. Thanks. I hope your success continues. You seem like a great person, and you've worked hard. You deserve it.


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## MinnieC (Feb 19, 2016)

JaydenHunter said:


> I think people took my post the wrong way.
> 
> I'm not criticizing Chris at all.


I wasn't meaning to sound like I was criticising you, either.  I just think that there's saying, "Oh, it would have been interesting to see how this book would have launched without a platform" and then there's saying, "You cheated!" and aiming personal criticism at Chris and doing a whole lot of moaning about why it isn't fair. Which he's had to deal with (not from you, I know you were just saying you understood the general feeling) and it seems like a really petty attitude to me. Maybe semantics again.

Maybe it is just a question of attitude. You can read threads like this and information that successful people share and you can think about all the reasons you can't do the same and take a negative view of it or you can read it and think about how you can use that information in your own work and business and take inspiration from it.

If Lindsay Buroker and I decided to have a competition starting tomorrow (which is reasonably unlikely because she doesn't know me from a dead squirrel) and we both wrote a new book or series and launched from scratch, Lindsay would absolutely leave me standing. Almost a dead cert that she would do much better than I would. Because we still wouldn't be starting equally, because she knows what she's doing and I don't. She's published loads of terrific books, and I'm just on the verge of publishing my first. I'm still wading through learning how to format my files and upload them, and how to sort out my non-US tax thing with Amazon, and working out how to make Mail Chimp do what I want it to do and a hundred other little things. Lindsay knows all that stuff like the back of her hand. She knows loads more than I do about covers and readers' tastes and just EVERYTHING, because she's been doing it for ages. She's experienced and successful and she knows what's what. But only because she learned it as she went along, like everyone did. And she's another person who is really really positive and helpful and generous with her information and I've learned lots from her, too.

So we COULD say, oh well, I'm not in the same position as Lindsay Buroker or Chris Fox so I'm just going to be defeatist about it and complain and sit here writing emails to them about how it's not fair that they have these advantages that I don't have and THIS EXPERIMENT BROKE THE RULES I WANTED IT TO FOLLOW, or we could say, oh wow, Lindsay Buroker and Chris Fox were once in the position I'm in now, and look how well they've done, so if they can do it, there's no reason I can't too. Especially since they, and lots of other generous people like them, are sharing their methods and numbers and results. Which they don't have to, at all.

Semantics, attitude? Both, probably.

Having said all this, I've read all their stuff and learned loads but I'd already written my first book in a genre (middle grade!) that I probably wouldn't have chosen if I'd done that the other way around and read about writing to market FIRST. Ha. So I'm not expecting too much from it. But that's ok because I'm still learning the ropes. And one day this will all be mine, MWHAHAHAHA. Or something like that.


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## Jennifer Lewis (Dec 12, 2013)

Chris Fox said:


> Anyway, quick performance updates. The book is #610 in the store right now. It's been bouncing back and forth between #600-800 since it went back to full price, and I haven't seen any sign of momentum slowing yet. It will hit the 30 day cliff on the 28th though. Audio launches this week, and I'm pretty jazzed at how well it turned out.


This thread got away from me and I haven't read most of it but just wanted to say BIG CONGRATS. You said what you were going to do and you did it. And it's awesome that you've been so transparent about the whole thing. I look forward to seeing what you do next


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## angela65 (Oct 8, 2014)

Enjoying ALL your videos, Chris. And a big congrats!


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Annie B said:


> The first ten weeks of her pen name, Lindsay kept it totally secret. She did it without her platform. http://www.lindsayburoker.com/amazon-kindle-sales/pen-name-update-at-10-weeks/


I have no idea how I missed the fact that Lindsay did this. This is so awesome. For those that don't know Lindsay is a personal hero of mine, and my favorite souvenir from the Smarter Artist Summit is the picture I took with her =)

I don't think anyone here is accusing me of cheating, and if anyone is criticizing me I invite you to continue doing exactly that. That kind of discourse is exactly what I and everyone else learns from. Challenging my assumptions forces me to examine their validity, and that's a great thing. It's the best tradition in the startup world, for a very good reason.

I've learned an immense amount from this process, and am both a better writer and a better marketer as a result. I've also raised a whole bunch of new questions, which I'll be answering with new video series. There are some big shifts happening in our industry, and I've spotted what I think are some profitable changes I can make to capitalize on them.

About Destroyer's performance, it continues to climb slowly. As of right now it's #591 in the store. There are 9 more days in the test, but barring a huge crash in rank it looks like this book is a wild success.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

JaydenHunter said:


> Btw.
> 
> I'm working on master list of a obligatory scenes and conventions.


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## harker.roland (Sep 13, 2014)

Annie B said:


> The first ten weeks of her pen name, Lindsay kept it totally secret. She did it without her platform. http://www.lindsayburoker.com/amazon-kindle-sales/pen-name-update-at-10-weeks/


Thanks for the post Annie. I read through some of Lindsay's blog and have found a TON of useful info. Particularly around keyword selection.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

Her cover is definitely done for that market


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## NoCat (Aug 5, 2010)

Chris Fox said:


> I have no idea how I missed the fact that Lindsay did this. This is so awesome. For those that don't know Lindsay is a personal hero of mine, and my favorite souvenir from the Smarter Artist Summit is the picture I took with her =)


Yeah, it's one of my favorite experiments people have run. It did a good job of showing how having the skills can translate to a whole new audience and was about as clear an experiment as any I've seen run on this kind of biz.


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## MichaelRyan (Nov 23, 2015)

Chris Fox said:


> I have no idea how I missed the fact that Lindsay did this. This is so awesome. For those that don't know Lindsay is a personal hero of mine, and my favorite souvenir from the Smarter Artist Summit is the picture I took with her =)
> 
> I don't think anyone here is accusing me of cheating, and if anyone is criticizing me I invite you to continue doing exactly that. That kind of discourse is exactly what I and everyone else learns from. Challenging my assumptions forces me to examine their validity, and that's a great thing. It's the best tradition in the startup world, for a very good reason.
> 
> ...


So the biggest thing I noticed between what Lindsay told me and Chris' book:

IN Chris' book he says that if you launch into an under-served market and don't have good traction, it's probably a sign that you did something wrong.

He correctly and very importantly says to check the reviews and see if you missed the obligatory scenes and conventions (he calls them tropes, but I insert my way of referring to them).

What Lindsay said she did was launch 3 books right after each other, within a week apart, and she also advertised on Facebook, and made book one perma-free.

This is a much different scenario than launching one book into a sub-genre (with a platform or not).

For anyone that wants to study in depth, in October, a male writer (or a male pen name) named Chance Carter launched into the romantica field with his bad-boy, "I need you to have my baby" sub-genre, complete with hot half naked men on the covers.

What caught my eye was that he (or she, which would be a cool twist) decided to use a male pen name and a good looking (but not half naked) youngish looking guy. Whether it's really him or not, I can't say.

What I can say is that his email campaign is book marketing worthy. The guy (or girl) is a genius.

He started with zero platform as far as I can see, he just created an email list and then exploited like Seth Godin was talking over his shoulder.

Anyway, both this example and Lindsay's involved multi-books, and that's something that can perhaps overcome the lack of platform (meaning you're using the multiple books as a way to create an email list, which you then exploit).


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

JaydenHunter said:


> He started with zero platform as far as I can see, he just created an email list and then exploited like Seth Godin was talking over his shoulder.
> 
> Anyway, both this example and Lindsay's involved multi-books, and that's something that can perhaps overcome the lack of platform (meaning you're using the multiple books as a way to create an email list, which you then exploit).


If I could go back and impart a single lesson to myself right before I launched my first book it would have been to have the smoothest funnel to my mailing list possible. There are so many things you can do, from mentioning it in the book description, to writing an appropriately intriguing reader magnet.

I raised a narrative question in Destroyer that is answered in Exiled, and my signups are an order of magnitude higher than when I released The First Ark as a magnet for my Deathless series.

It doesn't matter how new an author you are. In fact, if you haven't published I'd argue it's even more important. Get that list set up, write a reader magnet that compliments your book, and make sure people can see that reader magnet in front / back matter, on your website, and in your product description.

Then, release books 2-3 as quickly as possible to keep all ranks high. As long as you're getting visibility, you're gaining both sales and a platform.



Annie B said:


> Yeah, it's one of my favorite experiments people have run. It did a good job of showing how having the skills can translate to a whole new audience and was about as clear an experiment as any I've seen run on this kind of biz.


Having now read her experiment it's pretty much the mic drop of writing to market. Lindsay rocks.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

The idea of "obligatory scenes" bugs me.

But, is there a link to a sci-fi version of that, I just want to check.


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## dmburnett (Feb 4, 2011)

Just want to pop in and say thanks for sharing your experiment. Loved Write to Market and not so patiently awaiting Launch to Market. Again, thanks for so much valuable information!


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## angela65 (Oct 8, 2014)

I remember reading about Lindsay's experiment with a completely unknown pen name and was amazed.    I've never seen anything else come close.


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## Shelley K (Sep 19, 2011)

Did you get her permission to share that email? I highly doubt she'd care, but you did ask, right?


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## MichaelRyan (Nov 23, 2015)

geronl said:


> The idea of "obligatory scenes" bugs me.
> 
> But, is there a link to a sci-fi version of that, I just want to check.


I have a list going. It's in a room called "Obligatory Scenes & Obligations" in the forum on The Story Grid website.

I cannot post a link because the forum (which uses this platform) is private. You will get approved automatically when you join, but you have to join the group first.

The Story Grid is the home of Shawn Coyne, partner with Steven Pressfield, author of War of Art, and other things. Together they run Black Irish Books, and they post regularly about craft and business.

Both Shawn and Steve work with Robert McGee and know an insane amount of industry and craft stuff.

Just a side note:

Sci-fi and Fantasy are not content genres so they don't have obligatory scenes.

But they have a ton of conventions (or tropes if you like that word better).

Myself and others have posted a ton of conventions, so come check it out.

What an "Obligatory Scene" is, in case anyone is wondering what I mean by that term:

If you write a murder mystery the "discovery of the body" is an obligation.

Chris Fox nailed this in his book (he just uses different language than I do).

If you write a murder mystery that is also urban fantasy (like Storm Front, Jim Butcher) then there are a ton of conventions: Vampires that are evil and Vampires that are good is a convention.

You can also have all vampires evil.
You can have werewolves that are powerful and strong, or weak and stupid.
Conventions.

But if your urban fiction murder mystery doesn't have a "discovery of the body scene" it'll probably not work (or at least you'll be fighting an uphill battle).

Jim Butcher has a fantastic "discovery of the body" scene in Storm Front: two illicit lovers with their hearts blown out by magic power found in a hotel room.

That scene is obligatory for a murder mystery.

The fact that the dead man was one of the mob bosses right hand men is a convention.
The fact that the woman was a prostitute is a convention.
The fact that they'd fallen in love was a convention.
The fact that she worked for Bianca, a Red Court Vampire, etc., etc. is a convention.

What is cool about fantasy stuff is that there are thousands of variations of the conventions (and you can invent new ones).

What is cool about obligatory scenes is that they provide a failsafe for meeting reader expectations in your chosen genre.

Unless you're a big name already, it's risky to forego obligatory scenes because of reader expectations for them.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

> Sci-fi and Fantasy are not content genres so they don't have obligatory scenes.


I will at last check it out and bookmark it.


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## MichaelRyan (Nov 23, 2015)

Shelley K said:


> Did you get her permission to share that email? I highly doubt she'd care, but you did ask, right?


I told her I was having a discussion on Kboards and she knew the topic (and about Chris) and I think I assumed that I was looking for her to settle an issue about the whole thing, SO, yes, I assumed she wouldn't care either, but I didn't specifically ask her.

She's very transparent so I guess I took it as implied that I wasn't having a conversation with her that would be private.

But, that said, I'll shoot her an email and ask her if I crossed the line by not asking specifically, I mean, it was a marketing question not a question about her private feelings or anything, but I'll accept that I did something wrong by not specifically asking her permission if I totally misread her as a person.


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## Shelley K (Sep 19, 2011)

JaydenHunter said:


> I told her I was having a discussion on Kboards and she knew the topic (and about Chris) and I think I assumed that I was looking for her to settle an issue about the whole thing, SO, yes, I assumed she wouldn't care either, but I didn't specifically ask her.
> 
> She's very transparent so I guess I took it as implied that I wasn't having a conversation with her that would be private.
> 
> But, that said, I'll shoot her an email and ask her if I crossed the line by not asking specifically, I mean, it was a marketing question not a question about her private feelings or anything, but I'll accept that I did something wrong by not specifically asking her permission if I totally misread her as a person.





> I'll accept that I did something wrong by not specifically asking her permission if I totally misread her as a person.


Fixed it for you.


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## MichaelRyan (Nov 23, 2015)

Shelley K said:


> Fixed it for you.


Okay, fair enough.

I don't know about this world in which you cannot do anything without asking for verbal or written permission.

I was once at a friends house with a third friend. We were having this very discussion about M&M's.

I said I knew I could just take them and start eating them.

The third friend said, "No, that would be stealing."

I said, "No. It's not stealing because I know he wouldn't mind." Implied consent existed.

The friend whose house it was said I was correct.

You seem to be saying that the first friend was correct. That I would be stealing M&M's if I didn't get verbal or written permission first.

I don't know.

Maybe, technically you are correct, but I don't want to live in that world and I don't want or need friends like that.

I guess I'd say this: If Lindsay actually cared about what I did, I'd be very sorry, and I'd apologize profusely, but it would also mean that all the interactions we've had had lead me to believe that she wasn't the person she was, and I'd end our friendship as it is. I mean, I'd still like her, but we could never be close friends, because she wouldn't be who she thought I was.

I hope that makes sense.

It's like kissing a girl on a first date....if she gives you body language that says "kiss me" I hardly think you need to stop and verbally ask her if it's okay.

The body language is language.

Man....I fell in love with Lindsey the first time I heard her voice on Joanna Penn's show a few years back.

So, yeah, I hope you're wrong on this,,,but if I'm wrong, I'm totally willing to own up and accept the responsibility for my actions.


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## Steve Shelley (Jan 10, 2015)

Lova ya work Chris  

As a space opera fan (and writer) I can't wait to finally get to Destroyer. 

Kudos!


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## Guy Riessen (Mar 27, 2016)

MinnieC said:


> I'm a bit confused by this cheating thing.


Totally there with you. Chris has been amazingly open and hugely helpful by sharing this whole process. If you want to see what happens if you try the same thing starting with zero audience, do it yourself and share the data right here like Chris...just make sure you don't let the pre-release draft go out on release day! (One of the valuable hazards I got the beta on from reading about Chris' experience)


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## Shelley K (Sep 19, 2011)

JaydenHunter said:


> Okay, fair enough.
> 
> I don't know about this world in which you cannot do anything without asking for verbal or written permission.
> 
> ...


Wow, it's a simple thing. Emails are private correspondence and copyrighted to the person who wrote them, the minute they wrote them. You shouldn't, therefore, copy and post one publicly without that person's permission to do so.

Maybe you could have said oops, thought that perhaps you wouldn't do that in future, and moved on.


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

"Destroyer Is Live" would make a good title


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## KeenToWrite (Oct 30, 2015)

Chris, I've been following your videos and have found them really helpful - as is the fact that you've been willing to do this whole experiment publicly. As others have said, kudos on making your data available and sharing your process with us.

One thing I'm not sure was covered - and forgive me if it has been - was _when_ you started your FB ad campaign for Destroyer. Did you get it up and running as soon as you started the pre-order, or did you wait until the book came out to start advertising for it, relying solely on Amazon for getting eyes on your book during the pre-order period?

I'm planning a new release which I think has a solid cover and blurb and will be on pre-order for about two months, but I'm not sure whether I should do anything extra to get eyes on the product page before it comes out. Thanks.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

I didn't start Facebook ads until the release of the book, but to be candid they haven't affected the success. Their performance was extremely low, and I lost a fair amount of money using them. I'm still experimenting, but thus far I've had more luck with Amazon ads.


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## Sam-Reeves (Apr 13, 2016)

Although I've never used FB ads, several of my writer friends have. None have said that they made even a blip in their sales.


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## dmburnett (Feb 4, 2011)

Chris Fox said:


> I didn't start Facebook ads until the release of the book, but to be candid they haven't affected the success. Their performance was extremely low, and I lost a fair amount of money using them. I'm still experimenting, but thus far I've had more luck with Amazon ads.


As far as Facebook ads, I can do fairly well with them (100 ROI) up to a point and then nothing. Still trying to figure out how to continue positive results.


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## Mike Sheriff (Jun 21, 2016)

Hi Chris,

I'm new to KBoards and way late to this party, but I just wanted to offer you my congratulations! Your video series on this process kept me glued to my computer until the wee hours of the morning last night. Seeing it documented with such care, detail and obvious passion was hard to resist.

You've got a new fan in London, Ontario!

All the best,
Mike


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## harker.roland (Sep 13, 2014)

Are there any Void Wraith figures you'd be open to sharing, Chris?


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## ShannonHumphrey (May 9, 2016)

Chris, I want to say that you are a total badass. As one of the relatively new writers who's reassessing my approach to writing/marketing and trying to calculate what's not working, I can't thank you enough for the detailed effort. It's somewhat discouraging to hear successful writers preach at you with broad concepts of building a platform, and presence on social media, without really revealing their process. Thanks for putting yourself out there. And literally putting your money where your mouth is. Much respect. Just bought your book Writing To Market. Very much looking forward to it. 

To the other authors, the give and take here has been everything. Very informative nuggets, even in the disagreements.


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

harker.roland said:


> Are there any Void Wraith figures you'd be open to sharing, Chris?


I really should put together a post about Void Wraith. I'm just over two weeks in, and it's been my most profitable launch ever. I took a page from Amanda Lee and released it at full price, which didn't seem to slow sales at all. *crosses fingers*

Since March 28th Destroyer has sold just shy of 11,000 copies, with 2.4 million page reads. Void Wraith has sold about 1,500 copies, and had about 450k page reads so far. It's on track to match or better Destroyer, especially given the higher price point at $3.99.

I'm on target to get Eradication about at the end of July, and am hoping it follows suit.

@Shannon and Mike thanks for the kind words =)


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## Mike Sheriff (Jun 21, 2016)

Chris Fox said:


> Since March 28th Destroyer has sold just shy of 11,000 copies, with 2.4 million page reads. Void Wraith has sold about 1,500 copies, and had about 450k page reads so far. It's on track to match or better Destroyer, especially given the higher price point at $3.99.


Outstanding!

I've been hemming and hawing over how to launch my SF series (which is still a ways away). You've provided a fantastic case study to emulate.

Cheers,
Mike


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## geronl (May 7, 2015)

Destroyer is still 1,165 in sales... wow


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## J.T. Williams (Aug 7, 2014)

geronl said:


> Destroyer is still 1,165 in sales... wow


 

I have rank envy.


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