# The "My Book Wasn't Accepted for Kindle Scout, Now What?" Thread



## Kay7979

Hi, all!  This is the support thread for those of us whose books weren't selected for Kindle Scout. Most of us have, or will be, self-publishing. We'll meet here to support one another and share marketing tips and details about our book launches. 

My book, Beyond the Forest, launched (secretly) on October 28th. I'm going public today, and Amazon sent the notification email to those who nominated my book. Let's see what happens next!


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## Taking my troll a$$ outta here

Good luck with your new release. Glad to see you are moving forward & publishing. 
I'm a KS reject, too. I will update on my release day plans after I see how things go with my current new release.


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## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Kay7979 said:


> Hi, all! This is the support thread for those of us whose books weren't selected for Kindle Scout. Most of us have, or will be, self-publishing. We'll meet here to support one another and share marketing tips and details about our book launches.
> 
> My book, Beyond the Forest, launched (secretly) on October 28th. I'm going public today, and Amazon sent the notification email to those who nominated my book. Let's see what happens next!


What a fun idea! Glad to be here, one of the crowd. My campaign was December 5, 2015 - January 5, 2016. I had something like 2400 views (high at the time) and 96% of my time in H&T, plus nice reviews and encouragement. Ah well . . . I may still submit my work-in-progress, a related historical/biographical fiction.

Hi, E.B.!


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## KCecala

Thanks for starting this thread Kay! I think it will become quite popular. I can't join in quite yet since I have a few more days to go in my KS campaign for Wives of the Saints...But I can already see the writing on the wall as to how that's going to go and have been planning my launch for afterwards. And I'm eager to support other indie writers. Best of luck to you!


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## Michele Brouder

Kay I'm so delighted you started this thread! Great idea!


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## Michele Brouder

And I already have a question. I'm getting ready to publish my KS reject and I want to put it up for preorder for 99¢. However, it won't let me price it below 2.99. It is in the KDP program. Have I just not gone far enough in the submission process or do I need to take it out of KDP for preorder? My head hurts.


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## Evenstar

Ooh me, I gave it a spin and got rejected (shakes fist at Amazon) despite sitting constantly on Hot and Trendy.

I'm just sitting on it now until I have two or three in the series ready to go. But I loved how incredibly supportive the KS thread was and it would be super nice if this thread could be in the same vein and everyone gave just as much support and encouragement for those who didn't get the contract and did it their way instead


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## Not any more

I put a book in when KS first launched and was rejected. Went ahead and released the book, which has never sold squat. Hope your luck is better.



Michele Brouder said:


> And I already have a question. I'm getting ready to publish my KS reject and I want to put it up for preorder for 99¢. However, it won't let me price it below 2.99. It is in the KDP program. Have I just not gone far enough in the submission process or do I need to take it out of KDP for preorder? My head hurts.


KDP is Kindle Direct Publishing, the only way to self publish on Amazon. I think you may be referring to Kindle Select, which is an optional subscription program where readers can check out your book like from a library and you get paid for page reads. Read the Terms of Service to see what your pricing options are.


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## Michele Brouder

brkingsolver said:


> I put a book in when KS first launched and was rejected. Went ahead and released the book, which has never sold squat. Hope your luck is better.
> 
> KDP is Kindle Direct Publishing, the only way to self publish on Amazon. I think you may be referring to Kindle Select, which is an optional subscription program where readers can check out your book like from a library and you get paid for page reads. Read the Terms of Service to see what your pricing options are.


Yes I do mean Kindle Select, sorry, it's almost bedtime and my eyes are crossed.


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## LoriDRV

Kay7979 said:


> Hi, all! This is the support thread for those of us whose books weren't selected for Kindle Scout. Most of us have, or will be, self-publishing. We'll meet here to support one another and share marketing tips and details about our book launches.
> 
> My book, Beyond the Forest, launched (secretly) on October 28th. I'm going public today, and Amazon sent the notification email to those who nominated my book. Let's see what happens next!


Ooh, Ooh, that's me. Not selected by KS. 

I'm really struggling with learning how to self-publish. It's even taking me a while to format my novel for ebook, let alone CreateSpace. Self-publishing my memoir anthology was so much easier, since it was only 22 pages, and I only did ebook for .99 cents.

Good luck with your launch, Kay. I will check it out when I get a chance.


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## Not any more

Michele Brouder said:


> Yes I do mean Kindle Select, sorry, it's almost bedtime and my eyes are crossed.


The problem is that you checked 70% royalty, which is only available for books priced between $2.99 and 9.99. To do a 99 cent launch, you have to check the 35% royalty option.


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## Michele Brouder

brkingsolver said:


> The problem is that you checked 70% royalty, which is only available for books priced between $2.99 and 9.99. To do a 99 cent launch, you have to check the 35% royalty option.


Thank you so much! Then on day of launch, can I go back and check 70%?


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## Joseph J Bailey

I have been successfully rejected by Kindle Scout three times!

I had fun participating, watching how subsequent books in the same series garnered increasing time in Hot and Trending, and crossing my fingers for the final nod from Amazon.

In the end, no matter the votes or the time trending, my quirky dystopian fantasies were rejected.

Here's to successful failures!


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## lincolnjcole

Michele Brouder said:


> And I already have a question. I'm getting ready to publish my KS reject and I want to put it up for preorder for 99¢. However, it won't let me price it below 2.99. It is in the KDP program. Have I just not gone far enough in the submission process or do I need to take it out of KDP for preorder? My head hurts.


you can't price below 2.99 at 70% royalty rate

99 cents is 35% royalty Rate. Amazon is trying to set pricing for eBooks between 2.99 and 9.99 which is why they limit it, so the only way to set 99 cents is to manually set your royalty rate at 35%

A big thing is if you do that, when you mark it up to 2.99 or above, make sure to click back to 70% royalty rate or you'll only get 35%. People do 35% because they don't get charged download fees, which could be a lot if your book is fairly big.


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## RWhite7699

Michele Brouder said:


> And I already have a question. I'm getting ready to publish my KS reject and I want to put it up for preorder for 99¢. However, it won't let me price it below 2.99. It is in the KDP program. Have I just not gone far enough in the submission process or do I need to take it out of KDP for preorder? My head hurts.


 You should ask Julie Nichols. I bought her book on pre-order for 99 cents, but the normal price was higher. Maybe KDP has a special deal for preorders.


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## RWhite7699

LoriDRV said:


> Ooh, Ooh, that's me. Not selected by KS.
> 
> I'm really struggling with learning how to self-publish. It's even taking me a while to format my novel for ebook, let alone CreateSpace. Self-publishing my memoir anthology was so much easier, since it was only 22 pages, and I only did ebook for .99 cents.
> 
> Good luck with your launch, Kay. I will check it out when I get a chance.


 Lori, I wouldn't even think about CreateSpace until you get your ebook off the ground. One thing at a time. Good luck.


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## Guest

I thought about entering my WIP (when it's done) in Kindle Scout, but after reading about what you need to do to get votes, I realized that it wasn't a good choice for me.

Since most folks aren't picked, what other benefits are there to putting a book in this? Negatives? Thanks.


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## 39416

My book was one of the very first books rejected by Kindle Scout! They gave me a $25 gift certificate.


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## jnicholls

Morning! Thank you Kay for the link and notification about the new page. Love it!! I believe this is going to be very helpful to those who have not had any luck with kindle scout and who are also possibly publishing their first book.♥ Hi to everyone, some of you i know. 

Just quickly, I'll tell you that my kindle scout expectations where high but on the release day, i was disappointed. I strongly urge you NOT to put your book up for FREE on release day. You will not achieve anything. The high place you may get because all the kindle scout nominator peeps will snaffle your book, but once you put it up for sale..the ranking you achieved will be lost and you're back to the beginning. Also...the kindle scout nomination peeps want freebies, most of them...and i thought by putting up my book for 99c would help in that they'd think 99c isn't far off from free..but nope.

I'm trying to stay positive about the whole event and by that I mean out of it ive got some fabulous new friends♥


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## Michele Brouder

lincolnjcole said:


> you can't price below 2.99 at 70% royalty rate
> 
> 99 cents is 35% royalty Rate. Amazon is trying to set pricing for eBooks between 2.99 and 9.99 which is why they limit it, so the only way to set 99 cents is to manually set your royalty rate at 35%
> 
> A big thing is if you do that, when you mark it up to 2.99 or above, make sure to click back to 70% royalty rate or you'll only get 35%. People do 35% because they don't get charged download fees, which could be a lot if your book is fairly big.


Thanks (again) for your help, Lincoln!


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## LeonardDHilleyII

Good luck!


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## Used To Be BH

RWhite7699 said:


> Lori, I wouldn't even think about CreateSpace until you get your ebook off the ground. One thing at a time. Good luck.


That's sound advice, since the two processes are so different. I always get the Kindle edition up first, since it was the one from which most of my sales would likely come, though I can see the wisdom of people who do CS first so they can use it to distribute ARC copies and get reviews. Either way, it's better to focus on perfecting one edition, then the other.


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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Hi, all! This is the support thread for those of us whose books weren't selected for Kindle Scout. Most of us have, or will be, self-publishing. We'll meet here to support one another and share marketing tips and details about our book launches.
> 
> My book, Beyond the Forest, launched (secretly) on October 28th. I'm going public today, and Amazon sent the notification email to those who nominated my book. Let's see what happens next!


Thanks so much for starting this thread. I just picked up your book, though it may take me a little time to actually read it at this point.


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## Used To Be BH

Michele Brouder said:


> Thank you so much! Then on day of launch, can I go back and check 70%?


Once you change the price back to $2.99, you can check 70%.


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## Used To Be BH

LoriDRV said:


> Ooh, Ooh, that's me. Not selected by KS.
> 
> I'm really struggling with learning how to self-publish. It's even taking me a while to format my novel for ebook, let alone CreateSpace. Self-publishing my memoir anthology was so much easier, since it was only 22 pages, and I only did ebook for .99 cents.
> 
> Good luck with your launch, Kay. I will check it out when I get a chance.


I've done several CS books, so I can probably answer format questions relatively easy when the time comes.


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## Used To Be BH

jnicholls said:


> Morning! Thank you Kay for the link and notification about the new page. Love it!! I believe this is going to be very helpful to those who have not had any luck with kindle scout and who are also possibly publishing their first book.♥ Hi to everyone, some of you i know.
> 
> Just quickly, I'll tell you that my kindle scout expectations where high but on the release day, i was disappointed. I strongly urge you NOT to put your book up for FREE on release day. You will not achieve anything. The high place you may get because all the kindle scout nominator peeps will snaffle your book, but once you put it up for sale..the ranking you achieved will be lost and you're back to the beginning. Also...the kindle scout nomination peeps want freebies, most of them...and i thought by putting up my book for 99c would help in that they'd think 99c isn't far off from free..but nope.
> 
> I'm trying to stay positive about the whole event and by that I mean out of it ive got some fabulous new friends♥


I feel the same way about the friends--best part of the process.

I second the not putting the book out for free part. I am considering the trying a $.99 intro price, which is what I normally do anyway, though your experience does give me pause. I should also check the promos I might want to try in the first thirty days. The ones who promote for reduced price often want the book to have been regular priced for a specific period of time before they'll promote it.


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## Michele Brouder

Bill Hiatt said:


> Once you change the price back to $2.99, you can check 70%.


Thanks Bill! I'm loving this thread with all the KS alumni!


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## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

LoriDRV said:


> Ooh, Ooh, that's me. Not selected by KS.
> 
> I'm really struggling with learning how to self-publish. It's even taking me a while to format my novel for ebook, let alone CreateSpace. Self-publishing my memoir anthology was so much easier, since it was only 22 pages, and I only did ebook for .99 cents.
> 
> Good luck with your launch, Kay. I will check it out when I get a chance.


Lori, one of the best things I've done getting started in this business (published January, and I've sold about 2k books and short stories now, and had freebie downloads of about 3k for my short story) was to join the Alliance of Independent Authors. You can read some of their stuff free at their site and on FB (that's how I learned KS had added a general lit category last fall so I did a December campaign), but joining gets you access to their FB group, which is where most of the real nuts-and-bolts help comes. I had one person offer to solve a CS formatting problem I was having, and I wound up doing a proofreading job for her press later - lots of relationships for networking and synergy! If you go to one of my websites linked below and click on the ALLi seal on the bottom to visit the site, if you then join (they have different membership levels), they give me a nice little kickback. Thanks!


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## KCecala

RWhite7699 said:


> Lori, I wouldn't even think about CreateSpace until you get your ebook off the ground. One thing at a time. Good luck.


 Actually Ruth--and Lori--I usually publish my CreateSpace book and Kindle version simultaneously. It's not really that hard to do and it's good to have 'hard copy' to sell at local events. Also gets you physically onto library shelves, and it's more impressive to send to the big newspapers and magazines for review.


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## Michele Brouder

KCecala said:


> Actually Ruth--and Lori--I usually publish my CreateSpace book and Kindle version simultaneously. It's not really that hard to do and it's good to have 'hard copy' to sell at local events. Also gets you physically onto library shelves, and it's more impressive to send to the big newspapers and magazines for review.


How do you go about getting your book onto library shelves?


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## Used To Be BH

Cindy Rinaman Marsch said:


> Lori, one of the best things I've done getting started in this business (published January, and I've sold about 2k books and short stories now, and had freebie downloads of about 3k for my short story) was to join the Alliance of Independent Authors. You can read some of their stuff free at their site and on FB (that's how I learned KS had added a general lit category last fall so I did a December campaign), but joining gets you access to their FB group, which is where most of the real nuts-and-bolts help comes. I had one person offer to solve a CS formatting problem I was having, and I wound up doing a proofreading job for her press later - lots of relationships for networking and synergy! If you go to one of my websites linked below and click on the ALLi seal on the bottom to visit the site, if you then join (they have different membership levels), they give me a nice little kickback. Thanks!


That's a great tip, Cindy. I haven't got too much time to explore all the resources available right now, but I just joined, and I'm looking forward to checking it out in more detail in the future.


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## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Michele Brouder said:


> How do you go about getting your book onto library shelves?


Michele, Self-E is the one I know about, but I know an author who has put her work into that program and had tens of thousands of downloads to libraries, but no money from any of that, and little buy-through. As she says, library patrons are not necessarily book buyers - it's a different segment of the population.


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## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

KCecala said:


> Actually Ruth--and Lori--I usually publish my CreateSpace book and Kindle version simultaneously. It's not really that hard to do and it's good to have 'hard copy' to sell at local events. Also gets you physically onto library shelves, and it's more impressive to send to the big newspapers and magazines for review.


Or publish the ebook first, then let it simmer while you wrestle with the paperback formatting and such. I got my paperback out a month after the ebook, and I think it helped sales of both. At least it gave me something else to talk about to get the word out.


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## Michele Brouder

Cindy Rinaman Marsch said:


> Michele, Self-E is the one I know about, but I know an author who has put her work into that program and had tens of thousands of downloads to libraries, but no money from any of that, and little buy-through. As she says, library patrons are not necessarily book buyers - it's a different segment of the population.


Thanks Cindy, I'll look into this!


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## 91831

//Waves

KS reject here too!  I published one book, highest rank was 6k UK and just over 2k on the .Com.  I've decided to go wide across all retailers now, before I have a backlist. That probably sounds so strange to most, but the reason being is that I believe that Amazon is not the be all and end all. I believe that if iBooks sorts out web access to their book store they could easily over take the zon (and I don't even like Apple!).

Anyway, I decided I'd rather try and make it in the whole ocean than in a sea... After all there's more room in the Ocean!

My second book is due the end of December and I'm not bothering with KS again.  I don't actually think it's worth much -- even though it did generate a few of my earlier sales.


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## Michele Brouder

evdarcy said:


> //Waves
> 
> KS reject here too! I published one book, highest rank was 6k UK and just over 2k on the .Com. I've decided to go wide across all retailers now, before I have a backlist. That probably sounds so strange to most, but the reason being is that I believe that Amazon is not the be all and end all. I believe that if iBooks sorts out web access to their book store they could easily over take the zon (and I don't even like Apple!).
> 
> Anyway, I decided I'd rather try and make it in the whole ocean than in a sea... After all there's more room in the Ocean!
> 
> My second book is due the end of December and I'm not bothering with KS again. I don't actually think it's worth much -- even though it did generate a few of my earlier sales.


Waves right back>>
I too don't think I'd do Kindle Scout again. The campaigning was time consuming and I'd just rather write and release. I'm thinking of going wide eventually but for now I'll stay with Kindle Select until I have more out there.


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## Used To Be BH

Cindy Rinaman Marsch said:


> Lori, one of the best things I've done getting started in this business (published January, and I've sold about 2k books and short stories now, and had freebie downloads of about 3k for my short story) was to join the Alliance of Independent Authors. You can read some of their stuff free at their site and on FB (that's how I learned KS had added a general lit category last fall so I did a December campaign), but joining gets you access to their FB group, which is where most of the real nuts-and-bolts help comes. I had one person offer to solve a CS formatting problem I was having, and I wound up doing a proofreading job for her press later - lots of relationships for networking and synergy! If you go to one of my websites linked below and click on the ALLi seal on the bottom to visit the site, if you then join (they have different membership levels), they give me a nice little kickback. Thanks!


Cindy, a quick question about ALLi. I was creating my profile info and noticed the books section. When the form asks for book info, that's like a short teaser, or is the expectation greater than that? I thought I should be able to look at samples easily enough, but I can't figure out where I'd even see other members' profiles. (There is a mention that the profile is public, but no sign of any kind of display; I was expecting a directory or something like that. Maybe inputting book information isn't really that important. I can't tell.)

Also, since the organization is international, would something like booklinker links be a good choice for purchase URL, or does that not work in their system? (Booklinker redirects readers to the correct Amazon store for their area.)


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## Michele Brouder

Bill Hiatt said:


> Cindy, a quick question about ALLi. I was creating my profile info and noticed the books section. When the form asks for book info, that's like a short teaser, or is the expectation greater than that? I thought I should be able to look at samples easily enough, but I can't figure out where I'd even see other members' profiles. (There is a mention that the profile is public, but no sign of any kind of display; I was expecting a directory or something like that. Maybe inputting book information isn't really that important. I can't tell.)
> 
> Also, since the organization is international, would something like booklinker links be a good choice for purchase URL, or does that not work in their system? (Booklinker redirects readers to the correct Amazon store for their area.)


Thanks Bill! You are a trove of useful information. Never heard of Booklinker. So now that I've learned 2 new things today (Booklinker and Self-E) I guess I can go to bed for the day. Even though it's only 2pm.


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## Used To Be BH

Michele Brouder said:


> Thanks Bill! You are a trove of useful information. Never heard of Booklinker. So now that I've learned 2 new things today (Booklinker and Self-E) I guess I can go to bed for the day. Even though it's only 2pm.


Booklinker is free, and it also provides stats by country on how many clicks you get. Thought most of mine are in the US anyway, a good-sized group (on some books 20% or more) are in other countries for which a .com link isn't going to be helpful. I figure it might be one small way to encourage international sales, since in my experience every additional click a potential buyer has to make creates a greater likelihood they won't get all the way there. A really motivated buyer will switch to his or her country's store to make the purchase, but someone a little less motivated may not.

If you make a lot of use of your author page on Amazon, Booklinker also creates universal links for those as well.


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## Carey Lewis

Got my second rejection from Scout today, so I feel like a battered Scout Warrior. 

Is there anyone out there who has had a successful launch and can offer advice? I've been through the forums and the methods seem to vary. I'm thinking of putting the book on pre-sale just to get the ASIN, then running an AMS ad for it, then trying to get bargainbooksy or something for when the book goes live. Was toying with the idea of having the presale at .99 then going to 2.99 or 3.99 after launch.

I'm also very much on the fence about going into Select now with all the problems that have been reported with no news on the horizon as to when it'll get fixed.

All other books I've had, I just literally hit the publish button and let it go.


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## Used To Be BH

Michele Brouder said:


> Waves right back>>
> I too don't think I'd do Kindle Scout again. The campaigning was time consuming and I'd just rather write and release. I'm thinking of going wide eventually but for now I'll stay with Kindle Select until I have more out there.


I think I'm going to give Kindle Scout at least one more shot. The campaign was time-consuming for me, too, but now that I'm pretty sure the stats don't really matter, I might just use Lexi Revellian's set-it-and-forget-it model. I'd lose the benefit of extra sales from nominators perhaps (though that doesn't seem to be panning out for everyone), but I'd gain back the time and nervous energy (and advertising) I poured into the campaign.

The latest Author Earning Report shows Amazon Imprints as the fastest growing segment of Amazon's US ebook sales. Such a finding suggests that Amazon's promotion of Scout books (which are most of the new Amazon imprint titles) is effective. The Scout authors also seem to be happy with their results. Since the waiting period including the campaign is only five weeks at most, that's not a significant release delay, and it seems worth it for the easiest access to trad publishing anyone is ever likely to offer.


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## editorjmv

I, too, was not selected after a Kindle Scout campaign this past March. I then published my science fiction novel, Modern Surprises, on Kindle and CreateSpace. I had some sales at first, but no sales lately.


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## Used To Be BH

Carey Lewis said:


> Got my second rejection from Scout today, so I feel like a battered Scout Warrior.
> 
> Is there anyone out there who has had a successful launch and can offer advice? I've been through the forums and the methods seem to vary. I'm thinking of putting the book on pre-sale just to get the ASIN, then running an AMS ad for it, then trying to get bargainbooksy or something for when the book goes live. Was toying with the idea of having the presale at .99 then going to 2.99 or 3.99 after launch.
> 
> I'm also very much on the fence about going into Select now with all the problems that have been reported with no news on the horizon as to when it'll get fixed.
> 
> All other books I've had, I just literally hit the publish button and let it go.


I'm so sorry to hear that your book wasn't accepted--though it doesn't shake my confidence you will be very successful at some point.

Here's a link I bookmarked about promo sites that will take new releases: _http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,236763.0.html_ It has a lot of information.

I haven't done preorders before, but I always have started out with a $.99 intro price, and that does seem to encourage sales.

AMS ads work, though they take experimentation to stay within reasonable costs but still generate enough clicks to get sales. They do move books, though.

I have tried online release parties (Facebook events), and I have mixed feelings. The first couple I did definitely boosted sales and early reviews. The last one didn't, and I haven't tried since. It is a bit of a cash investment, since the most common ways to get people to engage are games with prizes and small giveaways.

Fun fact: if you do an FB release party, there's a way to have your guests interact with the book characters! You can create an FB page for a fictional character. If you then make any character pages cosponsors of event, those pages can post as if they were real people. It does create an interesting effect. If you don't go the release party route, you can use the same technique on your author page and sometimes post as your characters. Depending on your audience, that can sometimes give engagement and the book you're advertising a little boost.

I haven't tried this, but I've known people who did a reading of the first part of their book and posted the result on YouTube. (The visual is usually a montage with the cover and other suitable images.) They claim to have gotten some extra traffic that way, and it doesn't cost anything.

As far as Select is concerned, I firmly believe every author should experiment. Some people make almost no sales outside Amazon, but some people make significant sales that way. I've tried going wide twice, and both times I made less in a year on all the other outlets than I make in one month through KU (even currently wonky KU). However, I know other people who get 20 or 30% of their income from other sites, in some cases even more.


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## Used To Be BH

editorjmv said:


> I, too, was not selected after a Kindle Scout campaign this past March. I then published my science fiction novel, Modern Surprises, on Kindle and CreateSpace. I had some sales at first, but no sales lately.


Yes, I often liken selling books to mining. It feels as if you have to dig every single sale out of the rocks. I've found that if I'm not promoting almost constantly, I'm not selling.


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## Kay7979

WOW! Lots of activity here! I guess starting this thread WAS a good idea! 

Update: Day 1 of "going public." My KS notification email went out yesterday at 4:17 PM EDT. I got a whopping three sales last night, all of which could have come from my FB post announcing that my book is available, since I included the link. 

This morning I resurrected my CoPromote account, which I used exactly once, the last day of my KS campaign. I added Bill and Michele B and a few others here. 

My paperback proof copy arrived this morning and the book looks good, but the cover is darker than I expected. I'm not sure if there's anyway I can alter that, as Createspace uses a PDF file for the cover art. 

As for how the artwork appears online, my sister Marie, the tech-savvy member of the family, lightened the cover by 40% for the eBook version, and if you look on Amazon and compare the Kindle and paperback versions, the paperback is darker and rather hard to see in thumbnail size. I doubt I can do anything about that either, but most potential buyers will be looking at the eBook version.

When I look at a large version of the original artwork on my computer it doesn't seem too dark, and the detail is much sharper than on the paperback cover. I spent a lot of money on this cover art, so it's a bit disappointing. The scene shown on the cover occurs at night, so I wanted it to be sort of dark, but not so dark you can't appreciate the details.


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## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> Thanks so much for starting this thread. I just picked up your book, though it may take me a little time to actually read it at this point.


Thanks Bill! I know you already have a daunting reading list ahead of you!


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## editorjmv

Bill Hiatt said:


> Yes, I often liken selling books to mining. It feels as if you have to dig every single sale out of the rocks. I've found that if I'm not promoting almost constantly, I'm not selling.


And I have found that even if you do promote yourself constantly, you still can have zero sales.


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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> WOW! Lots of activity here! I guess starting this thread WAS a good idea!
> 
> Update: Day 1 of "going public." My KS notification email went out yesterday at 4:17 PM EDT. I got a whopping three sales last night, all of which could have come from my FB post announcing that my book is available, since I included the link.
> 
> This morning I resurrected my CoPromote account, which I used exactly once, the last day of my KS campaign. I added Bill and Michele B and a few others here.
> 
> My paperback proof copy arrived this morning and the book looks good, but the cover is darker than I expected. I'm not sure if there's anyway I can alter that, as Createspace uses a PDF file for the cover art.
> 
> As for how the artwork appears online, my sister Marie, the tech-savvy member of the family, lightened the cover by 40% for the eBook version, and if you look on Amazon and compare the Kindle and paperback versions, the paperback is darker and rather hard to see in thumbnail size. I doubt I can do anything about that either, but most potential buyers will be looking at the eBook version.
> 
> When I look at a large version of the original artwork on my computer it doesn't seem too dark, and the detail is much sharper than on the paperback cover. I spent a lot of money on this cover art, so it's a bit disappointing. The scene shown on the cover occurs at night, so I wanted it to be sort of dark, but not so dark you can't appreciate the details.


I was surprised with some of my early covers being darker than I thought. Looking at a design on the computer screen is different than seeing the same design implemented in the real world with real ink. (The layers produce an unavoidable darkening.

Lightening the image you send to them might help, but you'd probably have to experiement--which means more proof copies--to get exactly the right effect.


----------



## Evenstar

I found the Scout campaign very emotionally draining. I was exhausted by the end of it! I just don't like asking for votes, and then having gotten a bucket load I still didnt get picked. I was lucky to start out in a strong position in that I already have a large engaged mailing list. So I emailed them at a rate of 200 people per day right the way through my campaign. That enabled me to always stay on the H&T list because I know a huge amount of them voted. I feel a lot of sympathy for people who don't already have a fan base and have to scramble on facebook etc to let people know about their campaign. If you are an introvert like me (and I think a lot of writers are) then it really is draining.  I just don't think I could go through it again. Not unless I just set and forget, but that defeats the point of the "campaign".


----------



## ZivGray

Bill Hiatt said:


> I was surprised with some of my early covers being darker than I thought. Looking at a design on the computer screen is different than seeing the same design implemented in the real world with real ink. (The layers produce an unavoidable darkening.
> 
> Lightening the image you send to them might help, but you'd probably have to experiement--which means more proof copies--to get exactly the right effect.


I just received my proof copy of Rise of the Darkwitch today and it was a lot darker than I anticipated. I think I'll do as you suggest and lighten the image. It's worth ordering multiple proofs to ensure the reader ends up with a quality product.

Also, I'm a Kindle Scout reject, too! It was hectic keeping on top of the campaign, but I mostly wanted to do it to make some noise about my book release, which was on Monday. I've shifted more copies already than I anticipated, which is great! Not loads, but more than I expected.


----------



## AliceS

My Scout submission was the first in a new series. It isn't selling very well right now and I don't have enough reviews to buy the better promo sites yet. My other series is finally going great after the release of book 3. I'm going to take that as a lesson learned about series. I will do a little bit of promotion on book 1, but I will wait to push it until book 2 is ready next spring.


----------



## Used To Be BH

ZivGray said:


> I just received my proof copy of Rise of the Darkwitch today and it was a lot darker than I anticipated. I think I'll do as you suggest and lighten the image. It's worth ordering multiple proofs to ensure the reader ends up with a quality product.
> 
> Also, I'm a Kindle Scout reject, too! It was hectic keeping on top of the campaign, but I mostly wanted to do it to make some noise about my book release, which was on Monday. I've shifted more copies already than I anticipated, which is great! Not loads, but more than I expected.


Your book appears to be doing reasonably well for a new release. If you're not advertising in any other way right now, it would be reasonable to attribute some portion of your sales to the people exposed to your book during the Scout campaign.


----------



## ZivGray

Bill Hiatt said:


> Your book appears to be doing reasonably well for a new release. If you're not advertising in any other way right now, it would be reasonable to attribute some portion of your sales to the people exposed to your book during the Scout campaign.


I think that's exactly the case. I'm not advertising anywhere apart from periodic postings on my Facebook and Twitter. I need to get some other advertising in place, but my hands are a little tied financially. I'll have to think very carefully about where I spend the limited money I have.


----------



## Used To Be BH

ZivGray said:


> I think that's exactly the case. I'm not advertising anywhere apart from periodic postings on my Facebook and Twitter. I need to get some other advertising in place, but my hands are a little tied financially. I'll have to think very carefully about where I spend the limited money I have.


We could start thinking about cross promotional things to do. There are probably a lot of people who don't have enormous advertising budgets, and there seem to be a fair number of authors involved here, at least some with compatible genres.


----------



## ZivGray

Bill Hiatt said:


> We could start thinking about cross promotional things to do. There are probably a lot of people who don't have enormous advertising budgets, and there seem to be a fair number of authors involved here, at least some with compatible genres.


You know, I'd love to read and review books on my blog for other authors for free. It's something I've been thinking of for a while. Perhaps others who haven't made it to Kindle Scout either? Might be an idea...


----------



## Used To Be BH

ZivGray said:


> You know, I'd love to read and review books on my blog for other authors for free. It's something I've been thinking of for a while. Perhaps others who haven't made it to Kindle Scout either? Might be an idea...


Yes, that's a possibility worth exploring.


----------



## Taking my troll a$$ outta here

Cindy Rinaman Marsch said:


> What a fun idea! Glad to be here, one of the crowd. My campaign was December 5, 2015 - January 5, 2016. I had something like 2400 views (high at the time) and 96% of my time in H&T, plus nice reviews and encouragement. Ah well . . . I may still submit my work-in-progress, a related historical/biographical fiction.
> 
> Hi, E.B.!


Hi Cindy!! Nice to "see" you!!


----------



## KCecala

Michele Brouder said:


> How do you go about getting your book onto library shelves?


 well, I sign the book up with Biblioboard, which is connected with Library Journal. This may be a US thing only, but they will get the ebook into your state's libraries, then some libraries will buy a hard copy. Not all, but some...I also do a co-op ad in Publishers' weekly's library issue; not cheap but I have had good response to that;a lot of the winners in my Goodreads giveaway were public libraries; and finally I do try to donate copies to local libraries, although not all will take them...Since my book has no clear cut genre, I have to market it a little differently than most, and libraries are an important market for me.

Oh, almost forgot: I do the NetGalley ARC thing and a huge number of those reviewers are...guess what, public librarians!


----------



## Michele Brouder

Kay7979 said:


> WOW! Lots of activity here! I guess starting this thread WAS a good idea!
> 
> Update: Day 1 of "going public." My KS notification email went out yesterday at 4:17 PM EDT. I got a whopping three sales last night, all of which could have come from my FB post announcing that my book is available, since I included the link.
> 
> This morning I resurrected my CoPromote account, which I used exactly once, the last day of my KS campaign. I added Bill and Michele B and a few others here.
> 
> My paperback proof copy arrived this morning and the book looks good, but the cover is darker than I expected. I'm not sure if there's anyway I can alter that, as Createspace uses a PDF file for the cover art.
> 
> As for how the artwork appears online, my sister Marie, the tech-savvy member of the family, lightened the cover by 40% for the eBook version, and if you look on Amazon and compare the Kindle and paperback versions, the paperback is darker and rather hard to see in thumbnail size. I doubt I can do anything about that either, but most potential buyers will be looking at the eBook version.
> 
> When I look at a large version of the original artwork on my computer it doesn't seem too dark, and the detail is much sharper than on the paperback cover. I spent a lot of money on this cover art, so it's a bit disappointing. The scene shown on the cover occurs at night, so I wanted it to be sort of dark, but not so dark you can't appreciate the details.


In regards to your cover being darker, I had this same issue with my first book with CS. After back and forth with CS and my book cover designer, I discovered that with each printing there may be color variations. Basically it depends who's at the wheel. I had copies here (from different printings) with tonal variations. It drove me mad. But my cover designer said that sometimes happened.


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> That's what I do. I get my createspace book formatted first. Here's why: I go through the proof process, and select Amazon as my only sales channel. Then when it populates to Amazon US a day later, I remove the sales channel. This allows me to send out electronic ARCs, and people can leave reviews under the paperback that Amazon lists as "unavailable" before my "official" launch date.


I've heard of others using this method. Clever!


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> If you're using Photoshop to build your CS cover, be sure to do your work in CMYK mode instead of RGB mode. Also, use the PDF-x 2001 profile, since that's the profile preferred by CS & LSI.


That's all Greek to me, I know the uploaded cover art was a PDF file. The art work was done by a professional artist, and a graphic designer added the title, author name and blurb etc. I'm sure the file was correct, but the artwork was on the dark side to begin with, and the publication process apparently makes it even darker.


----------



## Kay7979

Michele Brouder said:


> In regards to your cover being darker, I had this same issue with my first book with CS. After back and forth with CS and my book cover designer, I discovered that with each printing there may be color variations. Basically it depends who's at the wheel. I had copies here (from different printings) with tonal variations. It drove me mad. But my cover designer said that sometimes happened.


It's good to know this is a common problem. For my next cover, I'll keep that in mind and make sure I go with something lighter toned.


----------



## LoriDRV

Oh Boy, the amount of info here is priceless. I just have no idea what 90% of this stuff is. Hopefully, I will get the time to figure it all out. Had a bit of vacation time this week, and now watching our hometown Cubs WIN THE WORLD SERIES! 

Thank you Cindy & Bill for addressing me with your tidbits of help.

My head is spinning from all this info, but I'm grateful.


----------



## Kay7979

Day 2 post-Kindle Scout notification email. Not many sales, but I'll give it a few more days before officially pronouncing Kindle Scout a bust as far as converting nominations to sales. I posted "available now" on FB with a large cover art photo, and if anyone is feeling generous and wants to share my post, I'd appreciate it. Say the word and I'll share one of yours.

So, here's my innovative marketing strategy for today. I'll let you know if it works. I searched twitter for people who make jewelry or sell gems, specifically targeting aventurine. My book is about gems with arcane powers, and the book opens with Lana in the family jewelry store, and a customer with an aventurine bracelet. I need to target female readers, people who like fantasy novels, and people who are interested in gems. Ideally, I'll find people who weren't shopping for a book, but mine may capture their interest.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Day 2 post-Kindle Scout notification email. Not many sales, but I'll give it a few more days before officially pronouncing Kindle Scout a bust as far as converting nominations to sales. I posted "available now" on FB with a large cover art photo, and if anyone is feeling generous and wants to share my post, I'd appreciate it. Say the word and I'll share one of yours.
> 
> So, here's my innovative marketing strategy for today. I'll let you know if it works. I searched twitter for people who make jewelry or sell gems, specifically targeting aventurine. My book is about gems with arcane powers, and the book opens with Lana in the family jewelry store, and a customer with an aventurine bracelet. I need to target female readers, people who like fantasy novels, and people who are interested in gems. Ideally, I'll find people who weren't shopping for a book, but mine may capture their interest.


That's an interesting strategy. I tried something similar with my first book. It's set in an imaginary town near Santa Barbara, so I made a video teaser talking about the growing menace near Santa Barbara, put it up on YouTube, and ran an ad campaign directed at SB zip codes. Lost of views, no sales. Sigh!

As for the FB post, can you give us a link? (I'm too lazy to search for it!)


----------



## Kay7979

I don't know how to link to the actual post, but it's the pinned post on my FB author page.

https://www.facebook.com/KayLLing.author


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> I don't know how to link to the actual post, but it's the pinned post on my FB author page.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/KayLLing.author


Actually, I'm reminded that I couldn't figure out the link for an individual post either! Anyway, I just shared yours.


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> Actually, I'm reminded that I couldn't figure out the link for an individual post either! Anyway, I just shared yours.


Thanks a million! I REALLY appreciate it.


----------



## Used To Be BH

ZivGray said:


> You know, I'd love to read and review books on my blog for other authors for free. It's something I've been thinking of for a while. Perhaps others who haven't made it to Kindle Scout either? Might be an idea...


I've been thinking about the idea, and I still like it in some ways, but it could be awkward unless it is arranged loosely. In other words, I'd encourage everyone here to read the books of other authors here and do reviews of them on their blogs if they liked them. I would not encourage "You review mine, and I'll review yours," even in a blog situation, because there is always the possibility someone will read a book and actually not like it. Then things can really get weird fast...

What does work without that kind of awkwardness, though, is a pay-it-forward approach. If someone here reviews your book on a blog, make a point of reviewing the book of some thread member on your blog, but not necessarily the person who reviewed you. With all the books we have to choose from, you could surely find some book you liked in that situation.

The same approach can work for customer reviews on Amazon. Obviously, review swaps are banned, and for good reason, but customer reviews can also be paid forward: if someone reviews you, you make a point of finding a book you like and reviewing it when you can. (If you review on Amazon, it's good practice to indicate you know the author involved. None of us are close friends, but it's always good to have full disclosure.)


----------



## Used To Be BH

Here's another cross promotion idea. I'm really a big supporter of cross promotional anthologies. That's a way of introducing ourselves to each other's fan bases. It does take someone to coordinate it, and in the short term I'm too busy, but it could be worthwhile. A thematically based anthology can allow for the inclusion of different genres, and using a short form like flash fiction can make it easier for people to participate.

I'll share my experience with George Donnelly's Halloween flash fiction anthology, _Monster Maelstrom_. (FYI, he's planning a series of such anthologies, and they're very worthwhile.) The idea was purely promotional, so the anthology was wide and permafree (Amazon price-matched within a day.) The anthology had significant downloads, at one point hitting 596 in the free store, as well as doing well in some of the international stores. Barnes and Noble stats looked good. It garnered one review on Google Play and several at Goodreads. It still seems to holding up well after Halloween, with top ten rankings in two subcategories.

Prior to Halloween, my own sales experienced two spikes, and I had one huge burst of KU activity. I was also getting more international sales. I've had sales in the UK, France, and Germany before, but seldom all three in the same month. I not only had sales in all three, but also in Canada and India (where I virtually never sell), and I picked up my first sale in Italy. All of this could be coincidence, but I think at least some of it comes from the anthology.

(By the way, George's Christmas anthology is still open if anyone is interested. http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,241013.0.html That one will be out in permafree ebook and paperback.)

While I wouldn't want to just copy George's holiday emphasis, there are several ways to create thematic collections. "Stories to read when you're___" (collections geared to a particular emotion) is just one example.

Is everyone who reads such an anthology going to become the fan of every author in it? No, of course not. However, since participation would involve no cost (except the time), it's pretty good free advertising. When the figures are in, I imagine my story will have been seen by at least a few hundred people who would never have had my stuff otherwise. Even a few sales would make it worthwhile, and conceivably one could get more than that. (Over time I think the downloads on that Halloween one will go into the thousands.)

Now, logistics. I am simultaneously involved in about four projects right now, so even though it's my idea, I can't be the coordinator for it now (though perhaps in a few months I could do one). If someone else is willing to take point, though, I am willing to contribute the cost of the cover, and I should be able to contribute at least a little time to help with editing--if we decide to do this, we want the resulting product to be good quality.

By the way, the anthology doesn't need to be limited to just us. We could start another thread and solicit submissions if we wanted. (The coordinator/editor would have to screen.)

Obviously, this couldn't happen instantly, but what do you think of it as an idea for the future?


----------



## Carey Lewis

Bill Hiatt said:


> Here's another cross promotion idea. I'm really a big supporter of cross promotional anthologies. That's a way of introducing ourselves to each other's fan bases. It does take someone to coordinate it, and in the short term I'm too busy, but it could be worthwhile. A thematically based anthology can allow for the inclusion of different genres, and using a short form like flash fiction can make it easier for people to participate.
> 
> I'll share my experience with George Donnelly's Halloween flash fiction anthology, _Monster Maelstrom_. (FYI, he's planning a series of such anthologies, and they're very worthwhile.) The idea was purely promotional, so the anthology was wide and permafree (Amazon price-matched within a day.) The anthology had significant downloads, at one point hitting 596 in the free store, as well as doing well in some of the international stores. Barnes and Noble stats looked good. It garnered one review on Google Play and several at Goodreads. It still seems to holding up well after Halloween, with top ten rankings in two subcategories.
> 
> Prior to Halloween, my own sales experienced two spikes, and I had one huge burst of KU activity. I was also getting more international sales. I've had sales in the UK, France, and Germany before, but seldom all three in the same month. I not only had sales in all three, but also in Canada and India (where I virtually never sell), and I picked up my first sale in Italy. All of this could be coincidence, but I think at least some of it comes from the anthology.
> 
> (By the way, George's Christmas anthology is still open if anyone is interested. http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,241013.0.html That one will be out in permafree ebook and paperback.)
> 
> While I wouldn't want to just copy George's holiday emphasis, there are several ways to create thematic collections. "Stories to read when you're___" (collections geared to a particular emotion) is just one example.
> 
> Is everyone who reads such an anthology going to become the fan of every author in it? No, of course not. However, since participation would involve no cost (except the time), it's pretty good free advertising. When the figures are in, I imagine my story will have been seen by at least a few hundred people who would never have had my stuff otherwise. Even a few sales would make it worthwhile, and conceivably one could get more than that. (Over time I think the downloads on that Halloween one will go into the thousands.)
> 
> Now, logistics. I am simultaneously involved in about four projects right now, so even though it's my idea, I can't be the coordinator for it now (though perhaps in a few months I could do one). If someone else is willing to take point, though, I am willing to contribute the cost of the cover, and I should be able to contribute at least a little time to help with editing--if we decide to do this, we want the resulting product to be good quality.
> 
> By the way, the anthology doesn't need to be limited to just us. We could start another thread and solicit submissions if we wanted. (The coordinator/editor would have to screen.)
> 
> Obviously, this couldn't happen instantly, but what do you think of it as an idea for the future?


I'm all in on this idea. I'm supposed to be a part of my first cross promo in late December, and I love the idea of it! Unfortunately, I'll be the first to admit I know nothing about how to do this sort of thing, so I think the organization would go to someone better up to the task.


----------



## Michele Brouder

Kay7979 said:


> Day 2 post-Kindle Scout notification email. Not many sales, but I'll give it a few more days before officially pronouncing Kindle Scout a bust as far as converting nominations to sales. I posted "available now" on FB with a large cover art photo, and if anyone is feeling generous and wants to share my post, I'd appreciate it. Say the word and I'll share one of yours.
> 
> So, here's my innovative marketing strategy for today. I'll let you know if it works. I searched twitter for people who make jewelry or sell gems, specifically targeting aventurine. My book is about gems with arcane powers, and the book opens with Lana in the family jewelry store, and a customer with an aventurine bracelet. I need to target female readers, people who like fantasy novels, and people who are interested in gems. Ideally, I'll find people who weren't shopping for a book, but mine may capture their interest.


Kay, I'm about 30% through your book (despite getting my book ready to launch & doing NaNoWriMo) and I am loving it! All the detail about the different gems with arcane powers is amazing. I never heard of some of these gems but I'm going to be on the look out for some aventurine. Well done, you!


----------



## Kay7979

Michele Brouder said:


> Kay, I'm about 30% through your book (despite getting my book ready to launch & doing NaNoWriMo) and I am loving it! All the detail about the different gems with arcane powers is amazing. I never heard of some of these gems but I'm going to be on the look out for some aventurine. Well done, you!


Thanks! I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it. It's a long book, so it no one is likely to describe it as a "quick read."


----------



## Used To Be BH

Carey Lewis said:


> I'm all in on this idea. I'm supposed to be a part of my first cross promo in late December, and I love the idea of it! Unfortunately, I'll be the first to admit I know nothing about how to do this sort of thing, so I think the organization would go to someone better up to the task.


For anyone who might be interested, the setup does take work, but not particularly special skills. It's easy as long as the anthology is permafree, since no money is involved. (Dealing with dividing the money if there were any is a whole separate complication.)

Collectively, all those interested would need to agree on a theme or other unifying idea. Once that's done, we'd spin that part off to a different thread if we were soliciting submissions generally, or maybe just keep it here if not. (The more people involved, though, the more marketing push we could put behind the anthology.

Someone (or several someones) need to edit the accepted submissions to make sure everything is as good as it can get.

I'll take care of getting the cover.

Someone needs to actually submit to all the outlets. It would make sense if that person were the coordinator/editor, but hypothetically it could be someone else. It would be easier if it were someone who already had a relationship with an aggregator (like Smashwords or D2D) to facilitate distribution to other outlets.

There are a few other minor things, but basically those are major tasks. Some of them can be handled by different people rather than having all of them done by one person.

I need to disappear for a few hours to finish (hopefully) the proofing for _Different Lee_, but I'll check back later.


----------



## LoriDRV

Well, since I'm so behind on figuring out all this overwhelming stuff for publishing, I went ahead and shared your novel on fb and twitter, Kay.

I'm so confused about everything. I don't even know where to begin. I've been putting the word out for my memoir anthology while I'm trying to figure out formatting and publication for my novel. The anthology is a quick, uplifting read. 

I read about Kathy's use of NetGalley. Does that cost much to join?

It sounds like I'm going to need to buy PhotoShop to upload my book cover to CreateSpace. 

Ugh. My head is spinning.


----------



## Used To Be BH

LoriDRV said:


> Well, since I'm so behind on figuring out all this overwhelming stuff for publishing, I went ahead and shared your novel on fb and twitter, Kay.
> 
> I'm so confused about everything. I don't even know where to begin. I've been putting the word out for my memoir anthology while I'm trying to figure out formatting and publication for my novel. The anthology is a quick, uplifting read.
> 
> I read about Kathy's use of NetGalley. Does that cost much to join?
> 
> It sounds like I'm going to need to buy PhotoShop to upload my book cover to CreateSpace.
> 
> Ugh. My head is spinning.


Lori, I use Photoshop, but the truth is any decent graphics program can probably do what you need.


----------



## Kay7979

LoriDRV said:


> Well, since I'm so behind on figuring out all this overwhelming stuff for publishing, I went ahead and shared your novel on fb and twitter, Kay.
> 
> I'm so confused about everything. I don't even know where to begin. I've been putting the word out for my memoir anthology while I'm trying to figure out formatting and publication for my novel. The anthology is a quick, uplifting read.
> 
> I read about Kathy's use of NetGalley. Does that cost much to join?
> 
> It sounds like I'm going to need to buy PhotoShop to upload my book cover to CreateSpace.
> 
> Ugh. My head is spinning.


Thanks for the share, Lori.

I confess I'm not too tech savvy and I don't want the frustrations of learning to do formatting and cover art, so I hired a professional formatter to do my eBook and paperback, and I had an artist do the cover art and a graphic designer add the text. It's worth it to me to preserve my nerves and sanity, but I know many people are on a budget and prefer to learn to do these things for themselves.

By the way, Bill, my sister showed me how to link to an individual FB post. Hopefully I can remember how to do it for next time. Not sure I'm the best at explaining it. If she gets a spare minute, she'll stop by and post the instructions.


----------



## Marie Clapsaddle

Bill Hiatt said:


> Actually, I'm reminded that I couldn't figure out the link for an individual post either! Anyway, I just shared yours.


Hi Bill, Kay's "Tech-Active Senior" sister at your service.

To get the link for an individual Facebook post, click on the date/time at the top of the post and copy the resulting URL from the menu bar at the top of the browser. In the case of the post on Kay's author page, it looks like this: https://www.facebook.com/KayLLing.author/photos/a.1285382901472724.1073741828.1263274803683534/1338837156127298/

I'm glad to see this thread on KBoards. I'm not a Kindle Scout alumnus myself, but I was actively involved with Kay's campaign behind the scenes and did what I could to help out with nominations for books listed on Steve's daily post. I plan to read this thread and pop in from time to time if there's something I can contribute.


----------



## LoriDRV

Thanks, Bill & Mark, for some cover art info.

Mark, that's a good idea to shop for an older version of PhotoShop. Any suggestions where?

Marie, how kind of you to offer your help to us "less tech-savvy" authors.

I created my own covers and have a little bit of experience working with photos in other cheap programs. I love photography and took the photos on the cover of my anthology and blended them together. It's the actual photo of the street where I grew up and the street sign. I bought the 2 photos for my novel, Whit's End, and blended those together. I was really happy with how it turned out, and I also got a lot of good feedback on that cover when it was in Kindle Scout. I have an idea what I'm going to do with the back cover for CreateSpace when I get a chance.


----------



## LoriDRV

Mark Gardner said:


> I'm not sure where. eBay is an option, but you have to be careful of scams. I get my software from university surplus sales. If all you need is to take your own flattened cover wrap and make it a proper pdf, I can do that for you.


Hi Mark - I'm not sure what I have to do, because I've never done a book with CreateSpace before. I don't know how to put together a cover for an actual print book for paperback. I know I'll need a spine and a back cover, in addition to the front cover. If this is what you've offered to do in .pdf, I may take you up on it. However, I'm not there yet. I'm still working on formatting for my novel on ebook. It may be a while before I get to the print version. I'd kind of like to figure it out, but if I can't, I'll contact you (and probably everyone else on these boards for help with formatting ). I'm going to see what I can do about getting PhotoShop.

Thank you for your kind offer.


----------



## LoriDRV

Okay, here is a stupid novice question for those of you who have done print versions with CreateSpace. I haven't even looked at it yet, so pardon my ignorance. How does the pricing work? Don't they have to charge you for printing the book? Does it give you their prices and then you can choose your own price for the book?

In the 1990's (the dark ages), long before ebooks and POD, I self-published a book and sent it off to a print company. They charged me all of $1.07 each to print my paperbacks. I bought them for a bulk price.

Now with POD, I have no idea what to expect.


----------



## Michele Brouder

Kay7979 said:


> Thanks for the share, Lori.
> 
> I confess I'm not too tech savvy and I don't want the frustrations of learning to do formatting and cover art, so I hired a professional formatter to do my eBook and paperback, and I had an artist do the cover art and a graphic designer add the text. It's worth it to me to preserve my nerves and sanity, but I know many people are on a budget and prefer to learn to do these things for themselves.
> 
> By the way, Bill, my sister showed me how to link to an individual FB post. Hopefully I can remember how to do it for next time. Not sure I'm the best at explaining it. If she gets a spare minute, she'll stop by and post the instructions.


I'm the same way, Kay. I found a good formatter and a great book cover designer that were reasonable. I don't want to learn how to format as I am technologically challenged. Besides, I find the marketing an almost full-time job. And that's enough of a diversion from the actual process of writing. Basically, I'm an old dog who is trick challenged.

Lori,
Create Space will guide you through the process and any questions you have, you can go through the message center. They're good to get back to you. Once the book is up and you have to decide pricing for the channels, they will tell you the minimum you have to charge. For instance, when I went through it today, they said the minimum I had to charge was $11.00. So I rounded it up to 11.99 because I have a thing about that .99 and then just tick the box where all foreign markets will be based on the exchange rate. It's just easier.
Believe me, it is a daunting process and the learning curve is huge (but then when is it not, whether it's self-publishing, writing or Kindle Scout) Step back and take a deep breath. You got this. If you can design your own covers, you can do all this other stuff.


----------



## ZivGray

Mark Gardner said:


> They charge you a price per book based on a sliding scale. A 300-page 5x8 with white pages and glossy finish will almost always be $4.45, a 140-page 5x8 will be $2.50, a 170-page will be $2.90. Then you pay taxes, and your choice of shipping. I try to keep whatever book I'm doing to one of the most common price points so I know what to expect.
> 
> Even with a 300-page 5x8, I price them so that the Extended Distribution nets me a royalty around $3.00. Then I sell them in person for $10. That way, a single sale will net me 2 more books. Also, if you utilize the CS estore, you can make discount codes that take a fixed dollar amount off. I keep a decent wooden crate in my trunk, and a stack of business cards in my pocket.


There's something very aesthetically pleasing about that box, Mark!

My process is exactly the same as yours. I recently made the mistake of not getting the right sized print proof for my book. I did all the work for 6 by 9 instead of 5 by 8 - and it just doesn't look right.

Next step for me is researching the right price for my POD copy. I don't foresee selling a lot of physical copies, to be honest.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Marie Clapsaddle said:


> Hi Bill, Kay's "Tech-Active Senior" sister at your service.
> 
> To get the link for an individual Facebook post, click on the date/time at the top of the post and copy the resulting URL from the menu bar at the top of the browser. In the case of the post on Kay's author page, it looks like this: https://www.facebook.com/KayLLing.author/photos/a.1285382901472724.1073741828.1263274803683534/1338837156127298/
> 
> I'm glad to see this thread on KBoards. I'm not a Kindle Scout alumnus myself, but I was actively involved with Kay's campaign behind the scenes and did what I could to help out with nominations for books listed on Steve's daily post. I plan to read this thread and pop in from time to time if there's something I can contribute.


Thanks! I've actually seen that. I don't know why I didn't remember it earlier.


----------



## ZivGray

Mark Gardner said:


> My advice is to price it with a price ending in .99 that allows you to have pretty darn close to $3.00 royalty in expanded distribution, then just enable all six channels. I might sell four books a month online, but I care more about having the two linked in Amazon, with that "sale" slash through the eBook price. You _could_ buy the hard cover for $25, or the paperback for $15, but the $5 ebook is a steal! and since setting up paper and HC costs you practically nothing, every indie should do it regardless if they expect to sell a single copy.


Super advice! I'll be sure to do that.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> My advice is to price it with a price ending in .99 that allows you to have pretty darn close to $3.00 royalty in expanded distribution, then just enable all six channels. I might sell four books a month online, but I care more about having the two linked in Amazon, with that "sale" slash through the eBook price. You _could_ buy the hard cover for $25, or the paperback for $15, but the $5 ebook is a steal! and since setting up paper and HC costs you practically nothing, every indie should do it regardless if they expect to sell a single copy.


I couldn't agree more! There are also some readers who don't look at a writer as legitimate unless there's a paperback edition--even if they buy in ebook format.

I too like the look of your box.


----------



## Used To Be BH

LoriDRV said:


> Okay, here is a stupid novice question for those of you who have done print versions with CreateSpace. I haven't even looked at it yet, so pardon my ignorance. How does the pricing work? Don't they have to charge you for printing the book? Does it give you their prices and then you can choose your own price for the book?
> 
> In the 1990's (the dark ages), long before ebooks and POD, I self-published a book and sent it off to a print company. They charged me all of $1.07 each to print my paperbacks. I bought them for a bulk price.
> 
> Now with POD, I have no idea what to expect.


Mark's already given you a great deal of excellent advice, but if you would like a demo, some years ago I made a quick video for a friend explaining CS cover templates. I was rushed and didn't feel afterward as if I had really gotten the job done well. I guess it must have been better than I thought, because now it has over 15,000 views, and a lot of positive responses. Feel free to look it over when you get to that point. 



. (Yes, the demo uses Photoshop, but as I've said, less expensive programs have enough features to do what the video covers.

The POD text is a little trickier than ebook text, but if you remember you are trying to make it look like a print book in your library, that helps. For me the tricky thing was hyphenation. There are a large number of hyphenation rules, some of which Word doesn't follow. (I'd recommend finding a cheap copy of _Chicago Manual of Style_--it's an invaluable reference.

I did make some mistakes early on, though fortunately not ones that made the book look bad. I got better with practice. Really, none of it is rocket science, though some processes, like going through the whole manuscript to hyphenate correctly, are certainly tedious.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> The English-language Amazon listing looks pretty sweet too:


That it does--and now I think I know how to use the image tags. I tried before and failed, but I think from studying your use of it, I have it now. I forget what I put between them before, but it didn't work.


----------



## David Blake

My first book wasn't selected at the back end of last year. Obviously I self-published.

I've since gone on to write, and self-publish, three more books. 

What I've discovered about KS since then is that the vast majority of the books they so carefully "select" fail. 

Why? 

Because they don't know any better than anyone else what will fly and what will die. 

Also, I really struggle to see what they bring to the table, apart from taking a larger chunk of your royalty payments.

So, for all of us who didn't find ourselves to be The Chosen Ones, I honestly think we're better off! And besides, I'm still convinced they just pull the winners out of a hat.

Anyway, self-publishing is easy enough. We're also able to maintain full ownership AND can set our own prices, which as I've learnt is vital to success.


----------



## LoriDRV

Bill Hiatt said:


> Mark's already given you a great deal of excellent advice, but if you would like a demo, some years ago I made a quick video for a friend explaining CS cover templates. I was rushed and didn't feel afterward as if I had really gotten the job done well. I guess it must have been better than I thought, because now it has over 15,000 views, and a lot of positive responses. Feel free to look it over when you get to that point.
> 
> 
> 
> . (Yes, the demo uses Photoshop, but as I've said, less expensive programs have enough features to do what the video covers.
> 
> The POD text is a little trickier than ebook text, but if you remember you are trying to make it look like a print book in your library, that helps. For me the tricky thing was hyphenation. There are a large number of hyphenation rules, some of which Word doesn't follow. (I'd recommend finding a cheap copy of _Chicago Manual of Style_--it's an invaluable reference.
> 
> I did make some mistakes early on, though fortunately not ones that made the book look bad. I got better with practice. Really, none of it is rocket science, though some processes, like going through the whole manuscript to hyphenate correctly, are certainly tedious.


Thank you, Bill. This is great. I respond much better to instructions on video. I have bookmarked this for when I'm ready.

Thank you to Mark, for your offer and brief instructions. I actually think I understood most of that. 

QUOTE: Michele<<Create Space will guide you through the process and any questions you have, you can go through the message center. They're good to get back to you. Once the book is up and you have to decide pricing for the channels, they will tell you the minimum you have to charge. For instance, when I went through it today, they said the minimum I had to charge was $11.00. So I rounded it up to 11.99 because I have a thing about that .99 and then just tick the box where all foreign markets will be based on the exchange rate. It's just easier.
Believe me, it is a daunting process and the learning curve is huge (but then when is it not, whether it's self-publishing, writing or Kindle Scout) Step back and take a deep breath. You got this. If you can design your own covers, you can do all this other stuff. >>

Michele, thank you for your input and encouragement. I love messing with my photos in my cheap software programs. My blog is full of those photos. I find that I get better responses to my blog when I put up photos with my text. I'm a bit of an over-user of blogging, but it is the one social media venue I actually enjoy. The others I only do because I have to.

As far as that "minimum I have to charge" on CS, does that mean they won't let you sell it for any less than a certain price? Honestly, I pass up most paperbacks when they're priced too high, and I'm hoping I don't have to price mine too high.


----------



## Used To Be BH

David Blake said:


> My first book wasn't selected at the back end of last year. Obviously I self-published.
> 
> I've since gone on to write, and self-publish, three more books.
> 
> What I've discovered about KS since then is that the vast majority of the books they so carefully "select" fail.
> 
> Why?
> 
> Because they don't know any better than anyone else what will fly and what will die.
> 
> Also, I really struggle to see what they bring to the table, apart from taking a larger chunk of your royalty payments.
> 
> So, for all of us who didn't find ourselves to be The Chosen Ones, I honestly think we're better off! And besides, I'm still convinced they just pull the winners out of a hat.
> 
> Anyway, self-publishing is easy enough. We're also able to maintain full ownership AND can set our own prices, which as I've learnt is vital to success.


Most fail? Have you actually tracked all of them? The ones I looked at when I was deciding whether to do KS or not all seemed to have good ranking and a reasonable number of reviews. Also, the accepted authors in the thread many of us migrated from seem both successful and happy. I guess it's possible that the unsuccessful ones might not be posting about how their books failed, though. 

I like self publishing too, and I certainly don't think one has to be in KS to be successful. However, KS is a lot easier to navigate than the typical trad publisher, gets the book on sale faster, and markets at least well enough that some people earn out their advances in just a few months. If the book were being marketed for $3.99, that would mean about 750 copies--not counting the free ones all the nominators got. Even at $5.99, that would still be 500 copies. I've never moved that many copies of one book on my own in just a few months, though perhaps you have. Someone who can market well enough to make a living without KS might easily not find KS worthwhile. For someone like me, though, KS might make more sense. One size does not fit all.

Anyway, I'm not weeping tears of blood that I wasn't selected, but I would have liked to have the experience, so I'll probably try again.


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> How much is too high? Don't fall into the trap a lot of indies do and undercut your prices. By utilizing discount codes, you can sell directly to your fans for whatever price you want. The important part is getting as wide a distribution as possible.
> I don't mean to sound harsh, but most of your paperback book sales will be to friends and family, and likely in person, so your list price is irrelevant, because you can reduce the price to what you want with discount codes.
> The minimum price CS will allow is a dollar and change over your author purchase price, so a 300-page book is around $6.99 or so, but you couldn't do expanded distribution.


I'll have to figure out how to use a discount code. That sounds like a great idea, and even though my CS screen says apply discount, I probably wouldn't have thought about sending customers directly to CS with a discount code. Even if a customer orders at a discounted price they have to pay shipping, so there goes most of the savings, right? I ordered a copy as soon as the book was finished, but used two day shipping, and it cost more than the copy my sister bought retail using Prime with free shipping. Granted, most buyers wouldn't use expedited shipping, but still . . .

The minimum permissible non-discounted price for my book was something like $14.50, so I set the price at $14.95. At 414 pages, and 6" x 9", the book is expensive because it's long. So, if my author cost is $5.81 per copy, where should I set my discounted price?


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> How much is too high? Don't fall into the trap a lot of indies do and undercut your prices. By utilizing discount codes, you can sell directly to your fans for whatever price you want. The important part is getting as wide a distribution as possible.
> I don't mean to sound harsh, but most of your paperback book sales will be to friends and family, and likely in person, so your list price is irrelevant, because you can reduce the price to what you want with discount codes.
> The minimum price CS will allow is a dollar and change over your author purchase price, so a 300-page book is around $6.99 or so, but you couldn't do expanded distribution.


I have a somewhat different philosophy on paperback pricing. I look at my genre and see what the trad published bestsellers are selling for (usually around $9.99 the last time I looked, though obviously book length makes some of them a little more than that.) and try to avoid going over that unless the length of the book demands it. After all, I'm a relatively unknown author. Are people going to pay more for me than they would for a household-name bestseller? I'd have to say no.

That does mean I get a relatively low royalty, and I have to forego expanding distribution. However, I tried expanded distribution, and it killed my paperback sales on Amazon without netting me even one sale in the expanded channels, so eventually I dropped it. To illustrate the effect, I just tried switching on the expanded channels for my latest book, currently selling at $10.50 (minimum price is $9.97.) With expanded channels switched on, the minimum price jumped to $14.95, almost a $5.00 increase and $4.45 over the current price. Even on shorter books, it's usually a $3.00 or more jump. Of course, the extra is to pay the middlemen.

I also experimented with using a different edition for expanded distribution, so I had the benefit of a low price and Amazon and reach. However, I abandoned the idea when the more highly priced edition made not one sale over several months. All it did was irritate me by appearing first on Amazon for no apparent reason.

It sounds as if you sell more paperbacks than I do just in general. I don't really look at the paperbacks as a revenue source. I look at them as a way to get more books into the world (via Amazon giveaways, for example) and a way of satisfying the crowd that doesn't think you're a legit writer without a physical copy. I do sell a few, as long as I keep the price relatively low. Selling a few is better than selling zero.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> major publishers don't do POD. They purchase 1000s or 10,000s of books at a time, so they get them printed dirt cheap. If you try to compete with them, they'll win every time.
> 
> Stop calling yourself an unknown author. _Every author is unknown until they're not._ You absolutely must believe in yourself if you want anyone else to believe in you too. Live by the adage, "Fake it to you make it."
> 
> I love hustling paperbacks at events, etc, so the list price of the book is irrelevant. I offer them at $10 - $15, depending on the book. To me, it's all about interacting with the fans and bibliophiles.
> 
> To be honest, I'd rather sell zero than undersell my product. Just as I would never do freelance computer work for less than a dollar a minute. I refuse to sell a paperback for less than a $3.00-ish royalty. My method and thinking isn't for everyone, but I do pretty well. I don't begrudge anyone for doing it otherwise.


Yes, we both agree that one size doesn't fit all.

I'm well aware the major publishers don't do POD, and that's why they can keep production costs low--but consumers don't care. I know there would be ways to sell more cheaply to family and friends, but as I have no family and don't advertise to my friends, that really doesn't matter to me. I haven't done that many live sales, though I may some day. However, the fact that you sell the books at live sales for less than the list price kind of supports my point. Anyway, what sales I get, I get from online customers who are going to be staring at the full sticker price. Our situations are different, which explains our different approaches.

In general, more established writers, whether indie or trad, tend to be able to command higher prices. If one takes an as-much-as-the-market-will-bear approach to pricing as I tend to, I don't see what I'm doing as underselling. I tested at higher price points, and paperback sales fell off a cliff. Since you evidently can get that price, though, for you selling at rates that I do could be regarded as underselling, so I see your point with regard to your own circumstances.


----------



## RWhite7699

ZivGray said:


> You know, I'd love to read and review books on my blog for other authors for free. It's something I've been thinking of for a while. Perhaps others who haven't made it to Kindle Scout either? Might be an idea...


Ziv, thanks for your offer. I would really love to have an honest review of my book, Lily of the Valley (Mansions of Karma, book 1). It has been out there awhile without much success, but I feel in my gut that it deserves more. Of course, we all feel that way about our books. I'll say no more about it, and let you decide - honestly, as I know you will. The link is https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MS9W1DU. It will be free this Saturday, Nov 6. Let me know if you want a reminder on Saturday. Thank you.


----------



## RWhite7699

Sorry, my head is not well-attached today. Lily of the Valley is free on SUNDAY, Nov 6, not Saturday. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MS9W1DU


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> I assume that at $14.95, your expanded distribution royalty is somewhere around 40 cents. An increase of your list price to $16.99 would give you another $2.00 in expanded royalties. At that price, you can offer a discount of $10, so that friends and family can purchase it for $6.99.
> 
> 414 pages at 6x9 is a pretty hefty word count. My space disaster collaboration weighed in at 91k, and it's only 390 5x8 pages with easily readable text. What's the word count on your book?


My word count is around 114,000. (The next book, currently in first draft, is so long I had to divide it into two.) I don't write short books, LOL.


----------



## Kay7979

RWhite7699 said:


> Ziv, thanks for your offer. I would really love to have an honest review of my book, Lily of the Valley (Mansions of Karma, book 1). It has been out there awhile without much success, but I feel in my gut that it deserves more. Of course, we all feel that way about our books. I'll say no more about it, and let you decide - honestly, as I know you will. The link is https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MS9W1DU. It will be free this Saturday, Nov 6. Let me know if you want a reminder on Saturday. Thank you.


I'll happily vouch for Ruth's writing. I read the The Blues of Lotus Hall recently and loved it. I downloaded Hanging with Ecila when it was free not long ago, hoping to read it before too long, and I'll make sure to get Lilly of the Valley next.


----------



## 39416

For people thinking about making their own covers-- if you think you will be making multiple covers throughout your career, you might want to download GIMP which is basically just free Photoshop. It's not worth learning if you're only going to make one cover in your life, but if you foresee making several, it's worth learning. (I made all of my covers, below, the better ones I made on GIMP.) There are a bajillion tutorials on how to do stuff in GIMP, and, it has it's own chatroom ("Gimpchat") where newbies are helped very quickly.

https://www.gimp.org/


----------



## RWhite7699

Hey, good friends. My latest effort, Serendipity, is free today, Friday, Nov 4.  Please grab a free copy by clicking on the cover below - second image. And please feel free to leave an honest review. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.


----------



## ZivGray

RWhite7699 said:


> Ziv, thanks for your offer. I would really love to have an honest review of my book, Lily of the Valley (Mansions of Karma, book 1). It has been out there awhile without much success, but I feel in my gut that it deserves more. Of course, we all feel that way about our books. I'll say no more about it, and let you decide - honestly, as I know you will. The link is https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MS9W1DU. It will be free this Saturday, Nov 6. Let me know if you want a reminder on Saturday. Thank you.


Looks like it's available through Kindle Unlimited, so I've downloaded it. I'll give it a read and leave a review on Amazon!


----------



## Kay7979

RWhite7699 said:


> Hey, good friends. My latest effort, Serendipity, is free today, Friday, Nov 4. Please grab a free copy by clicking on the cover below - second image. And please feel free to leave an honest review. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.


Got it. Thanks.


----------



## Used To Be BH

RWhite7699 said:


> Hey, good friends. My latest effort, Serendipity, is free today, Friday, Nov 4. Please grab a free copy by clicking on the cover below - second image. And please feel free to leave an honest review. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.


Got it also.


----------



## Used To Be BH

loraininflorida said:


> For people thinking about making their own covers-- if you think you will be making multiple covers throughout your career, you might want to download GIMP which is basically just free Photoshop. It's not worth learning if you're only going to make one cover in your life, but if you foresee making several, it's worth learning. (I made all of my covers, below, the better ones I made on GIMP.) There are a bajillion tutorials on how to do stuff in GIMP, and, it has it's own chatroom ("Gimpchat") where newbies are helped very quickly.
> 
> https://www.gimp.org/


I must say the color schemes on your covers are very eye-catching (which isn't always easy to do in thumbnail). I imagine they definitely help your sales.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Well, I just clicked publish on _Different Lee_, which gives me another page to constantly refresh (the bookshelf in this case) to see when it goes live.

Interestingly, though I thought I had proofed the material very meticulously before submitting to Scout, I found quite a few small errors. (This is after a complete readthrough before sending it to a professional editor and two readthroughs after it got back (one to incorporate the editor's changes while checking the context, and another after that to make sure I didn't miss anything during the preceding reading). I also found a couple of continuity problems (like apparently forgetting a particular character is present while I was writing a scene, with the result that the character just disappears). I also spotted a couple of places I had thought were clear that really weren't.  Needless to say, I'm glad I did one more reading--but now I can always wonder if I'd caught all those things first, would it have made a difference in the Scout selection? I'll never know...

Anyway, I'll let you know when it goes live.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> Be sure to pick it up on Saturday when it's free, that way your review will have the "verified purchase" tag.


Yes, it's high time Amazon rolled out a "verified borrow" label. The distinction between purchases and KU borrows makes little sense.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> I just got a communication from a reader that my superhero novel, Sixteen Sunsets, I had one of the characters wearing a "petticoat." I obviously meant a "peacoat," but an editor, 2 proofreaders, and several beta readers didn't pick up on that. Sigh...


For several years I was the sponsor of the literary magazine at the high school where I worked. The final publication was usually around 60 pages, and it was proofed by me and several students on the staff, mostly people in honors and AP English classes. No matter how many times we proofed (and sometimes we did about fifteen readthroughs) there were still errors in the finished product.


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> I just got a communication from a reader that my superhero novel, Sixteen Sunsets, I had one of the characters wearing a "petticoat." I obviously meant a "peacoat," but an editor, 2 proofreaders, and several beta readers didn't pick up on that. Sigh...


Petticoat, LOL!!!!!


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> Well, I just clicked publish on _Different Lee_, which gives me another page to constantly refresh (the bookshelf in this case) to see when it goes live.
> 
> Interestingly, though I thought I had proofed the material very meticulously before submitting to Scout, I found quite a few small errors. (This is after a complete readthrough before sending it to a professional editor and two readthroughs after it got back (one to incorporate the editor's changes while checking the context, and another after that to make sure I didn't miss anything during the preceding reading). I also found a couple of continuity problems (like apparently forgetting a particular character is present while I was writing a scene, with the result that the character just disappears). I also spotted a couple of places I had thought were clear that really weren't.  Needless to say, I'm glad I did one more reading--but now I can always wonder if I'd caught all those things first, would it have made a difference in the Scout selection? I'll never know...
> 
> Anyway, I'll let you know when it goes live.


Yay! Best of luck. You'll probably do quite well as you have an established readership. I'm on day 3 after the KS announcement email and it's crickets, so aside from the wonderful contacts I made on the KS thread, I'd say KS was a bust for helping me sell my book. I realize that the 2100 page views don't reveal much about nominations, but I know a lot of my personal contacts nominated me and they haven't come through now that they actually have to PAY for the book. I'll probably get a few more sales over the weekend, but still. Sigh. I have a feeling most people nominating "internally" elect not to receive the notification email since they get bombarded with announcements of self-published books.


----------



## Taking my troll a$$ outta here

Mark Gardner said:


> Stop calling yourself an unknown author. _Every author is unknown until they're not._ You absolutely must believe in yourself if you want anyone else to believe in you too. Live by the adage, "Fake it to you make it."


Truth!^^ 100x yes.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> The secret, and I know it's difficult to implement, is to not care if you're selected. If Kindle Press passes on _Retaliation_, the moment I get that notification, the ARCs go out, the foreign language translation begins, the audiobook gets recorded, and I move on to my Murder Mystery, _Score of Silence_.
> 
> As an aside, I'm getting pretty darn close to my 300th rejection, and when I do, I'm going to compile them into a 300-page book and sell it on Amazon.


That great advice! I did go through a few minutes of angst when I first got my rejection, but then I just figured I was no worse off than if I hadn't entered in the first place and moved on.


----------



## RWhite7699

ZivGray said:



> Looks like it's available through Kindle Unlimited, so I've downloaded it. I'll give it a read and leave a review on Amazon!


Thanks so much!


----------



## Used To Be BH

I know some of you will have already seen this on the regular Kindle Scout Thread, but for those of you who haven't, _Different Lee_ is now available for the introductory price of $0.99. If you are interested, you can check it out here: http://viewbook.at/differentlee

(That's a booklinker link, which we were talking about a little earlier in the thread. It should take you to whichever Amazon store is correct for your location.)


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> I know some of you will have already seen this on the regular Kindle Scout Thread, but for those of you who haven't, _Different Lee_ is now available for the introductory price of $0.99. If you are interested, you can check it out here: http://viewbook.at/differentlee
> 
> (That's a booklinker link, which we were talking about a little earlier in the thread. It should take you to whichever Amazon store is correct for your location.)


It's great to get it published quickly while it's still fresh in the minds of those who nominated you. I got my copy. Best of luck!


----------



## JennyOBrien

Just thought I'd say hi, I'll be here soon enough. Nice to see some familiar names


----------



## Kay7979

JennyOBrien said:


> Just thought I'd say hi, I'll be here soon enough. Nice to see some familiar names


Welcome! The cool kids are all over here!


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> It's great to get it published quickly while it's still fresh in the minds of those who nominated you. I got my copy. Best of luck!


Thanks! Much appreciated.

Some KU subscriber seems to have read the whole thing already. (KU readers tend to be fast.)


----------



## RWhite7699

JennyOBrien said:


> Just thought I'd say hi, I'll be here soon enough. Nice to see some familiar names


Not that we don't want you over here, Jenny, but don't jump the gun. You could very well have a winner.


----------



## LoriDRV

loraininflorida said:


> For people thinking about making their own covers-- if you think you will be making multiple covers throughout your career, you might want to download GIMP which is basically just free Photoshop. It's not worth learning if you're only going to make one cover in your life, but if you foresee making several, it's worth learning. (I made all of my covers, below, the better ones I made on GIMP.) There are a bajillion tutorials on how to do stuff in GIMP, and, it has it's own chatroom ("Gimpchat") where newbies are helped very quickly.
> 
> https://www.gimp.org/


Hi Lorain - I've never done CreateSpace before and plan to soon. Is this program, GIMP, compatible with CS? Thanks for this tip.


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> I know, right?


Mark, I have a question you may be able to answer. My paperback cover would look much better a little lighter. My sister doesn't have Photoshop, but she has some kind of a program where she lightened the PDF cover art file by 25% and it looked good. Unfortunately the changes refuse to save and the image keeps reverting to the original, dark setting. Is the problem anything to do with not using the original source file? Can a PDF file be lightened? I refuse to ask the graphic artist who applied the lettering to fix this. She's really unreliable and I never want to deal with her again! I want to take care of this immediately and reupload the cover it so I can order a few paperbacks to sell locally.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> PDFs really are just containers. Think of it like a metal bucket with the letters "PDF" printed on the side. Inside that bucket is what counts, i.e. text, images, etc. If the contents of the bucket are stored correctly, then you can reach in and "pull" out that cover art. Then apply the lightening, and put it back in the PDF bucket, and resave.
> 
> The issue that many authors have, is that they're used to doing stuff in an RGB world. Most digital art and photo manipulation is done in the 3-color RGB mode. Printing, however, is a 4-color process with the CMYK color scheme. Because the "K," or black channel is stored separately from the color data in CMYK, the "black" data has to be extracted from each of the three color channels from RGB. This usually results in the images being darker, and the colors often appear washed out.
> 
> Let me take a look at you pdf or any files your graphic designer sent you. If they're too big to email, upload them to your wordpress or Dropbox, and email the link to [email protected]


We're very lucky to have someone with your level of technical expertise in this thread!


----------



## Used To Be BH

Since part of our mission is to help each other launch our books post KS, let me report on how _Different Lee_ did on its first day (and the early hours of the morning today).

After less than 24 hours, it's sitting at 10,804 in the paid store and is at #36 in its best subgenre. I'm not even sure that reflects all the sales and yet. They're all on my dashboard, or I wouldn't know about them, but some of them haven't made it to the month-to-date unit sales page, and usually they don't seem to affect rank until they get to that page, though I can't be sure.

Unfortunately, I'm not one of these hyper-organized people who has promos going the very first day a book launches. I couldn't be with KS anyway, because I wouldn't have known when I was going to launch, and I didn't want to wait until later just to book promos in advance. I did spend most of yesterday booking promos--the thread I posted the link to was very helpful--but I had nothing running yesterday. I'm not even posting about it on social media until today.

Part of that momentum is undoubtedly due to you folks, so thanks again. However, the number of sales and borrows suggests that I must have gotten some response from my nominators. Early sales had been good (that partly was realistically probably all you guys, since nobody else knew about the book yet), but I saw a noticeable escalation in the afternoon, after Amazon put out the email to the nominators (about 3 pm my time). KU action also spiked, and when I checked this morning, the bulk of it was from _Different Lee_.

In the interest of full disclosure, I may be looking for reasons to think all the effort I put into the KS campaign was worth it, so I have a built-in bias. That said, the numbers do suggest that the effort is making at least a little difference in the strength of the launch. None of my earlier books got off to as big a start as this one (or even close).

In the interest of science, I probably should have let it sit a couple of days without doing anything else, but having a sense of how early it is to hit the ground running with a new book, I didn't. The AMS ad will kick in any time, I'll be tweeting and posting, and my first outside promotion (Sweet Free Books, which also advertises discounts and will take new releases) is today, so it will be hard to tell after this point how many sales are coming from what.

If anything else noteworthy happens, I'll be sure to report out. (While I've been typing, the book dropped a thousand in rank, and the remaining sales still haven't gotten to the monthly page yet. Amazon is being laggy is always. It didn't register any change in author rank yesterday, but today I'm up about 25,000 slots.)


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> PDFs really are just containers. Think of it like a metal bucket with the letters "PDF" printed on the side. Inside that bucket is what counts, i.e. text, images, etc. If the contents of the bucket are stored correctly, then you can reach in and "pull" out that cover art. Then apply the lightening, and put it back in the PDF bucket, and resave.
> 
> The issue that many authors have, is that they're used to doing stuff in an RGB world. Most digital art and photo manipulation is done in the 3-color RGB mode. Printing, however, is a 4-color process with the CMYK color scheme. Because the "K," or black channel is stored separately from the color data in CMYK, the "black" data has to be extracted from each of the three color channels from RGB. This usually results in the images being darker, and the colors often appear washed out.
> 
> Let me take a look at you pdf or any files your graphic designer sent you. If they're too big to email, upload them to your wordpress or Dropbox, and email the link to [email protected]


THANK YOU SO MUCH! I just sent it. Let me know if it came through. It is a large file, just over 4MB. As Bill says, it's wonderful to have someone like you here who has expertise in this area!


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Thanks, Bill.
> 
> Kay, I've sent your PDF back, and it reminded me of another tip for all of you who hire out your covers:
> When your cover artist creates your PDF, make sure they save it to the PDF-Xa:2001 format and as a CMYK image. Also, make sure they send you a 6.25x9.25 300dpi image with and without the typography. Finally, make sure that they save your PDF with ZIP compression instead of JPG compression. JPG PDFs result in smaller PDF file sizes, but introduce jpeg artifacts. In your example, Kay, your RGB JPG-compressed PDF was 4MB, but the CMYK ZIP-compressed PDF is 16MB.
> 
> Kay, what cover file are you using for your digital book?


Wow. I think we're all learning a lot from your information. Too bad the "professionals" don't know some of the information you're recommending. Artifacts sound cool if you're collecting antiques, but not when you're making book covers, LOL.

The cover for the eBook is a jpg. Going by memory, I think it's 300 dpi or whatever is standard.


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Try this on for size:
> 
> click on it to embiggen.


That looks beauteous. Actually I purposely made the writing on the smallish side to not detract from the artwork, but that really does look nice.

Embiggen. Lol. Love it.


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> I think it looks good in thumbnail, too...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Edit: What's your CS page count?


CS page count is 414
The lettering is beautiful but it does sort of steal the show from the artwork. Maybe a little smaller and it wouldn't dominate the art.


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> 414 in 6x9? what's your word count?


Around 114,000 words.


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## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> I did this based on the CS 6x9 350-page template:
> 
> I'd center the barcode instead of right aligning it.


Amazing job! I can't believe you went to all this trouble for me! You were able to make a useable CS cover from the JPG of the eBook?


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Well, I cleaned up a few errors that I perceived, and expanded it from 5x8 to 6x9. Do you still have your original manuscript in word format?


Yes I have the original in Word, and the professionally formatted PDF. Fortunately there was nothing wrong with the interior of the book. It was just a matter of the cover being dark.


----------



## RWhite7699

Kay7979 said:


> That looks beauteous. Actually I purposely made the writing on the smallish side to not detract from the artwork, but that really does look nice.
> 
> Embiggen. Lol. Love it.


To tell you the truth, Kay, this is the first time I could actually see the details in your cover. Of course my eyes are not that great, but maybe you could enlarge the center of the cover, if that is possible. Is that possible?


----------



## Kay7979

RWhite7699 said:


> To tell you the truth, Kay, this is the first time I could actually see the details in your cover. Of course my eyes are not that great, but maybe you could enlarge the center of the cover, if that is possible. Is that possible?


No I don't want to make any more changes. I've also decided to leave the pages at 414 with my cream colored paper. I don't want to mess with success. I like the way the interior looked.


----------



## RWhite7699

Kay7979 said:


> No I don't want to make any more changes. I've also decided to leave the pages at 414 with my cream colored paper. I don't want to mess with success. I like the way the interior looked.


I understand that. Good luck!


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> I followed you on Twitter, and noticed that your banner had elements covered up, so I whipped up this for you:


Thanks. You're amazing!


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> I followed you on Twitter, and noticed that your banner had elements covered up, so I whipped up this for you:


I am supposed to save the image from here? Or were you sending it to me?


----------



## Kay7979

RWhite7699 said:


> I understand that. Good luck!


Ruth, I remembered to download Lily of the Valley today. The plot sounds great! Maybe I'm the first to download today. I'm getting a nice collection of your work! Thanks.

I've started a Kindle Scout collection in my library since I have a growing number of books from Kindle Scout participants. I got Bill's the other day and a couple of Mark's last night. I finished Underneath by M.N. Arzu last night. Her campaign ended shortly after mine started. I've never read a book about Merfolk. It was really exciting.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Ruth, I remembered to download Lily of the Valley today. The plot sounds great! Maybe I'm the first to download today. I'm getting a nice collection of your work! Thanks.
> 
> I've started a Kindle Scout collection in my library since I have a growing number of books from Kindle Scout participants. I got Bill's the other day and a couple of Mark's last night. I finished Underneath by M.N. Arzu last night. Her campaign ended shortly after mine started. I've never read a book about Merfolk. It was really exciting.


My biggest problem now is that my TBR list is growing exponentially. I used to have the standard English teacher fantasy of reading all day long when I retired, but of course as a writer I'm much too busy. Sigh!


----------



## Used To Be BH

Day 2 of the new release went well, at least by my standards--some of you could easily be bigger sellers. The first two days I moved thirty copies (25 US, 3 UK, 1 France, and 1 Mexico--my first sale there). My KU reads suggest I also got about four full reads of _Different Lee_ in the US, with a fifth person in Canada starting.

To put that in perspective, my first book got 27 sales and KOLL borrows--in the whole first month. True, I knew nothing about promoting, and most of those sales came from people who knew me. (I hadn't advertised even to them, but someone saw the book on Amazon by chance and blasted the news to pretty much everyone I knew.) Subsequent books probably got that many sales over about a two-week period.

The AMS ad hasn't done much yet, and the social media posts are getting responses but not much clickthrough so far. I had one small promo yesterday--Sweet Free Books. Otherwise, the sales and borrows are probably still all coming from you folks and my nominators.


----------



## KitSarge

That's a really great ranking, Bill. It looks like it's still doing well today!


----------



## Kay7979

I autographed a book for the first time today. A fellow showed up at church with a paperback copy. Since I'm uploading my improved cover today it will be one of three with the original cover. I'm sending one to the editor at the Buffalo Evening News on Monday. I don't know when he'll get around to reading it, and I hope he doesn't throw it away after finishing it.


----------



## Used To Be BH

KitSarge said:


> That's a really great ranking, Bill. It looks like it's still doing well today!


Yes, it's hanging in, though Sundays are usually slow days for me, so I expect it to decline during the day. I have two promos starting for Monday, Read Cheaply and Price Dropped Books, so that may help the momentum. I haven't tried so many promo sites on a new release before--if I get approved on all of them, I'll have nineteen. I'm following the idea that promoting during the first 30 days can be more valuable than the same amount of promotion later. Unfortunately, some of the sites I wanted were booked until January (Book Gorilla), required more than fifty reviews on a prior book to feature an new release, and I had only fifty (Book Barbarian), or had other problems. I also have two that fall outside the first thirty days, but I figured it was better to go with them than now.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> I autographed a book for the first time today. A fellow showed up at church with a paperback copy. Since I'm uploading my improved cover today it will be one of three with the original cover. I'm sending one to the editor at the Buffalo Evening News on Monday. I don't know when he'll get around to reading it, and I hope he doesn't throw it away after finishing it.


I've gotten a few autograph requests. The first one from someone I didn't know was an Irish teenager, and shipping made it difficult to do that with a book. He settled for a digitally autographed jpg of me. (For some reason he really wanted a picture of me anyway, so that worked.) Then the request morphed into additional ones for two of his friends. They all still follow me on FB and Twitter. Interestingly, they all pushed for merchandise too. Unfortunately, I could have made a t-shirt with a book on it relatively cheaply, but shipping to Ireland would still have been too expensive to make it worth it. Sigh!

My reluctance to promote to people I know personally means I actually have more fans in Croatia than I do in my home town.


----------



## Carey Lewis

Kay7979 said:


> I autographed a book for the first time today. A fellow showed up at church with a paperback copy. Since I'm uploading my improved cover today it will be one of three with the original cover. I'm sending one to the editor at the Buffalo Evening News on Monday. I don't know when he'll get around to reading it, and I hope he doesn't throw it away after finishing it.


Buffalo, no way! I'm originally from just across the border in Canada, a small city beside Niagara Falls!


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## Kay7979

Carey Lewis said:


> Buffalo, no way! I'm originally from just across the border in Canada, a small city beside Niagara Falls!


Cool. I've probably been by your town, then. I live between Buffalo and Rochester and have been through much of Ontario.

Bill, I love it that you have rabid international fans!


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Cool. I've probably been by your town, then. I live between Buffalo and Rochester and have been through much of Ontario.
> 
> Bill, I love it that you have rabid international fans!


Yes, a handful!


----------



## Michele Brouder

Carey Lewis said:


> Buffalo, no way! I'm originally from just across the border in Canada, a small city beside Niagara Falls!


I'm from Buffalo too! Hamburg, just south of Bflo. (Well, originally) Ha, small world.
Sorry I haven't been around in the last few days. Busy with NaNoWriMo and my official launch on Friday. As soon as I get a chance, I'll catch up on the thread. Hope ye are all well!


----------



## Marie Clapsaddle

Mark Gardner said:


> the linked file is full resolution. If you have any trouble, I can email it to you.


First, I wanted to add my personal thanks for all your help with Kay's print book cover problem. That was incredibly kind of you!

I need a technical answer about how we plan to use the eBook cover on the internet, and I'm posting here because it's likely the information may be useful to others.

I'm concerned that the eBook cover is quite large and hi-res. That's perfect for its intended use as a Kindle cover, but it I upload it "as is" on a website or with a post on Facebook or Twitter, what's to stop anyone from downloading the .jpg and making their own poster or whatever from it. (I ask because Kay was talking about maybe having one or more posters made up and using them as prizes for a drawing.)

I'm thinking about shrinking a copy of it down so that it's about the size of a postcard when viewed at 100%. (I wouldn't touch any of the other settings.) That should be plenty big enough to post anywhere on the internet and I can always shrink it even smaller when creating Canva promos, etc. This way, anybody can download it if they want a postcard size copy, but if they try to enlarge it more than a tiny bit, it will get progressively more blurry.

What do you think? Am I crazy to be concerned about this? Does my idea sound OK? Are there any cautions I should keep in mind?


----------



## Marie Clapsaddle

Mark Gardner said:


> I'm assuming that your kindle cover is greater than 1800x2700 (6x9 @ 300dpi.) Personally, I'm against shrinking any smaller than that, and here's why: Google will catalog each instance of your cover. If someone stumbles across your cover, you want it to be the best version it can be. As for someone "stealing" your cover, I wouldn't worry too much about that. It's the same counter-intuitive argument against worrying if your book has been pirated: Those people were likely never going to purchase your stuff anyway. Besides, if you're fortunate enough to have a fan that wants to make a poster, or otherwise make art out of your cover, then I say that you're lucky to have such dedicated fans. Personally, I always share fan art and derivatives on my blog, and when they're really cool, or touching, I'll include them in the next novel, etc. I'm of the opinion that the more you interact with your fans, the more they invest in you as an artist, and the more zeal they display when talking about your work. And what better way to interact than to encourage them to be creative with your art? If you're concerned that someone will download your content or cover and attempt to pass them off as their own, I wouldn't worry, those people are eventually found out, and the Internet can be very unforgiving in that situation. Plus, as the copyright holder, you do have rights to combat theft.


Thanks, Mark. That makes a lot of sense.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Is anyone else made crazy by going through the file for the print edition to make sure hyphenation is correct? Perhaps there is a better way.

I use Scrivener for composing, but for final print preparation I export to Word, Once all the other settings are correct, I go through the document using Word's manual hyphenation routine, checking each suggestion against CMOS guidelines and common sense. Word has a few things built in, like a way to avoid hyphen stacks, and it always splits between syllables, as it should, but it doesn't obey other CMOS standards, like not leaving a single letter at the end of a line or two letters at the beginning. After fixing the hyphenation, I go back through the manuscript again to check for appearance, because Word makes it hard to see the context during manual hyphenation. I end up with a satisfactory result, but it takes about a full working day to do it. Anyone have a better method?

Also, what's the consensus on worrying about widows and orphans? I used to use widow and orphan control in Word, but I didn't like the resulting uneven look at the bottom of the page. It looks better to me for the pages to have a uniform bottom margin, the only exception being if the last page of the chapter ends up with only a single line of text, which luckily doesn't seem to be happening anywhere in the current manuscript.


----------



## Not any more

I turn widow and orphan protection off for print. I also turn off hyphenation. I print in trade paperback, 6x9, so I format the manuscript to those margins before I upload to CS.


----------



## Used To Be BH

brkingsolver said:


> I turn widow and orphan protection off for print. I also turn off hyphenation. I print in trade paperback, 6x9, so I format the manuscript to those margins before I upload to CS.


Just be clear, you don't hyphenate automatically, or you don't hyphenate at all?


----------



## editorjmv

I compose my paperback books with InDesign instead of Word, but I, too, turn off the hyphenation.


----------



## Carey Lewis

I haven't done a paperback yet, but I've noticed Scrivener has that as an option. For what reason do people not use that?


----------



## Michele Brouder

So yesterday, I received my paperback copy of A Whyte Christmas and of course I was thrilled because the Kindle version goes live on Friday. However, I noticed the typeset was off: the right pages are 1 line higher than the left pages. I've already contacted CS and I hope it is their mistake. After you review your proof and hit the publish button, how long before it goes live in the Amazon store?


----------



## PatriciaThomson

Thanks for the thread, Kay! I, too, am a proud Scout reject, with the added bonus of Scout dragging out the process until I thought I would lose my mind. I blogged about it should you wish to read my opinion. 

I published _Merely Players_ on October twentieth. Since I'm planning to release the second book, _Another's Audience_ in early December, I want to line up a promotion push later this month. I'm just happy that I've sold books to people I don't know, heh heh. This is just the beginning and to be honest I'm proud of myself that I've gotten this far, considering how uncomfortable I was in the past letting people read my writing. I'm even prouder that I momentarily overcame my revulsion of being photographed and now have a decent headshot!

How many people say that they're going to write a book and don't do it? Everybody here's done it. That's pretty awesome in itself, right?


----------



## Kay7979

Michele Brouder said:


> So yesterday, I received my paperback copy of A Whyte Christmas and of course I was thrilled because the Kindle version goes live on Friday. However, I noticed the typeset was off: the right pages are 1 line higher than the left pages. I've already contacted CS and I hope it is their mistake. After you review your proof and hit the publish button, how long before it goes live in the Amazon store?


Check with customer service. I can't remember what they quoted officially but everything seems to happen ahead of schedule, which is generally a good thing. I'm sure you can have them make the book "unavailable" until you get this sorted out. I believe you can select "unpublish" online, but I would check with customer service first to see what they advise.


----------



## Kay7979

PatriciaThomson said:


> Thanks for the thread, Kay! I, too, am a proud Scout reject, with the added bonus of Scout dragging out the process until I thought I would lose my mind. I blogged about it should you wish to read my opinion.
> 
> I published _Merely Players_ on October twentieth. Since I'm planning to release the second book, _Another's Audience_ in early December, I want to line up a promotion push later this month. I'm just happy that I've sold books to people I don't know, heh heh. This is just the beginning and to be honest I'm proud of myself that I've gotten this far, considering how uncomfortable I was in the past letting people read my writing. I'm even prouder that I momentarily overcame my revulsion of being photographed and now have a decent headshot!
> 
> How many people say that they're going to write a book and don't do it? Everybody here's done it. That's pretty awesome in itself, right?


Welcome. Good to see you! I was thinking about you the other day. You and I share the dubious distinction of waiting 12 or 13 days to be told NO! Make yourself at home and share your experiences. We're all here to help one another. Let us know what promotions you're using and how they go. That would be really helpful, and good luck with your second book! I need to get to work editing my books 2 and 3, but right now I'm too busy dealing with my book launch, and I have surgery on the 17th. Ugh.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Carey Lewis said:


> I haven't done a paperback yet, but I've noticed Scrivener has that as an option. For what reason do people not use that?


For me it was as simple as Scrivener not supporting my trim size (6 x 9) at the time I looked. (They may now.)

That said, there is some print edition tweaking that's easier to do in Word or in another word processor. I've not tried, but I think it might it's a little complicated to get Scrivener to not count the pages in the front matter, so that the first page of text comes out as 1. That's easier in Word. Word also has a better grammar checker, so I actually look at the file in Word before doing my ebook export. Word also catches a few things like extra spaces. (In Scrivener it is sometimes possible to miss the extra space if it happens at the end of a line in the display.)


----------



## Used To Be BH

To those of you who responded to my question about hyphenation, thanks!

Since I'd already spent a day manually hyphenating the manuscript, I was inclined to take your advice--for the next book. However, I discovered what may be an interesting bug in the latest version of Word.

Word has sometimes been problematic in the past when converting to PDF because the pagination sometimes changes, and that's the problem I was having. Before I always found a way to correct the issue. The difference this time was whatever I did before wasn't working. I tried all the online fixes and got the same wrong result each time. That created TOC issues, though I could just renumber the pages in the TOC and then replace the old TOC with the corrected one in the PDF file. The biggest problem was the beloved hyphens again, because there was no easy way to fix problems like words breaking across pages when the page breaks were different in Word than they were in the resulting PDF.

Since Acrobat had recently updated as well, I thought maybe it was buggy, but Nuance PDF produced the same result. So did submitted the Word file to CS and letting them do the conversion. I also tried loading the Word file into Open Office Writer and converting to PDF from there. (Maybe I should have tried to save as an Open Office file first.)

Finally I stripped out the hyphens to see what I would get. Luckily, all of you were right. The manuscript actually looks just as good without hyphenation. I had worried the space between words would vary a lot, but it doesn't seem to be much of a visual issue, and not hyphenating probably improves readability slightly.


----------



## Taking my troll a$$ outta here

Mark, congrats on the upcoming release.  Question for you: how are you doing the early reviews? I know I've tried it before but it's been so long I'm not sure how to swing it.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Hi everyone! I'm coming to join you fresh from being rejected! I'm feeling alright about it right now, but that may all change in the next few hours! 

I already started prepping for release, so I'm definitely going ahead. My only real worry is that basically I'm going to be releasing to nothing. I don't have a fan base or any way of really getting it out, so it kind of feels a bit pointless (there we go the rejection set in!)


----------



## lincolnjcole

lauramg_1406 said:


> Hi everyone! I'm coming to join you fresh from being rejected! I'm feeling alright about it right now, but that may all change in the next few hours!
> 
> I already started prepping for release, so I'm definitely going ahead. My only real worry is that basically I'm going to be releasing to nothing. I don't have a fan base or any way of really getting it out, so it kind of feels a bit pointless (there we go the rejection set in!)


Getting rejected isn't a big deal! Keep in mind, the best way to sell this book is to write the next one, and you can always use KS again! I've been rejected twice and selected once, and I just keep plugging away and trying again!


----------



## lauramg_1406

lincolnjcole said:


> Getting rejected isn't a big deal! Keep in mind, the best way to sell this book is to write the next one, and you can always use KS again! I've been rejected twice and selected once, and I just keep plugging away and trying again!


Oh yeah I'm not put off trying again! I have other books on the go anyway!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> Hi everyone! I'm coming to join you fresh from being rejected! I'm feeling alright about it right now, but that may all change in the next few hours!
> 
> I already started prepping for release, so I'm definitely going ahead. My only real worry is that basically I'm going to be releasing to nothing. I don't have a fan base or any way of really getting it out, so it kind of feels a bit pointless (there we go the rejection set in!)


No one has a fan base in the beginning, and it takes time to build one. Even the people who now make a living at self publishing took at least a few books and a gradually growing momentum to get there.

I have definitely gotten some buys from nominees, and I'm sure you will as well. Also, I posted this thread earlier, but here it is again: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,236763.0.html It's a thread that discusses all kinds of promotional sites that will take new releases. Definitely worth exploring! What following I have I got mostly from earlier promotions.


----------



## Carey Lewis

lauramg_1406 said:


> Hi everyone! I'm coming to join you fresh from being rejected! I'm feeling alright about it right now, but that may all change in the next few hours!
> 
> I already started prepping for release, so I'm definitely going ahead. My only real worry is that basically I'm going to be releasing to nothing. I don't have a fan base or any way of really getting it out, so it kind of feels a bit pointless (there we go the rejection set in!)


Sorry to hear that, but welcome to the cool kids table! 

I'm ashamed to admit that since I got my rejection, I've been going through the book, and I don't think it was ready for Scout. I hurried into it, excited, and it could have cost me. I didn't want to edit it while it was in the program, knowing I'd get the Kirkus edit anyway, so I didn't even look at it. With a more objective eye, I'm fixing it quite a bit and will be releasing it soon.

TLR Rejection done me good for ma eye seeing!


----------



## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> Hi everyone! I'm coming to join you fresh from being rejected! I'm feeling alright about it right now, but that may all change in the next few hours!
> 
> I already started prepping for release, so I'm definitely going ahead. My only real worry is that basically I'm going to be releasing to nothing. I don't have a fan base or any way of really getting it out, so it kind of feels a bit pointless (there we go the rejection set in!)


Sorry to hear you got the "No," but glad you're here.

I'm in the same boat as you. I don't have a fan base or a mailing list. I'm starting from scratch. I got little or nothing from my 2100 KS page views. Most of the people who are buying my book are people who know me. But as Bill said, you have to start somewhere, and once you start promoting your book you'll gain momentum. I'm off to a slow start because I launched at full price ($3.99) and I'm not in any promo newsletters, but once the word-of-mouth promo begins, it will help.

Today one of my husband's customers stopped in. He told me he and his daughter liked my book! I didn't know they'd bought it. The girl is ten and she loved it, even through the MC is 22. The dad is in his thirties and he said he really enjoyed it, too. They already posted about my book on FB, and now they're contacting all their family in the Philippines! So, I guess it goes to show that one or two fans can really make an impact on spreading the word.


----------



## Kay7979

lincolnjcole said:


> Getting rejected isn't a big deal! Keep in mind, the best way to sell this book is to write the next one, and you can always use KS again! I've been rejected twice and selected once, and I just keep plugging away and trying again!


I tend to forget about your books that Scout passed on. Collision of Worlds looked great and I hope you're doing well with that one. You get to hang out with us here since you've had at least one KS rejection. HA!


----------



## lauramg_1406

Mark Gardner said:


> I have had over 200 rejections since I started writing professionally in 2012. I've even had a "rejection" from Hydra/Random House *after* I got a contract on the same title from H/RH. I've almost got enough to publish a 300-page book of rejection letters. Keep on keeping on.


I'm not ready to give up yet! Just feeling a bit dejected, but I'd already prepared myself for the rejection so it's not too bad.



Bill Hiatt said:


> No one has a fan base in the beginning, and it takes time to build one. Even the people who now make a living at self publishing took at least a few books and a gradually growing momentum to get there.
> 
> I have definitely gotten some buys from nominees, and I'm sure you will as well. Also, I posted this thread earlier, but here it is again: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,236763.0.html It's a thread that discusses all kinds of promotional sites that will take new releases. Definitely worth exploring! What following I have I got mostly from earlier promotions.


Thank you for the link! It'll be a big help Bill! It doesn't help that I feel like I'm starting from the very start because my already published stuff basically shifts zilch (due to reasons I suspect are completely out of my control for the time being)



Carey Lewis said:


> Sorry to hear that, but welcome to the cool kids table!
> 
> I'm ashamed to admit that since I got my rejection, I've been going through the book, and I don't think it was ready for Scout. I hurried into it, excited, and it could have cost me. I didn't want to edit it while it was in the program, knowing I'd get the Kirkus edit anyway, so I didn't even look at it. With a more objective eye, I'm fixing it quite a bit and will be releasing it soon.
> 
> TLR Rejection done me good for ma eye seeing!


The cool kids table is the *best* place to be! 
I've got the slog through to do still, but I suspect one of the reasons for my rejection are the flashback scenes, they were necessary for the story but they deal with abuse in relationships, which I can understand is a touchy subject!



Kay7979 said:


> Sorry to hear you got the "No," but glad you're here.
> 
> I'm in the same boat as you. I don't have a fan base or a mailing list. I'm starting from scratch. I got little or nothing from my 2100 KS page views. Most of the people who are buying my book are people who know me. But as Bill said, you have to start somewhere, and once you start promoting your book you'll gain momentum. I'm off to a slow start because I launched at full price ($3.99) and I'm not in any promo newsletters, but once the word-of-mouth promo begins, it will help.
> 
> Today one of my husband's customers stopped in. He told me he and his daughter liked my book! I didn't know they'd bought it. The girl is ten and she loved it, even through the MC is 22. The dad is in his thirties and he said he really enjoyed it, too. They already posted about my book on FB, and now they're contacting all their family in the Philippines! So, I guess it goes to show that one or two fans can really make an impact on spreading the word.


That's great about your friend and his daughter! 

Yeah it'll take time, but I have too many stories in my head to stop now!


----------



## Taking my troll a$$ outta here

Mark Gardner said:


> I published the ARC to Amazon via Createspace. Once it populated, I'll turn off the angel until the official launch on January 3rd. The listing will still be on Amazon, and available for reviews.


OMG, I'm such a dummy. Thanks for clarifying that.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Carey Lewis said:


> Sorry to hear that, but welcome to the cool kids table!
> 
> I'm ashamed to admit that since I got my rejection, I've been going through the book, and I don't think it was ready for Scout. I hurried into it, excited, and it could have cost me. I didn't want to edit it while it was in the program, knowing I'd get the Kirkus edit anyway, so I didn't even look at it. With a more objective eye, I'm fixing it quite a bit and will be releasing it soon.
> 
> TLR Rejection done me good for ma eye seeing!


Interestingly, I had a somewhat similar experience. I didn't hurry it, but I still missed errors anyway. Before sending the book to the editor, I went over the whole thing again, and then I did two reading after I got it back from the editor. Yet when I was readying it for publication, I found other problems I hadn't caught in the other readings. While none of them were major, collectively they did add up. I'm not sure how the KS editors would respond, knowing the book would go through another round of editing, but at the very least errors wouldn't be a point in my favor.


----------



## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> Thank you for the link! It'll be a big help Bill! It doesn't help that I feel like I'm starting from the very start because my already published stuff basically shifts zilch (due to reasons I suspect are completely out of my control for the time being)


My already published stuff did a lot of sitting at first. Only very gradually did it gain what little traction it has.

It's really true of most people that they either have to have the the next great bestseller on their hands, be incredibly lucky, or promote like crazy to get much action. In the first few years, my sales spikes were tied very clearly to promotions. My pattern is less that way now, but I have to keep reminding myself I've got those AMS ads running in the background, and the book that performs best on AMS has been the one from which I get most of my sales. It is the first in the series, though, so that's also a factor. People read the first one and then trickle through the series at different rates. KU readers go through much faster. Part of the process these days is getting noticed by the KU folk. The enthusiastic ones sometimes read my whole series in a week, and _Different Lee_ got five full reads in the first two days it was out.

Speaking of which, I'm doing a bargain booksy promotion today, and much to my surprise, the book already has 30 sales, better than I've ever done with bargain booksy. The moral of that story is that you can't always predict when success is coming. That doesn't mean it won't.


----------



## Lori Saltis

Yay! I found my peeps!     Now I gotta go back through the thread and read everything, but hello!


----------



## Kay7979

Lori Saltis said:


> Yay! I found my peeps!   Now I gotta go back through the thread and read everything, but hello!


Hi, Lori! So happy to see you!!! It's wonderful to hang out here with so many knowledgeable and truly supportive people. Pull up a chair and get comfortable.


----------



## Lori Saltis

Kay7979 said:


> Hi, Lori! So happy to see you!!! It's wonderful to hang out here with so many knowledgeable and truly supportive people. Pull up a chair and get comfortable.


Hi Kay! Thanks for starting this thread. It's nice to see so many familiar faces as well as new people.


----------



## Used To Be BH

For those of you who are pondering promo opps after a release, I have to recommend Bargain Booksy. In prior promos, I think I've never had more than 15 sales. This time I had 48 sales. (Yesterday was the best day I've had in months!) I don't know what Bargain Booksy is doing these days, but evidently it's better. Of course, some of those may have been the tail of the two promos from the previous day, though neither one of those was huge the day they ran (11 sales, split two ways), and it would be pretty rare for the tail to be bigger than the initial surge. The 5 sales today, though, might legitimately be to some extent a Bargain Booksy tail, or they could be caused by increased search visibility.

It's also possible I'm still getting a little momentum from KS. The also-viewed list has shuffled a little but still includes a lot of recently debuted KS non-selected books. Of course, that effect can't be measured accurately any more because of the other promos, but my gut is telling me all the exposure in KS did in fact make some difference.

I'm also interested in the geography of the sales. Normally, my sales are mostly US; in fact, I can sometimes go for three months without seeing a non-US sale. The _DL_sales are still predominately US, but with some interesting twists: US: 77; UK: 8; France: 1; Italy 1 (maybe the same person who bought my Halloween novella); Canada: 2; Mexico 1; Australia: 1. All but France, Italy, and Mexico are now experiencing significant KU activity, giving me about another nine full reads and change. Normally, I get a little KU in the UK, and that's it. I don't yet have a decent theory to explain the increased international activity, but it's certainly nice to have it.


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> For those of you who are pondering promo opps after a release, I have to recommend Bargain Booksy. In prior promos, I think I've never had more than 15 sales. This time I had 48 sales. (Yesterday was the best day I've had in months!) I don't know what Bargain Booksy is doing these days, but evidently it's better. Of course, some of those may have been the tail of the two promos from the previous day, though neither one of those was huge the day they ran (11 sales, split two ways), and it would be pretty rare for the tail to be bigger than the initial surge. The 5 sales today, though, might legitimately be to some extent a Bargain Booksy tail, or they could be caused by increased search visibility.
> 
> It's also possible I'm still getting a little momentum from KS. The also-viewed list has shuffled a little but still includes a lot of recently debuted KS non-selected books. Of course, that effect can't be measured accurately any more because of the other promos, but my gut is telling me all the exposure in KS did in fact make some difference.
> 
> I'm also interested in the geography of the sales. Normally, my sales are mostly US; in fact, I can sometimes go for three months without seeing a non-US sale. The _DL_sales are still predominately US, but with some interesting twists: US: 77; UK: 8; France: 1; Italy 1 (maybe the same person who bought my Halloween novella); Canada: 2; Mexico 1; Australia: 1. All but France, Italy, and Mexico are now experiencing significant KU activity, giving me about another nine full reads and change. Normally, I get a little KU in the UK, and that's it. I don't yet have a decent theory to explain the increased international activity, but it's certainly nice to have it.


This info is so helpful. Thanks for sharing!

No one's found my book yet for KU. I'm hoping they will eventually

EDITED: just checked my stats and I have my first KENP!


----------



## Paul Francois

lauramg_1406 said:


> I have too many stories in my head to stop now!


Oh I know that feeling. I finally had to start documenting the details of the ideas when they came to me. So many stories to choose from and not enough time to write.


----------



## Taking my troll a$$ outta here

AuthorFrancois said:


> Oh I know that feeling. I finally had to start documenting the details of the ideas when they came to me. So many stories to choose from and not enough time to write.


Ditto that. I don't think I'll live long enough to write them all.


----------



## lauramg_1406

ebbrown said:


> Ditto that. I don't think I'll live long enough to write them all.


This is why I feel lucky to have started writing in my 20s! Though I'm sure there will be more ideas than I can write down to come!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## PatriciaThomson

Kay7979 said:


> This info is so helpful. Thanks for sharing!
> 
> No one's found my book yet for KU. I'm hoping they will eventually
> 
> EDITED: just checked my stats and I have my first KENP!


YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!! 

Bargain Booksy is at the top of my promo list too as I'm on track for completing the editing for my second book and BB seems to get good results.


----------



## Shanna Moncuse

This may sound stupid, especially since I'm already self-published, but what is Kindle Scout? I keep seeing this thread and I have no idea...


----------



## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> This is why I feel lucky to have started writing in my 20s! Though I'm sure there will be more ideas than I can write down to come!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Good for you! I started writing in my 20s, too. I published about 40 short stories and wrote a couple novels, one of which is Beyond the Forest, which I'm finally publishing decades later! Life and my career got in the way back then, but now I'm back to writing. I hope you don't lose decades like I did!


----------



## Kay7979

Shanna Moncuse said:


> This may sound stupid, especially since I'm already self-published, but what is Kindle Scout? I keep seeing this thread and I have no idea...


https://kindlescout.amazon.com/

You submit your unpublished novel for a potential publishing contract with Amazon Press. See link above.


----------



## Paul Francois

lauramg_1406 said:


> This is why I feel lucky to have started writing in my 20s! Though I'm sure there will be more ideas than I can write down to come!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Hey now, I am only 2 decades ahead of you. Starting writing in your 40s is ok...right?


----------



## lauramg_1406

AuthorFrancois said:


> Hey now, I am only 2 decades ahead of you. Starting writing in your 40s is ok...right?


I think starting anytime is good! I'm so behind compared to one of my oldest friends, he started writing his first book at 13! He published it a couple of years ago!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Paul Francois

lauramg_1406 said:


> I think starting anytime is good! I'm so behind compared to one of my oldest friends, he started writing his first book at 13! He published it a couple of years ago!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


13 Oh damn, now I really feel old. I wish now I paid attention to those boring English teachers in school.


----------



## lauramg_1406

AuthorFrancois said:


> 13 Oh damn, now I really feel old. I wish now I paid attention to those boring English teachers in school.


Yeah 13, he wrote it based on a series of dreams he used to have (as far as I'm aware he still keeps dream journals to this day).

A lot of the characters were based on his group of friends (so my group of friends!) so it was a slightly odd read for me!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Shanna Moncuse

Kay7979 said:


> https://kindlescout.amazon.com/
> 
> You submit your unpublished novel for a potential publishing contract with Amazon Press. See link above.


Ohh, okay! Thank you very much!


----------



## Carey Lewis

Hey guys,

So I'm feeling my way through a new release without just hitting "publish," and I'm releasing a few chapters of Warriors on a few different sites if you want to check them out! I plan on publishing on November 28th.

Wattpad: http://my.w.tt/UiNb/nEyZOH4zby
Scriggler: https://scriggler.com/Profile/carey_lewis
WriteOn: https://writeon.amazon.com/read/story/Carey_Lewis_Warriors/amzn1.ignite.story.40f01b41bd834481e0530100007f0fb9?ref_=ign_m_st_dc&segment=amzn1.ignite.segment.40f01b41bd854481e0530100007f0fb9

If you like Crime Fiction/ Thriller with some humor, give it a read! I'll be adding chapters every few days or so until release


----------



## Used To Be BH

Shanna Moncuse said:


> Ohh, okay! Thank you very much!


It's very worth giving a shot, by the way. Unlike many other trad publishing opportunities, you don't need an agent to submit (or to have serious consideration), you know one way or the other in at most 45 days (unlike the months it would take a lot of publishers), and being selected is a good thing, at least judging from the selected authors who post on Kboards.


----------



## Used To Be BH

New release promo update: Awesomegang appears to have generated about 10 sales. As they're a very small operation, that's not bad. As with Bargain Booksy, that's better than I've done with them in the past.

Today: Booktastic
11/11: Kboards discovery
11/12: Ripley's Booklist (YA or NA only; _Different Lee_ is NA)

In an idea world, I'd have one every day, but in fact some of them clump, and there are some gaps (plus three outliers in December). Still, with that many companies involved, it's a miracle to just get them all scheduled.

I'm still having more international action than usual, with no clear explanation. (I have KU pages in Mexico, which I had forgotten even had KU, and people are reading five different books in the UK right now.) I speculate that my involvement in successful cross-promotional Halloween anthology helped, because that anthology did very well in some international markets.


----------



## RWhite7699

Hello again. I'm back. I'm sure I wasn't missed, but I want to explain my long absence. I know we are not supposed to discuss politics and religion on this board, but I am in the first stage of grief, and I will never, never , never go to the fifth stage. In the meantime, I have you guys! Thanks, Kay. Thanks, Jada, for reviewing Diary of a Wildflower. Thanks everybody for your support.


----------



## Kay7979

RWhite7699 said:


> Hello again. I'm back. I'm sure I wasn't missed, but I want to explain my long absence. I know we are not supposed to discuss politics and religion on this board, but I am in the first stage of grief, and I will never, never , never go to the fifth stage. In the meantime, I have you guys! Thanks, Kay. Thanks, Jada, for reviewing Diary of a Wildflower. Thanks everybody for your support.


Glad to see you back! How did your Free Promo days go? Did you get lots of downloads?

Based on Bill's good experiences, I just signed up for a Bargain Booksy promo to run Nov. 16th, and Ripley's booklist to run on some unspecified date in December. I hope they write back to let me know when to look for the ad.


----------



## RWhite7699

I'm interested. Where do I sign up?


----------



## Kay7979

RWhite7699 said:


> I'm interested. Where do I sign up?


Bargain Booksy is for books under $5.00 and you don't need a specified number of reviews. It's https://www.bargainbooksy.com

The other site is only for YA and NA but you have books that fit those categories. You can sign up here

http://www.ripleypatton.com/ripleys-booklist/booklist-author-info-and-submissions/#sthash.r7cMG8A0.dpbs


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## Paul Francois

So I am trying to get some reviews for my book, as we all are. I am curious about the best way to go about it.

I heard you can run a free promotion day(s) and then gift the book.

Do you guys know of any other ways so I am not paying for my own book to give to someone and hopefully get some reviews?


----------



## Taking my troll a$$ outta here

AuthorFrancois said:


> So I am trying to get some reviews for my book, as we all are. I am curious about the best way to go about it.
> 
> I heard you can run a free promotion day(s) and then gift the book.
> 
> Do you guys know of any other ways so I am not paying for my own book to give to someone and hopefully get some reviews?


I've been using instaFreebie to distribute ARCs and I love it. They convert the book for the format the reader needs and they also give the reader instructions on how to download it, which is a huge time saver. I run private password-protected instaFreebies on my ARCs that I send out to readers on my list who request it. It is nice because I can see who has downloaded it.

You can run a free promotion and post to your social media, asking readers to please read & review. Goodreads groups also have a lot of hungry readers who are willing to review, but you do need to participate in the group & not just be a drive-by poster for people to want to download your book.


----------



## Used To Be BH

AuthorFrancois said:


> So I am trying to get some reviews for my book, as we all are. I am curious about the best way to go about it.
> 
> I heard you can run a free promotion day(s) and then gift the book.
> 
> Do you guys know of any other ways so I am not paying for my own book to give to someone and hopefully get some reviews?


There are FB groups that facilitate connecting authors and reviewers, but in that kind of situation you might have to gift the book from Amazon. (Some reviewers would take an emailed file, however.)


----------



## Used To Be BH

A miracle has just occurred. I actually got a sale from an AMS ad for _Different Lee_ after only 15 clicks. That might be a fluke, of course, but I thought it was interesting.

Actually, it's not that miraculous. It means I'm getting conversions 6.6% of the time. I just checked my most productive ad, and with it I'm getting conversions 7.9% of the time. That said, most of my ads are closer to 1%, so maybe it is a little miraculous. We'll just have to see, I guess.


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> A miracle has just occurred. I actually got a sale from an AMS ad for _Different Lee_ after only 15 clicks. That might be a fluke, of course, but I thought it was interesting.
> 
> Actually, it's not that miraculous. It means I'm getting conversions 6.6% of the time. I just checked my most productive ad, and with it I'm getting conversions 7.9% of the time. That said, most of my ads are closer to 1%, so maybe it is a little miraculous. We'll just have to see, I guess.


I've only had one conversion within 71 clicks and some of my clicks are quite expensive. I may remove/pause the more expensive keywords if they don't get conversions, but I'm looking at it as visibility and exposure despite the fact that I'm way under water at this point.


----------



## Paul Francois

Bill Hiatt said:


> A miracle has just occurred. I actually got a sale from an AMS ad for _Different Lee_ after only 15 clicks. That might be a fluke, of course, but I thought it was interesting.
> 
> Actually, it's not that miraculous. It means I'm getting conversions 6.6% of the time. I just checked my most productive ad, and with it I'm getting conversions 7.9% of the time. That said, most of my ads are closer to 1%, so maybe it is a little miraculous. We'll just have to see, I guess.


LOL, I tried an AMS ad and spent more than I made.


----------



## Paul Francois

ebbrown said:


> I've been using instaFreebie to distribute ARCs and I love it. They convert the book for the format the reader needs and they also give the reader instructions on how to download it, which is a huge time saver. I run private password-protected instaFreebies on my ARCs that I send out to readers on my list who request it. It is nice because I can see who has downloaded it.
> 
> You can run a free promotion and post to your social media, asking readers to please read & review. Goodreads groups also have a lot of hungry readers who are willing to review, but you do need to participate in the group & not just be a drive-by poster for people to want to download your book.


With instaFreebie though they do not show as "verified purchaser" though if they put the review on Amazon though, right? Though I guess if they put the review on Goodreads it doesn't matter.


----------



## Carey Lewis

AuthorFrancois said:


> With instaFreebie though they do not show as "verified purchaser" though if they put the review on Amazon though, right? Though I guess if they put the review on Goodreads it doesn't matter.


Author Francois, saw this and thought of you https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe_4DRriWZ1cs81fzJte_p4nqgQCMdXomhOcyfzGD7C11XHDQ/viewform

Hope it helps


----------



## Used To Be BH

Carey Lewis said:


> Author Francois, saw this and thought of you https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe_4DRriWZ1cs81fzJte_p4nqgQCMdXomhOcyfzGD7C11XHDQ/viewform
> 
> Hope it helps


That's actually not a bad thing for anyone in the genre, though I did enough around Halloween that required me to advertise to my mailing list that I think I need to give them a break.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> I've only had one conversion within 71 clicks and some of my clicks are quite expensive. I may remove/pause the more expensive keywords if they don't get conversions, but I'm looking at it as visibility and exposure despite the fact that I'm way under water at this point.


Most of my AMS ads are that way, but I too see it as good exposure. Actually, most advertisers would see a 1% conversion rate as good. The problem with ebooks is they aren't expensive enough to be profitable at that conversion rate.

Miracle update: I'm now at 2 sales for 16 clicks, a 12.5% conversion rate. If that held up, I'd actually make money on the ad. I'm only averaging 15 cents a click, which amazes me. Particularly with the opening of AMS ads to anyone in KDP, I figured rates would go up.


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Hey, all. I'm still on track for a January 3rd release for my Kindle Scout reject, _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_. The ARC paperback should populate to Amazon today, and I'll start distributing the electronic ARC via Instafreebie. PM me if you're interested in an ARC. You should be able to leave a review on Amazon right away. I cross-posted this in two other threads.


How is everything going, Mark?

I just posted an update about my book on FB and someone said she loved the new font and asked me what it's called. I had no idea! Can you tell me the name? THANKS!


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> Most of my AMS ads are that way, but I too see it as good exposure. Actually, most advertisers would see a 1% conversion rate as good. The problem with ebooks is they aren't expensive enough to be profitable at that conversion rate.
> 
> Miracle update: I'm now at 2 sales for 16 clicks, a 12.5% conversion rate. If that held up, I'd actually make money on the ad. I'm only averaging 15 cents a click, which amazes me. Particularly with the opening of AMS ads to anyone in KDP, I figured rates would go up.


You also brought up a good point the other day: The ads might be responsible for some of our KENP reads. I had more reported today. YAY!


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> You also brought up a good point the other day: The ads might be responsible for some of our KENP reads. I had more reported today. YAY!


I was actually about to give up on Select, in part because my KENP reads were so low anyway, but then AMS ads came out, and I thought I would give them a try. Boom! My pages read quadrupled almost instantly. I tried stopping the ads, and they went back to the previous level. I restarted the ads, and boom, the level quadrupled again, and then increased even more. I have no doubt AMS makes a difference there. It's just too bad Amazon won't include those stats. It would make it easier to compute ROI.


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> I was actually about to give up on Select, in part because my KENP reads were so low anyway, but then AMS ads came out, and I thought I would give them a try. Boom! My pages read quadrupled almost instantly. I tried stopping the ads, and they went back to the previous level. I restarted the ads, and boom, the level quadrupled again, and then increased even more. I have no doubt AMS makes a difference there. It's just too bad Amazon won't include those stats. It would make it easier to compute ROI.


Fascinating! It's good to know that your efforts are being rewarded.

My AMS clicks have slowed to a trickle the last few days. I've heard others note this phenomenon. They claim Amazon rotates through the participants to keep the exposure fair. It's too soon for me to make any reliable first-hand observations, and it will be interesting to compare notes with you.


----------



## Luke Christodoulou

Great idea for a post. I think authors whose first book was not accepted by kindle scout might feel lost as to self-publishing, I have put my 4th book up for kindle scout (check it out here, if you please: https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/35DL05FCIVTQK ). If I am not accepted, my book will follow the road of the other books in my Greek Island Mysteries series and be available on Amazon.
Keep your spirits high people. Every book has an audience.


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## bfleetwood

Kay7979 said:


> Fascinating! It's good to know that your efforts are being rewarded.
> 
> My AMS clicks have slowed to a trickle the last few days. I've heard others note this phenomenon. They claim Amazon rotates through the participants to keep the exposure fair. It's too soon for me to make any reliable first-hand observations, and it will be interesting to compare notes with you.


Finally made it onto the thread... Hi folks (and Hi Kay - thanks for giving my adjusted author profile pic the thumbs up!), great to see everyone sharing information and supporting one another. Have been trying to catch up on the discussions and feel I should know what AMS stands for, but other than realising it must be an Amazon driven ad, can someone enlighten me?!  Thanks. My book launch will be 20 Nov and I have booked a Freebooksy ad and a kindle ad. I have no idea how we find out where the downloads come from but assume it shows up on the bookshelf reports?


----------



## Kay7979

bfleetwood said:


> Finally made it onto the thread... Hi folks (and Hi Kay - thanks for giving my adjusted author profile pic the thumbs up!), great to see everyone sharing information and supporting one another. Have been trying to catch up on the discussions and feel I should know what AMS stands for, but other than realising it must be an Amazon driven ad, can someone enlighten me?!  Thanks. My book launch will be 20 Nov and I have booked a Freebooksy ad and a kindle ad. I have no idea how we find out where the downloads come from but assume it shows up on the bookshelf reports?


AMS is Amazon Marketing Services. There are two kinds of ads but the best for books seems to be the Sponsored Products ads. You can use up to 1000 keywords and bid for what you're willing to pay per click. You don't pay for impressions, only for clicks. It's a rather unique system.

As for bookshelf info, it's not like Kindle Scout. You won't have any idea if your sales are being driven by FB, Twitter or personal webpage etc.


----------



## bfleetwood

Kay7979 said:


> AMS is Amazon Marketing Services. There are two kinds of ads but the best for books seems to be the Sponsored Products ads. You can use up to 1000 keywords and bid for what you're willing to pay per click. You don't pay for impressions, only for clicks. It's a rather unique system.
> 
> As for bookshelf info, it's not like Kindle Scout. You won't have any idea if your sales are being driven by FB, Twitter or personal webpage etc.


Thanks Kay - it feels a bit like wading through treacle but getting there! B


----------



## Used To Be BH

Status report: Booktastic and Kboards Discovery each produced a few sales for me, though it's hard to tell exactly how many. Running an ad every day is the best pattern for momentum, but not the best for analysis, since some sales the following day could be the tail from the previous promotion.

For my first release a little more than four years ago, I got 25 sales and 3 KOLL borrows in my first month (mostly US, but also UK, France, and Germany). _Different Lee_ did more than four times better than that in its first *week*: 117 sales, 7,451 KU pages (equivalent to about 14.8 full reads). Most of the sales and KU activity is in the US, but this time also includes the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Mexico, and Australia. These are not great stats compared to some of the KDP heavy hitters, but it's the best book launch I've ever had.

Today I have a Ripley's Booklist ad. It's going to be interesting to see what that does, because Ripley's Booklist was the source of a highly successful Scout promo, so a lot of her subscribers have already been exposed to the book. In the past RB ads have produced very few sales for me, so it will be interesting to see if the extra exposure translates into sales. So far advertisers I've used in the past, particularly Bargain Booksy, have exceeded their earlier performance levels by a lot.


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> Status report: Booktastic and Kboards Discovery each produced a few sales for me, though it's hard to tell exactly how many. Running an ad every day is the best pattern for momentum, but not the best for analysis, since some sales the following day could be the tail from the previous promotion.
> 
> For my first release a little more than four years ago, I got 25 sales and 3 KOLL borrows in my first month (mostly US, but also UK, France, and Germany). _Different Lee_ did more than four times better than that in its first *week*: 117 sales, 7,451 KU pages (equivalent to about 14.8 full reads). Most of the sales and KU activity is in the US, but this time also includes the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Mexico, and Australia. These are not great stats compared to some of the KDP heavy hitters, but it's the best book launch I've ever had.
> 
> Today I have a Ripley's Booklist ad. It's going to be interesting to see what that does, because Ripley's Booklist was the source of a highly successful Scout promo, so a lot of her subscribers have already been exposed to the book. In the past RB ads have produced very few sales for me, so it will be interesting to see if the extra exposure translates into sales. So far advertisers I've used in the past, particularly Bargain Booksy, have exceeded their earlier performance levels by a lot.


I'm looking at your SPECIAL FEATURE Ripley's ad now and it's beauteous!


----------



## Browland86

Hi, everyone! I've been gone for a couple weeks, busy with formatting and preparing _An Aching Kind of Growing_ for Amazon, and it's finally live! Here's the link if anyone is interested: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N0C3E57

I'm glad to see everyone proceeding with their books and sharing promotion ideas! I'll have to keep visiting here to get ideas on marketing and figuring out where to go from here!


----------



## Kay7979

Browland86 said:


> Hi, everyone! I've been gone for a couple weeks, busy with formatting and preparing _An Aching Kind of Growing_ for Amazon, and it's finally live! Here's the link if anyone is interested: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N0C3E57
> 
> I'm glad to see everyone proceeding with their books and sharing promotion ideas! I'll have to keep visiting here to get ideas on marketing and figuring out where to go from here!


Good luck! It's great that you published your book right away while it's still fresh in people's minds.


----------



## Browland86

Kay7979 said:


> Good luck! It's great that you published your book right away while it's still fresh in people's minds.


Thanks! That's what I'm hoping!


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## Used To Be BH

I just picked up a copy (and it certainly was fresh in my mind!)

I agree it's best to get the book out as soon after the end of the Scout campaign as possible.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Status Update: Ripley's Booklist netted me 13 sales, plus whatever I get today (no other promos are running). That's considerably better than what I've gotten in the past, perhaps in part because her list responded so well to my Scout campaign. In fact, it might well have been higher, but I have the feeling some of her subscribers were nominators who may have already bought the book. Even so, that seems to have been the second biggest promo so far (Bargain Booksy still being the first).

The schedule coming up is not quite as full, and there is a deliberate gap around Thanksgiving weekend.

Choosy Bookworm: 11/14, 11/28/ 12/5
Ebook Soda:  11/17
Betty Book Freak: 11/18
Booksends: 11/19
Book Raid: 11/21
Books Butterfly: 11/29-30
Ebook Hounds: 12/1
EReader News Today: 12/2 (Yes, I got them! Biggest promoter for me in the past, but harder and harder to get into recently.)
Kindle Book Review: 12/3-12/4
Genre Crave: 12/5
Fussy Librarian: 12/13

For those of you who are wondering, no, I didn't spread them out that far on purpose. In the case of the late ones, I got the earliest available date, which tells you something about the difficulty of booking the items toward the end of the list. (I didn't try Book Barbarian because the earliest date was 12/23!)

For those of you planning a launch promo schedule, planning ahead helps. I didn't want to start scheduling until I knew the book was live, which is safer, but it also means your launch window may be over a month long. The pros of a long window are the possibility for the book to get "sticky" (cling to higher ratings longer), the ability to more accurately measure the impact of each promo. The cons are a big spike with several promos simultaneously would drive you to a higher ranking, which might trigger a different kind of algorithmic blessing (or so the ancient myths say). The Bargain Booksy day got me to around 5,000 in the paid store, but a big promo on debut novel (100 plus sales, mostly on one day) got me to 4,000, the highest any of my books have ever been. I got a lot of Amazon rec emails during that time. (I know because some people shared them with me.)


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Hi all! I'm just popping over, enjoying what a fabulous referenced this thread will be for me.  Thank you for starting it!  
(I've now gone 11 days without appearing on the Hot & Trending list. Part of me wishes the agony to end quickly!)


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## Used To Be BH

Joynell Schultz said:


> Hi all! I'm just popping over, enjoying what a fabulous referenced this thread will be for me. Thank you for starting it!
> (I've now gone 11 days without appearing on the Hot & Trending list. Part of me wishes the agony to end quickly!)


Just keep in mind that the stats mean little. I was Hot and Trending for over 500 hours, and it got me--nowhere! (Well, it probably has gotten me sales since my book launched, so I shouldn't complain.)


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## lauramg_1406

I'm honestly dreading the promo angle. I just don't have the funds for the most proven methods which I worry is really going to set me back.

My general plan for What Lies Beneath the Mask though is one week pre orders and then the rest of December on offer before upping the price...However this is the first time I have full control over a book so it could be interesting!

On a side note just started the paid version of instafreebie to see if I can up my mailing list numbers (I have a magnet short story on Instafreebie) and it *seems* to have tripled my list (which was small anyway!) So, so far, so good I think.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Bill Hiatt said:


> Status Update: Ripley's Booklist netted me 13 sales, plus whatever I get today (no other promos are running). That's considerably better than what I've gotten in the past, perhaps in part because her list responded so well to my Scout campaign. In fact, it might well have been higher, but I have the feeling some of her subscribers were nominators who may have already bought the book. Even so, that seems to have been the second biggest promo so far (Bargain Booksy still being the first).
> 
> The schedule coming up is not quite as full, and there is a deliberate gap around Thanksgiving weekend.
> 
> Choosy Bookworm: 11/14, 11/28/ 12/5
> Ebook Soda: 11/17
> Betty Book Freak: 11/18
> Booksends: 11/19
> Book Raid: 11/21
> Books Butterfly: 11/29-30
> Ebook Hounds: 12/1
> EReader News Today: 12/2 (Yes, I got them! Biggest promoter for me in the past, but harder and harder to get into recently.)
> Kindle Book Review: 12/3-12/4
> Genre Crave: 12/5
> Fussy Librarian: 12/13
> 
> For those of you who are wondering, no, I didn't spread them out that far on purpose. In the case of the late ones, I got the earliest available date, which tells you something about the difficulty of booking the items toward the end of the list. (I didn't try Book Barbarian because the earliest date was 12/23!)
> 
> For those of you planning a launch promo schedule, planning ahead helps. I didn't want to start scheduling until I knew the book was live, which is safer, but it also means your launch window may be over a month long. The pros of a long window are the possibility for the book to get "sticky" (cling to higher ratings longer), the ability to more accurately measure the impact of each promo. The cons are a big spike with several promos simultaneously would drive you to a higher ranking, which might trigger a different kind of algorithmic blessing (or so the ancient myths say). The Bargain Booksy day got me to around 5,000 in the paid store, but a big promo on debut novel (100 plus sales, mostly on one day) got me to 4,000, the highest any of my books have ever been. I got a lot of Amazon rec emails during that time. (I know because some people shared them with me.)


Bill, you're very generous to share your stats with folks trying to work through promotional opportunities. I've done that in the past myself (nothing in particular going on right now beyond writing the next book!).


----------



## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> I'm honestly dreading the promo angle. I just don't have the funds for the most proven methods which I worry is really going to set me back.
> 
> My general plan for What Lies Beneath the Mask though is one week pre orders and then the rest of December on offer before upping the price...However this is the first time I have full control over a book so it could be interesting!
> 
> On a side note just started the paid version of instafreebie to see if I can up my mailing list numbers (I have a magnet short story on Instafreebie) and it *seems* to have tripled my list (which was small anyway!) So, so far, so good I think.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Keep an eye open for cross promotional opportunities in the right genre. Kboards seems to have a lot of them, and they're typically free.


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## Kay7979

Can anyone explain this? Yesterday early in the morning my sales rank was something like 175,000. I looked a few hours later and it had dipped to around 64,000. I know ranking is a moving comparison with other writers, but based on what I've seen so far, a big numerical drop indicates sales or KENP. I checked this morning and there are no sales reported or KENP. Weird. Do product page views have any impact? I was featured in our local newspaper (small population here) so people who were merely curious may have looked up my book on Amazon even if they didn't plan to buy it. I've never heard of page views affecting sales rank but I don't know how else to explain it.


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## RWhite7699

Uh, don't say too much, in case it's an error. Just take the good news and enjoy!


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Can anyone explain this? Yesterday early in the morning my sales rank was something like 175,000. I looked a few hours later and it had dipped to around 64,000. I know ranking is a moving comparison with other writers, but based on what I've seen so far, a big numerical drop indicates sales or KENP. I checked this morning and there are no sales reported or KENP. Weird. Do product page views have any impact? I was featured in our local newspaper (small population here) so people who were merely curious may have looked up my book on Amazon even if they didn't plan to buy it. I've never heard of page views affecting sales rank but I don't know how else to explain it.


The KENP part is tricky because it's not the pages read that contribute to the ranking; it's the initial borrow. Someone might borrow the book through KU and not read it until days later, so nothing shows, but the rank changes. Similarly, you can have pages read piling up like crazy and no change in rank, because the books were borrowed earlier and are only now being read.


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## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Kay7979 said:


> Can anyone explain this? Yesterday early in the morning my sales rank was something like 175,000. I looked a few hours later and it had dipped to around 64,000. I know ranking is a moving comparison with other writers, but based on what I've seen so far, a big numerical drop indicates sales or KENP. I checked this morning and there are no sales reported or KENP. Weird. Do product page views have any impact? I was featured in our local newspaper (small population here) so people who were merely curious may have looked up my book on Amazon even if they didn't plan to buy it. I've never heard of page views affecting sales rank but I don't know how else to explain it.


Kay, as I've watched mine over the months, I would say that jump corresponds to one KU borrow, and if you had two it would probably go to about 20k. When my book and story first came out I had a lot of jumping back and forth, and then in recent months I settled into a "usual range" that doesn't jump around as much. But if I go a few days without a buy or borrow, it slips down to about 100k. And I find that my short story does well when it does well, as "doing well" is measured for me very modestly: if someone does a KU borrow or a buy, the story pops up to the top 10 or 20 in its category, which inspires another borrow or buy, which keeps it up there, and . . . That's where being in a "rare category" helps. My short story is in historical fiction short stories and anthologies and I usually hang out with box sets from ML Gardner and a lot of single Louis L'Amours.  I definitely see how having that "high floater" helps sell my novel as an also-bought, because when I go several days with no buys/borrows, they both sink and stay sunk, and a pop up in one brings up the other, most typically the short story (99 cents) bringing up the novel ($3.99).


----------



## Used To Be BH

Cindy Rinaman Marsch said:


> Kay, as I've watched mine over the months, I would say that jump corresponds to one KU borrow, and if you had two it would probably go to about 20k. When my book and story first came out I had a lot of jumping back and forth, and then in recent months I settled into a "usual range" that doesn't jump around as much. But if I go a few days without a buy or borrow, it slips down to about 100k. And I find that my short story does well when it does well, as "doing well" is measured for me very modestly: if someone does a KU borrow or a buy, the story pops up to the top 10 or 20 in its category, which inspires another borrow or buy, which keeps it up there, and . . . That's where being in a "rare category" helps. My short story is in historical fiction short stories and anthologies and I usually hang out with box sets from ML Gardner and a lot of single Louis L'Amours.  I definitely see how having that "high floater" helps sell my novel as an also-bought, because when I go several days with no buys/borrows, they both sink and stay sunk, and a pop up in one brings up the other, most typically the short story (99 cents) bringing up the novel ($3.99).


Interesting!

This morning I had three books jump in increments ranging from roughly 100,000 to 300,000, none of which showed sales and one of which showed no KU activity. I think the jump is related to some extent to where you start from. Some of my shorts don't sell very often, but when one does, i've seen it go up as much as 1,000,000 ranks in one day.

Another interesting phenomenon is that one of shorts on education (small niche audience, sales once in a blue moon) is lurching upward by small increments (far too small to be from a KU borrow). They range from 1,000 to 20,000. I speculate that titles that were ahead of it may be being removed (Amazon catching and removing scams, for example). Another possibility is that other books around it are falling faster, but down in the KDP cellar, I really don't know how that could be. A book can't easily have less than zero sales or borrows.


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## Used To Be BH

Status Update: Ripley's Booklist total sales appear to be 23 (21 US and 2 UK). Impact on borrows is unknown, but _Different Lee_ does keep increasing its page count.

As with other promoters I've used in the past, RB gave me the highest sales figures I've ever gotten. In this case, running a Scout campaign via he same newsletter probably helped, especially given how much action it got. As I observed earlier, sales might have been even higher, but I think some nominators had already picked up a copy.

My sales have been sluggish, so it's a good thing I had a new title. Aside from _Different Lee_, my other books have sold 8 copies so far this month.  Thankfully, KU pages are a bit more balanced, though naturally DL is the single biggest source.

I'm hoping as people finish DL that some of them will notice my other books. In the UK, this seems to have happened already with KU. I've never had much KU activity in the UK, but now I have what looks like full reads for four different books. There's also a little bit in Canada on two other books. Since the new title has only been out ten days, it's a safe bet a large number of people who have bought or borrowed haven't finished yet, in which case I might get more of a boost on other titles as the month progresses.


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## blancheking

Joining the club. This is a great thread, guys. I love seeing the success of the different authors here. Bill, thanks a lot for sharing you promotion list.

I don't know if this has been discussed yet, but I find that a slow steady stream of a couple of tweets a week does better than a flood of tweets during the first few months. I tried both with my books, though I need to be better about advertising. Thoughts?


----------



## Used To Be BH

blancheking said:


> Joining the club. This is a great thread, guys. I love seeing the success of the different authors here. Bill, thanks a lot for sharing you promotion list.
> 
> I don't know if this has been discussed yet, but I find that a slow steady stream of a couple of tweets a week does better than a flood of tweets during the first few months. I tried both with my books, though I need to be better about advertising. Thoughts?


I strongly believe social media is about building community and subscribe to the theory that direct advertising should never be more than about 10% of your content. When I post or tweet too often about my own books, I get negligible response. When I post and tweet ads less often, I get a more enthusiastic response. Therefore, I think you're on the right track.


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## Paul Francois

Carey Lewis said:


> Author Francois, saw this and thought of you https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe_4DRriWZ1cs81fzJte_p4nqgQCMdXomhOcyfzGD7C11XHDQ/viewform
> 
> Hope it helps


The only thing is my email list is pathetic. I only have about 15 contacts. I have more on FB and twitter, but not sure if that counts.


----------



## Carey Lewis

Paul Francois said:


> The only thing is my email list is pathetic. I only have about 15 contacts. I have more on FB and twitter, but not sure if that counts.


I really don't think it matters. I got into a cross promo (I think) that's coming out the end of December and I only had 12 subscribers. It's gone up to a whopping 16 right now! hahaha!!!

But yes, very often you promote the crossover on FB and Twitter as well. Give it a shot! From my understanding, cross promos are mainly to build mailing lists.


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## blancheking

Paul Francois said:


> The only thing is my email list is pathetic. I only have about 15 contacts. I have more on FB and twitter, but not sure if that counts.


I have only ~40 people to advertise to via mail as well, but it's worth a try, right? Also, I like your cover for Shadowbane; I'm sure people will click and read.


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## lauramg_1406

Paul Francois said:


> The only thing is my email list is pathetic. I only have about 15 contacts. I have more on FB and twitter, but not sure if that counts.


Mailing list wise I started this month with 6 and now have 26 (I know the numbers are small but the growth is good from where I'm sitting!)

The main difference has been starting to use instafreebies paid option. I figured I'd give it a go (you get a free trial) and I have to say I'm impressed with it so far.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Used To Be BH

Carey Lewis said:


> I really don't think it matters. I got into a cross promo (I think) that's coming out the end of December and I only had 12 subscribers. It's gone up to a whopping 16 right now! hahaha!!!
> 
> But yes, very often you promote the crossover on FB and Twitter as well. Give it a shot! From my understanding, cross promos are mainly to build mailing lists.


Often they are, but it depends on the way the organizer sets them up. With one exception, the ones I've been in so far are about sales. Either way, though, the theory is the same. Authors essentially combine their fan bases, introducing the fans to the giveaway in the hope that many of them will like (and by from or subscribe to) other authors in the same genre.

You're right about the number of current subscribers not mattering. No one ever seems to ask how many people are on the mailing list, or follow on Twitter, or are fans on Facebook. They just ask each author to do what he or she can.


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## Paul Francois

Carey Lewis said:


> I really don't think it matters. I got into a cross promo (I think) that's coming out the end of December and I only had 12 subscribers. It's gone up to a whopping 16 right now! hahaha!!!
> 
> But yes, very often you promote the crossover on FB and Twitter as well. Give it a shot! From my understanding, cross promos are mainly to build mailing lists.


Thanks, I think I will try it.



blancheking said:


> I have only ~40 people to advertise to via mail as well, but it's worth a try, right? Also, I like your cover for Shadowbane; I'm sure people will click and read.


Thank you. My friend, and college art professor, Jeff Kimbler did the cover.



lauramg_1406 said:


> Mailing list wise I started this month with 6 and now have 26 (I know the numbers are small but the growth is good from where I'm sitting!)
> 
> The main difference has been starting to use instafreebies paid option. I figured I'd give it a go (you get a free trial) and I have to say I'm impressed with it so far.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Yes, I need to sign up for instafreebie and try that.


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## LoriDRV

Hi Guys. I disappeared for a while to figure out formatting and uploading for Kindle ebook and print book. Guess what? It's still not ready. Ha. I guess I should've been figured all this out before my KS campaign so I could go live right when it was over. But, you live and learn, right?

I feel like when I first started writing seriously and was getting educated about the rules of writing (show-not-tell, etc.). I had so much info coming at me I had trouble applying it. So, I stopped with the classes, books and critiques for a while and just wrote. Once I got some practice, the rules of writing started to come automatically.

So, I figured I just better dive into this self-publishing thing and get some practice. The good news is, Whit's End should be available next week. Since I'm new at this, I decided to stick with one thing at a time and not do instafreebie for now. However, I'll offer a introductory offer of $.99 cents for ebook and also offer my memoir for free for a few days. I'll let you know when it goes live. I'll be ready to cross-promo with others then, too.

Thank you all for your help.


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## Used To Be BH

LoriDRV said:


> Hi Guys. I disappeared for a while to figure out formatting and uploading for Kindle ebook and print book. Guess what? It's still not ready. Ha. I guess I should've been figured all this out before my KS campaign so I could go live right when it was over. But, you live and learn, right?
> 
> I feel like when I first started writing seriously and was getting educated about the rules of writing (show-not-tell, etc.). I had so much info coming at me I had trouble applying it. So, I stopped with the classes, books and critiques for a while and just wrote. Once I got some practice, the rules of writing started to come automatically.
> 
> So, I figured I just better dive into this self-publishing thing and get some practice. The good news is, Whit's End should be available next week. Since I'm new at this, I decided to stick with one thing at a time and not do instafreebie for now. However, I'll offer a introductory offer of $.99 cents for ebook and also offer my memoir for free for a few days. I'll let you know when it goes live. I'll be ready to cross-promo with others then, too.
> 
> Thank you all for your help.


I'm glad to hear your book will be available soon. I'm sure we're all looking forward to it.


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## Used To Be BH

Status update: Choosy Bookworm got me 14 sales yesterday, plus probably 3 today. Counting yesterday's sales before Choosy's email went out, I had 18, second best day so far.

I'd have to say that filling as many days as possible with different promos is a good strategy. So far the book has hit around 5,000 in the paid store and never gone lower than 15,000. (It's currently around 9,000.) Lumping the promos together would have created a bigger spike but also a quicker drop afterwards.

I added Bookpebbles and Bookscream to the schedule, both on vacant days (11/27 and 11/20). I also discovered that My Book Cave, which I'd heard good things about, isn't really good for a brand new release. Review guidelines from the site: "We generally like to see at least 10-20 reviews, and love to see a lot more. If it is a newer release, reviews on the author’s other books may be taken into consideration, but even then you should have at least 5 reviews." Strangely enough, my brand new book has zero reviews. Guess I should have sent out ARCs. Sigh!


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## Carey Lewis

Bill Hiatt said:


> Status update: Choosy Bookworm got me 14 sales yesterday, plus probably 3 today. Counting yesterday's sales before Choosy's email went out, I had 18, second best day so far.
> 
> I'd have to say that filling as many days as possible with different promos is a good strategy. So far the book has hit around 5,000 in the paid store and never gone lower than 15,000. (It's currently around 9,000.) Lumping the promos together would have created a bigger spike but also a quicker drop afterwards.
> 
> I added Bookpebbles and Bookscream to the schedule, both on vacant days (11/27 and 11/20). I also discovered that My Book Cave, which I'd heard good things about, isn't really good for a brand new release. Review guidelines from the site: "We generally like to see at least 10-20 reviews, and love to see a lot more. If it is a newer release, reviews on the author's other books may be taken into consideration, but even then you should have at least 5 reviews." Strangely enough, my brand new book has zero reviews. Guess I should have sent out ARCs. Sigh!


That's awesome news Bill, congrats! Maybe you'll get the longed for "sticky!"

As for ARC's, I've spent two days researching and crafting emails to bloggers and reviewers only to get one reply which was a "no." So, based on my past work ethic, I gave up.


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## RWhite7699

Carey Lewis said:


> That's awesome news Bill, congrats! Maybe you'll get the longed for "sticky!"
> 
> As for ARC's, I've spent two days researching and crafting emails to bloggers and reviewers only to get one reply which was a "no." So, based on my past work ethic, I gave up.


A suggestion, Carey. I have had some luck with this tactic, and plan to do it again soon. Find books that are similar to yours and have a lot of reviews. On some of those reviews you will find the reviewer's name is clickable. This can often lead you to an e-mail address or website. Good luck!


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## Carey Lewis

RWhite7699 said:


> A suggestion, Carey. I have had some luck with this tactic, and plan to do it again soon. Find books that are similar to yours and have a lot of reviews. On some of those reviews you will find the reviewer's name is clickable. This can often lead you to an e-mail address or website. Good luck!


Holy Mollee, I've read about that tactic but I never thought of it when I was hitting people up. I'm a little embarrassed to say I didn't think of it!

Thanks Ruth, I'll give that a try!


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## Used To Be BH

Carey Lewis said:


> That's awesome news Bill, congrats! Maybe you'll get the longed for "sticky!"
> 
> As for ARC's, I've spent two days researching and crafting emails to bloggers and reviewers only to get one reply which was a "no." So, based on my past work ethic, I gave up.


I haven't done this recently, but there are FB groups who facilitate authors giving readers free books in exchange for reviews. I'm pretty sure some of the readers take ARCs. It's worth a try, anyway.


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## RWhite7699

Carey Lewis said:


> Holy Mollee, I've read about that tactic but I never thought of it when I was hitting people up. I'm a little embarrassed to say I didn't think of it!
> 
> Thanks Ruth, I'll give that a try!
> 
> I have 54 reviews on Diary of a Wildflower, and I got thirty of them in that way.


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## LoriDRV

Regarding reviews, my critique partner put out a promotion that anyone who signed up for her newsletter got an ARC. She had 30 reviews within 2 days of release. I'm not sure how she got the word out about the newsletter and ARC though. She really works hard at promotions and sells hundreds of books (she's a fantasy author).

I don't have the time or the patience to do a newsletter, but just thought I'd mention it.

In case you guys are interested in her work or would like to check out her reviewers, here is a link to her latest. She does her own book covers and doesn't pay for promo. She's an excellent writer too. I wish I had her drive. https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Ice-Oak-Moon-Hollow-ebook/dp/B01LWS4V2G/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1479230621&sr=1-4&keywords=marsha+a.+moore

P.S. Carey, I don't know if you meant to be funny about the history of your work ethic, but you made me lol. BTW, my critique partner says that when she emailed a ton of reviewers (like you), she was not successful either.


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## lauramg_1406

So my update on what I'm up to;

I'm about half way through a read through of What Lies Beneath the Mask. Only changed a couple of minor things (other than deleting the prologue but i'd decided to do that almost as soon as my KS campaign had gone live), so still got reasonable faith in my book!

I have two magnet short stories in place on Instafreebie and so far they've almost quadrupled my mailing list (which is still tiny!) so that's good. Sent out a newsletter today and the open/click rates are looking good so hoping I can get some reviews that way once WLBM (Sorry long title, typing it out everytime is a pain!) is ready to go. 

I'm pricing up promo atm and at the moment am thinking I can at least afford some basics which is a start!

I already have plans for a couple more writing projects (after I finish NaNo which is going abysmally!) So this hasn't put me off! 

I'm aiming for putting WLBM on preorder by the weemend with a release date of December 1st

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

RWhite7699 said:


> A suggestion, Carey. I have had some luck with this tactic, and plan to do it again soon. Find books that are similar to yours and have a lot of reviews. On some of those reviews you will find the reviewer's name is clickable. This can often lead you to an e-mail address or website. Good luck!


Very clever, Ruth. Thanks.

That's the wonderful thing about this thread--so many knowledgeable people who are willing to share info.


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> So my update on what I'm up to;
> 
> I'm about half way through a read through of What Lies Beneath the Mask. Only changed a couple of minor things (other than deleting the prologue but i'd decided to do that almost as soon as my KS campaign had gone live), so still got reasonable faith in my book!
> 
> I have two magnet short stories in place on Instafreebie and so far they've almost quadrupled my mailing list (which is still tiny!) so that's good. Sent out a newsletter today and the open/click rates are looking good so hoping I can get some reviews that way once WLBM (Sorry long title, typing it out everytime is a pain!) is ready to go.
> 
> I'm pricing up promo atm and at the moment am thinking I can at least afford some basics which is a start!
> 
> I already have plans for a couple more writing projects (after I finish NaNo which is going abysmally!) So this hasn't put me off!
> 
> I'm aiming for putting WLBM on preorder by the weemend with a release date of December 1st
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


It sounds like you've got a good plan, and you're making excellent headway. Thanks for the update. Wishing you continued success!


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> It sounds like you've got a good plan, and you're making excellent headway. Thanks for the update. Wishing you continued success!


Thank you! I mean it still has the potential to fall apart, especially because I'm yet to fall apart over being rejected! Feeling surprisingly calm given its only been a week!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> Status update: Choosy Bookworm got me 14 sales yesterday, plus probably 3 today. Counting yesterday's sales before Choosy's email went out, I had 18, second best day so far.
> 
> I'd have to say that filling as many days as possible with different promos is a good strategy. So far the book has hit around 5,000 in the paid store and never gone lower than 15,000. (It's currently around 9,000.) Lumping the promos together would have created a bigger spike but also a quicker drop afterwards.
> 
> I added Bookpebbles and Bookscream to the schedule, both on vacant days (11/27 and 11/20). I also discovered that My Book Cave, which I'd heard good things about, isn't really good for a brand new release. Review guidelines from the site: "We generally like to see at least 10-20 reviews, and love to see a lot more. If it is a newer release, reviews on the author's other books may be taken into consideration, but even then you should have at least 5 reviews." Strangely enough, my brand new book has zero reviews. Guess I should have sent out ARCs. Sigh!


Bill, it looks like you don't need reviews, lol! You're doing just fine and are maintaining an excellent sales ranking, despite the lack of reviews on THIS book. Readers can check your other books and see reviews on those. I'm sure you'll start accumulating reviews before long.

I'm looking forward to doing more promos, assuming I can find ones for full-priced books. The data you're providing is a huge help. At present, you're making more on sales than you're spending on the promos? I wouldn't mind being in a deficit during the first 30 days, since it's important to get early exposure, but it sounds like you're making money.

Speaking of which, I'm wondering when to pull the plug on my more expensive AMS keywords. I've only had one conversion out of 108 clicks, which is pretty disheartening. Perhaps I'm not using the keywords most likely to win conversions, but I'm not sure what other words, book titles, or authors to add. I have 165 keywords now. I'm willing to throw money away temporarily to get exposure, but there is a limit. It would be great to know why people are interested enough in the cover art and mini-blurb to click through to the product page, but then aren't adequately motivated to buy. Maybe my notation that the book is clean and suitable for ages 10-100 is turning them off, lol.


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## KCecala

So, I'm back, having finally gotten my walking papers from KS after ten grueling days of waiting. (I'm pretending that they almost bought it!) But I'm very excited to begin my publication process at last. We're starting with a cover re-do, something a little more elegant and eye-catching--this is sophisticated women's fiction after all, LOL! Then I'm going to rework my blurbs and promotional copy. Then I'm going to Nashville to visit my daughter, and then I'll get it out there first week of December I'm hoping. Good to see so many familiar names here!


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## Kay7979

KCecala said:


> So, I'm back, having finally gotten my walking papers from KS after ten grueling days of waiting. (I'm pretending that they almost bought it!) But I'm very excited to begin my publication process at last. We're starting with a cover re-do, something a little more elegant and eye-catching--this is sophisticated women's fiction after all, LOL! Then I'm going to rework my blurbs and promotional copy. Then I'm going to Nashville to visit my daughter, and then I'll get it out there first week of December I'm hoping. Good to see so many familiar names here!


Welcome. It's sounds like you'll need a nice relaxing visit with your daughter after all the book prep!


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## Used To Be BH

KCecala said:


> So, I'm back, having finally gotten my walking papers from KS after ten grueling days of waiting. (I'm pretending that they almost bought it!) But I'm very excited to begin my publication process at last. We're starting with a cover re-do, something a little more elegant and eye-catching--this is sophisticated women's fiction after all, LOL! Then I'm going to rework my blurbs and promotional copy. Then I'm going to Nashville to visit my daughter, and then I'll get it out there first week of December I'm hoping. Good to see so many familiar names here!


We're all looking forward to that release!


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## LoriDRV

KCecala said:


> So, I'm back, having finally gotten my walking papers from KS after ten grueling days of waiting. (I'm pretending that they almost bought it!) But I'm very excited to begin my publication process at last. We're starting with a cover re-do, something a little more elegant and eye-catching--this is sophisticated women's fiction after all, LOL! Then I'm going to rework my blurbs and promotional copy. Then I'm going to Nashville to visit my daughter, and then I'll get it out there first week of December I'm hoping. Good to see so many familiar names here!


Bummer. Not that it's any consolation, but it took them all of one business day to turn mine down (I waited over a weekend). So, you're probably right about them almost selecting it.

Keep in touch and have a nice time in Nashville with your daughter. That's my second choice of a city I'd like to live in.


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## KCecala

LoriDRV said:


> Bummer. Not that it's any consolation, but it took them all of one business day to turn mine down (I waited over a weekend). So, you're probably right about them almost selecting it.
> 
> Keep in touch and have a nice time in Nashville with your daughter. That's my second choice of a city I'd like to live in.


 what's your first? As for Nashville, I'm excited because I've never been there! Daughter just moved there so I have to check it out. Lori, we should do some kind of blog exchange since as I recall, we have similar subject matter in our books, older women, marriage, possible affairs...Anyone else doing "Boomer Lit"--let me know!


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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Speaking of which, I'm wondering when to pull the plug on my more expensive AMS keywords. I've only had one conversion out of 108 clicks, which is pretty disheartening. Perhaps I'm not using the keywords most likely to win conversions, but I'm not sure what other words, book titles, or authors to add. I have 165 keywords now. I'm willing to throw money away temporarily to get exposure, but there is a limit. It would be great to know why people are interested enough in the cover art and mini-blurb to click through to the product page, but then aren't adequately motivated to buy. Maybe my notation that the book is clean and suitable for ages 10-100 is turning them off, lol.


The sad part is that a 1% conversion rate is considered a good rate of sales in the advertising industry. The problem with ebooks is that they are relatively inexpensive. Even at ten cents a click, and most of us probably have to pay more than that, that's $10 for one conversion. Even if we're talking a $9.99 ebook, our royalty is only $6.99. There's just no way to break even at that rate--and most of us charge far less and pay more per click. Sigh!


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> The sad part is that a 1% conversion rate is considered a good rate of sales in the advertising industry. The problem with ebooks is that they are relatively inexpensive. Even at ten cents a click, and most of us probably have to pay more than that, that's $10 for one conversion. Even if we're talking a $9.99 ebook, our royalty is only $6.99. There's just no way to break even at that rate--and most of us charge far less and pay more per click. Sigh!


It took 70 clicks to get the first conversion, so we'll see how long it takes to get the next. I removed the most expensive keyword which had 19 clicks with no conversions, and added several more keywords. If I was getting KENP I wouldn't mind so much, but I've only had a couple days with KENP.

Today I have the KBoard Discovery promo, which started last night at 4:00 Pacific time. I see no benefits so far, judging by my book ranking. I also have Bargain Booksy, but I am not offering the book at a reduced price--it's still $3.99. I've heard various opinions as to whether people will buy at $3.99. In addition to those opinions I suppose there are a lot of confounding factors, such as whether the book is a debut novel (as in my case), the number of customer and editorial reviews, and any number of other factors.


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## Luke Christodoulou

May I ask the statistics of the books rejected? Even though that many say they dont really matter that much. My campaign is running at the moment. I have been in the H&T for the last 8 days continuously, but I try not to have hopes. KS have never accepted a fourth book in a series. I doubt Ill be the first. Also, I believe I might be a bit too graphic.

As for all rejected, thank the Gods for KDP!!!

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


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## Kay7979

Luke Christodoulou said:


> May I ask the statistics of the books rejected? Even though that many say they dont really matter that much. My campaign is running at the moment. I have been in the H&T for the last 8 days continuously, but I try not to have hopes. KS have never accepted a fourth book in a series. I doubt Ill be the first. Also, I believe I might be a bit too graphic.
> 
> As for all rejected, thank the Gods for KDP!!!


Most of us on this thread routinely nominate whoever is on Steve Vernon's thread, assuming the book looks competently written.

As for the stats, folks have been rejected who spent their entire campaigns in Hot and Trending and had 6000+ page views.


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## LoriDRV

KCecala said:


> what's your first? As for Nashville, I'm excited because I've never been there! Daughter just moved there so I have to check it out. Lori, we should do some kind of blog exchange since as I recall, we have similar subject matter in our books, older women, marriage, possible affairs...Anyone else doing "Boomer Lit"--let me know!


Hi Kathy. My first choice to live is my hometown (Chicago burbs), which I wrote about in my memoir. I'm going to make it free when I publish my KS novel.

Are you on facebook? Aside from my blog, that's basically the only other social media where I spend time (and these boards when I get a chance). You can find my author page under L. Virelli and my friend page under Lori Virelli. I couldn't find you on fb, so friend me if you have an account there.


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## The one with all the big dresses on the covers

Luke Christodoulou said:


> KS have never accepted a fourth book in a series. I doubt Ill be the first.


I don't know about a fourth book in a series but they did accept a fifth book. It's sitting on my kindle right now because I nominated it


----------



## The one with all the big dresses on the covers

Kay7979 said:


> I also have Bargain Booksy, but I am not offering the book at a reduced price--it's still $3.99. I've heard various opinions as to whether people will buy at $3.99. In addition to those opinions I suppose there are a lot of confounding factors, such as whether the book is a debut novel (as in my case), the number of customer and editorial reviews, and any number of other factors.


Hi Kay, I'm curious as to whether those opinions about people buying at 3.99 (or not) were in general or specifically relating to promotion. Because I can't remember ever seeing anything about success with BargainBooksy style promotions without the book being discounted (and generally to 99c). (Doesn't mean it's never happened, of course, just that I don't remember ever hearing about it!) I'm concerned that if you use these sorts of promos without discounting, you'll be throwing your money away.


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## Used To Be BH

MelanieCellier said:


> I don't know about a fourth book in a series but they did accept a fifth book. It's sitting on my kindle right now because I nominated it


That's a great piece of information to have. I knew people sometimes entered a later book in the series, but the only one I'd heard about getting accepted was Lexi's book 2, and that really didn't count, because they had also published her book 1. It's nice to know they give serious consideration to later series books.


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## Used To Be BH

Luke Christodoulou said:


> May I ask the statistics of the books rejected? Even though that many say they dont really matter that much. My campaign is running at the moment. I have been in the H&T for the last 8 days continuously, but I try not to have hopes. KS have never accepted a fourth book in a series. I doubt Ill be the first. Also, I believe I might be a bit too graphic.
> 
> As for all rejected, thank the Gods for KDP!!!


You can check out statistics in general on Lincoln's website: https://www.lincolncole.net/kindlescout He only has the ones people reported to him, but there are enough there to draw some conclusions. I think he hasn't odded the October ones yet, but the general pattern is obvious. I think it could best be summarized as, "It's good to have high stats--except when it isn't!"


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## Kay7979

MelanieCellier said:


> Hi Kay, I'm curious as to whether those opinions about people buying at 3.99 (or not) were in general or specifically relating to promotion. Because I can't remember ever seeing anything about success with BargainBooksy style promotions without the book being discounted (and generally to 99c). (Doesn't mean it's never happened, of course, just that I don't remember ever hearing about it!) I'm concerned that if you use these sorts of promos without discounting, you'll be throwing your money away.


This morning my sales rank was pushing 300,000 and at the moment it's 24,687.


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## Kay7979

I won't have sales data for my promos till tomorrow and I'll be headed off for my hip surgery in the morning, so I'll settle for posting some sales rank data tonight. 

The Kboard Discovery promo: began at 4:00 PM Pacific time 11/15/16. Last night I wrote down the opening sales ranks for the other books.

1. Price $.99 starting rank 13,422, now 18,857

2. Price $7.99 starting rank 400, now 427

3. $3.99 starting rank 482, now 494

4. $11.99 starting rank 430, now 443

5. $3.99 starting rank 3291, now 2335

6. $3.99 starting rank 3625, now 2240

7. $12.99 starting rank 2783, now 3302

My Book. $3.99 starting rank 249,627 

I don't know if they had any other promos running concurrently. My Bargain Booksy kicked in today, so my current rank after the KBoard promo isn't too relevant. 


Bargain Booksy listing of the other Fantasy books along with mine on 11/16/16: 

1. a multi-volume set (books 1-4) $3.99  started the morning at 746, 883, now 31,737

2. $2.99  started at 354,969 now 384,235

3. $1.99 started at 1,005,685, now 116, 517

4. $.99 started at 7,194, now 3,898

5. $.99 started at 257,521, now 95,760

6. $.99 started at 57,322, now 40,825

My Book: was somewhere in the 290,000s this morning, indicating little help from the KBoard promo. At last check, 24,687


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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> I won't have sales data for my promos till tomorrow and I'll be headed off for my hip surgery in the morning, so I'll settle for posting some sales rank data tonight.
> 
> The Kboard Discovery promo: began at 4:00 PM Pacific time 11/15/16. Last night I wrote down the opening sales ranks for the other books.
> 
> 1. Price $.99 starting rank 13,422, now 18,857
> 
> 2. Price $7.99 starting rank 400, now 427
> 
> 3. $3.99 starting rank 482, now 494
> 
> 4. $11.99 starting rank 430, now 443
> 
> 5. $3.99 starting rank 3291, now 2335
> 
> 6. $3.99 starting rank 3625, now 2240
> 
> 7. $12.99 starting rank 2783, now 3302
> 
> My Book. $3.99 starting rank 249,627
> 
> I don't know if they had any other promos running concurrently. My Bargain Booksy kicked in today, so my current rank after the KBoard promo isn't too relevant.
> 
> Bargain Booksy listing of the other Fantasy books along with mine on 11/16/16:
> 
> 1. a multi-volume set (books 1-4) $3.99 started the morning at 746, 883, now 31,737
> 
> 2. $2.99 started at 354,969 now 384,235
> 
> 3. $1.99 started at 1,005,685, now 116, 517
> 
> 4. $.99 started at 7,194, now 3,898
> 
> 5. $.99 started at 257,521, now 95,760
> 
> 6. $.99 started at 57,322, now 40,825
> 
> My Book: was somewhere in the 290,000s this morning, indicating little help from the KBoard promo. At last check, 24,687


Good luck on your hip surgery, and thanks for all the data.

It looks as if Bargain Booksy does something even at $3.99.

Good luck on your hip surgery.


----------



## Used To Be BH

I apologize in advance for having to vent a little bit.

Today I discovered I'd gotten my first review for _Different Lee_--a two star! 

I think it's worth quoting: "First off I hate the name DL. I probably could of got past the name if the author used more pronouns but you are force fed DL for the entire book. I only got a few chapters in before giving up."

I suppose I should be honored he (or she) actually read a few chapters. Looking at his profile, I discovered he seems to have reviewed one book (a one star) based on the first page. (He has actually given a few good reviews, but one and two stars predominate. Interestingly, most of the books he reviews seem to be outside of the genre he says he prefers.)

I know it's bad form to complain about the content of reviews, and that's not really the purpose of my post. Anyway, one has to have a thick skin if one wants to be a writer. What bothers me is that it's the only review, which makes it stick out like a sore thumb right in the middle of my launch promos--bad timing, to say the least. It could have been worse, though. Had it popped up a few days ago, it might have prevented me from booking the promos in the first place.

To end on a positive note, though I had low sales yesterday (no promo running), the KU pages kept pouring in. I now have the equivalent of over 20 full reads of _Different Lee_ in the US alone.


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## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> Bill, can I get a review copy from you? I'll be sure to read the whole thing before I review.


That's really nice of you to offer, Mark, but I already said I was going to review yours, and we obviously can't review each other's without it looking like a review swap.


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## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> I apologize in advance for having to vent a little bit.
> 
> Today I discovered I'd gotten my first review for _Different Lee_--a two star!
> 
> I think it's worth quoting: "First off I hate the name DL. I probably could of got past the name if the author used more pronouns but you are force fed DL for the entire book. I only got a few chapters in before giving up."
> 
> I suppose I should be honored he (or she) actually read a few chapters. Looking at his profile, I discovered he seems to have reviewed one book (a one star) based on the first page. (He has actually given a few good reviews, but one and two stars predominate. Interestingly, most of the books he reviews seem to be outside of the genre he says he prefers.)
> 
> I know it's bad form to complain about the content of reviews, and that's not really the purpose of my post. Anyway, one has to have a thick skin if one wants to be a writer. What bothers me is that it's the only review, which makes it stick out like a sore thumb right in the middle of my launch promos--bad timing, to say the least. It could have been worse, though. Had it popped up a few days ago, it might have prevented me from booking the promos in the first place.
> 
> To end on a positive note, though I had low sales yesterday (no promo running), the KU pages kept pouring in. I now have the equivalent of over 20 full reads of _Different Lee_ in the US alone.


I just marked the review as unhelpful because truly it is. Most intelligent readers will ignore a moronic review like that one.

So far I'm only showing five sales yesterday so it's hard to believe it boosted my sales rank so dramatically. I can't remember whether I've read that price is a factor. Do fewer sales of a higher priced book equal more sales of a lower priced book?

Headed to the hospital shortly. Thanks for the well wishes.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> I just marked the review as unhelpful because truly it is. Most intelligent readers will ignore a moronic review like that one.
> 
> So far I'm only showing five sales yesterday so it's hard to believe it boosted my sales rank so dramatically. I can't remember whether I've read that price is a factor. Do fewer sales of a higher priced book equal more sales of a lower priced book?
> 
> Headed to the hospital shortly. Thanks for the well wishes.


It's speculation, but I have heard people say price was a factor in ranking. If the beta pricing tool is even remotely accurate, Amazon data suggests that there is a relationship between price and sales, with lower price points garnering more sales, so it wouldn't be illogical to imagine the system take that into account.

Good luck again on the surgery. Medical technology has made great advances with regard to hip surgery, so I'm sure it'll be a smooth process.


----------



## SG

Bill Hiatt said:


> I apologize in advance for having to vent a little bit.
> 
> Today I discovered I'd gotten my first review for _Different Lee_--a two star!
> 
> I think it's worth quoting: "First off I hate the name DL. I probably could of got past the name if the author used more pronouns but you are force fed DL for the entire book. I only got a few chapters in before giving up."
> 
> I suppose I should be honored he (or she) actually read a few chapters. Looking at his profile, I discovered he seems to have reviewed one book (a one star) based on the first page. (He has actually given a few good reviews, but one and two stars predominate. Interestingly, most of the books he reviews seem to be outside of the genre he says he prefers.)
> 
> I know it's bad form to complain about the content of reviews, and that's not really the purpose of my post. Anyway, one has to have a thick skin if one wants to be a writer. What bothers me is that it's the only review, which makes it stick out like a sore thumb right in the middle of my launch promos--bad timing, to say the least. It could have been worse, though. Had it popped up a few days ago, it might have prevented me from booking the promos in the first place.
> 
> To end on a positive note, though I had low sales yesterday (no promo running), the KU pages kept pouring in. I now have the equivalent of over 20 full reads of _Different Lee_ in the US alone.


Sorry to hear that, Bill. That's totally annoying. Yes, writers are supposed to have thick skins etc, but we are humans, so it's always okay to feel bad after a weird review and also okay to vent. We owe ourselves that much.

I have had my share of funny(NOT!) reviews. My favorite one was - this is basically a village girl coming to a city story. You could put the story in any setting and it would work. Nothing SF about it. Or something similar. Well, sorry to disappoint, but every story out there is a retelling of the same seven basic story plots.

The good thing is (IMHO) for every person that doesn't like a book, there is also another person out there who'll love it. Just hang in there and you'll get good reviews streaming in soon.


----------



## Luke Christodoulou

MelanieCellier said:


> I don't know about a fourth book in a series but they did accept a fifth book. It's sitting on my kindle right now because I nominated it


That's good to know


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## LizHedgecock

Just popping in to say hi - can I join your club pleeease? ;-)


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## KCecala

LizHedgecock said:


> Just popping in to say hi - can I join your club pleeease? ;-)


 Welcome, Liz!


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## LizHedgecock

I have a question - already!
Just thinking about when to get House of Mirrors out. Is Black Friday (25 Nov) a terrible idea, or might more people have eyes on Amazon? I'm looking to get it released by 9 December at latest...


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## KCecala

Regarding Thanksgiving and Black Friday--and look! My multicolored face is finally gone!--I actually released a book last year at this time, Liz, just before our Thanksgiving in the US, and it went over like a lead balloon--even friends and family weren't buying it! So I'm holding off until Dec. 1st, for both the print and Kindle versions. Gives me time to remake the cover and celebrate the holidays. Cyber Monday  (the 28th) might be a good time for some books, but not mine, I don't think. Best of luck! And now that I've updated my profile picture, time to work on that signature line...


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## Used To Be BH

LizHedgecock said:


> I have a question - already!
> Just thinking about when to get House of Mirrors out. Is Black Friday (25 Nov) a terrible idea, or might more people have eyes on Amazon? I'm looking to get it released by 9 December at latest...


My general experience is that my sales go down during late November and December, I assume because people are looking for more for things they can wrap and put under the tree. That said, the one time I launched a book in November, it did OK.


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## LizHedgecock

Thanks Kathy and Bill. I think I'll give myself that extra bit of time and go for early December...that way I can get the paperback done too. If I do go for the 25th, I suspect I can wave goodbye to NaNoWriMo this year!


----------



## Used To Be BH

sgbasu said:


> Sorry to hear that, Bill. That's totally annoying. Yes, writers are supposed to have thick skins etc, but we are humans, so it's always okay to feel bad after a weird review and also okay to vent. We owe ourselves that much.
> 
> I have had my share of funny(NOT!) reviews. My favorite one was - this is basically a village girl coming to a city story. You could put the story in any setting and it would work. Nothing SF about it. Or something similar. Well, sorry to disappoint, but every story out there is a retelling of the same seven basic story plots.
> 
> The good thing is (IMHO) for every person that doesn't like a book, there is also another person out there who'll love it. Just hang in there and you'll get good reviews streaming in soon.


Words of wisdom!

Based on my past books, I don't doubt some good reviews will come in. It's just better if there is a little cushion of good reviews before the first bad one hits. (I hope it's just coincidence, but I usually see at least 500 KENP in the morning, mostly _Different Lee_. Today it was 13.


----------



## lauramg_1406

LizHedgecock said:


> Thanks Kathy and Bill. I think I'll give myself that extra bit of time and go for early December...that way I can get the paperback done too. If I do go for the 25th, I suspect I can wave goodbye to NaNoWriMo this year!


I'm with you here Liz! My plan is to get my preorder up tomorrow (or Saturday) with release day being 1st December. But my NaNo is so far behind that I'm not convinced I'll finish it!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## The one with all the big dresses on the covers

I hope the surgery goes well, Kay - it doesn't sound too pleasant!

In regards to rank and sales, Phoenix is our resident kboards expert and I believe the current experiments have demonstrated that price doesn't factor into the sales rankings at all but does factor into pop list placement. For more detailed explanations, I recommend stalking Phoenix's posts  (I wouldn't want to relay anything inaccurately!)

For anyone who hasn't seen it, here's the link to a thread where she posted a rough sales/borrows to rank chart: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,238223.0.html

Of course, there's all kind of craziness going on at Amazon at the moment but I think this should still give some idea of what to expect. It's particularly useful for estimating how many borrows you might be getting.


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## LoriDRV

Hi There - Well, I just caught up on page 13 of this thread. I have a few comments and one question from this novice to you pros.

Bill - How frustrating about that review. I agree with SGbasu, you're only human, and it's helpful to have a place to vent where other authors understand. It's good that you came here to talk about it.

Kathy - I noticed your paint-free face. Cute pic.

I'm so discombobulated with this learning to format for publication, and as I FINALLY have it up and ready to go, I'm reading here how sales bomb at this time of year. I've already put out feelers that the book is releasing, and I'm so sick of waiting, that I'm just going to take the plunge. I need to get this thing done already. I'll just have to do another promo run at another time.

However, I'm really nervous about clicking publish. What if there are mistakes I missed? I'm worried it's not going to look professional. <biting nails>

Having said that, I have a question about alerting Kindle Scout that my book is published. I know Kay said that it didn't seem to make a difference with sales, but of course, it certainly doesn't hurt to do it. So, I went back to my KS account site, and it says "Is your book now available on Amazon?" Then there is a button to click that says, "Tell your Scouts." Do you guys know if I click that button, if it automatically goes to my scouts, or can I give them a release date in advance?

I'm absorbing so much info at once, I'm already forgetting how I formatted and will have to learn all over again when/if I ever get to my next novel. Sigh.

I don't know how you guys do so much.

Anyway, thanks in advance for your answer to that question. Did I make any sense, btw? I can't tell anymore. My mind is jumbled.

OH YEAH ... I forgot to mention that the novel, Whit's End, is going to go Live on Monday the 21st. I know that is "bomb week," but this is my first go-round as a publishing novice. It's time I get my feet wet. I'll give you the link to my blog on Monday when I share all the info about it.


----------



## RWhite7699

Headed to the hospital shortly. Thanks for the well wishes.
[/quote]

Hope your surgery goes well, Kay. Blessings to you.


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## KCecala

Lori, you may do just fine with your day. This year could be completely different than last in terms of sales: who really knows? Go for it!


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## Used To Be BH

LoriDRV said:


> I'm so discombobulated with this learning to format for publication, and as I FINALLY have it up and ready to go, I'm reading here how sales bomb at this time of year. I've already put out feelers that the book is releasing, and I'm so sick of waiting, that I'm just going to take the plunge. I need to get this thing done already. I'll just have to do another promo run at another time.
> 
> However, I'm really nervous about clicking publish. What if there are mistakes I missed? I'm worried it's not going to look professional. <biting nails>
> 
> Having said that, I have a question about alerting Kindle Scout that my book is published. I know Kay said that it didn't seem to make a difference with sales, but of course, it certainly doesn't hurt to do it. So, I went back to my KS account site, and it says "Is your book now available on Amazon?" Then there is a button to click that says, "Tell your Scouts." Do you guys know if I click that button, if it automatically goes to my scouts, or can I give them a release date in advance?


With regard to the time of year, perhaps the advantage of getting the book out there while your nominators will remember it is important. I know some people have not seen much difference, but I definitely think my launch was stronger because of my Scout campaign. The book was doing well even before the promotions kicked in, and when they did, promoters I've worked with before produced three to four times as many sales as in the past.

Everybody has jitters about missing a mistake. Just remember that even trad published books get out there with the occasional typo. Do the best you can, but at some point, you just have to let go. Not so long ago, an author on the KDP forum was saying that he would never publish anything if he kept fretting with each book as long as he wanted to.

The button sends the notice to nominators within 24 hours and doesn't let you specify a release date, so I'd wait until the book goes live and then press the button.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Status update: Yesterday was not a good day. I had made a mistake on my Ebook Soda form, so that my regular price showed rather than the intro price. There's not much point in advertise a "bargain" that looks like it isn't one. I was in the top slot on the email, too!  I got three sales anyway, but I'm sure I would have gotten more had the right price been showing (so don't let that number put you off trying Ebook Soda).

Of course, the one review is still staring mockingly at me. I'm hoping it was coincidence my KENP pages fell to the lowest point I've had since the release. This morning they are already almost as high as the total for yesterday, so that's a good sign.

Today I have Betty Book Freak, and tomorrow Book Sends, which should be good tests of whether or not the book is going to recover from that review or not. We'll see. If people actually read the review, I'm not worried. I am worried if they see the two stars and flee without reading the review, which is the way some people would respond.


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## jcarter

Kay7979 said:


> I won't have sales data for my promos till tomorrow and I'll be headed off for my hip surgery in the morning, so I'll settle for posting some sales rank data tonight.


I hope your surgery went well, Kay, and that you are resting comfortably now!


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## jcarter

Bill Hiatt said:


> Status update: Yesterday was not a good day. I had made a mistake on my Ebook Soda form, so that my regular price showed rather than the intro price. There's not much point in advertise a "bargain" that looks like it isn't one. I was in the top slot on the email, too!  I got three sales anyway, but I'm sure I would have gotten more had the right price been showing (so don't let that number put you off trying Ebook Soda).
> 
> Of course, the one review is still staring mockingly at me. I'm hoping it was coincidence my KENP pages fell to the lowest point I've had since the release. This morning they are already almost as high as the total for yesterday, so that's a good sign.
> 
> Today I have Betty Book Freak, and tomorrow Book Sends, which should be good tests of whether or not the book is going to recover from that review or not. We'll see. If people actually read the review, I'm not worried. I am worried if they see the two stars and flee without reading the review, which is the way some people would respond.


I started reading Differently Lee last night, and part of what irks me about that 2 star review is that it's WRONG. Force fed a name? Whatever. The use of the name is fluid and natural, and the story is dang interesting!

If there's anything "good" about this review it's that people who are curious will read it, look inside, and see that the reviewer is wrong. But it's still annoying that it's there and that it's the first one. I'm sorry about that.


----------



## Used To Be BH

jcarter said:


> I started reading Differently Lee last night, and part of what irks me about that 2 star review is that it's WRONG. Force fed a name? Whatever. The use of the name is fluid and natural, and the story is dang interesting!
> 
> If there's anything "good" about this review it's that people who are curious will read it, look inside, and see that the reviewer is wrong. But it's still annoying that it's there and that it's the first one. I'm sorry about that.


Thanks for reading, and I'm glad you're enjoying the book so far. I think it's a good read, but I'm prejudiced. 

I went back and counted the uses of the name in the first few pages. There are far more uses of _he_ than _DL_. _DL_ occurs a couple of times in the description. It almost makes me wonder if the person actually read the book at all. To be fair, though, none of his other reviews seem to be based just on the product description, but there are people out there who review based just on that. I've never been able to figure out why.


----------



## jcarter

Bill Hiatt said:


> Thanks for reading, and I'm glad you're enjoying the book so far. I think it's a good read, but I'm prejudiced.
> 
> I went back and counted the uses of the name in the first few pages. There are far more uses of _he_ than _DL_. _DL_ occurs a couple of times in the description. It almost makes me wonder if the person actually read the book at all. To be fair, though, none of his other reviews seem to be based just on the product description, but there are people out there who review based just on that. I've never been able to figure out why.


The review is useless and ridiculous. I started reading the book "on the look out" for what the person meant, and I couldn't find it. The ratio of name to pronoun was spot on. Anyone who looks at the first page will see that.

It's always baffled me that anyone would take the time to write something so inane. It's one thing to have a legitimate point, but this reviewer didn't have one. The pronouns prove it! And I think the name DL is awesome.


----------



## LoriDRV

Thank you Bill & Kathy, for your encouragement, and thanks Bill, for answering my question. Now I know how to proceed regarding KS.

I'm pretty confident in this novel, but not so much in all the formatting and publishing work. 

I wanted to tell you guys that I just opened a new Amazon account simply for writing reviews. My critique group writes their reviews for each other under a different account name from their author name so it doesn't look like they're exchanging reviews.

I apologize that I haven't been able to get to your books for reading yet. I'm learning that I'm not good at multi-tasking. I can't write, read, promote, and try to learn how to format for publishing all at once. Not to mention real-life responsibilities. But, I do plan to get to them eventually. Hopefully, others who read your book, Bill, will get to putting up good reviews so that one doesn't stick out. I've been only reading 10 to 20 minutes before going to bed, so that doesn't leave me much time to get to books. I'm reading a blogging-author friend's book right now. A thriller.

BTW, I won't do a review for any author unless I believe it merits 3 or more stars. I might say a book is fair to great, but I won't put up a bad review. I know some authors can learn from a bad review, but there are plenty other reviewers who will let them know. I just won't do to someone what I wouldn't want done to me.

Good luck everyone. I'll be back Monday with the info on my book. Thank you so much for your support.


----------



## Used To Be BH

LoriDRV said:


> I wanted to tell you guys that I just opened a new Amazon account simply for writing reviews. My critique group writes their reviews for each other under a different account name from their author name so it doesn't look like they're exchanging reviews.
> 
> I apologize that I haven't been able to get to your books for reading yet. I'm learning that I'm not good at multi-tasking. I can't write, read, promote, and try to learn how to format for publishing all at once. Not to mention real-life responsibilities. But, I do plan to get to them eventually. Hopefully, others who read your book, Bill, will get to putting up good reviews so that one doesn't stick out. I've been only reading 10 to 20 minutes before going to bed, so that doesn't leave me much time to get to books. I'm reading a blogging-author friend's book right now. A thriller.


With regard to the first paragraph, I suspect Amazon wouldn't be happy with that if it figured out it was happening.

As far as getting to people's books, I feel the same way, so don't worry. I've got so much going on that I don't get very much time to read, either. Sigh!


----------



## Used To Be BH

Thanks for all of your support during the odd review situation. It made me feel much better. (I am a worrier by nature.)

Since the book had been selling so well initially, I had hopes someone would finish it and leave a review, which thankfully someone now has. Fortunately, that person really liked the book. As a result, the product page is not going to send a star counter automatically screaming away. With a Booksends promotion coming up tomorrow, I'm hoping the book will get back on track.

I just approved the proof for _Different Lee_, but I had to make corrections from the first proof that suggest CS is doing something different with the binding. I had already added a tenth of an inch to the inside margin because I thought my last book looked just a little too close on the inside--still readable, but not quite as good a visual effect as I would have liked. That book was exactly the specs CS suggested, so I figured adding .1 would do what I wanted. Much to my surprise, the first proof on this one actually had the text look even closer on the inside than the previous book. I added another .1, compensated by subtracting .1 so as not to throw off the number of pages and have to redo the spine width. Now the book looks about as it should have in the first place. My recommendation in formatting now would be to add about .2 to the CS suggested dimension on the inside margin (gutter). If you don't want to do that, I would recommend giving yourself enough leeway on the outside margin that you can adjust appropriately if your proof doesn't quite come out without having to redo the cover.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> If your book is 300 pages, they'll add the proof page, kicking your book to 301+ range, thus needing the .625" gutter. The actual 300-page book won't have the proof page, and you're good with the .5 gutter.


300 is the Kindle estimate of print length, which always seems to be high. The book is actually 249, and the Proof notation appears on the back of the last page rather than requiring a page of its own. That was a good theory, but something else must be going on.


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## Used To Be BH

Status update: Yesterday Betty Book Freak netted me two sales.  Again, that's not a reflection on the promoter, but on the way the product page looked with one two star review being the only one. KU reads have also dropped off substantially since that review went live. The second (much more positive one) one came up relatively late yesterday, so its effect hasn't really had time to be felt.

Today I have Booksends, which has a good reputation for getting results, the product page no longer looks so scary. Booksends puts up the new ads at about 1 pm Eastern, or about 10 am my time, so I'm hoping that will get _Different Lee_ back on the right path. If not, well, at least this launch has still been bigger than any of the others.

The experience has me thinking I should do more to elicit early reviews. I haven't done much in the past because I knew people didn't expect a new book to have reviews yet, but getting some would protect me against this kind of disruption in the future. It would also enable me to go after a few promoters who don't really give new releases a break and insist on x number of reviews for any book they promote.

Live and learn...


----------



## lauramg_1406

Thank you for your promo updates Bill, they're really helpful for trying to work out the best things to do!

Also don't worry about the 1 star! In a few weeks time, when the great reviews are rolling in, it will be validation to purchasers that your reviews are trustworthy!

My own status update is that What Lies Beneath the Mask is now up for preorder! (https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Lies-Beneath-Laura-Greenwood-ebook/dp/B01N778J7W/). Now just to set the ball rolling on promos before release day!

I also have some feelers out for reviews, will let you know if it works!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> Status update: Yesterday Betty Book Freak netted me two sales.  Again, that's not a reflection on the promoter, but on the way the product page looked with one two star review being the only one. KU reads have also dropped off substantially since that review went live. The second (much more positive one) one came up relatively late yesterday, so its effect hasn't really had time to be felt.
> 
> Today I have Booksends, which has a good reputation for getting results, the product page no longer looks so scary. Booksends puts up the new ads at about 1 pm Eastern, or about 10 am my time, so I'm hoping that will get _Different Lee_ back on the right path. If not, well, at least this launch has still been bigger than any of the others.
> 
> The experience has me thinking I should do more to elicit early reviews. I haven't done much in the past because I knew people didn't expect a new book to have reviews yet, but getting some would protect me against this kind of disruption in the future. It would also enable me to go after a few promoters who don't really give new releases a break and insist on x number of reviews for any book they promote.
> 
> Live and learn...


I was so outraged over your bad review I moved your book to the top of my reading pile. I'm up to chapter 7: 38% and I like it very much. I'm trying to hurry through so I can post a review, but if for some reason you need another good review ASAP I could write something based on the part I've already completed. Just let me know.


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## TiffanyNicole

Hi everyone.

It's great to read what everyone is doing post Kindle Scout. My second attempt was a fail in mid-October. I've decided to hold the book back until books two and three of the series are done so that will be a couple of months. Also, I need to save some money up for promo. I know it's a good idea to publish right away while your book is fresh in Scouter's minds, but my page views were so dismal, I really don't think it will make much difference. I think it's much more important to have the next books ready to publish and promo money. I'll keep checking in here and updating my progress if anything interesting happens.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Okay, so now pre-order is live, and I've managed to sit down at my computer again (to effectively ignore my NaNo project it seems!), I've started organising my promos.

The email has been sent to my KS nominators, so*hopefully* that should do something towards helping! I also bit the bullet and booked a genre crave promo. It's pretty much wiped out my entire budget, but I was told by an author friend that it was 100% worth it, so fingers crossed!

I have a couple of headtalker campaigns set up (which is the first time I've done one, so this could be interesting!) 
https://headtalker.com/campaigns/0-99-what-lies-beneath-the-ma/
https://headtalker.com/campaigns/what-lies-beneath-the-mask/

I also have a book blitz with Obsessive Pimpettes scheduled. I've done one with them before and its gained me a couple of reviews, but it's free so worth a shot regardless really! Especially if it gets me some early reviews!

I've also set up an instafreebie, to try and get some early reviews. (https://www.instafreebie.com/free/L3P4W). Hopefully it should help add to my newsletter subscribers too! But I'll let you know how that gets on!


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## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> Thank you for your promo updates Bill, they're really helpful for trying to work out the best things to do!
> 
> Also don't worry about the 1 star! In a few weeks time, when the great reviews are rolling in, it will be validation to purchasers that your reviews are trustworthy!
> 
> My own status update is that What Lies Beneath the Mask is now up for preorder! (https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Lies-Beneath-Laura-Greenwood-ebook/dp/B01N778J7W/). Now just to set the ball rolling on promos before release day!
> 
> I also have some feelers out for reviews, will let you know if it works!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk
> Thanks for your support!


I just preordered. I'll be waiting for December 1!


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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> I was so outraged over your bad review I moved your book to the top of my reading pile. I'm up to chapter 7: 38% and I like it very much. I'm trying to hurry through so I can post a review, but if for some reason you need another good review ASAP I could write something based on the part I've already completed. Just let me know.


I'm touched that you're worrying about me so soon after your surgery. There's no need to rush out a review based on what you've read, and I wouldn't want to put pressure on you even if there was. So far today I've picked up 16 sales from the Booksends promo, which suggests the product page is not as frightening now that one other review is up. One two star might be a signal to run, but a two star and a five star would probably be a reason to at least look at them if the person is even remotely interested in the book. As long as people read that review, I have nothing to worry about.

I'm glad you're enjoying the book, though. Hopefully, you will find the rest just as enjoyable.


----------



## Used To Be BH

TiffanyNicole said:


> Hi everyone.
> 
> It's great to read what everyone is doing post Kindle Scout. My second attempt was a fail in mid-October. I've decided to hold the book back until books two and three of the series are done so that will be a couple of months. Also, I need to save some money up for promo. I know it's a good idea to publish right away while your book is fresh in Scouter's minds, but my page views were so dismal, I really don't think it will make much difference. I think it's much more important to have the next books ready to publish and promo money. I'll keep checking in here and updating my progress if anything interesting happens.


That does sound like a plan. As I'm learning, promos are pretty important for a new release. Even with good KS stats, I think you'd get an initial flurry, but it would probably die down relatively quickly without something to keep it going. I've never been one to line up a huge mass of promos for a release, but I have to say it makes a positive difference to keep feeding that momentum, especially during the first thirty days.

I wish I had the self-control to hold off on a release like that. Sadly, I have a hard time not releasing one book as soon as it's ready to go.


----------



## TiffanyNicole

Bill Hiatt said:


> That does sound like a plan. As I'm learning, promos are pretty important for a new release. Even with good KS stats, I think you'd get an initial flurry, but it would probably die down relatively quickly without something to keep it going. I've never been one to line up a huge mass of promos for a release, but I have to say it makes a positive difference to keep feeding that momentum, especially during the first thirty days.
> 
> I wish I had the self-control to hold off on a release like that. Sadly, I have a hard time not releasing one book as soon as it's ready to go.


It's definitely hard to wait! This is actually the first time I'm trying this strategy. I'll probably release books 1 & 2 at the same time and put book 3 on pre-order. I figure what I've been doing isn't working so I'm going to try some different things in 2017.


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## Used To Be BH

TiffanyNicole said:


> It's definitely hard to wait! This is actually the first time I'm trying this strategy. I'll probably release books 1 & 2 at the same time and put book 3 on pre-order. I figure what I've been doing isn't working so I'm going to try some different things in 2017.


If I might offer a suggestion, release book 2 thirty days after book 1 instead of simultaneously. That way book 2 comes out just as book 1 is falling of the 30 day cliff. Then release 3 thirty days after that. That way you maximize the visibility of your author brand. The way you're thinking of doing it might be good for fans who are impatient for the sequel, but it has two books lose exposure at the same time an the third following suit two weeks later. That gives you 45 days or so of top exposure when you could have had 90.


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## Used To Be BH

I'm pleased to report that the five-star review apparently blunted the two-star's impact enough to get people to take a look at the book. Booksends promotion netted me 34 sales yesterday and 5 so far today. My KU pages also started recovering. With more reviews on the way, I think I can stop worrying about the two-star. (Sigh of relief)

By the way, this is my first time using Booksends, but they have a good reputation, and they are now my second most effective promotion. (Bargain Booksy still holds the top spot.) As with many promo sites, to use them for a new release book, you need to have other books with good reviews, so they wouldn't really work for a debut novel (unless you pulled in a lot of ARC reviews or otherwise ended up with a pile of reviews very early on). In other circumstances, they look like a good deal.

My goal, of course, is to make the Kindle Scout folks say, "Wow! We really missed an opportunity!"  I don't know if that's really possible, but one can dream. In any case, I'm certainly happy with the results so far. My numbers are modest compared to the really successful self pubbers, but at least they're growing, and I am breaking all kinds of personal records this month. _Different Lee_ has already surpassed the record for most books sold in a month (both for an individual title and for the total for *all* books), and most KU pages read in a month for an individual title. It hasn't yet beaten most books sold in a day, but with EReader News today coming up on 12/2 (the same promoter that helped _Living with Your Past Selves_ make the record in the first place), anything could happen.

Thanks again for all the support. It's always good to have during the rough patches we all inevitably face. Self publishing is very rewarding, but it does have its ups and downs, and you're all good people to have one's back during the downs.


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> I'm pleased to report that the five-star review apparently blunted the two-star's impact enough to get people to take a look at the book. Booksends promotion netted me 34 sales yesterday and 5 so far today. My KU pages also started recovering. With more reviews on the way, I think I can stop worrying about the two-star. (Sigh of relief)
> 
> By the way, this is my first time using Booksends, but they have a good reputation, and they are now my second most effective promotion. (Bargain Booksy still holds the top spot.) As with many promo sites, to use them for a new release book, you need to have other books with good reviews, so they wouldn't really work for a debut novel (unless you pulled in a lot of ARC reviews or otherwise ended up with a pile of reviews very early on). In other circumstances, they look like a good deal.
> 
> My goal, of course, is to make the Kindle Scout folks say, "Wow! We really missed an opportunity!"  I don't know if that's really possible, but one can dream. In any case, I'm certainly happy with the results so far. My numbers are modest compared to the really successful self pubbers, but at least they're growing, and I am breaking all kinds of personal records this month. _Different Lee_ has already surpassed the record for most books sold in a month (both for an individual title and for the total for *all* books), and most KU pages read in a month for an individual title. It hasn't yet beaten most books sold in a day, but with EReader News today coming up on 12/2 (the same promoter that helped _Living with Your Past Selves_ make the record in the first place), anything could happen.
> 
> Thanks again for all the support. It's always good to have during the rough patches we all inevitably face. Self publishing is very rewarding, but it does have its ups and downs, and you're all good people to have one's back during the downs.


I'm thrilled with your success. I think you're turning a corner and have great days ahead!


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## KCecala

Go Bill! I feel you will do very well with Different Lee in the months to come. And that's the beauty of self-publishing: There is always the possibility of success, even months after publication. I don't think we should beat ourselves up too much over promotion: you do the best you can and hope for the best. And I think we're all doing our best!


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## TiffanyNicole

Bill Hiatt said:


> If I might offer a suggestion, release book 2 thirty days after book 1 instead of simultaneously. That way book 2 comes out just as book 1 is falling of the 30 day cliff. Then release 3 thirty days after that. That way you maximize the visibility of your author brand. The way you're thinking of doing it might be good for fans who are impatient for the sequel, but it has two books lose exposure at the same time an the third following suit two weeks later. That gives you 45 days or so of top exposure when you could have had 90.


Good points. I'll definitely consider that.


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## SG

Woohoo Bill!!! That's an amazing success story you're creating. And thanks for sharing the details of your journey with us  

Don't worry about the reviews too much, people buying a book read them and draw their own conclusions which in this case will definitely be in your favor.


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## Used To Be BH

sgbasu said:


> Woohoo Bill!!! That's an amazing success story you're creating. And thanks for sharing the details of your journey with us
> 
> Don't worry about the reviews too much, people buying a book read them and draw their own conclusions which in this case will definitely be in your favor.


Words of wisdom, although having one review, and having that review be bad, definitely does scare people off. Once more reviews accumulate, then readers definitely do take more of a look if they care about reviews.


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## lauramg_1406

Yey go Bill! 

Will admit that part of my motivation at the moment is proving to KS that they missed out! 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Used To Be BH

KCecala said:


> Go Bill! I feel you will do very well with Different Lee in the months to come. And that's the beauty of self-publishing: There is always the possibility of success, even months after publication. I don't think we should beat ourselves up too much over promotion: you do the best you can and hope for the best. And I think we're all doing our best!


Yes, that's all we can ever do is our best. Fretting about it doesn't help--though it is human nature.

And yes, sometimes success comes a long time after initial release. There is a common feeling that at a certain point a book exhausts its audience and just dies. A book may exhaust the pool of readers it has reached at that point, but unless it fit into a very small niche, there are plenty of other readers out there. My very first book starting actually selling (once I learned how to promote, had its best day a year out, and still runs first or second in sales every single month, all of this despite the fact that it lay dormant for five or six months.


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## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> Yey go Bill!
> 
> Will admit that part of my motivation at the moment is proving to KS that they missed out!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Unfortunately, I suspect they don't monitor the books they rejected to see how they do, but I like to think they are.

On a related topic, anyone have a working theory on how the other Amazon imprints get books? I just noticed the Kindle First books are all from the other imprints, so clearly they have a fair number of new releases, but I guess no one who gets tapped visits these forums, because I don't think I've ever heard a description of the process. I know a few early KS authors got offered three-book contracts by Amazon labels when their KS book took off, but I'm not sure if that happened more than once or twice.

When I first started publishing, there was a theory that the imprint editors watched self pub sales figures and offered contracts to people who were doing well. However, I also knew a number of authors who were doing very well, and none of them ever heard from an Amazon imprint. The whole process is a total mystery to me. I know they don't accept submissions, but I have no idea by what process they do acquire books.


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## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> Unfortunately, I suspect they don't monitor the books they rejected to see how they do, but I like to think they are.
> 
> On a related topic, anyone have a working theory on how the other Amazon imprints get books? I just noticed the Kindle First books are all from the other imprints, so clearly they have a fair number of new releases, but I guess no one who gets tapped visits these forums, because I don't think I've ever heard a description of the process. I know a few early KS authors got offered three-book contracts by Amazon labels when their KS book took off, but I'm not sure if that happened more than once or twice.
> 
> When I first started publishing, there was a theory that the imprint editors watched self pub sales figures and offered contracts to people who were doing well. However, I also knew a number of authors who were doing very well, and none of them ever heard from an Amazon imprint. The whole process is a total mystery to me. I know they don't accept submissions, but I have no idea by what process they do acquire books.


I know that Kindle Singles take submissions but other than that I'm not sure! I doubt they bother watching sale figures really

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Patricia KC

Bill Hiatt said:


> Unfortunately, I suspect they don't monitor the books they rejected to see how they do, but I like to think they are.
> 
> On a related topic, anyone have a working theory on how the other Amazon imprints get books? I just noticed the Kindle First books are all from the other imprints, so clearly they have a fair number of new releases, but I guess no one who gets tapped visits these forums, because I don't think I've ever heard a description of the process. I know a few early KS authors got offered three-book contracts by Amazon labels when their KS book took off, but I'm not sure if that happened more than once or twice.
> 
> When I first started publishing, there was a theory that the imprint editors watched self pub sales figures and offered contracts to people who were doing well. However, I also knew a number of authors who were doing very well, and none of them ever heard from an Amazon imprint. The whole process is a total mystery to me. I know they don't accept submissions, but I have no idea by what process they do acquire books.


The other Amazon imprints no longer take unsolicited submissions. (I believe they did in the beginning.) One has to have an agent to submit to them, and agents do submit to them.


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## Used To Be BH

Patricia KC said:


> The other Amazon imprints no longer take unsolicited submissions. (I believe they did in the beginning.) One has to have an agent to submit to them, and agents do submit to them.


Interesting! I thought they never took submissions of any kind. The Amazon imprint page, which admittedly hasn't been updated in awhile, has the ambiguous statement, "Amazon Publishing does not accept unsolicited manuscripts or other submissions at this time." I guess that just bans any kind of unsolicited input, but "other submissions" could be read as, "Don't call us; we'll call you." It depends upon whether _unsolicited_ applies to _other submissions_. Most publishers have a much clearer statement of their process.


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## Patricia KC

Bill Hiatt said:


> Interesting! I thought they never took submissions of any kind. The Amazon imprint page, which admittedly hasn't been updated in awhile, has the ambiguous statement, "Amazon Publishing does not accept unsolicited manuscripts or other submissions at this time." I guess that just bans any kind of unsolicited input, but "other submissions" could be read as, "Don't call us; we'll call you." It depends upon whether _unsolicited_ applies to _other submissions_. Most publishers have a much clearer statement of their process.


I know a couple of writers who recently signed multi-book contracts with two separate imprints. Both were agented deals. As with most other large publishers, agents have access and information the rest of us peons don't.


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## Used To Be BH

Patricia KC said:


> I know a couple of writers who recently signed multi-book contracts with two separate imprints. Both were agented deals. As with most other large publishers, agents have access and information the rest of us peons don't.


Well, that's certainly true. There was something exciting, though, about the idea that if you sold well enough, you might find yourself getting offered a contract.


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## Patricia KC

Bill Hiatt said:


> Well, that's certainly true. There was something exciting, though, about the idea that if you sold well enough, you might find yourself getting offered a contract.


It has happened in the past. Who knows? It could happen again.


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## KCecala

I'm pretty sure if your self-pubbed book became a big hit, agents would come a-calling.


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## RWhite7699

Bill Hiatt said:


> I'm pleased to report that the five-star review apparently blunted the two-star's impact enough to get people to take a look at the book. Booksends promotion netted me 34 sales yesterday and 5 so far today. My KU pages also started recovering. With more reviews on the way, I think I can stop worrying about the two-star. (Sigh of relief)
> 
> By the way, this is my first time using Booksends, but they have a good reputation, and they are now my second most effective promotion. (Bargain Booksy still holds the top spot.) As with many promo sites, to use them for a new release book, you need to have other books with good reviews, so they wouldn't really work for a debut novel (unless you pulled in a lot of ARC reviews or otherwise ended up with a pile of reviews very early on). In other circumstances, they look like a good deal.
> 
> My goal, of course, is to make the Kindle Scout folks say, "Wow! We really missed an opportunity!"  I don't know if that's really possible, but one can dream. In any case, I'm certainly happy with the results so far. My numbers are modest compared to the really successful self pubbers, but at least they're growing, and I am breaking all kinds of personal records this month. _Different Lee_ has already surpassed the record for most books sold in a month (both for an individual title and for the total for *all* books), and most KU pages read in a month for an individual title. It hasn't yet beaten most books sold in a day, but with EReader News today coming up on 12/2 (the same promoter that helped _Living with Your Past Selves_ make the record in the first place), anything could happen.
> 
> Thanks again for all the support. It's always good to have during the rough patches we all inevitably face. Self publishing is very rewarding, but it does have its ups and downs, and you're all good people to have one's back during the downs.


Way to go, Bill. Don't let one bad review get you down. I'll bet it's the first one you ever had, right? It has been my experience that only the first bad review hurts that much. After that, you see how the good ones far out-weigh it.


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## Used To Be BH

RWhite7699 said:


> Way to go, Bill. Don't let one bad review get you down. I'll bet it's the first one you ever had, right? It has been my experience that only the first bad review hurts that much. After that, you see how the good ones far out-weigh it.


No, actually there are a few others, and my skin is pretty thick. It was the logistics--a two-star review as the only review at a point when I was doing a lot of promotion--that worried. Indeed, it did lower both sales and KU reads for a couple of days, so I may have been right to worry, but now that it has been joined by a five star, the book is moving again. Yesterday, as I've said, was a good day for sales, and today is a particularly good day for KU reads, even though mine usually drop on Sunday.


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## KCecala

Bill Hiatt said:


> No, actually there are a few others, and my skin is pretty thick. It was the logistics--a two-star review as the only review at a point when I was doing a lot of promotion--that worried. Indeed, it did lower both sales and KU reads for a couple of days, so I may have been right to worry, but now that it has been joined by a five star, the book is moving again. Yesterday, as I've said, was a good day for sales, and today is a particularly good day for KU reads, even though mine usually drop on Sunday.


 That first review is the scariest!


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## Used To Be BH

Thanks all for the continuing encouragement!

Status Update: Bookscream seems to have netted me seven sales yesterday and one today. That's not a huge pile, but they are inexpensive and get you scheduled quickly. I probably could have done better, especially since they featured my book (bigger ad than all the other fantasy titles that day). Sadly, they are also the only mailing list I've seen so far that prominent displays the current review average for the book, and I was literally the only one with below a 4.0 in the whole mailing, which can't have helped.

Today is Book Raid, which I've never used before, so we'll see what happens. After that there's a gap until 11/27, on the assumption that Thanksgiving isn't the best time to promote.

You probably got the emails too, but _Whit's End_ and _What Lies Beneath the Mask_ are now both available.


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## LoriDRV

Hi Guys - I'm jittery today, cause my novel, Whit's End, has just gone LIVE!!! Yikes. My first one.

Thank you, Bill, for mentioning my novel on the boards. Congratulations on your sales. You are doing some good work promoting.

So, I tried doing a post boost on my fb author page, and my screen froze. It never said it if went through, so I tried it again, and this time it tried to boost the wrong post! I tried to stop it, but it was too late, and my screen froze again. According to PayPal, both my boosts went through, but I do NOT see them showing up on my author page or anywhere. I don't know if it takes time for them to verify payment or what.

For crying out loud, why couldn't it go smoothly?

I'm giving away my memoir anthology, Home Avenue, for this week of Thanksgiving, if you guys would like to download it. It's a quick read, probably take you an afternoon. I share stories from my dysfunctional family with a bit of humor and an uplifting twist at the end. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LPJ9YDI

I put all the info on my blog about both books.
Blog: https://loreezlane.wordpress.com/2016/11/21/whits-end-is-up-and-running/
Whit's End: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N77QY32

Thank you all for your encouragement (as I bite my nails because I don't know what I'm doing regarding the publishing and promo end of things).


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## PatriciaThomson

Well, I managed to snag a review over the weekend. I wish it wasn't quite so brief, but it was four stars so I'll take what I can get. 

After giving it a lot of thought, I've decided to make _Merely Players_ free during the month of December to hopefully garner some reviews and add to my (nonexistent) mailing list. I'll also be boosting myself on Facebook and Twitter and write a few blog entries, then I want to do a big promotional push in January to get ready to release _Another's Audience_. Sometime next year I'll be going full-time as a writer, so all this is laying the groundwork for that as well.

Congratulations on jumping in the pool, Lori! The water's fine!


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## Kay7979

PatriciaThomson said:


> Well, I managed to snag a review over the weekend. I wish it wasn't quite so brief, but it was four stars so I'll take what I can get.
> 
> After giving it a lot of thought, I've decided to make _Merely Players_ free during the month of December to hopefully garner some reviews and add to my (nonexistent) mailing list. I'll also be boosting myself on Facebook and Twitter and write a few blog entries, then I want to do a big promotional push in January to get ready to release _Another's Audience_. Sometime next year I'll be going full-time as a writer, so all this is laying the groundwork for that as well.
> 
> Congratulations on jumping in the pool, Lori! The water's fine!


Hi Patricia! I hope the review will be the first of many. I know what you mean about the mailing list as I don't have one yet either.


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## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> Thanks all for the continuing encouragement!
> 
> Status Update: Bookscream seems to have netted me seven sales yesterday and one today. That's not a huge pile, but they are inexpensive and get you scheduled quickly. I probably could have done better, especially since they featured my book (bigger ad than all the other fantasy titles that day). Sadly, they are also the only mailing list I've seen so far that prominent displays the current review average for the book, and I was literally the only one with below a 4.0 in the whole mailing, which can't have helped.
> 
> Today is Book Raid, which I've never used before, so we'll see what happens. After that there's a gap until 11/27, on the assumption that Thanksgiving isn't the best time to promote.
> 
> You probably got the emails too, but _Whit's End_ and _What Lies Beneath the Mask_ are now both available.


Thank you for the mention Bill! Seem that since the email went out I've gained a grand total of 1 pre-order! Even so, it's enough to get me a little excited!

I haven't come across either of those two promo companies, I've pretty much used up my promo budget now though, so we'll have to see if I actually make it back to go into more !

Paid Promos I have: Genre Crave (12/12/2016), BKnights (01/12/2016), Sweet Free Books (02/12/2016)


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## LoriDRV

Thank you, Patricia, for the nice welcome. And, good luck to you with the releases.

I'm a bit frustrated right now. Facebook took two boost payments from me and they never showed up anywhere. I've looked everywhere to try and find out how to fix this problem, and their help system is so jumbled I can't figure it out. You can only leave a question and not discuss anything with anyone on a forum. I don't have time to try to figure out their system. I may have to stop payment on my credit card to them. 

Unless, maybe I'm missing something? Sigh.


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## Used To Be BH

LoriDRV said:


> Hi Guys - I'm jittery today, cause my novel, Whit's End, has just gone LIVE!!! Yikes. My first one.
> 
> Thank you, Bill, for mentioning my novel on the boards. Congratulations on your sales. You are doing some good work promoting.
> 
> So, I tried doing a post boost on my fb author page, and my screen froze. It never said it if went through, so I tried it again, and this time it tried to boost the wrong post! I tried to stop it, but it was too late, and my screen froze again. According to PayPal, both my boosts went through, but I do NOT see them showing up on my author page or anywhere. I don't know if it takes time for them to verify payment or what.
> 
> For crying out loud, why couldn't it go smoothly?
> 
> I'm giving away my memoir anthology, Home Avenue, for this week of Thanksgiving, if you guys would like to download it. It's a quick read, probably take you an afternoon. I share stories from my dysfunctional family with a bit of humor and an uplifting twist at the end. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LPJ9YDI
> 
> I put all the info on my blog about both books.
> Blog: https://loreezlane.wordpress.com/2016/11/21/whits-end-is-up-and-running/
> Whit's End: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N77QY32
> 
> Thank you all for your encouragement (as I bite my nails because I don't know what I'm doing regarding the publishing and promo end of things).


I picked up the memoir anthology. Thanks for the tip!

THe FB thing is odd. You should be able to cancel the incorrectly boosted post. As for the other, it usually takes a little while for the ad to be approved, though usually not too long on a weekday. Over the years I've learned never to try to start an FB ad on the weekend, when I suspect they have less staff to process the requests.


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## Used To Be BH

LoriDRV said:


> Thank you, Patricia, for the nice welcome. And, good luck to you with the releases.
> 
> I'm a bit frustrated right now. Facebook took two boost payments from me and they never showed up anywhere. I've looked everywhere to try and find out how to fix this problem, and their help system is so jumbled I can't figure it out. You can only leave a question and not discuss anything with anyone on a forum. I don't have time to try to figure out their system. I may have to stop payment on my credit card to them.
> 
> Unless, maybe I'm missing something? Sigh.


Check in your ads manager to see what's showing there. You should be able to tell whether the ads are active or not.


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## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> Thank you for the mention Bill! Seem that since the email went out I've gained a grand total of 1 pre-order! Even so, it's enough to get me a little excited!
> 
> I haven't come across either of those two promo companies, I've pretty much used up my promo budget now though, so we'll have to see if I actually make it back to go into more !
> 
> Paid Promos I have: Genre Crave (12/12/2016), BKnights (01/12/2016), Sweet Free Books (02/12/2016)


All three have good reputations, and I did pretty well with Sweet Free Books. Bknights advertised as promised. I got zero sales, but it may have been a genre thing. Others report good results. I haven't used Genre Crave before, but I also here good things about them. My first run with them is exactly one week before yours.


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## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> All three have good reputations, and I did pretty well with Sweet Free Books. Bknights advertised as promised. I got zero sales, but it may have been a genre thing. Others report good results. I haven't used Genre Crave before, but I also here good things about them. My first run with them is exactly one week before yours.


Good to know I haven't picked badly!

Genre Crave was recommended to me by an author friend (who is also the designer of my cover actually!) She said that while I was more pricey, it was definitely worth it...

Of course I've made it difficult for myself by trying to go for romance...but the mind wants to write what the mind wants to write!

Kind of hoping my cover may help with impulse buys maybe!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Used To Be BH

PatriciaThomson said:


> After giving it a lot of thought, I've decided to make _Merely Players_ free during the month of December to hopefully garner some reviews and add to my (nonexistent) mailing list.


I know mailing lists are supposed to be useful, but they can be a real chore. I find one more or less has to bribe people to get them it sign up. Just don't do what I did initially. I had a couple of giveaways in which I made signing up for the mailing list an entry option. That seemed to work--I got hundreds of signups. The problem was a lot of them were people who were only interested in giveaways. Those folks tended to not open the newsletter unless it had giveaway in the subject line, and if the giveaway wasn't big enough, they tended to unsubscribe. Not a healthy situation!

Eventually I went through and deleted a lot of people who were never opening the emails, and I removed email list signup from my giveaways. Instead, I offer people who sign up a free book. I figured people who actually wanted an ebook would be more genuinely interested. Signups have been few, but those people don't unsubscribe.

I'm not sure how many sales I actually get from the mailing list, though I do get a reasonable number of clicks, and I can attribute a noticeable number of page views on my Scout campaign to them. On the whole, having a mailing list has been worth it, though I can't seem to get the magical results some people claim. (A lot of the sales gurus say all they have to do is send out an email, and their new release climbs into the top 100 on Amazon. I'm afraid that isn't me.)


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## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> Good to know I haven't picked badly!
> 
> Genre Crave was recommended to me by an author friend (who is also the designer of my cover actually!) She said that while I was more pricey, it was definitely worth it...
> 
> Of course I've made it difficult for myself by trying to go for romance...but the mind wants to write what the mind wants to write!
> 
> Kind of hoping my cover may help with impulse buys maybe!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Romance is a very popular genre, and your cover is striking, so you ought to do well.


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## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> Romance is a very popular genre, and your cover is striking, so you ought to do well.


It is popular, my concern mainly stems from it also being saturated! I will admit my cover still gives me the feels! As soon as I saw the stock image I knew it was perfect (well except that the model was blonde!) And my cover designer did such an amazing job!

On the subject of mailing lists...I took the plunge for the instafreebie paid option (you can make mailing list opt in compulsory to get a book). I've offered two short stories (I'd just got the rights back on the two of them), one of which is exclusive to my mailing list. So far I've had nearly 90 sign ups (in 10 days) and only 2 unsubscribes when I sent out a newsletter. I haven't been doing much other than a few tweets and a Facebook post, so I think it's worth the $20/month payment, especially when it takes out so much of the hassle!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> It is popular, my concern mainly stems from it also being saturated! I will admit my cover still gives me the feels! As soon as I saw the stock image I knew it was perfect (well except that the model was blonde!) And my cover designer did such an amazing job!
> 
> On the subject of mailing lists...I took the plunge for the instafreebie paid option (you can make mailing list opt in compulsory to get a book). I've offered two short stories (I'd just got the rights back on the two of them), one of which is exclusive to my mailing list. So far I've had nearly 90 sign ups (in 10 days) and only 2 unsubscribes when I sent out a newsletter. I haven't been doing much other than a few tweets and a Facebook post, so I think it's worth the $20/month payment, especially when it takes out so much of the hassle!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


That's a good suggestion. Being in Select prevents me from doing much with instafreebie, but if I'm ever out of it, I'll give it a try.


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## SG

Congrats, everyone, on your new launches!!! Wish you all great success.



lauramg_1406 said:


> On the subject of mailing lists...I took the plunge for the instafreebie paid option (you can make mailing list opt in compulsory to get a book). I've offered two short stories (I'd just got the rights back on the two of them), one of which is exclusive to my mailing list. So far I've had nearly 90 sign ups (in 10 days) and only 2 unsubscribes when I sent out a newsletter. I haven't been doing much other than a few tweets and a Facebook post, so I think it's worth the $20/month payment, especially when it takes out so much of the hassle!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I cannot recommend Instafreebie enough. I languished with about 100 subscribers for a year (with link to my newsletter at the front and back of my books AND a call to action on my website with multiple novellas), until I joined Instafreebie. I have multiple reader magnets up there and I also participated in Dean Wilson's SFF Promos. In a couple of months, I have gone up to thousands of subscribers. Yes, many unsubscribe after I send out newsletters but the engagement has been phenomenal with the rest.

The first month is free at Instafreebie, so it's easy to try out also.


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## Kay7979

I have a couple small milestones to report. I got my tenth 5-star review today. I had another sale, FINALLY, from my AMS ads. It's slower going with a full priced book. I'm looking at some of Bill's promo recommendations as well as some sites I bookmarked. Now that I have ten reviews, that may open a few doors. A few sites may not be suitable since my book is inexpensive but not actually discounted.


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## LoriDRV

Bill Hiatt said:


> Check in your ads manager to see what's showing there. You should be able to tell whether the ads are active or not.


Thanks, Bill. I couldn't find anything there, so I rechecked my PayPal account and found that I wasn't charged. So, I tried it again and this time it worked.

Got 10 sales on my novel on this first day of release, and my freebie went like hot cakes. Close to 100. I joined a local fb page where I live, and they know my books take place in our hometown area. However, I think half of the book sales went to my blog followers. I've been talking about this book to them for a looong time now. The ones who bought it told me in my comments. I did find a stranger who bought it and mentioned me on twitter. She found me on Kindle Scout and said she'd been waiting for it to come out. That was pretty cool to have someone I never met online or otherwise look forward to reading it.


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## KCecala

LoriDRV said:


> Thanks, Bill. I couldn't find anything there, so I rechecked my PayPal account and found that I wasn't charged. So, I tried it again and this time it worked.
> 
> Got 10 sales on my novel on this first day of release, and my freebie went like hot cakes. Close to 100. I joined a local fb page where I live, and they know my books take place in our hometown area. However, I think half of the book sales went to my blog followers. I've been talking about this book to them for a looong time now. The ones who bought it told me in my comments. I did find a stranger who bought it and mentioned me on twitter. She found me on Kindle Scout and said she'd been waiting for it to come out. That was pretty cool to have someone I never met online or otherwise look forward to reading it.


 Congratulations,Lori! Just checked out your book on Amazon, it looks great. Pretty cool ranking too--I have NEVER sold even one book on my first day out so I'm impressed that you sold 10. I will be watching your progress since your book's similar to mine in a way--mine, with luck, should be out Dec. 1st, then we can compare notes!


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## KCecala

oh, and I wanted to congratulate Kay, too. Ten five-star reviews! wow!


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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> I have a couple small milestones to report. I got my tenth 5-star review today. I had another sale, FINALLY, from my AMS ads. It's slower going with a full priced book. I'm looking at some of Bill's promo recommendations as well as some sites I bookmarked. Now that I have ten reviews, that may open a few doors. A few sites may not be suitable since my book is inexpensive but not actually discounted.


Ten reviews is indeed the magic number for a lot of places. The insistence on discounts at some is a little crazy-making, though. The first book in my first series is "permacheap," and so a lot of places turn up their nose at it. The emphasis on bargains tends to drive prices down in the long run, which isn't necessarily good for us.


----------



## Used To Be BH

LoriDRV said:


> Thanks, Bill. I couldn't find anything there, so I rechecked my PayPal account and found that I wasn't charged. So, I tried it again and this time it worked.
> 
> Got 10 sales on my novel on this first day of release, and my freebie went like hot cakes. Close to 100. I joined a local fb page where I live, and they know my books take place in our hometown area. However, I think half of the book sales went to my blog followers. I've been talking about this book to them for a looong time now. The ones who bought it told me in my comments. I did find a stranger who bought it and mentioned me on twitter. She found me on Kindle Scout and said she'd been waiting for it to come out. That was pretty cool to have someone I never met online or otherwise look forward to reading it.


I'm glad the FB ad got fixed. Those things can be such a nuisance.

Yes, 10 sales is a good opening day. At least you have blog followers. I've got a very active FB author page, but my blog is mostly visited when I do a giveaway. It's nice to know that your Scout exposure is already paying off.


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## Used To Be BH

Status update: Book Raid brought in 7 sales yesterday and 2 so far today. I'm told they often produce more sales the second day than the first, so we'll see. They have a smaller list than many, but if I recall correctly, they're inexpensive. Anyway, I'm at 195 sales and almost 27 full KU reads in the US alone. I'm too lazy to add up all the international stats right now, but aside from being my best month ever in the US, it's also my best month ever in the UK, Canada, and Australia, as well as bringing in my first sale and KU read in Mexico.

It looks as if we'll be getting some new recruits soon. KS editors axed several books late yesterday. Sigh! Among our older nominations, I think only _Seeing Blue_ and _Princess Dracula_ are still in the running. _Ceiling Man_ just closed recently, as did _What It Is_, so naturally they're still in the running. With the holiday weekend coming up, it looks as if the editors are up against the two week deadline for books that ended on the 11th, but they also gave quick rejections to some whose campaign closed more recently.


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## LoriDRV

Thank you, Bill and Kathy, for your support. Kay, congratulations on all those 5 stars.

Kathy - Does your book have erotica? Even though my two characters are married and one has an affair, I just couldn't bring myself to write sex scenes, no matter what the age of the character. My characters actually start out in their mid-twenties and the novel spans over 20 years. Yours seemed like it had some humor. Did you get a new book cover? I look forward to it releasing.

My novel has been a long time coming. It went through two rounds in my critique group. I had to rewrite the Meg character after the first go-around, because I couldn't identify with her, and she wasn't coming across clearly.

Then, I sent it off to a half-dozen small presses where it was rejected. In the mean time, my husband had an accident. After his recovery, a year later, we moved across country. Once we got there I sent the novel off to an editor. Then, we moved again, but this time only 15 miles. We just got settled into our final home right when I put my novel in Kindle Scout.

The only thing I've been writing is on my blog for the last 18 months. I've had it for several years now, and I've been telling followers about Whit's End for a long time. They helped me promote it in Kindle Scout. I just love my blogging community. Sometimes I let that take up my time instead of writing.

Anyway, I didn't mean to go on. It's just such a relief to finally have this novel up and running. Now, I hope some reviews start coming in soon. People sure do like those freebies. I've had 125 downloads of my memoir anthology since yesterday.


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## Kay7979

Bill, it's great to hear your promo successes. Very encouraging!

I had another AMS sale today! I can hardly believe it, and even more surprising, it was from the same keyword as the last sale. That keyword is a keeper!

For anyone who enjoys fantasy novels, and who lives in the US, I'm giving away five PB copies of my book. Enter to win between today and the 30th. I'd like one of you to win the book because you're nice people that I "know" and besides, you would be kind enough to post a review! .

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/212552-beyond-the-forest


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## Kay7979

KCecala said:


> oh, and I wanted to congratulate Kay, too. Ten five-star reviews! wow!


Thanks. It was a weird feeling at first having someone outside the family read my book. I'm getting used to that now, and it's wonderful when readers share even a tiny part of my own enthusiasm for the book.


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## lauramg_1406

LoriDRV said:


> Kathy - Does your book have erotica? Even though my two characters are married and one has an affair, I just couldn't bring myself to write sex scenes, no matter what the age of the character. My characters actually start out in their mid-twenties and the novel spans over 20 years.


I didn't put any sex scenes in mine Lori! And my MCs are in their twenties! It's made obvious that they have done though, but it just didn't feel right to have them in there!

I don't think books need sex scenes to be good anyway! Sometimes they help with the story sure, but it depends on the focus! I got the impression, from what you've said and what I read on your KS page, that your book is one of those that doesn't need it!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## KCecala

Hi Lori. There is no explicit sex in my book, Wives of the Saints, but my characters talk a lot about it! The whole point of the book is that these poor folks consider themselves devout Catholics but are quite messed up when it comes to sex in general, as is the case with many of us misinformed older ones... It is humorous, not poking fun at the Church at all, just gently laughing at some the absurd notions we've grown up with. And you know, it's hard to get all that into a blurb without making it sound like either a Christian novel or Erotica! And it's neither, really, just about the 'ever after' part of marriage.
I do indeed have a new cover--I'll post a pic soon. The first thing I'm doing is posting on NetGalley, because I'm looking for some traditional 'longform' reviews like I got for my last book. Some writers have had bad experiences with NG and it's true, the reviewers are tough, because many are professionals. But a good review from them carries a lot of weight. Next up is Booklife and trying to get a review in Publisher's Weekly--that's very hard but not impossible. Because my book's a little unusual, I focus most of my initial marketing at garnering reviews, and hope the sales will follow. If not, then it's time for the freebies and other tricks. But I'm rooting for you and everyone else on this thread--let's show those dimwits at KS what they missed out on!


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## LoriDRV

Laura & Kathy, Thank you for sharing about your scenes regarding sex.  

Laura, you're right, my novel does not need sex. I wanted the focus to be on a deeper message. I do show the chemistry between the couples, but then I do a sort of proverbial, "fade to black." For those youngsters, that's what they used to do in the old movies before they were allowed to show sexual content.  

Kathy, I look forward to seeing your book cover. I will probably be able to identify with your characters. I was raised Catholic.


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## Used To Be BH

KCecala said:


> Let's show those dimwits at KS what they missed out on!


Amen!


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## Used To Be BH

LoriDRV said:


> Laura & Kathy, Thank you for sharing about your scenes regarding sex.
> 
> Laura, you're right, my novel does not need sex. I wanted the focus to be on a deeper message. I do show the chemistry between the couples, but then I do a sort of proverbial, "fade to black." For those youngsters, that's what they used to do in the old movies before they were allowed to show sexual content.
> 
> Kathy, I look forward to seeing your book cover. I will probably be able to identify with your characters. I was raised Catholic.


Since I started out writing YA, I naturally didn't want to include anything even remotely explicit. (In any case, Amazon doesn't allow indie authors to do include that kind of thing with underage characters.)

_Different Lee_ is NA, and the main character is clearly sexually active, but the sex is not actually portrayed, in part because I wanted to keep the book in a range that would still be appropriate for teenagers. Having taught high school for 36 years, I can't help seeing teenagers as part of my audience. I can imagine situations in which the sex would need to be portrayed, but I'll probably not set up a novel that requires that.


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## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> Since I started out writing YA, I naturally didn't want to include anything even remotely explicit. (In any case, Amazon doesn't allow indie authors to do include that kind of thing with underage characters.)
> 
> _Different Lee_ is NA, and the main character is clearly sexually active, but the sex is not actually portrayed, in part because I wanted to keep the book in a range that would still be appropriate for teenagers. Having taught high school for 36 years, I can't help seeing teenagers as part of my audience. I can imagine situations in which the sex would need to be portrayed, but I'll probably not set up a novel that requires that.


I've set What Lies Beneath the Mask out like you have Bill! My main character (Annabelle) thinks about sex and talks about it at several points with her best friend. At no point did I hide that she was attracted to her love interest physically as well as it being more than that (I decided against the will they-won't they trope!)

Probably at about 2/3rd of the way through (but I didn't actually check!) the two of them do have sex and I suppose I could have easily put a sex scene in for them (and I've written them before so it wouldn't have been a big deal for me really) but there were two reasons I didn't;

1. If readers are expecting sex scenes then they're already going to be annoyed that I made them wait so long (in relationship real time I made my characters wait for a few months, with good reason!) So I wasn't going to just put one in for the hell of it.

2. I worried it would cheapen my story. The main arc for me, though maybe not for everyone, is about Annabelle healing after her abusive relationship and learning to trust again. It was important to my story for her and Jack to have sex at some point (being that it is a natural part of a relationship) but I felt like making it an actual scene could detract from what it meant in the terms of Annabelle ' s journey

Of course I may have been wrong in my decision and shot myself in the foot+

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

On a completely different note, KS seems to have had no impact on my preorder number. Currently sitting at 3! Which is way better than none but still not stellar!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## KCecala

lauramg_1406 said:


> On a completely different note, KS seems to have had no impact on my preorder number. Currently sitting at 3! Which is way better than none but still not stellar!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


 Was wondering how that would play out. Oh well, guess it's better than no sales...


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## lauramg_1406

KCecala said:


> Was wondering how that would play out. Oh well, guess it's better than no sales...


Exactly! I benefitted from KS in so many ways that the sales are really just the icing on top anyway!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> On a completely different note, KS seems to have had no impact on my preorder number. Currently sitting at 3! Which is way better than none but still not stellar!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Most authors I've questioned say KS was little or no help with their book launches. From what I can tell, Bill is the exception to the rule. Not that he's the only one to benefit from KS, but I have a feeling that established authors with market presence benefit to a far greater degree than debut authors.


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## Carey Lewis

lauramg_1406 said:


> On a completely different note, KS seems to have had no impact on my preorder number. Currently sitting at 3! Which is way better than none but still not stellar!


From what I understand from being completely numbed to all the marketing I've been reading (unfortunately not much of it sticking) you don't want high pre-order sales because it counts your sales on the dates of the pre-order and not when the book is released, and therefore starts you sooner on the 30 day cliff. I think basically you just put the book up for pre-order to get the ASIN so you can start booking promotions and the actual launch is when it goes on sale. Apple and Barnes and Noble and the other ones will count it toward your ranking both on pre-order and on launch day, whereas Amazon will only count them once. Argh! Maybe someone else can chime in on this because I really don't think I'm making myself clear 

Basically I think I'm saying don't worry about it 

Sorry, my brain is fried trying to learn how to format a paperback with Word. If I only had a Mac with Scrivener it sounds like it would have been infinitely easier. But at least I think I got it. My very first paperback!


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## lauramg_1406

Carey Lewis said:


> From what I understand from being completely numbed to all the marketing I've been reading (unfortunately not much of it sticking) you don't want high pre-order sales because it counts your sales on the dates of the pre-order and not when the book is released, and therefore starts you sooner on the 30 day cliff. I think basically you just put the book up for pre-order to get the ASIN so you can start booking promotions and the actual launch is when it goes on sale. Apple and Barnes and Noble and the other ones will count it toward your ranking both on pre-order and on launch day, whereas Amazon will only count them once. Argh! Maybe someone else can chime in on this because I really don't think I'm making myself clear
> 
> Basically I think I'm saying don't worry about it
> 
> Sorry, my brain is fried trying to learn how to format a paperback with Word. If I only had a Mac with Scrivener it sounds like it would have been infinitely easier. But at least I think I got it. My very first paperback!


That's really exciting about your paperback! Bet that's a good feeling!

It's okay! Your post made sense! I'm trying not to worry about it! I have a few promos booked in after it actually goes love, so hopefully that's where the difference can be made!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Most authors I've questioned say KS was little or no help with their book launches. From what I can tell, Bill is the exception to the rule. Not that he's the only one to benefit from KS, but I have a feeling that established authors with market presence benefit to a far greater degree than debut authors.


I'm four years past my debut, but I'm not sure I'm really established (though I know people would mean different things by that). I went through a few months with 60-120 sales, plus about 30,000 KU pages, but starting in June, I was doing about half that. 30 sales a month across 12 titles isn't exactly earth-shaking. October was a little better, and this month has been great by virtue of the new release. Judging from my Also Boughts, though, I'd say the new release is pulling new readers rather than energizing the old ones. None of my other books show up in the _Different Lee_ also boughts, and _Different Lee_ doesn't show up in any of the also boughts for the other books. In the past, when a new book launched, some or all of my other titles showed up almost immediately in the also boughts. Given that, and given that _Different Lee_ also boughts include far more Kindle Scout related books than the also boughts for any of my other books do, and I'd have to say the readers are largely new, rather than being the result of my previous fan base. The only way I can think of to account for that is momentum from the Kindle Scout campaign.

Over time, I imagine my former readers will find the new book, and hopefully the new readers will begin to discover the old books, but right now the two groups are like two completely separate readerships, despite the fact that all the books are in the same genre.


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## lauramg_1406

Established wise I'm in a really odd place where What Lies Beneath the Mask is sort of acting, and sort of feels, like a debut novel, but at the same time I do have two novellas already published.

I can't comment on their sales (I don't have access to that information) but I suspect they're poor for a number of reasons. My plan is to rerelease them when the rights revert to me with a vastly different pricing/marketing strategy  (I've pretty much given up on actually marketing them now).

FYI I've decided that my time to get worried is after the 12th December if the promo I have booked flops, cause that one cost a fair bit! 

Or if I end up with all 1/2 star reviews...that would also be time to start worrying!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> Established wise I'm in a really odd place where What Lies Beneath the Mask is sort of acting, and sort of feels, like a debut novel, but at the same time I do have two novellas already published.
> 
> I can't comment on their sales (I don't have access to that information) but I suspect they're poor for a number of reasons. My plan is to rerelease them when the rights revert to me with a vastly different pricing/marketing strategy (I've pretty much given up on actually marketing them now).
> 
> FYI I've decided that my time to get worried is after the 12th December if the promo I have booked flops, cause that one cost a fair bit!
> 
> Or if I end up with all 1/2 star reviews...that would also be time to start worrying!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


It's legitimate to refer to your first novel as your debut novel even if you published shorter works. Alternatively, you could call it your self-publishing debut, since it sounds as if the novellas were self-published.


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## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> It's legitimate to refer to your first novel as your debut novel even if you published shorter works. Alternatively, you could call it your self-publishing debut, since it sounds as if the novellas were self-published.


What it really is is my debut for wanting to take this all seriously! Up until this year writing has been a slow process, but something just clicked in my head while writing this one!

My novellas are with an indie publisher! It's all been a learning curve from the very beginning!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Used To Be BH

Carey Lewis said:


> Sorry, my brain is fried trying to learn how to format a paperback with Word. If I only had a Mac with Scrivener it sounds like it would have been infinitely easier. But at least I think I got it. My very first paperback!


I compose in Scrivener (on a PC, but it does what I need it to do), but I actually do the fine-tuning for the paperback in Word. The fact that I've used Word for years probably makes it easier for me than if I were new to it. I did have to learn a few new tricks which are relevant to paperbacks but wouldn't have made any difference in terms of what I was doing before.

You'd probably do this anyway, but be sure to order a proof copy. Particularly if it's your first, but even if it isn't, this is always a wise step. I've had things look fine in the online previewer and not work quite the same way during the actual printing. The last time, which I think was my seventh, the gutter measurement didn't work out the way it should have. Even though I was already adding a tenth of an inch more than CS recommended, I needed to add another to avoid having text too close on the inside.


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## LoriDRV

Bill Hiatt said:


> Since I started out writing YA, I naturally didn't want to include anything even remotely explicit. (In any case, Amazon doesn't allow indie authors to do include that kind of thing with underage characters.)
> 
> _Different Lee_ is NA, and the main character is clearly sexually active, but the sex is not actually portrayed, in part because I wanted to keep the book in a range that would still be appropriate for teenagers. Having taught high school for 36 years, I can't help seeing teenagers as part of my audience. I can imagine situations in which the sex would need to be portrayed, but I'll probably not set up a novel that requires that.


Thanks Bill, for explaining how you've handled sex scenes. Ever since Fifty Shades, I felt like it was a must, but I'm learning differently. In fact, a couple of the authors in my critique group use to write sex scenes and pretty much softened those up over time. I wonder if the trend is veering away from that now.

I've been busy today baking pumpkin cookies. I prefer those over pie. May everyone find some peace, comfort and blessings over the holiday.


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## Used To Be BH

LoriDRV said:


> Thanks Bill, for explaining how you've handled sex scenes. Ever since Fifty Shades, I felt like it was a must, but I'm learning differently. In fact, a couple of the authors in my critique group use to write sex scenes and pretty much softened those up over time. I wonder if the trend is veering away from that now.
> 
> I've been busy today baking pumpkin cookies. I prefer those over pie. May everyone find some peace, comfort and blessings over the holiday.


It's really only ever been a must if you write erotica or some of the steamier romance subgenres. There are also times when an author might deem it necessary in a particular context, but that's always the author's call, never a requirement.


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## Used To Be BH

Happy Thanksgiving!

Status update: No promos for the last couple of dates, but a trickle of sales, split between _Different Lee_ and my other books. I must say I was flattered to have gotten four sales so far on Thanksgiving, a day when I usually get zero.

For the first time, one of my other books (the highest selling among them) has appeared in the Also Boughts for _Different Lee_ (page nine out of thirteen).

That could be a good sign, either meaning my original fans are starting to find DL, or my DL fans are starting to find the other books. Twenty days out, and Amazon still hasn't sent the new release email to my hundreds of Amazon followers. (Generally, it produces zero sales anyway, but I was curious to see what the result would be this time.)


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## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> Happy Thanksgiving!
> 
> Status update: No promos for the last couple of dates, but a trickle of sales, split between _Different Lee_ and my other books. I must say I was flattered to have gotten four sales so far on Thanksgiving, a day when I usually get zero.
> 
> For the first time, one of my other books (the highest selling among them) has appeared in the Also Boughts for _Different Lee_ (page nine out of thirteen).
> 
> That could be a good sign, either meaning my original fans are starting to find DL, or my DL fans are starting to find the other books. Twenty days out, and Amazon still hasn't sent the new release email to my hundreds of Amazon followers. (Generally, it produces zero sales anyway, but I was curious to see what the result would be this time.)


Yesterday I pressed the Amazon "Follow" button to be notified when you have new releases and I did receive an email yesterday with two authors who had new books out, and you were one.


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## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> Happy Thanksgiving!
> 
> Status update: No promos for the last couple of dates, but a trickle of sales, split between _Different Lee_ and my other books. I must say I was flattered to have gotten four sales so far on Thanksgiving, a day when I usually get zero.
> 
> For the first time, one of my other books (the highest selling among them) has appeared in the Also Boughts for _Different Lee_ (page nine out of thirteen).
> 
> That could be a good sign, either meaning my original fans are starting to find DL, or my DL fans are starting to find the other books. Twenty days out, and Amazon still hasn't sent the new release email to my hundreds of Amazon followers. (Generally, it produces zero sales anyway, but I was curious to see what the result would be this time.)


From a reader's perspective; maybe enough time has passed for your new readers to have bought and read DL and enjoyed it so bought the first book in your series. I know I've done something similar after discovering a new author 

Woo got another preorder! Now up to a grand total of 4 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## The one with all the big dresses on the covers

It took 18 days for me to get a new release notification from Amazon for my last release (the release before that never got one at all). And a friend who followed me told me she got a notification the day after I got mine so I'm wondering if they've started staggering the notifications.

Out of curiosity Bill, how do you know how many followers you have? (Or was that a tongue in cheek comment )


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## Used To Be BH

MelanieCellier said:


> It took 18 days for me to get a new release notification from Amazon for my last release (the release before that never got one at all). And a friend who followed me told me she got a notification the day after I got mine so I'm wondering if they've started staggering the notifications.
> 
> Out of curiosity Bill, how do you know how many followers you have? (Or was that a tongue in cheek comment )


One of the bad parts about the system is that you can't really know how many followers you have. I can get a rough count of how many people followed me at one time from the number of entries in my Amazon giveaways (and that does run into the hundreds, maybe even low thousands). I don't know how many of them stick, and I don't know how many of them open the emails, what the click rate is, etc. If Amazon wants us to take the program seriously, we need to have a little more data.


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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Yesterday I pressed the Amazon "Follow" button to be notified when you have new releases and I did receive an email yesterday with two authors who had new books out, and you were one.


That's interesting. I follow myself so I can see when Amazon sends out the email, and I don't think I ever got one. If, however, one came out in the last couple of days, that could explain the Thanksgiving "miracle" (15 sales, 12 of them DL). If that were the case, it would make me reevaluate the value of Amazon follows, because those emails haven't produced an uptick before.

Do you recall what the subject line was? Maybe I'm just missing the email as I scan. I'm trying to figure out when it would have been released.


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## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> From a reader's perspective; maybe enough time has passed for your new readers to have bought and read DL and enjoyed it so bought the first book in your series. I know I've done something similar after discovering a new author
> 
> Woo got another preorder! Now up to a grand total of 4
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


That's what I'm hoping is happening, and it has been enough time for early buyers to have read the book.

From what I can tell, preorders come slowly, except for really big name indies. (A lot of people over on the KDP forums see them just trickle in at best.) In that context, 4 is probably pretty good.


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## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> Hello, all, I'm excited that _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_ already has 13 preorders, and it hasn't been a week yet! I plan on figuring out how to let my nominators know this weekend, so hopefully I'll have an awesome launch in January.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MXNDEQL


I just preordered.

13 before your nominators even know? That's extremely good!


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## Used To Be BH

Status update: Book Raid gave me a refund because their ad for me didn't generate enough clicks (12). I hadn't looked at the fine print and didn't know they'd do that, but that makes them a relatively low-risk promoter. However, the interesting thing is that during the two days I was told to watch for sales based on their promo, I had exactly 12. Now I know they probably didn't all come from that  source, but it appears to me the clicks I got may have produced an atypically high conversion rate.

I've already referred to the unusually high sales on Thanksgiving (15, 12 of them from DL). If, as Kay suggests, the notification went out to my Amazon followers recently, that could be the reason. About half of the sales came in before people would have sat down for Thanksgiving dinner, the half long after it was over, with a freeze midway that probably indicates most people weren't sitting at dinner and buying books on their cell phone. (At least, let's hope they weren't.)

Hmmm... I got another sale just during the time I was typing this. Black Friday usually isn't a good day for sales, either, but we will see...


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## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> Thanks for the preorder, Bill. The audiobook is on schedule for a January 30th release. I'll be launching the kickstarter campaign to raise the funds for the hard cover production after the weekend.


Be sure to send us the link. It's been a while since I've donated to a good kickstarter. I used to do those indie movie kickstarters a lot, particularly the fantasy ones, but they never ended up going anywhere. The only one I backed that did was the Veronica Mars movie, and that was sort of fated to succeed. The original cast of the TV series couldn't get Warner Brothers to make a movie, but they all wanted to do one, so they got Warner Brothers to agree to license the film rights to them (in exchange for make Warner the distributor if the movie actually got made). With reasonably well-known actors pitching the kickstarter, I think it raised something like three times their target amount. I'm pretty sure it was a passion project for them and that they didn't take their normal salaries, though I think it did OK at the box office, so they probably made out all right financially, too.


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## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> That's interesting. I follow myself so I can see when Amazon sends out the email, and I don't think I ever got one. If, however, one came out in the last couple of days, that could explain the Thanksgiving "miracle" (15 sales, 12 of them DL). If that were the case, it would make me reevaluate the value of Amazon follows, because those emails haven't produced an uptick before.
> 
> Do you recall what the subject line was? Maybe I'm just missing the email as I scan. I'm trying to figure out when it would have been released.


I saved the email. It says "Kay Ling, you have two new updates from Amazon."

If you want to PM me your email, I'll forward it to you.

Since I just began following you, I don't think you can draw any conclusions as to when the rest of your followers received the notification. They should have received it a while ago.


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## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> That's what I'm hoping is happening, and it has been enough time for early buyers to have read the book.
> 
> From what I can tell, preorders come slowly, except for really big name indies. (A lot of people over on the KDP forums see them just trickle in at best.) In that context, 4 is probably pretty good.


The preorder has served it's purpose anyway! I have promos booked for during the first two weeks of release!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## LoriDRV

Hi Guys - I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I don't know if anyone is interested, but just in case, I wanted to mention that today is the last day my memoir will be free. That will take all but an afternoon to read, since it's just a few short stories. My novel will be .99 cents through Sunday. I put both links on my blog. I can't figure out how to put my other book below in the signature.
https://loreezlane.wordpress.com/2016/11/25/last-day-is-today/

I am so backlogged on reading, but I am reading books from all my online friends. It's just slow going.

I'm still working on my CreateSpace version of Whit's End. This being a holiday week, it's been more difficult to find the time. I finally did get the okay for the interior formatting, but struggling with the book cover dimensions. I put the pictures together for it, and my husband is the one working on the format for CreateSpace.

Question about CreateSpace for you. Can you buy the book for cheaper than you price it at, since you're the author? I mean, you know, for cost? (Don't know if this question makes sense).

Have a great rest of the weekend, Lori


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## Kay7979

LoriDRV said:


> Hi Guys - I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
> 
> I don't know if anyone is interested, but just in case, I wanted to mention that today is the last day my memoir will be free. That will take all but an afternoon to read, since it's just a few short stories. My novel will be .99 cents through Sunday. I put both links on my blog. I can't figure out how to put my other book below in the signature.
> https://loreezlane.wordpress.com/2016/11/25/last-day-is-today/
> 
> I am so backlogged on reading, but I am reading books from all my online friends. It's just slow going.
> 
> I'm still working on my CreateSpace version of Whit's End. This being a holiday week, it's been more difficult to find the time. I finally did get the okay for the interior formatting, but struggling with the book cover dimensions. I put the pictures together for it, and my husband is the one working on the format for CreateSpace.
> 
> Question about CreateSpace for you. Can you buy the book for cheaper than you price it at, since you're the author? I mean, you know, for cost? (Don't know if this question makes sense).
> 
> Have a great rest of the weekend, Lori


Yes. You can order books at cost from Createspace. I recently ordered a box of ten. You don't get royalties obviously at this price, and you don't get sales credit as you would for a retail purchase through Amazon.

I'll mention a potentially useful strategy. If there's someone I know and trust who wants to buy a paperback from me because they prefer "real books" to eBooks, I give them a discount equal to or greater than the price of the Kindle version on the condition that they purchase the eBook. This way they end up with both versions for the same price as just the paperback, and I have a verified sale.


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## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> Here's the preview link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1012144245/1145248984?token=bccb946d
> 
> I'm only waiting on the video and confirmation from Julie about the Bards and Sages issues. I'll do the video today or tomorrow, and if Julie doesn't get back to me, I'll remove the references to Bards and Sages and submit on Monday.


I'll be poised to donate!


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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> I saved the email. It says "Kay Ling, you have two new updates from Amazon."
> 
> If you want to PM me your email, I'll forward it to you.
> 
> Since I just began following you, I don't think you can draw any conclusions as to when the rest of your followers received the notification. They should have received it a while ago.


Using the subject line you got, I was able to search and find the original email from November 19. Unfortunately, since that was the day of my Booksends promo, I can't easily tell whether the new release email had any real impact or not, especially since the booksends promos have a reputation of doing very well on their own. Nor does that explain the Thanksgiving spike.  Oh, well, another mystery I may not be able to solve. I will note, however, that the message is even blander than it used to be. Now it's just "Bill Hiatt released" followed by the name of the book and a cover image. You'd better hope your cover image is good, because the rest of the announcement is about as unexciting as it could get.


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## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> The preorder has served it's purpose anyway! I have promos booked for during the first two weeks of release!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Yes, that's an advantage people don't always realize: the preorder creates an ASIN, which means you can start booking promos.


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## Used To Be BH

LoriDRV said:


> I am so backlogged on reading, but I am reading books from all my online friends. It's just slow going.


As my former students would say, "OMG!" We're probably all in the same boat. I only get a few pages a day done. Somehow, I have four different projects going at the same time. In the past, i've seldom had more than one.


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## Used To Be BH

Status update: no new promos until tomorrow, but I sold ten books on Black Friday--not quite as odd as the 15 on Thanksgiving, but still more than the zero I usually move on a day like that. I'd like to think it's momentum. We'll see.


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## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> Status update: no new promos until tomorrow, but I sold ten books on Black Friday--not quite as odd as the 15 on Thanksgiving, but still more than the zero I usually move on a day like that. I'd like to think it's momentum. We'll see.


Good job! I was just reading that December isn't a great month for sales but January is excellent. I should probably concentrate my promos in January. I'm planning to do a Kindle count-down and that would be a good time. Have you ever done one of those?


----------



## RWhite7699

Kay7979 said:


> Good job! I was just reading that December isn't a great month for sales but January is excellent. I should probably concentrate my promos in January. I'm planning to do a Kindle count-down and that would be a good time. Have you ever done one of those?


I have done several countdowns in the past, but it has been a while. It was my experience that if your book is already selling well, then you get priority of placement on the first page; therefore you do very well. But if your book's rank is not high, then you get stuck on page 17 or 30 or worse, and the potential customers don't bother to go past page 10 or so.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Good job! I was just reading that December isn't a great month for sales but January is excellent. I should probably concentrate my promos in January. I'm planning to do a Kindle count-down and that would be a good time. Have you ever done one of those?


It's been a while. I tried one when they first started and moved a significant number of books, but my subsequent efforts barely moved the needle. That may partly be the effect Ruth is talking about. It's partly also a consequence of the fact that a lot more people are doing them than were in the beginning.

December is slower, at least for ebooks. January last year was my best month up until this one. I had twice as many KU pages read as any other month (people using their thirty day free trial subscriptions would be my guess), and very healthy sales as well, probably double the norm for that point in my career. People were looking for things to put on their new Kindles are other new devices.


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> It's been a while. I tried one when they first started and moved a significant number of books, but my subsequent efforts barely moved the needle. That may partly be the effect Ruth is talking about. It's partly also a consequence of the fact that a lot more people are doing them than were in the beginning.
> 
> December is slower, at least for ebooks. January last year was my best month up until this one. I had twice as many KU pages read as any other month (people using their thirty day free trial subscriptions would be my guess), and very healthy sales as well, probably double the norm for that point in my career. People were looking for things to put on their new Kindles are other new devices.


The January effect makes sense based on your explanation of people getting ereaders for Christmas. And possibly Amazon gift cards. So it would be wise to improve my sales rank in December in hopes anyone finds me in January. A rep from ManyReads contacted me through my website contact page offering me a spot in their newsletter for $19 rather than the standard $25 if I do it in the near future. The problem is I'd need to do a price reduction of at least half price. If I can only do one countdown deal per 90 days, (and I think you can't reduce the price for 30 days before or 14 days afterward), I need to run the countdown at an advantageous time. I don't want to squander my limited promo opportunities. I'm open to suggestions and guidance.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> The January effect makes sense based on your explanation of people getting ereaders for Christmas. And possibly Amazon gift cards. So it would be wise to improve my sales rank in December in hopes anyone finds me in January. A rep from ManyReads contacted me through my website contact page offering me a spot in their newsletter for $19 rather than the standard $25 if I do it in the near future. The problem is I'd need to do a price reduction of at least half price. If I can only do one countdown deal per 90 days, (and I think you can't reduce the price for 30 days before or 14 days afterward), I need to run the countdown at an advantageous time. I don't want to squander my limited promo opportunities. I'm open to suggestions and guidance.


It's unfortunate that the book promotion industry has become so focused on price reductions. But that's actually another reason I stopped doing countdowns: it's hard to get all the promoters into the same five-day range if you want to stack promotions. The ideal pattern I'm thinking for maintaining a rank rather than just hitting a high point and then plummeting would be one promotion a day, but countdown deals aren't designed for that. These days I just lower the price when I need to for a promotion without worrying about countdowns. That way I can schedule promotions more efficiently. If Amazon promoted countdowns like crazy it might be different, but they don't.


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> It's unfortunate that the book promotion industry has become so focused on price reductions. But that's actually another reason I stopped doing countdowns: it's hard to get all the promoters into the same five-day range if you want to stack promotions. The ideal pattern I'm thinking for maintaining a rank rather than just hitting a high point and then plummeting would be one promotion a day, but countdown deals aren't designed for that. These days I just lower the price when I need to for a promotion without worrying about countdowns. That way I can schedule promotions more efficiently. If Amazon promoted countdowns like crazy it might be different, but they don't.


I think the countdown goes for seven days and can't be split up, whereas the free days are five days that can be used individually or strung together. The issue I'm dealing with, and I'm not sure I understand exactly how this works, is the issue of royalty payments. At $3.99 I'm in the 70% royalty category, which I retain during the countdown deal, although it will be 70% of the discounted price.

While I'm in Select I can't keep changing my price, right? Only once in 90 days? Someone else told me I can, as long as I reset my royalty rate to 35%. I have no idea if that's true. All these rules and exceptions confuse me.


----------



## amyates

*Waves* Thanks to OP for starting this thread! I've been reading through and am I happy to see so many fellow Scouters here. My campaign ended last December. I've since released it and set it permafree. (I have the other two books in the series written and published.) 

Concerning launch... all I can say is that when I published this summer, I sent out a ton of ARCs and did Netgalley fora  month. But as is obvious, I've only garnered 10 reviews on Amazon. There are surely many reasons for this, but my only thought on it at the moment is that I focused quite a bit on YA book bloggers, many of whom are actual teens. While most left reviews on their blogs and on goodreads, many were unable to leave reviews on Amazon (because they didn't have credit cards/accounts/never purchased.) So, lesson learned on my end. While it was great to have their enthusiasm and to have them spreading the word to their friends, I probably would've been better off spending the money on a big ad campaign. Just my two cents.

Cheers!


----------



## Kay7979

amyates said:


> *Waves* Thanks to OP for starting this thread! I've been reading through and am I happy to see so many fellow Scouters here. My campaign ended last December. I've since released it and set it permafree. (I have the other two books in the series written and published.)
> 
> Concerning launch... all I can say is that when I published this summer, I sent out a ton of ARCs and did Netgalley fora month. But as is obvious, I've only garnered 10 reviews on Amazon. There are surely many reasons for this, but my only thought on it at the moment is that I focused quite a bit on YA book bloggers, many of whom are actual teens. While most left reviews on their blogs and on goodreads, many were unable to leave reviews on Amazon (because they didn't have credit cards/accounts/never purchased.) So, lesson learned on my end. While it was great to have their enthusiasm and to have them spreading the word to their friends, I probably would've been better off spending the money on a big ad campaign. Just my two cents.
> 
> Cheers!


Hello and welcome! Please pull up a chair and stick around. Thanks for your insights. I wouldn't have thought about bloggers being teenagers, much less teenagers without Amazon accounts. Yikes! It sounds like you put in a great deal of effort for less than optimal results. I hope the word-of-mouth exposure through the bloggers and their readers won you some sales, if not a lot of reviews.


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## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Hello, everyone! hopefully you remember that I ran a Kindle Scout campaign for _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_. In order to get a hardcover done, I pulled the trigger on a Kickstarter campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1012144245/war-of-the-worlds-retaliation-hardcover
> 
> I'm not asking anyone here to pledge, although that would be cool, but what John and I really need is exposure. Please tweet, Facebook, blog, or any other social media networks you like. There are only 16 days left in the campaign. I'm going to post this to the other Kindle Scout thread that we all frequent.


Best of luck to you. I'd be happy to retweet or share occasional posts. My friends are still recovering from my KS campaign so I try not to bombard them with too many book-related posts, lol.


----------



## amyates

Kay7979 said:


> Hello and welcome! Please pull up a chair and stick around. Thanks for your insights. I wouldn't have thought about bloggers being teenagers, much less teenagers without Amazon accounts. Yikes! It sounds like you put in a great deal of effort for less than optimal results. I hope the word-of-mouth exposure through the bloggers and their readers won you some sales, if not a lot of reviews.


Thanks, Kay! It was less than optimal, but I have a policy of trying everything I can to see what sticks. Teen bloggers, not so much.  But on the other hand, they are some of my most engaged and vocal readers. They post my books to social media probably more than I do! So, there is that.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> Hello, everyone! hopefully you remember that I ran a Kindle Scout campaign for _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_. In order to get a hardcover done, I pulled the trigger on a Kickstarter campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1012144245/war-of-the-worlds-retaliation-hardcover
> 
> I'm not asking anyone here to pledge, although that would be cool, but what John and I really need is exposure. Please tweet, Facebook, blog, or any other social media networks you like. There are only 16 days left in the campaign. I'm going to post this to the other Kindle Scout thread that we all frequent.


Donated, tweeted, and posted.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> I think the countdown goes for seven days and can't be split up, whereas the free days are five days that can be used individually or strung together. The issue I'm dealing with, and I'm not sure I understand exactly how this works, is the issue of royalty payments. At $3.99 I'm in the 70% royalty category, which I retain during the countdown deal, although it will be 70% of the discounted price.
> 
> While I'm in Select I can't keep changing my price, right? Only once in 90 days? Someone else told me I can, as long as I reset my royalty rate to 35%. I have no idea if that's true. All these rules and exceptions confuse me.


Yes, the advantage of countdown deals is that you retain the 70% royalty.

I'm not aware of any restriction on changing the price of a book while you're in Select, but yes, you do need to change the royalty to 35% if you go below $2.99.


----------



## Used To Be BH

amyates said:


> Thanks, Kay! It was less than optimal, but I have a policy of trying everything I can to see what sticks. Teen bloggers, not so much.  But on the other hand, they are some of my most engaged and vocal readers. They post my books to social media probably more than I do! So, there is that.


A teenage blogger with a following might do more good in the long run than an Amazon review. Of course, it would be nice to have both!


----------



## Marie Clapsaddle

Mark Gardner said:


> Hello, everyone! hopefully you remember that I ran a Kindle Scout campaign for _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_. In order to get a hardcover done, I pulled the trigger on a Kickstarter campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1012144245/war-of-the-worlds-retaliation-hardcover
> 
> I'm not asking anyone here to pledge, although that would be cool, but what John and I really need is exposure. Please tweet, Facebook, blog, or any other social media networks you like. There are only 16 days left in the campaign. I'm going to post this to the other Kindle Scout thread that we all frequent.


Tweeted. Good luck, Mark!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> Yes, the advantage of countdown deals is that you retain the 70% royalty.
> 
> I'm not aware of any restriction on changing the price of a book while you're in Select, but yes, you do need to change the royalty to 35% if you go below $2.99.


So if I understand you correctly, I can reduce my price to .99 of 1.99 for a day or two whenever I like to run a promotion, as long as I reduce the royalty rate to 35%? If so, what about the stipulation that in Select I can't reduce the price for 30 days before or 14 days after running a promo. I'm confused.


----------



## RWhite7699

Kay7979 said:


> So if I understand you correctly, I can reduce my price to .99 of 1.99 for a day or two whenever I like to run a promotion, as long as I reduce the royalty rate to 35%? If so, what about the stipulation that in Select I can't reduce the price for 30 days before or 14 days after running a promo. I'm confused.


You don't have to change the royalty rate when you have a countdown deal. They give you your 75 cents and keep the quarter.


----------



## The one with all the big dresses on the covers

Kay7979 said:


> So if I understand you correctly, I can reduce my price to .99 of 1.99 for a day or two whenever I like to run a promotion, as long as I reduce the royalty rate to 35%? If so, what about the stipulation that in Select I can't reduce the price for 30 days before or 14 days after running a promo. I'm confused.


Yes, if you're willing to take the lower royalty, you can reduce your price to as low as 99c whenever you want as long as you're not planning to run a countdown deal. The 30 days before and 14 days after applies only to countdown deals and not to any other promos (i.e. free or manual price reductions). This is because during your countdown deal, Amazon is advertising (on your product page) that the reduced price is a limited time opportunity so they don't want it to have been cheaper the day before or the day after as well.


----------



## RWhite7699

I take that back, Kay. I checked on my past countdown deals and found that I made 64 cents on each 99 cent sale, but I didn't change my royalty rate. I guess they do that automatically. All I did was sign up for the number of hours I wanted, the dates, and the price increments. They did the rest.


----------



## The one with all the big dresses on the covers

RWhite7699 said:


> I take that back, Kay. I checked on my past countdown deals and found that I made 64 cents on each 99 cent sale, but I didn't change my royalty rate. I guess they do that automatically. All I did was sign up for the number of hours I wanted, the dates, and the price increments. They did the rest.


Sadly, 64c is the 70% royalty rate because at the 70% rate they take out a delivery fee (which is a lot less noticeable at a 3.99 price point than a 99c one). At least at the 35% rate they don't take a delivery fee.


----------



## Kay7979

RWhite7699 said:


> You don't have to change the royalty rate when you have a countdown deal. They give you your 75 cents and keep the quarter.


I understand how the countdown works and rotyalties associated with the countdown deal, the part I'm not sure about is what other types of discounts I can do as part of Select without violating their guidelines.


----------



## Kay7979

MelanieCellier said:


> Yes, if you're willing to take the lower royalty, you can reduce your price to as low as 99c whenever you want as long as you're not planning to run a countdown deal. The 30 days before and 14 days after applies only to countdown deals and not to any other promos (i.e. free or manual price reductions). This is because during your countdown deal, Amazon is advertising (on your product page) that the reduced price is a limited time opportunity so they don't want it to have been cheaper the day before or the day after as well.


Thanks. This explanation seems to target my issue. If I'm planning to do a countdown deal, which I am, then I can't discount my book at random times whenever I want. I can't run a discount now, or I'll violate the 30-day before rule. After the countdown, I can wait at least 14 days and then I can reduce the price and my royalty rate for a .99 or 1.99 discount.


----------



## RWhite7699

MelanieCellier said:


> Sadly, 64c is the 70% royalty rate because at the 70% rate they take out a delivery fee (which is a lot less noticeable at a 3.99 price point than a 99c one). At least at the 35% rate they don't take a delivery fee.


Yes, you're right, Melanie. They do give you the 70 percent rate on a countdown deal, then take a delivery fee. I remember that now.


----------



## romance2die4

I have been considering Kindle Scout, but I swing back and forth on going for it. If I did submit my current WIP, I wouldn't want to go crazy trying to get people to nominate me. I have read on this thread how stressful it can be. My assumption is that if I were to go to through the process, I would be rejected since I suck at promoting myself. Is there a benefit to going through it? Did it do anything for you at all? I would love to hear any advice from those of you who have been through the process. I write contemporary romance.


----------



## Kay7979

romance2die4 said:


> I have been considering Kindle Scout, but I swing back and forth on going for it. If I did submit my current WIP, I wouldn't want to go crazy trying to get people to nominate me. I have read on this thread how stressful it can be. My assumption is that if I were to go to through the process, I would be rejected since I suck at promoting myself. Is there a benefit to going through it? Did it do anything for you at all? I would love to hear any advice from those of you who have been through the process. I write contemporary romance.


Promotion is less important than most participants care to believe. It's good to learn how to market your book, because you'll need to do that to some degree whether or not you're accepted. If your book is what the editors are looking for, they'll take it no matter how few hours you spent in hot and trending and how few page views you have. Opinions on how much help KS was for our book launches varies widely. Most of the people I PMed after their launches said they felt it had been little help, but a few people report increased sales. It certainly can't hurt to run a campaign since the worst case scenario is you "waste" 45 days.


----------



## romance2die4

Kay7979 said:


> Promotion is less important than most participants care to believe. It's good to learn how to market your book, because you'll need to do that to some degree whether or not you're accepted. If your book is what the editors are looking for, they'll take it no matter how few hours you spent in hot and trending and how few page views you have. Opinions on how much help KS was for our book launches varies widely. Most of the people I PMed after their launches said they felt it had been little help, but a few people report increased sales. It certainly can't hurt to run a campaign since the worst case scenario is you "waste" 45 days.


Good to know. Other than announcing to everyone you can that you are on Kindle Scout, did you do any pre-launch promotion? It seems like that would be hard with the uncertainty of not knowing whether KS would accept you or not.


----------



## Kay7979

romance2die4 said:


> Good to know. Other than announcing to everyone you can that you are on Kindle Scout, did you do any pre-launch promotion? It seems like that would be hard with the uncertainty of not knowing whether KS would accept you or not.


If you mean you're not sure your campaign will be accepted to run, you needn't worry. As long as your book isn't plagiarized or porn or something, it will be accepted. If you mean it's hard because you don't know if your book will be accepted at the end of your campaign, and you'll be embarrrased, don't worry about that. I told people upfront that as with all publishers, Amazon Press only accepts a tiny fraction of the submissions. There's no shame in not being accepted.


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> I'm totally stoked! I got the prologue of _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_ back from the narrator today:
> 
> __
> https://soundcloud.com/article94%2Fwar-of-the-worlds-retalition-prologue


Very cool!


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:



> Didja listen? It's only 15 minutes...


Yes the narrator has a really pleasant voice. How did you select the narrator? Did a few audition?


----------



## Evenstar

Hi all,
I thought I'd add my story (to date) in the hope that it's useful to somebody somewhere.

So I submitted a book to kindle scout under a new pen name in a new genre. But having already been a published author for three years I have a decent sized mailing list, which I plundered mercilessly. I sent my book details out to 100 people a day throughout the campaign and stayed in Hot and Trending pretty much throughout. But the book still wasn't accepted.

I wasn't upset that I didnt get selected (apart from the total stress exhaustion of checking the campaign every hour) but I was really confused because my stats were so good. So I asked a select group of successful authors what they thought happened. The feedback was loud and clear: I had missed the genre tropes with my title and cover. _Totally missed it!_

So, kindle scout was a bad experience, one I don't want to repeat - but it did show me something I would have completely missed if I had done it on my own. The fact that something was wrong!

So, I've rebranded it, and retitled it, and have just stuck it up for pre-order and lo and behold, even without using my mailing list it is now climbing fast!

So, I have to thank the KS programme for helping me to see that it needed changing before it could work. They rejected it and they were right!

Now, I'm much happier that I'm way more on the nail for Urban Fantasy, and feel so much more confident than I would have done about it than if I'd just written it and hit publish.

What you can take from that is that the stats make no difference, but you really can learn something from the experience.


----------



## TiffanyNicole

Evenstar said:


> Hi all,
> I thought I'd add my story (to date) in the hope that it's useful to somebody somewhere.
> 
> So I submitted a book to kindle scout under a new pen name in a new genre. But having already been a published author for three years I have a decent sized mailing list, which I plundered mercilessly. I sent my book details out to 100 people a day throughout the campaign and stayed in Hot and Trending pretty much throughout. But the book still wasn't accepted.
> 
> I wasn't upset that I didnt get selected (apart from the total stress exhaustion of checking the campaign every hour) but I was really confused because my stats were so good. So I asked a select group of successful authors what they thought happened. The feedback was loud and clear: I had missed the genre tropes with my title and cover. _Totally missed it!_
> 
> So, kindle scout was a bad experience, one I don't want to repeat - but it did show me something I would have completely missed if I had done it on my own. The fact that something was wrong!
> 
> So, I've rebranded it, and retitled it, and have just stuck it up for pre-order and lo and behold, even without using my mailing list it is now climbing fast!
> 
> So, I have to thank the KS programme for helping me to see that it needed changing before it could work. They rejected it and they were right!
> 
> Now, I'm much happier that I'm way more on the nail for Urban Fantasy, and feel so much more confident than I would have done about it than if I'd just written it and hit publish.
> 
> What you can take from that is that the stats make no difference, but you really can learn something from the experience.


This is great Evenstar! Your new cover definitely hits the genre nail on the head.


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> The audition was only open for a week. I got 23 auditions. Of those, 15 didn't follow the audition instructions, and were immediately discarded. Another four, I didn't care for their accents, and I chose Mark Isham out of the remaining four. I'll likely get my second choice to narrate the Sixteen Sunsets Saga.


This narrator has good intonation and is expressive without being over-the-top. Good choice. I'm curious. What kind of instructions did you give that more than half were too dense to follow?

BTW, I got business cards and posters with my new, improved cover, and they look great.


----------



## Marie Clapsaddle

Mark Gardner said:


> I'm totally stoked! I got the prologue of _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_ back from the narrator today:
> 
> __
> https://soundcloud.com/article94%2Fwar-of-the-worlds-retalition-prologue


Just listened. This sounds great! I love the narrator's voice.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## romance2die4

Evenstar said:


> So, I have to thank the KS programme for helping me to see that it needed changing before it could work. They rejected it and they were right!
> 
> Now, I'm much happier that I'm way more on the nail for Urban Fantasy, and feel so much more confident than I would have done about it than if I'd just written it and hit publish.
> 
> What you can take from that is that the stats make no difference, but you really can learn something from the experience.


I had not considered that it would allow you to see how people react to your book. It would take time, but in the long run it is probably worth it. That was a great idea to rebrand like that. I am glad I saw your post. Thanks for sharing.


----------



## Used To Be BH

romance2die4 said:


> I had not considered that it would allow you to see how people react to your book. It would take time, but in the long run it is probably worth it. That was a great idea to rebrand like that. I am glad I saw your post. Thanks for sharing.


Yes, the process is nice to see how people react to the book and offers the opportunity for self-reflection.

I would also like to second Kay's point. Lincoln Cole, one of the Scout-selected authors, keeps track of the stats people are willing to report to him, so he doesn't have a complete set, but he has reactions from a lot of people. Yes, the average and median results for selected book page views and hot and trending are higher than for non-selected ones, but there are several outliers on both sides. We've seen people who are hot and trending almost the whole time get rejected, and we've seen some who are seldom hot and trending get accepted. Campaign stats might be used by KS editors as a kind of tiebreaker, but the evidence suggests they are no more than that. If the editors find a book that wows them, they will pick it regardless of stats.

Kindle Scout exposure doesn't always contribute to a stronger launch if the book is not accepted, but I think it did in my case. My sales are far beyond what I've gotten on any new release, and, judging from the Also Boughts, come largely from a new set of readers, not from my existing fans. The campaign can be a way of reaching people you wouldn't ordinarily be able to reach.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Status Update: Book Pebble promotion produced...a pebble. I got five sales yesterday, even though _Different Lee_ was at the very top of the email. However, I've noticed that Sundays in general are my weakest days for sales. To be fair, Book Pebble is also a relatively small operation, but they are cheap and respond almost immediately.

Today is Books Machine, a last-minute addition. I've not ever done a promo with them before, so I'll be interested to see what happens. They advertise via mailing list, FB, and blog. Unfortunately, this is also a secondary blast from the Choosy Bookworm promo, so I won't be able to get an accurate feeling for which sales come from what. So it goes...


----------



## Michele Brouder

Bill Hiatt said:


> Status Update: Book Pebble promotion produced...a pebble. I got five sales yesterday, even though _Different Lee_ was at the very top of the email. However, I've noticed that Sundays in general are my weakest days for sales. To be fair, Book Pebble is also a relatively small operation, but they are cheap and respond almost immediately.
> 
> Today is Books Machine, a last-minute addition. I've not ever done a promo with them before, so I'll be interested to see what happens. They advertise via mailing list, FB, and blog. Unfortunately, this is also a secondary blast from the Choosy Bookworm promo, so I won't be able to get an accurate feeling for which sales come from what. So it goes...


Bill, I have 2 questions for you. 
First, of all the promos you've used, which ones would you recommend. I've run about 3 promos so far in the last year and have tried quite a few places but always see the best results with Robin Reads, ENT and Bargain Booksy. And (so far) and increase in sales each time.
Second, in regards to Instafreebie, you said our hands our tied with Select. I'm sure there's a max wc we're allowed to use but what is it? I mean, can you give away the first chapter or two for free? And if you do use a short story for Instafreebie, do you need a cover for that as well?
Thanks


----------



## Carey Lewis

Bill Hiatt said:


> So it goes...


Gotta respect anyone that quotes Vonnegut!

Just letting everyone know that I've let my ugly baby out into the world. Warriors is now available for .99 http://a.co/24gZ0kP Feel free to pick up a copy and I hope you enjoy it!


----------



## Paul Francois

Carey Lewis said:


> Author Francois, saw this and thought of you https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe_4DRriWZ1cs81fzJte_p4nqgQCMdXomhOcyfzGD7C11XHDQ/viewform
> 
> Hope it helps


You know I submitted to this and received a response over the holiday weekend that my request was rejected. He used a bunch of scripted responses, but the only one I agreed with was my mailing list was too small. 

Think I will use InstaFreebie to build my mailing list.


----------



## Carey Lewis

Paul Francois said:


> You know I submitted to this and received a response over the holiday weekend that my request was rejected. He used a bunch of scripted responses, but the only one I agreed with was my mailing list was too small.
> 
> Think I will use InstaFreebie to build my mailing list.


I'm very sorry to hear that. But you know what they say, size doesn't matter amirite? 

Hello? Hello? Is this thing on?


----------



## Used To Be BH

Michele Brouder said:


> Bill, I have 2 questions for you.
> First, of all the promos you've used, which ones would you recommend. I've run about 3 promos so far in the last year and have tried quite a few places but always see the best results with Robin Reads, ENT and Bargain Booksy. And (so far) and increase in sales each time.
> Second, in regards to Instafreebie, you said our hands our tied with Select. I'm sure there's a max wc we're allowed to use but what is it? I mean, can you give away the first chapter or two for free? And if you do use a short story for Instafreebie, do you need a cover for that as well?
> Thanks


Historically, I've had the best luck with ENT. My ENT promo for this book isn't until December 2, but I'm anticipating a good result when it does happen.

In the latest round of promos, the best results (approximate, since there could be random sales involved) were Bargain Booksy (53), Booksends (39), Ripley's Booklist (YA and NA only) (27), Choosy Bookworm (22), Sweet Free Books (13), Awesome Gang (12), Book Raid (12) Book Scream (11) Kboards Discovery (10). The last ones are worth mentioning because they're inexpensive. Booktastic only produced six sales, but I had a huge KU spike the same day that may or may not be coincidental. (Like so many other things, KU complicates evaluating the merit of a promo. I can see the same problem with Books Machine: few sales so far today, though more could come through, but KU pages read are higher today than at any point in the last few days, so some of that could be due to the promo.

I can't evaluate Betty Book Freak and Ebook Soda because their ads ran during the 2-star review incident, when everything dropped. Read Cheaply and Price Dropped Books together brought in 11 sales, but they ran at the same time, so I don't know how to interpret those.

Free Kindle Books and Tips confirmed I'd submitted and said they'd get back to me but never did. 

Still to run (I'll report later): Genre Crave, ENT, Fussy Librarian, Books Butterfly, Kindle Book Review.

In the past I've also had good luck with Book Gorilla, but they book too far ahead to be practical for new releases. For some reason I didn't try Robin Reads, though I don't know why now.

With regard to the Instafreebie question, a sample less than or equal to the Look Inside falls within the rules.


----------



## KCecala

Good luck Carey and other launchers! I'll be joining you soon...I hope. My kindle version of Wives of the Saints is ready to go for Dec. 1 but getting the print version out has been bumpier: the CreateSpace process is so primitive (supposedly no updates because of plans to merge it into KDP) and full of glitches, and having an ear infection with vertigo has not helped! Then I choose Cyber Monday to upload it. I ordered a proof but God only knows what it's going to look like! But I'll get there...


----------



## Paul Francois

Carey Lewis said:


> I'm very sorry to hear that. But you know what they say, size doesn't matter amirite?
> 
> Hello? Hello? Is this thing on?


Right!


----------



## RWhite7699

Carey Lewis said:


> I'm very sorry to hear that. But you know what they say, size doesn't matter amirite?
> 
> Hello? Hello? Is this thing on?


Right. I'm sure Vonnegut said that too?


----------



## Carey Lewis

RWhite7699 said:


> Right. I'm sure Vonnegut said that too?


Bahahaha!!!! I'm sure he did in one of his earlier works!


----------



## Kay7979

I discovered yesterday that my AMS ad had landed me a paperback sale. Yay! I'm still underwater but the ratios look better now with five eBook and one PB sale since I started the campaign on Nov 2nd. I also got another spike in KENP. I have no KENP most days, unfortunately, but I'm hoping that will change.


----------



## lincolnjcole

Kay7979 said:


> I discovered yesterday that my AMS ad had landed me a paperback sale. Yay! I'm still underwater but the ratios look better now with five eBook and one PB sale since I started the campaign on Nov 2nd. I also got another spike in KENP. I have no KENP most days, unfortunately, but I'm hoping that will change.


Nice!

Paperback sales always catch me off guard! I never really expect them, so when I get one I'm like 'oh wow'.

KENP is good for me sometimes, but at other times it just stalls out and dies. Right now it isn't terrible, and I just wrapped up some major promos so hopefully it'll keep trickling in.


----------



## Kay7979

lincolnjcole said:


> Nice!
> 
> Paperback sales always catch me off guard! I never really expect them, so when I get one I'm like 'oh wow'.
> 
> KENP is good for me sometimes, but at other times it just stalls out and dies. Right now it isn't terrible, and I just wrapped up some major promos so hopefully it'll keep trickling in.


I'm not sure if this is what accounted for the last spike, but I joined the Kindle Unlimited FB group. You can post your book(s) there. No more than once a day, but once a day should be enough.


----------



## Paul Francois

So I took the plunge and started an instaFreebie Giveaway: https://www.instafreebie.com/free/vc5Up

Now to spread the word and build up some reviews and my email list...I hope.


----------



## Kay7979

Paul Francois said:


> So I took the plunge and started an instaFreebie Giveaway: https://www.instafreebie.com/free/vc5Up
> 
> Now to spread the word and build up some reviews and my email list...I hope.


Good luck! Let us know how it goes.


----------



## romance2die4

Paul Francois said:


> So I took the plunge and started an instaFreebie Giveaway: https://www.instafreebie.com/free/vc5Up
> 
> Now to spread the word and build up some reviews and my email list...I hope.


I like your cover. How are you marketing your Giveaway? I just started on Instafreebie, and I am in an advent calendar giveaway. It is nice because I share the marketing with 11 other authors and the sponser/blogger of the calendar http://brazenbookshelf.com/. It will be interesting to see if I get any mailing list growth out of it. Otherwise, I am giving some copies away in appropriate FB groups. Have you seen the Instafreebie FB group? That might be of interest to you. That's where I stumbled across the calendar opportunity.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> I'm not sure if this is what accounted for the last spike, but I joined the Kindle Unlimited FB group. You can post your book(s) there. No more than once a day, but once a day should be enough.


Well, it certainly can't hurt.

As you get more books, the effects will multiply. If my experience is any guide, KU readers get through a series much faster than book buyers seem to do. I saw what appeared to be someone in France polishing off all six books in a week. Since my series books were coming out a year apart, it's inevitable that the early ones will always be ahead of the later ones in terms of sales, and they are in terms of KU pages as well, but the gap is much smaller, suggesting that KU readers are much faster and/or more likely to get to the end of the series.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Status update: Books Machine netted 8 sales. There could have been more, but with another promo the very next day, it was be hard to tell. That promo, the first of a two-day with Books Butterfly, netted 11. It's worth noting that those two days had the highest KU figures, both overall and in terms of _Different Lee_ specifically, than I've had since the book debuted, so the two promos could have generated more KU reads as well.

Twenty-five days out, and DL has hovered between 10,000-12,000 in the paid store (high of around 5,000. and low of 35,000 in the immediate aftermath of the two-star review). Between sales (245) and the equivalent of full reads in KU (about 60), DL has reached more than 300 people in the US market alone. I'm not sure if that's anywhere near enough to make the KS people think they made a mistake, but I'm happy with it.

Of course, DL didn't float there on its own. Without all the promos, it would have been much lower, but Thanksgiving and Black Friday illustrate that there is some momentum even without promos.


----------



## lincolnjcole

Bill Hiatt said:


> Status update: Books Machine netted 8 sales. There could have been more, but with another promo the very next day, it was be hard to tell. That promo, the first of a two-day with Books Butterfly, netted 11. It's worth noting that those two days had the highest KU figures, both overall and in terms of _Different Lee_ specifically, than I've had since the book debuted, so the two promos could have generated more KU reads as well.
> 
> Twenty-five days out, and DL has hovered between 10,000-12,000 in the paid store (high of around 5,000. and low of 35,000 in the immediate aftermath of the two-star review). Between sales (245) and the equivalent of full reads in KU (about 60), DL has reached more than 300 people in the US market alone. I'm not sure if that's anywhere near enough to make the KS people think they made a mistake, but I'm happy with it.
> 
> Of course, DL didn't float there on its own. Without all the promos, it would have been much lower, but Thanksgiving and Black Friday illustrate that there is some momentum even without promos.


Super cool!


----------



## Kay7979

For those of you with paperback versions, do you typically keep some on hand for local sales? It seems wise, particularly around the holiday season. I sold two more locally today that will be Christmas gifts. It's frustrating that private sales don't do anything for my sales rank. In cases where I know the people and they have Amazon accounts, I discount the book and ask them to download the eBook version. That way they have PB and eBook and I have a verified sale. But my buyer today seldom shops on Amazon and is unfamiliar with the Kindle reading app, so it would have been too much hassle to get him to download the eBook.


----------



## Paul Francois

romance2die4 said:


> I like your cover. How are you marketing your Giveaway? I just started on Instafreebie, and I am in an advent calendar giveaway. It is nice because I share the marketing with 11 other authors and the sponser/blogger of the calendar http://brazenbookshelf.com/. It will be interesting to see if I get any mailing list growth out of it. Otherwise, I am giving some copies away in appropriate FB groups. Have you seen the Instafreebie FB group? That might be of interest to you. That's where I stumbled across the calendar opportunity.


Thanks. I had a friend, who is an Art Professor at the college I work at, do the cover.

For the most part I am just using my small Twitter and FB base and trying every FB Book Group I can. I submitted to one SFF Mega Promo I just found in IF's forums, but the last group promo shot me down because my email base was too small.  I will check IF's FB group and check out Brazen Bookshelf...Thanks 
EDIT: Oops...the Brazen Bookshelf is for romance genre. Mine is the other kind of fantasy 

Anyone know of free sites to list during KDP free days or for IF free days? Don't feel like paying hundreds when I am already losing money.


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Ooh, ooh, I love answering this question with a photo of the crate I keep in my trunk:


Good going, Mark, and look at that great selection!


----------



## lauramg_1406

Question for you Bill - I've heard people say that too many promos can lead to them losing effectiveness, you seem to be the guru on it! Have you found that? 

Also only 3 hours until What Lies Beneath the Mask is officially out there (at least where i am in thr UK there is!) and I am super nervous! I've got 5 preorders which seems good, and a promo booked for tomorrow (I think!) Feeling good at the moment!  (However I have just "won" NaNo, so it could just be me riding an endorphin high!)

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## RWhite7699

Paul Francois said:


> Thanks. I had a friend, who is an Art Professor at the college I work at, do the cover.
> 
> For the most part I am just using my small Twitter and FB base and trying every FB Book Group I can. I submitted to one SFF Mega Promo I just found in IF's forums, but the last group promo shot me down because my email base was too small.  I will check IF's FB group and check out Brazen Bookshelf...Thanks
> EDIT: Oops...the Brazen Bookshelf is for romance genre. Mine is the other kind of fantasy
> 
> Anyone know of free sites to list during KDP free days or for IF free days? Don't feel like paying hundreds when I am already losing money.


Free Booksy affiliated with Bargain Booksy


----------



## The one with all the big dresses on the covers

Paul Francois said:


> Anyone know of free sites to list during KDP free days or for IF free days? Don't feel like paying hundreds when I am already losing money.


Have you checked out Patty Jansen's SciFi/Fantasy cross promo? The Dec one just closed I believe but she does regular ones alternating between free and 99c. She always advertises them here on kboards.


----------



## Paul Francois

RWhite7699 said:


> Free Booksy affiliated with Bargain Booksy


Thanks. I was looking for free listings, like this one: http://askdavid.com/free-ebook-promotion

Booksy is not free to list.


----------



## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> Question for you Bill - I've heard people say that too many promos can lead to them losing effectiveness, you seem to be the guru on it! Have you found that?
> 
> Also only 3 hours until What Lies Beneath the Mask is officially out there (at least where i am in thr UK there is!) and I am super nervous! I've got 5 preorders which seems good, and a promo booked for tomorrow (I think!) Feeling good at the moment! (However I have just "won" NaNo, so it could just be me riding an endorphin high!)
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


It depends upon the nature of the promo and your expectations. With a promo almost every day, there's some chance people subscribed to multiple lists will get hit more than once, so that any given promo in the set might look a little less effective, but I've seen several people write about how they launched their book well with almost continuous promos. I assume each list has enough unique individuals that it's worth hitting as many of them as will have me.

However, I have seen promos wear out if one uses the same promoter for the same book too often. My first book got over a hundred sales from its first run on ENT, but only thirty or so the last time. That's because their list grows, but it only grows so fast, and a lot of people on the list would have already seen the book once. You can mitigate that problem once you have enough books that you can rotate the promos, though for best results that would require not just multiple books but multiple series. At one point I tried to have each month be for promos of a different book, but that scheme was thwarted by the fact that a lot of promoters want only the first book in a series.


----------



## Used To Be BH

MelanieCellier said:


> Have you checked out Patty Jansen's SciFi/Fantasy cross promo? The Dec one just closed I believe but she does regular ones alternating between free and 99c. She always advertises them here on kboards.


That's a good suggestion. I've also noticed a lot of other free cross promo opportunities, though the only other one I've tried is David Neth's. His are thematic, though, so one needs a book that fits.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> It depends upon the nature of the promo and your expectations. With a promo almost every day, there's some chance people subscribed to multiple lists will get hit more than once, so that any given promo in the set might look a little less effective, but I've seen several people write about how they launched their book well with almost continuous promos. I assume each list has enough unique individuals that it's worth hitting as many of them as will have me.
> 
> However, I have seen promos wear out if one uses the same promoter for the same book too often. My first book got over a hundred sales from its first run on ENT, but only thirty or so the last time. That's because their list grows, but it only grows so fast, and a lot of people on the list would have already seen the book once. You can mitigate that problem once you have enough books that you can rotate the promos, though for best results that would require not just multiple books but multiple series. At one point I tried to have each month be for promos of a different book, but that scheme was thwarted by the fact that a lot of promoters want only the first book in a series.


Thank you! This is definitely worth knowing! Unfortunately, continuous promotion really isn't an option for me! But I will keep that in mind for (hopefully!) A few months time!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Paul Francois

Bill Hiatt said:


> That's a good suggestion. I've also noticed a lot of other free cross promo opportunities, though the only other one I've tried is David Neth's. His are thematic, though, so one needs a book that fits.


Hey Bill,

where on kboards are you finding the cross promo opportunities? So far I have only found them on IF's site.


----------



## RWhite7699

Paul Francois said:


> Thanks. I was looking for free listings, like this one: http://askdavid.com/free-ebook-promotion
> 
> Booksy is not free to list.


Free Booksy is free. I just signed up with them yesterday.


----------



## The one with all the big dresses on the covers

Paul Francois said:


> Hey Bill,
> 
> where on kboards are you finding the cross promo opportunities? So far I have only found them on IF's site.


Generally each of the cross promos on kboards will have their own thread. So when one is active, you'll generally find it popping up on the first page pretty regularly so it's a matter of just keeping an eye out.

Edited to Add: Oh and I should have mentioned that Patty at least has a mailing list you can sign up for to be notified of each of her promos. You can find it on her website.


----------



## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> Thank you! This is definitely worth knowing! Unfortunately, continuous promotion really isn't an option for me! But I will keep that in mind for (hopefully!) A few months time!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I may not have been clear the first time around. Someone could theoretically do a lot of promos consecutively for a new release, but I don't think anyone does that (aside from constantly running AMS ads) for the whole life of the book. Most promoters only let you run the same book every so often, and if you were running ads constantly on a promoter, you would certainly wear out the audience. Also, it would be expensive, and you'd hit diminishing returns rather quickly. I advocate pushing as hard as you can on a new release, but your schedule later can be much more leisurely.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Paul Francois said:


> Hey Bill,
> 
> where on kboards are you finding the cross promo opportunities? So far I have only found them on IF's site.


I just glance through the thread titles. A lot of them are genre-specific, though, so they won't all apply. I've actually found three that way so far, though one didn't work as I anticipated, so I guess it pays to look at previous promos. It was a Halloween promo, and let's just say that on the covers for a lot of the books being advertised with mine, the characters were wearing a lot less than my characters. (Mine was a YA title.)

I knew better than to do this one, but I'm still having nightmares about the Thanksgiving erotica cross promotion.


----------



## Kay7979

I just got the date for my promo with Ripley's, and it's very close to Christmas: December 21st. Their line-up on that date is one SF book for free, one UF book at $.99, one Fantasy book at $1.77 and my fantasy book at $3.99. 

I like Ripley's because they're a SF/F list that targets strictly YA and NA readers, and they take books under $5.00. I hadn't planned to offer a discount for this promo. (I'm waiting to do a Kindle Countdown deal at an optimal time). I have Ripley's complete listings for December 3- December 24, and there are a few books at $2.99/$3.00 but the majority are cheaper. I have a feeling that no matter what I do, Dec. 21st may be too close to Christmas to get many sales, so I'll probably let well enough alone and see if I can get any sales at $3.99. 

When should I run my Countdown promo? If January is typically better for sales than December, should I wait and run the Countdown then? Or should I run it in early December and then selectively discount my book a few days in January if I can line up some newsletter promos? If I understand the restrictions on the Countdown correctly, I'll have to wait 14 days after the Countdown before discounting the book again, but that wouldn't be a problem if I ran the Countdown in early December.

It's depressing that avid readers, the kind who sign up for the promo newsletters, want books free or at $.99. Ideally, I'd like to reach the kind of readers who buy books less frequently but are very selective and read the books they purchase shortly after buying them. These readers, who I meet in real life, think a $3.99 eBook is inexpensive and they don't balk at a trade paperback book at $12-15. But it isn't easy to find an endless stream of this kind of buyer, so the promo sites are necessary. Sigh. 

I'm a little underwater on my AMS ads, but I really like AMS. It targets the kind of buyers above. Readers find a book with the elements that appeal to them, and they aren't put off by $3.99 or even $14.95 for my paperback. 

I'm anxious to have days where I sell 20-40 books via a promo discount, but for the most part, I'm resigned to slowly building a readership who will pay $3.99.


----------



## Paul Francois

RWhite7699 said:


> Free Booksy is free. I just signed up with them yesterday.


To read it is, but when I go there for authors it says "buy, buy, buy" 

https://www.freebooksy.com/for-the-authors/

Am I missing a special link?


----------



## Paul Francois

MelanieCellier said:


> Generally each of the cross promos on kboards will have their own thread. So when one is active, you'll generally find it popping up on the first page pretty regularly so it's a matter of just keeping an eye out.
> 
> Edited to Add: Oh and I should have mentioned that Patty at least has a mailing list you can sign up for to be notified of each of her promos. You can find it on her website.


Cool, thanks 



Bill Hiatt said:


> I just glance through the thread titles. A lot of them are genre-specific, though, so they won't all apply. I've actually found three that way so far, though one didn't work as I anticipated, so I guess it pays to look at previous promos. It was a Halloween promo, and let's just say that on the covers for a lot of the books being advertised with mine, the characters were wearing a lot less than my characters. (Mine was a YA title.)
> 
> I knew better than to do this one, but I'm still having nightmares about the Thanksgiving erotica cross promotion.


I know what you mean. Some of these Romance/Bondage covers can keep you up at nights.


----------



## Malicia Paine

I'm noticing a lot of authors in this thread that I actually nominated in the last few months. In a lot of cases, when I got the email saying you guys didn't get picked, I got pretty bummed because there are so many great books they're passing up. And if they're passing YOU guys up, what chance do *I* have?

I actually got started as a scout myself because of the romance I listed there a short while back ("Always Bet on Black" in case anyone noticed it.) But then I just kept coming back, day after day, to nominate other people's books. The site's actually pretty addictive. And every now and again, I do get a free book out it.

As for the "Now What?" question on this thread, for me, I had originally planned to take advantage of the "let the people who nominated know when you self-pub" option, but for now, I've actually submitted it to Harlequin, since they recently started taking submissions for a new "Sexy Contemporary" that sounded uncannily like where my novel belongs. (My roots being in erotica.) But assuming I don't get lucky with them, I'll probably self-publish.


----------



## RWhite7699

Paul Francois said:


> To read it is, but when I go there for authors it says "buy, buy, buy"
> 
> https://www.freebooksy.com/for-the-authors/
> 
> Am I missing a special link?


This is the form I filled out. https://www.freebooksy.com/editorial-submissions/ 
I would almost swear that yesterday it did not say EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS. I don't even know what that means. Maybe you do. Fill it out anyway. Good luck.


----------



## amyates

Malicia Paine said:


> As for the "Now What?" question on this thread, for me, I had originally planned to take advantage of the "let the people who nominated know when you self-pub" option, but for now, I've actually submitted it to Harlequin, since they recently started taking submissions for a new "Sexy Contemporary" that sounded uncannily like where my novel belongs. (My roots being in erotica.) But assuming I don't get lucky with them, I'll probably self-publish.


Best of luck with the submission! Let us know how it goes!


----------



## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Kay7979 said:


> I just got the date for my promo with Ripley's, and it's very close to Christmas: December 21st. Their line-up on that date is one SF book for free, one UF book at $.99, one Fantasy book at $1.77 and my fantasy book at $3.99.
> 
> I like Ripley's because they're a SF/F list that targets strictly YA and NA readers, and they take books under $5.00. I hadn't planned to offer a discount for this promo. (I'm waiting to do a Kindle Countdown deal at an optimal time). I have Ripley's complete listings for December 3- December 24, and there are a few books at $2.99/$3.00 but the majority are cheaper. I have a feeling that no matter what I do, Dec. 21st may be too close to Christmas to get many sales, so I'll probably let well enough alone and see if I can get any sales at $3.99.
> 
> When should I run my Countdown promo? If January is typically better for sales than December, should I wait and run the Countdown then? Or should I run it in early December and then selectively discount my book a few days in January if I can line up some newsletter promos? If I understand the restrictions on the Countdown correctly, I'll have to wait 14 days after the Countdown before discounting the book again, but that wouldn't be a problem if I ran the Countdown in early December.
> 
> It's depressing that avid readers, the kind who sign up for the promo newsletters, want books free or at $.99. Ideally, I'd like to reach the kind of readers who buy books less frequently but are very selective and read the books they purchase shortly after buying them. These readers, who I meet in real life, think a $3.99 eBook is inexpensive and they don't balk at a trade paperback book at $12-15. But it isn't easy to find an endless stream of this kind of buyer, so the promo sites are necessary. Sigh.
> 
> I'm a little underwater on my AMS ads, but I really like AMS. It targets the kind of buyers above. Readers find a book with the elements that appeal to them, and they aren't put off by $3.99 or even $14.95 for my paperback.
> 
> I'm anxious to have days where I sell 20-40 books via a promo discount, but for the most part, I'm resigned to slowly building a readership who will pay $3.99.


Keep up the great work, Kay!


----------



## Paul Francois

RWhite7699 said:


> This is the form I filled out. https://www.freebooksy.com/editorial-submissions/
> I would almost swear that yesterday it did not say EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS. I don't even know what that means. Maybe you do. Fill it out anyway. Good luck.


Nice find on the link. That is truly hidden. I searched their site and did not find it anywhere.

Thanks


----------



## RWhite7699

Paul Francois said:


> Nice find on the link. That is truly hidden. I searched their site and did not find it anywhere.
> 
> Thanks


You don't know how hard it was to find the second time. I have no idea how I found it the first time. I guess they don't want us to find it.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> I just got the date for my promo with Ripley's, and it's very close to Christmas: December 21st. Their line-up on that date is one SF book for free, one UF book at $.99, one Fantasy book at $1.77 and my fantasy book at $3.99.
> 
> I like Ripley's because they're a SF/F list that targets strictly YA and NA readers, and they take books under $5.00. I hadn't planned to offer a discount for this promo. (I'm waiting to do a Kindle Countdown deal at an optimal time). I have Ripley's complete listings for December 3- December 24, and there are a few books at $2.99/$3.00 but the majority are cheaper. I have a feeling that no matter what I do, Dec. 21st may be too close to Christmas to get many sales, so I'll probably let well enough alone and see if I can get any sales at $3.99.
> 
> When should I run my Countdown promo? If January is typically better for sales than December, should I wait and run the Countdown then? Or should I run it in early December and then selectively discount my book a few days in January if I can line up some newsletter promos? If I understand the restrictions on the Countdown correctly, I'll have to wait 14 days after the Countdown before discounting the book again, but that wouldn't be a problem if I ran the Countdown in early December.
> 
> It's depressing that avid readers, the kind who sign up for the promo newsletters, want books free or at $.99. Ideally, I'd like to reach the kind of readers who buy books less frequently but are very selective and read the books they purchase shortly after buying them. These readers, who I meet in real life, think a $3.99 eBook is inexpensive and they don't balk at a trade paperback book at $12-15. But it isn't easy to find an endless stream of this kind of buyer, so the promo sites are necessary. Sigh.
> 
> I'm a little underwater on my AMS ads, but I really like AMS. It targets the kind of buyers above. Readers find a book with the elements that appeal to them, and they aren't put off by $3.99 or even $14.95 for my paperback.
> 
> I'm anxious to have days where I sell 20-40 books via a promo discount, but for the most part, I'm resigned to slowly building a readership who will pay $3.99.


December is usually a hard time to sell. I have no earth-shattering wisdom on the subject of timing countdown deals.

Although I'm not as alarmed as some by the downward pressure on ebook prices, I do think the big promoters have helped create a culture in which people expect high-quality books for practically no money, not just occasionally, but all the time. That works well if you can make up the difference in volume, as people who win the Bookbub lottery often can, but it makes it pretty hard for anyone else to make a living. It's a good thing I'm not trying to. 

I think the problem is that we are in a transitional time. There are lots of people who will pay more for books, but many of the ones I know are still convinced that self-published books are probably not worth that price point. The readers who have embraced self-publishing seem to include a disproportionate number of bargain hunters who like self-published books precisely because they are inexpensive.

I'm not expecting people will pay the same for me that they would for Stephen King, JK Rowling or John Grisham. What I am hoping is that, as the market matures, there will be more of an appreciation for the truly professional self publishers, as well as the understanding that our books are actually worth something. I don't have problems with price promotions, with short works as free samples, even with permafree first in series. However, readers need to understand that, if they don't want all the good writers to gradually move on to other things, they will occasionally need to pay a somewhat higher sticker price.


----------



## morgan_n

Michele Brouder said:


> Bill, I have 2 questions for you.
> First, of all the promos you've used, which ones would you recommend. I've run about 3 promos so far in the last year and have tried quite a few places but always see the best results with Robin Reads, ENT and Bargain Booksy. And (so far) and increase in sales each time.
> Second, in regards to Instafreebie, you said our hands our tied with Select. I'm sure there's a max wc we're allowed to use but what is it? I mean, can you give away the first chapter or two for free? And if you do use a short story for Instafreebie, do you need a cover for that as well?
> Thanks


I've heard: up to 10 %


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## KCecala

OK, I finally took the plunge and hit 'publish'--Wives of the Saints is now live on Amazon! And the boring old aqua rectangle cover is gone as you can see below (what was I thinking?!) Who doesn't like flowers and candy? Not sorry I did the Kindle Scout thing, but we'll see if there are any benefits from it after all. Am eagerly following the progress of fellow KS refugees here.


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## Kay7979

KCecala said:


> OK, I finally took the plunge and hit 'publish'--Wives of the Saints is now live on Amazon! And the boring old aqua rectangle cover is gone as you can see below (what was I thinking?!) Who doesn't like flowers and candy? Not sorry I did the Kindle Scout thing, but we'll see if there are any benefits from it after all. Am eagerly following the progress of fellow KS refugees here.


Congratulations and good luck, Kathy. I hope you get a boost from your Kindle Scout nominators.


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## lauramg_1406

Feeling a little bit dejected right now...ran my first promo yesterday and got one sale :-(

On the plus side, I did get my first KENP at least!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Michele Brouder

Kay7979 said:


> I just got the date for my promo with Ripley's, and it's very close to Christmas: December 21st. Their line-up on that date is one SF book for free, one UF book at $.99, one Fantasy book at $1.77 and my fantasy book at $3.99.
> 
> I like Ripley's because they're a SF/F list that targets strictly YA and NA readers, and they take books under $5.00. I hadn't planned to offer a discount for this promo. (I'm waiting to do a Kindle Countdown deal at an optimal time). I have Ripley's complete listings for December 3- December 24, and there are a few books at $2.99/$3.00 but the majority are cheaper. I have a feeling that no matter what I do, Dec. 21st may be too close to Christmas to get many sales, so I'll probably let well enough alone and see if I can get any sales at $3.99.
> 
> When should I run my Countdown promo? If January is typically better for sales than December, should I wait and run the Countdown then? Or should I run it in early December and then selectively discount my book a few days in January if I can line up some newsletter promos? If I understand the restrictions on the Countdown correctly, I'll have to wait 14 days after the Countdown before discounting the book again, but that wouldn't be a problem if I ran the Countdown in early December.
> 
> It's depressing that avid readers, the kind who sign up for the promo newsletters, want books free or at $.99. Ideally, I'd like to reach the kind of readers who buy books less frequently but are very selective and read the books they purchase shortly after buying them. These readers, who I meet in real life, think a $3.99 eBook is inexpensive and they don't balk at a trade paperback book at $12-15. But it isn't easy to find an endless stream of this kind of buyer, so the promo sites are necessary. Sigh.
> 
> I'm a little underwater on my AMS ads, but I really like AMS. It targets the kind of buyers above. Readers find a book with the elements that appeal to them, and they aren't put off by $3.99 or even $14.95 for my paperback.
> 
> I'm anxious to have days where I sell 20-40 books via a promo discount, but for the most part, I'm resigned to slowly building a readership who will pay $3.99.


Kay, I would try the promo in January. I'm going to try to run a promo for CD:RSS one month followed the next month by a promo for AWC. The best advice I can give is to try and get your second book out there ASAP. I waited too long between books 1 & 2 (14 months) and I may have lost some traction. The goal is to get the reader who'll buy your book at 3.99 or 4.99 but that's for the later books. Your first book is going to have to be deeply discounted (99¢) on a regular basis (every 3 months, no more than that) to get readers and reviews. That will drive those readers to pick up your 2nd and 3rd books at a good price. Those promos at 99¢ will drive readers to you and from there you will cull your 'true' readers: people who'll go on to buy your next book at full price. I read somewhere that you shouldn't promo more than 90 days as readers will see that it's discounted frequently and will just wait for it to be discounted again before they purchase.

I did a promo with Ripleys for my book at 99¢ and didn't get one sale, unlike the numbers with RR, BB and ENT and other places. I ran promos for CD:RSS in Nov, Feb, May and September and I stacked my ads, so I had a promo running every day. Each time, my number of sales increased as did my KENP. There's a saying in marketing that you need to get your product in front of people 7 times before they will consider to buy it. So, I will probably give Ripley's another try as well as some others.

I already see that AWC has got me some organic sales for my first book as well as an increase in my KENP for that book. I'll be curious to see how AWC does after the holiday as it is a seasonal book.

Can you give me the link for the AMS ads? Thanks


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> Feeling a little bit dejected right now...ran my first promo yesterday and got one sale :-(
> 
> On the plus side, I did get my first KENP at least!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Sorry to hear that! What promo service did you use? I hope it wasn't expensive.


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## Kay7979

Michele Brouder said:


> Kay, I would try the promo in January. I'm going to try to run a promo for CD:RSS one month followed the next month by a promo for AWC. The best advice I can give is to try and get your second book out there ASAP. I waited too long between books 1 & 2 (14 months) and I may have lost some traction. The goal is to get the reader who'll buy your book at 3.99 or 4.99 but that's for the later books. Your first book is going to have to be deeply discounted (99¢) on a regular basis (every 3 months, no more than that) to get readers and reviews. That will drive those readers to pick up your 2nd and 3rd books at a good price. Those promos at 99¢ will drive readers to you and from there you will cull your 'true' readers: people who'll go on to buy your next book at full price. I read somewhere that you shouldn't promo more than 90 days as readers will see that it's discounted frequently and will just wait for it to be discounted again before they purchase.
> 
> I did a promo with Ripleys for my book at 99¢ and didn't get one sale, unlike the numbers with RR, BB and ENT and other places. I ran promos for CD:RSS in Nov, Feb, May and September and I stacked my ads, so I had a promo running every day. Each time, my number of sales increased as did my KENP. There's a saying in marketing that you need to get your product in front of people 7 times before they will consider to buy it. So, I will probably give Ripley's another try as well as some others.
> 
> I already see that AWC has got me some organic sales for my first book as well as an increase in my KENP for that book. I'll be curious to see how AWC does after the holiday as it is a seasonal book.
> 
> Can you give me the link for the AMS ads? Thanks


Start here to understand how the system works. You'll want to use the sponsored product ads. https://ams.amazon.com/faq#sp-ads

You can access the program from your KDP dashboard via "promote and advertise"

Timing is of the essence if you'd like to target AWC for Christmas shoppers. I bet you could move some paperbacks as well as eBooks. Use keywords gift and Christmas present! My sister told me she sold an eBook and a paperback yesterday by cleverly tapping the idea of her book being an ideal gift for tech-shy seniors.

As for the timing on my promo I jumped the gun last night and started trying to book some promos for Dec 8-15 using a 7 day Kindle countdown split between .99 and 1.99. Of course many places are booked for a month or more in advance. Ugh. I'm not sure how much mileage I'll get depending primarily on Amazon's Countdown program alone, so I hope to get a few promos booked. I probably should have waited for January but I got a bit panicky about the whole "30-day cliff" thing.


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> Sorry to hear that! What promo service did you use? I hope it wasn't expensive.


It was bknights, but I think I was too far down the homepage (twinned with it only being a new release) that I don't think it will have been worth it. I like books and I'd got bored of looking by the time I got to mine!

Not expensive, but the sales now appear to have gone up to 2. Definitely not worth it :-/

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> It was bknights, but I think I was too far down the homepage (twinned with it only being a new release) that I don't think it will have been worth it. I like books and I'd got bored of looking by the time I got to mine!
> 
> Not expensive, but the sales now appear to have gone up to 2. Definitely not worth it :-/
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Thanks for letting us know. It's invaluable to have a record of what has and has not worked for others, along with any factors that may have impacted results. I'm currently wading through many of Bill's posts and lining up whatever I can.


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> Thanks for letting us know. It's invaluable to have a record of what has and has not worked for others, along with any factors that may have impacted results. I'm currently wading through many of Bill's posts and lining up whatever I can.


I've got a couple more lined up (one today and one in ten days) so hopefully I'll get a better feel for it after that!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> It was bknights, but I think I was too far down the homepage (twinned with it only being a new release) that I don't think it will have been worth it. I like books and I'd got bored of looking by the time I got to mine!
> 
> Not expensive, but the sales now appear to have gone up to 2. Definitely not worth it :-/
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I think results may be heavily dependent on genre. I tried bknights once and saw little action from the promo.


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## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> I think results may be heavily dependent on genre. I tried bknights once and saw little action from the promo.


I think some of my scepticism for this one is coming from paying extra to be listed in the newsletter...yet this is all the newsletter had...










Basically it's a very tiny cover in the grid of other covers

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## The one with all the big dresses on the covers

I have a vague memory of seeing some posts on kboards a while ago about how bknights wasn't really working for paid anymore, only free. I can't remember which thread it was though. There have been quite a few threads on which promo sites are the most effective so it might be worth trying to search a few of them out. If I can dig up any links, I'll post them.


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## Kay7979

I've spent two days wading through promo lists. Bill's recommendations have been a big help. I'm also working from this website. http://www.indiesunlimited.com/book-promo-sites/


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## Joynell Schultz

Woo Hoo! I'm an official member of this thread! Rejected by Kindle Scout yesterday. (I'm trying to stay positive, can you tell?). This thread is wonderful and I'm glad I'm not alone.

I'm shooting for a December 16th release of my novel. I'm going to be so happy to call it "done". Phew. It was a long ride. I put it up for pre release as I finalize a few things in the document. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MXTGIZL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480727217&sr=8-1&keywords=love+lies+clones

Anyone willing to support a HeadTalker campaign? I don't know if it will do much -- has anyone had luck with HeadTalker? I tried for the Kindle Scout campaign and don't know if I had many link clicks. Here's the link: https://headtalker.com/campaigns/pre-order-love-lies-clones/

Anyway, Thanks everyone for this thread and sharing your struggles and triumphs. I've been watching for a while.


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## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Kay7979 said:


> As for the timing on my promo I jumped the gun last night and started trying to book some promos for Dec 8-15 using a 7 day Kindle countdown split between .99 and 1.99. Of course many places are booked for a month or more in advance. Ugh. I'm not sure how much mileage I'll get depending primarily on Amazon's Countdown program alone, so I hope to get a few promos booked. I probably should have waited for January but I got a bit panicky about the whole "30-day cliff" thing.


Kay, be sure to check your eligibility for a Countdown promo. I seem to remember something about not being able to do it for at least thirty days after you launch the book. And by the way, your novel is in the "Shop Related Products" spread below the window I am writing this message in.


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## Kay7979

Cindy Rinaman Marsch said:


> Kay, be sure to check your eligibility for a Countdown promo. I seem to remember something about not being able to do it for at least thirty days after you launch the book. And by the way, your novel is in the "Shop Related Products" spread below the window I am writing this message in.


Yes, it's been thirty days already, which is hard to believe.

The sponsored products ad placement is sometimes hard to understand. I saw my eBook in the row with others under my own paperback yesterday.


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## lauramg_1406

Second promo (Sweet Free Books) appears to have been as successful as the first! I think I can attribute it one sale, though my newsletter went out yesterday too so possibly not.

However it's worth noting that my Amazon.com rating is way above what it was yesterday morning, so maybe there are some borrows in that!

I haven't got anything running for a week or so now, so I'm going to see how it goes with just a bit of social media marketing.

So far the two promos have been pretty cheap (in total they've wasted about £16, which isn't too bad!) But they do have me really worrying for my genre crave promo, which was £85.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Damn. Also got a 2 star rating on Goodreads (only one I have) but on investigation it does appear like he's found every book related to Phantom of the Opera and two starred them :-(

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Joynell Schultz

Mark Gardner said:


> Joynell, if you gave an advance reader copy, I'll try yo get you book read so I can review it on launch day... Let me know.


Mark - that would be awesome. What format would you like it in? (message me where to send it?) I'd be happy to return a favor now or whenever you'd like it.



lauramg_1406 said:


> Damn. Also got a 2 star rating on Goodreads (only one I have) but on investigation it does appear like he's found every book related to Phantom of the Opera and two starred them :-(


Laura - bummer on the review. Hopefully some other ones come in to balance it out. I'm dreading mine.


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## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> Mark - that would be awesome. What format would you like it in? (message me where to send it?) I'd be happy to return a favor now or whenever you'd like it.
> 
> Laura - bummer on the review. Hopefully some other ones come in to balance it out. I'm dreading mine.


Thank you! I do have a great review on amazon UK at least! The annoying thing is that the 2 star doesn't say anything! If it did then i'd be able to take something useful from it at least! Oh well...fingers crossed there's better ones to come!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> Thank you! I do have a great review on amazon UK at least! The annoying thing is that the 2 star doesn't say anything! If it did then i'd be able to take something useful from it at least! Oh well...fingers crossed there's better ones to come!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


The only one-stars I have are driveby ratings (no reviews) on Goodreads, making them, as you say, essentially useless in terms of learning anything. Even as a potential customer, I'd like to know why someone didn't like a book. Just the bare fact that they didn't tells me nothing useful.


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## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> I think some of my scepticism for this one is coming from paying extra to be listed in the newsletter...yet this is all the newsletter had...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Basically it's a very tiny cover in the grid of other covers
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


That's it? Well, no wonder!


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## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> Yay! The Kickstarter to get an ISBN and hardcover is successful! Thanks to all you who helped spread the word: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1012144245/war-of-the-worlds-retaliation-hardcover


Congratulations!


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## Used To Be BH

Joynell Schultz said:


> Woo Hoo! I'm an official member of this thread! Rejected by Kindle Scout yesterday. (I'm trying to stay positive, can you tell?). This thread is wonderful and I'm glad I'm not alone.
> 
> I'm shooting for a December 16th release of my novel. I'm going to be so happy to call it "done". Phew. It was a long ride. I put it up for pre release as I finalize a few things in the document. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MXTGIZL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480727217&sr=8-1&keywords=love+lies+clones
> 
> Anyone willing to support a HeadTalker campaign? I don't know if it will do much -- has anyone had luck with HeadTalker? I tried for the Kindle Scout campaign and don't know if I had many link clicks. Here's the link: https://headtalker.com/campaigns/pre-order-love-lies-clones/
> 
> Anyway, Thanks everyone for this thread and sharing your struggles and triumphs. I've been watching for a while.


Welcome!

I preordered and supported the headtalker campaign.


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## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> That's it? Well, no wonder!


I messaged bknights to be sure and they claim that newsletters go out throughout the day, but I'm still a bit unsure about that (I made sure I was subscribed first) but oh well. Nothing I can do about it! Now I know not to bother with it again!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> The only one-stars I have are driveby ratings (no reviews) on Goodreads, making them, as you say, essentially useless in terms of learning anything. Even as a potential customer, I'd like to know why someone didn't like a book. Just the bare fact that they didn't tells me nothing useful.


Exactly! That's what's bothering me about it! I've had a 2 star review before and it was one of the most useful reviews I've had (for my writing, naturally not so much for sales!) But this one is just useless!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Used To Be BH

Status Update: I got 21 sales from Books Butterfly, plus probably some tail the day after, but Ebook Hounds was running that day, too. 10 sales occurred.

ENT netted me 36 sales, plus 9 today so far. I have a two-day Kindle Book review promo starting today. 

I'm a couple of days away from the 30-day cliff. In theory selling well enough should cushion that fall; we shall see.

I'm at 4,306 in the paid store right now. Interestingly, I'm at 1,325 in the Australia store--10 sales in the last three days. I also picked up one paperback sale in the US along the way.


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## Kay7979

Joynell Schultz said:


> Woo Hoo! I'm an official member of this thread! Rejected by Kindle Scout yesterday. (I'm trying to stay positive, can you tell?). This thread is wonderful and I'm glad I'm not alone.
> 
> I'm shooting for a December 16th release of my novel. I'm going to be so happy to call it "done". Phew. It was a long ride. I put it up for pre release as I finalize a few things in the document. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MXTGIZL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480727217&sr=8-1&keywords=love+lies+clones
> 
> Anyone willing to support a HeadTalker campaign? I don't know if it will do much -- has anyone had luck with HeadTalker? I tried for the Kindle Scout campaign and don't know if I had many link clicks. Here's the link: https://headtalker.com/campaigns/pre-order-love-lies-clones/
> 
> Anyway, Thanks everyone for this thread and sharing your struggles and triumphs. I've been watching for a while.


Welcome. You are definitely not alone. We're all steaming ahead and not looking back! Good luck with your book launch. I'm a headtalker virgin, but maybe I'll try it out eventually. Some people think it's helpful. Let us know how you do with it.


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> Damn. Also got a 2 star rating on Goodreads (only one I have) but on investigation it does appear like he's found every book related to Phantom of the Opera and two starred them :-(
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Wow. Really sorry to hear this. It makes you wonder if he even read the book, or whether he rated it based on the synopsis. How can people be so cruel?!


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> Second promo (Sweet Free Books) appears to have been as successful as the first! I think I can attribute it one sale, though my newsletter went out yesterday too so possibly not.
> 
> However it's worth noting that my Amazon.com rating is way above what it was yesterday morning, so maybe there are some borrows in that!
> 
> I haven't got anything running for a week or so now, so I'm going to see how it goes with just a bit of social media marketing.
> 
> So far the two promos have been pretty cheap (in total they've wasted about £16, which isn't too bad!) But they do have me really worrying for my genre crave promo, which was £85.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I had assumed, based on the name SweetFreeBooks, they only took free books, but yours is .99, so I took a look and added them to my upcoming promo blast.

I have in my notebook GenreCrave $13.00 scheduled 2/8/17 and I think I must have signed up for this using my book at full price $3.99). I don't recall what sort of promo I got for $13.00. What are you getting that's so expensive?


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> I had assumed, based on the name SweetFreeBooks, they only took free books, but yours is .99, so I took a look and added them to my upcoming promo blast.
> 
> I have in my notebook GenreCrave $13.00 scheduled 2/8/17 and I think I must have signed up for this using my book at full price $3.99). I don't recall what sort of promo I got for $13.00. What are you getting that's so expensive?


Me too, but apparently not! The newsletter was sent out late last night so I'm waiting til tomorrow to see if it's had any effect.

Genre Crave has a couple of options, there's the genre newsletters (which I think is what you have), spotlight (what I have, it's $100 I think), the a book blast ($299, which there's no way I could afford)

I was recommended it by an author friend who said if I could afford it then it'd be worth it...so fingers crossed.

On my 2 star, it's just annoying, but I think most readers probably ignore negative ratings with no actual review. Or at least I hope so!

I've preordered Love, Lies & Clones. Gutted it wasn't picked, but I'm looking forward to reading!

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## RWhite7699

My book, Lily of the Valley, is free today and tomorrow. It's all about saving your mother. If you are interested, grab a copy here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MS9W1DU
I would love to have a review (or 2 or 3) from this board. Thanks!


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## Kay7979

Bill, 

You may be interested to know that this morning my sister got a notification from Amazon: New Release from Bill Hiatt. It was for The Devil Hath the Power. She asked if I'd gotten the email and I hadn't, but I got it this evening. So Amazon is pushing your releases to your "followers" even when the new release isn't so new!


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## Joynell Schultz

RWhite7699 said:


> My book, Lily of the Valley, is free today and tomorrow. It's all about saving your mother. If you are interested, grab a copy here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MS9W1DU
> I would love to have a review (or 2 or 3) from this board. Thanks!


Ruth -- I picked it up. Thanks! I'll try to squeeze the read & review in this month.

Laura & Bill -- thanks for the pre-order!


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## lauramg_1406

Update on my Sweet Free Books promo (ran Friday)

So it netted me somewhere between 0 and 3 sales (I had 2 yesterday) so really not sure I'm seeing much return on the promos. 

However something is going on (I'm going to assume Kindle Unlimited borrows) because despite my seemingly abysmal sales dashboard, my Amazon ranking has gone up higher than I'd expected.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> Update on my Sweet Free Books promo (ran Friday)
> 
> So it netted me somewhere between 0 and 3 sales (I had 2 yesterday) so really not sure I'm seeing much return on the promos.
> 
> However something is going on (I'm going to assume Kindle Unlimited borrows) because despite my seemingly abysmal sales dashboard, my Amazon ranking has gone up higher than I'd expected.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


It only takes one or two sales or borrows to move the needle substantially during your first 30 days. I hope you see more activity reported soon. There's sometimes a delay.

I see you got a great 5-star review on Goodreads. YAY!!!!


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> It only takes one or two sales or borrows to move the needle substantially during your first 30 days. I hope you see more activity reported soon. There's sometimes a delay.
> 
> I see you got a great 5-star review on Goodreads. YAY!!!!


Yep! At the end of the day I have my story out there which was the aim! Fingers crossed it'll pick up but it not, oh well - lesson learnt not to waste money on promos!

Yes I have 2 on amazon.co.uk (both members of the kboards KS community) and they both made my day! I was honestly over the moon that they both got the key points of the book (for me, it was just about the romance, I was determined to make it about friendship and recovery too). I was so worried that I hadn't done those justice!

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## Kay7979

I've got my Kindle Countdown promo scheduled for 12/8 thru 12/14. Some people advise to reduce the price to $.99 for the entire time, but I'm doing a two-stage price and we'll see how it goes. I have several promos lined up from 12/8 - 12/10 when the book is .99. The price shifts midday on the 11th to $1.99 and remains there till the end of 12/14. Since the price will be .99 in the morning on the 11th and $1.99 in the afternoon/evening I didn't try to book any promos for the 11th. Too confusing! I have a few promos booked from the 12th-14th at $1.99.

I'd like to post daily sales figures the way Bill does, since his posts have been very helpful, but since I have multiple promos running concurrently I'll have no way to identify which sales came from which promos. In any case, I'll post which promos are running along with general observations about how the day went. 

I plan to confine most of my promos to Kindle Countdown days, so my object for this seven-day period is to get as much exposure as I can until the next Countdown.  

I know a few of you have bought my book at $3.99, and I really appreciate that! There are so many good KS books being self-published that it's a burden to support everyone. I've bought a few post-KS books at $.99, since that's such a bargain, but there's a limit to how many I can buy, even at $.99, and more importantly, there's a limit to how many truly interest me that I can read in the next year or two! So, I understand that all of you won't buy my discounted book, but if you DO have any interest in it at $.99, please pick it up on 12/8 -12/10. 

I think the Kindle Scout editors scratched their heads over how to classify my book, since it has elements of urban and high fantasy. The story begins in our present-day world. Gemologist Lana Grayson's study of gem folklore enables her to draw powers/special abilities from gemstones. Early in the story she discovers a portal to a world inhabited by woodland gnomes whose ruler uses gemstone powers to dominate and enslave them. So begins Lana's reluctant involvement with the gnomes, which lands her in a dungeon in the gnome world, brings her face-to-face with a savage, monstrous segment of the gnome race, various frightening creatures, and enchanted beings that were once human. There are plenty of problems in the gnome world, and a few of them follow her home. .  The book has a fair amount of dry humor that keeps the tone relatively light despite the dangers Lana encounters. Even if fantasy isn't usually your thing, if you ever enjoyed fairy tales as a child and imaginative stories from Alice in Wonderland to Wizard of Oz, I believe you'll find yourself reliving that childlike sense of wonder as you read this book. OK, so much for my sales pitch.


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## lauramg_1406

So I've heard about the advantages of cross-promoting, and was thinking that we could do a cross promotion of our own. Now obviously, there's a wide range of genres, so that would be taken into account! 

My hope would be to keep it just to authors who had a KS campaign. Each author would share the books in their genre (I'd collate/sort out all the links & things) maybe doing a genre a day over a week or so in total (they could also opt-in to additional genres if they felt their fan base would appreciate them). 

Participating authors can share in any way, newsletter, blog post, facebook, twitter etc and it doesn't matter about following size or anything. 

Other than whether anyone would actually be interested...my main question would be how you'd feel about a giveaway? Say with two options each for a rafflecopter (again split by genre). Prizes (to be determined, but probably just a book in the genre) would be grouped as a "grand prize for Fantasy" (say there's 5 books or something like that). 

That's all, just wondering if anyone is interested!


----------



## Carey Lewis

lauramg_1406 said:


> So I've heard about the advantages of cross-promoting, and was thinking that we could do a cross promotion of our own. Now obviously, there's a wide range of genres, so that would be taken into account!
> 
> My hope would be to keep it just to authors who had a KS campaign. Each author would share the books in their genre (I'd collate/sort out all the links & things) maybe doing a genre a day over a week or so in total (they could also opt-in to additional genres if they felt their fan base would appreciate them).
> 
> Participating authors can share in any way, newsletter, blog post, facebook, twitter etc and it doesn't matter about following size or anything.
> 
> Other than whether anyone would actually be interested...my main question would be how you'd feel about a giveaway? Say with two options each for a rafflecopter (again split by genre). Prizes (to be determined, but probably just a book in the genre) would be grouped as a "grand prize for Fantasy" (say there's 5 books or something like that).
> 
> That's all, just wondering if anyone is interested!


I would definitely be interested in something like this. Bill mentioned it awhile ago, but didn't seem to get too many bites. I'm just a little confused with how it goes with if you've enrolled your book into Select, but count me in! 
PS: My book is in the crime mystery/ thriller genre.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Carey Lewis said:


> I would definitely be interested in something like this. Bill mentioned it awhile ago, but didn't seem to get too many bites. I'm just a little confused with how it goes with if you've enrolled your book into Select, but count me in!
> PS: My book is in the crime mystery/ thriller genre.


I imagine that as a giveaway prize it'd be fine, but the promo could be done without a giveaway anyway if people prefered!

The only real question would be when to do it, especially considering there'll be the new kindle owners after Christmas (but we'll likely be too busy for most of that week!)

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## Paul Francois

lauramg_1406 said:


> Feeling a little bit dejected right now...ran my first promo yesterday and got one sale :-(
> 
> On the plus side, I did get my first KENP at least!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I know what you mean. I have been promo'ing bot free and paid and my sales have flatlined! 

Think I am just going to work on building reviews and on increasing my email list.


----------



## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> I imagine that as a giveaway prize it'd be fine, but the promo could be done without a giveaway anyway if people prefered!
> 
> The only real question would be when to do it, especially considering there'll be the new kindle owners after Christmas (but we'll likely be too busy for most of that week!)
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I think we can come up with something that works. I'm game. As for giveaways, that shouldn't violate any terms of KDP Select. I just did a Goodreads giveaway for five paperback copies.


----------



## Kay7979

Paul Francois said:


> I know what you mean. I have been promo'ing bot free and paid and my sales have flatlined!
> 
> Think I am just going to work on building reviews and on increasing my email list.


What promo sites have you tried so far? You didn't get any sales?


----------



## Paul Francois

Kay7979 said:


> What promo sites have you tried so far? You didn't get any sales?


Doing a paid one through BooksGoSocial right now. They are very supportive and helpful.

Free ones are:
http://digitalbooktoday.com/join-our-team/12-top-100-submit-your-free-book-to-be-included-on-this-list/
https://www.freebooksy.com/editorial-submissions/
http://askdavid.com/free-ebook-promotion (this one also gives you 7 free tweets from their Twitter account with 50k+ followers)

I also did one through eBookSoda and got 1 sale, but once again I think my issue is only 1 US review and 1 UK review. Definitely need more.


----------



## Kay7979

Paul Francois said:


> Doing a paid one through BooksGoSocial right now. They are very supportive and helpful.
> 
> Free ones are:
> http://digitalbooktoday.com/join-our-team/12-top-100-submit-your-free-book-to-be-included-on-this-list/
> https://www.freebooksy.com/editorial-submissions/
> http://askdavid.com/free-ebook-promotion (this one also gives you 7 free tweets from their Twitter account with 50k+ followers)
> 
> I also did one through eBookSoda and got 1 sale, but once again I think my issue is only 1 US review and 1 UK review. Definitely need more.


When you did these promos, was your book at $2.99?


----------



## Joynell Schultz

lauramg_1406 said:


> So I've heard about the advantages of cross-promoting, and was thinking that we could do a cross promotion of our own. Now obviously, there's a wide range of genres, so that would be taken into account!
> 
> My hope would be to keep it just to authors who had a KS campaign. Each author would share the books in their genre (I'd collate/sort out all the links & things) maybe doing a genre a day over a week or so in total (they could also opt-in to additional genres if they felt their fan base would appreciate them).
> 
> Participating authors can share in any way, newsletter, blog post, facebook, twitter etc and it doesn't matter about following size or anything.
> 
> Other than whether anyone would actually be interested...my main question would be how you'd feel about a giveaway? Say with two options each for a rafflecopter (again split by genre). Prizes (to be determined, but probably just a book in the genre) would be grouped as a "grand prize for Fantasy" (say there's 5 books or something like that).
> 
> That's all, just wondering if anyone is interested!


I'm interested. I'd do a giveaway or whatever else.



Carey Lewis said:


> I would definitely be interested in something like this. Bill mentioned it awhile ago, but didn't seem to get too many bites. I'm just a little confused with how it goes with if you've enrolled your book into Select, but count me in!
> PS: My book is in the crime mystery/ thriller genre.


I'm participating in mystery/thriller week the first week of February. If you're interested, check it out here. I'm hoping to bring in a few new readers. https://mysterythrillerweek.com/


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## Paul Francois

Kay7979 said:


> When you did these promos, was your book at $2.99?


On the BooksGoSocial and eBookSoda, yes. But the other 3 I pointed to instaFreebie.


----------



## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> So I've heard about the advantages of cross-promoting, and was thinking that we could do a cross promotion of our own. Now obviously, there's a wide range of genres, so that would be taken into account!
> 
> My hope would be to keep it just to authors who had a KS campaign. Each author would share the books in their genre (I'd collate/sort out all the links & things) maybe doing a genre a day over a week or so in total (they could also opt-in to additional genres if they felt their fan base would appreciate them).
> 
> Participating authors can share in any way, newsletter, blog post, facebook, twitter etc and it doesn't matter about following size or anything.
> 
> Other than whether anyone would actually be interested...my main question would be how you'd feel about a giveaway? Say with two options each for a rafflecopter (again split by genre). Prizes (to be determined, but probably just a book in the genre) would be grouped as a "grand prize for Fantasy" (say there's 5 books or something like that).
> 
> That's all, just wondering if anyone is interested!


Yes, I'd be interested if we have enough people in each genre to make it work. I think we do, but I'm not sure how many people are actually here (there could be lurkers).


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Bill,
> 
> You may be interested to know that this morning my sister got a notification from Amazon: New Release from Bill Hiatt. It was for The Devil Hath the Power. She asked if I'd gotten the email and I hadn't, but I got it this evening. So Amazon is pushing your releases to your "followers" even when the new release isn't so new!


It's always nice to know they do something, but that's a bit slow, consider the novella was a pre-Halloween release.


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## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> It's always nice to know they do something, but that's a bit slow, consider the novella was a pre-Halloween release.


But we weren't following you then, so they couldn't have sent it at that time.


----------



## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> Update on my Sweet Free Books promo (ran Friday)
> 
> So it netted me somewhere between 0 and 3 sales (I had 2 yesterday) so really not sure I'm seeing much return on the promos.
> 
> However something is going on (I'm going to assume Kindle Unlimited borrows) because despite my seemingly abysmal sales dashboard, my Amazon ranking has gone up higher than I'd expected.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


These days it's very hard to evaluate promos precisely because of the KU complication. I assume a KU spike on the day of a promo is related to the promo, and with so many KU subscribers, some interactions that would have been sales in the past are now borrows, but it's harder to get an accurate count.

I have to assume the promos do stimulate borrows as well as sales, because _Different Lee_ has been getting what for me are crazy high KU numbers. Last month it had almost 32,000 pages in the US alone. (That's more than my total page count in the past most months.) In only five days it's piled up over 18,000, and my KU total broke 6,000 in one for the first time ever. Those pages aren't falling out of the air. I will say that I have what look like some steady KU readers, so when they noticed the new book, they probably jumped on it.


----------



## Kay7979

Excellent news, Bill, on your KENP! I hope my promos get me more KU readers. 

I asked a question in another thread and it was answered. Are reviews posted by KU readers verified reviews. Alas, the answer is no.


----------



## Carey Lewis

Mark Gardner said:


> I'm always game for any kind of promo I can help you guts with. If you want to do a guest blog or interview on my blog, just let me know.


I've never done one before, but I'd be interested


----------



## Carey Lewis

Mark Gardner said:


> Do you want to do an interview, or a guest blog?


I guess I would choose an interview. I don't even know what to write in my own blog, would have no idea what to write as a guest!


----------



## JennyOBrien

Hi guys, 
Thought I'd pop over and show my face. Look forward  to your posts
Jen


----------



## Kay7979

JennyOBrien said:


> Hi guys,
> Thought I'd pop over and show my face. Look forward to your posts
> Jen


Hi Jen! It's a happening place over here! Looking forward to hearing more about your plans.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> But we weren't following you then, so they couldn't have sent it at that time.


Now that I think about it, something did go out. It had zero sales impact, though. The _Different Lee_ one may have had more, but it fell right on top of a big promo, so there's no way to tell.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Excellent news, Bill, on your KENP! I hope my promos get me more KU readers.
> 
> I asked a question in another thread and it was answered. Are reviews posted by KU readers verified reviews. Alas, the answer is no.


One of the great injustices of the verified review system. Amazon really hasn't thought some of those things through.


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> One of the great injustices of the verified review system. Amazon really hasn't thought some of those things through.


Yes it seems illogical. Amazon can track which books a customer borrowed and read, so why should a KU review be ineligible for the verified tag.


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## Used To Be BH

This is almost the last update on new release promos. Keep in mind that back-to-back promos are hard to judge, because the second one may be benefitting from the tail of the first one.

ENT (12/2) brought in an estimated 63 sales, Kindle Book Review (12/3-12/4) brought in 23, Genre Crave (12/5) 24. Pages read went up each of those days. For a few days DL has been hovering between 5,000 and 6,000 (top 100 in all three genres), and there was no sudden drop after 30. Now that there are no active promos until 12/13, it will be interesting to see how well the books sustains its momentum.

It's not surprising that ENT was the top performer. At first I was a little disappointed, because the first time I used it, I picked up over a hundred sales. However, some of the sales I attributed to KBR might belong to ENT, and there was no KU the last time I used ENT. I had the equivalent of nine full KU reads, and probably at least some of the twelve the following day should also be attributed to ENT.


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> This is almost the last update on new release promos. Keep in mind that back-to-back promos are hard to judge, because the second one may be benefitting from the tail of the first one.
> 
> ENT (12/2) brought in an estimated 63 sales, Kindle Book Review (12/3-12/4) brought in 23, Genre Crave (12/5) 24. Pages read went up each of those days. For a few days DL has been hovering between 5,000 and 6,000 (top 100 in all three genres), and there was no sudden drop after 30. Now that there are no active promos until 12/13, it will be interesting to see how well the books sustains its momentum.
> 
> It's not surprising that ENT was the top performer. At first I was a little disappointed, because the first time I used it, I picked up over a hundred sales. However, some of the sales I attributed to KBR might belong to ENT, and there was no KU the last time I used ENT. I had the equivalent of nine full KU reads, and probably at least some of the twelve the following day should also be attributed to ENT.


Wow. That's great. Even 63 sounds like a huge amount of sales, much less 100. I'll be interested in hearing how your sales rank holds up after the promo blitz. I hope your book becomes sticky and sells on its own momentum with just Amazon algorithm action.

I've booked so many promos during my upcoming Kindle Countdown that we actually created a spreadsheet to keep track of which promos on what days at what cost. I don't think ENT was available. I'm quite sure I needed far more lead time to book that one, but I'll plan ahead for the next Countdown. The only list that turned me down was Read Cheaply. Apparently they have a large number of major name authors.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Yes it seems illogical. Amazon can track which books a customer borrowed and read, so why should a KU review be ineligible for the verified tag.


I don't know what Amazon's thinking is. There's an interesting bias among some authors to the effect that the opinion of anyone who didn't pay full price can't be trusted to write an accurate review. During the recent but fortunately temporary "revocalypse," when by default only the verified purchase reviews showed, and a customer had to click to get to the others, several writers expressed glee about it. Oddly, they were especially happy about having ARC reviews filtered out. (Amazon current practice is to show all reviews on the product page by default. From search results, clicking on the number of reviews brings up all reviews. Clicking on the stars lets you visit all reviews with a particular rating or all verified purchase reviews.)

To me that kind of response is completely incomprehensible. Sure, some people cheat, but that doesn't mean most unverified reviews are false. We all agree that paying reviewers for customer reviews is wrong, but I've never understood why an author would think that being enough of a fan to be willing to read an ARC should disqualify a person. Many of the customer reviews for trad published books come from self-identified ardent fans. Customer reviewers don't have to be people with no opinion about the author's work going in. They just have to be honest in their evaluation of the book before them and not be receiving special compensation for it.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Wow. That's great. Even 63 sounds like a huge amount of sales, much less 100. I'll be interested in hearing how your sales rank holds up after the promo blitz. I hope your book becomes sticky and sells on its own momentum with just Amazon algorithm action.
> 
> I've booked so many promos during my upcoming Kindle Countdown that we actually created a spreadsheet to keep track of which promos on what days at what cost. I don't think ENT was available. I'm quite sure I needed far more lead time to book that one, but I'll plan ahead for the next Countdown. The only list that turned me down was Read Cheaply. Apparently they have a large number of major name authors.


ENT won't let you request a date more than a month in advance but frequently books pretty close to a month out. I think mine was booked 26 days after my request, which is pretty typical.


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## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> ENT won't let you request a date more than a month in advance but frequently books pretty close to a month out. I think mine was booked 26 days after my request, which is pretty typical.


Wait what site is ENT? Not too sure I've heard of it!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> Wait what site is ENT? Not too sure I've heard of it!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


EReader News Today. A lot of people consider it second (though a distant second) to Book Bub. Its list is certainly smaller than BB, but it's much cheaper. More important from a practical standpoint, it's also attainable. ENT prefers first in series or standalones, so it rejected my later series books, but it never rejected my first, and it pick up DL as a new release with no reviews because I had other well reviewed books.


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## RWhite7699

Please support my headtalker campaign for Lily of the Valley here: https://headtalker.com/campaigns/lily-of-the-valley/
Thank you!


----------



## Used To Be BH

RWhite7699 said:


> Please support my headtalker campaign for Lily of the Valley here: https://headtalker.com/campaigns/lily-of-the-valley/
> Thank you!


Done!


----------



## LizHedgecock

Hello again all,
Having recovered from NaNoWriMo (more or less), I'm launching A House Of Mirrors in ebook tomorrow. I don't feel ready, but then again, I never do.
Wish me luck!


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> EReader News Today. A lot of people consider it second (though a distant second) to Book Bub. Its list is certainly smaller than BB, but it's much cheaper. More important from a practical standpoint, it's also attainable. ENT prefers first in series or standalones, so it rejected my later series books, but it never rejected my first, and it pick up DL as a new release with no reviews because I had other well reviewed books.


Yay! I just checked my email and I have ENT approved/scheduled for 12/9. I seriously submitted to so many promo sites that I have to refer to my notes to remember which I haven't heard back from yet.


----------



## Kay7979

RWhite7699 said:


> Please support my headtalker campaign for Lily of the Valley here: https://headtalker.com/campaigns/lily-of-the-valley/
> Thank you!


I have been a Headtalker virgin till now. Just added my support. Good luck, Ruth!


----------



## marissamarchan

RWhite7699 said:


> Please support my headtalker campaign for Lily of the Valley here: https://headtalker.com/campaigns/lily-of-the-valley/
> Thank you!


Done! Good luck Ruth. I also followed you. Take care.


----------



## Marie Clapsaddle

RWhite7699 said:


> Please support my headtalker campaign for Lily of the Valley here: https://headtalker.com/campaigns/lily-of-the-valley/
> Thank you!


Done.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Mark Gardner said:


> I finished reading LL&C last night. I think you're missing out on a great opportunity with your synopsis.
> I thought about it, and here's what I came up with:


Mark - Wow. Thanks for the effort on this. It's a great suggestion and I'll definitely be working on an updated synopsis.

This is my first book, so I REALLY have no idea what I'm doing. Hopefully, it's only up from here. (That's why this group is great!)

Ruth - I have you supported too. You're over half-way there. ;-)


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## lauramg_1406

Mark Gardner said:


> Just remember- None of us, including the Big Five, really know what we're doing. The difference between them and us, is they can throw money at it to _make_ it work, and we cannot.


On the plus side I imagine that they do manage to waste some of that money too!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

LizHedgecock said:


> Hello again all,
> Having recovered from NaNoWriMo (more or less), I'm launching A House Of Mirrors in ebook tomorrow. I don't feel ready, but then again, I never do.
> Wish me luck!


That's exciting, Liz! Thanks for letting us know, and I hope you'll report back that you got a nice boost from some of the folks who nominated you on Kindle Scout.


----------



## LizHedgecock

Kay7979 said:


> That's exciting, Liz! Thanks for letting us know, and I hope you'll report back that you got a nice boost from some of the folks who nominated you on Kindle Scout.


Thanks, Kay! Probably not the best time to launch a book, but hoping to get some reviews up and eyes on the book before all those new Kindles and Amazon vouchers arrive at Christmas. ;-)
I've pushed the KS button but not sure that anything's happened yet, probably because the US is just waking up... 
For anyone who'd like to visit the book, it's here: myBook.to/Mirrors


----------



## Joynell Schultz

LizHedgecock said:


> Thanks, Kay! Probably not the best time to launch a book, but hoping to get some reviews up and eyes on the book before all those new Kindles and Amazon vouchers arrive at Christmas. ;-)
> I've pushed the KS button but not sure that anything's happened yet, probably because the US is just waking up...
> For anyone who'd like to visit the book, it's here: myBook.to/Mirrors


Congrats Liz! I'm facing the same Holiday-time launch. I wish you a ton of luck! BTW - I voted for you, but don't recall getting an email from Kindle Scout yet that your book is available.


----------



## Kay7979

Stupid question: After setting up my Kindle Countdown deal in KDP, do I need to manually change my price somewhere or does Amazon's system do it automatically based on the days and price levels I selected? My countdown starts tomorrow.


----------



## JennyOBrien

Kay7979 said:


> Yes it seems illogical. Amazon can track which books a customer borrowed and read, so why should a KU review be ineligible for the verified tag.


Thanks for the welcome, jumping right in - I wonder how much in the general scheme of things it matters? Most readers wouldn't recognise a verified review if it jumped up and bit them, I certainly didn't before writing took hold.


----------



## JennyOBrien

RWhite7699 said:


> Please support my headtalker campaign for Lily of the Valley here: https://headtalker.com/campaigns/lily-of-the-valley/
> Thank you!


Supported x


----------



## JennyOBrien

LizHedgecock said:


> Hello again all,
> Having recovered from NaNoWriMo (more or less), I'm launching A House Of Mirrors in ebook tomorrow. I don't feel ready, but then again, I never do.
> Wish me luck!


Good luck, saw the link on a later post so off to visit Amazon. I'll RT your link too x


----------



## Kay7979

JennyOBrien said:


> Thanks for the welcome, jumping right in - I wonder how much in the general scheme of things it matters? Most readers wouldn't recognise a verified review if it jumped up and bit them, I certainly didn't before writing took hold.


That's a valid point. For a while recently Amazon was filtering out all unverified reviews so it was more difficult to see them, but I think they've backed off on that.


----------



## LizHedgecock

Joynell Schultz said:


> Congrats Liz! I'm facing the same Holiday-time launch. I wish you a ton of luck! BTW - I voted for you, but don't recall getting an email from Kindle Scout yet that your book is available.


And the very best of luck to you too! I haven't had the email yet either, Amazon are probably still on their morning coffee ;-)



JennyOBrien said:


> Good luck, saw the link on a later post so off to visit Amazon. I'll RT your link too x


Thanks, Jenny!


----------



## KCecala

So good to see Liz and Jenny here! It's like an old school reunion!


----------



## PatriciaThomson

Kay7979 said:


> That's a valid point. For a while recently Amazon was filtering out all unverified reviews so it was more difficult to see them, but I think they've backed off on that.


I hope so because I put my book in KU this weekend (plus got an ad).


----------



## Used To Be BH

LizHedgecock said:


> Thanks, Kay! Probably not the best time to launch a book, but hoping to get some reviews up and eyes on the book before all those new Kindles and Amazon vouchers arrive at Christmas. ;-)
> I've pushed the KS button but not sure that anything's happened yet, probably because the US is just waking up...
> For anyone who'd like to visit the book, it's here: myBook.to/Mirrors


Just picked it up!

It's nice to see I'm not the only one who uses Booklinker links. They're so handy if you're dealing with an international audience.


----------



## Kay7979

KCecala said:


> So good to see Liz and Jenny here! It's like an old school reunion!


That's what I was hoping for when I started this thread. Each "graduating class" from Kindle Scout will be able to come here and maintain the friendships they developed during their campaigns, plus meet other kindred spirits who have been through Scout and are now launching books on their own.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Holiday launch peeps! On the one hand, may be slow now. But being live could give you a chance to get reviews in but still stay in the HNR 30 day peak for the after Christmas new kindle buyers! And that's got to be a good thing!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Used To Be BH

Update on genre pulse results: Assuming yesterday's sales were part of the Genre Crave tail, that brings GC up to 32 sales.

KU reads continue to be crazy (for me anyway) with yesterday's total almost breaking 9,000. (Previous high: 5,000.)

I'm probably still not making the KS editors regret their decision, but I'm happy.

This screencap isn't as sexy as Mark's box of paperbacks, but it does illustrate a couple of interesting things (Nov 4 was the release date):









First, having a new release definitely boosts sales (which we already knew).

Second, the effect on KU seems to be slower, but more dramatic once KU readers become aware of the new title.

Third, if your sales are high enough in the first thirty days, you don't fall off the 30-day cliff as fast. My ranking is better now than it was for most of that first 30 days. How long that effect will hold I don't know.

There's still a lot of fluctuation, because my sales are still relatively small. When one gets to a higher level, there are still fluctuations, but they aren't as noticeable.

Royalties are about 6.5 times what they were, even with my low intro price.

This makes me wish I could do a new release every four months. Even in retirement, though, I can't turn out novels that fast.  I've seen stories about people who built themselves up into bestsellers that way, and if I were younger and faster, I'd try it--well, except that if I were younger, I'd also still be working full time.


----------



## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> Holiday launch peeps! On the one hand, may be slow now. But being live could give you a chance to get reviews in but still stay in the HNR 30 day peak for the after Christmas new kindle buyers! And that's got to be a good thing!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Yes, if you could do that, it would work out well.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Update; my sales are doing abysmally  (after asking on Kboards it seems my cover and blurb aren't right, so having a blurb rewrite today and hoping it helps for my promo on Monday!)

However, even without any promos running I have sold 2 books in the past couple of days so holding off on the dejection just yet!

Interestingly one of the things they've said is that my Blurb isn't long enough,which kind of makes me question why KS limits the word count so low! 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> This makes me wish I could do a new release every four months. Even in retirement, though, I can't turn out novels that fast.  I've seen stories about people who built themselves up into bestsellers that way, and if I were younger and faster, I'd try it--well, except that if I were younger, I'd also still be working full time.


You're worrying me here Bill! This is effectively my plan for 2017 :-/ even the working full time bit (which includes getting a promotion around June/July according to my manager)... definitely scared now!

My KU pages are at 290 ish at the moment, so it seems like I need to do something about that! (But maybe a blurb rewrite will actually help that!)

Honestly though, despite bad sales figures, i'm happy I got the book out there. I wrote this one for me and it's unlikely to be a genre I go back to! (Weird I know but you guys know what it's like, the character appears then they do something and the next thing you know there's a whole book playing out in your head!)

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

PatriciaThomson said:


> I hope so because I put my book in KU this weekend (plus got an ad).


Where will your ad appear?


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## Kay7979

@Bill. Fantastic results. I seldom get any KENP. I've had a few good days, then nothing. I think the KS gods may be starting to regret passing on your book. To be honest, I wouldn't want to be in their shoes. I wonder how much heat they take for selecting books that never really take off, and for passing up books that go on to sell very well.

@Laura. I got a notification of your book this morning on my GenreCrave list. As for your blurb, I'm not sure why KS limits the length so severely, but I noticed that most books do have longer blurbs so I rewrote mine and lengthened it. I hope your new blurb helps sales. I find your cover attractive, but that doesn't mean others are wrong when they say it doesn't zero in enough on your book's storyline.


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## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> You're worrying me here Bill! This is effectively my plan for 2017 :-/ even the working full time bit (which includes getting a promotion around June/July according to my manager)... definitely scared now!


I think it depends on what your job is. I was a high school English teacher, working about ten hours a day on weekdays and five each on the weekends. The last three years of that I managed to get one novel and one short per year out. In my first year of retirement, I put out two novels, one fairly long novella, and three shorts. Taking page counts into consideration, I more than tripled my output, but this year I won't have gotten quite as much done. There are, however, people who were able to write much more in the same amount of time, even with a job.


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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> @Bill. Fantastic results. I seldom get any KENP. I've had a few good days, then nothing. I think the KS gods may be starting to regret passing on your book. To be honest, I wouldn't want to be in their shoes. I wonder how much heat they take for selecting books that never really take off, and for passing up books that go on to sell very well.
> 
> @Laura. I got a notification of your book this morning on my GenreCrave list. As for your blurb, I'm not sure why KS limits the length so severely, but I noticed that most books do have longer blurbs so I rewrote mine and lengthened it. I hope your new blurb helps sales. I find your cover attractive, but that doesn't mean others are wrong when they say it doesn't zero in enough on your book's storyline.


KENP takes time to build up. When the program first started, I was getting something like four borrows a month. I almost went wide with everything on the assumption that KU just wasn't worth it. For me what broke the logjam was AMS ads. Although I can't be sure exactly how many KU borrows came from the ads, as you know, I know mine became four times as frequent once the ads started, growing rather quickly to six times as frequent. Pretty soon half my income was from pages read. I've also observed that KU readers tend to read fast, in at least one case going through my whole series in a week.


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## lauramg_1406

Kay - that's odd, I'm sure my promo is scheduled for Monday! I hate writing blurbs which is why I didn't revamp it, but I will be doing now! I love my cover, it's exactly what I imagined but apparently it doesn't say contemporary, and let's face it, they probably know more about this stuff than I do!

Bill - I work in catering, not quite as long hours as that! But I do volunteer for girlguiding as well which takes up a surprising amount of times! I figured if I don't at least try and aim high then I likely won't achieve anything!


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> Kay - that's odd, I'm sure my promo is scheduled for Monday! I hate writing blurbs which is why I didn't revamp it, but I will be doing now! I love my cover, it's exactly what I imagined but apparently it doesn't say contemporary, and let's face it, they probably know more about this stuff than I do!
> 
> Bill - I work in catering, not quite as long hours as that! But I do volunteer for girlguiding as well which takes up a surprising amount of times! I figured if I don't at least try and aim high then I likely won't achieve anything!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


The email I got was entitled SpecificFeeds Genre Crave and consisted of a list of various genres and sub genres with a clickable book title after each heading. Your title was listed as romance. This email list may be something completely separate from your actual promotion.


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> The email I got was entitled SpecificFeeds Genre Crave and consisted of a list of various genres and sub genres with a clickable book title after each heading. Your title was listed as romance. This email list may be something completely separate from your actual promotion.


Oh okay cool! May explain my rank going up earlier!

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## Joynell Schultz

Mark Gardner said:


> Hey, everybody!
> I'm so excited. I don't want to go into details right now, as to not jinx it, but a #1 NYT Best Selling author said he'd blurb _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_! I'm trying to keep my excitement in check, since my last two novel-length works were flops.


Wow! Congrats! That's huge. Too bad, kindle scout.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Hey, everybody!
> I'm so excited. I don't want to go into details right now, as to not jinx it, but a #1 NYT Best Selling author said he'd blurb _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_! I'm trying to keep my excitement in check, since my last two novel-length works were flops.


Very exciting!! Good luck!


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## PatriciaThomson

Kay7979 said:


> Where will your ad appear?


It's an AMS ad running until February.


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## lauramg_1406

Yey go Mark! That's amazing! I suspect no one would fault you for being excited!

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## lauramg_1406

Just had a moment of absolute terror when my open laptop took a nose dive off the sofa and went completely black.

Fingers crossed, it all seems to be working still but man that 30 seconds was more stressful than it should have been!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## R M Rowan

lauramg_1406 said:


> Just had a moment of absolute terror when my open laptop took a nose dive off the sofa and went completely black.
> 
> Fingers crossed, it all seems to be working still but man that 30 seconds was more stressful than it should have been!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Hope it doesn't start acting up! This is a BIG reminder for us all to back up in multiple places, because one second in time can destroy hundreds of hours of work. Off to back up my junk... Thank you for the kick!!


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## lauramg_1406

R M Rowan said:


> Hope it doesn't start acting up! This is a BIG reminder for us all to back up in multiple places, because one second in time can destroy hundreds of hours of work. Off to back up my junk... Thank you for the kick!!


Me too! And yes it really is! (I just had that conversation with my Mum who was checking I'd done that!) Thankfully everything except my current WIP is backed up already, and that WIP is only a couple of thousand words strong (started it after NaNo finished) so, other than not having a laptop, it wouldn't be too bad!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## JennyOBrien

KCecala said:


> So good to see Liz and Jenny here! It's like an old school reunion!


Kathy less of the old , although I admire Bill his retirement, or at least retirement from the day job. Bill can we swap KDP sales views- wow, all your hard work paying off. 
I have 5 books out now and I do get sales pretty much most days but nothing like your figure.

Laura just stick to it, I enjoyed your book and others will when they find it. I'm in the same boat post nano, managed 50,000 but only 2000 in last week but things are busy this time of year with work and kids. 
I got the proofs through of my Createspace kid's book and I'm trying not to be too hopeful but there's a possibility a Government agency wants to stock it (it's on school bullying and self esteem) I had to post a copy off today so they could review so fingers and toes crossed. 
Mark, hope it works for you, I too was surprised you weren't picked.
I'm reading Gregs book at the moment, he self pubs tomorrow and I also don't know why he wasn't picked. It's not my usual genre but I can't put it down. Perhaps we need to set up our own publishing agency?


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## Kay7979

JennyOBrien said:


> Kathy less of the old , although I admire Bill his retirement, or at least retirement from the day job. Bill can we swap KDP sales views- wow, all your hard work paying off.
> I have 5 books out now and I do get sales pretty much most days but nothing like your figure.
> 
> Laura just stick to it, I enjoyed your book and others will when they find it. I'm in the same boat post nano, managed 50,000 but only 2000 in last week but things are busy this time of year with work and kids.
> I got the proofs through of my Createspace kid's book and I'm trying not to be too hopeful but there's a possibility a Government agency wants to stock it (it's on school bullying and self esteem) I had to post a copy off today so they could review so fingers and toes crossed.
> Mark, hope it works for you, I too was surprised you weren't picked.
> I'm reading Gregs book at the moment, he self pubs tomorrow and I also don't know why he wasn't picked. It's not my usual genre but I can't put it down. Perhaps we need to set up our own publishing agency?


That's exciting! Good luck with your childrens' book.

I added Greg's book to my growing library today.

My Kindle Countdown promo starts tomorrow at $0.99. I'm not counting on the kind of downloads Bill got for Different Lee, but I'm hoping for some action since I spent a bundle!


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## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> Bill - I work in catering, not quite as long hours as that! But I do volunteer for girlguiding as well which takes up a surprising amount of times! I figured if I don't at least try and aim high then I likely won't achieve anything!


One good thing about self publishing is that you set your own schedule. If you're shooting for four books a year and do three, that's not really a big deal.


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## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> Hey, when an "almost mid-lister" like be can wrangle a promotional blurb like this, it's hard not to be excited.


Congratulations! I'd be unable to contain my excitement in such a situation.


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## lauramg_1406

Jenny - thank you so much! It helps hearing things like that! And that's fantastic news on your children's book, i'll have my fingers crossed for you!

Bill - yes exactly! At the moment it *seems* doable, if only cause I have  a draft in the bag. But I have so many stories rattling around in my head that I need 4 a year just to get them our! 

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## Used To Be BH

JennyOBrien said:


> I got the proofs through of my Createspace kid's book and I'm trying not to be too hopeful but there's a possibility a Government agency wants to stock it (it's on school bullying and self esteem) I had to post a copy off today so they could review so fingers and toes crossed.


That's really great! Government agencies tend to like to deal with trad publishers, so the interest indicates they must really like your book.

I may have the same thing on a minor scale. I'm currently engaged in writing a mythology text suitable for fourteen-year-old honors students at the request of my former colleagues. Strangely enough, Edith Hamilton wasn't writing for that age range, and they struggle with her book. I taught the class involved for years, and I've searched that whole time for a substitute text. Everything is either focused only on a small range of myths, so not comprehensive enough, or too detailed and scholarly (Robert Graves's _The Greek Myths_ at 783 pages!), or a kiddie book that isn't scholarly enough for high school and/or denatures the myths so far it isn't worth it. When I was visiting a department meeting a couple of months back, my ex-colleagues suggested (perhaps jokingly) that I write a book that would work. I asked later if they actually wanted one, they were thrilled with the idea, I got a more official thumbs up, after a two-chapter sample, and I've been working on it ever since.

It's based on an interesting concept: a group of students fall asleep while cramming for a mythology test and wake up in a dream world in which the mythological characters are real. They learn the myths from the mythological figures themselves. The context obviously involves some modern fiction, but the characters are true to the original sources, as are the myths they retell. (Early on the most obnoxious of the students gets turned into a dog by Hera, then is abducted just as Hera is about to relent. The rest of the book is built around a quest to find him, which takes the students, with Hermes as their guide, all around the mythological world and gives them a chance to meet everyone as they search for clues.

There are two drawbacks. First, the book will be used in one school. Most districts don't want to deal with self-published material, and I have no inclination to go through what it would take to get a major publisher interested. Second, even though I know mythology, I meticulously research every element to make sure I get it right, which makes the process *slow*. I have three other projects I should be working on, but all my time goes to this one, which has an actual deadline. Sigh! Still, it will be good to solve a problem for my ex-colleagues.


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## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> Bill - yes exactly! At the moment it *seems* doable, if only cause I have a draft in the bag. But I have so many stories rattling around in my head that I need 4 a year just to get them our!


Yeah, totally know that feeling!

By the way, for whatever it's worth, I totally love your current cover. I don't really see what the problem with it is.


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## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> Yeah, totally know that feeling!
> 
> By the way, for whatever it's worth, I totally love your current cover. I don't really see what the problem with it is.


Thought you might!

That's great on the mythology book! (Even if it is taking your time up!) You'll be able to market it as fiction on amazon too right?

Thank you, I do love the cover, it is what I wanted! But as far as I can tell, the issue is that it's not a subdued colour with a half naked man on it, which seems to be the norm. I didn't ask for that kind of image in the first place because I thought it would be misleading! (Oh and a couple of people said they thought it looked like a paranormal cover) I've changed my blurb now and I'm going to see how that goes! After all having a cover that's different *could* work to my advantage at some point.

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## JennyOBrien

Bill Hiatt said:


> That's really great! Government agencies tend to like to deal with trad publishers, so the interest indicates they must really like your book.
> 
> I may have the same thing on a minor scale. I'm currently engaged in writing a mythology text suitable for fourteen-year-old honors students at the request of my former colleagues. Strangely enough, Edith Hamilton wasn't writing for that age range, and they struggle with her book. I taught the class involved for years, and I've searched that whole time for a substitute text. Everything is either focused only on a small range of myths, so not comprehensive enough, or too detailed and scholarly (Robert Graves's _The Greek Myths_ at 783 pages!), or a kiddie book that isn't scholarly enough for high school and/or denatures the myths so far it isn't worth it. When I was visiting a department meeting a couple of months back, my ex-colleagues suggested (perhaps jokingly) that I write a book that would work. I asked later if they actually wanted one, they were thrilled with the idea, I got a more official thumbs up, after a two-chapter sample, and I've been working on it ever since.
> 
> It's based on an interesting concept: a group of students fall asleep while cramming for a mythology test and wake up in a dream world in which the mythological characters are real. They learn the myths from the mythological figures themselves. The context obviously involves some modern fiction, but the characters are true to the original sources, as are the myths they retell. (Early on the most obnoxious of the students gets turned into a dog by Hera, then is abducted just as Hera is about to relent. The rest of the book is built around a quest to find him, which takes the students, with Hermes as their guide, all around the mythological world and gives them a chance to meet everyone as they search for clues.
> 
> There are two drawbacks. First, the book will be used in one school. Most districts don't want to deal with self-published material, and I have no inclination to go through what it would take to get a major publisher interested. Second, even though I know mythology, I meticulously research every element to make sure I get it right, which makes the process *slow*. I have three other projects I should be working on, but all my time goes to this one, which has an actual deadline. Sigh! Still, it will be good to solve a problem for my ex-colleagues.


i think you're on to something Bill, over in the UK they teach that to age 11-12 year olds,
( my two are apparent experts by they way they keep telling me about different Gods). If you could get it about and with your teaching contacts... I should really crack on with my kids sequel, which I'm half way through but I'll wait to see what happens, I've had too many rejections to have any real optimism in anything other than my own efforts with regards to writing.


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## JennyOBrien

Kay7979 said:


> That's exciting! Good luck with your childrens' book.
> 
> I added Greg's book to my growing library today.
> 
> My Kindle Countdown promo starts tomorrow at $0.99. I'm not counting on the kind of downloads Bill got for Different Lee, but I'm hoping for some action since I spent a bundle!


Good luck Kay, I'll share for you tomorrow


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## Joynell Schultz

I just received the email from Kindle Scout for Liz's book being available.

QUESTION: Does that email generate any sales? Anyone have thoughts on that?

Thanks!


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## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> That's really great! Government agencies tend to like to deal with trad publishers, so the interest indicates they must really like your book.
> 
> I may have the same thing on a minor scale. I'm currently engaged in writing a mythology text suitable for fourteen-year-old honors students at the request of my former colleagues. Strangely enough, Edith Hamilton wasn't writing for that age range, and they struggle with her book. I taught the class involved for years, and I've searched that whole time for a substitute text. Everything is either focused only on a small range of myths, so not comprehensive enough, or too detailed and scholarly (Robert Graves's _The Greek Myths_ at 783 pages!), or a kiddie book that isn't scholarly enough for high school and/or denatures the myths so far it isn't worth it. When I was visiting a department meeting a couple of months back, my ex-colleagues suggested (perhaps jokingly) that I write a book that would work. I asked later if they actually wanted one, they were thrilled with the idea, I got a more official thumbs up, after a two-chapter sample, and I've been working on it ever since.
> 
> It's based on an interesting concept: a group of students fall asleep while cramming for a mythology test and wake up in a dream world in which the mythological characters are real. They learn the myths from the mythological figures themselves. The context obviously involves some modern fiction, but the characters are true to the original sources, as are the myths they retell. (Early on the most obnoxious of the students gets turned into a dog by Hera, then is abducted just as Hera is about to relent. The rest of the book is built around a quest to find him, which takes the students, with Hermes as their guide, all around the mythological world and gives them a chance to meet everyone as they search for clues.
> 
> There are two drawbacks. First, the book will be used in one school. Most districts don't want to deal with self-published material, and I have no inclination to go through what it would take to get a major publisher interested. Second, even though I know mythology, I meticulously research every element to make sure I get it right, which makes the process *slow*. I have three other projects I should be working on, but all my time goes to this one, which has an actual deadline. Sigh! Still, it will be good to solve a problem for my ex-colleagues.


I love the idea and the cover art is fantastic. I would read this book!!!


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## Kay7979

JennyOBrien said:


> Good luck Kay, I'll share for you tomorrow


Thanks!

I plan to post a heads-up on FB tonight, alerting my friends that Beyond the Forest will be on sale tomorrow for less than a cup of coffee. Then in the morning I'll post the official notification with the buying link, and I hope they'll be ready to get a copy and share my post with their FB friends.


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## Kay7979

Joynell Schultz said:


> I just received the email from Kindle Scout for Liz's book being available.
> 
> QUESTION: Does that email generate any sales? Anyone have thoughts on that?
> 
> Thanks!


We discuss this question frequently. A few people report it has definitely boosted sales. Others, including myself, found it to be little to no help. My advice is to expect nothing, and be pleasantly surprised if KS generates some sales.


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## RWhite7699

JennyOBrien said:


> Kathy less of the old , although I admire Bill his retirement, or at least retirement from the day job. Bill can we swap KDP sales views- wow, all your hard work paying off.
> I have 5 books out now and I do get sales pretty much most days but nothing like your figure.
> 
> Laura just stick to it, I enjoyed your book and others will when they find it. I'm in the same boat post nano, managed 50,000 but only 2000 in last week but things are busy this time of year with work and kids.
> I got the proofs through of my Createspace kid's book and I'm trying not to be too hopeful but there's a possibility a Government agency wants to stock it (it's on school bullying and self esteem) I had to post a copy off today so they could review so fingers and toes crossed.
> Mark, hope it works for you, I too was surprised you weren't picked.
> I'm reading Gregs book at the moment, he self pubs tomorrow and I also don't know why he wasn't picked. It's not my usual genre but I can't put it down. Perhaps we need to set up our own publishing agency?


Or our own book promotion site. They are making more money than all of us put together. We have Bill Hiatt and Lincoln Cole as our experts. Maybe they will give it a try and pull the rest of us along?


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## JennyOBrien

RWhite7699 said:


> Or our own book promotion site. They are making more money than all of us put together. We have Bill Hiatt and Lincoln Cole as our experts. Maybe they will give it a try and pull the rest of us along?


Good idea, Bill? 
Add thank you Ruth


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## Kay7979

I discovered that Kindle Countdown deals don't include Canada at all, and while the UK can be included, you have to set up a separate Countdown campaign. Too bad I learned this belatedly, today. 

I called customer support since I couldn't view my campaign and they confirmed that I hadn't set up the UK. It's too late to make it start tomorrow concurrent with the US promo, so the best I could do was schedule it for the 9th. The reason I'm a bit panicky is I can't remember how many (if any) of the promos I booked include the UK as well as the US. If I remember right, I may have noted that my book would be discounted in the US and the UK, (and possibly Canada, which will be a problem, since apparently Canada is NOT included in the countdown). I should have done better research. I don't want promo services banning me from future bookings because my book wasn't discounted where I claimed it would be.


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## LizHedgecock

Morning!
Quietly pleased with yesterday's launch of A House Of Mirrors. 2 sales (I think in the UK) before the KS email went out, and 5 US ones afterwards. I've launched at $2.99 so impressed that people have gone for it. According to my Booklinker dashboard, 72 people clicked the link yesterday; 43 US, 25 UK.
2 reviews up already, 1 UK, 1 US (thanks to the ARCs) - both 5 stars! 
I also spent time yesterday adding the book shortlink to all my previous books, and put the first chapter in the back of my 99p offering, which does quite well on sales and KU.
Might try a promo or two now - thanks Bill and everyone else who's posted what they've used, I have a big list to work through!


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## JennyOBrien

LizHedgecock said:


> Morning!
> Quietly pleased with yesterday's launch of A House Of Mirrors. 2 sales (I think in the UK) before the KS email went out, and 5 US ones afterwards. I've launched at $2.99 so impressed that people have gone for it. According to my Booklinker dashboard, 72 people clicked the link yesterday; 43 US, 25 UK.
> 2 reviews up already, 1 UK, 1 US (thanks to the ARCs) - both 5 stars!
> I also spent time yesterday adding the book shortlink to all my previous books, and put the first chapter in the back of my 99p offering, which does quite well on sales and KU.
> Might try a promo or two now - thanks Bill and everyone else who's posted what they've used, I have a big list to work through!


That's great Liz, will have to check Booklinker, I'm hopeless at this marketing stuff. I also need to read all the previous posts, no time to write though


----------



## KCecala

LizHedgecock said:


> Morning!
> Quietly pleased with yesterday's launch of A House Of Mirrors. 2 sales (I think in the UK) before the KS email went out, and 5 US ones afterwards. I've launched at $2.99 so impressed that people have gone for it. According to my Booklinker dashboard, 72 people clicked the link yesterday; 43 US, 25 UK.
> 2 reviews up already, 1 UK, 1 US (thanks to the ARCs) - both 5 stars!
> I also spent time yesterday adding the book shortlink to all my previous books, and put the first chapter in the back of my 99p offering, which does quite well on sales and KU.
> Might try a promo or two now - thanks Bill and everyone else who's posted what they've used, I have a big list to work through!


That's great Liz! And love those ARCs--I actually got a great four-star (on Goodreads) my first day out. From a complete stranger, LOL! But I'm convinced it resulted from my Scout campaign since it had only been on NetGalley a few days. Otherwise the KS thing wasn't much benefit at all...


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## Kay7979

LizHedgecock said:


> Morning!
> Quietly pleased with yesterday's launch of A House Of Mirrors. 2 sales (I think in the UK) before the KS email went out, and 5 US ones afterwards. I've launched at $2.99 so impressed that people have gone for it. According to my Booklinker dashboard, 72 people clicked the link yesterday; 43 US, 25 UK.
> 2 reviews up already, 1 UK, 1 US (thanks to the ARCs) - both 5 stars!
> I also spent time yesterday adding the book shortlink to all my previous books, and put the first chapter in the back of my 99p offering, which does quite well on sales and KU.
> Might try a promo or two now - thanks Bill and everyone else who's posted what they've used, I have a big list to work through!


Good start! Wishing you continued success!


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## Kay7979

Today marks my first attempt at a Kindle Countdown deal, and I'll share my mistakes so none of you will repeat them!

1. Unbeknown to me, you can manually set the start time of your Countdown. If you don't notice that there's a dropdown menu and set it to a different time, apparently the default time is 8:00 AM Pacific time. Obviously, this is too late, as many promo newsletters go out super early in the morning. Your discount needs to be in place before the newsletters go out, or you risk your promo being cancelled. 

2. There are also default settings if you structure your countdown deal to have more than one price level. I selected a seven-day Countdown, with two price levels--beginning at $0.99 and shifting to $1.99. The default setup was a price change midday on the third day of my campaign, creating 3.5 days at each price point. I suspect I could have manually altered this as well, but I didn't attempt to. I simply avoided booking any promos on that date, since I couldn't advertise two different prices. 

3. Canada is NOT included in your countdown, only the US. I knew the UK could be included in Countdowns, and I thought that happened automatically. NOT!!! If you want to have a Countdown in the UK, you have to set up a second campaign. I discovered this too late to make the timing coincide with my US deal, but I have it starting tomorrow (I think it begins at 8 AM GST). Don't ask me what time that converts to compared to Eastern, and no doubt I should have manually adjusted that time as well, so it would start earlier.  

Next time, I'll be an old pro at this. Usually when computer programs have a default setting, you're best off using the default setting. Not so with Amazon! The only good thing about making hideous mistakes is that you aren't quick to forget the lessons you learned!


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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> We discuss this question frequently. A few people report it has definitely boosted sales. Others, including myself, found it to be little to no help. My advice is to expect nothing, and be pleasantly surprised if KS generates some sales.


It seems to have had an effect for me. As you say, the outcome varies significantly.


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## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> I'm looking forward to reading your review. Have you started yet?


Sadly, I'm bogged down right now with the project I mentioned upthread--on which I'm well behind the original deadline, so unfortunately it may be a while.


----------



## Used To Be BH

JennyOBrien said:


> Good idea, Bill?
> Add thank you Ruth


Working out cross promotion among ourselves wouldn't be hard. Running our own promo site, if it were even remotely successful, would require someone working at least part-time just on that. I don't think any of us have that kind of time.

By the way, I'm flattered by Ruth's remark, but I wouldn't put myself in the same class as Lincoln as far as data and experience are concerned.


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## Kay7979

So far the results of my multiple promos are pretty dismal. I realize I lost a few hours because the Countdown didn't kick in until 11:00 Eastern. Is it typical to get most of the sales in the morning when the newsletters go out? Or in the evening when people get home from work?


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## LizHedgecock

Kay7979 said:


> So far the results of my multiple promos are pretty dismal. I realize I lost a few hours because the Countdown didn't kick in until 11:00 Eastern. Is it typical to get most of the sales in the morning when the newsletters go out? Or in the evening when people get home from work?


I did a Countdown a while back and wasn't impressed - no listing on the countdown page, and no ticking clock on the book listing. I probably wouldn't bother again.


----------



## Carey Lewis

Kay7979 said:


> So far the results of my multiple promos are pretty dismal. I realize I lost a few hours because the Countdown didn't kick in until 11:00 Eastern. Is it typical to get most of the sales in the morning when the newsletters go out? Or in the evening when people get home from work?


Don't feel bad. When I launched, I lined up a bunch of promos. The ones I didn't pay for, I don't think even promoted my book, and the others didn't give much of a return. Think I was selling one book a day, other than the first day when I got around four or seven, can't remember which. Bargainbooksy did the best for me, moving twenty copies. Genre Crave had their system down during my scheduled promo date, so they returned the money, but I'd rather them have promoted the book. ENT turned me down. My Book Cave or whatever it's called turned me down for not having reviews despite entering it in the new release section.

So yeah, somewhat of a let down for the release. I just keep telling myself "Well, I think it's pretty good..."

Back to the drawing board I guess!


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Bill Hiatt said:


> ENT (12/2) brought in an estimated 63 sales, Kindle Book Review (12/3-12/4) brought in 23, Genre Crave (12/5) 24. Pages read went up each of those days. For a few days DL has been hovering between 5,000 and 6,000 (top 100 in all three genres), and there was no sudden drop after 30. Now that there are no active promos until 12/13, it will be interesting to see how well the books sustains its momentum.





Carey Lewis said:


> Bargainbooksy did the best for me, moving twenty copies. Genre Crave had their system down during my scheduled promo date, so they returned the money, but I'd rather them have promoted the book. ENT turned me down. My Book Cave or whatever it's called turned me down for not having reviews despite entering it in the new release section.


Thanks for the insight. My release date is the 16th for the Kindle version of my novel. I want to do some promotion, but not a ton. Knowing what sights give some return are great. If anyone else has any super secret EFFECTIVE promotional sites, please share. ;-)


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> So far the results of my multiple promos are pretty dismal. I realize I lost a few hours because the Countdown didn't kick in until 11:00 Eastern. Is it typical to get most of the sales in the morning when the newsletters go out? Or in the evening when people get home from work?


I've seen it go both ways, but I think, at least on a work day, that the reaction tends to build during the day rather than being mostly in the morning. On the weekend, you're more likely to see a big burst when the newsletter goes out.


----------



## Kay7979

LizHedgecock said:


> I did a Countdown a while back and wasn't impressed - no listing on the countdown page, and no ticking clock on the book listing. I probably wouldn't bother again.


If you didn't see the ticking clock and your book among the Countdown deals, there was something wrong and your deal wasn't "Live." My product page shows a price slash through $3.99, and the new price of $0.99 in red. The countdown clock is counting down the time until my price moves up to $1.99 on Sunday.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Carey Lewis said:


> Don't feel bad. When I launched, I lined up a bunch of promos. The ones I didn't pay for, I don't think even promoted my book, and the others didn't give much of a return. Think I was selling one book a day, other than the first day when I got around four or seven, can't remember which. Bargainbooksy did the best for me, moving twenty copies. Genre Crave had their system down during my scheduled promo date, so they returned the money, but I'd rather them have promoted the book. ENT turned me down. My Book Cave or whatever it's called turned me down for not having reviews despite entering it in the new release section.
> 
> So yeah, somewhat of a let down for the release. I just keep telling myself "Well, I think it's pretty good..."
> 
> Back to the drawing board I guess!


Sometimes books start slowly and then build. Don't be too discouraged. Yeah, it would have been great if it had taken off right away, but I've seen books pick up steam after they've been out for a while.


----------



## Kay7979

Carey Lewis said:


> Don't feel bad. When I launched, I lined up a bunch of promos. The ones I didn't pay for, I don't think even promoted my book, and the others didn't give much of a return. Think I was selling one book a day, other than the first day when I got around four or seven, can't remember which. Bargainbooksy did the best for me, moving twenty copies. Genre Crave had their system down during my scheduled promo date, so they returned the money, but I'd rather them have promoted the book. ENT turned me down. My Book Cave or whatever it's called turned me down for not having reviews despite entering it in the new release section.
> 
> So yeah, somewhat of a let down for the release. I just keep telling myself "Well, I think it's pretty good..."
> 
> Back to the drawing board I guess!


It's strange that sites claiming they accept new releases without reviews turned you down. I would have been angry! I ran a BargainBooksy promo with my book at full price, so I didn't get many sales. It's interesting to observe my sales rank now vs. that promo at full price. I had theorized at the time that selling fewer books at $3.99 affected my sales rank as much as having a bunch of sales at $0.99, and this appears top be true judging by my current results.


----------



## Kay7979

Yesterdays promos and results: 

Bookoftheday.org - Free to advertise and the presentation was very attractive

BookRaid - cost per click with a max of $10 and I think a minimum of $2.00. I believe they say if you get less than $2.00 worth of clicks there's no charge. I didn't see my book on their website yesterday, so maybe they only have a newsletter, which I didn't subscribe to. My mistake if so. I really didn't research this site adequately.

Bookzio - $19  I verified that my listing appeared. It looked attractive.

FreeDiscountedBooks - $8.00  I verified my listing here. It looked very nice.

BookLoversHeaven- $5.00 Verified and attractive.

EBookHabit- $10  My book did NOT appear on their website. I wrote to them via their "contact" form. We'll see if they reply. Possibly the omission was due to my own screw-up on the start time of my Kindle Countdown deal, but it would have been nice if they had notified me. 

I had scheduled MyBookCave and ReadingDeals for yesterday as well and when my price reduction didn't come through in time, both contacted me and graciously moved my promos to today. I am VERY grateful for this. 

Results: Nine sales by bedtime and two when I checked in the wee hours of the morning, around 1:30 AM Eastern. Eleven sales for all those promos is pretty lame, especially since I posted my promo on FB and at least two people reported buying my book. 

I'm showing eight sales for today so far, and since most of the newsletters haven't gone out yet, I can probably attribute the sales to yesterday's promos. One of today's sales is a KBoarder who notified me on FB that he had purchased.

Today's lineup includes the bulk of my promotions for this Countdown deal. I have: MyBookCave, ReadingDeals, ENT, SweetFreeBooks, BookPebble, Booktastic, ManyBooks, and eBookChristian. 

Wish me luck!


----------



## Carey Lewis

Bill Hiatt said:


> Sometimes books start slowly and then build. Don't be too discouraged. Yeah, it would have been great if it had taken off right away, but I've seen books pick up steam after they've been out for a while.


I was a little discouraged because I spent so much time researching promotions and such and spent more money than I have, but that disappointment has faded to a new one hahaha. From all the ones I entered, I subscribed to many of them. What's discouraging is seeing all the books for free or .99 cents. I'm guilty of grabbing a bunch of the free ones. Based on my own behavior, I'm wondering why people are going to buy books when so many authors are giving them away for free. That realization is frustrating in that it's a new puzzle to solve. I realize why the authors do this, to take a hit to get readers hooked, but I feel the market is becoming saturated with "free."

I also thought I would have figured out my genre by now too. It seemed so easy before I started. I keep using Elmore Leonard as an example - he didn't really fit tidily into one genre either. Somewhere in suspense/ mystery and thriller, but there's not too many books in those genres that have humor in them. Everyone's so damn serious! Arguably the greatest film noir of all time, Double Indemnity, had quite a few funny parts in it!

But I digress. I hope the ones that bought the book dig it and become fans. Like I said upthread, I think it's a pretty rad book. I'm still new to this, only started doing it seriously since the summer, so I'm still trying to find readers. I gave myself a day to be discouraged, then went back to life. I got another book ready to submit to Scout (as soon as I can do a cover I like, not my strong suit), formatted it for paperback, and am writing another one.

I cling to the hope that readers will find me!!!!


----------



## LizHedgecock

Kay7979 said:


> If you didn't see the ticking clock and your book among the Countdown deals, there was something wrong and your deal wasn't "Live." My product page shows a price slash through $3.99, and the new price of $0.99 in red. The countdown clock is counting down the time until my price moves up to $1.99 on Sunday.


Maybe...my KDP page did say the deal was live. Maybe it's because I ran it in the US that I couldn't see it in the UK. Ah well...


----------



## Kay7979

LizHedgecock said:


> Maybe...my KDP page did say the deal was live. Maybe it's because I ran it in the US that I couldn't see it in the UK. Ah well...


Yes that very well could be the answer. I had to set up two separate Countdowns. I haven't tried to look for my U.K. Product page. The Countdown should have started at 8AM GMT.


----------



## amiblackwelder

Joynell Schultz said:


> Congrats Liz! I'm facing the same Holiday-time launch. I wish you a ton of luck! BTW - I voted for you, but don't recall getting an email from Kindle Scout yet that your book is available.


I've seen your book up, it looks good. At least different from all the vampire and zombies hoopla.


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## amiblackwelder

Joynell Schultz said:


> Woo Hoo! I'm an official member of this thread! Rejected by Kindle Scout yesterday. (I'm trying to stay positive, can you tell?). This thread is wonderful and I'm glad I'm not alone.
> 
> I'm shooting for a December 16th release of my novel. I'm going to be so happy to call it "done". Phew. It was a long ride. I put it up for pre release as I finalize a few things in the document. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MXTGIZL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480727217&sr=8-1&keywords=love+lies+clones
> 
> I thought your book looked interesting, more than most up there. Too bad, they didn't pick you.
> 
> Anyone willing to support a HeadTalker campaign? I don't know if it will do much -- has anyone had luck with HeadTalker? I tried for the Kindle Scout campaign and don't know if I had many link clicks. Here's the link: https://headtalker.com/campaigns/pre-order-love-lies-clones/
> 
> Anyway, Thanks everyone for this thread and sharing your struggles and triumphs. I've been watching for a while.


----------



## Kay7979

Midday report on my promos. Success! Sales are finally kicking into gear. Yesterday, I started off the morning with a sales rank of 220,992, and the last time I looked I'm at 4,809! That's a pretty big drop. I doubt I'll get "sticky" but I'm hoping my book will get more attention, and the majority who buy it will read and review it.


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> Midday report on my promos. Success! Sales are finally kicking into gear. Yesterday, I started off the morning with a sales rank of 220,992, and the last time I looked I'm at 4,809! That's a pretty big drop. I doubt I'll get "sticky" but I'm hoping my book will get more attention, and the majority who buy it will read and review it.


Yey! That's great news Kay 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## JennyOBrien

lauramg_1406 said:


> Yey! That's great news Kay
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Great results Kay, what do you think worked best? Just bought your book and Joynell's and look forward to reading both over Christmas when hopefully I'll have more time. Still haven't done any promos but going to get some business cards printed


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## Joynell Schultz

JennyOBrien said:


> Great results Kay, what do you think worked best? Just bought your book and Joynell's and look forward to reading both over Christmas when hopefully I'll have more time. Still haven't done any promos but going to get some business cards printed


Kay -- I'm interested in knowing this too.
Jenny -- thanks for the support ;-) I also hear bookmarks work well--with a Q-code linking directly to your amazon page. The library's will be happy to have them and hand them out.

Okay, I have the million dollar question. I see most your books are priced at 99 cents. I wanted to up mine, after the pre-order time, to $2.99. It'll be less sales... maybe none? But it may be an incentive to up the KU page reads?

I dunno. There's a million threads on this. I just thought I'd ask the advice of my friends here.

Oh, and Chameleon's wasn't accepted? How is this possible?


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## JennyOBrien

Joynell Schultz said:


> Kay -- I'm interested in knowing this too.
> Jenny -- thanks for the support ;-) I also hear bookmarks work well--with a Q-code linking directly to your amazon page. The library's will be happy to have them and hand them out.
> 
> Okay, I have the million dollar question. I see most your books are priced at 99 cents. I wanted to up mine, after the pre-order time, to $2.99. It'll be less sales... maybe none? But it may be an incentive to up the KU page reads?
> 
> I dunno. There's a million threads on this. I just thought I'd ask the advice of my friends here.
> 
> Oh, and Chameleon's wasn't accepted? How is this possible?


Mm, I've looked at bookmarks and even mocked up one on PowerPoint. I might get some for my kids book as it's going into our local library (or at least I hope it is, I haven't actually asked them lol) 
My Ideal Girl Trilogy was priced 99' 1.99 and 2.99. I sold lots of the first, and funnily enough equal of the other two with the third obvs making more money but I went through a sales slump that coincided with both KS and Nano so I just thought to hell with it and reduced them to all the same. I work and writing is a hobby until I make enough for it not to be so I'm more for building up a customer base than making any money at the moment if that makes sense.


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## Joynell Schultz

JennyOBrien said:


> I just thought to hell with it and reduced them to all the same.


Did this fix your sales slump?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## JennyOBrien

Joynell Schultz said:


> Did this fix your sales slump?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I think it will be short lived but yes. Remember though I've just published EIP so that's an extra influence. In financial terms KS was disasterous because I couldn't promote my current titles and KS at the same time simply because there wasn't enough hours in the day. The benefits are more subtle, writer support, info about marketing etc


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## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> Kay -- I'm interested in knowing this too.
> Jenny -- thanks for the support ;-) I also hear bookmarks work well--with a Q-code linking directly to your amazon page. The library's will be happy to have them and hand them out.
> 
> Okay, I have the million dollar question. I see most your books are priced at 99 cents. I wanted to up mine, after the pre-order time, to $2.99. It'll be less sales... maybe none? But it may be an incentive to up the KU page reads?
> 
> I dunno. There's a million threads on this. I just thought I'd ask the advice of my friends here.
> 
> Oh, and Chameleon's wasn't accepted? How is this possible?


I plan on increasing my price to 2.99 in January Joynell. I don't have anything out that can help sell WLBM so I figured I'd attempt to go for volume in the first month.

So far it's not working.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

I know some of you have supported already (and thank you!!!!) but could you guys help me reach my target on Headtalker? I'm still 8 people off what I need for it to go live!

https://headtalker.com/campaigns/0-99-what-lies-beneath-the-ma/

Oh also, keep forgetting to mention that I managed to get a tour with Obsessive Pimpettes (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-GVE6oCFnld9DUTx0GPonNwpU8BhSzgMr9y4a91ph4yJLIQ/viewform?c=0&w=1)

It's free, and while I'm not expecting to get any sales or anything (I think it's probably unlikely, especially as blog tours have been proved to have lost effectiveness at some point in the past two years), last time I did a tour with them I did manage to get some good reviews, including three reviews who have since stuck with me and reviewed my other books, so fingers crossed it pays off!


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## KCecala

lauramg_1406 said:


> I plan on increasing my price to 2.99 in January Joynell. I don't have anything out that can help sell WLBM so I figured I'd attempt to go for volume in the first month.
> 
> So far it's not working.


. I feel December lately is a difficult time for sales--that's why I went on vacation and put off the promotions till January. I have my ARCs out and that's enough for me. But I'm in an undefined kind of genre so for me it's more of a slow build. Five years ago, when I was releasing The Raven Girl, December was a terrific month for selling, my best ever. But times have changed...


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> I know some of you have supported already (and thank you!!!!) but could you guys help me reach my target on Headtalker? I'm still 8 people off what I need for it to go live!
> 
> https://headtalker.com/campaigns/0-99-what-lies-beneath-the-ma/


Done! Good luck.


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## Kay7979

JennyOBrien said:


> Great results Kay, what do you think worked best? Just bought your book and Joynell's and look forward to reading both over Christmas when hopefully I'll have more time. Still haven't done any promos but going to get some business cards printed


Thank you so much. I really appreciate it! I'll be posting an update on my promo results in a few minutes.


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## lauramg_1406

KCecala said:


> . I feel December lately is a difficult time for sales--that's why I went on vacation and put off the promotions till January. I have my ARCs out and that's enough for me. But I'm in an undefined kind of genre so for me it's more of a slow build. Five years ago, when I was releasing The Raven Girl, December was a terrific month for selling, my best ever. But times have changed...


Tbh a lot has gone on in the larger scale of things in the past 6 months or so! While books are at the forefront of our minds, I doubt they are for none authors! Plus people are probably focused on their Christmas shopping!

Well I am kind of floundering around trying to work out what I'm doing...so bad sales are to be expected! It's still outsold either of my previous published works (at least based on the radio silence payments I get from the publisher!)

However, i've decided not to worry. The genre that's more comfortable for me is definitely the offshoots of sci-fi and fantasy, so realistically WLBM is never going to be a massive seller for me. It was just a story in my head that needed to be put to paper to get it out of there, as well as being a weird kind of therapy for me myself!

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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> Done! Good luck.


Thank you!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

Joynell Schultz said:


> Kay -- I'm interested in knowing this too.
> Jenny -- thanks for the support ;-) I also hear bookmarks work well--with a Q-code linking directly to your amazon page. The library's will be happy to have them and hand them out.
> 
> Okay, I have the million dollar question. I see most your books are priced at 99 cents. I wanted to up mine, after the pre-order time, to $2.99. It'll be less sales... maybe none? But it may be an incentive to up the KU page reads?
> 
> I dunno. There's a million threads on this. I just thought I'd ask the advice of my friends here.
> 
> Oh, and Chameleon's wasn't accepted? How is this possible?


My book is normally $3.99. I'm sure $0.99 books sell better but in many cases people leave them on their Kindles and don't read them for months or years. I'm guilty of that. When people spend $3.99 on a book they're more likely to be serious about reading it--and hopefully I get more reviews.


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## Used To Be BH

Joynell Schultz said:


> Kay -- I'm interested in knowing this too.
> Jenny -- thanks for the support ;-) I also hear bookmarks work well--with a Q-code linking directly to your amazon page. The library's will be happy to have them and hand them out.
> 
> Okay, I have the million dollar question. I see most your books are priced at 99 cents. I wanted to up mine, after the pre-order time, to $2.99. It'll be less sales... maybe none? But it may be an incentive to up the KU page reads?
> 
> I dunno. There's a million threads on this. I just thought I'd ask the advice of my friends here.
> 
> Oh, and Chameleon's wasn't accepted? How is this possible?


My intro price of $.99 has been up for so long mostly because of the way the promos spread out. After December 13, when the last one occurs, I'll go up to $2.99 right away. Some of the promoters would take a book priced at $2.99, but being the only book priced that high in a promo email isn't likely to move a lot of copies.

I know there is a theory that higher prices will attract more KU attention, but I haven't found this to be true. My first book in my first series, permacheap at $.99, is normally my best selling title (partly no doubt because it is the first one in a series), and it's also the most frequently borrowed. the $.99 price is not scaring anyone away.

On the KDP forums there are a lot of people preaching at the extremes. One group thinks that no book should ever be lower than $2.99, and preferably higher. (Demographically, this group is mostly people trying to make a living at writing, so their attitude is in some ways understandable.) Another group thinks an author should do regular promotions and price a lot of things at $.99. (This group is mostly hobbyists looking to get the books out to as many people as possible, irrespective of profit.)

I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle. As a writer getting started, the name of the game is audience size. Readers who get hooked on a writer will pay more down the road, but they might not have tried the author in the first place at $5.99. The reader who gets hooked at $.99 could buy a lot of full-priced books as time goes on. (Businesses have used the concept of the loss leader and the special sale for years with success, so I don't buy the theory that doing that somehow devalues our work.) Not also that even trad published books can drive people away if they are priced too high, as last year's drop in trad ebook sales demonstrated.

On the other hand, as a writer gains a larger following, there is somewhat less need for loss leaders and sales. A few still follow that pattern and have a huge volume--I know one person who sells everything at $.99 and makes about $30,000 a year in sales without even counting KU revenues. Most people probably do better pricing their work somewhat higher, and with a large and enthusiastic enough audience, they can.


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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Midday report on my promos. Success! Sales are finally kicking into gear. Yesterday, I started off the morning with a sales rank of 220,992, and the last time I looked I'm at 4,809! That's a pretty big drop. I doubt I'll get "sticky" but I'm hoping my book will get more attention, and the majority who buy it will read and review it.


Aha! You never know when things will start moving faster, but perseverance usually pays off.


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## Kay7979

It's impossible to say which promo sold the most books yesterday, but the ones people generally say produced good results, such as ENT, were probably responsible for most of my sales. The lowest sales rank I achieved last night was 2902 with 67 sales. Considering how many promos I had running, and what I spent, this isn't stellar results, but it was still exciting. I don't expect to better that today since I'll be competing with big name authors who routinely sell dozens of books a day. 

Here's what I had running yesterday:

MyBookCave - $15
Reading Deals - $29
ENT - $30
SweetFreeBooks - $7
Book Pebble - Free
Booktastic - $10
ManyBooks - $19
eBookChristian - $5.50 

I verified all of these sites to make sure my book appeared and they all had attractive presentations. My book was at the top on most of the sites, or if grouped with books in rows, on the first row. Maybe they liked my cover art. 

The promo that was MIA on Thursday (eBooksHabit) is being shifted to today, and as it turns out, it was my fault it didn't run since my Countdown deal started too late in the morning. If you didn't read my post about how I screwed up with the Coundown start time, please scroll back and learn from my mistakes! 

I have seven sales so far today, and I'm not sure if today's promo newsletters have gone out yet, so these sales could be carry-over from yesterday. It's hard to say. 

Today I have eBooksHabit, Ebook Betty, and EreaderIQ.

Tomorrow I have no promotions scheduled, and the price of my book shifts from $0.99 to $1.99 midday, so if any one plans to pick up a copy, keep this timing in mind.


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## Joynell Schultz

Kay, Bill, Kathy, Laura, Jenny, & (everyone else I missed):  thank you all for answering the million dollar question. You're all super awesome!


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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> It's impossible to say which promo sold the most books yesterday, but the ones people generally say produced good results, such as ENT, were probably responsible for most of my sales. The lowest sales rank I achieved last night was 2902 with 67 sales. Considering how many promos I had running, and what I spent, this isn't stellar results, but it was still exciting. I don't expect to better that today since I'll be competing with big name authors who routinely sell dozens of books a day.
> 
> Here's what I had running yesterday:
> 
> MyBookCave - $15
> Reading Deals - $29
> ENT - $30
> SweetFreeBooks - $7
> Book Pebble - Free
> Booktastic - $10
> ManyBooks - $19
> eBookChristian - $5.50
> 
> I verified all of these sites to make sure my book appeared and they all had attractive presentations. My book was at the top on most of the sites, or if grouped with books in rows, on the first row. Maybe they liked my cover art.
> 
> The promo that was MIA on Thursday (eBooksHabit) is being shifted to today, and as it turns out, it was my fault it didn't run since my Countdown deal started too late in the morning. If you didn't read my post about how I screwed up with the Coundown start time, please scroll back and learn from my mistakes!
> 
> I have seven sales so far today, and I'm not sure if today's promo newsletters have gone out yet, so these sales could be carry-over from yesterday. It's hard to say.
> 
> Today I have eBooksHabit, Ebook Betty, and EreaderIQ.
> 
> Tomorrow I have no promotions scheduled, and the price of my book shifts from $0.99 to $1.99 midday, so if any one plans to pick up a copy, keep this timing in mind.


You had good luck in terms of getting a lot on one day. Sometimes in the early going you will spend more than you make, but if the book builds your fan base, think of it as an investment in the future.


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## amiblackwelder

Kay7979 said:


> Midday report on my promos. Success! Sales are finally kicking into gear. Yesterday, I started off the morning with a sales rank of 220,992, and the last time I looked I'm at 4,809! That's a pretty big drop. I doubt I'll get "sticky" but I'm hoping my book will get more attention, and the majority who buy it will read and review it.


Congrats! what did you do with your promos?


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## amiblackwelder

Joynell Schultz said:


> Kay -- I'm interested in knowing this too.
> Jenny -- thanks for the support ;-) I also hear bookmarks work well--with a Q-code linking directly to your amazon page. The library's will be happy to have them and hand them out.
> 
> Okay, I have the million dollar question. I see most your books are priced at 99 cents. I wanted to up mine, after the pre-order time, to $2.99. It'll be less sales... maybe none? But it may be an incentive to up the KU page reads?
> 
> I dunno. There's a million threads on this. I just thought I'd ask the advice of my friends here.
> 
> Oh, and Chameleon's wasn't accepted? How is this possible?


Yea, it's interesting what they choose. If I were their readers, I wouldn't have chosen it either though. It just depends on the readers tastes. You can have Hot and Trending all 30 days and still not get picked and have it only s few days and get picked. It boils down, in my opinion, to if they like your book and think it will sell.


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## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> You had good luck in terms of getting a lot on one day. Sometimes in the early going you will spend more than you make, but if the book builds your fan base, think of it as an investment in the future.


This is exactly how I'm looking at it. Many people spend a lot on a promo blitz when they launch, but I decided to accumulate reviews first, so during my eventual promo people could read reviews and decide whether to take a chance on my book. There are many different strategies, and each has merit.

For the first time in ages, I finally got some KENP. Only 79 pages so far today, but I'm grateful to have any.


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## JennyOBrien

lauramg_1406 said:


> I know some of you have supported already (and thank you!!!!) but could you guys help me reach my target on Headtalker? I'm still 8 people off what I need for it to go live!
> 
> https://headtalker.com/campaigns/0-99-what-lies-beneath-the-ma/
> 
> Oh also, keep forgetting to mention that I managed to get a tour with Obsessive Pimpettes (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-GVE6oCFnld9DUTx0GPonNwpU8BhSzgMr9y4a91ph4yJLIQ/viewform?c=0&w=1)
> 
> It's free, and while I'm not expecting to get any sales or anything (I think it's probably unlikely, especially as blog tours have been proved to have lost effectiveness at some point in the past two years), last time I did a tour with them I did manage to get some good reviews, including three reviews who have since stuck with me and reviewed my other books, so fingers crossed it pays off!


Done. I agree book tours aren't now that useful. I was lucky enough to be reviewed by a top 500 reviewer with massive cross tweet audience RT of 100,000 + result? So far very poor but still delighted with the review


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## lauramg_1406

JennyOBrien said:


> Done. I agree book tours aren't now that useful. I was lucky enough to be reviewed by a top 500 reviewer with massive cross tweet audience RT of 100,000 + result? So far very poor but still delighted with the review


Thank you! Exactly why I don't think I'll be paying for one, but even if this only nets me a review, I'll call that a good ROI!

So haven't been doing much promotion the past few days and have had a couple of sales. But the big genre crave promotion is on Monday, so hopefully that will give me a push!

FYI on that front, not sure if everyone is aware but I think genre crave are stopping the smaller newsletter promotions and are just offering the bigger more expensive ones. I can find the fb post from Rebecca Hamilton (who runs genre crave) in a moment.

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## lauramg_1406

^ see post above for explanation of screenshot!










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## RaffertyBlack

Carey Lewis said:


> I was a little discouraged because I spent so much time researching promotions and such and spent more money than I have, but that disappointment has faded to a new one hahaha. From all the ones I entered, I subscribed to many of them. What's discouraging is seeing all the books for free or .99 cents. I'm guilty of grabbing a bunch of the free ones. Based on my own behavior, I'm wondering why people are going to buy books when so many authors are giving them away for free. That realization is frustrating in that it's a new puzzle to solve. I realize why the authors do this, to take a hit to get readers hooked, but I feel the market is becoming saturated with "free."
> 
> I also thought I would have figured out my genre by now too. It seemed so easy before I started. I keep using Elmore Leonard as an example - he didn't really fit tidily into one genre either. Somewhere in suspense/ mystery and thriller, but there's not too many books in those genres that have humor in them. Everyone's so damn serious! Arguably the greatest film noir of all time, Double Indemnity, had quite a few funny parts in it!
> 
> But I digress. I hope the ones that bought the book dig it and become fans. Like I said upthread, I think it's a pretty rad book. I'm still new to this, only started doing it seriously since the summer, so I'm still trying to find readers. I gave myself a day to be discouraged, then went back to life. I got another book ready to submit to Scout (as soon as I can do a cover I like, not my strong suit), formatted it for paperback, and am writing another one.
> 
> I cling to the hope that readers will find me!!!!


Popped your review cherry on Amazon lol. Good luck with future sales & promotions!


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## Kay7979

Welcome to the cool kids group, Rafferty. That was a super nice thing to do and I'm sure Carey will be thrilled to see the review.


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## Carey Lewis

Kay7979 said:


> Welcome to the cool kids group, Rafferty. That was a super nice thing to do and I'm sure Carey will be thrilled to see the review.





RaffertyBlack said:


> Popped your review cherry on Amazon lol. Good luck with future sales & promotions!


I am super duper thrilled to see this! I can't thank you enough!!!! 
Seriously, it really means a lot to me. A gigantic thank you.


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## Kay7979

Paul Francois said:


> I know what you mean. I have been promo'ing bot free and paid and my sales have flatlined!
> 
> Think I am just going to work on building reviews and on increasing my email list.


I just wanted to let you know I got an email from Amazon tonight with a list of books they thought I might be interested in and yours was on the list.


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## Kyla S

My book, Beneath The Skin, was rejected from KS last week. I've been meaning to post over here, but I've been busy re-editing and formatting the book for launch December 22nd. I put the print book on Amazon so I could start garnering reviews. I priced it at $19.99 so hopefully no one will buy it since the manuscript isn't actually the final draft>  I set up some promos starting the 26th and will lower the price to .99. That's my plan, anyway!

I want to support my fellow KS alumni, so I'll read and review some of you guys over the next couple of weeks.


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## marissamarchan

lauramg_1406 said:


> I know some of you have supported already (and thank you!!!!) but could you guys help me reach my target on Headtalker? I'm still 8 people off what I need for it to go live!
> 
> https://headtalker.com/campaigns/0-99-what-lies-beneath-the-ma/


Done!


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## JennyOBrien

Kyla S said:


> My book, Beneath The Skin, was rejected from KS last week. I've been meaning to post over here, but I've been busy re-editing and formatting the book for launch December 22nd. I put the print book on Amazon so I could start garnering reviews. I priced it at $19.99 so hopefully no one will buy it since the manuscript isn't actually the final draft>  I set up some promos starting the 26th and will lower the price to .99. That's my plan, anyway!
> 
> I want to support my fellow KS alumni, so I'll read and review some of you guys over the next couple of weeks.


Hi Kyla and Anita, Good to see you over on the 'light side' whilst I can't afford to buy all your books I do review so if you were happy to send me a Mobi I'd get to it as and when I have the time. You could pm me via Twitter if you want (Scribblerjb) Good luck x


----------



## Used To Be BH

Carey Lewis said:


> I was a little discouraged because I spent so much time researching promotions and such and spent more money than I have, but that disappointment has faded to a new one hahaha. From all the ones I entered, I subscribed to many of them. What's discouraging is seeing all the books for free or .99 cents. I'm guilty of grabbing a bunch of the free ones. Based on my own behavior, I'm wondering why people are going to buy books when so many authors are giving them away for free. That realization is frustrating in that it's a new puzzle to solve. I realize why the authors do this, to take a hit to get readers hooked, but I feel the market is becoming saturated with "free."
> 
> I also thought I would have figured out my genre by now too. It seemed so easy before I started. I keep using Elmore Leonard as an example - he didn't really fit tidily into one genre either. Somewhere in suspense/ mystery and thriller, but there's not too many books in those genres that have humor in them. Everyone's so damn serious! Arguably the greatest film noir of all time, Double Indemnity, had quite a few funny parts in it!
> 
> But I digress. I hope the ones that bought the book dig it and become fans. Like I said upthread, I think it's a pretty rad book. I'm still new to this, only started doing it seriously since the summer, so I'm still trying to find readers. I gave myself a day to be discouraged, then went back to life. I got another book ready to submit to Scout (as soon as I can do a cover I like, not my strong suit), formatted it for paperback, and am writing another one.
> 
> I cling to the hope that readers will find me!!!!


"Hate the game, not the player." (Yes, I know the context is usually different, but it kind of fits here, too. Promoters, rather than authors, may be the ones creating the pattern.)

I could be wrong, but I think it's the promoters that encouraged that pattern. Many won't take books that aren't deeply discounted. Also, in earlier times, a number of authors built their success on things like a permafree first in series, even on the KDP free promotions. A lot of people emulating them today are doing so indiscriminately (without real strategy), and yes, the market is in some ways saturated with free books.

On the other hand, I used to think people would stop buying full-priced books because of all the free and cheap ones, but that doesn't really seem to have happened. Plenty of authors are still selling books at higher price points. If your book is in a newsletter in which almost everyone else is at a lower price point, then no, it probably won't sell well in that limited arena, because the people who subscribe to those are looking for bargains.

I think the bottom line is that it takes time. A lot of moves I made in the past flopped because I didn't yet have the base to sustain them. Maybe I still don't. _Different Lee_ is going strong right now, but tomorrow could be a different story (no pun intended). Before I was on Kboards, I spent a lot of time on the KDP forums, and most writers who talked about their experiences said they didn't take off right away. Some of the successful ones took years. Even trad published authors frequently have that experience. Sure, a few people who debut novels that are bestsellers, but that's still an exceptional case, even with a publisher behind the author.


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## AnitaLouise

JennyOBrien said:


> Hi Kyla and Anita, Good to see you over on the 'light side' whilst I can't afford to buy all your books I do review so if you were happy to send me a Mobi I'd get to it as and when I have the time. You could pm me via Twitter if you want (Scribblerjb) Good luck x


Just checking out the "cool kids" group. Being with others who have gone through the same experience sure is helpful.  Thanks to all.

Happy to send a mobi, Jenny. Just not sure where to send it.

My so-called "cherry" is yet to be "popped" i.e. no reviews yet on Amazon. Would appreciate your help.


----------



## AnitaLouise

Bill Hiatt said:


> "Hate the game, not the player." (Yes, I know the context is usually different, but it kind of fits here, too. Promoters, rather than authors, may be the ones creating the pattern.)
> 
> I could be wrong, but I think it's the promoters that encouraged that pattern. Many won't take books that aren't deeply discounted. Also, in earlier times, a number of authors built their success on things like a permafree first in series, even on the KDP free promotions. A lot of people emulating them today are doing so indiscriminately (without real strategy), and yes, the market is in some ways saturated with free books.
> 
> On the other hand, I used to think people would stop buying full-priced books because of all the free and cheap ones, but that doesn't really seem to have happened. Plenty of authors are still selling books at higher price points. If your book is in a newsletter in which almost everyone else is at a lower price point, then no, it probably won't sell well in that limited arena, because the people who subscribe to those are looking for bargains.
> 
> I think the bottom line is that it takes time. A lot of moves I made in the past flopped because I didn't yet have the base to sustain them. Maybe I still don't. _Different Lee_ is going strong right now, but tomorrow could be a different story (no pun intended). Before I was on Kboards, I spent a lot of time on the KDP forums, and most writers who talked about their experiences said they didn't take off right away. Some of the successful ones took years. Even trad published authors frequently have that experience. Sure, a few people who debut novels that are bestsellers, but that's still an exceptional case, even with a publisher behind the author.


Love your sensible approach to publishing, Bill. My sister became a NYT best-seller about 5 years ago when the whole indie author thing was fairly new. From what I've been told this forum was very helpful. The point is that she's been writing her WHOLE LIFE! She tried to years to go the traditional publisher route to no avail.

Things are different today. It seems like just about everyone I know has a published book out there. Whether the book is any good or has sold to anyone except family and friends is irrelevant. They are a "published author."

Personally, I'm very grateful we can now self-publish. Of course, I'm not making much money, but I believe by working on my craft and becoming better and better, at some point people who like what I write and my style will find me. Hopefully it won't take me 30 years. I'm not sure I have that much time left on the planet.


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## Kay7979

One of the other members and I have been mulling over the idea of pooling our membership here to review books. It is essential that authors are not  "exchanging reviews" so it would be best if Author A and Author B did not review each other's books, but I see no reason why we couldn't randomly review someone's book here, and if there's enough of us involved, someone will get to each of our books. I'm open to suggestions. PM me or post here.


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## JennyOBrien

Kay7979 said:


> One of the other members and I have been mulling over the idea of pooling our membership here to review books. It is essential that authors are not "exchanging reviews" so it would be best if Author A and Author B did not review each other's books, but I see no reason why we couldn't randomly review someone's book here, and if there's enough of us involved, someone will get to each of our books. I'm open to suggestions. PM me or post here.


Totally agree Kay. I'm a NetGalley reviewer and read hundreds a year so I don't mind adding a couple, but I'm not asking for reviews in return &#128518;


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## lauramg_1406

Considering we were all rejected by KS I find this thread is actually really full of positivity! It's great to be able to share experiences and learn with the support! So thank you!

Totally open to reading some books! I have Jenny's to read anyway and Love, Lies and Clones is on preorder, but I tend to read fast so I'm up for that!

Also thinking we could organise some cross promo for the week between Christmas and New Year, make the most of people getting new kindles!

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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> One of the other members and I have been mulling over the idea of pooling our membership here to review books. It is essential that authors are not "exchanging reviews" so it would be best if Author A and Author B did not review each other's books, but I see no reason why we couldn't randomly review someone's book here, and if there's enough of us involved, someone will get to each of our books. I'm open to suggestions. PM me or post here.


I'm bogged down right now but will definitely participate in future.


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## Kay7979

JennyOBrien said:


> Totally agree Kay. I'm a NetGalley reviewer and read hundreds a year so I don't mind adding a couple, but I'm not asking for reviews in return &#128518;


That's a lot of books. I've probably read 50 or more this year. And then there's the audiobooks! How does it work with Netgalley? Do you decide which books you'd like to review? Do you get many that sound interesting but turn out to be duds?


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## JennyOBrien

Kay7979 said:


> That's a lot of books. I've probably read 50 or more this year. And then there's the audiobooks! How does it work with Netgalley? Do you decide which books you'd like to review? Do you get many that sound interesting but turn out to be duds?


NetGalley is fab, Kay. I'd recommend it to any committed reader, writer. As Lee Childs says he reads 300 books a year and writes 1. You need a blog really and be prepared to write about what you read. I don't blog about every book I read or I wouldn't get any work done but I do about the ones I love. I get to choose but at the start be prepared for lots of rejections as they don't give their books away to anyone. I'm auto approved now for some publishers so if I want a book I just download. I remember last year looking in the window of WH Smith (UK big book seller) and I'd read 5 out of the 6 displayed pre publication - sweet. About duds, there are some and I'm just honest with the publisher in that I tell them I can't review as I didn't finish.


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## Kay7979

Too bad physical book sales don't count in my sales rank. My husband and I are set up at a local coin show and I've already sold four copies of my book. 

I don't think I could handle Netgalley since I have hundreds of unread books waiting for me now, but it does sound like fun for an avid reader who enjoys reviewing books.


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## Joynell Schultz

I'm up for anything!  Some great ideas here.


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## lauramg_1406

JennyOBrien said:


> NetGalley is fab, Kay. I'd recommend it to any committed reader, writer. As Lee Childs says he reads 300 books a year and writes 1. You need a blog really and be prepared to write about what you read. I don't blog about every book I read or I wouldn't get any work done but I do about the ones I love. I get to choose but at the start be prepared for lots of rejections as they don't give their books away to anyone. I'm auto approved now for some publishers so if I want a book I just download. I remember last year looking in the window of WH Smith (UK big book seller) and I'd read 5 out of the 6 displayed pre publication - sweet. About duds, there are some and I'm just honest with the publisher in that I tell them I can't review as I didn't finish.


I do the same as Jenny, in fact I was a book blogger before I was published (and still am). I read upwards of 300 books a year atm (it's lower than it has been in past years due to other commitments, including writing). I use Netgalley but if I don't like a book I'll just say " I DNF'd at X% because...." normally it's something to do with my personal taste so I do say that. I don't post those reviews to amazon at all though

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## JennyOBrien

lauramg_1406 said:


> I do the same as Jenny, in fact I was a book blogger before I was published (and still am). I read upwards of 300 books a year atm (it's lower than it has been in past years due to other commitments, including writing). I use Netgalley but if I don't like a book I'll just say " I DNF'd at X% because...." normally it's something to do with my personal taste so I do say that. I don't post those reviews to amazon at all though
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I'm the same Laura, if a book is not for me I won't leave a neg review, it's all down to taste and anything less than a 4 Amazon view in negative terms. it's not my role to writer bash, I just love reading


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> I do the same as Jenny, in fact I was a book blogger before I was published (and still am). I read upwards of 300 books a year atm (it's lower than it has been in past years due to other commitments, including writing). I use Netgalley but if I don't like a book I'll just say " I DNF'd at X% because...." normally it's something to do with my personal taste so I do say that. I don't post those reviews to amazon at all though
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I'm impressed! 300 books! Yikes! Do you tend to read the same genre, or a variety?

I sold the five paperbacks I took to the coin show today. People had no trouble shelling out $12 for my paperback, and could care less that my eBook was on sale for $0.99. I could have gotten the $14.95 Amazon price if I'd wanted to. So if you're tired of cheap eBook readers that want everything for free, find someplace to do a book signing and you may sell a bunch of paperbacks.


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## lauramg_1406

I stick to 3 star plus, but those reviews are still positive! Maybe I'm being too harsh with my stars! 

No, I switch between genres a lot. For example this month alone i've read contemporary romance, urban fantasy, space opera and I'm currently reading high fantasy 


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## Kay7979

Here's what I propose we do: Let's make a list of books that we would like reviewed, and once we compile the list we can probably just update it once a week, maybe on Mondays. We'll note who is reviewing each book as we get volunteers. 

I would recommend reading the Look Inside sample before volunteering, to make sure you're okay with the genre and the quality of the writing. If you get into the story and it has major issues, you PM the author and say you'd rather not finish. Personally, I'd say any review three stars or higher shouldn't be considered insulting, especially if it doesn't include scathing, nasty comments. Criticism is never pleasant but well-meaning criticism should be acceptable. 

As far as I'm concerned, if we have non-Kindle Scout author friends who want to participate, it's not a problem. The larger the pool of reviewers the easier it would be to find someone interested in each book. 

Please share your thoughts on the mechanics of my plan along with any concerns and ideas.


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## lauramg_1406

Right, I'm going to attempt to organise a cross promo for us (form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdupiZRoO2p6LGe7nATzCUe2pQRXg2rRcC1xD1zE35_R5XgtQ/viewform) I can collate the information from that!



Kay7979 said:


> Here's what I propose we do: Let's make a list of books that we would like reviewed, and once we compile the list we can probably just update it once a week, maybe on Mondays. We'll note who is reviewing each book as we get volunteers.
> 
> I would recommend reading the Look Inside sample before volunteering, to make sure you're okay with the genre and the quality of the writing. If you get into the story and it has major issues, you PM the author and say you'd rather not finish. Personally, I'd say any review three stars or higher shouldn't be considered insulting, especially if it doesn't include scathing, nasty comments. Criticism is never pleasant but well-meaning criticism should be acceptable.
> 
> As far as I'm concerned, if we have non-Kindle Scout author friends who want to participate, it's not a problem. The larger the pool of reviewers the easier it would be to find someone interested in each book.
> 
> Please share your thoughts on the mechanics of my plan along with any concerns and ideas.


I think it's a great idea Kay, is it worth maybe having a "landing page" with the books on it, and an embedded form to fill in to request them? If one or two people are willing to help organise it behind the scenes then that could make it easy to keep track of things going in or out (though it'll be down to the individual authors to send out the review copies)?


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> Right, I'm going to attempt to organise a cross promo for us (form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdupiZRoO2p6LGe7nATzCUe2pQRXg2rRcC1xD1zE35_R5XgtQ/viewform) I can collate the information from that!
> 
> I think it's a great idea Kay, is it worth maybe having a "landing page" with the books on it, and an embedded form to fill in to request them? If one or two people are willing to help organise it behind the scenes then that could make it easy to keep track of things going in or out (though it'll be down to the individual authors to send out the review copies)?


I'm clueless about the mechanics of setting this up, so I hope one of you more tech-savvy people will volunteer. I had envisioned this as a list like the one Steve Vernon posts daily. The name of the book could be a hot link to the Amazon product page, and there could be a notation as to the type of review copy available. If the book is free, or in a steeply discounted promotion, that would be ideal, as the reviewer would download the book and provide a verified review. When that isn't an option, I imagine the reviewer could PM the author and make arrangements to get an ARC copy. Under the book heading we could add the names of those who are reviewing.

Your idea of a landing page and a form to fill out sounds great, but I haven't the slightest idea how to create that. Whoever wants to work on this project, I'm sure the rest of us would be grateful and not too picky about how it's set up.


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> I'm clueless about the mechanics of setting this up, so I hope one of you more tech-savvy people will volunteer. I had envisioned this as a list like the one Steve Vernon posts daily. The name of the book could be a hot link to the Amazon product page, and there could be a notation as to the type of review copy available. If the book is free, or in a steeply discounted promotion, that would be ideal, as the reviewer would download the book and provide a verified review. When that isn't an option, I imagine the reviewer could PM the author and make arrangements to get an ARC copy. Under the book heading we could add the names of those who are reviewing.
> 
> Your idea of a landing page and a form to fill out sounds great, but I haven't the slightest idea how to create that. Whoever wants to work on this project, I'm sure the rest of us would be grateful and not too picky about how it's set up.


I'm happy to help with that, I can set up a "secret page" on my website that you can only get to with a link. We can make anything work!

What we could start doing is having someone on the thread keeping track of links to headtalker campaigns/promos and the review list on this thread like Steve does, but maybe just posting once a week? That way no one misses anything important?

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## Kay7979

Since I was away today, I didn't get a chance to update my Kindle Scout promo data. 

12/10 I had EBooksHabit - $10
EBook Betty - $18
EReaderIQ - $10

Actually, I thought I had EReaderIQ set up for the 10th, but it ran on the 9th. The promos looked attractive and I had 23 sales, a couple attributable to my ongoing AMS ad.

Today I had no promos, just the Countdown itself, and the price of my book adjusts from $0.99 to $1.99 soon, at 7:00 EDT. 

Tomorrow's promos are: Just Kindle Books, and BargainEbookHunter. Tuesday I have the last of my promotions: People Reads, day 2 of BargainEbookHunter, and Choosy Bookworm.


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> I'm happy to help with that, I can set up a "secret page" on my website that you can only get to with a link. We can make anything work!
> 
> What we could start doing is having someone on the thread keeping track of links to headtalker campaigns/promos and the review list on this thread like Steve does, but maybe just posting once a week? That way no one misses anything important?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Sounds good to me. That was my thought: a once-a-week update of the list. I think that should be frequent enough once we create the initial list of books to be reviewed.


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## RWhite7699

Bill Hiatt said:


> This is almost the last update on new release promos. Keep in mind that back-to-back promos are hard to judge, because the second one may be benefitting from the tail of the first one.
> 
> ENT (12/2) brought in an estimated 63 sales, Kindle Book Review (12/3-12/4) brought in 23, Genre Crave (12/5) 24. Pages read went up each of those days. For a few days DL has been hovering between 5,000 and 6,000 (top 100 in all three genres), and there was no sudden drop after 30. Now that there are no active promos until 12/13, it will be interesting to see how well the books sustains its momentum.
> 
> It's not surprising that ENT was the top performer. At first I was a little disappointed, because the first time I used it, I picked up over a hundred sales. However, some of the sales I attributed to KBR might belong to ENT, and there was no KU the last time I used ENT. I had the equivalent of nine full KU reads, and probably at least some of the twelve the following day should also be attributed to ENT.


Bill, just between you and me, do you have the Russians working for your promotions?


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## Kyla S

JennyOBrien said:


> Hi Kyla and Anita, Good to see you over on the 'light side' whilst I can't afford to buy all your books I do review so if you were happy to send me a Mobi I'd get to it as and when I have the time. You could pm me via Twitter if you want (Scribblerjb) Good luck x


Awesome, Jenny. Thanks! Can I PM you here with the file? I don't have a Twitter account yet . . .



AnitaLouise said:


> My so-called "cherry" is yet to be "popped" i.e. no reviews yet on Amazon. Would appreciate your help.


Give me two to three days, Anita. I'll fix that problem for you, in a totally friend sort of way. 



Kay7979 said:


> One of the other members and I have been mulling over the idea of pooling our membership here to review books. It is essential that authors are not "exchanging reviews" so it would be best if Author A and Author B did not review each other's books, but I see no reason why we couldn't randomly review someone's book here, and if there's enough of us involved, someone will get to each of our books. I'm open to suggestions. PM me or post here.


.

I'm in! I'm also very interested in a cross-promo.

I'm terrible at "tinkering" continuing to polish, polish, polish because there are always things I can make better. My editor told me today that it was time to "send it out into the world." I'm surprised at how nervous I am about sending my "baby" out, especially because I've published articles in regional magazines and written books for educational publishers for years. This just seems different. It's my heart on those pages, you know?


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## JennyOBrien

Anita and Kyla,
You should have messages from me.

I'll put Ideal Girl up for free for 1 day over Christmas and filled out the Google doc. I've reviewed Greg's and have Jen's next on my list then Kay, George and... 
happy reading


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## Michele Brouder

Just wanted to check in; I'm always lurking. 

I'd definitely be interested the review thing and would be willing to read outside my normal genres but probably not until January. Currently, I am way behind on my TBR pile which includes a lot of former KScouters. Bear with me.

Kay, I'm delighted to see that you're moving books! Yay! Good for you.

A Whyte Christmas is doing well (at least I think so). I haven't done any promos and it seems to be holding it's own. I'm  selling on average about 1-2 books a day and averaging about 1K daily on the KENP. I realize it's the right month for my book, which is what is probably driving it, but that's fine. I'm taking part in the Holly Jolly Chick Lit tour on FB(which has been amazing fun) and my day is Wednesday and I've got a nice giveaway planned. I've sold a decent amount of paperbacks (family and friends) and I shipped 10 paperbacks to my sister's gift shop back home (she creates framed art using Lake Erie beach glass) and she's already sold 5 copies in 3 days. I won't run a promo for it until January, when I expect sales and KENP to trail off.

Overall, it has been a better launch than my first book, which took a lot of time to get reviews and sales.


----------



## Michele Brouder

Any advice on AMS ads? What kind of keywords should I use? And what campaign type do I go with? Sponsored Products or Product Display Ads? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.


----------



## Carey Lewis

Michele Brouder said:


> Any advice on AMS ads? What kind of keywords should I use? And what campaign type do I go with? Sponsored Products or Product Display Ads? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.


From what I've read, Sponsored Ads are the way to go. The best thing for keywords is to use manual, and use the names of books and authors that are similar to yours that sell better. That way you show up on book pages and author pages that get a lot of traffic. A lot of people don't make a positive ROI but it helps to get your name out there. I'm thinking the more people see your name, the better.

I have two ads going, and I think I've only made one sale from AMS ads from an earlier book. I set my daily limit to 3 dollars and have never gone over. My most expensive clicks are .25 cents. However, AMS ads might give you KENP, which doesn't show up. Also, someone might see your name or your book and decide to look at something else, than manually type in your book, so the sale wouldn't count through the ad.

I think of it as a way to get cheap exposure. Remember, it takes a few days before the results to trickle in, and the results are normally off by a few days, so it takes some patience.


----------



## PatriciaThomson

I'm interested in the cross promo!

I rigged up a AMS sponsored ad last week.  It's popping up, but no one's clicking on it.


----------



## Kay7979

Kyla S said:


> I'm terrible at "tinkering" continuing to polish, polish, polish because there are always things I can make better. My editor told me today that it was time to "send it out into the world." I'm surprised at how nervous I am about sending my "baby" out, especially because I've published articles in regional magazines and written books for educational publishers for years. This just seems different. It's my heart on those pages, you know?


I'm the same way. I spend longer polishing than writing, and after a while I have to face the law of diminishing returns. I might improve the manuscript another 5% but would a reader know the difference?


----------



## Kay7979

JennyOBrien said:


> Anita and Kyla,
> You should have messages from me.
> 
> I'll put Ideal Girl up for free for 1 day over Christmas and filled out the Google doc. I've reviewed Greg's and have Jen's next on my list then Kay, George and...
> happy reading


I appreciate being on your list. You read SO many books, I assume you're not easily impressed, and that makes your opinion valuable.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Michele Brouder said:


> Just wanted to check in; I'm always lurking.
> 
> I'd definitely be interested the review thing and would be willing to read outside my normal genres but probably not until January. Currently, I am way behind on my TBR pile which includes a lot of former KScouters. Bear with me.
> 
> Kay, I'm delighted to see that you're moving books! Yay! Good for you.
> 
> A Whyte Christmas is doing well (at least I think so). I haven't done any promos and it seems to be holding it's own. I'm selling on average about 1-2 books a day and averaging about 1K daily on the KENP. I realize it's the right month for my book, which is what is probably driving it, but that's fine. I'm taking part in the Holly Jolly Chick Lit tour on FB(which has been amazing fun) and my day is Wednesday and I've got a nice giveaway planned. I've sold a decent amount of paperbacks (family and friends) and I shipped 10 paperbacks to my sister's gift shop back home (she creates framed art using Lake Erie beach glass) and she's already sold 5 copies in 3 days. I won't run a promo for it until January, when I expect sales and KENP to trail off.
> 
> Overall, it has been a better launch than my first book, which took a lot of time to get reviews and sales.


I'm not surprised the book is doing well--and yes, 1-2 sales a day and 1,000 KENP with no promos is a good result.


----------



## Used To Be BH

RWhite7699 said:


> Bill, just between you and me, do you have the Russians working for your promotions?


No, I think they're too busy hacking the DNC. 

Actually, no one is more surprised than I am by the results, which are generally higher than I'm used to.

That said, it's easier to promote a standalone or the first in a series, and I've been working on the same series for four years. Trying to promo book six in a series isn't that easy, because it's only going to be of interest to people who've already read up through book 5. Sadly, I had a few enthusiastic fans, not mobs of them, so it was hard to sustain the later series volumes. The first one sells reasonably well on its own, but the others kind of drag. This month, it's 19 for book 1, 4 for book 2, 2 each for books 3 and 4, and 1 for book 6. The KENP is a little more balanced; KENP readers actually get through the series a lot faster.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Sounds good to me. That was my thought: a once-a-week update of the list. I think that should be frequent enough once we create the initial list of books to be reviewed.


I'm in, but I won't be able to start until I get the rough draft done for my behind-schedule project. I'm feeling the clock ticking down...


----------



## Kay7979

Michele Brouder said:


> Any advice on AMS ads? What kind of keywords should I use? And what campaign type do I go with? Sponsored Products or Product Display Ads? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.


Carey's advice is spot on. You want Sponsored Product ads. For keywords, use the titles of similar books and authors. Use other keywords related to your story and romance books in general, but nothing hopelessly vague like "love" or "romance" or you'll get a bunch of non-productive clicks. In addition to romance keywords I'd include keywords Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Irish, Ireland, etc.

Monitor which keywords get clicks, and if some get a lot of clicks but no conversions, put those on "pause." Watch your "also boughts" and keep adding those authors and titles to your keyword list. You'll get the feel for how this works after a couple weeks.


----------



## Kay7979

My Kindle Countdown deal is ongoing. Sunday 12/11 I had no promos augmenting my sales, only AMS ads. I had two sales attributable to AMS, and seven total sales, most of which occurred late in the evening. The promos have definitely helped KU readers find my book. I had ten days with no KU prior to the promos, and after the promos began I had a day with 172 KENP and 708 KENP. 

Today's promos are Just Kindle Books, and (I think) BargainEbookHunter. BEH is a two-day promo and the wording was a bit confusing. I'm not sure whether it's running today and tomorrow or the 13th and 14th.


----------



## Kay7979

PatriciaThomson said:


> I'm interested in the cross promo!
> 
> I rigged up a AMS sponsored ad last week. It's popping up, but no one's clicking on it.


If you don't start getting clicks, please provide more info about the kind of keywords you're using. You should be getting a few clicks by now. Are you getting a lot of "impressions?"


----------



## Kay7979

My Kindle Countdown deal is ongoing. Sunday 12/11 I had no promos augmenting my sales, only AMS ads. I had two sales attributable to AMS, and seven total sales, most of which occurred late in the evening. The promos have definitely helped KU readers find my book. I had ten days with no KU prior to the promos, and after the promos began I had a day with 172 KENP and another with 708 KENP. 

Today's promos are Just Kindle Books, and (I think) BargainEbookHunter. BEH is a two-day promo and the wording was a bit confusing. I'm not sure whether it's running today and tomorrow or the 13th and 14th.


----------



## lauramg_1406

So super nervous right now! Today is the big day for my genre crave  promotion  (the $100 one!) 

So far I appear to have gained 2 sales from it, though my newsletter ' s already grown by 100 subscribers 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> So super nervous right now! Today is the big day for my genre crave promotion (the $100 one!)
> 
> So far I appear to have gained 2 sales from it, though my newsletter ' s already grown by 100 subscribers
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Wow. You've gotten 100 new subscribers due to Genre Crave? At that rate, by the end of the day you may have a couple thousand! Keep us posted on how your sales go. I find this kind of data invaluable. So far my most expensive promos have been around $30-40, so for $100 I hope you get a lot of sales.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> Wow. You've gotten 100 new subscribers due to Genre Crave? At that rate, by the end of the day you may have a couple thousand! Keep us posted on how your sales go. I find this kind of data invaluable. So far my most expensive promos have been around $30-40, so for $100 I hope you get a lot of sales.


Sales are up to 4, but considering I think it only kicked in about an hour ago! I don't think I'll be making my money back (I'd need about 300 sales for thatA!) But considering the newsletter effect is paying off the rest of that at least!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Oh I can get exact numbers for my newsletter! Hang on (because this is worth knowing for me!)

Yesterday I had 228 subscribers.

Currently I have 418, i'll have a final count tomorrow!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## lauramg_1406

P.S. If you're interested in the cross promo, fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdupiZRoO2p6LGe7nATzCUe2pQRXg2rRcC1xD1zE35_R5XgtQ/viewform

There are 5 of us so far but we'll need more to make it work! You can submit more than one book (up to three) and you don't have to discount if you don't want! Also, you can share in whatever way suits you best too!


----------



## JennyOBrien

lauramg_1406 said:


> Oh I can get exact numbers for my newsletter! Hang on (because this is worth knowing for me!)
> 
> Yesterday I had 228 subscribers.
> 
> Currently I have 418, i'll have a final count tomorrow!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Great it's working for you Laura. How did you set your newsletter up? I'm clueless


----------



## JennyOBrien

Kay7979 said:


> I appreciate being on your list. You read SO many books, I assume you're not easily impressed, and that makes your opinion valuable.


----------



## lauramg_1406

JennyOBrien said:


> Great it's working for you Laura. How did you set your newsletter up? I'm clueless


Not going to lie I'm pretty clueless myself! I have a mailchimp list that's integrated with my instafreebie account. I have a free short story that's linked to my novella series exclusive to signing up to my mailing list (which is temporary because I don't have anything else yet, but it will be replaced eventually by a fantasy novella I'm yet to write). To get the free story, they have to sign up to my newsletter and instafreebie (the $20/month option) then sends the subscribers to mailchimp.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

JennyOBrien said:


> Great it's working for you Laura. How did you set your newsletter up? I'm clueless


Sign up looks like this!


















Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## JennyOBrien

lauramg_1406 said:


> Sign up looks like this!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Ok, so it's all via instafreebie? Can you link your website to this then with a button?


----------



## lauramg_1406

Just looks like below on my website (that's a mailchimp embedded form) but honestly it's so much easier via instafreebie. Basically even just being left it gained me 200 subscribers just with a few daily tweets (set up in advance) and a few fb posts!










Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## JennyOBrien

lauramg_1406 said:


> Just looks like below on my website (that's a mailchimp embedded form) but honestly it's so much easier via instafreebie. Basically even just being left it gained me 200 subscribers just with a few daily tweets (set up in advance) and a few fb posts!
> Thanks, I'll have to look into x


----------



## lauramg_1406

JennyOBrien said:


> lauramg_1406 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Just looks like below on my website (that's a mailchimp embedded form) but honestly it's so much easier via instafreebie. Basically even just being left it gained me 200 subscribers just with a few daily tweets (set up in advance) and a few fb posts!
> Thanks, I'll have to look into x
> 
> 
> 
> No problem  if you need any help (or just information!) Feel free to drop me a line! Always happy to help!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...


----------



## Carey Lewis

lauramg_1406 said:


> P.S. If you're interested in the cross promo, fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdupiZRoO2p6LGe7nATzCUe2pQRXg2rRcC1xD1zE35_R5XgtQ/viewform
> 
> There are 5 of us so far but we'll need more to make it work! You can submit more than one book (up to three) and you don't have to discount if you don't want! Also, you can share in whatever way suits you best too!


Make that six


----------



## lauramg_1406

Carey Lewis said:


> Make that six


Awesome thanks Carey! Hopefully we can make a go of it!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Alexander_Baird

I've been lurking in this forum for a while now.  I want to say that you guys are all doing a bang up job.  It's nice to find a corner of the internet full of supportive, lovely people.


----------



## Alexander_Baird

To be clear - no books of mine have appeared on KS, meaning none have been rejected.  I'll be joining your ranks eventually


----------



## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> P.S. If you're interested in the cross promo, fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdupiZRoO2p6LGe7nATzCUe2pQRXg2rRcC1xD1zE35_R5XgtQ/viewform
> 
> There are 5 of us so far but we'll need more to make it work! You can submit more than one book (up to three) and you don't have to discount if you don't want! Also, you can share in whatever way suits you best too!


I signed up. I won't be able to reduce my price due to just finishing a Countdown deal, but $3.99 isn't expensive compared to trad pub novels. I have no mailing list to speak of, but I can share on FB and Twitter.


----------



## Kay7979

Alexander_Baird said:


> To be clear - no books of mine have appeared on KS, meaning none have been rejected. I'll be joining your ranks eventually


Welcome! Nice to have you aboard.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> I signed up. I won't be able to reduce my price due to just finishing a Countdown deal, but $3.99 isn't expensive compared to trad pub novels. I have no mailing list to speak of, but I can share on FB and Twitter.


It'll be after Christmas anyway! So hopefully people will have gift cards to spend and won't think twice about the actual price! Seems likely anyway! Share in any way you want to Kay! It's all about spreading the word! 

In other news. Genre Crave has so far netted me 4 sales (if amazon isn't just being slow to report them) and over 300 newsletter sign ups!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> P.S. If you're interested in the cross promo, fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdupiZRoO2p6LGe7nATzCUe2pQRXg2rRcC1xD1zE35_R5XgtQ/viewform
> 
> There are 5 of us so far but we'll need more to make it work! You can submit more than one book (up to three) and you don't have to discount if you don't want! Also, you can share in whatever way suits you best too!


Come to think of it, I have emails for a few KS alumni who will probably jump all over this. I'll get right on it!


----------



## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> Come to think of it, I have emails for a few KS alumni who will probably jump all over this. I'll get right on it!


Amazing thank you! The more people we can get involved the better!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> Amazing thank you! The more people we can get involved the better!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I just emailed four people, some of whom stop by here, but it's best to alert them to what we're doing. I contacted a few others by FB Messenger and Twitter DM.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> I just emailed four people, some of whom stop by here, but it's best to alert them to what we're doing. I contacted a few others by FB Messenger and Twitter DM.


Thank you Kay!

Just had a great moment! Now on 5 sales today which makes this my best ever sales day! Well they do say it's the little things in life 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## Alexander_Baird

lauramg_1406 said:


> Just had a great moment! Now on 5 sales today which makes this my best ever sales day! Well they do say it's the little things in life


Woohoo! That's bloody amazing!


----------



## lauramg_1406

Alexander_Baird said:


> Woohoo! That's bloody amazing!


Thank you! 5 sales today could be 50 for my next release!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## RWhite7699

My headtalker campaign is stalled. If you haven't already supported it, please do it here: https://headtalker.com/campaigns/lily-of-the-valley/
Thanks!


----------



## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> Thank you! 5 sales today could be 50 for my next release!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


You should pick up more steam as we go into this evening.

I went through my Twitter followers and remembered a few others that would probably like to be included. I'm already getting responses from some of them, so I think several will be stopping by to sign up in the next day or two.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> You should pick up more steam as we go into this evening.
> 
> I went through my Twitter followers and remembered a few others that would probably like to be included. I'm already getting responses from some of them, so I think several will be stopping by to sign up in the next day or two.


Tbh even growing my newsletter how it has has been a good result! I'd been hoping to maybe reach 500 subscribers (from the orginal 22 in total through the whole day, and I'm already past that, so it seems good!

That's awesome Kay! Even if we only gain one reader each from the cross promo it's not bad going for not that much work! I'm going to leave sign up open until 21st, i'll need to close it then so I can send out the info on the 22nd (I'm going away the following day!)

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## Greg Meritt

Michele Brouder said:


> Waves right back>>
> I too don't think I'd do Kindle Scout again. The campaigning was time consuming and I'd just rather write and release. I'm thinking of going wide eventually but for now I'll stay with Kindle Select until I have more out there.


I'm waving now (wave, wave). Thanks, Kay, for starting this thread and inviting me over. I, too, am a KS reject with almost 3,000 page views and 715 hours H&T. Seems others had really good stats, too, and didn't get selected. Who knows?

Anyway, self-published now and would love to be involved, learn and share with others. Just wanted to say hello - I see some other names I reckognize from before - that is just so cool. I will read through this thread and get involved in any way I can.


----------



## JennyOBrien

RWhite7699 said:


> My headtalker campaign is stalled. If you haven't already supported it, please do it here: https://headtalker.com/campaigns/lily-of-the-valley/
> Thanks!


I got you already Ruth


----------



## JennyOBrien

Greg Meritt said:


> I'm waving now (wave, wave). Thanks, Kay, for starting this thread and inviting me over. I, too, am a KS reject with almost 3,000 page views and 715 hours H&T. Seems others had really good stats, too, and didn't get selected. Who knows?
> 
> Anyway, self-published now and would love to be involved, learn and share with others. Just wanted to say hello - I see some other names I reckognize from before - that is just so cool. I will read through this thread and get involved in any way I can.


Greg, never call yourself that. Certainly not the way you write. Kindle Scouts loss....

Kay you lucked in. Stuck in the car all evening with your book on my Kindle so I've left you UK and US reviews and will be passing on to my DD as it's right up her street.
Kyla, I've started yours - wow. I've written a book on sch bullying, a topic close to my heart so I look forward to getting stuck in, I'm about 10%

Alexander, hiya. I won't be any use as I have zilch marketing skills as you can see from my posts.


----------



## Kay7979

JennyOBrien said:


> Greg, never call yourself that. Certainly not the way you write. Kindle Scouts loss....
> 
> Kay you lucked in. Stuck in the car all evening with your book on my Kindle so I've left you UK and US reviews and will be passing on to my DD as it's right up her street.
> Kyla, I've started yours - wow. I've written a book on sch bullying, a topic close to my heart so I look forward to getting stuck in, I'm about 10%
> 
> Alexander, hiya. I won't be any use as I have zilch marketing skills as you can see from my posts.


Thanks. You do read fast! Are you my reviewer #15? I just spotted the review and noticed that the comments mentioned discovering the book on Kindle Scout.


----------



## LoriDRV

Hi Guys - Sorry I haven't been back in a while. With the holidays ahead, I've been busy in real life while at the same time trying to promote Whit's End.

Kay got in touch with me on FB. I clicked the link for the cross-promo but haven't filled it out yet. I have never done this before, and I'm not sure how it works. How will I know which of your books to promote? Will I get a list in my email or something? Even though I write women's fiction, I'm willing to promote any genre except erotica.

Thanks for including me,
Lori


----------



## Greg Meritt

JennyOBrien said:


> Greg, never call yourself that. Certainly not the way you write. Kindle Scouts loss....
> 
> Kay you lucked in. Stuck in the car all evening with your book on my Kindle so I've left you UK and US reviews and will be passing on to my DD as it's right up her street.
> Kyla, I've started yours - wow. I've written a book on sch bullying, a topic close to my heart so I look forward to getting stuck in, I'm about 10%
> 
> Alexander, hiya. I won't be any use as I have zilch marketing skills as you can see from my posts.


Thanks, Jenny. It was wonderful to see you here along with Kay, Michele, Bill, Mark, Julie and some others. Seems like family!  Oh, and thank you again for the kind review. You're awesome.


----------



## Kay7979

LoriDRV said:


> Hi Guys - Sorry I haven't been back in a while. With the holidays ahead, I've been busy in real life while at the same time trying to promote Whit's End.
> 
> Kay got in touch with me on FB. I clicked the link for the cross-promo but haven't filled it out yet. I have never done this before, and I'm not sure how it works. How will I know which of your books to promote? Will I get a list in my email or something? Even though I write women's fiction, I'm willing to promote any genre except erotica.
> 
> Thanks for including me,
> Lori


Lori, fill out the info for your book, and we'll be sharing with all our contacts the list of participants' books.


----------



## Kyla S

JennyOBrien said:


> Kyla, I've started yours - wow. I've written a book on sch bullying, a topic close to my heart so I look forward to getting stuck in, I'm about 10%
> see from my posts.


Well now I'm waiting with baited breath, lol. Thanks so much for reading!


----------



## lauramg_1406

LoriDRV said:


> Hi Guys - Sorry I haven't been back in a while. With the holidays ahead, I've been busy in real life while at the same time trying to promote Whit's End.
> 
> Kay got in touch with me on FB. I clicked the link for the cross-promo but haven't filled it out yet. I have never done this before, and I'm not sure how it works. How will I know which of your books to promote? Will I get a list in my email or something? Even though I write women's fiction, I'm willing to promote any genre except erotica.
> 
> Thanks for including me,
> Lori


Lori - what Kay said! I have the responses list so will send out all the information 

I don't think there's any erotica anyway but don't feel you have to share all the genres!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## lauramg_1406

So so far my Genre Crave promo sales have been a little disappointing considering how much the promo cost (according to amazon I've had 9 sales, which I'll still consider good, just not a good ROI!)

But my mailchimp dashboard now looks like this;










So that's definitely good!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## JennyOBrien

Kay7979 said:


> Thanks. You do read fast! Are you my reviewer #15? I just spotted the review and noticed that the comments mentioned discovering the book on Kindle Scout.


Gem of a read is me, your first UK review I think more imp than 15 in US  it's doing well. All your efforts paid off


----------



## JennyOBrien

Kyla S said:


> Well now I'm waiting with baited breath, lol. Thanks so much for reading!


I'm enjoying it. I have more kid car duty later so I may get to read more. Certainly 5 star writing so don't worry x


----------



## LizHedgecock

lauramg_1406 said:


> P.S. If you're interested in the cross promo, fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdupiZRoO2p6LGe7nATzCUe2pQRXg2rRcC1xD1zE35_R5XgtQ/viewform
> 
> There are 5 of us so far but we'll need more to make it work! You can submit more than one book (up to three) and you don't have to discount if you don't want! Also, you can share in whatever way suits you best too!


I *think* I've joined!


----------



## PatriciaThomson

Carey Lewis said:


> Make that six


Make that seven!


----------



## JennyOBrien

Greg Meritt said:


> Thanks, Jenny. It was wonderful to see you here along with Kay, Michele, Bill, Mark, Julie and some others. Seems like family!  Oh, and thank you again for the kind review. You're awesome.


I enjoyed it Greg, sometimes it's nice to read out of genre


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Hey everybody, I'm at about 80 preorders for War of the Worlds:Retaliation, but only about 45 are from amazon.com. Any suggestions on increasing the exposure to increase preorders? I'd like to launch with 100 preorders on .com.


Do any of the book promo sites take preorders? If so, you could try a few of the less expensive or free ones.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Greg Meritt said:


> I'm waving now (wave, wave). Thanks, Kay, for starting this thread and inviting me over. I, too, am a KS reject with almost 3,000 page views and 715 hours H&T. Seems others had really good stats, too, and didn't get selected. Who knows?
> 
> Anyway, self-published now and would love to be involved, learn and share with others. Just wanted to say hello - I see some other names I reckognize from before - that is just so cool. I will read through this thread and get involved in any way I can.


Welcome!

Our stats are eerily similar, though my H&T was a little lower. The bottom line is the KS editors take what they think will sell best. Our job here is to make them regret not picking us!

(I doubt they really track what happens to books they reject, but it's a nice daydream, anyway, and maybe for some a good motivational strategy.)


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> Hey everybody, I'm at about 80 preorders for War of the Worlds:Retaliation, but only about 45 are from amazon.com. Any suggestions on increasing the exposure to increase preorders? I'd like to launch with 100 preorders on .com.


I don't have any brilliant suggestions. I went to preorder myself and was reminded I already had. 

Possibly there are promoters who would take a preorder. I've not done the preorder routine before--too impatient--so I don't know.


----------



## Kay7979

Here's another installment of my Kindle Countdown report:

I was wrong about having two promos yesterday. It was only one: Just Kindle Books - $15

Since I only had four eBook sales yesterday, and one may have been from an AMS ad, this wasn't a very good return. It's impossible to say where sales come from when you're simultaneously emailing folks and posting on FB and Twitter. On the bright side, when I checked CreateSpace this morning I had three paperback sales yesterday. I was shocked! I'm continuing to get KENP. I had 620 yesterday, and I already have 486 for today. 

When I go to the dedicated Kindle Countdown page and click on the "see all" within the SciFi/Fantasy category, my book now appears on page 1 of 17. At the start of my campaign I was on page 3, and I remained there for a few days. I've only checked three times, so I'm not sure when I moved to page one. Without my additional promos which improved my sales rank, I'd probably be on page 10 or 12. 

My promos today are BargainEbookHunter, People Reads, and Choosy Bookworm.


----------



## lauramg_1406

LizHedgecock said:


> I *think* I've joined!


I've seen your name on the list Liz! We're now up to 13 participants!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kyla S

Just left reviews for Englishwoman in Paris and You Light Up My Life. So great to see so much talent in this group! I hope to get to several more over Christmas break.


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> I've seen your name on the list Liz! We're now up to 13 participants!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Yay! I think we'll have more signups in the next couple days. A few of the people I contacted said they'd come check out the details when they get a moment.


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> Yay! I think we'll have more signups in the next couple days. A few of the people I contacted said they'd come check out the details when they get a moment.


I'd planned on keeping it open for another week anyway!

So far this is the genre breakdown: 
Mystery/Crime: 5
Paranormal/Urban Fantasy: 5
Thriller/Suspense: 2
Dystopia: 1
Romance: 3
Women's Fiction: 2
Literary Fiction/Soft Sci-f: 1 
Fantasy: 1
Memoir/Anthology: 1

As it stands, I think several will be grouped together (e.g. mystery/crime and thriller/suspense, probably Fantasy & Paranormal/Urban Fantasy) but we'll see what the final numbers are like!

Link up for the Cross Promo 26th-31st December (share any way you want & the genres you want!): 
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdupiZRoO2p6LGe7nATzCUe2pQRXg2rRcC1xD1zE35_R5XgtQ/viewform

Also, if you do know any other KS Alumni you think may be interested, please feel free to share!


----------



## JennyOBrien

lauramg_1406 said:


> I'd planned on keeping it open for another week anyway!
> 
> So far this is the genre breakdown:
> Mystery/Crime: 5
> Paranormal/Urban Fantasy: 5
> Thriller/Suspense: 2
> Dystopia: 1
> Romance: 3
> Women's Fiction: 2
> Literary Fiction/Soft Sci-f: 1
> Fantasy: 1
> Memoir/Anthology: 1
> 
> As it stands, I think several will be grouped together (e.g. mystery/crime and thriller/suspense, probably Fantasy & Paranormal/Urban Fantasy) but we'll see what the final numbers are like!
> 
> Link up for the Cross Promo 26th-31st December (share any way you want & the genres you want!):
> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdupiZRoO2p6LGe7nATzCUe2pQRXg2rRcC1xD1zE35_R5XgtQ/viewform
> 
> Also, if you do know any other KS Alumni you think may be interested, please feel free to share!


I've re done mine to add women's lit to my reading choices x


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## lauramg_1406

JennyOBrien said:


> I've re done mine to add women's lit to my reading choices x


Awesome  I haven't even started pulling it together yet! Don't even know if I'm going to include a second book for me yet!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## MarilynVix

So, I got my rejection letter today. 
Already trying to get my manuscript ready to self publish. Realized I really suck at formatting.
Anyone know a good formatter? I always fail at the TOC too.
-Marilyn


----------



## lauramg_1406

MarilynVix said:


> So, I got my rejection letter today.
> Already trying to get my manuscript ready to self publish. Realized I really suck at formatting.
> Anyone know a good formatter? I always fail at the TOC too.
> -Marilyn


No way Marilyn! I was really looking forward to yours being picked :-( I know how to make a TOC in word, it's so fiddly I learnt my lesson and now do it as I go! Drop me a message if you're using word and I can help 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## MarilynVix

lauramg_1406 said:


> No way Marilyn! I was really looking forward to yours being picked :-( I know how to make a TOC in word, it's so fiddly I learnt my lesson and now do it as I go! Drop me a message if you're using word and I can help
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk
> 
> Well, at least KS works for a prelaunch really well. I set my preorder release date to be the first week in 2017. So, everyone should have their Kindle revved up and ready to go. ;-) And I am thankful I made so many new friends through the experience. I do have a stand alone contemporary I may try when it's ready. Will be next year though. Might have better odds of it being excepted.


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## lauramg_1406

I know how you feel! I may have got rejected but I've learnt so much and gained a community so I can't feel too bad !

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## AaronFrale

Hi all, it's good see that everyone is still going after KS... I've been a bit reclusive cause I got laid off from my day job, then hired by a new one, and Minnesota is freakin' cold.


----------



## Greg Meritt

Bill Hiatt said:


> Welcome!
> 
> Our stats are eerily similar, though my H&T was a little lower. The bottom line is the KS editors take what they think will sell best. Our job here is to make them regret not picking us!
> 
> (I doubt they really track what happens to books they reject, but it's a nice daydream, anyway, and maybe for some a good motivational strategy.)


Thanks for the welcome, Bill. Yeah, I think you're right. I doubt the KS editors track what happens with us, but it is nice to daydream! This seems like a great place to share ideas and get good promotional tips!


----------



## Greg Meritt

PatriciaThomson said:


> Make that seven!


Correction - make that eight! Just signed up.


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## Kay7979

MarilynVix said:


> So, I got my rejection letter today.
> Already trying to get my manuscript ready to self publish. Realized I really suck at formatting.
> Anyone know a good formatter? I always fail at the TOC too.
> -Marilyn


Welcome. Thanks for joining us.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

I just emailed a friend who was "Rejected" from KS back in October about the cross promo. She's on her honeymoon now and hopefully she checks her email. Being an author, I'm sure she will.

Jenny & Laura -- I just picked up both your books. I can't wait to start reading them. With my book launching Friday, I have everything in order now and feel like I can breath a little. (Though, I have another novel that I'm in the final editing phase that I should work on, but I need a little break.)

I want to read everyone's book here! Choosing a few at a time is so HARD!!!!!


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## Joynell Schultz

I have an idea for the cross promo. Would those participating be willing to answer a few "writing" questions? I think it would be neat to showcase all the writers and their answers to the same question on my blog (Others could do the same -- with a different question. That way, those that don't know what to post on their blog could take a different question to showcase.) Like one of our blogs could focus on "What inspires your stories?" and another would be "What scenes are tough for you to write?" etc. Then each of us could have our books and links to purchase them.

Just a thought. I'm preparing.  With the holidays, I didn't want to throw something together last minute. I like quality content. I'd be happy to be the point person, collecting questions and answers, if there's interest.


----------



## Greg Meritt

Joynell Schultz said:


> I have an idea for the cross promo. Would those participating be willing to answer a few "writing" questions? I think it would be neat to showcase all the writers and their answers to the same question on my blog (Others could do the same -- with a different question. That way, those that don't know what to post on their blog could take a different question to showcase.) Like one of our blogs could focus on "What inspires your stories?" and another would be "What scenes are tough for you to write?" etc. Then each of us could have our books and links to purchase them.
> 
> Just a thought. I'm preparing.  With the holidays, I didn't want to throw something together last minute. I like quality content. I'd be happy to be the point person, collecting questions and answers, if there's interest.


I think that's a great idea, Joynell. I'm in!


----------



## amiblackwelder

Joynell Schultz said:


> I have an idea for the cross promo. Would those participating be willing to answer a few "writing" questions? I think it would be neat to showcase all the writers and their answers to the same question on my blog (Others could do the same -- with a different question. That way, those that don't know what to post on their blog could take a different question to showcase.) Like one of our blogs could focus on "What inspires your stories?" and another would be "What scenes are tough for you to write?" etc. Then each of us could have our books and links to purchase them.
> 
> Just a thought. I'm preparing.  With the holidays, I didn't want to throw something together last minute. I like quality content. I'd be happy to be the point person, collecting questions and answers, if there's interest.


I'll do it. I'd love to review your book too!


----------



## Kyla S

lauramg_1406 said:


> I'd planned on keeping it open for another week anyway!
> 
> So far this is the genre breakdown:
> Mystery/Crime: 5
> Paranormal/Urban Fantasy: 5
> Thriller/Suspense: 2
> Dystopia: 1
> Romance: 3
> Women's Fiction: 2
> Literary Fiction/Soft Sci-f: 1
> Fantasy: 1
> Memoir/Anthology: 1
> 
> As it stands, I think several will be grouped together (e.g. mystery/crime and thriller/suspense, probably Fantasy & Paranormal/Urban Fantasy) but we'll see what the final numbers are like!
> 
> Link up for the Cross Promo 26th-31st December (share any way you want & the genres you want!):
> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdupiZRoO2p6LGe7nATzCUe2pQRXg2rRcC1xD1zE35_R5XgtQ/viewform
> 
> Also, if you do know any other KS Alumni you think may be interested, please feel free to share!


If you don't end up with enough YA, you can put me (Beneath The Skin) in Women's Fiction. I filled the form out by checking the "other" section. Also, I should really update my signature with my new book . . .


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Yeah, my biggest struggle is what genre mine is. You could put me in mystery, romance (clean), sci fi, or even a little thriller.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## amiblackwelder

JennyOBrien said:


> I've re done mine to add women's lit to my reading choices x


I'd like to add my DYSTOPIA SIMULATION if possible


----------



## LoriDRV

Hi All -

Pardon my hodgepodge of thoughts below.

I have such a hard time keeping up. I apologize that I haven't been able to get here more often or get to reading your books. I'm still reading a blogging buddy's book. So far many of my blog followers read Whit's End and have reviewed it. I do have many of your books on my list to read though.

I can't seem to figure out so much of this technical stuff or promo work. I can't even find out how to put my novel on my signature like you all did. I have my memoir there somehow, but I can't get the novel to show up.

I want to thank Laura for putting together the cross-promo. Thanks for working on that for all of us, Laura.

If any of you are interested, my novel is going to be in a goodreads giveaway contest starting Wednesday the 14th. I have a link that's not live yet. Hopefully it will go live tomorrow. I'm putting it below. If it doesn't work, let me know.

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/215552-whit-s-end

Thanks for your patience - Lori


----------



## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> I have an idea for the cross promo. Would those participating be willing to answer a few "writing" questions? I think it would be neat to showcase all the writers and their answers to the same question on my blog (Others could do the same -- with a different question. That way, those that don't know what to post on their blog could take a different question to showcase.) Like one of our blogs could focus on "What inspires your stories?" and another would be "What scenes are tough for you to write?" etc. Then each of us could have our books and links to purchase them.
> 
> Just a thought. I'm preparing.  With the holidays, I didn't want to throw something together last minute. I like quality content. I'd be happy to be the point person, collecting questions and answers, if there's interest.


Love this! Do you want me to add it to the existance form or do you want a seperate one? (That could be easier!)

I haven't checked the sign up yet today but it seems like the numbers are going up!

I was also going to do a "kindle unlimited" section (it would repeat books from the genre groups) and maybe a "preorder" section for anyone that's book isn't actually out yet!

Genre wise I'll see what we get, but one of my plans is to build a "page" per genre for anyone that just wants a link to share. So depending on numbers, I'd maybe group Sci Fi & Fantasy on one page just under different headings or something. If that works!

Thank you Lori! I've not really got much clue about this, but the idea seems to work so it's worth a shot! Plus it benefits me too!

P.s. Thank you Joynell! I hope you enjoy it!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Oh also, I have several of your guys' books on my Kindle (or preordrr) I promise I'm not ignoring them, i'm just reading tactically! I take part in a reading challenge every winter that is super interactive and it starts on Saturday, so I'm planning on reading yours during that so I can get you as much viability with readers as possible 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## JennyOBrien

Joynell thank you and hope you enjoy but you didn't have to pay, happy to Mobi along copies to fellow KS super writers  I do week promo blogs for. Writers so would love to participate. Here's a link to one I did over a week with writers answering the same 7 questions, (777 = 7 writers, 7 days, 7 questions) if you write your own I'm happy to post https://jennyobrienwriter.wordpress.com/2015/09/09/777-blog-fest-introducing-samantha-tonge/


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## Joynell Schultz

lauramg_1406 said:


> Love this! Do you want me to add it to the existance form or do you want a seperate one? (That could be easier!)


Is there any way you can send me the email addresses of who signed up on Friday? (I know you haven't closed the form out yet, but that would give people more time.) Then I'll send out a group email asking for who'd like to participate and what question they'd like to showcase on their blog. I'll then send out the list of questions to the participating authors, compile them, and give each person their answers back. IF you already know you want to participate and have a question idea (if not, I can make one up for you.) Shoot me an email so I can start compiling. [email protected]

It should be pretty easy -- and fun!

And no problem purchasing the books. I love to support my fellow authors. ;-) BUT I do have a PDF version of my book I'd be happy to send out to anyone here. If you already ordered it, you can cancel the pre-order. Just email me at the above address. Honestly, pricing at 99 cents is basically giving it away free anyway.


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## JennyOBrien

Joynell Schultz said:


> Is there any way you can send me the email addresses of who signed up on Friday? (I know you haven't closed the form out yet, but that would give people more time.) Then I'll send out a group email asking for who'd like to participate and what question they'd like to showcase on their blog. I'll then send out the list of questions to the participating authors, compile them, and give each person their answers back. IF you already know you want to participate and have a question idea (if not, I can make one up for you.) Shoot me an email so I can start compiling. [email protected]
> 
> It should be pretty easy -- and fun!
> 
> And no problem purchasing the books. I love to support my fellow authors. ;-) BUT I do have a PDF version of my book I'd be happy to send out to anyone here. If you already ordered it, you can cancel the pre-order. Just email me at the above address. Honestly, pricing at 99 cents is basically giving it away free anyway.


Thank you' x

What about our own KS hashtag so we can cross promote tweets? Team kindle scout 1' = #tks1 and hasnt been used much. I'll try it now &#128521;


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> Oh also, I have several of your guys' books on my Kindle (or preordrr) I promise I'm not ignoring them, i'm just reading tactically! I take part in a reading challenge every winter that is super interactive and it starts on Saturday, so I'm planning on reading yours during that so I can get you as much viability with readers as possible
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


How did you make out with the Genre Crave promo? Did you get any more sales at the end of the day? More newsletter subscribers?


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## amiblackwelder

JennyOBrien said:


> Thank you' x
> 
> What about our own KS hashtag so we can cross promote tweets? Team kindle scout 1' = #tks1 and hasnt been used much. I'll try it now &#128521;


That's a good idea.


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## Kay7979

This is the final day of my seven-day Kindle Countdown deal. Yesterday I had:

Choosy Bookworm - $25
People Reads - $9
BargaineBookHunter - $24 (runs two days)

Poor performance for fairly expensive promos. I only got six sales @ $1.99.

The presentations looked good. People Reads sends out a number of tweets throughout the day. They sent a nice email in the morning explaining where I could see my ad and reminding me to retweet their posts. It seems like a classy operation and they're the least expensive of the bunch. I'm not sure how many readers they have. 

Today all I have is day two of BargaineBookHunter. For the first time in days I didn't wake to a sale or two to start off the day. I'm going to miss these promos. The 9th, when I had the heaviest hitters, was the most fun. Every time I hit refresh I had two to four more sales. 

My AMS ad is ongoing, and during the Countdown I reactivated the keywords I'd paused. My theory was that folks would be less fussy with a book on sale and more likely to take a chance on an unknown author. I can't say that theory held true. Yes, I had a few conversions at $0.99, but not a lot. If I've had any sales at $1.99 they haven't shown up yet. 

Two good things happened during this week-long promotion. I'm getting KENP now. Yesterday I had 897. Before I began the Countdown, I had a few pages of also-vieweds but I was just starting to get also-boughts. I think there were only five or six books showing as also-boughts. Now I have 18 pages! 

Tomorrow I'll post a wrap-up, totaling my sales and what I spent. I'm underwater, but as mentioned above, the knock-on effects of more exposure, KENP and also-boughts must be taken into consideration.


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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Two good things happened during this week-long promotion. I'm getting KENP now. Yesterday I had 897. Before I began the Countdown, I had a few pages of also-vieweds but I was just starting to get also-boughts. I think there were only five or six books showing as also-boughts. Now I have 18 pages!


The KENP doesn't kick in quite as fast with promos as sales do, but when it starts flowing, if the KU folks like the book, you could be in for a major boost. In the first thirteen days of this month, DL got more than double the number of KENPs it had in the twenty-six days of November during which it was available.


----------



## Used To Be BH

MarilynVix said:


> So, I got my rejection letter today.
> Already trying to get my manuscript ready to self publish. Realized I really suck at formatting.
> Anyone know a good formatter? I always fail at the TOC too.
> -Marilyn


I do my own formatting, but I've heard a lot on the KDP forums suggesting this one is reliable: http://www.booknook.biz/

For future reference, much as I love Word for a lot of things, it's not the best choice for ebook production, because it wasn't designed with that in mind. You might want to try Scrivener, which is relatively inexpensive but has all the features you're likely to need. https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php

The word processing part isn't that different, but when you go to produce the finished product, Scrivener creates flawless mobi or epub files for submission. The TOC is handled automatically. I've never had a conversion problem. (I usually use epub so I can run validation on it before uploading, but I have used mobi also with no problem.)

For print production I still export to Word, because it's easier to fine-tune the way the pages look.


----------



## Used To Be BH

LoriDRV said:


> I can't seem to figure out so much of this technical stuff or promo work. I can't even find out how to put my novel on my signature like you all did. I have my memoir there somehow, but I can't get the novel to show up.


In the Authors menu, take a look at the Author Signature Tool. If you don't know how to code (which I don't), that's the easiest way to do it.

For other specific technical stuff or promo questions, I'm pretty sure we have the collective knowledge to help out. Just post the questions.


----------



## Used To Be BH

AaronFrale said:


> Hi all, it's good see that everyone is still going after KS... I've been a bit reclusive cause I got laid off from my day job, then hired by a new one, and Minnesota is freakin' cold.


Getting laid off must be tough. I'm glad to hear you got a new job, though.


----------



## LizHedgecock

Well, I just sent my very first Amazon MS ad campaign off for review. Thanks Carey for your info further up the thread, it gave me the push I needed!


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## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> The KENP doesn't kick in quite as fast with promos as sales do, but when it starts flowing, if the KU folks like the book, you could be in for a major boost. In the first thirteen days of this month, DL got more than double the number of KENPs it had in the twenty-six days of November during which it was available.


That is super! Very encouraging!


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## lauramg_1406

Joynell - I'll send you a lost 

Jenny - are you wanting us to do the 777 questions because that seems fun! Also great idea on the hashtag! 

Genre Crave Promo Results:

Basically I've definitely lost money on this. Like most of it considering it was 100 dollars. However, I have gained from it in a big way.

So sales wise I got 9 that could probably be attributed to Genre Crave (no KENP, not had any of that since day one).

However, it's my newsletter that's seen the impact. I started Monday with 228. Last time I checked (earlier today) I had 894 subscribers. Best bit is that in the FB group related to Genre Crave there's been an official Instafreebie cross promo going on (buy in is 100 dollars for that one). It's been running since the beginning of December and most authors seem to be saying they've gained between 400 and 800 subscribers in those 2 weeks. So I'm going to take my 600-odd in a day as a good thing!

What Lies Beneath the Mask may not be branded right but apparently my freebie short story is!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Currently we have 31 books going into the promo!

For ease of finding it, here's the KS Alumni Cross Promo Link: 
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdupiZRoO2p6LGe7nATzCUe2pQRXg2rRcC1xD1zE35_R5XgtQ/viewform

REMEMBER: You can share in whatever way you want, you can submit up to 3 books! Links open until 21st December!

On Friday, I'll be giving Joynell a list of people involved so that she can organise some guest posts/questions for us all! (Thank you Joynell!)


----------



## Carey Lewis

LizHedgecock said:


> Well, I just sent my very first Amazon MS ad campaign off for review. Thanks Carey for your info further up the thread, it gave me the push I needed!


I'm glad I helped! Mother will be so happy to learn that I finally helped someone!! 

Just joking. It took me awhile before I jumped on the AMS ads too. I found reading about them a lot more intimidating than they actually were. Now if I could only find out how to use them more effectively....

On that note, how does everyone use keywords when uploading to KDP? I saw someone that keyword stuffed their titles that put their book into Scout and I heard that's a no-no. I tend to use the majority of my keywords to get myself into categories and with the one spot left, I tried to have a run on sentence of keywords, but I'm not sure if that's hurting me since they reformatted the upload pages and now frown on it (they changed the amount of characters you could have per line now).


----------



## lauramg_1406

Carey Lewis said:


> I'm glad I helped! Mother will be so happy to learn that I finally helped someone!!
> 
> Just joking. It took me awhile before I jumped on the AMS ads too. I found reading about them a lot more intimidating than they actually were. Now if I could only find out how to use them more effectively....
> 
> On that note, how does everyone use keywords when uploading to KDP? I saw someone that keyword stuffed their titles that put their book into Scout and I heard that's a no-no. I tend to use the majority of my keywords to get myself into categories and with the one spot left, I tried to have a run on sentence of keywords, but I'm not sure if that's hurting me since they reformatted the upload pages and now frown on it (they changed the amount of characters you could have per line now).


I've attempted to play around with keywords! Though I am completely clueless and somehow have managed to get into the "inspirational" category under "romance" didn't even know that existed never mind how I got there!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

Carey Lewis said:


> I'm glad I helped! Mother will be so happy to learn that I finally helped someone!!
> 
> Just joking. It took me awhile before I jumped on the AMS ads too. I found reading about them a lot more intimidating than they actually were. Now if I could only find out how to use them more effectively....
> 
> On that note, how does everyone use keywords when uploading to KDP? I saw someone that keyword stuffed their titles that put their book into Scout and I heard that's a no-no. I tend to use the majority of my keywords to get myself into categories and with the one spot left, I tried to have a run on sentence of keywords, but I'm not sure if that's hurting me since they reformatted the upload pages and now frown on it (they changed the amount of characters you could have per line now).


This is the ultimate educational thread on keywords:
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,205816.0.html


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## Kay7979

WooHoo! I just checked my CreateSpace account and I have two paperback sales dated today. I never thought anout this till now, but I wonder if KU readers ever finish a book and decide to buy a copy as a gift for someone who only reads paperbacks. I was surprised in talking to people this weekend how many people want no part of reading on a device. Grant you, it was an older crowd, 40s to 70s. And now and then people tell me they spend enough time on computers at work that they don't want to read an eBook. I'm glad I decided to publish a paperback.


----------



## marissamarchan

lauramg_1406 said:


> Currently we have 31 books going into the promo!
> 
> For ease of finding it, here's the KS Alumni Cross Promo Link:
> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdupiZRoO2p6LGe7nATzCUe2pQRXg2rRcC1xD1zE35_R5XgtQ/viewform
> 
> REMEMBER: You can share in whatever way you want, you can submit up to 3 books! Links open until 21st December!
> 
> On Friday, I'll be giving Joynell a list of people involved so that she can organise some guest posts/questions for us all! (Thank you Joynell!)


Good morning. I just signed up. Thanks.


----------



## romance2die4

lauramg_1406 said:


> However, it's my newsletter that's seen the impact. I started Monday with 228. Last time I checked (earlier today) I had 894 subscribers. Best bit is that in the FB group related to Genre Crave there's been an official Instafreebie cross promo going on (buy in is 100 dollars for that one). It's been running since the beginning of December and most authors seem to be saying they've gained between 400 and 800 subscribers in those 2 weeks. So I'm going to take my 600-odd in a day as a good thing!
> 
> What Lies Beneath the Mask may not be branded right but apparently my freebie short story is!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Thanks for the update. I am in the GenreCrave FB group too. Everyone seems to be very happy with the results they get there, but a lot of their promos are pretty pricey so I am hesitant about investing until I have some more books out. I am a slow writer and apparently can't write a book under 100K so it may take me a long time. On another note, I signed up for an instafreebie opportunity for an Advent Calander which was free and got over 1000 subscribers. Wow, right? I was so proud of myself for that especially since most of the time I feel like I am stumbling around in the dark.


----------



## lauramg_1406

romance2die4 said:


> Thanks for the update. I am in the GenreCrave FB group too. Everyone seems to be very happy with the results they get there, but a lot of their promos are pretty pricey so I am hesitant about investing until I have some more books out. I am a slow writer and apparently can't write a book under 100K so it may take me a long time. On another note, I signed up for an instafreebie opportunity for an Advent Calander which was free and got over 1000 subscribers. Wow, right? I was so proud of myself for that especially since most of the time I feel like I am stumbling around in the dark.


They do! And I'd already come to the conclusion I wouldn't sell well even with the pricey promo! But it has paid off in other ways, and I've learnt plenty from it now!

That's fantastic! Instafreebie is definitely worth it. The pay off has been so good from having a book on there!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## LizHedgecock

Kay7979 said:


> WooHoo! I just checked my CreateSpace account and I have two paperback sales dated today. I never thought anout this till now, but I wonder if KU readers ever finish a book and decide to buy a copy as a gift for someone who only reads paperbacks. I was surprised in talking to people this weekend how many people want no part of reading on a device. Grant you, it was an older crowd, 40s to 70s. And now and then people tell me they spend enough time on computers at work that they don't want to read an eBook. I'm glad I decided to publish a paperback.


I think so. Just checked mine and 5 copies of my first book have sold in the last 5 days. I also did a finger-in-the-air poll of my FB friends a few months ago and the number of them who only read paperbacks is surprising.


----------



## Michele Brouder

If anyone is interested, I'm running a nice giveaway for the my day in the Holly Jolly Chick Lit Hop (which I absolutely loved). All you have to do is like my FB page and sign up for my newsletter. Open worldwide. Good luck. And many thanks.
https://www.facebook.com/MicheleBrouder/


----------



## MarilynVix

Mark Gardner said:


> hey Marilyn, I can help you with basic formatting. Shoot me an email.


Thank you Nick. I've decided to just hire a proof editor and formatter to finish the job properly. I really appreciate the offer of help. 
-Marilyn


----------



## MarilynVix

Hi ya all!
It's amazing how a day can clear your thoughts and you can get moving with a plan. 
I've got _Everything For Love_ scheduled for release end of January, and an editor and formatter scheduled to work on it beginning of January. 
So, now, I'm just starting to set up the launch. 
I saw the info about the Dec. Cross Promo for KS alumni.

Is there going to be one for January?


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> WooHoo! I just checked my CreateSpace account and I have two paperback sales dated today. I never thought anout this till now, but I wonder if KU readers ever finish a book and decide to buy a copy as a gift for someone who only reads paperbacks. I was surprised in talking to people this weekend how many people want no part of reading on a device. Grant you, it was an older crowd, 40s to 70s. And now and then people tell me they spend enough time on computers at work that they don't want to read an eBook. I'm glad I decided to publish a paperback.


Everyone should definitely have a paperback version.

The problem, unfortunately, is that the higher price makes paperback buyers more reluctant to experiment with authors they don't know. If someone discovers you and wants to read you, though, it's good to have the format available.


----------



## lauramg_1406

MarilynVix said:


> Hi ya all!
> It's amazing how a day can clear your thoughts and you can get moving with a plan.
> I've got _Everything For Love_ scheduled for release end of January, and an editor and formatter scheduled to work on it beginning of January.
> So, now, I'm just starting to set up the launch.
> I saw the info about the Dec. Cross Promo for KS alumni.
> 
> Is there going to be one for January?


Let's maybe see how well Joynell and I get this one organised! But you can still join in with this one! Even if it's just the guest posts, but we can put Everything for Love on the list as a pre order if you want 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> Everyone should definitely have a paperback version.
> 
> The problem, unfortunately, is that the higher price makes paperback buyers more reluctant to experiment with authors they don't know. If someone discovers you and wants to read you, though, it's good to have the format available.


 I tried to set up a paperback and just couldn't get the formatting to work so gave up. It's on the list as something I need to do

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Mark Gardner said:


> I'm available to help my fellow KS rejects make paperbacks. As long as you don't mind very basic formatting, I won't even charge.


Thank you Mark!! The main thing I'd appreciate is some pointers! I'm a firm believer in learning to do the things that will help me! (Plus I don't want to create more work for anyone!)

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Mark Gardner said:


> I've got a Spanish-language novel that I'll be formatting this weekend, so I'll already be "in the zone." Whatever I can do to help, let me know.


Thank you! The main thing I think I need help with is getting the text to actually fill the page and not break at random points!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Mark Gardner said:


> well, send it to me.


Okay thank you! I'll have to do it tomorrow when I get in from work (it's late here and I start work early!)

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Mark Gardner said:


> Pssssh... It's only 11:18, 12:18? Plenty of time


Haha you're saying that cause you've never encountered me grumpy 

Even this is a late night (I'm old before my time!)

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Joynell Schultz

My Head Talker campaign went live an hour ago now. One sale (pre-order for 99 cents with release this Friday.) I don't know if all that work is worth it. Maybe if I had a free book? 

Has anyone had success with Head Talker? Wanna share your secrets?

I know my graphic was terrible. I'm learning about advertising now.  White Space!!! Oh well, next time. (I didn't even know the graphic would be displayed at go-live.)

(Oh, and I'm not complaining with one sale. Woo Hoo, I sold another book!)


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## amiblackwelder

SIMULATION is around #30,000 in the paid pre-ordered ranking now. So, anything Kindle Boards Writers can do to help it move up is greatly appreciated.I'm aiming, of course, for breaking the #100 mark.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N0QLPHH


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## amiblackwelder

Joynell Schultz said:


> My Head Talker campaign went live an hour ago now. One sale (pre-order for 99 cents with release this Friday.) I don't know if all that work is worth it. Maybe if I had a free book?
> 
> Has anyone had success with Head Talker? Wanna share your secrets?
> 
> I know my graphic was terrible. I'm learning about advertising now.  White Space!!! Oh well, next time. (I didn't even know the graphic would be displayed at go-live.)
> 
> (Oh, and I'm not complaining with one sale. Woo Hoo, I sold another book!)


So, how long have you had your book up for Pre-Order?
Do you think a month is too long?


----------



## JennyOBrien

Joynell Schultz said:


> My Head Talker campaign went live an hour ago now. One sale (pre-order for 99 cents with release this Friday.) I don't know if all that work is worth it. Maybe if I had a free book?
> 
> Has anyone had success with Head Talker? Wanna share your secrets?
> 
> I know my graphic was terrible. I'm learning about advertising now.  White Space!!! Oh well, next time. (I didn't even know the graphic would be displayed at go-live.)
> 
> (Oh, and I'm not complaining with one sale. Woo Hoo, I sold another book!)


What's your headtalker link Joynell?


----------



## Joynell Schultz

JennyOBrien said:


> What's your headtalker link Joynell?


My link is here: https://headtalker.com/campaigns/pre-order-love-lies-clones/?utm_content=bufferaf9a9&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer 
I actually had quite a few people click it (100 unique clicks). Maybe my book blurb isn't enticing enough, they were hoping for Kindle Unlimited (it's pre-order so that's not available yet), or who knows what. I love learning!



amiblackwelder said:


> So, how long have you had your book up for Pre-Order?
> Do you think a month is too long?


My thoughts on pre-order: I don't have a fan base at all because this is my first novel. I put mine up for pre-order for two weeks. (I wanted to make sure I hit the deadline, but was so excited to list something!) I had all my friends and family pre-order it the first few days. (Yeah. 10 copies. Sad, I know.) then there was a week-long lull with no orders. That really affected my sales rank. Now, that it's getting closer, a few more orders are trickling in. I have 17 sold so far. Next time, I'm going to only do the pre-order thing for a week... BUT, mine has not launched yet. I may change my mind on all of this. I think book 2 in a series a long pre-order is great if your finalizing things up -- you can hook the readers that just finished book 1. Don't know. I'm far from an expert on any of this.



amiblackwelder said:


> SIMULATION is around #30,000 in the paid pre-ordered ranking now. So, anything Kindle Boards Writers can do to help it move up is greatly appreciated.I'm aiming, of course, for breaking the #100 mark.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N0QLPHH


I can't help much. I can't even sell my own book! But I did put a copy of yours on pre-order.  I also retested your twitter post. Maybe? But I struggle to engage anyone through twitter. I think I'm that person at the party everyone hates. "Buy this book, or this book, or have you seen mine?" I'm trying to work on richer content.


----------



## PatriciaThomson

I'm doing a free promotion for _Merely Players_ this weekend! Wish me luck!


----------



## Kay7979

PatriciaThomson said:


> I'm doing a free promotion for _Merely Players_ this weekend! Wish me luck!


Remind us again on Saturday and I'm sure you'll have lots of eager folks downloading. I really enjoyed your sample on Kindle Scout.


----------



## Kay7979

Here's the wrap-up on my promo campaign from Thursday morning 12/8 - Wednesday night 12/14:

I spent $258.50 on promotions to augment my week-long Kindle Countdown deal. Along with the promos, I ran AMS ads, posted notifications on Twitter, my FB author page and personal account, and sent out a few emails and PMs. 

I had 118 eBook sales and got some KU reads totaling 2,678 KENP. I sold 7 paperbacks during this time as well. 

I don't think my results were stellar, but the exposure was good and new readers and KU borrowers discovered my book.


----------



## PatriciaThomson

Kay7979 said:


> Here's the wrap-up on my promo campaign from Thursday morning 12/8 - Wednesday night 12/14:
> 
> I spent $258.50 on promotions to augment my week-long Kindle Countdown deal. Along with the promos, I ran AMS ads, posted notifications on Twitter, my FB author page and personal account, and sent out a few emails and PMs.
> 
> I had 118 eBook sales and got some KU reads totaling 2,678 KENP. I sold 7 paperbacks during this time as well.
> 
> I don't think my results were stellar, but the exposure was good and new readers and KU borrowers discovered my book.


I think that's pretty stellar! Good for you!

I'm hoping that the freebie will garner me a few reviews, then I can plan from there.


----------



## Used To Be BH

amiblackwelder said:


> SIMULATION is around #30,000 in the paid pre-ordered ranking now. So, anything Kindle Boards Writers can do to help it move up is greatly appreciated.I'm aiming, of course, for breaking the #100 mark.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N0QLPHH


Preordered!

By the way, I like the cover.


----------



## LizHedgecock

Hi all, quick question - 
I'm nearly there (I hope) with my paperback cover, but I can't find an easy way to save it in CMYK. I use GIMP which automatically uses RGB colours.
I did a hunt a while back for a workaround, and found some tricky-sounding processes, but if anyone knows an easier way, I'd be very grateful!
Mark, as one of our resident wizards, is this something you know about?
Hayulp!


----------



## amiblackwelder

Joynell Schultz said:


> My link is here: https://headtalker.com/campaigns/pre-order-love-lies-clones/?utm_content=bufferaf9a9&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
> I actually had quite a few people click it (100 unique clicks). Maybe my book blurb isn't enticing enough, they were hoping for Kindle Unlimited (it's pre-order so that's not available yet), or who knows what. I love learning!
> 
> My thoughts on pre-order: I don't have a fan base at all because this is my first novel. I put mine up for pre-order for two weeks. (I wanted to make sure I hit the deadline, but was so excited to list something!) I had all my friends and family pre-order it the first few days. (Yeah. 10 copies. Sad, I know.) then there was a week-long lull with no orders. That really affected my sales rank. Now, that it's getting closer, a few more orders are trickling in. I have 17 sold so far. Next time, I'm going to only do the pre-order thing for a week... BUT, mine has not launched yet. I may change my mind on all of this. I think book 2 in a series a long pre-order is great if your finalizing things up -- you can hook the readers that just finished book 1. Don't know. I'm far from an expert on any of this.
> 
> I can't help much. I can't even sell my own book! But I did put a copy of yours on pre-order.  I also retested your twitter post. Maybe? But I struggle to engage anyone through twitter. I think I'm that person at the party everyone hates. "Buy this book, or this book, or have you seen mine?" I'm trying to work on richer content.


Thanks for the order. Appreciated! I'm getting one of yours too.


----------



## LizHedgecock

LizHedgecock said:


> Hi all, quick question -
> I'm nearly there (I hope) with my paperback cover, but I can't find an easy way to save it in CMYK. I use GIMP which automatically uses RGB colours.
> I did a hunt a while back for a workaround, and found some tricky-sounding processes, but if anyone knows an easier way, I'd be very grateful!
> Mark, as one of our resident wizards, is this something you know about?
> Hayulp!


Hmm. I *think* I did it but not sure the PDF doesn't have a border on it! I had to print to file which didn't give a custom size option so I went with A4. I guess File Review will let me know if it worked ;-)


----------



## MarilynVix

amiblackwelder said:


> SIMULATION is around #30,000 in the paid pre-ordered ranking now. So, anything Kindle Boards Writers can do to help it move up is greatly appreciated.I'm aiming, of course, for breaking the #100 mark.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N0QLPHH


Just preordered it. Was really pulling for you to get chosen too. Will be a pleasure to read. 
I was curious. Why did you pick a $0.99 price point?


----------



## lauramg_1406

MarilynVix said:


> Just preordered it. Was really pulling for you to get chosen too. Will be a pleasure to read.
> I was curious. Why did you pick a $0.99 price point?


I'm assuming the 99c price point is the same as what most of us are doing! It's a cheap introductory price with the intention of enticing more readers to buy and increasing sales rank for the end of the 30 HNR shelf!

Not saying it works necessarily but that seems to be the theory behind it!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## AnnaB

LizHedgecock said:


> I'm nearly there (I hope) with my paperback cover, but I can't find an easy way to save it in CMYK. I use GIMP which automatically uses RGB colours.


Might be overkill but if you still haven't found other solutions Krita is free and allows you to convert to and save as CMYK color space. Beside being a quite fine painting program for those so inclined.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

LizHedgecock said:


> Hi all, quick question -
> I'm nearly there (I hope) with my paperback cover, but I can't find an easy way to save it in CMYK. I use GIMP which automatically uses RGB colours.
> I did a hunt a while back for a workaround, and found some tricky-sounding processes, but if anyone knows an easier way, I'd be very grateful!
> Mark, as one of our resident wizards, is this something you know about?
> Hayulp!


I used www.canva.com and downloaded the finished PDF. This worked fine for my paperback cover.



Kay7979 said:


> Here's the wrap-up on my promo campaign from Thursday morning 12/8 - Wednesday night 12/14:
> 
> I spent $258.50 on promotions to augment my week-long Kindle Countdown deal. Along with the promos, I ran AMS ads, posted notifications on Twitter, my FB author page and personal account, and sent out a few emails and PMs.
> 
> I had 118 eBook sales and got some KU reads totaling 2,678 KENP. I sold 7 paperbacks during this time as well.
> 
> I don't think my results were stellar, but the exposure was good and new readers and KU borrowers discovered my book.


You have no idea how much I appreciate this feedback! Thanks for sharing it.



PatriciaThomson said:


> I'm doing a free promotion for _Merely Players_ this weekend! Wish me luck!


Awesome. I agree. A reminder would be great.



Joynell Schultz said:


> My link is here: https://headtalker.com/campaigns/pre-order-love-lies-clones/?utm_content=bufferaf9a9&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
> I actually had quite a few people click it (100 unique clicks). Maybe my book blurb isn't enticing enough, they were hoping for Kindle Unlimited (it's pre-order so that's not available yet), or who knows what. I love learning!


So, I think my Head Talker may have been a success... Or Amazon's data's wrong. I had 400 page reads on KU show up on my report today... which I don't know how that's even possible because it's "pre-order" and doesn't release until Midnight tonight. But, if they can read it for some reason (Maybe because my paperback is available?) that means I did some free advertising that worked. We'll see what tomorrow's KU stats look like.



Mark Gardner said:


> I've got a Spanish-language novel that I'll be formatting this weekend, so I'll already be "in the zone." Whatever I can do to help, let me know.


Is there a big market for Spanish? Did you just hire a translator?


----------



## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> I used www.canva.com and downloaded the finished PDF. This worked fine for my paperback cover.
> 
> You have no idea how much I appreciate this feedback! Thanks for sharing it.
> 
> Awesome. I agree. A reminder would be great.
> 
> So, I think my Head Talker may have been a success... Or Amazon's data's wrong. I had 400 page reads on KU show up on my report today... which I don't know how that's even possible because it's "pre-order" and doesn't release until Midnight tonight. But, if they can read it for some reason (Maybe because my paperback is available?) that means I did some free advertising that worked. We'll see what tomorrow's KU stats look like.
> 
> Is there a big market for Spanish? Did you just hire a translator?


Isn't it your release day tomorrow Joynell? It's possible that the KENP is from a different time zone where it's already the 16th! E.g. my copy of your book will automatically download in an hour and a half when it turns midnight for me (just a thought!)

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## Joynell Schultz

lauramg_1406 said:


> Isn't it your release day tomorrow Joynell? It's possible that the KENP is from a different time zone where it's already the 16th! E.g. my copy of your book will automatically download in an hour and a half when it turns midnight for me (just a thought!)
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Ok. That makes sense. Maybe Australia. Thanks for grounding me.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> Ok. That makes sense. Maybe Australia. Thanks for grounding me.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


No need to feel grounded....that's still fantastic!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## JennyOBrien

Hi guys,
Still around but trying to get Christmas shopping done lol. Joynell, good luck with the launch. Looking forward to reading even though it's not my usual genre but you may convert me


----------



## Luke Christodoulou

Just a quick hi from another KS reject 
Book will be published after Christmas!
4th in the series!
5th on the way!
Good luck with all your ventures!


----------



## Kay7979

Luke Christodoulou said:


> Just a quick hi from another KS reject
> Book will be published after Christmas!
> 4th in the series!
> 5th on the way!
> Good luck with all your ventures!


Hi Luke, welcome and we hope you'll stick around. Do you have books you'd like to include in our after Christmas cross-promotion?


----------



## Used To Be BH

Luke Christodoulou said:


> Just a quick hi from another KS reject
> Book will be published after Christmas!
> 4th in the series!
> 5th on the way!
> Good luck with all your ventures!


I'm ready to pick up my copy!


----------



## Used To Be BH

I forgot to report on the Fussy Librarian promotion. On the day of and the day following, I sold 32 copies. However, the two days prior to the promotion had sales at about the same rate, so it's hard to know how much Fussy did. Certainly some, because I've always had luck with FL promotions.

I'm a little nervous, because the book is off its intro price, and I wasn't greeted with the usual early morning sales I've been seeing. However, the KENPs continue to roll in unabated. The most a book has ever done for me so far in one month was 12,000 pages. Last month _Different Lee_ pulled in over 30,000. So far in December it's almost at 78,000, more than all my books combined in my previous biggest month. So far, I haven't dropped below 5,000 since December 4, and on only one of those days did DL by itself pull in less than 5,000. (Up to this point I'd only hit 5,000 on two days since KU came out.)

I know this probably won't last forever, but it's good to see it while it does last.


----------



## LizHedgecock

Thanks for the cover tips, folks! The digiproof looks good but now one font's Os have changed shape in the interior!!! They were fine before...


----------



## lauramg_1406

Yey! Go Bill! That's great that DL has done so well! Here's hoping the momentum keeps going!

I think I just had one of those moments where I realised my cover really might be an issue. Just had someone accuse it of being written porn. I mean there's absolutely no sex (it's hinted at) and very little profanity (I think maybe two or three words, but all at points where even the cleanest mouthed of us would swear) so obviously it's giving off the wrong impression. Gutted, cause I love that cover.

ALSO KS ALUMNI CROSS PROMOTION LINK
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdupiZRoO2p6LGe7nATzCUe2pQRXg2rRcC1xD1zE35_R5XgtQ/viewform

Remember: 
- You can submit up to 3 books (not necessarily all ones that have been through KS) (Preorders are okay!) 
- You can share in any way you want (FB, blog, newletter etc) and the genres that you want 
- Later today I'll be sending an email to Joynell who has kindly offered to organise some guest posts for us! 
- Open until 21st December, I'll then be sending the information out on the 22nd (sorry it can't be any later, I'm flying out to Vienna early on the 23rd!)


----------



## JennyOBrien

lauramg_1406 said:


> Yey! Go Bill! That's great that DL has done so well! Here's hoping the momentum keeps going!
> 
> I think I just had one of those moments where I realised my cover really might be an issue. Just had someone accuse it of being written porn. I mean there's absolutely no sex (it's hinted at) and very little profanity (I think maybe two or three words, but all at points where even the cleanest mouthed of us would swear) so obviously it's giving off the wrong impression. Gutted, cause I love that cover.


Glad you mentioned that Laura. I just checked and noticed I hadn't left you a US review as I always leave UK and US - just rectified and added about your cover. I didn't find too many swears and your cover is just fine, more than fine x


----------



## lauramg_1406

JennyOBrien said:


> Glad you mentioned that Laura. I just checked and noticed I hadn't left you a US review as I always leave UK and US - just rectified and added about your cover. I didn't find too many swears and your cover is just fine, more than fine x


Oh thank you Jenny! You didn't have to, I'm happy with any reviews anywhere!

I don't really swear much myself (I have a brother who's 16 years younger than me so I've been watching my language for the past 8 years!) so when I write I only really put swearing in where I would in real life! (Saying that I have no problem with swearing in books!)

Well I haven't got a better concept for a cover anyway! Plus I have a cover for my WIP to pay for by the end of the month, I simply can't afford to replace it anyway.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

So I actually have an alternative cover now (thanks to an amazing ly cheap but decent sale going on on Kboards! I got two covers for $15.99 - one as an experiment for WLBM and one for a random project that may or may not get written but the cover was too pretty to pass up).

I'm still of two minds whether to use it or not, but then if I do I guess I'll know if it's the cover that's the issue. On the other hand, I don't want to insult my previous cover designer by changing it. She's been super supportive in so many other ways.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## JennyOBrien

lauramg_1406 said:


> Oh thank you Jenny! You didn't have to, I'm happy with any reviews anywhere!
> 
> I don't really swear much myself (I have a brother who's 16 years younger than me so I've been watching my language for the past 8 years!) so when I write I only really put swearing in where I would in real life! (Saying that I have no problem with swearing in books!)
> 
> Well I haven't got a better concept for a cover anyway! Plus I have a cover for my WIP to pay for by the end of the month, I simply can't afford to replace it anyway.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


No worries, have you thought about designing your own? It's time consuming but not difficult. Happy to point you in the right direction


----------



## lauramg_1406

JennyOBrien said:


> No worries, have you thought about designing your own? It's time consuming but not difficult. Happy to point you in the right direction


I got one from a thread on here! Fantastic value, I'm just conflicted about using it! Thank you for the offer but if you'd seen the level of my artistic talent then you'd know why I'd say that's a bad idea!


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## lauramg_1406

It's Headtalker time guys! These are for the cross promotion, and will go live on different days. The landing pages aren't particularly exciting yet, though I'm hoping to get some books on there in the next couple of days (they're hidden on my site anyway, so you can only get to them with the link!)

https://headtalker.com/?p=91279
https://headtalker.com/?p=91280
https://headtalker.com/?p=91281


----------



## Marie Clapsaddle

lauramg_1406 said:


> It's Headtalker time guys! These are for the cross promotion, and will go live on different days. The landing pages aren't particularly exciting yet, though I'm hoping to get some books on there in the next couple of days (they're hidden on my site anyway, so you can only get to them with the link!)
> 
> https://headtalker.com/?p=91279
> https://headtalker.com/?p=91280
> https://headtalker.com/?p=91281


I just supported all three for Twitter.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Thank you all for supporting the headtalkers!  It should get us kickstarted for raising awareness of the promo!

Joynell will be emailing you over the weekend to ask if you want a guest post question answering. Once everyone who wants to has submitted one, she'll email the questions out and we can answer them! (At least I think that's what will happen!)

Related to my cover. My new one is loading onto amazon as we speak. I'm planning on leaving it for a few days and seeing if it has any effect organically. Then I'm going to do some kind of promo to see if it does anything in organically. If I don't see any change then I'll switch back to the original cover, because I feel it better reflects the story (not that I don't like the new one, it's just not the same!) 



Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## amiblackwelder

Joynell Schultz said:


> Ok. That makes sense. Maybe Australia. Thanks for grounding me.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


How are you finding kindle unlimited working for you? I assume you are in Kindle Select? Did you run a free promo? or a discounted promo? Is this helping sales?


----------



## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

amiblackwelder said:


> How are you finding kindle unlimited working for you? I assume you are in Kindle Select? Did you run a free promo? or a discounted promo? Is this helping sales?


Ami, I'll answer for myself, for my historical fiction titles (one novel released in late January, one short story released in late June) - as long as I have only a few titles, I will stay in Select because I can't yet use the "first one free, buy through the series" strategy that works well on "going wide" to other retailers. I use the free days for my short story (have one coming up Monday and Tuesday!) and the Countdown Deals for my novel (have one coming up January 2+). The short story is normally 99 cents, so free is the only place to go from there. The novel is normally $3.99, and I discount to 99 cents. Doing this alone won't really increase sales, so I also use other promotions with email ads, etc. In a Countdown Deal, I space them to every other day so I can see (more or less) the effect of each one. Most successful for me so far are EReaderNewsToday and FussyLibrarian, though EReaderCafe was ok, too. Kindle Unlimited generates about 1/3 of my revenue for the Kindle version of the novel, and over half the revenue for the short story. Amazon just started NOT counting page reads for books downloaded with the free promotion, so that will probably go down.

Hope that's helpful!


----------



## Joynell Schultz

amiblackwelder said:


> How are you finding kindle unlimited working for you? I assume you are in Kindle Select? Did you run a free promo? or a discounted promo? Is this helping sales?


My novel went "live" on Kindle yesterday. I had the paperback up for ten days or so already. Here's how "go-live" went. I didn't do any advertising yesterday except the Kindle Scout email that went out (and updated my Facebook and Twitter Pages.) Keep in mind, this is my first novel and I have NO "fans" nor idea even how I'm supposed to do this.

19 Pre Orders (Thank you Kindle Scout Alumni and all my family and coworkers.) I had this priced at 99 cents. (35% royalties) I probably could name most of the 19 people who pre-ordered.

At "go-live" yesterday, I raised the price to $2.99. I'm participating in Mystery/Thriller week the beginning of February and wanted to have a higher price so I could do a mark down to 99 cents then. Maybe I should have stuck with 99 cents a little longer? Who knows.

4 sales yesterday at $2.99 -- I have no idea who these four people were. (70% Royalties)

10 paperback sales reporting into Create Space. I don't know how long the lag of these were -- they say they were sold on the 15th and 16th.

400 page reads through Kindle Unlimited. I don't know if this is an error, since they all came through at once at go live in Australia/New Zealand time zone... then only a handful since then. I think KU will kick in when I start running some promos/discounted prices.

I hope that helps you make your decisions.

Oh, and regarding advertising. I have two things scheduled--
BKnights - for $6.00 this is running on the 21st.
Booktastic - another $6.00 for a new release feature.


----------



## Used To Be BH

amiblackwelder said:


> How are you finding kindle unlimited working for you? I assume you are in Kindle Select? Did you run a free promo? or a discounted promo? Is this helping sales?


I used to get better results with the free promotions when I first started (four years ago). Now downloads are much less frequent. Also, I tend to use shorts as my free samples, but people are so spoiled by getting novels for free all the time that a short story or even a novella doesn't do much. Countdowns are kind of the same thing. The first one got significant action, but subsequent ones not so much. If I did a lot of promotion, I could probably do better, but it's hard to sync multiple promoters with a countdown window. When I want to do a price promotion, I just lower the price. That way if I need a longer window, I can have one. Sure, the royalties would be better with a countdown, but if I'm not getting significant sales with them anyway, I actually make more doing it the way I do it.

KU, on the other hand, works really well for me. (If Amazon stopped doing KU, I'd be wide as fast as I could.) In typical months, I get about 50% of my income and 40% of my audience from KU. this month, with a new release that's already had the equivalent of 168 full reads, I have the feeling KU will be more than 50%. While the serious glitches with page counts do concern me, the bottom line is that I made little when I was wide. KU even in a slow month brings in more than I got from all outlets combined in a year when I was wide. Not everyone has the same experience, but for me at least sticking with Select for the KU part is a no brainer.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Joynell Schultz said:


> My novel went "live" on Kindle yesterday. I had the paperback up for ten days or so already. Here's how "go-live" went. I didn't do any advertising yesterday except the Kindle Scout email that went out (and updated my Facebook and Twitter Pages.) Keep in mind, this is my first novel and I have NO "fans" nor idea even how I'm supposed to do this.
> 
> 19 Pre Orders (Thank you Kindle Scout Alumni and all my family and coworkers.) I had this priced at 99 cents. (35% royalties) I probably could name most of the 19 people who pre-ordered.
> 
> At "go-live" yesterday, I raised the price to $2.99. I'm participating in Mystery/Thriller week the beginning of February and wanted to have a higher price so I could do a mark down to 99 cents then. Maybe I should have stuck with 99 cents a little longer? Who knows.
> 
> 4 sales yesterday at $2.99 -- I have no idea who these four people were. (70% Royalties)
> 
> 10 paperback sales reporting into Create Space. I don't know how long the lag of these were -- they say they were sold on the 15th and 16th.
> 
> 400 page reads through Kindle Unlimited. I don't know if this is an error, since they all came through at once at go live in Australia/New Zealand time zone... then only a handful since then. I think KU will kick in when I start running some promos/discounted prices.
> 
> I hope that helps you make your decisions.


For someone with no fans and no advertising yet, that's a remarkable performance. You've already gotten more sales in just a few days than I got during my first month with my first novel. As for KU, sometimes it updates in chunks, so I wouldn't worry about getting 400 pages all at once. That kind of thing also happens if people read a whole book offline and then log in later. The system can't account for people's real-time reading if they aren't online at that point.

Ten paperbacks is also really good. Historically, it's hard for indies to move paperbacks, though that varies a little by genre. The Christmas season is usually a little better, but not much. Aside from Amazon giveaways, I'm lucky if I move one a month, all titles combined. My new release sold one.


----------



## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> It's Headtalker time guys! These are for the cross promotion, and will go live on different days. The landing pages aren't particularly exciting yet, though I'm hoping to get some books on there in the next couple of days (they're hidden on my site anyway, so you can only get to them with the link!)
> 
> https://headtalker.com/?p=91279
> https://headtalker.com/?p=91280
> https://headtalker.com/?p=91281


I covered all three with Twitter, and the fantasy genre with FB, too.


----------



## Kay7979

Joynell Schultz said:


> My novel went "live" on Kindle yesterday. I had the paperback up for ten days or so already. Here's how "go-live" went. I didn't do any advertising yesterday except the Kindle Scout email that went out (and updated my Facebook and Twitter Pages.) Keep in mind, this is my first novel and I have NO "fans" nor idea even how I'm supposed to do this.
> 
> 19 Pre Orders (Thank you Kindle Scout Alumni and all my family and coworkers.) I had this priced at 99 cents. (35% royalties) I probably could name most of the 19 people who pre-ordered.
> 
> At "go-live" yesterday, I raised the price to $2.99. I'm participating in Mystery/Thriller week the beginning of February and wanted to have a higher price so I could do a mark down to 99 cents then. Maybe I should have stuck with 99 cents a little longer? Who knows.
> 
> 4 sales yesterday at $2.99 -- I have no idea who these four people were. (70% Royalties)
> 
> 10 paperback sales reporting into Create Space. I don't know how long the lag of these were -- they say they were sold on the 15th and 16th.
> 
> 400 page reads through Kindle Unlimited. I don't know if this is an error, since they all came through at once at go live in Australia/New Zealand time zone... then only a handful since then. I think KU will kick in when I start running some promos/discounted prices.
> 
> I hope that helps you make your decisions.
> 
> Oh, and regarding advertising. I have two things scheduled--
> BKnights - for $6.00 this is running on the 21st.
> Booktastic - another $6.00 for a new release feature.


I think your launch went very well. Wishing you continued success and a swiftly-growing fan base!


----------



## JennyOBrien

Joynell Schultz said:


> My novel went "live" on Kindle yesterday. I had the paperback up for ten days or so already. Here's how "go-live" went. I didn't do any advertising yesterday except the Kindle Scout email that went out (and updated my Facebook and Twitter Pages.) Keep in mind, this is my first novel and I have NO "fans" nor idea even how I'm supposed to do this.
> 
> 19 Pre Orders (Thank you Kindle Scout Alumni and all my family and coworkers.) I had this priced at 99 cents. (35% royalties) I probably could name most of the 19 people who pre-ordered.
> 
> At "go-live" yesterday, I raised the price to $2.99. I'm participating in Mystery/Thriller week the beginning of February and wanted to have a higher price so I could do a mark down to 99 cents then. Maybe I should have stuck with 99 cents a little longer? Who knows.
> 
> 4 sales yesterday at $2.99 -- I have no idea who these four people were. (70% Royalties)
> 
> 10 paperback sales reporting into Create Space. I don't know how long the lag of these were -- they say they were sold on the 15th and 16th.
> 
> 400 page reads through Kindle Unlimited. I don't know if this is an error, since they all came through at once at go live in Australia/New Zealand time zone... then only a handful since then. I think KU will kick in when I start running some promos/discounted prices.
> 
> I hope that helps you make your decisions.
> 
> Oh, and regarding advertising. I have two things scheduled--
> BKnights - for $6.00 this is running on the 21st.
> Booktastic - another $6.00 for a new release feature.


That's good going, hope you're cracking on with the next one lol. I'm thinking of paying for advertising in the future but since I published Aug 2015 I haven't run any promos. I've run a competition with a £5 Amazon voucher but that's the sum total of my expenditure &#128518;


----------



## Tom Swyers

Hi Group,

I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on a topic.

What do you think of the idea of offering your book free, win or lose, to those who nominated you on Kindle Scout?

Looking back, do you think that might have helped your launch at all?

Thank you,

Tom


----------



## lauramg_1406

Tom Swyers said:


> Hi Group,
> 
> I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on a topic.
> 
> What do you think of the idea of offering your book free, win or lose, to those who nominated you on Kindle Scout?
> 
> Looking back, do you think that might have helped your launch at all?
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> Tom


I think the main question I have on this is how would you even do it? We have no idea exactly who nominated us so it could be difficult to send those people a free copy

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## Carey Lewis

lauramg_1406 said:


> I think the main question I have on this is how would you even do it? We have no idea exactly who nominated us so it could be difficult to send those people a free copy
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


You could always write down a link when your thank you letter goes out when you don't get selected. I've had a couple of those I believe, and they were tied to the author's mailing list.

Putting a brain fart to it now, you could always mention in the blurb of your book that if they nominate it, they'll get the email when the campaign is over and they'll receive a link at the end if it doesn't get chosen as to where to get the book for free. I'm sure that would bolster your nominations. That would be a pretty shady practice to me, and I wouldn't do it, but I can see it getting done. And I'm sure there's some kind of TOS about preventing it.


----------



## MarilynVix

Tom Swyers said:


> Hi Group,
> 
> I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on a topic.
> 
> What do you think of the idea of offering your book free, win or lose, to those who nominated you on Kindle Scout?
> 
> Looking back, do you think that might have helped your launch at all?
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> Tom


I'm going to be frank. The odds of not being chosen are pretty much the norm. If you look at the campaign as a prelaunch for your novel, your getting future new fans and your diehard fans to nominate. It makes them feel part of the process. If you lose, they will still love you and most likely buy your book. You could always do promos and give discounts to them if you end up self-publishing on your own after. IF they are willing to nominate, most likely, they'll want to buy your book too. If not, well, they will probably want to get it when you do a discount or freebie promo.

The thing is, you don't have the nomination list, and the only way to access it after you don't get picked, is to hit a button letting KS know you published it on KDP. They will put a purchase button in the window of your nominators. I wouldn't mess with that. It's your consolation prize for not getting chosen. You could put in your self-pubbed book that they could get the next book free or discounted. But I'd just leave it how it is set up.

You won't be able to get a list of your nominators unless after they vote, they post on your blog, newsletter or some other way of showing they did it. You could do that as a call to action, and give them ARCs whether it wins or not, and build a review crew like that. I just sent an email saying my manuscript wasn't picked, but I'm still moving forward to self-publish. Who would like an ARC to review? I got three takers out of 300. So, it might not be the greatest motivator.

But you can try if you'd like.


----------



## lauramg_1406

So Cover Update:

My new cover has now loaded onto Amazon and I really don't know what way I want this to go. On the one hand, I want my book to do well, and if this new cover was the answer then great. On the other hand, I don't think it reflects my book the same, and while the new cover isn't bad, it's not quite as striking.

If the new cover doesn't do very well in the second half of this month, then I'm going to change it back, nevermind what the critics say! However, the paperback (which I *think* is almost sorted) is going to keep the original cover. I like it too much not to use it for something!

* Promo Update *

- Joynell sent an email out about questions, if you could reply by Monday then that would be great! 
- Sign up is still open (see link below) until the 21st
- We're doing well on the Headtalkers! Two are already above what we need for them to post (again see below!) 
- Jenny has very kindly made us a banner saying Merry Christmas which I'll send out in an email on the 22nd to make sure everyone has it. 
- I'm in the process of updating the landing pages (shared via the Headtalker and by anyone that prefers sharing on FB/Twitter
- I've made a Master document which has everyone's books split up by genre. Including Goodreads link, Amazon US Link and HTML for a button (like will be on the landing page) I would have included links to other retailers but the vast majority of the books were in KU anyway so it seemed a little like a waste of time!

Rules: 
- Promote any way you want, to any number of people you want (facebook, twitter, blog, newsletter, reddit, random person in the street...it's all fine!) 
- Up to three books (not necessarily ones that went through KS, it's just the author that needs to have!) 
- If you sign up now, message me or Joynell, and we'll add you to the questions email!

Sign Up Form: 
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdupiZRoO2p6LGe7nATzCUe2pQRXg2rRcC1xD1zE35_R5XgtQ/viewform

Headtalker Links: 
https://headtalker.com/?p=91279
https://headtalker.com/?p=91280
https://headtalker.com/?p=91281


----------



## JennyOBrien

Laura, going to tweak slightly an Joynell wants me to make it clearer it's Kindle Scout. Will do later and email out.


----------



## lauramg_1406

JennyOBrien said:


> Laura, going to tweak slightly an Joynell wants me to make it clearer it's Kindle Scout. Will do later and email out.


Awesome thank you Jenny! Just want to say that the teamwork that's going into this promo is fantastic! Go team!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

PatriciaThomson said:


> I'm doing a free promotion for _Merely Players_ this weekend! Wish me luck!


Fortunately, I remembered. Got it. Also picked up a free copy of another KS alumni, Jodi Fayhe - Letorian Descendants, and former KS winner Jada Ryker - Take a Walk on the Dead Side.

Don't ask me when I'll read all these books! I have hundreds waiting, plus audiobooks, and I've finally started editing book two in my series that I don't officially call a series.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> Fortunately, I remembered. Got it. Also picked up a free copy of another KS alumni, Jodi Fayhe - Letorian Descendants, and former KS winner Jada Ryker - Take a Walk on the Dead Side.
> 
> Don't ask me when I'll read all these books! I have hundreds waiting, plus audiobooks, and I've finally started editing book two in my series that I don't officially call a series.


Why are you doing this to me Kay! My TBR pile is long enough as it is!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## editorjmv

Tom Swyers said:


> Hi Group,
> 
> I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on a topic.
> 
> What do you think of the idea of offering your book free, win or lose, to those who nominated you on Kindle Scout?
> 
> Looking back, do you think that might have helped your launch at all?
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> Tom


I attempted to do this: what happened is that after Modern Surprises was not selected, I published it on Kindle Select and set up a free giveaway for three days. Then I notified Amazon that the book was available so that those who nominated the novel would get a message that it was available. However, the message was delayed and I think that perhaps the message went out on the third day? You can try it that way, but I'm unclear as to whether or not it would work from my experience.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Kay7979 said:


> Don't ask me when I'll read all these books! I have hundreds waiting, plus audiobooks, and I've finally started editing book two in my series that I don't officially call a series.


I completely agree! I can barely find time to proof my next novel! And there are SO many books I want to read.



JennyOBrien said:


> Laura, going to tweak slightly an Joynell wants me to make it clearer it's Kindle Scout. Will do later and email out.


I think it looks wonderful now! I'll send it out tomorrow with the questions for us all to answer.



lauramg_1406 said:


> So Cover Update: My new cover has now loaded onto Amazon and I really don't know what way I want this to go. On the one hand, I want my book to do well, and if this new cover was the answer then great. On the other hand, I don't think it reflects my book the same, and while the new cover isn't bad, it's not quite as striking.
> 
> * Promo Update *


First off, I loved your old cover, but agree that it doesn't really reflect the genre of the book (as I'm reading yours now). The new cover is much more reflective, but lacks that "Wow" factor. Please keep us informed how the new one does, I'm curious. Ugh. I hate covers. Mine was just rejected for Facebook Advertising due to the weapon. Oh well. I don't think a Facebook ad would do much anyway. I think the only thing to boost sales is to work on building fans and a mailing list... A goal for me in 2017.



lauramg_1406 said:


> It's Headtalker time guys!
> 
> https://headtalker.com/?p=91279
> https://headtalker.com/?p=91280
> https://headtalker.com/?p=91281


It looks like the campaigns got enough support. Great job everyone. What a team we make.
No, I'm wrong. This one still needs some support: https://headtalker.com/?p=91281

Have we posted them on the Facebook page yet? It's probably not needed, as we'll get a ton of other people's campaigns to support in return, but if we get desperate.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> I completely agree! I can barely find time to proof my next novel! And there are SO many books I want to read.
> 
> I think it looks wonderful now! I'll send it out tomorrow with the questions for us all to answer.
> 
> First off, I loved your old cover, but agree that it doesn't really reflect the genre of the book (as I'm reading yours now). The new cover is much more reflective, but lacks that "Wow" factor. Please keep us informed how the new one does, I'm curious. Ugh. I hate covers. Mine was just rejected for Facebook Advertising due to the weapon. Oh well. I don't think a Facebook ad would do much anyway. I think the only thing to boost sales is to work on building fans and a mailing list... A goal for me in 2017.
> 
> It looks like the campaigns got enough support. Great job everyone. What a team we make.
> No, I'm wrong. This one still needs some support: https://headtalker.com/?p=91281
> 
> Have we posted them on the Facebook page yet? It's probably not needed, as we'll get a ton of other people's campaigns to support in return, but if we get desperate.


Well we all have to learn somewhere! And considering how important the cover is it seems I messed up on that one. So far I've had one sale since changing the cover (not enough to keep the change perminantly however that's without any extra promoting, other than the tweets I had going out anyway)

The original cover is staying for the paperback - I ordered the proof today! Big step for me this one!

I have learnt though this time! Already found a designer who specialises in fantasy & sci-fi to take me forward with my next few titles. (Despite this one being a romance that's not my go to genre when writing!)

Facebook page? Have I missed something? But yes we've done fantastically well on getting support! High five guys!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> I completely agree! I can barely find time to proof my next novel! And there are SO many books I want to read.
> 
> I think it looks wonderful now! I'll send it out tomorrow with the questions for us all to answer.
> 
> First off, I loved your old cover, but agree that it doesn't really reflect the genre of the book (as I'm reading yours now). The new cover is much more reflective, but lacks that "Wow" factor. Please keep us informed how the new one does, I'm curious. Ugh. I hate covers. Mine was just rejected for Facebook Advertising due to the weapon. Oh well. I don't think a Facebook ad would do much anyway. I think the only thing to boost sales is to work on building fans and a mailing list... A goal for me in 2017.
> 
> It looks like the campaigns got enough support. Great job everyone. What a team we make.
> No, I'm wrong. This one still needs some support: https://headtalker.com/?p=91281
> 
> Have we posted them on the Facebook page yet? It's probably not needed, as we'll get a ton of other people's campaigns to support in return, but if we get desperate.


Well we all have to learn somewhere! And considering how important the cover is it seems I messed up on that one. So far I've had one sale since changing the cover (not enough to keep the change perminantly however that's without any extra promoting, other than the tweets I had going out anyway)

The original cover is staying for the paperback - I ordered the proof today! Big step for me this one!

I have learnt though this time! Already found a designer who specialises in fantasy & sci-fi to take me forward with my next few titles. (Despite this one being a romance that's not my go to genre when writing!)

Facebook page? Have I missed something? But yes we've done fantastically well on getting support! High five guys!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## Tom Swyers

Joynell Schultz said:


> It looks like the campaigns got enough support. Great job everyone. What a team we make.
> No, I'm wrong. This one still needs some support: https://headtalker.com/?p=91281


Supported! It needs one more.


----------



## Carey Lewis

Tom Swyers said:


> Supported! It needs one more.


Supported. It's my first Headtalker and I didn't know I could support with both Facebook and Twitter


----------



## PatriciaThomson

Well, my free weekend is over.  I moved about 70 copies and got about 250 KENP.  Better than I've been doing!

I also sent my information for the KS alumni promo.  We'll see how it goes ...


----------



## Tom Swyers

editorjmv said:


> I attempted to do this: what happened is that after Modern Surprises was not selected, I published it on Kindle Select and set up a free giveaway for three days. Then I notified Amazon that the book was available so that those who nominated the novel would get a message that it was available. However, the message was delayed and I think that perhaps the message went out on the third day? You can try it that way, but I'm unclear as to whether or not it would work from my experience.


Thank you! That's good information. It highlights the problem I want to overcome.


----------



## LizHedgecock

Hey there all. Just supported the Headtalkers and got my questions etc emailed over.
I have a question. I'm thinking about doing a promo over Christmas - maybe a countdown deal in the UK so I can see it ;-) 
When should I start it? Is Boxing Day too late or too early? 
I might reduce the price of another book too and run some AMS sponsored ads to support it.
All advice welcomed as I've never done a Christmas promo before (never had any books at Christmas before!)


----------



## Joseph J Bailey

Sure!

What do I need to do?

Thanks.


----------



## Kay7979

Joseph J Bailey said:


> Sure!
> 
> What do I need to do?
> 
> Thanks.


Scroll up a few posts to the link for signing up for the promotion. You can also jump on our headtalker campaign.


----------



## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> - Joynell sent an email out about questions, if you could reply by Monday then that would be great!


I haven't emailed yet. I've been kind of swamped, but I will get to it some time this morning. Is that OK? (Sometimes by Monday means by the beginning of Monday; sometimes it means on Monday)


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Bill Hiatt said:


> I haven't emailed yet. I've been kind of swamped, but I will get to it some time this morning. Is that OK? (Sometimes by Monday means by the beginning of Monday; sometimes it means on Monday)


I'm working today and won't get the final list sent out until tomorrow. (24 hours from now) so nobody's late--yet.

I love all the questions I've been getting though!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## lincolnjcole

Hey all!

https://goo.gl/forms/VyZz718cHGdUsXoj1

This is a signup for an anthology I'm putting together early next year! It's for short science fiction and fantasy stories (click for more information) and will be promoted for free.

For context, the first anthology I put together has given away more than 5,000 copies in the first 3 weeks, so this can be good exposure if you are interested!

I will vet everyone based on the submitted stories, so no promises on inclusion (though I will let everyone know) and hopefully have a great product out of this!

Thanks!


----------



## LizHedgecock

lincolnjcole said:


> Hey all!
> 
> https://goo.gl/forms/VyZz718cHGdUsXoj1
> 
> This is a signup for an anthology I'm putting together early next year! It's for short science fiction and fantasy stories (click for more information) and will be promoted for free.
> 
> Thanks!


Ooh, how interesting! Thinking cap is on!


----------



## mickbose

Hi Guys

New here, good to see the enthusiasm.
My thriller promo efforts so far :
AMS - starting tomorrow, budget $100
tweet your books - 10 tweetsper day for 30 days $50
Books butterfly - new release max, $200. starting tomorrow.
Genrepulse - $16 one day promo
Author pro services with Amy Vansanten at authorsxp.com - $60 total for 6 months
The last one with Amy has worked the best, I have 50+ requests for my book, and a few reviews.
But as a result of these( expensive!!) promo efforts, Enemy Within ( my first release in 3 years) jumped from way down to 37,000, now hovering at 50k ish.
The majority of the promos have just started so wish me luck!
I have a new release, but thinking of putting that into Scout. Does Scout work well over Xmas - any experience?
Thanks, MIck.


----------



## lauramg_1406

lincolnjcole said:


> Hey all!
> 
> https://goo.gl/forms/VyZz718cHGdUsXoj1
> 
> This is a signup for an anthology I'm putting together early next year! It's for short science fiction and fantasy stories (click for more information) and will be promoted for free.
> 
> For context, the first anthology I put together has given away more than 5,000 copies in the first 3 weeks, so this can be good exposure if you are interested!
> 
> I will vet everyone based on the submitted stories, so no promises on inclusion (though I will let everyone know) and hopefully have a great product out of this!
> 
> Thanks!


Got super excited cause I have a couple of things that would work for this planned! Then I got disappointed cause one of them relates to a book I haven't released yet!

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## lauramg_1406

LizHedgecock said:


> Hey there all. Just supported the Headtalkers and got my questions etc emailed over.
> I have a question. I'm thinking about doing a promo over Christmas - maybe a countdown deal in the UK so I can see it ;-)
> When should I start it? Is Boxing Day too late or too early?
> I might reduce the price of another book too and run some AMS sponsored ads to support it.
> All advice welcomed as I've never done a Christmas promo before (never had any books at Christmas before!)


I don't think Boxing Day is too early. Really that's the day people will probably start playing around with their new toys (I mean kindles!  ) so it could work to your advantage. But I'm not talking from experience here! Just from what I know my family are like on boxing day!

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## lauramg_1406

Exciting day! Just got my first review from a non - KS related person and it's a really good one! :-D

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## Joynell Schultz

lauramg_1406 said:


> Exciting day! Just got my first review from a non - KS related person and it's a really good one! :-D
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


CONGRATS! You deserve it, your books really good. (Though I'm not done yet.)

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## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> CONGRATS! You deserve it, your books really good. (Though I'm not done yet.)
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thank you Joynell! I still get really nervous about people reading it! (Though it all pales compared to when my Mum read my first book while I was sat next to her at a spa...absolutely terrifying).

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## Used To Be BH

Joynell Schultz said:


> I'm working today and won't get the final list sent out until tomorrow. (24 hours from now) so nobody's late--yet.
> 
> I love all the questions I've been getting though!
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks! I got the submission done.


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## Used To Be BH

lincolnjcole said:


> Hey all!
> 
> https://goo.gl/forms/VyZz718cHGdUsXoj1
> 
> This is a signup for an anthology I'm putting together early next year! It's for short science fiction and fantasy stories (click for more information) and will be promoted for free.
> 
> For context, the first anthology I put together has given away more than 5,000 copies in the first 3 weeks, so this can be good exposure if you are interested!
> 
> I will vet everyone based on the submitted stories, so no promises on inclusion (though I will let everyone know) and hopefully have a great product out of this!
> 
> Thanks!


Aha, I'll definitely try to make time for this.


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## Kay7979

lincolnjcole said:


> Hey all!
> 
> https://goo.gl/forms/VyZz718cHGdUsXoj1
> 
> This is a signup for an anthology I'm putting together early next year! It's for short science fiction and fantasy stories (click for more information) and will be promoted for free.
> 
> For context, the first anthology I put together has given away more than 5,000 copies in the first 3 weeks, so this can be good exposure if you are interested!
> 
> I will vet everyone based on the submitted stories, so no promises on inclusion (though I will let everyone know) and hopefully have a great product out of this!
> 
> Thanks!


That sounds like fun and a great opportunity. Unfortunately I don't write short stories anymore. I don't suppose I could submit something that was published in a small press magazine back in the 80s? I had about 45 stories published back in the day. I'd have to retype one which would be a pain in the butt. They're from the floppy disk era, lol!


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## Joynell Schultz

Kay7979 said:


> That sounds like fun and a great opportunity. Unfortunately I don't write short stories anymore. I don't suppose I could submit something that was published in a small press magazine back in the 80s? I had about 45 stories published back in the day. I'd have to retype one which would be a pain in the butt. They're from the floppy dusk era, lol!


It looks like it needs to be a character in another work you did... that limits me.

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## Used To Be BH

mickbose said:


> I have a new release, but thinking of putting that into Scout. Does Scout work well over Xmas - any experience?


My only Scout campaign so far was in October, but my gut tells me to wait until after January 1 to submit. Right on top of a major holiday is probably a bad time to try to promote a Scout campaign, and while you're campaign stats probably don't affect your selection chances all that much, they can affect how strong a launch you have.


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## lauramg_1406

lincolnjcole said:


> Hey all!
> 
> https://goo.gl/forms/VyZz718cHGdUsXoj1
> 
> This is a signup for an anthology I'm putting together early next year! It's for short science fiction and fantasy stories (click for more information) and will be promoted for free.
> 
> For context, the first anthology I put together has given away more than 5,000 copies in the first 3 weeks, so this can be good exposure if you are interested!
> 
> I will vet everyone based on the submitted stories, so no promises on inclusion (though I will let everyone know) and hopefully have a great product out of this!
> 
> Thanks!


Lincoln, two questions.

1. Does time travel count enough under Scifi for you?

(If not, does urban fantasy/paranormal count under fantasy)

(If not it's fine I can go fairytale fantasy)

2. How do you feel about the story being linked to something that will be up for preorder in February, released sometime in March?

If not okay, I still have options!

PROMO NEWS

If anyone has a Sci Fi or space opera book they didn't include on the sign up form, could you please drop me a message! We're a bit thin on this genre!

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## Joynell Schultz

lauramg_1406 said:


> PROMO NEWS
> 
> If anyone has a Sci Fi or space opera book they didn't include on the sign up form, could you please drop me a message! We're a bit thin on this genre!


Where do you have my book fitting? It can be under sci-fi, mystery, or romance, I guess. It's one of the reasons I went indie author, it doesn't really fit anywhere.


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## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> Where do you have my book fitting? It can be under sci-fi, mystery, or romance, I guess. It's one of the reasons I went indie author, it doesn't really fit anywhere.


I think you put down mystery (but I can change it if you want)! But it is fine there! I have an anthology I'm in that can help flesh out sci-fi, just wondered if anyone had a book they'd missed off that could help!

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## Kay7979

It's weird. My KENP suddenly died. People seemed to find my book during my promos and I was getting pretty good page reads. How do people normally find KU books they want to read? Is there any inexpensive way to help readers discover KU books?


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## Joynell Schultz

Kay7979 said:


> It's weird. My KENP suddenly died. People seemed to find my book during my promos and I was getting pretty good page reads. How do people normally find KU books they want to read? Is there any inexpensive way to help readers discover KU books?


Yes, Please! If anyone has any tips at all, I'd love to hear them!

Oh, I sent out that massive email of questions this morning. If you didn't get it and want it, let me know.


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## mickbose

Bill Hiatt said:


> My only Scout campaign so far was in October, but my gut tells me to wait until after January 1 to submit. Right on top of a major holiday is probably a bad time to try to promote a Scout campaign, and while you're campaign stats probably don't affect your selection chances all that much, they can affect how strong a launch you have.


Thanks Bill. A lady I know, Lexi Revellian, has a few kindle books published. In comparison to what many on this thread have done - she did zero promoting - and her book got selected. As you mentioned, it`s what the kindle editors decide at the time that matters. I read somewhere the acceptance rate into kindle scout is like 16%. So less than 1 in 5. I wonder if those are the same chances one has of getting one in the top 1000!


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## Kay7979

mickbose said:


> Thanks Bill. A lady I know, Lexi Revellian, has a few kindle books published. In comparison to what many on this thread have done - she did zero promoting - and her book got selected. As you mentioned, it`s what the kindle editors decide at the time that matters. I read somewhere the acceptance rate into kindle scout is like 16%. So less than 1 in 5. I wonder if those are the same chances one has of getting one in the top 1000!


The acceptance rate is closer to 5%. The number you read may have reflected the number of authors on the Kindle Scout thread that were accepted, since the majority have been active on that thread.


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## LizHedgecock

lauramg_1406 said:


> I don't think Boxing Day is too early. Really that's the day people will probably start playing around with their new toys (I mean kindles!  ) so it could work to your advantage. But I'm not talking from experience here! Just from what I know my family are like on boxing day!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Well, it can't hurt to try! I'll let you know what happens...although can't do Countdown Deals till January because the 2 books I want to promote are either too new or about to renew in Select *sigh*


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## Carey Lewis

Kay7979 said:


> It's weird. My KENP suddenly died. People seemed to find my book during my promos and I was getting pretty good page reads. How do people normally find KU books they want to read? Is there any inexpensive way to help readers discover KU books?


KU has been wonky for about six months now. So bad, that many authors are taking their books out and trying their luck wide. There's a 120 page thread on this issue here. I've just renewed for another three months after not getting any page reads for about a week and a half, the longest I have ever gone. It's been fairly consistent as far as reads go - not many, but at least a few, only going a couple of days at most with zero reads. A week and a half later and still nothing...

The only other book I have in there now is Warriors, my new release, and that has only gathered 25 page reads so far. All my other books are out and I'm seriously considering my options of going wide or going back into Select. I'm also trying to consider the demographic of KU readers, and they seem to be mostly romance or some form of fantasy. Not at all what I write, so I don't think my readers are there.


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## PatriciaThomson

I got my first KENP reads when I made my book free last weekend, and they died the moment the book went back to its regular price.  Why, I have no idea.  Learning experience, I guess.


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## Kay7979

Carey Lewis said:


> KU has been wonky for about six months now. So bad, that many authors are taking their books out and trying their luck wide. There's a 120 page thread on this issue here. I've just renewed for another three months after not getting any page reads for about a week and a half, the longest I have ever gone. It's been fairly consistent as far as reads go - not many, but at least a few, only going a couple of days at most with zero reads. A week and a half later and still nothing...
> 
> The only other book I have in there now is Warriors, my new release, and that has only gathered 25 page reads so far. All my other books are out and I'm seriously considering my options of going wide or going back into Select. I'm also trying to consider the demographic of KU readers, and they seem to be mostly romance or some form of fantasy. Not at all what I write, so I don't think my readers are there.


I have read the thread you mention--part of it anyway. I'm surprised that genre makes a difference. I would think KU readers would be interested in all kinds of books. Yesterday I had no KENP at all. Today, I have 13 so far, but after several days ranging from 150 to 900, that's not very encouraging. Hopefully it picks up later today.


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## Carey Lewis

Kay7979 said:


> I have read the thread you mention--part of it anyway. I'm surprised that genre makes a difference. I would think KU readers would be interested in all kinds of books. Yesterday I had no KENP at all. Today, I have 13 so far, but after several days ranging from 150 to 900, that's not very encouraging. Hopefully it picks up later today.


In an ideal world, I would like to think most readers would read multiple genres. I'm actually one to think that it's authors that read cross-genre the most. I think most readers discover a genre they love and stick with it for the most part, romance readers being the most voracious, hence why I believe KU is made of a lot of romance readers, and therefore writers. Romance readers I've heard go through books the fastest and the most, so KU makes sense for them to have all that material for a flat fee. Since that's where the readers are, the writers of those genres go to KU as well. I'm sure there's jumps from romance to paranormal romance then to other genres and such. But I think the typical reader spends most, if not all, their time in the genre they like.

I'm also trying to pick up things I've learned and keep it in my brain to develop an overall picture too, sort of applying history for today type of thing. In KU1 there were many shorts in there, then when they changed to KU2 and started paying by page reads instead of borrows, the shorts pretty much disappeared, therefore the fans of shorts disappeared out of KU as well.


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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> I have read the thread you mention--part of it anyway. I'm surprised that genre makes a difference. I would think KU readers would be interested in all kinds of books. Yesterday I had no KENP at all. Today, I have 13 so far, but after several days ranging from 150 to 900, that's not very encouraging. Hopefully it picks up later today.


Wonkiness--which definitely exists but doesn't seem to affect everybody--aside, there isn't really much advertising available that is KU specific. If my experience is any guide, it takes time for a KU following to develop. Your book would have been more visible during promos, less visible now, so the drop is not surprising. It took me some months to develop a significant number of pages read. The good news, though, is that over time the numbers will tend to rise, at least they did for me.

Unfortunately, for most people, the process is a slow build. You're way ahead of the curve in terms of getting positive reviews, which is a good sign. (At the end of a year with my first book, I had only ten, and you've already gotten fifteen.) Sales, though, were sluggish for a long time. they didn't really pick up, except for the occasional successful promotion, until around the beginning of year four, and I started gaining steady KU pages only a little earlier than that, helped I think by AMS ads.

That doesn't mean your current book won't eventually do quite well. My first book, which dragged a lot in the beginning, became my top seller for a long time, only now displaced by _Different Lee_. It's still my second-biggest seller, but it looked DOA after its initial sales flurry. I persisted, and as I got more exposure, it came back to life. The more books you have out, the more likely it is that your momentum will pick up.


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## JulianneQJohnson

Just a note to say I've joined the ranks of the unselected.  I'm working on self-publishing Descending, and will be mining this thread for promotion ideas.  Happy to join the group.


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## Kay7979

I hope to see some organic, word-of-mouth growth, and I know that takes time. Worse, many of my sales are invisible. A woman I haven't seen in forty years is coming to the house this afternoon to buy two signed paperbacks. Tomorrow I have a Ripley's promotion, but it remains to be seen if readers will pay full price. But as Bill observes, promos get eyeballs on our books, and some of those folks are KU readers.


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## lauramg_1406

Carey Lewis said:


> In an ideal world, I would like to think most readers would read multiple genres. I'm actually one to think that it's authors that read cross-genre the most. I think most readers discover a genre they love and stick with it for the most part, romance readers being the most voracious, hence why I believe KU is made of a lot of romance readers, and therefore writers. Romance readers I've heard go through books the fastest and the most, so KU makes sense for them to have all that material for a flat fee. Since that's where the readers are, the writers of those genres go to KU as well. I'm sure there's jumps from romance to paranormal romance then to other genres and such. But I think the typical reader spends most, if not all, their time in the genre they like.
> 
> I'm also trying to pick up things I've learned and keep it in my brain to develop an overall picture too, sort of applying history for today type of thing. In KU1 there were many shorts in there, then when they changed to KU2 and started paying by page reads instead of borrows, the shorts pretty much disappeared, therefore the fans of shorts disappeared out of KU as well.


At first I was about to go "no way, i've always read cross-genre" then I realised that I fit in the author category!

However I do know a fair few bloggers who do cross-read genres quite a lot. And especially will if someone they trust recommends a book. Then again, I suppose that book bloggers are actually the niche of readers really. I've been doing it for years so forget it's not the norm!

Mt KU is pitiful. 290 ish pages read since 1st December. So yep, not convinced I'll be staying in KU (though I may change my mind!)

My paperback proof shipped too, but will take ages to get here (even paying for quicker shipping, damn UK!)

So far the new cover has netted me one sale in 3 days vs 26 in 17 days. However I haven't had any promos running in those 3 days. So I'm still planning on waiting it out to make a decision on the cover.

Also could really do with a pep talk! In a bit of a low mood which isn't helping my motivation to write, and ideally I want to finish the draft of my WIP by Thursday :-/ (not helped by someone managing to reverse into my car in an almost empty car park earlier.)

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## Kay7979

JulianneQJohnson said:


> Just a note to say I've joined the ranks of the unselected. I'm working on self-publishing Descending, and will be mining this thread for promotion ideas. Happy to join the group.


Hello and welcome. I was sad to get your Not Selected email. Rest assured you're in good company here. Kindle Scout has turned down some great books.


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## LizHedgecock

I've just booked a simultaneous Kindle countdown deal on Amazon.com and co.uk. Am I the only person who didn't know until now that you could do that?! 
'one promotion per marketplace per enrollment period'


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## Kay7979

LizHedgecock said:


> I've just booked a simultaneous Kindle countdown deal on Amazon.com and co.uk. Am I the only person who didn't know until now that you could do that?!
> 'one promotion per marketplace per enrollment period'


It must count as the same promotion, but in two marketplaces simultaneously. Go back a few pages and I provide the gory details of my messed-up attempt at a Countdown deal! I also have a two-part summary on my blog: http://www.kaylling.com/blog


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> At first I was about to go "no way, i've always read cross-genre" then I realised that I fit in the author category!
> 
> However I do know a fair few bloggers who do cross-read genres quite a lot. And especially will if someone they trust recommends a book. Then again, I suppose that book bloggers are actually the niche of readers really. I've been doing it for years so forget it's not the norm!
> 
> Mt KU is pitiful. 290 ish pages read since 1st December. So yep, not convinced I'll be staying in KU (though I may change my mind!)
> 
> My paperback proof shipped too, but will take ages to get here (even paying for quicker shipping, damn UK!)
> 
> So far the new cover has netted me one sale in 3 days vs 26 in 17 days. However I haven't had any promos running in those 3 days. So I'm still planning on waiting it out to make a decision on the cover.
> 
> Also could really do with a pep talk! In a bit of a low mood which isn't helping my motivation to write, and ideally I want to finish the draft of my WIP by Thursday :-/ (not helped by someone managing to reverse into my car in an almost empty car park earlier.)
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


So sorry about your car!!!!! Did it do much damage?

I don't know if I'm the best at pep talks since I'm griping about my KENP, but here's my advice about your WIP. If you're not inspired to write the next passage you had in mind, jump ahead to a scene you're looking forward to. Write that instead. Then, when you're revved up, go back and complete the passage you're less motivated to write.


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> So sorry about your car!!!!! Did it do much damage?
> 
> I don't know if I'm the best at pep talks since I'm griping about my KENP, but here's my advice about your WIP. If you're not inspired to write the next passage you had in mind, jump ahead to a scene you're looking forward to. Write that instead. Then, when you're revved up, go back and complete the passage you're less motivated to write.


Thankfully not! If you don't know it's damaged then it's not obvious (partly because I really need to wash it!)

Thanks Kay! Motivation is "laptop isn't even open" dead this week so anything to get me going is helpful!

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## Carey Lewis

lauramg_1406 said:


> At first I was about to go "no way, i've always read cross-genre" then I realised that I fit in the author category!
> 
> However I do know a fair few bloggers who do cross-read genres quite a lot. And especially will if someone they trust recommends a book. Then again, I suppose that book bloggers are actually the niche of readers really. I've been doing it for years so forget it's not the norm!
> 
> Mt KU is pitiful. 290 ish pages read since 1st December. So yep, not convinced I'll be staying in KU (though I may change my mind!)
> 
> My paperback proof shipped too, but will take ages to get here (even paying for quicker shipping, damn UK!)
> 
> So far the new cover has netted me one sale in 3 days vs 26 in 17 days. However I haven't had any promos running in those 3 days. So I'm still planning on waiting it out to make a decision on the cover.
> 
> Also could really do with a pep talk! In a bit of a low mood which isn't helping my motivation to write, and ideally I want to finish the draft of my WIP by Thursday :-/ (not helped by someone managing to reverse into my car in an almost empty car park earlier.)
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


It's just a matter of time before your readers find you. They could end up finding you by the very book you are writing right now so get 'er done!!!


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## MarilynVix

JulianneQJohnson said:


> Just a note to say I've joined the ranks of the unselected. I'm working on self-publishing Descending, and will be mining this thread for promotion ideas. Happy to join the group.


Welcome to the life after a KS campaign. If you can get the self-publishing started and scheduled, it really does feel better. Sometimes it's better to be your own boss. You've joined the ranks of the "What is KS thinking?" rejections. I mean, still don't have a crystal ball, but from the rejections, I'm guessing they are passing on the niche books. But the campaign will help with your launch. Think of it that way. All the people that nominated you will want to buy your book now. ;-) The consolation prize is being able to let them all know when it is on KDP.

Good luck!


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## lauramg_1406

Carey Lewis said:


> It's just a matter of time before your readers find you. They could end up finding you by the very book you are writing right now so get 'er done!!!


You sound like my best friend here! She refuses to molly coddle and will just tell me how it is!

Along those lines I did contact my (new) cover designer about the cover for my WIP in the hope it'll give me the kick I need!

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## LizHedgecock

Kay7979 said:


> It must count as the same promotion, but in two marketplaces simultaneously. Go back a few pages and I provide the gory details of my messed-up attempt at a Countdown deal! I also have a two-part summary on my blog: http://www.kaylling.com/blog


I remember your posts about your deal! Justread your blog posts and booked BookRaid - thanks!


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## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> Mt KU is pitiful. 290 ish pages read since 1st December. So yep, not convinced I'll be staying in KU (though I may change my mind!)
> 
> Also could really do with a pep talk! In a bit of a low mood which isn't helping my motivation to write, and ideally I want to finish the draft of my WIP by Thursday :-/ (not helped by someone managing to reverse into my car in an almost empty car park earlier.)


The KU issue is always a tough one. To me it's a question of math: can you make more with KU or going wide? The only problem with that is that you really have to try both to know. There's isn't a one-size-fits-all answer. Even a casual look at threads here and on the KDP forum reveals that some people do really well in KU, while other do much better going wide. Even before my recent surge, I was making more in a month from KU than in a year wide.

As I mentioned to Kay, either approach really requires time in most cases. Early results may be unimpressive, but the key is keeping at it. I'm certainly not any more talented than anyone else here, but I have been at it a little longer than some of you, and that seems to be making a difference. Partly as a result of the KS exposure, and possibly also cross-promotional anthology exposure, I'm suddenly getting more sales in international markets. Last month broke all my records, and this month has seen in better results in three (Australia, Germany, India). Sales, mostly from the new release, have been strong, slowing a little but still going, and KENP reads, which were over 30,000 for _Different Lee_ in the US alone last month, are now sitting at 105,000--still not counting the other markets or any of my other books, which are having a decent month. Two months ago, I wouldn't have believed I'd see that kind of surge, at least in the short-run. When KU first started, I had only a handful of pages read at first.

I've been working hard, especially since retirement, but I honestly think the key is that I'm in my fifth year and have a lot of titles out. If you can write well and keep going, at some point I think you achieve critical mass. A lot of people quit before that happens, so don't be discouraged and don't give up, particularly if you enjoy writing. The longer you keep going, the more likely it is to pay off.


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## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> The KU issue is always a tough one. To me it's a question of math: can you make more with KU or going wide? The only problem with that is that you really have to try both to know. There's isn't a one-size-fits-all answer. Even a casual look at threads here and on the KDP forum reveals that some people do really well in KU, while other do much better going wide. Even before my recent surge, I was making more in a month from KU than in a year wide.
> 
> As I mentioned to Kay, either approach really requires time in most cases. Early results may be unimpressive, but the key is keeping at it. I'm certainly not any more talented than anyone else here, but I have been at it a little longer than some of you, and that seems to be making a difference. Partly as a result of the KS exposure, and possibly also cross-promotional anthology exposure, I'm suddenly getting more sales in international markets. Last month broke all my records, and this month has seen in better results in three (Australia, Germany, India). Sales, mostly from the new release, have been strong, slowing a little but still going, and KENP reads, which were over 30,000 for _Different Lee_ in the US alone last month, are now sitting at 105,000--still not counting the other markets or any of my other books, which are having a decent month. Two months ago, I wouldn't have believed I'd see that kind of surge, at least in the short-run. When KU first started, I had only a handful of pages read at first.
> 
> I've been working hard, especially since retirement, but I honestly think the key is that I'm in my fifth year and have a lot of titles out. If you can write well and keep going, at some point I think you achieve critical mass. A lot of people quit before that happens, so don't be discouraged and don't give up, particularly if you enjoy writing. The longer you keep going, the more likely it is to pay off.


I've not made my mind up on it yet anyway! I mean it could all be down to the cover issue still! So I am going to give it time. My next few releases are all going into different genres (all with a romance over thread) so it could be that one of those is the answer. I'm basically going to spend the next 6 months - year trying different things and seeing what works.

I'm also part of a box set in about March time, so it could be interesting to see how that turns out!

I know it's down to patience, I just need reminding from time to time (Especially when I'm having a bad day!)

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## lauramg_1406

Spoke too soon on the KENP front. Just had another 260-odd pages show up (so I'm assuming that's one compelte read cause it's the same as the previous one I got!)

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## JennyOBrien

Welcome Julienne, nice to see you here.

Just popped by to say this is free just for today if anyone reads romance. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ideal-Girl-Medical-Romance-Heartwarming-ebook/dp/B014RQAGVA/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8


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## lauramg_1406

Remember I was after some motivation yesterday? Well in just over 12 hours my cover artist has sent a rough draft of the cover through. Better get writing!

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## R M Rowan

lauramg_1406 said:


> Remember I was after some motivation yesterday? Well in just over 12 hours my cover artist has sent a rough draft of the cover through. Better get writing!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


There's nothing quite like the inspiration of seeing a lonely cover that needs a completed story tucked inside. I usually have some form of my cover ready long before the book is finished, so when my muse plays hide and seek, I just look at the cover and refocus. Although, it's really hard to write at this time of year. So much to do! I'm happy if I reach 500 words a day at this point. I'd like to just put it away until after Christmas, but I hate to halt forward momentum. Not enough hours in the day.


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## lauramg_1406

R M Rowan said:


> There's nothing quite like the inspiration of seeing a lonely cover that needs a completed story tucked inside. I usually have some form of my cover ready long before the book is finished, so when my muse plays hide and seek, I just look at the cover and refocus. Although, it's really hard to write at this time of year. So much to do! I'm happy if I reach 500 words a day at this point. I'd like to just put it away until after Christmas, but I hate to halt forward momentum. Not enough hours in the day.


Exactly! That cover then needs something behind it! I know what you mean though. I'm off work today and I still feel like there isn't enough hours!

PROMO NEWS
Just sent out emails with book covers and important information in them!

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## PatriciaThomson

R M Rowan said:


> There's nothing quite like the inspiration of seeing a lonely cover that needs a completed story tucked inside. I usually have some form of my cover ready long before the book is finished, so when my muse plays hide and seek, I just look at the cover and refocus. Although, it's really hard to write at this time of year. So much to do! I'm happy if I reach 500 words a day at this point. I'd like to just put it away until after Christmas, but I hate to halt forward momentum. Not enough hours in the day.


Why do you create covers before you finish or even start writing a book? What if the story goes in a completely different direction? I don't understand.


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## lauramg_1406

PatriciaThomson said:


> Why do you create covers before you finish or even start writing a book? What if the story goes in a completely different direction? I don't understand.


I've done it this time because my WIP is a PNR and while some things may change in my editing stage, the appearance of my characters isn't going to and ultimately there's pretty much a format for PNR covers anyway!

However I do have a cover that has nothing written for it yet, but it was on offer and fit the (ridgely) planned plot of my book.

Other than that I do normally wait until later, but mostly because it tends to take me twice as long to name the book as it does to write it!

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## Used To Be BH

R M Rowan said:


> There's nothing quite like the inspiration of seeing a lonely cover that needs a completed story tucked inside. I usually have some form of my cover ready long before the book is finished, so when my muse plays hide and seek, I just look at the cover and refocus. Although, it's really hard to write at this time of year. So much to do! I'm happy if I reach 500 words a day at this point. I'd like to just put it away until after Christmas, but I hate to halt forward momentum. Not enough hours in the day.


Interestingly, I also get inspiration from covers. I got so inspired by one cover that what was supposed to be a seasonal short story turned into a novella and went from being a standalone to being the prequel for a new series.

And no, there are never enough hours in a day.


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## R M Rowan

PatriciaThomson said:


> Why do you create covers before you finish or even start writing a book? What if the story goes in a completely different direction? I don't understand.


I usually have a solid story hammered out before I start writing, so there's not normally an 'uh,oh, didn't see that coming' moment. I'm a visualizer, and it works for me. Also, I'm a cover creator in my spare time, so it's kind of in my blood. Think of it like being inspired to write when you see a beautiful scene. Basically the same thing.


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## lauramg_1406

R M Rowan said:


> I usually have a solid story hammered out before I start writing, so there's not normally an 'uh,oh, didn't see that coming' moment. I'm a visualizer, and it works for me. Also, I'm a cover creator in my spare time, so it's kind of in my blood. Think of it like being inspired to write when you see a beautiful scene. Basically the same thing.


So this is the first time I've had a cover made half way through writing. I've also locked onto a title and written the blurb, and actually it's really unstuck my writer's block because now I need to finish at least a draft so I can give my cover designer dimensions!

Have just had a scene that i hadn't considered writing, but it doesn't change anything for the cover (the heroine is still blonde, the hero still has stubble, they still like each other and there's still a panther in it) so I'm feeling pretty safe!

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## R M Rowan

lauramg_1406 said:


> So this is the first time I've had a cover made half way through writing. I've also locked onto a title and written the blurb, and actually it's really unstuck my writer's block because now I need to finish at least a draft so I can give my cover designer dimensions!
> 
> Have just had a scene that i hadn't considered writing, but it doesn't change anything for the cover (the heroine is still blonde, the hero still has stubble, they still like each other and there's still a panther in it) so I'm feeling pretty safe!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Yep! Sometimes all it takes is that cover to keep you going. It's like the dangling carrot. I tried 'inspiration' photos of places/things related to WIP, but it's just not the same.


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## lauramg_1406

R M Rowan said:


> Yep! Sometimes all it takes is that cover to keep you going. It's like the dangling carrot. I tried 'inspiration' photos of places/things related to WIP, but it's just not the same.


It's really not...However now I have the cover I'm between 4000 and 6000 words off finishing, so it's definitely worked!

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## R M Rowan

lauramg_1406 said:


> It's really not...However now I have the cover I'm between 4000 and 6000 words off finishing, so it's definitely worked!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


That's fantastic! How true are you in your estimates? Every time I think I'm that close, it ends up being 10 to 15 thousand more. I tend to get long-winded toward the end.


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## lauramg_1406

R M Rowan said:


> That's fantastic! How true are you in your estimates? Every time I think I'm that close, it ends up being 10 to 15 thousand more. I tend to get long-winded toward the end.


Normally pretty close! This one is a pretty bog standard PNR which makes it fairly easy to guess. But honestly most of the time I don't set myself upper word counts, I just write until the story feels finished. I find its easier that way!

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## R M Rowan

lauramg_1406 said:



> Normally pretty close! This one is a pretty bog standard PNR which makes it fairly easy to guess. But honestly most of the time I don't set myself upper word counts, I just write until the story feels finished. I find its easier that way!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Sounds like me. I don't normally set counts, either, but every once in a while, I get the urge to write something quick and short (40 to 50'ish) in a different genre just to test the waters. I actually have multiple books started like that, but put aside when I saw it wasn't going to be quick OR short. I'll get back to them, but I'm not ready to invest that deeply in a 'test' book in a new genre. Especially since I have a romance pen name that demands attention, as well. So little time, sooooooo much writing!  (Speaking of, I'm really slacking today. Thank goodness I'm self-employed, or I would've been fired ages ago.)


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## lauramg_1406

R M Rowan said:


> Sounds like me. I don't normally set counts, either, but every once in a while, I get the urge to write something quick and short (40 to 50'ish) in a different genre just to test the waters. I actually have multiple books started like that, but put aside when I saw it wasn't going to be quick OR short. I'll get back to them, but I'm not ready to invest that deeply in a 'test' book in a new genre. Especially since I have a romance pen name that demands attention, as well. So little time, sooooooo much writing!  (Speaking of, I'm really slacking today. Thank goodness I'm self-employed, or I would've been fired ages ago.)


See this one's shorter than that, simply because it's going in a box set in March and that's pretty much the requirement. But otherwise I don't think I've ever set out with a word count in mind (other than 50,000 when I did NaNo...got very lucky there, it came to a natural close at 50,023 words).

But I'm a big advocate of write til it's done and stop when it's done. And if I'm honest I'm way too much of a pantser for it to work otherwise! I tried writing up to a set point before and it was so difficult, I promised never to do it again!

Testing new genres is pretty much what I'm doing! Except that I'm new at this anyway, so can spend the time on the random genres that don't relate to my previous books. Probably a bad strategy in the long run but oh well! I write for me at the end of the day!

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## R M Rowan

lauramg_1406 said:


> See this one's shorter than that, simply because it's going in a box set in March and that's pretty much the requirement. But otherwise I don't think I've ever set out with a word count in mind (other than 50,000 when I did NaNo...got very lucky there, it came to a natural close at 50,023 words).
> 
> But I'm a big advocate of write til it's done and stop when it's done. And if I'm honest I'm way too much of a pantser for it to work otherwise! I tried writing up to a set point before and it was so difficult, I promised never to do it again!
> 
> Testing new genres is pretty much what I'm doing! Except that I'm new at this anyway, so can spend the time on the random genres that don't relate to my previous books. Probably a bad strategy in the long run but oh well! I write for me at the end of the day!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Absolutely NOT a bad strategy in my humble opinion. You just never know when you're going to stumble on a genre that you really click with where everything goes the way it's 'supposed' to go. The only way to know where you fit best is to give them all a whirl. Romance seems to be the one that wants to fly for me, but I'm definitely NOT a romantic and I prefer to write fantasy. Every time I work on the romance, it's all I can do to keep the fantasy out of it. I just keep thinking how cool it would be if my protagonist had some kind of special gift, power, crown, or army of dragons. I'm just thankful I can make the decision to jump around like that and not have to worry about whether it sells since this isn't my main source of income. That's great you were able to finish NaNo. At least you know you can write under pressure and on a tight time schedule, and if you did it by pantsing, that's even more impressive. I tried a couple of years ago and failed miserably. I might try it again one of these years...maybe.


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## lauramg_1406

R M Rowan said:


> Absolutely NOT a bad strategy in my humble opinion. You just never know when you're going to stumble on a genre that you really click with where everything goes the way it's 'supposed' to go. The only way to know where you fit best is to give them all a whirl. Romance seems to be the one that wants to fly for me, but I'm definitely NOT a romantic and I prefer to write fantasy. Every time I work on the romance, it's all I can do to keep the fantasy out of it. I just keep thinking how cool it would be if my protagonist had some kind of special gift, power, crown, or army of dragons. I'm just thankful I can make the decision to jump around like that and not have to worry about whether it sells since this isn't my main source of income. That's great you were able to finish NaNo. At least you know you can write under pressure and on a tight time schedule, and if you did it by pantsing, that's even more impressive. I tried a couple of years ago and failed miserably. I might try it again one of these years...maybe.


This might sound like a silly question but why don't you give your romance characters an army of dragons or cool powers? There's definitely a market for it! And if that's what you want to write then it'll likely come out awesome!

Luckily my NaNo pantsing was a little more structured than normal! I already had a magic system worked out (Despite the fact that I set out to make two of the characters us that magic system differently) and once I got started I drew out my world map as I went (I have a couple of other planned books in the universe).

Pretty sure I fit under Scifi & Fantasy, more leading towards fantasy but there's definitely a couple of Scifi projects in the works too! (Please ignore the fact my latest release is NA romance )

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## lauramg_1406

I need to thank you all for your pep talks! As of right now my draft is finished, dimensions have been sent to my cover artist and all being well it should be up for preorder shortly!

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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> I need to thank you all for your pep talks! As of right now my draft is finished, dimensions have been sent to my cover artist and all being well it should be up for preorder shortly!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Yay! Good for you.

I've been busy editing my second book. It's been long enough since I wrote it that it's almost like reading someone else's book, which is helpful. Thankfully, I actually enjoy editing.


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## Kay7979

OKay, you guys, I need advice about prepping for the cross-promotion. Shouldn't we be posting something in advance, so people will be anticipating, and looking for, our promo? I threw the following together and am considering posting this soon on my FB author page and my personal FB page: 


After Christmas I'll be participating in an author cross-promotion. Several of us who participated in the Kindle Scout program will be sharing information about our books with interested readers. All the books are reasonably priced--under $5.00 for the eBook versions. Some will be discounted. 

We'll also be posting a fun Q & A. Each of us have answered questions about our books, discussed what we like to write and why, and given insights into the writing process. We'll be posting the Q & A on Facebook and our websites, and if you're interested in any of the author's works, you'll have an opportunity to sign up for their newsletters. Newsletters are the best way for authors to stay in touch with readers. Social media sites like Facebook do not display every post, and in addition to that problem, most folks miss many of the posts that pass through their feeds. So sign up for newsletters if you're interested, and be the first to hear about upcoming releases, discounts and giveaways. 

Wishing you all a fabulous holiday season!


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> Yay! Good for you.
> 
> I've been busy editing my second book. It's been long enough since I wrote it that it's almost like reading someone else's book, which is helpful. Thankfully, I actually enjoy editing.


Thank you Kay! Yes I know what you mean, I don't mind editing either. But I always make sure I work on another book between edits so I can seperate it in my head!

Is your second book a sequel or something different?

Good idea on the pre-post. Never seen one done before but it can't help!

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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> Thank you Kay! Yes I know what you mean, I don't mind editing either. But I always make sure I work on another book between edits so I can seperate it in my head!
> 
> Is your second book a sequel or something different?
> 
> Good idea on the pre-post. Never seen one done before but it can't help!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Although I call Beyond the Forest a standalone novel, I've written two sequels and I'm hundreds of pages into book four. It may be a spoiler to say that at the end of book one the gnomes' evil ruler is defeated, but that's the typical outcome for this kind of book, so it shouldn't come as a great surprise.

Normally, when a ruler is defeated, there's a political system in place and a new ruler ready to take over, but in the gnome world, there's a complete void of leadership. The human characters face the task of coercing the gnomes, who have lived generations in hiding, to form a government, while trying to subdue the gnomes' monstrous, mutated brethren, the breghlin. The humans take over Sheamathan's castle and appropriate all her gems and riches, only to discover that their windfall may be more trouble than its worth. They face wards and booby-traps at every turn, and Sheamathan's snarky, sentient spell book that opposes their rule.

If I never sold a single book of this series, I'd write it anyway. I thoroughly enjoy watching the story unfold, and it becomes more complex with each book.


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> Although I call Beyond the Forest a standalone novel, I've written two sequels and I'm hundreds of pages into book four. It may be a spoiler to say that at the end of book one the gnomes' evil ruler is defeated, but that's the typical outcome for this kind of book, so it shouldn't come as a great surprise.
> 
> Normally, when a ruler is defeated, there's a political system in place and a new ruler ready to take over, but in the gnome world, there's a complete void of leadership. The human characters face the task of coercing the gnomes, who have lived generations in hiding, to form a government, while trying to subdue the gnomes' monstrous, mutated brethren, the breghlin. The humans take over Sheamathan's castle and appropriate all her gems and riches, only to discover that their windfall may be more trouble than its worth. They face wards and booby-traps at every turn, and the former ruler's snarky, sentient spell book that opposes their rule.
> 
> If I never sold a single book of this series, I'd write it anyway. I thoroughly enjoy watching the story unfold, and it becomes more complex with each book.


Well I'm sold! I wouldn't call that a spoiler. It's like when you read romance. You know the couple is going to be together at the end. Otherwise what's he point!

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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> Well I'm sold! I wouldn't call that a spoiler. It's like when you read romance. You know the couple is going to be together at the end. Otherwise what's he point!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


True. And most readers like satisfying (usually happy) endings.

Kindle Scout won't be getting book two. I'm sure readers could enjoy it without reading book one, but it wouldn't be as much fun and there would be a learning curve. I'm not sorry I tried Kindle Scout. It was more than worth it just for the friends I've made, but the chances of them taking book two in a series isn't good, and now that they've passed on book one I'm better off having control of the entire series. In any case, I would NEVER run a campaign like I did before. I'd do Lexi's "set it and forget it" method. The nominations didn't help me when I launched, and we know in retrospect that page views and Hot & Trending don't influence the editors very much.


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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Although I call Beyond the Forest a standalone novel, I've written two sequels and I'm hundreds of pages into book four. It may be a spoiler to say that at the end of book one the gnomes' evil ruler is defeated, but that's the typical outcome for this kind of book, so it shouldn't come as a great surprise.
> 
> Normally, when a ruler is defeated, there's a political system in place and a new ruler ready to take over, but in the gnome world, there's a complete void of leadership. The human characters face the task of coercing the gnomes, who have lived generations in hiding, to form a government, while trying to subdue the gnomes' monstrous, mutated brethren, the breghlin. The humans take over Sheamathan's castle and appropriate all her gems and riches, only to discover that their windfall may be more trouble than its worth. They face wards and booby-traps at every turn, and Sheamathan's snarky, sentient spell book that opposes their rule.
> 
> If I never sold a single book of this series, I'd write it anyway. I thoroughly enjoy watching the story unfold, and it becomes more complex with each book.


Wow! I'll be buying them all.


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## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> Wow! I'll be buying them all.


Thank you, Bill! It's frustrating to write something you believe is unique and ground-breaking, and then struggle to have others discover it. My Ripley's promo yesterday didn't produce a single sale. Of course my book was full price, which didn't help. Still . . .


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## Carey Lewis

Kay7979 said:


> Normally, when a ruler is defeated, there's a political system in place and a new ruler ready to take over, but in the gnome world, there's a complete void of leadership. The human characters face the task of coercing the gnomes, who have lived generations in hiding, to form a government, while trying to subdue the gnomes' monstrous, mutated brethren, the breghlin. The humans take over Sheamathan's castle and appropriate all her gems and riches, only to discover that their windfall may be more trouble than its worth. They face wards and booby-traps at every turn, and Sheamathan's snarky, sentient spell book that opposes their rule.


Well, shit, that's what you call a story.


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> True. And most readers like satisfying (usually happy) endings.
> 
> Kindle Scout won't be getting book two. I'm sure readers could enjoy it without reading book one, but it wouldn't be as much fun and there would be a learning curve. I'm not sorry I tried Kindle Scout. It was more than worth it just for the friends I've made, but the chances of them taking book two in a series isn't good, and now that they've passed on book one I'm better off having control of the entire series. In any case, I would NEVER run a campaign like I did before. I'd do Lexi's "set it and forget it" method. The nominations didn't help me when I launched, and we know in retrospect that page views and Hot & Trending don't influence the editors very much.


Yes! When I go again (not with a sequel!) I'll be going with the set it and forget it route too. If things are like we think they are at KS HQ then that really does seem like the way to go.

My new cover appears to have gained me 3 sales and a full read with KENP, so it is looking up with it!

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## PatriciaThomson

Kay7979 said:


> True. And most readers like satisfying (usually happy) endings.
> 
> Kindle Scout won't be getting book two. I'm sure readers could enjoy it without reading book one, but it wouldn't be as much fun and there would be a learning curve. I'm not sorry I tried Kindle Scout. It was more than worth it just for the friends I've made, but the chances of them taking book two in a series isn't good, and now that they've passed on book one I'm better off having control of the entire series. In any case, I would NEVER run a campaign like I did before. I'd do Lexi's "set it and forget it" method. The nominations didn't help me when I launched, and we know in retrospect that page views and Hot & Trending don't influence the editors very much.


I also thought I'd try the second book in my trilogy in Kindle Scout, but I decided against it. Considering how few people I told about it even knew the program existed, I'm not sure it's really a step up. I did get a few sales from nominations, but not many. I hope the KS alumni promotion helps out a little.


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## lauramg_1406

I hope the promo helps too! My other tactic is just to keep building a back list like crazy. I *seem* to have a fairly quick writing rate (in the past year I've finished 4 drafts, but keep in mind that I ambled along until October when I realised I actually wanted to make it work!) So fingers crossed I can keep the pace up!

I think the appeal of KS really is having amazon on side! I imagine that most authors would agree that the amazon advertising would be worth the win. 

But I do agree that sequels probably have less of a success rate unless the previous books went through KS!

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## JennyOBrien

Kay7979 said:


> OKay, you guys, I need advice about prepping for the cross-promotion. Shouldn't we be posting something in advance, so people will be anticipating, and looking for, our promo? I threw the following together and am considering posting this soon on my FB author page and my personal FB page:
> 
> After Christmas I'll be participating in an author cross-promotion. Several of us who participated in the Kindle Scout program will be sharing information about our books with interested readers. All the books are reasonably priced--under $5.00 for the eBook versions. Some will be discounted.
> 
> We'll also be posting a fun Q & A. Each of us have answered questions about our books, discussed what we like to write and why, and given insights into the writing process. We'll be posting the Q & A on Facebook and our websites, and if you're interested in any of the author's works, you'll have an opportunity to sign up for their newsletters. Newsletters are the best way for authors to stay in touch with readers. Social media sites like Facebook do not display every post, and in addition to that problem, most folks miss many of the posts that pass through their feeds. So sign up for newsletters if you're interested, and be the first to hear about upcoming releases, discounts and giveaways.
> 
> Wishing you all a fabulous holiday season!


Thanks, I was sort of thinking of doing this and now I don't have to  Will just tweak a little so it sounds more like me. Manic here with full on family stuff, but trying to keep up to date with writing stuff. My free day for my first in Trilogy did ok with a sales boost after but it's Christmas and people have Kindles they are filling for presents. I'm thinking of doing my first paid promo in the New Year, - 1 1/2 years published with 5 books it's probably long overdue


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## Kay7979

Glad it was helpful, Jenny. Anyone else who wants to copy/modify the post, please do. I posted it last night on my FB author page. 

I'm still semi-clueless about how I'll share all our info, but I can always steal a peak at what some of you are doing and follow your lead. 

Question: Aside from making our books available and drawing attention to ourselves with interesting content like the Q&A, is part of our goal to get newsletter signups? If so, we need links to our websites at very least, and better yet, direct links to our newsletters. Forgive me if I'm complicating matters and making more work for everyone. I don't know what everyone has in mind, but newsletter signups would be a nice benefit of this promo.


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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Glad it was helpful, Jenny. Anyone else who wants to copy/modify the post, please do. I posted it last night on my FB author page.
> 
> I'm still semi-clueless about how I'll share all our info, but I can always steal a peak at what some of you are doing and follow your lead.
> 
> Question: Aside from making our books available and drawing attention to ourselves with interesting content like the Q&A, is part of our goal to get newsletter signups? If so, we need links to our websites at very least, and better yet, direct links to our newsletters. Forgive me if I'm complicating matters and making more work for everyone. I don't know what everyone has in mind, but newsletter signups would be a nice benefit of this promo.


I'm happy to include anyone's newsletter link when I post, but keep in mind that cross-promos only draw so much attention, so we have to ask ourselves what we want. Exposure? Sales? Newsletter signups? You probably can't get the same person to look at a whole bunch of our books *and* sign up for newsletters.

Also, usually people want something for signing up. Just asking them to sign up draws in only the hardcore fans, who probably follow their favorite authors on social media anyway. Cross promos intended to draw newsletter signups should probably be tied to book giveaways or something like that to really pull people in.

That said, if we include a website link for each author (next time, if it's too much trouble this time) that at least gives people the opportunity.


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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Thank you, Bill! It's frustrating to write something you believe is unique and ground-breaking, and then struggle to have others discover it. My Ripley's promo yesterday didn't produce a single sale. Of course my book was full price, which didn't help. Still . . .


Unfortunately, promos are pretty heavily geared toward bargains. In one promo I forgot to include the reduced price, so it went out as the only full-priced book in the email, and I too got no sales.

I had great luck with Ripley's, but it occurs to me her audience was also primed for me because I'd done a KS promotion for the same book through her the previous month. That probably helped warm people up.

I think I've said this before, but it's hard with a first book. Mine didn't do that well, outside promotions, until it had company. Now it's not unusual for it to sell thirty copies in a month with no promotion, but it sure didn't start out that way! It sounds as if you have a great premise that will catch on eventually.


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## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> I'm happy to include anyone's newsletter link when I post, but keep in mind that cross-promos only draw so much attention, so we have to ask ourselves what we want. Exposure? Sales? Newsletter signups? You probably can't get the same person to look at a whole bunch of our books *and* sign up for newsletters.
> 
> Also, usually people want something for signing up. Just asking them to sign up draws in only the hardcore fans, who probably follow their favorite authors on social media anyway. Cross promos intended to draw newsletter signups should probably be tied to book giveaways or something like that to really pull people in.
> 
> That said, if we include a website link for each author (next time, if it's too much trouble this time) that at least gives people the opportunity.


Okay, that makes sense. As I said, I'm not entirely sure what goals everyone had for this promo, but if it's mostly to get eyeballs on our books, and hopefully sales, that's a good enough goal.


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## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> Unfortunately, promos are pretty heavily geared toward bargains. In one promo I forgot to include the reduced price, so it went out as the only full-priced book in the email, and I too got no sales.
> 
> I had great luck with Ripley's, but it occurs to me her audience was also primed for me because I'd done a KS promotion for the same book through her the previous month. That probably helped warm people up.
> 
> I think I've said this before, but it's hard with a first book. Mine didn't do that well, outside promotions, until it had company. Now it's not unusual for it to sell thirty copies in a month with no promotion, but it sure didn't start out that way! It sounds as if you have a great premise that will catch on eventually.


AMS is saving my butt, keeping me from descending into total obscurity. I continue to have local paperback sales, but they don't do anything for my author rank. On the whole, sales are plodding along, and I can't expect much better than that without having a fan base, running promos, or having a backlist.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Kay7979 said:


> Okay, that makes sense. As I said, I'm not entirely sure what goals everyone had for this promo, but if it's mostly to get eyeballs on our books, and hopefully sales, that's a good enough goal.


My thoughts on this were that if we send new readers to the books on Amazon, they can either sign up through whatever links you have in your book OR find you on your amazon author page. I don't know. I don't want to be too sales-y and lose blog readers. I think it's whatever anyone is comfortable with. I thought I'd post more of this through FB and Twitter.

I struggle with newsletter signups anyway. I mean I actually only have 4 people on my list. Yup. Me, my husband, father-in-law, and one real fan. I haven't pushed it at all yet though. It's a goal for 2017.


----------



## Kay7979

Joynell Schultz said:


> My thoughts on this were that if we send new readers to the books on Amazon, they can either sign up through whatever links you have in your book OR find you on your amazon author page. I don't know. I don't want to be too sales-y and lose blog readers. I think it's whatever anyone is comfortable with. I thought I'd post more of this through FB and Twitter.
> 
> I struggle with newsletter signups anyway. I mean I actually only have 4 people on my list. Yup. Me, my husband, father-in-law, and one real fan. I haven't pushed it at all yet though. It's a goal for 2017.


So maybe in the spring we can do another cross-promo geared to newsletter signups. I don't have a free book or novella to give away, but I think it was Laura who mentioned that she had readers sign up by offering a few sample chapters, despite the fact they could have read the same chapters via "Look Inside." I'm planning to write up some of the gem folklore that I used In Beyond the Forest, along with other interesting tidbits about gems, and I think that might work as a giveaway.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> So maybe in the spring we can do another cross-promo geared to newsletter signups. I don't have a free book or novella to give away, but I think it was Laura who mentioned that she had readers sign up by offering a few sample chapters, despite the fact they could have read the same chapters via "Look Inside." I'm planning to write up some of the gem folklore that I used In Beyond the Forest, along with other interesting tidbits about gems, and I think that might work as a giveaway.


Hey guys! Sorry been travelling all day not ignoring you all (I'm in Austria for Christmas!)

On Newsletter sign ups - *might* be a bit late to include them this time around, but it is definitely something to think about if we do another one!

We have the blog posts, feel free to share the landing pages if that's easy, or even just the amazon links!

My newsletter has a 7000 word prequel to my Alventia Series. I can't officially publish it because of my contract for the first two books, so I use it as a magnet book. It's got me nearly 1000 sign ups so far!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Joynell Schultz

lauramg_1406 said:


> My newsletter has a 7000 word prequel to my Alventia Series. I can't officially publish it because of my contract for the first two books, so I use it as a magnet book. It's got me nearly 1000 sign ups so far!


How did you advertise the free story? I don't know how to even effectively share the sign up link to give something away free.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> How did you advertise the free story? I don't know how to even effectively share the sign up link to give something away free.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Well when my genre crave promo went out that added about 700. But the other 200 odd were just from just listing the book on Instafreebie and tweeting about it each day/sharing it on my fb page

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## C. J. Sears

Well, after a day's deliberation I've placed _The Shadow Over Lone Oak_ up for order on Amazon. If you're interested, clickable links are in my signature. Let me know if there are any issues.

My feelings about the whole Kindle Scout experience? I was upset at first. Felt like they got my hopes with that nearly week-long review. But at least that stress of not knowing is over now.

It's time for a new level of stress. I'm trying to figure out a couple of things.

1. First, I've got a 3D image for the book I'd like to use on the sale page, but I've got no clue how to add it. Was there a way I was supposed to do that in KDP?
2. I'm wondering how long it will take for Amazon to group the Kindle Edition and Paperback together. They do that, right? Seems like I've heard as much. I've claimed both versions on Author Central already, if that helps.
3. What's the best way to start promotion? I mean, I could do Reddit again for relatively cheap. I've ordered five copies of the paperback for myself, one to keep. But from there I'm lost. Twitter is useless, I know that. Facebook seems iffy given the results during my campaign. I know there's Goodreads, but beyond that I haven't the faintest clue where to begin.


----------



## Kay7979

CRex896 said:


> Well, after a day's deliberation I've placed _The Shadow Over Lone Oak_ up for order on Amazon. If you're interested, clickable links are in my signature. Let me know if there are any issues.
> 
> My feelings about the whole Kindle Scout experience? I was upset at first. Felt like they got my hopes with that nearly week-long review. But at least that stress of not knowing is over now.
> 
> It's time for a new level of stress. I'm trying to figure out a couple of things.
> 
> 1. First, I've got a 3D image for the book I'd like to use on the sale page, but I've got no clue how to add it. Was there a way I was supposed to do that in KDP?
> 2. I'm wondering how long it will take for Amazon to group the Kindle Edition and Paperback together. They do that, right? Seems like I've heard as much. I've claimed both versions on Author Central already, if that helps.
> 3. What's the best way to start promotion? I mean, I could do Reddit again for relatively cheap. I've ordered five copies of the paperback for myself, one to keep. But from there I'm lost. Twitter is useless, I know that. Facebook seems iffy given the results during my campaign. I know there's Goodreads, but beyond that I haven't the faintest clue where to begin.


Welcome. A week isn't too bad. I waited 12 days before I got turned down. Everyone but one other person whose campaign had ended around the same time had already been rejected.

Your books should be linked within two or three days. If not call customer service, but you shouldn't need to.

There is a ton of info on this thread that deals with various paid promo sites. I know it's a lot of reading, but scroll through and make a few notes as you go. Marketing isn't easy!


----------



## Alexander_Baird

lauramg_1406 said:


> Hey guys! Sorry been travelling all day not ignoring you all (I'm in Austria for Christmas!)


Hey - where abouts? That's currently where I call home.


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## lauramg_1406

Alexander_Baird said:


> Hey - where abouts? That's currently where I call home.


No way! Small world! We're just outside Vienna.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## C. J. Sears

I set up a $15 Reddit promotion starting Monday. Hopefully it brings in sales. I targeted the same sub-reddits that boosted my views during KS plus one additional untapped possibility.

On another note, has anyone in this thread received an e-mail from Amazon about my novel being available? I contacted them yesterday using the link but haven't seen anything in my inbox about it. With 1500+ views, some portion of that had to have nominated the book, I should think.

Anyway, still looking at other promotion possibilities. Will start going hard post-Christmas.


----------



## lauramg_1406

CRex896 said:


> I set up a $15 Reddit promotion starting Monday. Hopefully it brings in sales. I targeted the same sub-reddits that boosted my views during KS plus one additional untapped possibility.
> 
> On another note, has anyone in this thread received an e-mail from Amazon about my novel being available? I contacted them yesterday using the link but haven't seen anything in my inbox about it. With 1500+ views, some portion of that had to have nominated the book, I should think.
> 
> Anyway, still looking at other promotion possibilities. Will start going hard post-Christmas.


I think it was Lincoln, but someone did say that the KS office was closed over Christmas. Apparently they contacted the chosen authors to tell them. Links don't seem to go out on a weekend either, so I suspect the earliest you'd we'll see it is Monday!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Used To Be BH

CRex896 said:


> Well, after a day's deliberation I've placed _The Shadow Over Lone Oak_ up for order on Amazon. If you're interested, clickable links are in my signature. Let me know if there are any issues.


I just picked up a copy, though it may be a while before I work through my TBR pile. I've always thought it looked like a good read.


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## C. J. Sears

Bill Hiatt said:


> I just picked up a copy, though it may be a while before I work through my TBR pile. I've always thought it looked like a good read.


Appreciate it Bill!



lauramg_1406 said:


> I think it was Lincoln, but someone did say that the KS office was closed over Christmas. Apparently they contacted the chosen authors to tell them. Links don't seem to go out on a weekend either, so I suspect the earliest you'd we'll see it is Monday!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Makes sense. I keep forgetting that it's Christmas (no business day) while simultaneously knowing it's Christmas (holy day).


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## Kyla S

CRex896 said:


> Appreciate it Bill!
> 
> Makes sense. I keep forgetting that it's Christmas (no business day) while simultaneously knowing it's Christmas (holy day).


I like your new cover, CRex896! I think it fits much better and really attracts the eye. Good luck!


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## Kyla S

Well, y'all, I've put BENEATH THE SKIN on sale for $.99 for the duration of the Christmas holidays, if anyone is interested. It's also in KU. I have a promo or two most every day starting tomorrow. I also put up a Facebook ad at $5 a day and an AMS product sponsored ad. My starting rank with four books sold over the last couple of days is 58,000 something. I'll post updates if you guys are interested, and if it goes well, I'll post on the main page. Some of the big boys were booked already, so this is what I have:

Ereader News ($35) Dec. 25th
Reading Deals ($10) Dec. 25th
GenrePulse ($17) Dec. 26th
BKnights $15 (26th)
ReadingDeals ($29) 12/26
Sweetfreebooks ($7) 12/26
Books butterfly ($70) (new release) Dec. 26th-28th
Bargain Booksy ($25) Dec. 27th
Booksends ($20) 12/28
Bookraid (up to $10) 12/29
Ebookhounds ($10) 12/30
AwesomeGang ($10) 12/30
Ebookbetty ($20 NEW RELEASE) 12/31
Book Basset ($22) 12/31
eReader IQ ($10 for Women's Fiction) 12/31
bknights (requested, $16) 1/1
Ebook soda ($15 + 6 for Facebook) 1/3

The link if anyone is interested:

https://www.amazon.com/Beneath-Skin-Kyla-Stone-ebook/dp/B01MXVABNZ


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## Joynell Schultz

Kyla S said:


> Well, y'all, I've put BENEATH THE SKIN on sale for $.99 for the duration of the Christmas holidays, if anyone is interested. It's also in KU. I have a promo or two most every day starting tomorrow. I also put up a Facebook ad at $5 a day and an AMS product sponsored ad. My starting rank with four books sold over the last couple of days is 58,000 something. I'll post updates if you guys are interested, and if it goes well, I'll post on the main page. Some of the big boys were booked already, so this is what I have:
> 
> Ereader News ($35) Dec. 25th
> Reading Deals ($10) Dec. 25th
> GenrePulse ($17) Dec. 26th
> BKnights $15 (26th)
> ReadingDeals ($29) 12/26
> Sweetfreebooks ($7) 12/26
> Books butterfly ($70) (new release) Dec. 26th-28th
> Bargain Booksy ($25) Dec. 27th
> Booksends ($20) 12/28
> Bookraid (up to $10) 12/29
> Ebookhounds ($10) 12/30
> AwesomeGang ($10) 12/30
> Ebookbetty ($20 NEW RELEASE) 12/31
> Book Basset ($22) 12/31
> eReader IQ ($10 for Women's Fiction) 12/31
> bknights (requested, $16) 1/1
> Ebook soda ($15 + 6 for Facebook) 1/3
> 
> The link if anyone is interested:
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Beneath-Skin-Kyla-Stone-ebook/dp/B01MXVABNZ


I just picked your book up! I wanted to read this one.

And I can't wait to here about the promos. I'd love to see if they are worth it!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## LizHedgecock

Well, at the conclusion of my first ever AMS sponsored ads, I've actually made money. I've booked a couple more for 3 days starting Boxing Day and plan to use them for my countdown deal on the 31st too. 
Thank you to this group for getting me started!
And finally, a wonderful Christmas to you all.


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## Kyla S

LizHedgecock said:


> Well, at the conclusion of my first ever AMS sponsored ads, I've actually made money. I've booked a couple more for 3 days starting Boxing Day and plan to use them for my countdown deal on the 31st too.
> Thank you to this group for getting me started!
> And finally, a wonderful Christmas to you all.


Glad to see sponsored ads worked for you, Liz. May I ask what price your book was set at?



Joynell Schultz said:


> I just picked your book up! I wanted to read this one.
> 
> And I can't wait to here about the promos. I'd love to see if they are worth it!


Thanks so much, Joynell! I'll keep this board updated.


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## MarilynVix

Kyla S said:


> Well, y'all, I've put BENEATH THE SKIN on sale for $.99 for the duration of the Christmas holidays, if anyone is interested. It's also in KU. I have a promo or two most every day starting tomorrow. I also put up a Facebook ad at $5 a day and an AMS product sponsored ad. My starting rank with four books sold over the last couple of days is 58,000 something. I'll post updates if you guys are interested, and if it goes well, I'll post on the main page. Some of the big boys were booked already, so this is what I have:
> 
> Ereader News ($35) Dec. 25th
> Reading Deals ($10) Dec. 25th
> GenrePulse ($17) Dec. 26th
> BKnights $15 (26th)
> ReadingDeals ($29) 12/26
> Sweetfreebooks ($7) 12/26
> Books butterfly ($70) (new release) Dec. 26th-28th
> Bargain Booksy ($25) Dec. 27th
> Booksends ($20) 12/28
> Bookraid (up to $10) 12/29
> Ebookhounds ($10) 12/30
> AwesomeGang ($10) 12/30
> Ebookbetty ($20 NEW RELEASE) 12/31
> Book Basset ($22) 12/31
> eReader IQ ($10 for Women's Fiction) 12/31
> bknights (requested, $16) 1/1
> Ebook soda ($15 + 6 for Facebook) 1/3
> 
> The link if anyone is interested:
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Beneath-Skin-Kyla-Stone-ebook/dp/B01MXVABNZ


Just got your book through KU. Congratulations! Looking forward to reading it! -Marilyn


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## marissamarchan

Merry Christmas everyone! Enjoy this wonderful day with your family. ⛄⛄⛄


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## LizHedgecock

Kyla S said:


> Glad to see sponsored ads worked for you, Liz. May I ask what price your book was set at?


I ran ads for two different books, one priced at $1.99 and one at $2.99. As it was my first go I kept to a minimum budget of $1 a day and ran the ads for 3 days each.

Spend was $0.67 and $0.86, with a return of $3.98 and $2.99 (NB that's total return, not my cut, but still a profit).

Really small beans but for an experiment I'm happy. Adding lots more comparators for my next go which starts tomorrow.


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## Kyla S

MarilynVix said:


> Just got your book through KU. Congratulations! Looking forward to reading it! -Marilyn


Thanks Marilyn!



LizHedgecock said:


> I ran ads for two different books, one priced at $1.99 and one at $2.99. As it was my first go I kept to a minimum budget of $1 a day and ran the ads for 3 days each.
> 
> Spend was $0.67 and $0.86, with a return of $3.98 and $2.99 (NB that's total return, not my cut, but still a profit).
> 
> Really small beans but for an experiment I'm happy. Adding lots more comparators for my next go which starts tomorrow.


That's awesome. I'd love to see how it goes on a larger scale.

Merry Christmas, everyone!!!!


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## Joynell Schultz

I'm a little early with starting or promo, but I wanted to get started with my blog today. Tomorrow will be twitter & Facebook.

Here's the first of 3 or 4 blogs this week. https://joynellschultz.wordpress.com/2016/12/25/is-your-book-done-yet-part-1/

I hope every had a wonderful holiday so far!


----------



## Kyla S

My first day of promo just finished with Reading Deals ($29). This is my first rodeo, but I was very pleased with the 45 sales the promo netted me. I was worried about a promo on Christmas day, but I think it went well.  

I don't have a blog for our promo posts, but I'll share on FB and Twitter when I can. Also, for anyone who promotes my book, I will buy/borrow your book to help you out and contribute in whatever ways I can. I hope everyone had a merry Christmas!


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## Kyla S

Hi Steven, 
I published the print version two weeks before the Kindle version, giving people time to post reviews. Amazon will link the two books in a few days, and you can leave reviews for the print book which still shows up on the Kindle preorder page. I also set up a launch team and gave advance review copies to friends, enemies, beta readers, and other author friends 1-2 months in advance. I am starting from scratch (newsletter count is 1--myself!) right now, but I imagine (hope) those launch team and review numbers will grow with each book launch. I try to support other authors as well, whether that's voting for their Scout campaigns, buying and reviewing books that interest me, etc. I hope that helps.


----------



## PZoro

Hi Everyone

My book The Sleeping Pool II, got rejected, and I lost my writer confidence. But I seem to have recovered!
I am going through the thread, and I'm even more encouraged.

I think I will self-publish by mid-January to give myself time for the pre-release marketing and the print version.

I need advice - is this a good plan or should I release earlier whilst those who nominated still remember the book?


----------



## JennyOBrien

PZoro said:


> Hi Everyone
> 
> My book The Sleeping Pool II, got rejected, and I lost my writer confidence. But I seem to have recovered!
> I am going through the thread, and I'm even more encouraged.
> 
> I think I will self-publish by mid-January to give myself time for the pre-release marketing and the print version.
> 
> I need advice - is this a good plan or should I release earlier whilst those who nominated still remember the book?


Hi and welcome, nice to see you here.

Hope everyone had a good Christmas? Off for a Boxing Day swim lol

So I've posted on my blog about the cross promo using our hashtag. I'll start with Greg and a couple of other thrillers if I can work out scheduled posts as I'm travelling tomorrow - anyone clock how well Greg is doing? (Nearly top 500 UK charts) Way to go, I loved that book.


----------



## Kay7979

Joynell Schultz said:


> I'm a little early with starting or promo, but I wanted to get started with my blog today. Tomorrow will be twitter & Facebook.
> 
> Here's the first of 3 or 4 blogs this week. https://joynellschultz.wordpress.com/2016/12/25/is-your-book-done-yet-part-1/
> 
> I hope every had a wonderful holiday so far!


That looks great! And you had the perfect lead-in to the featured question.


----------



## Used To Be BH

PZoro said:


> Hi Everyone
> 
> My book The Sleeping Pool II, got rejected, and I lost my writer confidence. But I seem to have recovered!
> I am going through the thread, and I'm even more encouraged.
> 
> I think I will self-publish by mid-January to give myself time for the pre-release marketing and the print version.
> 
> I need advice - is this a good plan or should I release earlier whilst those who nominated still remember the book?


On some levels I'd say get out there as soon as possible, but if you feel you can be more ready if you allow yourself some time, that's a better plan. Most people won't forget that quickly, and if you wait, you might be able to follow Kyla's advice to stimulate reviews. Also, mid-January is early enough to take advantage of the post-Christmas buying surge.


----------



## Kay7979

PZoro said:


> Hi Everyone
> 
> My book The Sleeping Pool II, got rejected, and I lost my writer confidence. But I seem to have recovered!
> I am going through the thread, and I'm even more encouraged.
> 
> I think I will self-publish by mid-January to give myself time for the pre-release marketing and the print version.
> 
> I need advice - is this a good plan or should I release earlier whilst those who nominated still remember the book?


Welcome! Mid January is soon enough. Better to get everything done smoothly than hurry. Aside from some of the friends I made through the original Kindle Scout thread, I had virtually no Kindle Scout related purchases despite getting 2100 page views, so don't count on getting a lot of sales from people who nominated you. Some people report getting a nice boost from Kindle Scout, but the majority haven't found it terribly helpful. I'm not trying to discourage you--just prepare you so if you don't get a big influx of sales you won't think there's something wrong with your book!


----------



## Kay7979

Kyla S said:


> My first day of promo just finished with Reading Deals ($29). This is my first rodeo, but I was very pleased with the 45 sales the promo netted me. I was worried about a promo on Christmas day, but I think it went well.
> 
> I don't have a blog for our promo posts, but I'll share on FB and Twitter when I can. Also, for anyone who promotes my book, I will buy/borrow your book to help you out and contribute in whatever ways I can. I hope everyone had a merry Christmas!


I think 45 sales is fantastic. On the best day of my recent promotion, I only had 67 sales, and I had multiple promos running at once.


----------



## C. J. Sears

Still waiting on Amazon to a) link my paperback & ebook as well as b) send out notifications to my Scout noms. I'm hoping that at least one of those will happen by noon today. If not, I'll probably use the "contact us" to get hold of them and make sure. Goodness knows I'm a bit impatient.

On the plus side, family is enthusiastic and buying paperbacks. Currently hovering around the #100,000 ranking overall in Books. Feels good, but I know it's fleeting given the sheer volume of books available.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kyla S said:


> My first day of promo just finished with Reading Deals ($29). This is my first rodeo, but I was very pleased with the 45 sales the promo netted me. I was worried about a promo on Christmas day, but I think it went well.
> 
> I don't have a blog for our promo posts, but I'll share on FB and Twitter when I can. Also, for anyone who promotes my book, I will buy/borrow your book to help you out and contribute in whatever ways I can. I hope everyone had a merry Christmas!


Kay is correct. That's a very good result for a single promo. I wouldn't have thought Christmas Day would be a good time to sell ebooks, and it never has for me before, but evidently times are changing. I had a good day in sales and broke my old one-day KU record. I guess people wasted no time using their new Kindles.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> Kay is correct. That's a very good result for a single promo. I wouldn't have thought Christmas Day would be a good time to sell ebooks, and it never has for me before, but evidently times are changing. I had a good day in sales and broke my old one-day KU record. I guess people wasted no time using their new Kindles.


Tbh I got sales yesterday (only 3, but compared to a "normal" day that seems to be good!) without having any promos. I have two theories on how Christmas Day sales could happen;
1. People messing about with new kindles 
2. People may have had books on their wishlist and got gift cards for Christmas so bought them!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> Tbh I got sales yesterday (only 3, but compared to a "normal" day that seems to be good!) without having any promos. I have two theories on how Christmas Day sales could happen;
> 1. People messing about with new kindles
> 2. People may have had books on their wishlist and got gift cards for Christmas so bought them!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I'm sure some of both happens.

I'll be interested to see today how sales go. I would have assumed all the after Christmas sales would occupy people, but I'm already seeing another KU bulge and at least some sales.

We forget how many people socialize differently than they used to on holidays. I was at Christmas dinner with a wide variety of people, one of whom spent every second after dinner trying to watch a game on his phone, while another was reading a book on her phone after dinner. Others checked their texts and emails from time to time. When I was a little kid, I got away with reading on occasions like that, but I developed for myself the realization that it was probably impolite, and I tried to make more conversation. Now it seems to be pretty much the norm for people to be on their devices for part of a time when it would once have been considered rude not to be part of the conversation.


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## Kay7979

Laura and Joynell: Please give those of us who are technologically challenged an idea of how best to tap into the infrastructure you've created for the cross-promotion. You mentioned landing pages. Are there pages already formatted with our book info that we can simply share to our own FB sites? 

Also, if you could post here the special hashtag that we're using on Twitter, that would be great. I have so many emails related to this cross-promotion that it's hard to find anything specific. 

What have any of the rest of you done so far today? I should look at your websites, Facebook and Twitter accounts to figure out what I need to be doing!


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## Kay7979

sevans said:


> Does anyone know how long it took for KS to send out the notifications after you requested?
> 
> Thank you for the help.
> Steven


Generally within a few hours.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> Laura and Joynell: Please give those of us who are technologically challenged an idea of how best to tap into the infrastructure you've created for the cross-promotion. You mentioned landing pages. Are there pages already formatted with our book info that we can simply share to our own FB sites?
> 
> Also, if you could post here the special hashtag that we're using on Twitter, that would be great. I have so many emails related to this cross-promotion that it's hard to find anything specific.
> 
> What have any of the rest of you done so far today? I should look at your websites, Facebook and Twitter accounts to figure out what I need to be doing!


The landing pages are basically set up on "hidden pages" on my website. The only way to get to them is via the links I sent. They have all the books seperated by genre, so you could send a tweet saying "check out these great titles from #scifi & #fantasy authors! <insert link>" or a fb post.

Alternatively you can use the master document to create a post of your own with just one genre on it. Or you could just send tweets/fb posts about the individual books.

The HTML code on the Master document will create a "button" with is just the book cover. When clicked on it'll take the clicker to the amazon.com page for that book.

Hope that helps!

Hash tag is #kst1

My sharing should start tomorrow night (when I get home to my laptop!) Excited to read everyone's answers!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Laura and Joynell: Please give those of us who are technologically challenged an idea of how best to tap into the infrastructure you've created for the cross-promotion. You mentioned landing pages. Are there pages already formatted with our book info that we can simply share to our own FB sites?
> 
> Also, if you could post here the special hashtag that we're using on Twitter, that would be great. I have so many emails related to this cross-promotion that it's hard to find anything specific.
> 
> What have any of the rest of you done so far today? I should look at your websites, Facebook and Twitter accounts to figure out what I need to be doing!


My first post is scheduled for early tomorrow morning. As soon as it's live, I'll post the link.

Is it just me, or are there a few people for whom I have covers but no material? I'm assuming they're people who signed up initially and then didn't have time to complete the material. I searched for their names in the big document and didn't find them. (I'm not talking about you, Aaron. I saw your email.)

I was also thrown off by people who list one genre but then link to a book that isn't in that genre. I think I'm planning to cover everyone, so that isn't a big deal, but it also makes me feel as if I'm missing something.


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## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> My first post is scheduled for early tomorrow morning. As soon as it's live, I'll post the link.
> 
> Is it just me, or are there a few people for whom I have covers but no material? I'm assuming they're people who signed up initially and then didn't have time to complete the material. I searched for their names in the big document and didn't find them. (I'm not talking about you, Aaron. I saw your email.)
> 
> I was also thrown off by people who list one genre but then link to a book that isn't in that genre. I think I'm planning to cover everyone, so that isn't a big deal, but it also makes me feel as if I'm missing something.


It is possible you have covers/book info but no content. It was completely optional (though I don't know who actually sent what back. Any that came to me I forwarded on to Joynell, who was very kindly organising this bit)

The genre thing I can answer! Some people (including me!) listed books in more than one genre. The genre they gave on the document is what I assume they see their main genre as.

We'll work to streamline this in the future if we do another promo! It's safe to say this one isn't perfect, but then Joynell and I are still learning along with everyone else!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> The landing pages are basically set up on "hidden pages" on my website. The only way to get to them is via the links I sent. They have all the books seperated by genre, so you could send a tweet saying "check out these great titles from #scifi & #fantasy authors! <insert link>" or a fb post.
> 
> Alternatively you can use the master document to create a post of your own with just one genre on it. Or you could just send tweets/fb posts about the individual books.
> 
> The HTML code on the Master document will create a "button" with is just the book cover. When clicked on it'll take the clicker to the amazon.com page for that book.
> 
> Hope that helps!
> 
> Hash tag is #kst1
> 
> My sharing should start tomorrow night (when I get home to my laptop!) Excited to read everyone's answers!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


OK, the master list with the links sounds like exactly what I need. Is that the 32 page word document you sent?


----------



## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> OK, the master list with the links sounds like exactly what I need. Is that the 32 page word document you sent?


The one I sent out, think it has about it 10 pages? I can reforward it to you if you want 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> The one I sent out, think it has about it 10 pages? I can reforward it to you if you want
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Ok. If you don't mind. Sorry to be a pest.


----------



## Marie Clapsaddle

Kay and I were discussing an image to use with a "teaser" post on Facebook about the Author Cross-Promotion you're having now. Here's what I made with Canva.


__
https://flic.kr/p/QnC1Gw


__
https://flic.kr/p/QnC1Gw


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## JulianneQJohnson

CRex896 said:


> Still waiting on Amazon to a) link my paperback & ebook as well as b) send out notifications to my Scout noms. I'm hoping that at least one of those will happen by noon today. If not, I'll probably use the "contact us" to get hold of them and make sure. Goodness knows I'm a bit impatient.
> 
> On the plus side, family is enthusiastic and buying paperbacks. Currently hovering around the #100,000 ranking overall in Books. Feels good, but I know it's fleeting given the sheer volume of books available.


Hiya CR! I saw today that the notices for both our books went out today. I also am having trouble getting Amazon to link the paperback and Kindle versions. I sent feedback in about that, but I expect things are slow due to the holiday.


----------



## C. J. Sears

JulianneQJohnson said:


> Hiya CR! I saw today that the notices for both our books went out today. I also am having trouble getting Amazon to link the paperback and Kindle versions. I sent feedback in about that, but I expect things are slow due to the holiday.


Just got a notice about _Descending_ as well as _The Shadow Over Lone Oak_. Looks like they're finally getting around the holiday hump, as you say. Still waiting on the link between the two editions, but I sent them a notice about it about three hours ago. Hopefully they'll be together by tomorrow.


----------



## Kay7979

I found the email, Laura. It was dated December 21 and titled. IMPORTANT: Book Links for Promo, Landing Pages


----------



## Kyla S

JulianneQJohnson said:


> Hiya CR! I saw today that the notices for both our books went out today. I also am having trouble getting Amazon to link the paperback and Kindle versions. I sent feedback in about that, but I expect things are slow due to the holiday.


Just borrowed Descending. It's on my read and review list!


----------



## MarilynVix

Kyla S said:


> My first day of promo just finished with Reading Deals ($29). This is my first rodeo, but I was very pleased with the 45 sales the promo netted me. I was worried about a promo on Christmas day, but I think it went well.
> 
> I don't have a blog for our promo posts, but I'll share on FB and Twitter when I can. Also, for anyone who promotes my book, I will buy/borrow your book to help you out and contribute in whatever ways I can. I hope everyone had a merry Christmas!


Did you set your price at $0.99 and list it on the site? I'm trying to figure what price to set my novel out when I release it at the end of January.


----------



## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> It is possible you have covers/book info but no content. It was completely optional (though I don't know who actually sent what back. Any that came to me I forwarded on to Joynell, who was very kindly organising this bit)
> 
> The genre thing I can answer! Some people (including me!) listed books in more than one genre. The genre they gave on the document is what I assume they see their main genre as.
> 
> We'll work to streamline this in the future if we do another promo! It's safe to say this one isn't perfect, but then Joynell and I are still learning along with everyone else!


Thanks!

Anyone trying to coordinate with this many people would have some issues. The suggestion for an FB group, which I saw in one of the emails, might be a good method for the future. Documents can be uploaded and then updated if there is a change. I just discovered I missed at least one pertinent email completely, and I know from experience that emailing revised documents sometimes results in people getting confused and using the wrong one.


----------



## Kay7979

So far I've posted about the cross-promotion on my personal FB page and my author page, and I posted a couple tweets with the kst1 hashtag. I'll post a few of the bios and Q&As over the next few days. Here's hoping this does some good!


----------



## Kyla S

MarilynVix said:


> Did you set your price at $0.99 and list it on the site? I'm trying to figure what price to set my novel out when I release it at the end of January.


The promo sites want the book to be on sale, so I priced at $4.99 for a few days before lowering it. I'll probably price at $3.99 after the promos are done.


----------



## PZoro

Bill Hiatt said:


> On some levels I'd say get out there as soon as possible, but if you feel you can be more ready if you allow yourself some time, that's a better plan. Most people won't forget that quickly, and if you wait, you might be able to follow Kyla's advice to stimulate reviews. Also, mid-January is early enough to take advantage of the post-Christmas buying surge.


Thank you, Bill. Let me work on it.

Congratulations CJ and Julianne I received the "book available" email. Something wrong with my VISA card. They changed them, and I don't know because I rarely use it. And it's a public holiday today in Zimbabwe! Will sort it out, buy and review asap!


----------



## lauramg_1406

Love the graphic! (Though my cover is definitely a weird shape - not my choice!) 

A FB group is a good call Bill! Then people could add their own links & images and all it would take is some collation. 

Kay - I've forwarded you the email. Sorry it took a while! Was rushing for a flight this morning!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Luke Christodoulou

Hello everyone!
Just letting authors here know that there is life after Kindle Scout!
My 4th book in my Greek Island Mysteries book series was released yesterday and all seems that it is going to follow in the previous entries' successful footsteps!
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NAN0WYY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1482833672&sr=1-1&keywords=murder+on+display
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01NAN0WYY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1482831586&sr=1-1

Happy Holidays!!!


----------



## Kay7979

Today I posted an author spotlight for Carey Lewis on my FB author page.

https://www.facebook.com/KayLLing.author/


----------



## Kyla S

JulianneQJohnson said:


> Hiya CR! I saw today that the notices for both our books went out today. I also am having trouble getting Amazon to link the paperback and Kindle versions. I sent feedback in about that, but I expect things are slow due to the holiday.


Hey! I got to "pop your cherry" and give you your first review. ;-) It should be up now. Fun read!


----------



## Carey Lewis

Kay7979 said:


> Today I posted an author spotlight for Carey Lewis on my FB author page.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/KayLLing.author/


Wow Kay, thank you so much for this! It's greatly appreciated and I can't extend my thanks enough! I wasn't sure when we were starting this, but I'll get cracking on it tomorrow when I get up (it's 5 am here!)

Now I just got to go through that massive email thread and find the landing pages.

Again, my sincerest gratitude


----------



## lauramg_1406

Carey Lewis said:


> Wow Kay, thank you so much for this! It's greatly appreciated and I can't extend my thanks enough! I wasn't sure when we were starting this, but I'll get cracking on it tomorrow when I get up (it's 5 am here!)
> 
> Now I just got to go through that massive email thread and find the landing pages.
> 
> Again, my sincerest gratitude


You should have a seperate email with the landing page links on! It has "IMPORTANT" in the subject line (including capitals!) I can resend it to you if you want 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Here's the landing page links just to make it easier 

Romance, Women's Fiction, Anthology: http://www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk/p/romance-womens-fiction.html

Mystery, Thriller & Crime: http://www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk/p/mysteries-thrillers-crime.html

Science Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal/UF, Dystopa & Horror: http://www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk/p/science-fiction-fantasy.html

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Moving away from the promo for a second, but has anyone else experienced this on author central?

My graphs for What Lies Beneath the Mask appear to have disappeared on both .com and .co.uk. As far as I can tell, i've had sales, so it shouldn't have done that. I'm now worried there's something wrong with it.










Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## JennyOBrien

lauramg_1406 said:


> Here's the landing page links just to make it easier
> 
> Romance, Women's Fiction, Anthology: http://www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk/p/romance-womens-fiction.html
> 
> Mystery, Thriller & Crime: http://www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk/p/mysteries-thrillers-crime.html
> 
> Science Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal/UF, Dystopa & Horror: http://www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk/p/science-fiction-fantasy.html
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Sorry Laura, no help from mr, try logging in again maybe?
Just posted blog posts on Greg and Luke (Happy publishing day ) .Travelling all day so pretty beat up,


----------



## Kay7979

Carey Lewis said:


> Wow Kay, thank you so much for this! It's greatly appreciated and I can't extend my thanks enough! I wasn't sure when we were starting this, but I'll get cracking on it tomorrow when I get up (it's 5 am here!)
> 
> Now I just got to go through that massive email thread and find the landing pages.
> 
> Again, my sincerest gratitude


You're very welcome but don't be too excited since I don't have a huge readership on my FB author page. Still, every bit helps. I posted a second spotlight post highlighting JP Cawood.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

I'm really LOVING all the cross-promo I'm seeing. I'm trying to like/share/etc everything I can. I've seen some more sales this week. I'm hoping our promotion is working. Anyone else seeing more sales?

Here's Part 2 of my blog series -- this one is Mystery / Thriller / Crime authors
https://joynellschultz.wordpress.com/2016/12/27/is-your-book-done-yet-part-2/



lauramg_1406 said:


> Moving away from the promo for a second, but has anyone else experienced this on author central?


No, I'm not seeing this, but I only have one book posted.



Bill Hiatt said:


> Thanks!
> 
> Anyone trying to coordinate with this many people would have some issues. The suggestion for an FB group, which I saw in one of the emails, might be a good method for the future.


I just created a group for us. Here it is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/ I've never done that before, so hopefully it worked.

Next time, using some type of google form to coordinate questions/answers would be so much easier!

Have a good night (day) everyone!


----------



## Kay7979

Great idea for the Facebook Group. I hit the join button.


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## RWhite7699

I have posted several of your book covers with links on my author fb page. That's as far as I have gotten for now. I have a medium-sized following. I will post more tomorrow, and play with Twitter as well.


----------



## JulianneQJohnson

Kyla S said:


> Just borrowed Descending. It's on my read and review list!


Lovely! Hope you enjoy it!


----------



## JulianneQJohnson

PZoro said:


> Thank you, Bill. Let me work on it.
> 
> Congratulations CJ and Julianne I received the "book available" email. Something wrong with my VISA card. They changed them, and I don't know because I rarely use it. And it's a public holiday today in Zimbabwe! Will sort it out, buy and review asap!


Thanks, PZ! Hope you enjoy Descending! And I hope all is going well with your plans for your book. I feel like we're the three Musketeers, we've been through so much together.


----------



## JulianneQJohnson

Kyla S said:


> Hey! I got to "pop your cherry" and give you your first review. ;-) It should be up now. Fun read!


I saw it! It was awesome, and so are you!


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## JulianneQJohnson

lauramg_1406 said:


> Here's the landing page links just to make it easier
> 
> Romance, Women's Fiction, Anthology: http://www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk/p/romance-womens-fiction.html
> 
> Mystery, Thriller & Crime: http://www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk/p/mysteries-thrillers-crime.html
> 
> Science Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal/UF, Dystopa & Horror: http://www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk/p/science-fiction-fantasy.html
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


You know, I have more blog followers than facebook followers. I'll work out a blog post with some covers and recs this week. That might help a bit, since I'm not exactly a social media butterfly.


----------



## Kyla S

I just joined the Facebook group. Thanks, Joynell!
When you guys mention posting on your FB pages and blogs, would you mind posting the links? I'd like to like, share, and comment as well.
Oh, and Joynell, I also have Clones up next on my Kindle.


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## PZoro

Joined the facebook group!

Great idea.


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## lauramg_1406

Joined the group! 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

So far no visible benefits from the cross-promotion, but hopefully it's doing something for the rest of you. I'll post another couple Author Spotlights today on my FB author page and provide links to my webpage and FB author page in our shiny new Facebook Group.


----------



## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> Moving away from the promo for a second, but has anyone else experienced this on author central?
> 
> My graphs for What Lies Beneath the Mask appear to have disappeared on both .com and .co.uk. As far as I can tell, i've had sales, so it shouldn't have done that. I'm now worried there's something wrong with it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I see the same kind of thing periodically with new books (ranking stats on AC suddenly vanish). I wouldn't worry about it. It should normalize within a day or so.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Joynell Schultz said:


> I'm really LOVING all the cross-promo I'm seeing. I'm trying to like/share/etc everything I can. I've seen some more sales this week. I'm hoping our promotion is working. Anyone else seeing more sales?
> 
> Here's Part 2 of my blog series -- this one is Mystery / Thriller / Crime authors
> https://joynellschultz.wordpress.com/2016/12/27/is-your-book-done-yet-part-2/
> 
> No, I'm not seeing this, but I only have one book posted.
> 
> I just created a group for us. Here it is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/ I've never done that before, so hopefully it worked.
> 
> Next time, using some type of google form to coordinate questions/answers would be so much easier!
> 
> Have a good night (day) everyone!


Just joined the group. You're right--that and Google Form signups for promotion will make the job so much easier for organizers and participants. It's hard work coordinating even a relatively small group, and I hope we'll grow with time.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> Just joined the group. You're right--that and Google Form signups for promotion will make the job so much easier for organizers and participants. It's hard work coordinating even a relatively small group, and I hope we'll grow with time.


I hope we do too! But I do want to say a big thank you to everyone for their patience while Joynell and I have been trying to get everything sorted! It's really helped!

(P.s. Thanks Bill! If it's normal then I'll definitely stop worrying about it!)

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## Used To Be BH

JulianneQJohnson said:


> You know, I have more blog followers than facebook followers. I'll work out a blog post with some covers and recs this week. That might help a bit, since I'm not exactly a social media butterfly.


It's interesting how everyone's experience is different. My blog doesn't get that many visits (except for giveaway pages), and I spent a long time setting up a blog post only to have it largely be ignored. Today I'll see what I can do with my FB page (which gets a lot more action than the blog) and Twitter do.


----------



## R M Rowan

Kay7979 said:


> Great idea for the Facebook Group. I hit the join button.


+1 ! Thank you!


----------



## RWhite7699

lauramg_1406 said:


> Moving away from the promo for a second, but has anyone else experienced this on author central?
> 
> My graphs for What Lies Beneath the Mask appear to have disappeared on both .com and .co.uk. As far as I can tell, i've had sales, so it shouldn't have done that. I'm now worried there's something wrong with it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


When I clicked on your book link I got your old cover. Then I went to Amazon and saw the new one? I don't know what's going on.


----------



## RWhite7699

All five of my self-pub books are free today. I would love to have a review or two from this board. To get your free copy, just click on any one (or all) of the FIRST FIVE covers in my signature below. Thanks a bunch.


----------



## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> (P.s. Thanks Bill! If it's normal then I'll definitely stop worrying about it!)


Yes, you'd be amazed how much trouble I've seen group leaders have in the past. There's always someone (and sometimes several) who submits at the last minute, waits until after a promo is live to point out a mistake, posts early, posts late, posts the wrong thing, etc. The last few wouldn't be as much a problem for this very flexible cross promo, but you get the idea. Considering the amount of information and the number of people, you folks did an excellent job pulling it all together. Next time will be even easier.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> Yes, you'd be amazed how much trouble I've seen group leaders have in the past. There's always someone (and sometimes several) who submits at the last minute, waits until after a promo is live to point out a mistake, posts early, posts late, posts the wrong thing, etc. The last few wouldn't be as much a problem for this very flexible cross promo, but you get the idea. Considering the amount of information and the number of people, you folks did an excellent job pulling it all together. Next time will be even easier.


Not going to lie I'm going to cheat next time and just adapt the current landing pages! Hopefully that will make it easier!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

RWhite7699 said:


> When I clicked on your book link I got your old cover. Then I went to Amazon and saw the new one? I don't know what's going on.


Huh how strange. Can I ask where you clicked from? I'll see if I can sort it out. The jury is still a bit out on which cover I'm going to go forward with. I'm very indecisive at the moment!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

RWhite7699 said:


> All five of my self-pub books are free today. I would love to have a review or two from this board. To get your free copy, just click on any one (or all) of the FIRST FIVE covers in my signature below. Thanks a bunch.


Hi Ruth, You're my Kindle Scout Author Spotlight # 3 
https://www.facebook.com/KayLLing.author/


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## Carey Lewis

Kay7979 said:


> So far no visible benefits from the cross-promotion, but hopefully it's doing something for the rest of you. I'll post another couple Author Spotlights today on my FB author page and provide links to my webpage and FB author page in our shiny new Facebook Group.


I just sent out an email to my 804 subscribers, so hopefully some of you guys start seeing sales soon. *Fingers crossed*

It's been about two minutes since I sent it out, and I already have two unsubscribes (figured I'd get a few because it's the first time I've made contact with about 700 of them), but hopefully sales for everyone moves just as fast!

I put in two pictures of fat cats, so maybe they're just feline-ist. It's okay, I don't want anyone on my list that doesn't think fat cats are hilarious.

Edited to add: I included all books and all genres in my email blast, all three landing pages. Hopefully there's some sales!


----------



## lauramg_1406

I sent the romance/women's fiction page out today (along with some other stuff) so hopefully that should do something (my subscriber list is at 1500 ish now)

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Hey, all,
> I'm finally done getting _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_ ready for launch in (only) six days. Unfortunately, I didn't get that blurb from the NYT Bestselling author, but we move onward and upward, right? I'm really nervous, because I've put more money and effort into this launch than my last four publications combined! The hard cover edition *should* be available on the official launch date, and I'm keeping an eye on the audiobook production. STRESS!


Good luck! I bet you'll do great!


----------



## Kay7979

My sales rank had dropped twice today, so something is happening, but I haven't seen any sales show up. Sometimes when that happens it's AMS, and sales appear later. Other times maybe it's KU borrows. In any case, hope it continues.


----------



## lauramg_1406

So I've had 4 sales so far today. I know it may not seem like much but it would still count as joint second on most sales (including release day!)

Plus had 4 orders on each of my preorders today, and all I've done with them is put a link in the newsletter I sent out!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> So I've had 4 sales so far today. I know it may not seem like much but it would still count as joint second on most sales (including release day!)
> 
> Plus had 4 orders on each of my preorders today, and all I've done with them is put a link in the newsletter I sent out!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


YAY!!! That's great!


----------



## Luke Christodoulou

Hey all!
Started promoting everybody's books today...Started with the Mysteries as my readers are mostly interested in that genre...
Joined the group, too!
Thank you all for your support!
New book has launched fine, even though I will be promoting it after the 2nd of January...Now I just wanted to see what results KS email would have...


----------



## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> YAY!!! That's great!


Thank you :-D I'm certainly happy with it! Just need to actually finish writing the later preorder!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

So just had someone unsubscribe from my newsletter because they're uninterested in Romance...makes me wonder why they signed up in the first place!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## LizHedgecock

RWhite7699 said:


> All five of my self-pub books are free today. I would love to have a review or two from this board. To get your free copy, just click on any one (or all) of the FIRST FIVE covers in my signature below. Thanks a bunch.


Thanks Ruth, I just snapped up Diary of a Wildflower. I finished Angela Thirkell's Wild Strawberries yesterday so in the mood for a bit more between the wars fun.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

lauramg_1406 said:


> So just had someone unsubscribe from my newsletter because they're uninterested in Romance...makes me wonder why they signed up in the first place!





Carey Lewis said:


> It's been about two minutes since I sent it out, and I already have two unsubscribes (figured I'd get a few because it's the first time I've made contact with about 700 of them), but hopefully sales for everyone moves just as fast!
> 
> I put in two pictures of fat cats, so maybe they're just feline-ist. It's okay, I don't want anyone on my list that doesn't think fat cats are hilarious.


The good news is between the both of you, you've had more UNSUBSCRIBES than I have total members of my mailing list! Congrats! And Carey, I love fat cats. I'm joining your list--plus your books look good too ;-)



Mark Gardner said:


> I'm really nervous, because I've put more money and effort into this launch than my last four publications combined!


Please keep us updated on how it goes.



Bill Hiatt said:


> It's interesting how everyone's experience is different. My blog doesn't get that many visits (except for giveaway pages), and I spent a long time setting up a blog post only to have it largely be ignored. Today I'll see what I can do with my FB page (which gets a lot more action than the blog) and Twitter do.


My blog gets WAY more action that Facebook. I'd love to learn how to engage Facebook (and Twitter). 2017 Goals, I guess.



Bill Hiatt said:


> Yes, you'd be amazed how much trouble I've seen group leaders have in the past.


I wasn't trying to lead anything! I've never done anything like this before. I don't even know what we're supposed to do!!! I personally think all the engagement is wonderful. I didn't expect so much.

Okay, I'm off to write a prequel for this novel to use as marketing. (Maybe after I play with Twitter a little.) I don't know why I keep procrastinating. Thanks everyone for the support!


----------



## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> The good news is between the both of you, you've had more UNSUBSCRIBES than I have total members of my mailing list! Congrats! And Carey, I love fat cats. I'm joining your list--plus your books look good too ;-)
> 
> Please keep us updated on how it goes.
> 
> My blog gets WAY more action that Facebook. I'd love to learn how to engage Facebook (and Twitter). 2017 Goals, I guess.
> 
> I wasn't trying to lead anything! I've never done anything like this before. I don't even know what we're supposed to do!!! I personally think all the engagement is wonderful. I didn't expect so much.
> 
> Okay, I'm off to write a prequel for this novel to use as marketing. (Maybe after I play with Twitter a little.) I don't know why I keep procrastinating. Thanks everyone for the support!


Haha we did just seem to accidentally take control of this!

Prequel for a magnet story is probably a good way to go Joynell! You do get unsubscribes from it but it shaves so much time off list building, and so long as you get some sales with your list it's worth it! (Plus you can put it up on amazon too!)

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Carey Lewis

Joynell Schultz said:


> The good news is between the both of you, you've had more UNSUBSCRIBES than I have total members of my mailing list! Congrats! And Carey, I love fat cats. I'm joining your list--plus your books look good too ;-)


First fat cat that was sent.... 









And then I ended it with this one, reminding people that fat cats are funny...


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Carey Lewis said:


> First fat cat that was sent....
> 
> And then I ended it with this one, reminding people that fat cats are funny...


I love it! Thanks! (Now do you have any fat dog photos too? I don't discriminate. Fat gerbils? rabbits? fish?)


----------



## Carey Lewis

Joynell Schultz said:


> I love it! Thanks! (Now do you have any fat dog photos too? I don't discriminate. Fat gerbils? rabbits? fish?)


I should just give up this author thing and publish pictures of fat animals instead hahaha!

You find a fat fish, send it my way, because that would be something to see!


----------



## RWhite7699

lauramg_1406 said:


> Huh how strange. Can I ask where you clicked from? I'll see if I can sort it out. The jury is still a bit out on which cover I'm going to go forward with. I'm very indecisive at the moment!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I clicked from your bio where it says link to novel.


----------



## lauramg_1406

RWhite7699 said:


> I clicked from your bio where it says link to novel.


Going to double check now! Thought the link in my bio was for my magnet book (Betrayed), so definitely need to sort that one out! Thanks for the heads up!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## RWhite7699

Kay7979 said:


> Hi Ruth, You're my Kindle Scout Author Spotlight # 3
> https://www.facebook.com/KayLLing.author/


Thanks, Kay. That's great. I posted the cover and description of your book on my author fb page and two of them showed up. So I deleted one and they both went away. ARRGG... I tried again today and finally got it right!


----------



## Greg Meritt

I just wanted to say that I'm trying to help out by tweeting and posting on my Facebook author page because I don't have a blog. I'm working on my website and those things, but for now I can only tweet and post. I wanted to say thank you to everyone who put in all the effort in this cross-promotion. I will be reading all of these books (currently reading one now) and I must say that there are some fantastic writers here. You guys are the best!


----------



## RWhite7699

Greg Meritt said:


> I just wanted to say that I'm trying to help out by tweeting and posting on my Facebook author page because I don't have a blog. I'm working on my website and those things, but for now I can only tweet and post. I wanted to say thank you to everyone who put in all the effort in this cross-promotion. I will be reading all of these books (currently reading one now) and I must say that there are some fantastic writers here. You guys are the best!


I don't have a blog either, Greg, but I do have a fb author page. I have The Adoption and twelve other of our members' books on my page now. I plan to put them all there in the next few days, and rotate the top one each day. I also have the alumni banner across the top of my page instead of the usual cover of one of my books. Not telling anybody what to do, but I think that's a great idea (hint, hint) to get attention for your fb page. It will go out to all of your followers, and they will be curious to take a look. I actually like promoting other people's books. Happy sales to you all!


----------



## RWhite7699

Carey Lewis said:


> First fat cat that was sent....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And then I ended it with this one, reminding people that fat cats are funny...


You know what, Carey? I think your fat cats are cute and all, and fat dogs are cute too, and I don't want to be a wet blanket, but it is cruel for owners to let their pets get that fat. But I still like you.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Carey Lewis said:


> You find a fat fish, send it my way, because that would be something to see!


Sorry, I couldn't resist.


----------



## RWhite7699

Joynell Schultz said:


> Sorry, I couldn't resist.


Joynell, you just messed up my animal rights lecture, but I still like you, and it is a cute fat fish.


----------



## PZoro

RWhite

I have downloaded 2 of your books and will tell you when I post the reviews. Looking forwards to the stories. They sound interesting.


----------



## Carey Lewis

Joynell Schultz said:


> Sorry, I couldn't resist.


Looks like a package of melted Kraft Singles!!!


----------



## lauramg_1406

So not too sure exactly what it's because of (I have a few things going on this week!) But yesterday was my second best sales day! I had 5 sales of What Lies Beneath the Mask and 13 preorders (split between The Dryad's Pawprint and By Any Other Name). 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## Carey Lewis

lauramg_1406 said:


> So not too sure exactly what it's because of (I have a few things going on this week!) But yesterday was my second best sales day! I had 5 sales of What Lies Beneath the Mask and 13 preorders (split between The Dryad's Pawprint and By Any Other Name).


Maybe it's from some of us blasting their email list and going to your site for the promo. I've had a surprising number of people click on links that are off genre to my list so I'm glad I didn't exclude anyone.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Carey Lewis said:


> Maybe it's from some of us blasting their email list and going to your site for the promo. I've had a surprising number of people click on links that are off genre to my list so I'm glad I didn't exclude anyone.


I'm not complaining either way! It was an exciting day!

Btw loved your answer to my dessert island question Carey! I think it's tied with Steve's and Aaron's for my favourite! (Though they're all good!)

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## JennyOBrien

Lovely fish and cats 
Ruth, you're turn Jenny O'Brien | Guernsey Writer and Book Blogger
https://jennyobrienwriter.wordpress.com/


----------



## RWhite7699

PZoro said:


> RWhite
> 
> I have downloaded 2 of your books and will tell you when I post the reviews. Looking forwards to the stories. They sound interesting.


Thank you, PZoro. Appreciate that!


----------



## RWhite7699

Carey Lewis said:


> Looks like a package of melted Kraft Singles!!!


It looks like Lulu. But nobody here remembers Lulu, the British singer. To Sir With Love? She had puffy cheeks like that.


----------



## Kay7979

RWhite7699 said:


> Thanks, Kay. That's great. I posted the cover and description of your book on my author fb page and two of them showed up. So I deleted one and they both went away. ARRGG... I tried again today and finally got it right!


Thanks!


----------



## Kay7979

Carey Lewis said:


> Looks like a package of melted Kraft Singles!!!


LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL!!!


----------



## Kay7979

Joynell is my KINDLE SCOUT AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT # 5

https://www.facebook.com/KayLLing.author/


----------



## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> So not too sure exactly what it's because of (I have a few things going on this week!) But yesterday was my second best sales day! I had 5 sales of What Lies Beneath the Mask and 13 preorders (split between The Dryad's Pawprint and By Any Other Name).
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


It really could be that you're benefitting from people going to your landing page, and if so, that's a nice fringe benefit for the work you put into this promotion.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> It really could be that you're benefitting from people going to your landing page, and if so, that's a nice fringe benefit for the work you put into this promotion.


Could be! Not seen any movement today except for one preorder! So it may have waned slightly!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## lincolnjcole

Kay7979 said:


> It really could be that you're benefitting from people going to your landing page, and if so, that's a nice fringe benefit for the work you put into this promotion.


Yeah, happens to me too. Sometimes when I run major promotions they do horrible, and then days that I do nothing and forget about it do really well. There is no rhyme or reason to it sometimes!


----------



## lauramg_1406

Hey everyone,

Just thought I'd give you an update on the stats for the landing pages (because I just realised that I actually have information for that!) 

Headtalker has so far sent 71 people our way, which seems like fairly good going (Especially given that one of the campaigns hasn't gone live yet!) 

Mysteries, Thrillers & Crimes has 242, Sci-Fi & Fantasy 226 and Romance etc 181.

Hope people are seeing results from this! Definitely enjoying reading everyone's answers!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Evenstar

Hi all,
Just wanted to stop back in and say I published my rejected kindle scout book in December. It's doing okay, not brilliant, but considering I used a brand new author name with no following, in a brand new genre (for me), then I guess it's doing reasonably well with no promo as such as yet.



This thread is kind of daunting to start reading from page 7 (which I think is when I last posted) so if I missed any great tips then I'd be hugely grateful for a recap. Hope everyone else is doing gangbusters! x


----------



## lauramg_1406

Evenstar said:


> Hi all,
> Just wanted to stop back in and say I published my rejected kindle scout book in December. It's doing okay, not brilliant, but considering I used a brand new author name with no following, in a brand new genre (for me), then I guess it's doing reasonably well with no promo as such as yet.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/url][/img]
> 
> This thread is kind of daunting to start reading from page 7 (which I think is when I last posted) so if I missed any great tips then I'd be hugely grateful for a recap. Hope everyone else is doing gangbusters! x


Joynell started a Facebook group is probably the big update! I can't share a link until tomorrow though.

Everything else basically seems to come around in circles! There's some useful promo stats as well as a discussion on newsletters somewhere among it all!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Our Facebook group page is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/

And here is my last blog installment this week. That was a lot of fun. Thank you EVERYONE for all the support and the honor of using your names and books. https://joynellschultz.wordpress.com/2016/12/29/is-your-book-done-yet-part-3/


----------



## Kyla S

Just left a review for Love, Lies, and Clones. War of the Worlds and What Lies Beneath the Mask up next! For awhile, "What Lies Beneath the Skin" was the title of my book. Great minds and all, right?


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Kyla S said:


> Just left a review for Love, Lies, and Clones. War of the Worlds and What Lies Beneath the Mask up next! For awhile, "What Lies Beneath the Skin" was the title of my book. Great minds and all, right?


You're awesome! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!


----------



## Evenstar

Sorry, looks like my link didn't come out in my last post, this is the book if anyone is interested!


----------



## Evenstar

lauramg_1406 said:


> Joynell started a Facebook group is probably the big update! I can't share a link until tomorrow though.
> 
> Everything else basically seems to come around in circles! There's some useful promo stats as well as a discussion on newsletters somewhere among it all!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Thanks for that Lauramg, I'll go join now
x


----------



## lauramg_1406

Kyla S said:


> Just left a review for Love, Lies, and Clones. War of the Worlds and What Lies Beneath the Mask up next! For awhile, "What Lies Beneath the Skin" was the title of my book. Great minds and all, right?


Great minds indeed! Though I agonised over the title for twice as long as it took me to actually write the book!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## C. J. Sears

Decided to join the Facebook group and sent a request. Can't wait.

Not sure what to think of my book's stats so far. I managed to hit rank #60000 (or so) on the kindle store once and been close a few times but haven't broken that barrier. My Reddit promotion is about finished with 57 clicks but (seemingly) few buys. Goodreads is still waiting on ad approval for some reason. That started a little over two days ago. Not sure what the slowdown is but I hope the promotion begins soon.

Amazon sent notifications out to everyone who nominated me but I don't think that's brought in much business either.

Just got accepted as a bookbub partner. Hopefully I can figure something that will work there.

No reviews but it hasn't been quite a week yet. Thinking of doing a New Years Kindle Countdown.

On the positive side, my own personal copy of my novel arrived today and I was glad to show it off/affirm that there were no printing errors.


----------



## Luke Christodoulou

Good morning everybody!
Just dropping in with good news of life after KS...My book, Death Of A Bride, has been accepted for a Bookbub campaign. The pricing scares me but the average sales in Crime Fiction should cover the cost. It was my first time submitting and was not expecting a positive reply. Best news ever, needed it after KS rejection.
As for KS helping to launch a book even if rejected, I must say I did not see much of a difference from previous books of mine.
I haven't promoted Murder On Display yet just to see if KS email would drive sales. The two days after the email went out I had 3 paperbacks sold, 32 ebooks and 2300 pages read. This is just a bit lower than my previous book's first days.
So, would I try KS again? Probably not. And if I do, I will not campaign. I firmly believe that stats mean absolutely NOTHING. It is just a gimmick to bring in new authors and readers (thus reviews). Editors will choose anything they want (just like the rest of the industry).
That's all for now!
Happy New Year!


----------



## lauramg_1406

Luke Christodoulou said:


> Good morning everybody!
> Just dropping in with good news of life after KS...My book, Death Of A Bride, has been accepted for a Bookbub campaign. The pricing scares me but the average sales in Crime Fiction should cover the cost. It was my first time submitting and was not expecting a positive reply. Best news ever, needed it after KS rejection.
> As for KS helping to launch a book even if rejected, I must say I did not see much of a difference from previous books of mine.
> I haven't promoted Murder On Display yet just to see if KS email would drive sales. The two days after the email went out I had 3 paperbacks sold, 32 ebooks and 2300 pages read. This is just a bit lower than my previous book's first days.
> So, would I try KS again? Probably not. And if I do, I will not campaign. I firmly believe that stats mean absolutely NOTHING. It is just a gimmick to bring in new authors and readers (thus reviews). Editors will choose anything they want (just like the rest of the industry).
> That's all for now!
> Happy New Year!


Just saying...that looks pretty good from where I'm sitting! Since my book launched (on 1st December) I've sold a grand total of 40 books! (Plus 16 preorders for books that aren't out yet).

Pretty sure I didn't see any sales from the KS email, except for those in this group who very kindly bought a copy.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## lauramg_1406

So big day today it seems! So fer I have 5 sales of What Lies Beneath the Mask (doesn't seem massive I know, but for me it's great!) I was able to sign of  on the paperback version too, so that's now available! I also managed to hit 10 preorders on one of my two preorder books (the other is on 8 ) which is fantastic considering WLBM only got 5!

Edit was because 8 ) apparently makes this  if you don't put the space in!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Luke Christodoulou said:


> Good morning everybody!
> Just dropping in with good news of life after KS...My book, Death Of A Bride, has been accepted for a Bookbub campaign.
> <snip>
> So, would I try KS again? Probably not. And if I do, I will not campaign. I firmly believe that stats mean absolutely NOTHING. It is just a gimmick to bring in new authors and readers (thus reviews). Editors will choose anything they want (just like the rest of the industry).
> That's all for now!
> Happy New Year!


Congrats on the Bookbub, Luke! I've been turned down once but will try again! When I released my (highly successful in views and 96% of time in H&T) KS reject last January, I timed the KS announcement to go out a couple of days after the actual release, so I could tell better what impact my nominators might make on sales. I was able to attribute about 20-30 sales to that announcement, with about 150-200 sales total the first week, if I remember right. So it helped, certainly. I think I would do KS again for the novel I'm working on now (or one of another type), but I'm not committed yet. I was a debut author and probably not worth the risk to KS, but I think my performance with my first title has been respectable (well over 1000 copies sold in ebook form, with a related short story with similar sales and over 4k downloads on freebie days).

I love it when folks share stats to help others!


----------



## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> Hey everyone,
> 
> Just thought I'd give you an update on the stats for the landing pages (because I just realised that I actually have information for that!)
> 
> Headtalker has so far sent 71 people our way, which seems like fairly good going (Especially given that one of the campaigns hasn't gone live yet!)
> 
> Mysteries, Thrillers & Crimes has 242, Sci-Fi & Fantasy 226 and Romance etc 181.
> 
> Hope people are seeing results from this! Definitely enjoying reading everyone's answers!


Since my titles have been selling relatively well, it's hard for me to tell. This is one of those times I wish we got analytics on our Amazon product pages. Knowing where clicks, buys, and borrows come from would make it much easier to finetune promotional strategies. However, I look at it this way. It's free promotion, so even one sale is worth it, and certainly the promotion will have generated some.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Evenstar said:


> Hi all,
> Just wanted to stop back in and say I published my rejected kindle scout book in December. It's doing okay, not brilliant, but considering I used a brand new author name with no following, in a brand new genre (for me), then I guess it's doing reasonably well with no promo as such as yet.
> 
> 
> 
> This thread is kind of daunting to start reading from page 7 (which I think is when I last posted) so if I missed any great tips then I'd be hugely grateful for a recap. Hope everyone else is doing gangbusters! x


It's nice to see you again. I just picked up a copy of your book. The cover is both professional and very eye-catching.


----------



## lauramg_1406

I was thinking earlier that I wish I knew where my sales were coming from! I'm part of this, as well as a "Book Fair" type event and I'd love to know which of my sales are from there and which are from ours! (Not just because it would tell me whether the Fair was worth it!)

Also about to attempt another fb ad! The first one since I changed my cover. Basically my aim is to try and get a good rating so that my books visible when I change the price on Sunday!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## Used To Be BH

Luke Christodoulou said:


> Good morning everybody!
> Just dropping in with good news of life after KS...My book, Death Of A Bride, has been accepted for a Bookbub campaign. The pricing scares me but the average sales in Crime Fiction should cover the cost. It was my first time submitting and was not expecting a positive reply. Best news ever, needed it after KS rejection.
> As for KS helping to launch a book even if rejected, I must say I did not see much of a difference from previous books of mine.
> I haven't promoted Murder On Display yet just to see if KS email would drive sales. The two days after the email went out I had 3 paperbacks sold, 32 ebooks and 2300 pages read. This is just a bit lower than my previous book's first days.
> So, would I try KS again? Probably not. And if I do, I will not campaign. I firmly believe that stats mean absolutely NOTHING. It is just a gimmick to bring in new authors and readers (thus reviews). Editors will choose anything they want (just like the rest of the industry).
> That's all for now!
> Happy New Year!


Getting accepted for Bookbub is a little like winning the lottery these days, so congratulations. Doing it on your first try is even more remarkable. Clearly, someone at Bookbub saw the book's potential to be a big seller. (I've never gotten one.) 

Kindle Scout experiences are very different. It sounds as if it didn't give your launch a boost. On the other hand, my launch was the best I've ever had. My latest book smashed every previous record I had, both for new releases and just in general. Also, I could tell from my Also Bought list that the early buys were coming from KS, not from my existing fans, because my other books didn't show up, but I saw a lot of Scout-connected books (both selected and not). Yes, after a couple of days I started doing other promotions, but those produced far more sales from promoters I've worked with before than normal (four or five times more). I suppose there could be another explanation, but I can't think of one. Unfortunately, there isn't enough data to figure out why some people get a boost from Scout and some don't.


----------



## lauramg_1406

So had my joint best selling day today (9 books). Not a massive amount but considering up until now I'd only ever made £3.50 from writing, I feel like it's a big milestone.

Which means in my first month (tbh I kind of consider What Lies Beneath the Mask my first book anyway - the others are shorter and a lot about them shows my naivety about the market,  including the fact I have no control over some aspects of them) I'll have sold just under 50 copies. Which I'm happy with (for now!) 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## ChrisLambert

Hello all,

My book was rejected the other day so here I am. I'm not entirely sure what my options are - free promo? put it out right away for full price? and what is the full price anyway? I think $2.99. Get a launch team to write reviews early on? This is my first novel. Any ideas?


----------



## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> So had my joint best selling day today (9 books). Not a massive amount but considering up until now I'd only ever made £3.50 from writing, I feel like it's a big milestone.
> 
> Which means in my first month (tbh I kind of consider What Lies Beneath the Mask my first book anyway - the others are shorter and a lot about them shows my naivety about the market, including the fact I have no control over some aspects of them) I'll have sold just under 50 copies. Which I'm happy with (for now!)
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Very good!!! My sales rank dropped noticeably today but I'm not seeing paperback or eBook sales showing up yet, so it's either delayed AMS sales or KU borrows. It's always nice hitting the refresh button and seeing the numbers drop, whatever the reason.


----------



## Kay7979

ChrisLambert said:


> Hello all,
> 
> My book was rejected the other day so here I am. I'm not entirely sure what my options are - free promo? put it out right away for full price? and what is the full price anyway? I think $2.99. Get a launch team to write reviews early on? This is my first novel. Any ideas?


There is no one size fits all answer. Can you gather up a launch team? It's always good to have a few early reviews, whether you start out at full price or at a discounted opening price. Will you be enrolling in KDP Select or going wide?


----------



## RWhite7699

ChrisLambert said:


> Hello all,
> 
> My book was rejected the other day so here I am. I'm not entirely sure what my options are - free promo? put it out right away for full price? and what is the full price anyway? I think $2.99. Get a launch team to write reviews early on? This is my first novel. Any ideas?


I will read your whole book and do a review for you, Chris, when it is published. I like your style. I used the same method in my book, Diary of a Wildflower, writing from the point of view of a child watching and innocently relating events in the adult world. We can thank Harper Lee for giving us that blueprint. Good luck!


----------



## Flying Pizza Pie

I'm recently rejected by KS - but very happy with the results, since they point to the need for a new cover and a better story blurb. All good. Will go live in a few days I'm sure, and would love to be part of the cross-promotion. Couldn't' find the exact post, but joined the FB page and want to know how we are cross promoting, other than likes, sharing, and placing book covers on our blogs. What'cha got?


----------



## Kay7979

ALWMOE said:


> I'm recently rejected by KS - but very happy with the results, since they point to the need for a new cover and a better story blurb. All good. Will go live in a few days I'm sure, and would love to be part of the cross-promotion. Couldn't' find the exact post, but joined the FB page and want to know how we are cross promoting, other than likes, sharing, and placing book covers on our blogs. What'cha got?


Welcome! The cross-promotion ran from Dec 27th - 31st, so you missed this one, but I'm sure there will eventually be others.


----------



## Used To Be BH

ALWMOE said:


> I'm recently rejected by KS - but very happy with the results, since they point to the need for a new cover and a better story blurb. All good. Will go live in a few days I'm sure, and would love to be part of the cross-promotion. Couldn't' find the exact post, but joined the FB page and want to know how we are cross promoting, other than likes, sharing, and placing book covers on our blogs. What'cha got?


Welcome, and please be sure to let us go when your book goes live. Many of us will want to check it out.

(Unfortunately, my TBR pile is now huge, but I'll get to every book eventually.)


----------



## lauramg_1406

Yey! One book off 50 for the month...though is that good for starting with a fan base of 1? (She's self-confessed and I don't know her so I think I can count her!) I'm going to go with yes, considering that way I can be excited about it!

For anyone just joining us, or who has missed the link, here's the facebook group started by Joynell (https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/), it's a shame we can't have a post "pinned" to the top like on facebook/twitter, it'd make it so much easier finding useful links!


----------



## marissamarchan

I took a week off from work cleaning up my other books, the new book, and planning my promo for next month, I mean next year. I'm exhausted. I'm also working on my new short stories. So, I never had a chance to check our cross promo yet. I need to check the emails and posts here again to know exactly what we're doing. There's just too many things going on at once, not to mention the holidays? *(OOPS! I GUESS TODAY IS THE LAST DAY OF OUR CROSS PROMO).*

Maybe next time, we'll have a much better plan so we're all on the same boat. lol But we learned from our experience. Lol

At least, I was able to release the eBook and paperback of My Runaway Bride. They're not combined on Amazon yet. I guess it takes a while for them to do that. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MYZKINU

I'm hoping I'll be able to start checking everyone's book next week so I can post my review. Working full-time really gets in the way of me doing ten million things at the same time. Lol

HAPPY NEW YEAR MY KBOARDS FRIENDS! May you succeed in the year 2017 and achieve all your goals you have set. Take care always.


----------



## marissamarchan

Bill Hiatt said:


> Welcome, and please be sure to let us go when your book goes live. Many of us will want to check it out.
> 
> (Unfortunately, my TBR pile is now huge, but I'll get to every book eventually.)


Hey Bill,

I don't have Kindle, because it gives me a headache when I read on small devices (I know this because I tried reading on my tablet and after a while, it gave me such a headache, I threw up). Weird isn't it? I mostly read on my desktop computer and of course, paperback.

So what options do I have so I could read the eBook from Amazon and give my review. Any suggestions? Thanks.


----------



## Kay7979

marissamarchan said:


> Hey Bill,
> 
> I don't have Kindle, because it gives me a headache when I read on small devices (I know this because I tried reading on my tablet and after a while, it gave me such a headache, I threw up). Weird isn't it? I mostly read on my desktop computer and of course, paperback.
> 
> So what options do I have so I could read the eBook from Amazon and give my review. Any suggestions? Thanks.


I can see where the glare from a tablet screen could bother many people, but a Kindle Ereader is very similar to reading a paperback. Better, in some ways, because you can make the text really large. Do you have an actual Kindle? Or a Fire?


----------



## marissamarchan

Kay7979 said:


> I can see where the glare from a tablet screen could bother many people, but a Kindle Ereader is very similar to reading a paperback. Better, in some ways, because you can make the text really large. Do you have an actual Kindle? Or a Fire?


No, Kay. I don't have one now but I did a while back. I had to give it away. Oh I wish I could download in my computer. It'll be much easier for me. But I'll check it out again. Maybe it's different this time around. Thanks


----------



## lauramg_1406

marissamarchan said:


> No, Kay. I don't have one now but I did a while back. I had to give it away. Oh I wish I could download in my computer. It'll be much easier for me. But I'll check it out again. Maybe it's different this time around. Thanks


There's a kindle program for the computer!

I've got a basic 5 year old kindle and I love it! It hasn't got a back light so no glare or headaches!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## RWhite7699

Kay7979 said:


> I can see where the glare from a tablet screen could bother many people, but a Kindle Ereader is very similar to reading a paperback. Better, in some ways, because you can make the text really large. Do you have an actual Kindle? Or a Fire?


You can also change the color of the screen to a buff color so that the glare is not so bad.


----------



## marissamarchan

lauramg_1406 said:


> There's a kindle program for the computer!
> 
> I've got a basic 5 year old kindle and I love it! It hasn't got a back light so no glare or headaches!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Oh, really? I'll check it out. Thanks Laura.


----------



## marissamarchan

RWhite7699 said:


> You can also change the color of the screen to a buff color so that the glare is not so bad.


Thanks for the info. I'll go check it out.


----------



## lauramg_1406

marissamarchan said:


> Oh, really? I'll check it out. Thanks Laura.


Yeah I can't remember what it's called (other than kindle something) cause I don't use it...oh wait, it might be cloud reader!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kyla S

Just left reviews for Shadow Over Lone Oak and What Lies Beneath the Mask. I have to say, I think both of your new covers are much improved! Happy New Year's Eve everybody!


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## lauramg_1406

Kyla S said:


> Just left reviews for Shadow Over Lone Oak and What Lies Beneath the Mask. I have to say, I think both of your new covers are much improved! Happy New Year's Eve everybody!


Thank you Kyla! I'm glad you enjoyed it! 

The new cover has grown on me, and it's proved it's better stats wise...definitely learnt a lesson with that one! Though without kboards I'd most likely still be scratching my head unsure about where I'd gone wrong!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Joynell Schultz

Happy New Year!

Promo week is over...can you see my sad face? That was a lot of fun and it was great to get to know many of you better. I hope some of you saw some results.



Kyla S said:


> Just left reviews for Shadow Over Lone Oak and What Lies Beneath the Mask. I have to say, I think both of your new covers are much improved! Happy New Year's Eve everybody!


How can you read that much I'm impressed! I agree on the covers as well.



lauramg_1406 said:


> Yey! One book off 50 for the month...though is that good for starting with a fan base of 1? (She's self-confessed and I don't know her so I think I can count her!) I'm going to go with yes, considering that way I can be excited about it!


Great job! I'm at 34 (dec 16th launch) --also with a nearly nonexistent fan base.



ChrisLambert said:


> My book was rejected the other day so here I am. I'm not entirely sure what my options are - free promo? put it out right away for full price? and what is the full price anyway? I think $2.99. Get a launch team to write reviews early on? This is my first novel. Any ideas?


This was my first novel too. I had put it as a pre-order for 2 weeks at 99 cents. (Lesson learned - 2 weeks preorder was too long. 1 week, or not at all, would have been better.) Then at launch, I raised the price to $2.99 and sold very few. It was discouraging. I dropped it after a week or so back to 99 cents and it sells better. (Christmas was in there too, I know that impacted the launch.) I don't know the right answer. I think with my next book, I'll keep it at 99 cents for the first month, then coordinate a better release week advertising campaign to get my stats up. Just my 2 cents though. It's definitely a personal decision and based off of fan base.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> Happy New Year!
> 
> Promo week is over...can you see my sad face? That was a lot of fun and it was great to get to know many of you better. I hope some of you saw some results.
> 
> How can you read that much I'm impressed! I agree on the covers as well.
> 
> Great job! I'm at 34 (dec 16th launch) --also with a nearly nonexistent fan base.
> 
> This was my first novel too. I had put it as a pre-order for 2 weeks at 99 cents. (Lesson learned - 2 weeks preorder was too long. 1 week, or not at all, would have been better.) Then at launch, I raised the price to $2.99 and sold very few. It was discouraging. I dropped it after a week or so back to 99 cents and it sells better. (Christmas was in there too, I know that impacted the launch.) I don't know the right answer. I think with my next book, I'll keep it at 99 cents for the first month, then coordinate a better release week advertising campaign to get my stats up. Just my 2 cents though. It's definitely a personal decision and based off of fan base.


I know! Can't believe it's over. However if anyone wants to write a random guest post for me then feel free to send I over!

I used to be able to read the much too! I read 500 books in 2013. Never been able to do that since!

Cover's still growing on me, but I can see it works better! I'm not sure how it will sell in the future though, especially as my writing schedule is leaning very much towards sci-fi & Fantasy and not contemporary...so its always going to be the odd one out!

I'm happy with 49 sales in the first month! It seems like a good starting number! I *think* I've had 4 full reads on KU too.

Oh interestingly I'm trying out a KU promo this month. It was only $5 to participate, so it'll be interesting to see how it goes. Especially now I'm off the 30 day cliff and have raised my price (but still have a rank under 50,000).

Now just to finish editing my book releasing at the end of the month!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> Happy New Year!
> 
> Promo week is over...can you see my sad face? That was a lot of fun and it was great to get to know many of you better. I hope some of you saw some results.
> 
> How can you read that much I'm impressed! I agree on the covers as well.
> 
> Great job! I'm at 34 (dec 16th launch) --also with a nearly nonexistent fan base.
> 
> This was my first novel too. I had put it as a pre-order for 2 weeks at 99 cents. (Lesson learned - 2 weeks preorder was too long. 1 week, or not at all, would have been better.) Then at launch, I raised the price to $2.99 and sold very few. It was discouraging. I dropped it after a week or so back to 99 cents and it sells better. (Christmas was in there too, I know that impacted the launch.) I don't know the right answer. I think with my next book, I'll keep it at 99 cents for the first month, then coordinate a better release week advertising campaign to get my stats up. Just my 2 cents though. It's definitely a personal decision and based off of fan base.


P.s. I'm experimenting with preorders right now! I have one for 24th Jan and one for 17th March. One thing I've found is that it's motivating me to get stuff done!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## bfleetwood

Hi folks - I have been noticeably absent as after being inundated with family pre-Christmas I then went down with the flu and have still not recovered. Sorry to have missed the cross promotion but it sounds like it went well. I am madly 'reading to review' when I get a chance, and still have a huge backlog but will get there in the end. Once I am fully recovered, I need to get cracking on Chroma, book 2. I launched book 1 at the end of November and it has been doing ok (well from what I can tell as a complete novice!) with a good few library reads on the KU scheme. I still have a few promotions to go and, on the advise of an author resource group on FB, I have left the price at 99c / 99p as this is my debut book and I am completely unknown. Good to see everyone is grappling with the best way to get some recognition in the indie publishing world, and it is not just me! Hope to be a more frequent visitor here once I am feeling 100%. Happy New Year to you all. Becky


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## Used To Be BH

marissamarchan said:


> Oh, really? I'll check it out. Thanks Laura.


Laura beat me to the punch, but yes, the Kindle app for the computer works just fine. I have a Kindle Fire, but sometimes I read on the computer as well. That's especially handy if I'm working on the computer but want to take a break from what I'm doing.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Joynell Schultz said:


> How can you read that much I'm impressed!
> 
> Great job! I'm at 34 (dec 16th launch) --also with a nearly nonexistent fan base.
> 
> This was my first novel too. I had put it as a pre-order for 2 weeks at 99 cents. (Lesson learned - 2 weeks preorder was too long. 1 week, or not at all, would have been better.) Then at launch, I raised the price to $2.99 and sold very few. It was discouraging. I dropped it after a week or so back to 99 cents and it sells better. (Christmas was in there too, I know that impacted the launch.) I don't know the right answer. I think with my next book, I'll keep it at 99 cents for the first month, then coordinate a better release week advertising campaign to get my stats up. Just my 2 cents though. It's definitely a personal decision and based off of fan base.


With regard to reading, yes, that was very impressive. Right now I'm so buried in my behind-deadline project that I'm getting hardly any done. I hope to have more time to breathe once I have a complete draft.

With regard to selling 34 in half a month, that's much better than I did with my first book, especially considering Christmas is a hard time to sell ebooks.

I kept _Different Lee_ at 99 cents for over a month, mostly to accommodate the earliest dates the various promoters could give me, but having the intro price on that long seemed to work well. That gave it a chance to stick at a good ranking point, so the algorithms smiled on it, and probably it got some word of mouth as well. When I did switch to $2.99, there was a one-day drop, but then it went right back to selling, and KU pages read (which wouldn't be price-sensitive anyway) just kept growing. I'm not sure it would have done as well if I'd introduced a higher price sooner.


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## LizHedgecock

Happy New Year, everyone! 
Just to say that my Kindle Scout book, A House Of Mirrors, is 99c/99p right now on a Kindle Countdown Deal. Here's the link: http://myBook.to/Mirrors
Mini-blurb: What really happened when Mrs Hudson met Sherlock Holmes? Now's your chance to find out, in a mystery Dr Watson never told...


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## marissamarchan

Bill Hiatt said:


> Laura beat me to the punch, but yes, the Kindle app for the computer works just fine. I have a Kindle Fire, but sometimes I read on the computer as well. That's especially handy if I'm working on the computer but want to take a break from what I'm doing.


Thanks, Bill. I checked it out this morning and yes, it looks like there is a Kindle computer download or something like that. I will work on it today so I can start downloading books to read and review. Thanks again.


----------



## marissamarchan

lauramg_1406 said:


> Yeah I can't remember what it's called (other than kindle something) cause I don't use it...oh wait, it might be cloud reader!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Yeah I think that's what it was. I will work on it today so I can start downloading. Thanks Laura.


----------



## C. J. Sears

Kyla S said:


> Just left reviews for Shadow Over Lone Oak and What Lies Beneath the Mask. I have to say, I think both of your new covers are much improved! Happy New Year's Eve everybody!


Thanks Kyla! I look forward to reading what you thought about my first novel. 

Congratulations on the success of your own Kindle Book. Always thought it would do well and the cover is eye-catching.

On my own end, I've been mulling over doing a simultaneous Kindle Countdown/Bookbub promotion. Of course, that requires BB to accept the featured deal. But I feel I should probably wait for a few more reviews to come in before I follow through. What do you guys think? It seems like the platform with the greatest marketing power and return on investment, but it's a pretty hefty price to pay even if I were to target the U.S. only.

I'm also running a FREE deal until January 5th on my short stories in the hopes for cross-buys of _The Shadow Over Lone Oak_. We'll see how that turns out.

As for the Facebook group, I'm working on a couple bits there to post as well.

Happy New Year fellow KS Alumni!


----------



## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> With regard to reading, yes, that was very impressive. Right now I'm so buried in my behind-deadline project that I'm getting hardly any done. I hope to have more time to breathe once I have a complete draft.
> 
> With regard to selling 34 in half a month, that's much better than I did with my first book, especially considering Christmas is a hard time to sell ebooks.
> 
> I kept _Different Lee_ at 99 cents for over a month, mostly to accommodate the earliest dates the various promoters could give me, but having the intro price on that long seemed to work well. That gave it a chance to stick at a good ranking point, so the algorithms smiled on it, and probably it got some word of mouth as well. When I did switch to $2.99, there was a one-day drop, but then it went right back to selling, and KU pages read (which wouldn't be price-sensitive anyway) just kept growing. I'm not sure it would have done as well if I'd introduced a higher price sooner.


I was just wondering about price increases! I've now increased mine from 0.99 to 2.99, after its been out a month. I've just had what is (hands down!) my best selling week so my ranking isn't dire. I've had no sales today but have had two full KU reads which is better than its done previously!

Also had a super exciting moment where I realised I'd missed a sale! So I actually hit 50 sales in my first month which has made me super happy!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## C. J. Sears

To bring in some cheer for this New Year I just bought:

_Different Lee
Murder on Display
Beneath the Skin_

I figured my fellow KS alumni would enjoy the minor boost and I'm in a reading mood. I'm not as speedy as Kyla, so it will take me some time to get through all of them. But I'll be sure to leave reviews when I do.


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## lauramg_1406

So I'm doing an ARC/Review experiment. I've given away 80 copies to my mailing list asking for reviews on release day (24th). Naturally I'm not expecting all of them, or even the majority, to actually do it. But it will be interesting to see how many I do get!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## marissamarchan

lauramg_1406 said:


> So I'm doing an ARC/Review experiment. I've given away 80 copies to my mailing list asking for reviews on release day (24th). Naturally I'm not expecting all of them, or even the majority, to actually do it. But it will be interesting to see how many I do get!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


How do you send your ARC? PDF? Or? I'm still new in this. lol


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## lauramg_1406

marissamarchan said:


> How do you send your ARC? PDF? Or? I'm still new in this. lol


I sent an instafreebie link (like this one https://www.instafreebie.com/free/pbJ8X) but with a cap on number of copies. I set it to private and deactivated sharing 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## marissamarchan

lauramg_1406 said:


> I sent an instafreebie link (like this one https://www.instafreebie.com/free/pbJ8X) but with a cap on number of copies. I set it to private and deactivated sharing
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Ha ha. Thanks Laura. 1) I was able to get Kindle for PC downloaded in my computer. 2) I was able to download your instafreebie. Yay! I'll read it tomorrow. It's my first one. Thanks. It's time to go to bed. It is now 11:02 PM here.

Although, I think I downloaded two or three different kindle programs during the process, but at least I was able to make it work. Oh well... lol


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## lauramg_1406

marissamarchan said:


> Ha ha. Thanks Laura. 1) I was able to get Kindle for PC downloaded in my computer. 2) I was able to download your instafreebie. Yay! I'll read it tomorrow. It's my first one. Thanks. It's time to go to bed. It is now 11:02 PM here.
> 
> Although, I think I downloaded two or three different kindle programs during the process, but at least I was able to make it work. Oh well... lol


It should just be the one from amazon I think! Not sure, I don't like reading on anything with a back light (my computer included!)

It's an experiment is sending an ARC out like this. When I launched What Lies Beneath the Mask I had about 60 people on my list (now I have 1600), so I had no real idea if it will work or not!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kyla S

Bill Hiatt said:


> With regard to reading, yes, that was very impressive. Right now I'm so buried in my behind-deadline project that I'm getting hardly any done. I hope to have more time to breathe once I have a complete draft.
> 
> With regard to selling 34 in half a month, that's much better than I did with my first book, especially considering Christmas is a hard time to sell ebooks.
> 
> I kept _Different Lee_ at 99 cents for over a month, mostly to accommodate the earliest dates the various promoters could give me, but having the intro price on that long seemed to work well. That gave it a chance to stick at a good ranking point, so the algorithms smiled on it, and probably it got some word of mouth as well. When I did switch to $2.99, there was a one-day drop, but then it went right back to selling, and KU pages read (which wouldn't be price-sensitive anyway) just kept growing. I'm not sure it would have done as well if I'd introduced a higher price sooner.


This is my dilemma now. I've done some promos which will end 1/3, so I've had the book at .99 for two weeks. My rank is currently under 10,000, but again, because of promos (which are not cheap!!!!). I'm thinking of upping it to $2.99 for a few weeks (and play around with AMS ads) and then do a couple more promos before the 30-day drop-off. Other than sale periods, I don't want to drop below 2.99, preferably 3.99. Honestly, I think the best thing to do is just write more books.

I have had more time over Christmas break, but I try to read at least 1-2 hours a day. I would love to read 500 books a year, but I do make sure I get a couple books a week in at least. I think reading vastly improves my own writing and always gives me inspiration and great ideas. Plus, Stephen King said to do it. And he's the one to listen to!


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## lauramg_1406

I couldn't imagine not reading! It's too much a part of me, and so long as I get the balance right between writing and reading I'm happy. If I don't manage to get either done in a day then I tend to feel very unproductive and my anxiety makes itself known (weird I know!)


I have to say, I think Kyla's right about needing more books out to actually keep the momentum without constant promotion (and I think it's supported by what Bill's said before about how DL has performed - didn't he say that his preexisting fans found it a while after release?) I've even seen it a bit and I'm nowhere near as successful as Bill! My current preorder (for the book releasing on the 24th) already has 3 times the preorders What Lies Beneath the Mask had!

Later this year it's going into a box set with some other authors, so it could be interesting to see what effect that has on my sales (thinking I may need to write another related one between now and then to really cash in!) This year is definitely about figuring out what works for me!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## PatriciaThomson

Um ... did I miss the post about the Facebook group?  I'd really like to join but I'm not finding a link anywhere.


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## Kay7979

PatriciaThomson said:


> Um ... did I miss the post about the Facebook group? I'd really like to join but I'm not finding a link anywhere.


It's back a few pages. No way to do a "sticky."

https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/


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## lauramg_1406

PatriciaThomson said:


> Um ... did I miss the post about the Facebook group? I'd really like to join but I'm not finding a link anywhere.


Give me a second Patricia and I'll post it again, need to get to my laptop to post it.

On the discussion on price. Today I saw someone on Facebook mention that they left their price at 99 cents until book sales slowed. Which got me thinking about it. Pricing gives me a headache if I'm honest, I don't know what should be at what price. I do know that since raising my price there's been no sales at all (though there has been KENP but not a massive amount).

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> It's back a few pages. No way to do a "sticky."
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/


You beat me to it Kay!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> Give me a second Patricia and I'll post it again, need to get to my laptop to post it.
> 
> On the discussion on price. Today I saw someone on Facebook mention that they left their price at 99 cents until book sales slowed. Which got me thinking about it. Pricing gives me a headache if I'm honest, I don't know what should be at what price. I do know that since raising my price there's been no sales at all (though there has been KENP but not a massive amount).
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I had the link handy since I'd sent it to someone yesterday by DM.

As for the price issue, I'm sure inexpensive sells more books. Logically, it should, anyway, but I started out at $3.99 and have only reduced it during my Kindle countdown deal. I did 3.5 days at $0.99 and 3.5 at $1.99. The promos got me much-needed visibility and I've been getting KENP ever since. Sales are slow but steady and I get a surprising number of paperback sales too at $14.95. I want to target the readers who are used to paying "normal prices" for books, so I'm using AMS ads. I'm about 10% underwater but I really don't care because I need the flow of sales to remain visible.


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> I had the link handy since I'd sent it to someone yesterday by DM.
> 
> As for the price issue, I'm sure inexpensive sells more books. Logically, it should, anyway, but I started out at $3.99 and have only reduced it during my Kindle countdown deal. I did 3.5 days at $0.99 and 3.5 at $1.99. The promos got me much-needed visibility and I've been getting KENP ever since. Sales are slow but steady and I get a surprising number of paperback sales too at $14.95. I want to target the readers who are used to paying "normal prices" for books, so I'm using AMS ads. I'm about 10% underwater but I really don't care because I need the flow of sales to remain visible.


I'm toying with making WLBM 99cents until the 24th when my next book releases. If I keep up my writing speed from the past two months I should be able to keep up a fairly steady stream of releases.

AMS isn't working for me quite yet, but I suspect that could be to do with being in a BIG category. Or me being clueless!

I don't look at my author accounts...I know what the minus number is but it's better if I don't look at it! (Just telling myself that I had to invest something, even if some of it is wasted!)

Patricia - I've accepted your group request 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Used To Be BH

CRex896 said:


> To bring in some cheer for this New Year I just bought:
> 
> _Different Lee
> Murder on Display
> Beneath the Skin_
> 
> I figured my fellow KS alumni would enjoy the minor boost and I'm in a reading mood. I'm not as speedy as Kyla, so it will take me some time to get through all of them. But I'll be sure to leave reviews when I do.


Thanks! I hope you enjoy _Different Lee_, and don't worry about the speed. I'm not getting anywhere with my TBR at the moment.


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## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> I'm toying with making WLBM 99cents until the 24th when my next book releases. If I keep up my writing speed from the past two months I should be able to keep up a fairly steady stream of releases.
> 
> AMS isn't working for me quite yet, but I suspect that could be to do with being in a BIG category. Or me being clueless!
> 
> I don't look at my author accounts...I know what the minus number is but it's better if I don't look at it! (Just telling myself that I had to invest something, even if some of it is wasted!)


There doesn't seem to be any consensus on pricing. I've seen reports from people whose sales dropped when they increased price, people who had sales stay the same, and people who actually increased sales. The pattern seems to be that there's no pattern.

I was nervous when I upped the price on _Different Lee_, and sales dipped for a day, but now they're pretty steady. KU reads actually went up considerably, but they probably aren't price-sensitive in the same way sales are.

AMS ads do sell books, but it's hard to get a positive ROI from them. Ebooks just don't cost enough. Also, it's a lot easier to get a click than a buy. I suspect, though, that if there were a way of finding out how many KU borrows came from the ads, the picture would look better.


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## PatriciaThomson

Thanks so much, Kay and Laura!


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## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> There doesn't seem to be any consensus on pricing. I've seen reports from people whose sales dropped when they increased price, people who had sales stay the same, and people who actually increased sales. The pattern seems to be that there's no pattern.
> 
> I was nervous when I upped the price on _Different Lee_, and sales dipped for a day, but now they're pretty steady. KU reads actually went up considerably, but they probably aren't price-sensitive in the same way sales are.
> 
> AMS ads do sell books, but it's hard to get a positive ROI from them. Ebooks just don't cost enough. Also, it's a lot easier to get a click than a buy. I suspect, though, that if there were a way of finding out how many KU borrows came from the ads, the picture would look better.


I think the lack of pattern is the scary thing about it all! I suspect WLBM will always struggle a bit though! I suspect it's simultaneously too niche and not niche enough!

Jury's still out on AMS. No sales yet, however it's only been running while its been at a higher price. Same with fb ads, just can't quite figure them out! Maybe someday!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## marissamarchan

lauramg_1406 said:


> It should just be the one from amazon I think! Not sure, I don't like reading on anything with a back light (my computer included!)
> 
> It's an experiment is sending an ARC out like this. When I launched What Lies Beneath the Mask I had about 60 people on my list (now I have 1600), so I had no real idea if it will work or not!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


You are awesome for thinking of so many ways to promote. I am learning from you and will try them out, too. Thanks.


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## lauramg_1406

marissamarchan said:


> You are awesome for thinking of so many ways to promote. I am learning from you and will try them out, too. Thanks.


I wouldn't do that! I'm making it up as I go along and hoping it works!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

So I knocked the price back down. As soon as it took effect I had 2 sales. *sigh* least it's selling!

Had my first return today too :-( though if I hadn't been using book report I wouldn't have noticed until later.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## C. J. Sears

CRex896 said:


> To bring in some cheer for this New Year I just bought:
> 
> _Different Lee
> Murder on Display
> Beneath the Skin_
> 
> I figured my fellow KS alumni would enjoy the minor boost and I'm in a reading mood. I'm not as speedy as Kyla, so it will take me some time to get through all of them. But I'll be sure to leave reviews when I do.


Update on this: I just finished reading _Beneath the Skin_. I thought, given the length, it might take me a few days to complete, but Kyla's story and prose were both so engrossing that I couldn't put it down. Finished it in two sittings, only taking the time to eat a snack. I've left a review, no idea how long it will take to show up, but it was a brisk and engaging read that I highly recommend.

Can't wait to dive into Luke's and Bill's books next.


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## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Good morning everyone! I woke up to a pleasant surprise this morning. Thirteen sales of _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_ on top of my preorders! I know this pace won't last, but it's exciting nonetheless.


That's great news! Congratulations!


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## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> Good morning everyone! I woke up to a pleasant surprise this morning. Thirteen sales of _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_ on top of my preorders! I know this pace won't last, but it's exciting nonetheless.


That's not a bad first day. Congratulations! I'm sure it will continue (fingers crossed).


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## LizHedgecock

Mark Gardner said:


> Good morning everyone! I woke up to a pleasant surprise this morning. Thirteen sales of _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_ on top of my preorders! I know this pace won't last, but it's exciting nonetheless.


Excellent news, Mark!


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## lauramg_1406

Mark Gardner said:


> Good morning everyone! I woke up to a pleasant surprise this morning. Thirteen sales of _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_ on top of my preorders! I know this pace won't last, but it's exciting nonetheless.


That's great news! But you never know, it could continue at that pace! (And I hope it does!

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## papercarver65

Hello all! Part of my consolation for not being selected for KS is I am among some fantastic authors in the same boat. I plan on releasing some time this month once I get my TOC under control


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## Kay7979

papercarver65 said:


> Hello all! Part of my consolation for not being selected for KS is I am among some fantastic authors in the same boat. I plan on releasing some time this month once I get my TOC under control


Welcome! We have a fantastic, supportive group here. Thanks for joining us. Good luck with your book
launch. We're living proof that there's life after Kindle Scout!


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## Kyla S

CRex896 said:


> Update on this: I just finished reading _Beneath the Skin_. I thought, given the length, it might take me a few days to complete, but Kyla's story and prose were both so engrossing that I couldn't put it down. Finished it in two sittings, only taking the time to eat a snack. I've left a review, no idea how long it will take to show up, but it was a brisk and engaging read that I highly recommend.
> 
> Can't wait to dive into Luke's and Bill's books next.


Thank you! I appreciate that, especially since our books are so different. You're awesome!



Kay7979 said:


> I had the link handy since I'd sent it to someone yesterday by DM.
> 
> As for the price issue, I'm sure inexpensive sells more books. Logically, it should, anyway, but I started out at $3.99 and have only reduced it during my Kindle countdown deal. I did 3.5 days at $0.99 and 3.5 at $1.99. The promos got me much-needed visibility and I've been getting KENP ever since. Sales are slow but steady and I get a surprising number of paperback sales too at $14.95. I want to target the readers who are used to paying "normal prices" for books, so I'm using AMS ads. I'm about 10% underwater but I really don't care because I need the flow of sales to remain visible.


 ;-)

I agree, Kay. I think I'm going to price at $3.99 and see how it goes. My book is pretty niche, and I don't write fast. If I'm only writing 3-4 books a year, I need the highest bang for my buck that I can get away with, lol. I'm sure it will cost some sales, but a $2.75 royalty versus $.35 means I'd have to sell 7-8 times as many books at $.99.


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## jaxonreed

I wanted to leave a link to my blog post on author experiences with Kindle Scout here. Hopefully it will provide some useful info and encouragement.

http://jaxonreed.com/books/experiences-with-kindle-scout-perspectives-from-several-authors/


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## PatriciaThomson

Mark Gardner said:


> Oh boy! Only a single sale awaited me this morning...


Into each life some rain must fall ...


----------



## Kay7979

I'm enrolled in KU, and I'm finally getting daily page reads. I've done a little stock trading over the years, and yesterday I was looking at my KENP chart as if it were a stock. I mentioned to my sister last night that if this chart represented a stock, it looked like it was ready for a break out. This morning I hit refresh and there was the breakout! My previous high was 897 KENP and I already have 1139 so far today! So, maybe I should skip publishing and start trading stocks, LOL.


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## RWhite7699

Thank you, Kyla! Appreciate it. And good luck to you!


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## Used To Be BH

jaxonreed said:


> I wanted to leave a link to my blog post on author experiences with Kindle Scout here. Hopefully it will provide some useful info and encouragement.
> 
> http://jaxonreed.com/books/experiences-with-kindle-scout-perspectives-from-several-authors/


Thanks for the excellent collection of resources!


----------



## C. J. Sears

So, I've got a timing question.

I've booked:

1. Renee's mystery/thriller promo. Starts Jan 14-15.
2. Kindle Countdown Deal February 18-25

Assuming I manually change the price on the 13th to 99c and return it to its original list price on the 17th, there should be no conflict with the way Kindle Select/Countdown works, right? 30 days will have passed since I manually changed the price in this scenario, so I should be fine?


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## Joynell Schultz

CRex896 said:


> So, I've got a timing question.
> 
> I've booked:
> 
> 1. Renee's mystery/thriller promo. Starts Jan 14-15.
> 2. Kindle Countdown Deal February 18-25
> 
> Assuming I manually change the price on the 13th to 99c and return it to its original list price on the 17th, there should be no conflict with the way Kindle Select/Countdown works, right? 30 days will have passed since I manually changed the price in this scenario, so I should be fine?


I'm assuming that's the case, since I'm doing the exact same thing.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> I had three more sales yesterday. Do you guys want me reporting my sales? I don't want to do it if it's not useful, or bothering anyone.


If you've got something that's exciting and you feel like reporting it, I'm sure we want to hear it!


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## Joynell Schultz

Mark Gardner said:


> I had three more sales yesterday. Do you guys want me reporting my sales? I don't want to do it if it's not useful, or bothering anyone.


I like to hear, but now that the first few days are over, post again at 1 week with the total? Just my 2 cents.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

I've got a promo on Saturday that I totally forgot about until they sent me a reminder today. It's Fussy Librarian. Apparently last month I booked one of their first available dates, and since they accept books at $5.99 and under, I'm not discounting. Chances are Fussy Librarian subscribers are bargain hunters like all the other newsletter subscribers, so I may get few sales, or no sales, but I can hope! I like a couple things about their service. They have a very targeted list. As I recall, I paid separately to book my promo in Urban Fantasy and Epic Fantasy. They also have a content rating for readers who want their books G rated. That's a plus, as I'd like to reach readers who are actively looking for books without sex, graphic violence or swearing.


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## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Kay7979 said:


> I've got a promo on Saturday that I totally forgot about until they sent me a reminder today. It's Fussy Librarian. Apparently last month I booked one of their first available dates, and since they accept books at $5.99 and under, I'm not discounting. Chances are Fussy Librarian subscribers are bargain hunters like all the other newsletter subscribers, so I may get few sales, or no sales, but I can hope! I like a couple things about their service. They have a very targeted list. As I recall, I paid separately to book my promo in Urban Fantasy and Epic Fantasy. They also have a content rating for readers who want their books G rated. That's a plus, as I'd like to reach readers who are actively looking for books without sex, graphic violence or swearing.


Kay, I was very happy with my first FL promotion, but the second was probably too soon and just barely made back what I spent on it. They were pleasant folks to work with, and I seem to remember they offer a 20% discount or somesuch on subsequent promos. Just wait long enough for your second one. 

This week I used EReaderNewsToday and made over 100 sales, basically twice what I needed to pay for the sale. I used BooksGoSocial's Tweet campaign ($25 for 10 a day for 5 days) and haven't been very impressed - cannot clearly attribute any sales to it, since none went through the first two full days when I had no other promos going. I have a MyBookCave promo for $17 running Friday through Sunday while my Countdown Deal has bumped up from 99 cents to $3.99.

I've kept my novel at $3.99 for the last several months, and it's not selling well at all, but the short story at 99 cents is selling about one or two a day (or equivalent page reads on KU). I'm thinking I'm going to drop the novel to $2.99 and see what happens - I cannot do another promo until about March or April in any case.

Hope this info is helpful to someone!


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## Kay7979

Cindy Rinaman Marsch said:


> Kay, I was very happy with my first FL promotion, but the second was probably too soon and just barely made back what I spent on it. They were pleasant folks to work with, and I seem to remember they offer a 20% discount or somesuch on subsequent promos. Just wait long enough for your second one.
> 
> This week I used EReaderNewsToday and made over 100 sales, basically twice what I needed to pay for the sale. I used BooksGoSocial's Tweet campaign ($25 for 10 a day for 5 days) and haven't been very impressed - cannot clearly attribute any sales to it, since none went through the first two full days when I had no other promos going. I have a MyBookCave promo for $17 running Friday through Sunday while my Countdown Deal has bumped up from 99 cents to $3.99.
> 
> I've kept my novel at $3.99 for the last several months, and it's not selling well at all, but the short story at 99 cents is selling about one or two a day (or equivalent page reads on KU). I'm thinking I'm going to drop the novel to $2.99 and see what happens - I cannot do another promo until about March or April in any case.
> 
> Hope this info is helpful to someone!


Thanks for sharing this info, and best of luck with your promos! BTW, I just bought your book, since I had been meaning to anyway.  I had good luck with ENT. Apparently, they're one of the best promo services. I used MyBookCave with some success. As for tweets, I don't care whose tweets they are, tweets just don't get authors much mileage.

Did you discount your book during the Fussy Librarian promo?


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## lauramg_1406

I used a tweet service with my first book and got absolutely nowhere. Admittedly that was before I discovered kboards or actually put too much thought into what I was doing, but I do know I definitely wouldn't do that now.

My best week for sales was definitely the week we did our promo (my book was also part of a book fair) however I suspect that will change by the end of the month. Currently my preorders equal half of the sales What Lies Beneath the Mask had in a month! 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## C. J. Sears

Paused my Goodreads Ad because it just isn't doing anything. 3 clicks and probably no buys after several weeks. I don't know what to do with it.

I also finished reading _Different Lee_ and left a review for you, Bill! It should be up by now.

One thing I'm quickly discovering is that I must be a terrible marketer. Really struggling to generate continuous sales. I hope Renee's promo next weekend does something for me because I feel like I'm floundering.


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## Used To Be BH

CRex896 said:


> Paused my Goodreads Ad because it just isn't doing anything. 3 clicks and probably no buys after several weeks. I don't know what to do with it.
> 
> I also finished reading _Different Lee_ and left a review for you, Bill! It should be up by now.
> 
> One thing I'm quickly discovering is that I must be a terrible marketer. Really struggling to generate continuous sales. I hope Renee's promo next weekend does something for me because I feel like I'm floundering.


Thanks so much for taking the time! 

I saw the review yesterday and didn't immediately make the connection, because you don't use your real name on here. I did think to myself, "This is one of the most literary sounding reviews I've ever gotten. This guy should be a writer." Evidently, I called that one right! I imagine that well-written reviews carry more weight with avid readers, so thanks again for that.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> I had three more sales yesterday. Do you guys want me reporting my sales? I don't want to do it if it's not useful, or bothering anyone.


I always like to hear what other people are doing, especially if it's positive. We all know self publishers can be successful, but I don't mind having it confirmed now and then.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Cindy Rinaman Marsch said:


> This week I used EReaderNewsToday and made over 100 sales, basically twice what I needed to pay for the sale. I used BooksGoSocial's Tweet campaign ($25 for 10 a day for 5 days) and haven't been very impressed - cannot clearly attribute any sales to it, since none went through the first two full days when I had no other promos going. I have a MyBookCave promo for $17 running Friday through Sunday while my Countdown Deal has bumped up from 99 cents to $3.99.
> 
> I've kept my novel at $3.99 for the last several months, and it's not selling well at all, but the short story at 99 cents is selling about one or two a day (or equivalent page reads on KU). I'm thinking I'm going to drop the novel to $2.99 and see what happens - I cannot do another promo until about March or April in any case.
> 
> Hope this info is helpful to someone!


Yes, information is always helpful.

The 100+ sales on ENT is a good sign. My first book did about that, and it's still selling more than four years later. It's not that the ENT promo has that long a tail, but it is an indication that when people see your book, they want it.

Originally, I had a pricing formula in which my ebook price was about the paperback price minus production costs. That made the second book in my series $3.99, but it sells better at $2.99, which is eventually what I settled on. I've seen indies sell successfully at a higher price point, but the ones I've noticed have a deep backlist and probably a fairly large fan base. I think committed fans will pay more, but browsers are more likely to buy at a lower price point. The early part of one's indie career is more about building an audience. I think it's easier to actually make money once the audience is bigger.


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## Used To Be BH

CRex896 said:


> One thing I'm quickly discovering is that I must be a terrible marketer. Really struggling to generate continuous sales. I hope Renee's promo next weekend does something for me because I feel like I'm floundering.


I think almost everyone is a terrible marketer in the beginning, but that may not be your problem. This is only your second book, and from what I can tell, indies with high sales volumes build up only gradually. The ones I interacted with over the last four years on the KDP forum hardly ever started seeing steady sales before the third book, and some a lot later than that. That didn't stop them from making a comfortable living on their writing now.

I'm having much less trouble generating continuous sales now than I used to, but it's not so much because I'm a marketing genius--I'm not. It's just that I've been doing this long enough to have at least a little word-of-mouth from fans going. I also think the number of titles (fourteen, not counting anthologies) makes it easier for people to find me. There's just more likelihood a search is going to turn up one of my books.

The message here is not to get discouraged. I started out very slowly too, but now I'm getting more sales in a day than I sometimes got in a month at the beginning. It's hard to persist when the time needed to produce a good novel is so long, and the rewards at the beginning tend to be so meager, but if you stick with it, you may be pleasantly surprised.


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## lauramg_1406

I think what Bill is saying is spot on! Especially at the beginning, most writers are terrible at marketing (because let's face it, if we weren't, we'd probably be making good money working for a marketing department!) But I think the main thing is that we're willing to learn and we're willing to share. 

If a promo works (or not), we'll tell each other.  If pricing works or not, we'll tell each other.  And I think that that's where things will change after a couple of books, because we won't waste the time and money doing things that we know won't work!

Plus we'll celebrate the little things for each other! Which is always encouraging!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Someone tweeted me about one of my books! And it wasn't one of you guys!

Somehow I feel more validated than I did 20 minutes ago! 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Browland86

Hi, everyone! It's been a while since I've posted, but I'm interested to read other people's marketing strategies. I've had modest sales of my first book, An Aching Kind of Growing, and I've recently tried a couple promotions from fiverr. Has anyone had any good results from these? I may have raised my expectations too high, because I'm not getting the results I'd hoped for--so far. My $0.99 promotion is still running, so maybe it will pick up. 

I've seen ereadernewstoday and Fussy Librarian mentioned as possible strategies. I'd like to try Fussy Librarian, but I don't have 10 reviews yet, so I'll have to wait!


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## C. J. Sears

Bill Hiatt said:


> Thanks so much for taking the time!
> 
> I saw the review yesterday and didn't immediately make the connection, because you don't use your real name on here. I did think to myself, "This is one of the most literary sounding reviews I've ever gotten. This guy should be a writer." Evidently, I called that one right! I imagine that well-written reviews carry more weight with avid readers, so thanks again for that.


You're welcome! Yeah, I didn't think about the fact you guys might not recognize my full name. But at least you can extrapolate based on the last name and my book cover. Thanks for the compliment on the review wording!



Bill Hiatt said:


> I think almost everyone is a terrible marketer in the beginning, but that may not be your problem. This is only your second book, and from what I can tell, indies with high sales volumes build up only gradually. The ones I interacted with over the last four years on the KDP forum hardly ever started seeing steady sales before the third book, and some a lot later than that. That didn't stop them from making a comfortable living on their writing now.
> 
> I'm having much less trouble generating continuous sales now than I used to, but it's not so much because I'm a marketing genius--I'm not. It's just that I've been doing this long enough to have at least a little word-of-mouth from fans going. I also think the number of titles (fourteen, not counting anthologies) makes it easier for people to find me. There's just more likelihood a search is going to turn up one of my books.
> 
> The message here is not to get discouraged. I started out very slowly too, but now I'm getting more sales in a day than I sometimes got in a month at the beginning. It's hard to persist when the time needed to produce a good novel is so long, and the rewards at the beginning tend to be so meager, but if you stick with it, you may be pleasantly surprised.


Oh, I can believe that becoming more established helps. But my problem has been that most of my meager sales came right out of the start (from myself, family, and a couple here on kboards). It's rare that I've seen anything since despite doing a fair variety of promotion on Reddit, Goodreads, Kboards, Twitter, and Facebook.

Even putting up the short story collection for free didn't draw much attention to the novel. Mostly I just hate the feeling that I'm sinking money into something for zero return on investment - either in the form of sales or reviews. You've got to spend money to make money, but other folks also have to spend _their_ money. That's the half of the story left out of the old cliche. 

I'm not discouraged so much as bewildered that nothing I do seems to work, ya know? But I shall persevere! I have the power, etc.


----------



## JulianneQJohnson

CRex896 said:


> You're welcome! Yeah, I didn't think about the fact you guys might not recognize my full name. But at least you can extrapolate based on the last name and my book cover. Thanks for the compliment on the review wording!
> 
> Oh, I can believe that becoming more established helps. But my problem has been that most of my meager sales came right out of the start (from myself, family, and a couple here on kboards). It's rare that I've seen anything since despite doing a fair variety of promotion on Reddit, Goodreads, Kboards, Twitter, and Facebook.
> 
> Even putting up the short story collection for free didn't draw much attention to the novel. Mostly I just hate the feeling that I'm sinking money into something for zero return on investment - either in the form of sales or reviews. You've got to spend money to make money, but other folks also have to spend _their_ money. That's the half of the story left out of the old cliche.
> 
> I'm not discouraged so much as bewildered that nothing I do seems to work, ya know? But I shall persevere! I have the power, etc.


I think we're in the same boat. I personally feel I need more books available before I spend much of anything on advertising. For now, I'm letting Descending sit there while I work on other things. When the time comes for book 2 or book three to be released, then I'll work on sales and promotion.


----------



## MarilynVix

CRex896 said:


> You're welcome! Yeah, I didn't think about the fact you guys might not recognize my full name. But at least you can extrapolate based on the last name and my book cover. Thanks for the compliment on the review wording!
> 
> Oh, I can believe that becoming more established helps. But my problem has been that most of my meager sales came right out of the start (from myself, family, and a couple here on kboards). It's rare that I've seen anything since despite doing a fair variety of promotion on Reddit, Goodreads, Kboards, Twitter, and Facebook.
> 
> Even putting up the short story collection for free didn't draw much attention to the novel. Mostly I just hate the feeling that I'm sinking money into something for zero return on investment - either in the form of sales or reviews. You've got to spend money to make money, but other folks also have to spend _their_ money. That's the half of the story left out of the old cliche.
> 
> I'm not discouraged so much as bewildered that nothing I do seems to work, ya know? But I shall persevere! I have the power, etc.


You know, I've been going down this great road with you and a lot of others that did a KS campaign. I've got my book scheduled for release on Jan. 26, with a FB Release Party on the 25th to help with preorders hopefully. So, when it releases, I'll jump up in the lists and get noticed.

Long shot, but you know, prawnie is as prawnie does.

But I digress. Have you tried a FB release party? Your book is still a new release. You could try it.
I've built up a following on FB using two different promoters there that do events. After two years, I've got fans excited about this book coming out. So, I feel, you just got to build that following and write more books for them.

Here's my release party link on FB if you want to see what one looks like:
https://www.facebook.com/events/250485718698255/

Plus, I had a question. Do you have a Kindle edition? All I see coming up is that it's in KU, but maybe it doesn't show Kindle editions for people in KU. Would be weird.


----------



## MarilynVix

So, since it's coming up, I guess I'll outline my marketing plan for my novel release coming up for _Everything For Love._
It was rejected by KS mid-December. So, I just thought, I'll do what they would have done. Spend a month getting it ready and then market the h*ll out of it.

So, I've scheduled it to be done with formatting and final proofing by Jan. 18. Then, I'll upload it and have it ready on KDP to get the preorder links hopefully by Friday Jan. 20. That gets sent out to my promoters (I have three right now, will get into them). Then, official release is Jan. 26, 2017.
*
Marketing Plan:*

*Facebook Release Party:*
I work with two FB promoters that do events on FB. I've got a release party all set up and ready to go on Jan. 25. It's the day before it releases. So, everyone can preorder and then get it the next day. Then, I've got another Release Party scheduling after the release with another promoter(different list) that will be the following week. I've been working with these two promoters for almost three years. A lot of followers have come from their lists.

*BLOG TOUR:*
This has been scheduled with Bewitching Blog Tours. They have a great two week package that fits my budget. I've worked with them before, and have some review bloggers that have liked my other books with them. They set up everything, and act as a middle man with the bloggers. Plus, they are specializing in paranormal and urban fantasy romance. 
So, there are a lot of promotional tour people out there that work in different genres. I know a lot of the romance ones, but maybe others on the board might know some blog tour promoters in other genres.

To note: The blog tour will run for two weeks Jan. 30 - Feb. 12. And yes, it's before Valentine's Day on purpose. Best time to promote a romance.

*Cross-Promo with other authors:*
So, I'm just mulling this around and have been talking to another author from previous Holiday promo, but I wanted to maybe get together with some other romance authors and do a Valentine's Promo for new releases. I'm sure the board will start having them pop up soon, and there is room for a lot, really. But that would be my last part of my plan so far.

SO that is it!

Later after a month or so, I'll start looking into limited discount price promos, maybe. It will depend on how sales are doing. I'm planning to put it at $2.99 for Kindle. I'll have to see the costs for paperback with Createspace before I figure out the price.

But that is how I've been dealing with my Kindle Scout rejection.

Hope you don't let it get you down in the dumps. Remember, you all wrote a book and you're out there doing this author thing. Keep moving forward. Don't let the momentum slow down.


----------



## C. J. Sears

MarilynVix said:


> Plus, I had a question. Do you have a Kindle edition? All I see coming up is that it's in KU, but maybe it doesn't show Kindle editions for people in KU. Would be weird.


_The Shadow Over Lone Oak_ definitely has both a Kindle Edition and Paperback. I've bought both, plus they're enrolled in matchbook so that when you buy the paperback you can get the Kindle Edition free.

Part of my problem - and why I can't/couldn't do something like a release party - is I have next to nothing in Facebook/Twitter/Social Media presence. Less than 70 Facebook friends (some duplicates by folks who are unfamiliar with the technology) means there's no party to be had.  I doubt it would bring in many new faces for me either.

Bookbub would've helped, but obviously they rejected my initial request.

So now I have:

1. Reworked Goodreads ads. Used snippet from review.
2. Renee's Mystery/thriller promo.
3. BKnights Promo.
4. To accomplish 1 & 2, a manual e-book price decrease for a select period.
5. Sponsored AMS keyword targeting.

Maybe this will be the combination that unlocks the secret to decent sales. Maybe not.


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## Used To Be BH

CRex896 said:


> Part of my problem - and why I can't/couldn't do something like a release party - is I have next to nothing in Facebook/Twitter/Social Media presence. Less than 70 Facebook friends (some duplicates by folks who are unfamiliar with the technology) means there's no party to be had.  I doubt it would bring in many new faces for me either.
> 
> So now I have:
> 
> 5. Sponsored AMS keyword targeting.


When you say "Facebook friends," I assume that means you're thinking about your personal profile. What you need long-term is an author page. The people who follow you as an author are the people you want to advertise to. Unfortunately, building a social media presence takes time, and it doesn't immediately sell books. What it will do is give potential fans a way to know you. Over time, some of those potential fans will become actual fans. In the beginning, FB did next to nothing for me. Now it does generate some sales and at least a few reviews.

It sounds as if Marilyn knows some people who advertise FB events to their list, so it wouldn't be dependent just on your own presence. That might be worth looking into.

I've had mixed luck with online release parties, but I never worked with a promoter. Even without one, some did produce sales and relatively quick reviews.

In my experience, AMS ads do produce sales, though it sometimes takes them a while to show results, and you may need to be a lot of fine-tuning of keywords to get the result you want.


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## Used To Be BH

Browland86 said:


> Hi, everyone! It's been a while since I've posted, but I'm interested to read other people's marketing strategies. I've had modest sales of my first book, An Aching Kind of Growing, and I've recently tried a couple promotions from fiverr. Has anyone had any good results from these? I may have raised my expectations too high, because I'm not getting the results I'd hoped for--so far. My $0.99 promotion is still running, so maybe it will pick up.
> 
> I've seen ereadernewstoday and Fussy Librarian mentioned as possible strategies. I'd like to try Fussy Librarian, but I don't have 10 reviews yet, so I'll have to wait!


I've never had too much luck with Fiverr promotions, though I think some of them are genre-dependent. Some people do report success with Bknights, but I got no sales from that one.

It sounds as if a good approach might be to build reviews to give yourself access to more promotional options. It's okay under the Amazon review guidelines to give a free copy in exchange for an honest review as long as the reviewer discloses receiving a copy in the review. There are FB groups that will facilitate that kind of interaction between authors and readers, so I'd start there. If that approach doesn't get many takers, there are a few companies who will facilitate that kind of interaction--for a fee. As long as the reviewers aren't getting paid, that still meets the guidelines. Look at such offerings carefully, however. Companies that guarantee a certain number of reviews are suspect. Companies that seem to guarantee good reviews are even more so. I recommend Choosy Bookworm's Read and Review program, because I know they operate ethically. Of course, since the reviewers themselves are free agents, not some kind of employee, they don't always produce reviews, but normally enough people will to make the effort worthwhile. Of course, since each reviewer is reacting honestly, they aren't all going to like your book, but if it's a good book, the good reviews will normally considerably outnumber the bad. (Literary quality is a very subjective thing, so no book is going to draw only positive reviews. If enough people read it, there are bound to be a few who don't like it.


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## C. J. Sears

Bill Hiatt said:


> When you say "Facebook friends," I assume that means you're thinking about your personal profile. What you need long-term is an author page. The people who follow you as an author are the people you want to advertise to. Unfortunately, building a social media presence takes time, and it doesn't immediately sell books. What it will do is give potential fans a way to know you. Over time, some of those potential fans will become actual fans. In the beginning, FB did next to nothing for me. Now it does generate some sales and at least a few reviews.
> 
> It sounds as if Marilyn knows some people who advertise FB events to their list, so it wouldn't be dependent just on your own presence. That might be worth looking into.


The book itself has its own page at the moment, but no, I don't have a true author page. Mostly I've been making work-related posts public and personal posts friends only. I'm not sure I've built enough of a base to even bother with an Author Page, really.

As for the Facebook party thing? I may check it out. But I do know that Facebook advertisement hasn't done much for me in the past. Maybe that will change.


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## lauramg_1406

CRex896 said:


> The book itself has its own page at the moment, but no, I don't have a true author page. Mostly I've been making work-related posts public and personal posts friends only. I'm not sure I've built enough of a base to even bother with an Author Page, really.
> 
> As for the Facebook party thing? I may check it out. But I do know that Facebook advertisement hasn't done much for me in the past. Maybe that will change.


It's never too early to start an author page on Facebook! Those things take so much time to grow! I started mine in early 2015 and only passed the 200 like mark the other day! Even so, only a handful of people ever see my posts.

But if you do make one, stick the link in the KS Alumni fb group and we'll kick start your growing!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Laran Mithras

Why would any author want and accept a lower payout royalty for an upfront contract?  

I'm not getting it. Why take 50% up front when you can get 70% on your own? Maybe it's like my mother telling me "you could promote your books to Hollywood and screenplay them to a movie or TV!" Bah. Have someone else tell me they're changing what my idea was to their own? Forget it.

KS pays 50% with a contract? Is that worth it?


----------



## lauramg_1406

Laran Mithras said:


> Why would any author want and accept a lower payout royalty for an upfront contract?
> 
> I'm not getting it. Why take 50% up front when you can get 70% on your own? Maybe it's like my mother telling me "you could promote your books to Hollywood and screenplay them to a movie or TV!" Bah. Have someone else tell me they're changing what my idea was to their own? Forget it.
> 
> KS pays 50% with a contract? Is that worth it?


Yes but amazon helps market the book...that cost alone is probably worth the 20% less!

If it wasn't an amazon owned imprint then I think it'd be potentially less worth it.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## MarilynVix

CRex896 said:


> The book itself has its own page at the moment, but no, I don't have a true author page. Mostly I've been making work-related posts public and personal posts friends only. I'm not sure I've built enough of a base to even bother with an Author Page, really.
> 
> As for the Facebook party thing? I may check it out. But I do know that Facebook advertisement hasn't done much for me in the past. Maybe that will change.


I do know FB promoters that have lists that can help. If you PM me, I can give you their information. They deal a lot in Romance books, but they may know some other promoters that deal in your genre too.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Laran Mithras said:


> Why would any author want and accept a lower payout royalty for an upfront contract?
> 
> I'm not getting it. Why take 50% up front when you can get 70% on your own? Maybe it's like my mother telling me "you could promote your books to Hollywood and screenplay them to a movie or TV!" Bah. Have someone else tell me they're changing what my idea was to their own? Forget it.
> 
> KS pays 50% with a contract? Is that worth it?


Laran, the Kindle Press authors who are active on Kboards generally seem very happy with the results. A number of them have submitted additional books to Kindle Scout, which is another good indication of satisfaction. I think the secret, as Laura mentioned, is Amazon marketing. We can tinker for months with an AMS ad to get a decent ROI, but Amazon has all the available customer data and knows exactly who to target.

I won't say my study of the issues was terribly scientific, but I did look very carefully at previously published Kindle Press titles, and generally they had good ranks and a good number of reviews, better than what I was doing on my own. (I can't say the same for a lot of small press books.)

Also, unlike most traditional publishers, Kindle Press doesn't force you to make changes. Selected authors who've described the process have made it clear they can accept or reject any proposed changes.

Whether or not Amazon marketing is worth 20% of your royalties depends on who you are. If you're already making a living on your own, then maybe the extra Amazon boost wouldn't be worth it to you. If you'd like to do better, though, then the program might be worth a try.

I'll also mention the exposure during the Scout campaign can be valuable even if you aren't selected. My Scout-rejected title became the fastest selling book I've ever had as soon as it was released. Even after the intro price and the promotions are long gone, sales continue to roll in, as do pages read. The Scout process can't account for all of that, but it did give me a big opening boost.


----------



## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Kay7979 said:


> Thanks for sharing this info, and best of luck with your promos! BTW, I just bought your book, since I had been meaning to anyway.  I had good luck with ENT. Apparently, they're one of the best promo services. I used MyBookCave with some success. As for tweets, I don't care whose tweets they are, tweets just don't get authors much mileage.
> 
> Did you discount your book during the Fussy Librarian promo?


Thanks so much for buying a copy, Kay! I really appreciate that and hope you enjoy it. I realize I had a typo in my note - my Countdown deal bumped up from 99 cents to $1.99 halfway through, and Monday it will go back to its regular $3.99.

And yes, the book was discounted to either 99 cents or $1.99 for the Fussy Librarian promo each time. It didn't seem that My Book Cave did anything for me, despite top billing in their email and on their page on Friday, but I have a few sales each day, perhaps enough to pay for it. Too bad. I still think the tweets were completely useless - won't do that again.


----------



## Used To Be BH

CRex896 said:


> The book itself has its own page at the moment, but no, I don't have a true author page. Mostly I've been making work-related posts public and personal posts friends only. I'm not sure I've built enough of a base to even bother with an Author Page, really.


Chicken...egg...you know how that one goes.

Author pages are a form of (free) advertising, and they're good for several reasons.

First, do you really want to bombard your friends with ads for your writing? Realistically, some of the aren't going to be interested.

Second, profiles are capped at 5,000 friends. I know that sounds like a lot, but pages aren't capped; you can have as many likes as you want. That may not seem like much of a problem now, but when you hit 5,000, it's too late to switch tracks--FB won't let you transfer some of those friends into page likes. Each one has to migrate on his or her own. (This is my fifth year, and I just checked my page. As of right now, I have 36,197. Of course, they aren't all active in any given week. In fact, a lot of them like the page to be supportive and never interact again. That's pretty normal. However, enough do interact that I can get the same results from simply posting something that I used to be able to get only by advertising. Needless to say, most of them don't actually buy books, but some of them will evolve into actual fans and buyers over time.)

Third, pages have a somewhat different layout that makes it easier to showcase content, host events, etc.

Saying you don't really have enough of a following to build a page is like saying you don't really have enough following to advertise. Building a page helps you get a following.

Just my (rather verbose) two cents.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Cindy Rinaman Marsch said:


> I still think the tweets were completely useless - won't do that again.


So I'm not the only one who thinks Twitter is basically a waste of bandwidth, at least as far as advertising is concerned? I find I get much higher response rates to what I do on FB. The one thing I will say for Twitter is that some people whom I don't hear from on FB I do hear from on Twitter, suggesting there are at least a few who prefer that platform.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> Sigh, no electronic sales of _War of the Worlds: Retalition_ yesterday or today, but I did sell a paperback...


Paperbacks are hard to move, so that's something.


----------



## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Bill Hiatt said:


> So I'm not the only one who thinks Twitter is basically a waste of bandwidth, at least as far as advertising is concerned? I find I get much higher response rates to what I do on FB. The one thing I will say for Twitter is that some people whom I don't hear from on FB I do hear from on Twitter, suggesting there are at least a few who prefer that platform.


Agreed, Bill. My best promos by far are in paid email lists - EReaderNewsToday, Fussy Librarian, EReaderCafe, MyBookCave, BargainBooksy, in that order. Only the first three brought real profit, and the next three paid for or almost paid for themselves. FreeBooksy got great downloads for my short story, with some of the effect I want from that - and I knew it was experimental since I don't have a big list to buy through. I'm concluding that "first free" works only as an occasional boost in KDP (my short story from 99 cents to free). I'm watching experienced folks conclude that, too - that bursts of free with perma-99-cents for first books in a series is a legit approach.


----------



## Laran Mithras

Ah, yes, marketing. Of course.


----------



## C. J. Sears

Bill Hiatt said:


> Chicken...egg...you know how that one goes.
> 
> Author pages are a form of (free) advertising, and they're good for several reasons.
> 
> First, do you really want to bombard your friends with ads for your writing? Realistically, some of the aren't going to be interested.
> 
> Second, profiles are capped at 5,000 friends. I know that sounds like a lot, but pages aren't capped; you can have as many likes as you want. That may not seem like much of a problem now, but when you hit 5,000, it's too late to switch tracks--FB won't let you transfer some of those friends into page likes. Each one has to migrate on his or her own. (This is my fifth year, and I just checked my page. As of right now, I have 36,197. Of course, they aren't all active in any given week. In fact, a lot of them like the page to be supportive and never interact again. That's pretty normal. However, enough do interact that I can get the same results from simply posting something that I used to be able to get only by advertising. Needless to say, most of them don't actually buy books, but some of them will evolve into actual fans and buyers over time.)
> 
> Third, pages have a somewhat different layout that makes it easier to showcase content, host events, etc.
> 
> Saying you don't really have enough of a following to build a page is like saying you don't really have enough following to advertise. Building a page helps you get a following.
> 
> Just my (rather verbose) two cents.


Thanks for the information, Bill. You're right, it's a silly thing to get hung up on. I've made a few adjustments and transformed the novel's page into my author. It had a few likes on it already, plus it was already @CJSearsAuthor to begin with, so I didn't see much point in starting fresh.

https://www.facebook.com/CJSearsAuthor



MarilynVix said:


> I do know FB promoters that have lists that can help. If you PM me, I can give you their information. They deal a lot in Romance books, but they may know some other promoters that deal in your genre too.


Although I imagine their genre circles would be completely different, I would be interested in learning more about this.

On-topic: I wonder how KS feels about sequels to books they've previously rejected? I'm far from finished with it, sure, but I can't help pondering if that would influence their decision to accept or reject a manuscript on any level.

Is there anyone here who's been rejected with a first entry but accepted with a sequel?


----------



## Used To Be BH

CRex896 said:


> Thanks for the information, Bill. You're right, it's a silly thing to get hung up on. I've made a few adjustments and transformed the novel's page into my author. It had a few likes on it already, plus it was already @CJSearsAuthor to begin with, so I didn't see much point in starting fresh.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/CJSearsAuthor
> 
> Although I imagine their genre circles would be completely different, I would be interested in learning more about this.
> 
> On-topic: I wonder how KS feels about sequels to books they've previously rejected? I'm far from finished with it, sure, but I can't help pondering if that would influence their decision to accept or reject a manuscript on any level.
> 
> I just liked your page. You made a video for the Scout campaign? Interesting. Did that get you many views?
> 
> With regard to sequels of rejected books, I'd shoot that question to Lincoln Cole, who has more of a sense of the history of the program than practically anyone else.
> 
> Scout has taken a few books that were second or later in a series, but I don't know if the earlier books had been rejected or not.
> 
> This is a time at which it would be good to know why your book was rejected, but we don't get that kind of information. If the editors didn't really like the premise, or something like that, there wouldn't be any point in submitting a sequel. On the other hand, we don't know that that's the case. For all we know, they could have been very close to selecting the book.
> 
> I'd be tempted to send it to Scout and see what happens. You could even just "set it and forget it," since we know stats do not determine selection.
> 
> Is there anyone here who's been rejected with a first entry but accepted with a sequel?


----------



## C. J. Sears

Bill Hiatt said:


> You made a video for the Scout campaign? Interesting. Did that get you many views?


I made a short video (had to be split into seven parts thanks to my terrible upload speeds) and attempted to get #evilisawhisper to trend, but, sadly, I don't think it ever took off. Me being a newbie to twitter didn't make for much of a crowd to work into a frenzy.

The videos themselves are sort of cheesy, but they fit into the vibe I was going for.

I agree that submitting a sequel depends entirely on why the original was rejected. If I did want to endure the thirty day trial, I would do "set it and forget it" for certain. Not wasting money on Facebook post boosts or Reddit ever again.


----------



## Michele Brouder

Just stopping by and checking in to see how everyone is doing. I hope ye all had a very merry Christmas. Ours was busy. I was really behind this year, working a lot, etc. Also lost internet for 5 days just before Christmas (the joys of living in rural Ireland!)

I was happy with how A Whyte Christmas performed from its launch on Nov 11th until last week when it tanked which I suspected. Other than the preorder, I ran no promos and have it at $3.99. I managed to get 23K in KENP for Dec and sold 35 ebooks. Not setting the world on fire, but I'm happy with it. I do have a Kindle deal scheduled for Jan 19th and I'll be curious to see how that goes. I'll share those figures with you as the results come in. I did start tinkering with AMS ads and as of yesterday I've sold 2 books and my KENP has spiked back up. So I'll keep tinkering. 

I've also been reading some of Chris Fox's writing books: Write to Market and Six Figure Market. Both concise and worth taking a look at.


----------



## editorjmv

I made videos for my Kindle Scout campaign last year. You can see some of them at: https://www.facebook.com/JoanMVerba/videos/ I can't say how effective they were, but I enjoyed making them.

(P.S. I can make videos such as these for others, too. If interested, message me.)


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## Luke Christodoulou

Hi everyone!
As I mentioned before, the rejection from KS was 'obliviated' by the fact that a few days later I was accepted on Bookbub!
I highly recommend you all try it!
Results were out of this world. Death of A Bride sold 3000 copies in just two days. It reached no1 in its categories and 47 in the overall Amazon ranking (69 in the UK)! Also, my other three books sold a combined 300 copied and I had over 16000 pages read. Well worth the hefty 1024 dollar campaign.
Sales are still up compared to my usual 6-8 books a day.
Forget KS, go solo and try Bookbub 
If any editor from KS is reading this, know I could have made my advance back in hours!
Ok, enough gloating...Seriously, though try Bookbub.
Also, a major thank you to all who bought my book. Looking forward to your opinions.
Yes, I am still nominating from the list even though I know Hot and Trending does not mean anything.
HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!!!


----------



## C. J. Sears

Luke Christodoulou said:


> Hi everyone!
> As I mentioned before, the rejection from KS was 'obliviated' by the fact that a few days later I was accepted on Bookbub!
> I highly recommend you all try it!
> Results were out of this world. Death of A Bride sold 3000 copies in just two days. It reached no1 in its categories and 47 in the overall Amazon ranking (69 in the UK)! Also, my other three books sold a combined 300 copied and I had over 16000 pages read. Well, worth the hefty 1024 dollar campaign.
> Sales are still up compared to mu usual 6-8 books a day.
> Forget KS, go solo and try Bookbub
> If any editor from KS is reading this, know I could have made my advance back in hours!
> Ok, enough gloating...Seriously, though try Bookbub.
> Also, a major thank you to all who bought my book. Looking forward to your opinions.
> Yes, I am still nominating from the list even though I know Hot and Trending does not mean anything.
> HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!!!


Happy for you, Luke! I'm still working my way through _Murder on Display_ but I've enjoyed what I've read thus far. I think I'm six or seven chapters in. 

Good to know that Bookbub comes through for authors like no one else. Sadly, my attempt to join in was rejected. I'll have to wait until the middle of February to make another request. Hopefully by that time I will have built up more goodwill for _The Shadow Over Lone Oak_ and can sway their opinion.


----------



## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Luke Christodoulou said:


> Hi everyone!
> As I mentioned before, the rejection from KS was 'obliviated' by the fact that a few days later I was accepted on Bookbub!
> I highly recommend you all try it!
> Results were out of this world. Death of A Bride sold 3000 copies in just two days. It reached no1 in its categories and 47 in the overall Amazon ranking (69 in the UK)! Also, my other three books sold a combined 300 copied and I had over 16000 pages read. Well, worth the hefty 1024 dollar campaign.
> Sales are still up compared to mu usual 6-8 books a day.
> Forget KS, go solo and try Bookbub
> If any editor from KS is reading this, know I could have made my advance back in hours!
> Ok, enough gloating...Seriously, though try Bookbub.
> Also, a major thank you to all who bought my book. Looking forward to your opinions.
> Yes, I am still nominating from the list even though I know Hot and Trending does not mean anything.
> HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!!!


Congratulations, Luke! I'm encouraged by the fact that I do on my own at least as well as the middle range of KS picks, and they've got all that promo power behind them. So there! Maybe KS will see the light the next time around.


----------



## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Michele Brouder said:


> Just stopping by and checking in to see how everyone is doing. I hope ye all had a very merry Christmas. Ours was busy. I was really behind this year, working a lot, etc. Also lost internet for 5 days just before Christmas (the joys of living in rural Ireland!)
> 
> I was happy with how A Whyte Christmas performed from its launch on Nov 11th until last week when it tanked which I suspected. Other than the preorder, I ran no promos and have it at $3.99. I managed to get 23K in KENP for Dec and sold 35 ebooks. Not setting the world on fire, but I'm happy with it. I do have a Kindle deal scheduled for Jan 19th and I'll be curious to see how that goes. I'll share those figures with you as the results come in. I did start tinkering with AMS ads and as of yesterday I've sold 2 books and my KENP has spiked back up. So I'll keep tinkering.
> 
> I've also been reading some of Chris Fox's writing books: Write to Market and Six Figure Market. Both concise and worth taking a look at.


Good job, Michele!


----------



## Used To Be BH

Luke Christodoulou said:


> Hi everyone!
> As I mentioned before, the rejection from KS was 'obliviated' by the fact that a few days later I was accepted on Bookbub!
> I highly recommend you all try it!
> Results were out of this world. Death of A Bride sold 3000 copies in just two days. It reached no1 in its categories and 47 in the overall Amazon ranking (69 in the UK)! Also, my other three books sold a combined 300 copied and I had over 16000 pages read. Well, worth the hefty 1024 dollar campaign.
> Sales are still up compared to mu usual 6-8 books a day.
> Forget KS, go solo and try Bookbub
> If any editor from KS is reading this, know I could have made my advance back in hours!
> Ok, enough gloating...Seriously, though try Bookbub.
> Also, a major thank you to all who bought my book. Looking forward to your opinions.
> Yes, I am still nominating from the list even though I know Hot and Trending does not mean anything.
> HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!!!


Sensational results! Congratulations!

I can't resist pointing out, however, that it's not an either/or situation. I do believe some of the Kindle Press authors have said KP may arrange Bookbub promotions for books that are doing reasonably well. It's possible to try KS and still do Bookbub later if you don't make it, as you proved so well.

It's also worth noting that Bookbub rejects an enormously high percentage of those who apply. I'd love to try Bookbub, but so far they haven't loved to try me!


----------



## Luke Christodoulou

CRex896 said:


> Happy for you, Luke! I'm still working my way through _Murder on Display_ but I've enjoyed what I've read thus far. I think I'm six or seven chapters in.
> 
> Good to know that Bookbub comes through for authors like no one else. Sadly, my attempt to join in was rejected. I'll have to wait until the middle of February to make another request. Hopefully by that time I will have built up more goodwill for _The Shadow Over Lone Oak_ and can sway their opinion.


To be honest, I think Bookbub does not accept authors with just one book. Though, I could be wrong! Anyway, I would not recommend it alone. Bookbub boosts all your books. It is good to have a series and then go for bookbub! Also, they want good reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. The more the merrier!


----------



## Kay7979

Michele Brouder said:


> Just stopping by and checking in to see how everyone is doing. I hope ye all had a very merry Christmas. Ours was busy. I was really behind this year, working a lot, etc. Also lost internet for 5 days just before Christmas (the joys of living in rural Ireland!)
> 
> I was happy with how A Whyte Christmas performed from its launch on Nov 11th until last week when it tanked which I suspected. Other than the preorder, I ran no promos and have it at $3.99. I managed to get 23K in KENP for Dec and sold 35 ebooks. Not setting the world on fire, but I'm happy with it. I do have a Kindle deal scheduled for Jan 19th and I'll be curious to see how that goes. I'll share those figures with you as the results come in. I did start tinkering with AMS ads and as of yesterday I've sold 2 books and my KENP has spiked back up. So I'll keep tinkering.
> 
> I've also been reading some of Chris Fox's writing books: Write to Market and Six Figure Market. Both concise and worth taking a look at.


That's great KENP, and your sales are really good too. I see you have new reviews lately. Good job!


----------



## Kay7979

Luke Christodoulou said:


> Hi everyone!
> As I mentioned before, the rejection from KS was 'obliviated' by the fact that a few days later I was accepted on Bookbub!
> I highly recommend you all try it!
> Results were out of this world. Death of A Bride sold 3000 copies in just two days. It reached no1 in its categories and 47 in the overall Amazon ranking (69 in the UK)! Also, my other three books sold a combined 300 copied and I had over 16000 pages read. Well worth the hefty 1024 dollar campaign.
> Sales are still up compared to my usual 6-8 books a day.
> Forget KS, go solo and try Bookbub
> If any editor from KS is reading this, know I could have made my advance back in hours!
> Ok, enough gloating...Seriously, though try Bookbub.
> Also, a major thank you to all who bought my book. Looking forward to your opinions.
> Yes, I am still nominating from the list even though I know Hot and Trending does not mean anything.
> HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!!!


Fantastic results. Congratulations!


----------



## Used To Be BH

Michele Brouder said:


> Just stopping by and checking in to see how everyone is doing. I hope ye all had a very merry Christmas. Ours was busy. I was really behind this year, working a lot, etc. Also lost internet for 5 days just before Christmas (the joys of living in rural Ireland!)
> 
> I was happy with how A Whyte Christmas performed from its launch on Nov 11th until last week when it tanked which I suspected. Other than the preorder, I ran no promos and have it at $3.99. I managed to get 23K in KENP for Dec and sold 35 ebooks. Not setting the world on fire, but I'm happy with it. I do have a Kindle deal scheduled for Jan 19th and I'll be curious to see how that goes. I'll share those figures with you as the results come in. I did start tinkering with AMS ads and as of yesterday I've sold 2 books and my KENP has spiked back up. So I'll keep tinkering.
> 
> I've also been reading some of Chris Fox's writing books: Write to Market and Six Figure Market. Both concise and worth taking a look at.


Congratulations! Those figures are very good for a second book. (Setting the world on fire doesn't happen overnight!) I also notice Whyte Christmas has very good reviews--lots of them for the short time it's been up. This is definitely a good sign for the future.


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## Kay7979

I'm working on the first edition of my newsletter. Today I sent PMs to people on my Facebook author page, inviting them to sign up for the newsletter. Some of you are on my author page, so you may have gotten a message. I don't expect anyone here to sign up unless you're genuinely interested. The first newsletter will include a section on gemstone folklore, and of course info about book two along with a few teasers. 
http://www.kaylling.com/newsletter.html


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## Evenstar

I'd love to get a bookbub. I'm at 40 rejections (and counting) on my YA name (below), so I'm really hoping that having a brand new author name will help them to love me more. My main concern is getting book two out and getting a decent number of reviews so I can actually apply for Bookbub.  

I have this plan to leave it in KU for two terms and then put it up for pre-order wide so as to give it time to gain momentum on the other sites before I apply to BB. I'm hoping there will be three in the series by then. With or without BB I'll try for a seriously stacked promo on release week and try to hit NYT and USAT.

Long term plan and all that


----------



## Michele Brouder

Evenstar said:


> I'd love to get a bookbub. I'm at 40 rejections (and counting) on my YA name (below), so I'm really hoping that having a brand new author name will help them to love me more. My main concern is getting book two out and getting a decent number of reviews so I can actually apply for Bookbub.
> 
> I have this plan to leave it in KU for two terms and then put it up for pre-order wide so as to give it time to gain momentum on the other sites before I apply to BB. I'm hoping there will be three in the series by then. With or without BB I'll try for a seriously stacked promo on release week and try to hit NYT and USAT.
> 
> Long term plan and all that


I just tried for my first BB and was rejected (no surprise). I'm thinking of doing 2 things with my YA paranormal series before applying again. First, go wide (which means leaving KU) I read/heard somewhere that you might have a better chance if your book is available at more than one vendor. Second, get the second book out there in the series (hopefully by late spring). I am feverishly doing a major rewrite at present to get it out there. 
40 BB rejections is a lot-proving that applying to BB is not for the faint of heart. It's like all those years of hundreds of rejection letters from agents and publishers. I refused to let it get me down, instead with each rejection, I told myself I was one step closer to publication. Rock on!


----------



## Michele Brouder

Luke Christodoulou said:


> Hi everyone!
> As I mentioned before, the rejection from KS was 'obliviated' by the fact that a few days later I was accepted on Bookbub!
> I highly recommend you all try it!
> Results were out of this world. Death of A Bride sold 3000 copies in just two days. It reached no1 in its categories and 47 in the overall Amazon ranking (69 in the UK)! Also, my other three books sold a combined 300 copied and I had over 16000 pages read. Well worth the hefty 1024 dollar campaign.
> Sales are still up compared to my usual 6-8 books a day.
> Forget KS, go solo and try Bookbub
> If any editor from KS is reading this, know I could have made my advance back in hours!
> Ok, enough gloating...Seriously, though try Bookbub.
> Also, a major thank you to all who bought my book. Looking forward to your opinions.
> Yes, I am still nominating from the list even though I know Hot and Trending does not mean anything.
> HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!!!


Well done!


----------



## Evenstar

Michele Brouder said:


> I just tried for my first BB and was rejected (no surprise). I'm thinking of doing 2 things with my YA paranormal series before applying again. First, go wide (which means leaving KU) I read/heard somewhere that you might have a better chance if your book is available at more than one vendor. Second, get the second book out there in the series (hopefully by late spring). I am feverishly doing a major rewrite at present to get it out there.
> 40 BB rejections is a lot-proving that applying to BB is not for the faint of heart. It's like all those years of hundreds of rejection letters from agents and publishers. I refused to let it get me down, instead with each rejection, I told myself I was one step closer to publication. Rock on!


Yes, I have a lot of different books and boxsets I can use to apply for bookbub, so generally I just do a blanket submission every six weeks or so. They probably roll their eyes every time they see my name


----------



## Michele Brouder

Evenstar said:


> Yes, I have a lot of different books and boxsets I can use to apply for bookbub, so generally I just do a blanket submission every six weeks or so. They probably roll their eyes every time they see my name


On the flip side, it's the squeaky wheel that gets the oil.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Michele Brouder said:


> I just tried for my first BB and was rejected (no surprise). I'm thinking of doing 2 things with my YA paranormal series before applying again. First, go wide (which means leaving KU) I read/heard somewhere that you might have a better chance if your book is available at more than one vendor. Second, get the second book out there in the series (hopefully by late spring). I am feverishly doing a major rewrite at present to get it out there.
> 40 BB rejections is a lot-proving that applying to BB is not for the faint of heart. It's like all those years of hundreds of rejection letters from agents and publishers. I refused to let it get me down, instead with each rejection, I told myself I was one step closer to publication. Rock on!


Everything I've read on the subject suggests that Bookbub does prefer wide books. My problem has always been that I never sell that much on other outlets when I'm wide, so for me it would be a question of giving up relatively high KU income for miniscule sales elsewhere on the off chance that I'd get a Bookbub.

BTW, that seems to be another advantage of Kindle Scout. At least some of the Kindle Press authors have been able to get Bookbub's despite not being wide. Of course, in that case it's Kindle Press asking, which may make a difference.


----------



## Luke Christodoulou

Bill Hiatt said:


> Everything I've read on the subject suggests that Bookbub does prefer wide books. My problem has always been that I never sell that much on other outlets when I'm wide, so for me it would be a question of giving up relatively high KU income for miniscule sales elsewhere on the off chance that I'd get a Bookbub.
> 
> BTW, that seems to be another advantage of Kindle Scout. At least some of the Kindle Press authors have been able to get Bookbub's despite not being wide. Of course, in that case it's Kindle Press asking, which may make a difference.


I heard that they prefer wide books. However, all my books are enrolled in select/KU and I was accepted so it is not a necessity. Sometimes it is good timing in the category you apply for. They always promote two crime fiction books a day. If mine was only on Amazon, the other was not, thus having an option for all crime fiction subscribers. Everyone receives an email based on their preferences. People that did not tick the amazon box and ticked only nook and ibooks, did not receive my book in their newsletter.

That being said, Bookbub is like all in the industry. Someone has to like your book. The bookbub team liked mine and thought it would sell. Kindle Press and others thought it would not. It all comes down to finding someone to believe in your book.


----------



## Kay7979

I just want to remind those of you who stop here infrequently that we also have the KS alumni Facebook group now and it's been very active.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> I just want to remind those of you who stop here infrequently that we also have the KS alumni Facebook group now and it's been very active.


www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/ if you want the link 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

I sold a paperback!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, it's a silly thing to get so excited about but it's the first one!

Plus really struggling to get motivated today (or maybe concentration) and have got barely anything done 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## JulianneQJohnson

lauramg_1406 said:


> I sold a paperback!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Sorry, it's a silly thing to get so excited about but it's the first one!
> 
> Plus really struggling to get motivated today (or maybe concentration) and have got barely anything done
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Lol, I've sold exactly one paperback myself, and I was super excited.


----------



## MarilynVix

To show there is life after KS, I've just got back the link for Everything For Love's book trailer.
Scheduled for release Jan. 26, with preorders starting Jan. 20.


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## JulianneQJohnson

MarilynVix said:


> To show there is life after KS, I've just got back the link for Everything For Love's book trailer.
> Scheduled for release Jan. 26, with preorders starting Jan. 20.


Love the book trailer! Excellent voice over.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

For those of you not on the Kindle Scout Alumni Facebook page, I shared my blog post about my first 30 days after self-publishing, if you're interested. It ended up being quite lengthy, but I went through quite a bit. https://joynellschultz.wordpress.com/2017/01/15/lessons-learned-first-30-days-of-self-publishing/


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## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> I sold a paperback!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Sorry, it's a silly thing to get so excited about but it's the first one!
> 
> Plus really struggling to get motivated today (or maybe concentration) and have got barely anything done
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Indie paperback sales are tough to get. I always celebrate even one.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> Indie paperback sales are tough to get. I always celebrate even one.


Glad I'm not the only one!

Of course the other side of it is that I need to celebrate the little things or i'd get bogged down in how little progress I seem to be making sometimes!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Joynell Schultz said:


> For those of you not on the Kindle Scout Alumni Facebook page, I shared my blog post about my first 30 days after self-publishing, if you're interested. It ended up being quite lengthy, but I went through quite a bit. https://joynellschultz.wordpress.com/2017/01/15/lessons-learned-first-30-days-of-self-publishing/


Great post, Joy! Thanks so much for sharing. I know it will help a lot of folks know what to expect. My one-year anniversary of my release is coming next week, and I plan to write up a report on sales, promos, etc. like yours. Congrats!


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## MarilynVix

Joynell Schultz said:


> For those of you not on the Kindle Scout Alumni Facebook page, I shared my blog post about my first 30 days after self-publishing, if you're interested. It ended up being quite lengthy, but I went through quite a bit. https://joynellschultz.wordpress.com/2017/01/15/lessons-learned-first-30-days-of-self-publishing/


Good post. Taking those kernels of wisdom and applying them to my release.


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## Kay7979

The length of time between Kindle Scout selecting a book and the notification that it's ready to download seems to be shorter lately. Is it my imagination? If not, are they rushing the editing process? 

Today I got notifications to download three books. Quite frankly, I generally read and review non-selected books ahead of the winning authors, since I figure we non-selected folks have a greater need for reviews. Selected authors get hundreds or thousands of downloads that count as sales, and I expect they'll get a fair number of reviews. That said, I just reviewed Wantland Files today. Lara seems very nice and I really enjoyed her book.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> The length of time between Kindle Scout selecting a book and the notification that it's ready to download seems to be shorter lately. Is it my imagination? If not, are they rushing the editing process?
> 
> Today I got notifications to download three books. Quite frankly, I generally read and review non-selected books ahead of the winning authors, since I figure we non-selected folks have a greater need for reviews. Selected authors get hundreds or thousands of downloads that count as sales, and I expect they'll get a fair number of reviews. That said, I just reviewed Wantland Files today. Lara seems very nice and I really enjoyed her book.


Yeah I noticed that! I got notifications for 4 different books ready from KS. I'm guessing it could just be the back log from over Christmas!

I'm terrible at reading and reviewing them from Scout. I keep meaning to!

On other news the two none selected books I've reviewed (I'm a little bit behind on those too!) Now actually appear on my reviewed page on KS. Weird!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## MarilynVix

So, I'm setting up a *Valentine's New Release Romance promo Feb. 10-14*. I'm doing a *romance author cross-promo* to help get the word about new releases. I'm also including deals and freebies if people are doing them during those dates too. So, if you got a romance, I'm your gal.
I've got a thread with all the details here:
http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,246689.0.html


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## lauramg_1406

MarilynVix said:


> So, I'm setting up a *Valentine's New Release Romance promo Feb. 10-14*. I'm doing a *romance author cross-promo* to help get the word about new releases. I'm also including deals and freebies if people are doing them during those dates too. So, if you got a romance, I'm your gal.
> I've got a thread with all the details here:
> http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,246689.0.html


Ooo I have a PNR coming out on the 24th Jan! Definitely interested!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

Joynell Schultz said:


> For those of you not on the Kindle Scout Alumni Facebook page, I shared my blog post about my first 30 days after self-publishing, if you're interested. It ended up being quite lengthy, but I went through quite a bit. https://joynellschultz.wordpress.com/2017/01/15/lessons-learned-first-30-days-of-self-publishing/


I thought your blog post was interesting and I see you got several comments from prospective authors who found it helpful. It's true that it takes time to make money on a first novel, and it's annoying to spend a lot of time marketing when you'd rather be writing.

I sold another paperback locally today. It will be a birthday present, and the husband was excited to get his wife a signed copy. Moments like that make writing feel more rewarding.


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## papercarver65

MarilynVix said:


> To show there is life after KS, I've just got back the link for Everything For Love's book trailer.
> Scheduled for release Jan. 26, with preorders starting Jan. 20.


I love it!


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## papercarver65

I'm running a Headtalker campaign for my ex-KS YA Fantasy that I'm releasing Jan 24 and I could use your support if you have a moment https://headtalker.com/campaigns/glimmer-of-steel-now-available/

Not sure if Headtalker is helpful or not, but it's free!


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## MarilynVix

So after a formatting struggle that I emerged triumphant, I finally have pushed the button on KDP, and I'm in review for my preorder. Hopefully in 12-72 hours, I'll have a buy link soon. I got promoters lined up waiting.
Now, time to think about posts for my blog tour.
Hope you all are doing well with your books and launches!  
-Marilyn


----------



## cmstafford

papercarver65 said:


> I'm running a Headtalker campaign for my ex-KS YA Fantasy that I'm releasing Jan 24 and I could use your support if you have a moment https://headtalker.com/campaigns/glimmer-of-steel-now-available/
> 
> Not sure if Headtalker is helpful or not, but it's free!


Done


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## Kay7979

papercarver65 said:


> I'm running a Headtalker campaign for my ex-KS YA Fantasy that I'm releasing Jan 24 and I could use your support if you have a moment https://headtalker.com/campaigns/glimmer-of-steel-now-available/
> 
> Not sure if Headtalker is helpful or not, but it's free!


Done.


----------



## Kay7979

MarilynVix said:


> So after a formatting struggle that I emerged triumphant, I finally have pushed the button on KDP, and I'm in review for my preorder. Hopefully in 12-72 hours, I'll have a buy link soon. I got promoters lined up waiting.
> Now, time to think about posts for my blog tour.
> Hope you all are doing well with your books and launches!
> -Marilyn


Good luck. Keep us posted. I'd like to know more about your blog tour since I've never gotten involved in one and have heard various opinions anout their effectiveness.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

I always wished I had the power to lay my hand on a book and be able to know everything that's inside. There are so many great books and not enough time. Urgh!



papercarver65 said:


> I'm running a Headtalker campaign for my ex-KS YA Fantasy that I'm releasing Jan 24 and I could use your support if you have a moment https://headtalker.com/campaigns/glimmer-of-steel-now-available/
> 
> Not sure if Headtalker is helpful or not, but it's free!


I have you supported. I think Headtalker is moderately effective. You'll get some clicks at least. Hopefully a few sales. BTW-your book looks great!



MarilynVix said:


> So after a formatting struggle that I emerged triumphant, I finally have pushed the button on KDP, and I'm in review for my preorder. Hopefully in 12-72 hours, I'll have a buy link soon. I got promoters lined up waiting.
> Now, time to think about posts for my blog tour.
> Hope you all are doing well with your books and launches!
> -Marilyn


Congrats! I'm excited to see this out! Another book that looks fabulous.



Kay7979 said:


> I thought your blog post was interesting and I see you got several comments from prospective authors who found it helpful. It's true that it takes time to make money on a first novel, and it's annoying to spend a lot of time marketing when you'd rather be writing.
> 
> I sold another paperback locally today. It will be a birthday present, and the husband was excited to get his wife a signed copy. Moments like that make writing feel more rewarding.


Woo hoo on the paperback sale! (And thanks for checking out my blog.)


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## Kay7979

I'm preparing for the launch of my newsletter, Gnome Gnotes, scheduled to go out on the 28th. In my inaugural edition I'm including a section on gemstone folklore, and I'm making that section into a PDF as well, to be used as my "reader magnet."

I have another idea for a magnet (details in the newsletter) that involves reader participation, and participants must be active subscribers when I complete the offer toward the end of this year. I think this idea is unique, interesting, and fun. When you read the details, I'd love your opinion, and let me know whether you think readers will participate. How's that for a teaser? Gnome Gnotes: http://www.kaylling.com/newsletter.html

I'm looking forward to receiving newsletters from this group as I'm sure I'll learn a lot from all of you. And it's fun to see the variety of formats and content.


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## Used To Be BH

papercarver65 said:


> I'm running a Headtalker campaign for my ex-KS YA Fantasy that I'm releasing Jan 24 and I could use your support if you have a moment https://headtalker.com/campaigns/glimmer-of-steel-now-available/
> 
> Not sure if Headtalker is helpful or not, but it's free!


Done! Since it's free, you may as well try it.


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## lauramg_1406

Yey! Great news on the pre-order reviewing Marilyn (I'm excited to read it!) and Kay for the paperback sale, that's always exciting! 

Supported Headtalker - I don't know how effective it is either (but we did get a good number of clicks from the headtalker campaigns we did for the KS cross promo!) but as others have said, it's free! So even one sale would make the ten minute set up worthwhile! 

Oh keep us posted about your NL idea Kay! It sounds interesting, and I'd love to know how it goes. 

Also...anyone got any ideas for a good guest post topic? I need one, but can't think of one.


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## Kay7979

Without looking, I'm not sure how many on this thread have signed up for my newsletter. On the FB group, several of us signed up for each others', partly to be supportive, partly to get good ideas from one another. Once my newsletter is out, I'll discuss the magnet here, (if anyone's interested) but it would be difficult to use this idea with most books.

In other news today, I don't often publish blog posts, but I posted one today about my road from growing up reading fantasy, to being burned-out on it completely, to writing it myself.

http://www.kaylling.com/blog/give-me-a-tale-that-isnt-stale

My big news of the day, however, is I just got a Kirkus review for Beyond the Forest and posted it under editorial reviews on my Amazon product page. I was a little afraid to read it, but it was better than I could have hoped for, and I'm more than a little excited! I know opinions vary on the wisdom of getting a Kirkus review since they're expensive, and there's no guarantee they'll like your book. Also, I've read many positive reviews from Kirkus that were 98% synopsis and 2% opinion-related remarks. One or two nice sentences aren't much help.

I felt a positive Kirkus review would lend credibility to my debut novel and have spill-over effects on the rest of the series. People say editorial reviews don't sell books, and that's true to a point, but I think it could be helpful in getting a Bookbub someday, or in getting more serious attention for my series in general. Time will tell. In any case, I've blown money on less important things in my life.


----------



## MarilynVix

So, everyone that has released a book after a KS campaign, when do you tell your KS nominators the book is out? Do you tell them during the time it's on preorder, or wait and send out the message when it's for official sale and can be borrowed on KU?

Oh yes, Everything For Love is on preorder now. Tis' why I'm asking. ;-)

Oh, and one more thing, I thought 65K would be longer than 181 pages. The PDF is like 267, and that's the number I'm giving to my Createspace cover designer. So, I'm not sure why KDP is saying only 181?


----------



## Kay7979

MarilynVix said:


> So, everyone that has released a book after a KS campaign, when do you tell your KS nominators the book is out? Do you tell them during the time it's on preorder, or wait and send out the message when it's for official sale and can be borrowed on KU?
> 
> Oh yes, Everything For Love is on preorder now. Tis' why I'm asking. ;-)


A lot of us haven't done preorders. I didn't. I went live for three days to make sure my Author Central was set up and the eBook and paperback were linked, then when I was sure everything was glitch-free I sent out the notification.


----------



## C. J. Sears

MarilynVix said:


> So, everyone that has released a book after a KS campaign, when do you tell your KS nominators the book is out? Do you tell them during the time it's on preorder, or wait and send out the message when it's for official sale and can be borrowed on KU?
> 
> Oh yes, Everything For Love is on preorder now. Tis' why I'm asking. ;-)


Good to know.  When I released _The Shadow Over Lone Oak_ I clicked the button to notify my readers as soon as it was available for purchase. Then again, I had no massive installed reader base to appeal to at the time, so your experience may differ.

------------

I set aside time today to finally finish Luke Christodoulou's _Murder on Display_. It was an enjoyable read and recommended for those who like classic murder mysteries. I've left him a review under my full name, so hopefully he knows which is which when it's posted.


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Wow, got a hardcover sale this week! Amazon sold it to the customer for $27.99 plus tax. Amazon buys it from the publisher for $12.60 and pockets the difference. My royalty? $0.64. And I have to split that with my co-author and Uncle Sam. **SIGH** At least I got a sale, right?


Wow. Why so little? Isn't the profit margin higher for a Createspace paperback?

The book looks great, though!


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## SG

Mark Gardner said:


> Wow, got a hardcover sale this week! Amazon sold it to the customer for $27.99 plus tax. Amazon buys it from the publisher for $12.60 and pockets the difference. My royalty? $0.64. And I have to split that with my co-author and Uncle Sam. **SIGH** At least I got a sale, right?


YAY for the sale! The books look so awesome.


----------



## SG

papercarver65 said:


> I'm running a Headtalker campaign for my ex-KS YA Fantasy that I'm releasing Jan 24 and I could use your support if you have a moment https://headtalker.com/campaigns/glimmer-of-steel-now-available/
> 
> Not sure if Headtalker is helpful or not, but it's free!


Done


----------



## lauramg_1406

MarilynVix said:


> So, everyone that has released a book after a KS campaign, when do you tell your KS nominators the book is out? Do you tell them during the time it's on preorder, or wait and send out the message when it's for official sale and can be borrowed on KU?
> 
> Oh yes, Everything For Love is on preorder now. Tis' why I'm asking. ;-)
> 
> Oh, and one more thing, I thought 65K would be longer than 181 pages. The PDF is like 267, and that's the number I'm giving to my Createspace cover designer. So, I'm not sure why KDP is saying only 181?


I sent mine out during preorder and I don't think it made a difference at all, it still did bad from KS sending out the email.

That seems like a low page count...mine's 191 according to kindle and only around 51k words

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## bfleetwood

MarilynVix said:


> So, everyone that has released a book after a KS campaign, when do you tell your KS nominators the book is out? Do you tell them during the time it's on preorder, or wait and send out the message when it's for official sale and can be borrowed on KU?
> 
> Oh yes, Everything For Love is on preorder now. Tis' why I'm asking. ;-)
> 
> Oh, and one more thing, I thought 65K would be longer than 181 pages. The PDF is like 267, and that's the number I'm giving to my Createspace cover designer. So, I'm not sure why KDP is saying only 181?


Kindle Scout removed my button as I was over the 8 weeks post-campaign (panic!), but when I got in contact, they let me know I could email them using a set reference. They warned it could take 2-3 working days before my nominators were told, but I had heard that most authors found they sent out the notification almost immediately. I didn't want the KS folk getting the email before it was free, so I hung back until the first of my 3 free days. As it turned out, they sent the notification out within hours, so I am very glad I didn't do this in advance of the 'giveaway'. Thanks to the free days and the KS effect I was able to get into the top #100 free in both the US and UK. Even with dozens of promotions I doubt if I could have drummed up that number. So, time hitting that button very carefully!! Becky


----------



## amiblackwelder

Kay7979 said:


> A lot of us haven't done preorders. I didn't. I went live for three days to make sure my Author Central was set up and the eBook and paperback were linked, then when I was sure everything was glitch-free I sent out the notification.


Where is this notification button you guys speak of?


----------



## MarilynVix

lauramg_1406 said:


> I sent mine out during preorder and I don't think it made a difference at all, it still did bad from KS sending out the email.
> 
> That seems like a low page count...mine's 191 according to kindle and only around 51k words
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I've heard of this happening to people when in KU, especially when we're getting paid for pages read. I don't know whether it's so low because it's in preorder and whether it will go up when officially in KU. Not sure whether to send an email or wait until it gets out of preorder where it could change.


----------



## lauramg_1406

MarilynVix said:


> I've heard of this happening to people when in KU, especially when we're getting paid for pages read. I don't know whether it's so low because it's in preorder and whether it will go up when officially in KU. Not sure whether to send an email or wait until it gets out of preorder where it could change.


My KENP page count is higher! I think it's about 272idh so not sure how that one works!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

amiblackwelder said:


> Where is this notification button you guys speak of?


Go to your Kindle Scout page. There should be a notify button there.


----------



## bfleetwood

amiblackwelder said:


> Where is this notification button you guys speak of?


Think it is on 'your campaign' page


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> I felt a positive Kirkus review would lend credibility to my debut novel and have spill-over effects on the rest of the series. People say editorial reviews don't sell books, and that's true to a point, but I think it could be helpful in getting a Bookbub someday, or in getting more serious attention for my series in general. Time will tell. In any case, I've blown money on less important things in my life.


Yes, I've heard that a lot too, but there's really no data one way or the other. Some authors have a tendency to look at what they do with product pages and assume everyone does the same. While I haven't noticed big upsurges of sales when I post an excerpt from an editorial review, it could have some effect over time. It's also worth noting that trad publishers still seem to think they're important, sometimes posting a dozen or more on product pages for their big sellers. They don't seem to interpret editorial reviews as worthless.

Congratulations on getting a good review. Kirkus reviewers can be tough.


----------



## JulianneQJohnson

Kay7979 said:


> A lot of us haven't done preorders. I didn't. I went live for three days to make sure my Author Central was set up and the eBook and paperback were linked, then when I was sure everything was glitch-free I sent out the notification.


That's exactly how I did it.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> Wow, got a hardcover sale this week! Amazon sold it to the customer for $27.99 plus tax. Amazon buys it from the publisher for $12.60 and pockets the difference. My royalty? $0.64. And I have to split that with my co-author and Uncle Sam. **SIGH** At least I got a sale, right?


Indie hardcover sales are incredibly difficult to come by, so congratulations on that.

Given the low royalty, I have to ask, when you say "publisher," do you mean that in the traditional sense, or are you talking about a manufacturer? The price wholesale price seems very reasonable, but it it's really that low, and the retail price is really that high, I have a hard time imagining how the royalty could be so low. If the publisher is pocketing most of the money, that would make sense. If not, it sounds as if there's something wrong with the math somehow. $14.75 seems too high to be Amazon's share.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> The MSRP is $27.95. Wholesale cost is somewhere in the $12.60 range. When Amazon sells the hardcover at $27.99, they buy it from LSI at wholesale, and my royalty at that 55% wholesale discount is $0.64. I'm undecided if I should change the discount to 35%. On the one hand, my royalty will jump to around $7, but I think bookstores would be less likely to take a chance on my hardcover.


Ah, I see. I stopped worrying about bookstores a while ago, but if you could get placement in some, that would be great, and if some reason you don't, I suppose you could always change the discount later.


----------



## RWhite7699

https://headtalker.com/campaigns/my-dystopian-valentine
Here is the link to a very important Headtalker campaign. Please support! Thank you!


----------



## JulianneQJohnson

RWhite7699 said:


> https://headtalker.com/campaigns/my-dystopian-valentine
> Here is the link to a very important Headtalker campaign. Please support! Thank you!


Done and done! Looks good!


----------



## Kay7979

RWhite7699 said:


> https://headtalker.com/campaigns/my-dystopian-valentine
> Here is the link to a very important Headtalker campaign. Please support! Thank you!


Done!


----------



## papercarver65

Mark Gardner said:


> Wow, got a hardcover sale this week! Amazon sold it to the customer for $27.99 plus tax. Amazon buys it from the publisher for $12.60 and pockets the difference. My royalty? $0.64. And I have to split that with my co-author and Uncle Sam. **SIGH** At least I got a sale, right?


Congratulations! Your hardcover looks great. I'm going to do a hardcover for my new release too. I've used Ingram for paperback in the past and have been generally pleased with the quality.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

RWhite7699 said:


> https://headtalker.com/campaigns/my-dystopian-valentine
> Here is the link to a very important Headtalker campaign. Please support! Thank you!


Your "very important" Headtalker is supported. I wish you a ton of luck with it!


----------



## Tom Swyers

Good Morning!

I've started a Co-Promote sharing request thread here for those interested:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,246967.0.html


----------



## Michele Brouder

RWhite7699 said:


> https://headtalker.com/campaigns/my-dystopian-valentine
> Here is the link to a very important Headtalker campaign. Please support! Thank you!


Supported Ruth! Good luck.


----------



## Used To Be BH

I supported also. (I see a lot of familiar faces among the supporters!)


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## RWhite7699

Bill Hiatt said:


> I supported also. (I see a lot of familiar faces among the supporters!)


Yeah, feels like homecoming. It's nice to have cyber friends.


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## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Holy schnikies! I'm up to 3 hard cover sales!


Very cool!


----------



## JulianneQJohnson

Mark Gardner said:


> Holy schnikies! I'm up to 3 hard cover sales!


You rock!


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> I'm not sure if you all know who James Rollins is, but he totally dug _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_:
> "Rust and Gardner's sequel to the H.G. Wells' novel of a Martian invasion, War of the Worlds: Retaliation, does the original story full justice, while bringing their own skills to bear as the writing pair take the battle to Mars, bringing along a bevy of historical figures from World War Two. It's an exciting rollercoaster of a ride, with sudden twists and heart-stopping drops-and one I wouldn't mind riding again."
> -James Rollins


That's a great review. Congrats!


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> Holy schnikies! I'm up to 3 hard cover sales!


Sensational! With other versions readily available, it says something that people are willing to spend extra on the hardcover. They obviously see the book as a keeper.


----------



## Kay7979

papercarver65 said:


> Question.
> 
> How long before KS sends out the announcement email to nominators after you tell them your self-pubbed book is available? I thought I had read somewhere it was 1-2 days. I let them know on Monday and haven't received the email yet-- yes, I nominated myself so I would know


Generally within a couple hours of hitting the button. It should have come by now.


----------



## lauramg_1406

papercarver65 said:


> Hmm. I wonder what's up with that? I've emailed them and hopefully someone will get back to me soon.
> 
> I think he'd like that. I'll shoot you an email.


I got the email saying Glimmer of Steel was available earlier 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

papercarver65 said:


> Yes, thank goodness. It was sort of the whole point of groveling for nominations LOL. This is the email I received this morning from KS:
> 
> Dear Karin,
> 
> We apologize for any inconvenience.
> 
> Thank you for letting us know that your book "Glimmer of Steel" is available on Amazon. We have confirmed the ASIN you provided. We'll soon send an email to all the Scouts who nominated your work during its Kindle Scout campaign and asked to receive updates about your book.
> 
> Thank you for participating in Kindle Scout!


I finally got the notification too. I'm glad they got it sorted out for you. I've never heard of anyone having this problem.


----------



## lauramg_1406

It almost sounds like they weren't sure your ASIN was valid or something! How odd.

I do wonder what KS's aversion to fantasy that isn't paranormal or urban though. It seems like they don't pick much of it :-( which is annoying, because that was what I was planning to submit next!

BTW this is your (semi) regular reminder that the KS Alumni have a fb group that you can join! 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/


----------



## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> I do wonder what KS's aversion to fantasy that isn't paranormal or urban though. It seems like they don't pick much of it :-( which is annoying, because that was what I was planning to submit next!


On the other hand, I don't remember seeing that many traditional fantasy books campaigning. Perhaps if there were more of them trying for a contract, more might get a contract?

That said, it's probably a perception of the market. Leaving classics like _Lord of the Rings_ aside, haven't the bulk of fantasy bestsellers in recent years been urban or paranormal? That could be the reason they're more reluctant to take a chance.

Oops, I was forgetting George R. R. Martin. Especially given the success of the TV adaptation, you'd think someone would have starting looking for something of that type.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> On the other hand, I don't remember seeing that many traditional fantasy books campaigning. Perhaps if there were more of them trying for a contract, more might get a contract?
> 
> That said, it's probably a perception of the market. Leaving classics like _Lord of the Rings_ aside, haven't the bulk of fantasy bestsellers in recent years been urban or paranormal? That could be the reason they're more reluctant to take a chance.
> 
> Oops, I was forgetting George R. R. Martin. Especially given the success of the TV adaptation, you'd think someone would have starting looking for something of that type.


You could have a very good point there! I think maybe it comes down to urban and paranormal readers being more active maybe?

I don't think traditional sword & sorcery books get nearly enough attention! I've always been a big fan (Brandon Sanderson is one of my favourites. Really liked Trudi Canavan's earlier stuff too) but I don't seem to come across much of it in promos compared to other genres.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## Kay7979

I sold a paperback yesterday and today plus one in person this week. I'm on a roll. Ha! 

The maiden voyage of my newsletter is Saturday. Small triumphs.


----------



## MarilynVix

So, got a question for people that did a paperback edition after their ebook. Did you use Createspace or the new KDP paperback option? I've already done Createspace paperback edition of other books, so I'm familiar with the process. Never used the KDP paperback option yet. Is it similar to Createspace, same distribution and royalities? 

Trying to decide which way to go, Createspace paperback or KDP paperback.


----------



## Kay7979

MarilynVix said:


> So, got a question for people that did a paperback edition after their ebook. Did you use Createspace or the new KDP paperback option? I've already done Createspace paperback edition of other books, so I'm familiar with the process. Never used the KDP paperback option yet. Is it similar to Createspace, same distribution and royalities?
> 
> Trying to decide which way to go, Createspace paperback or KDP paperback.


From everything I've read, you want to remain with CreateSpace.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

MarilynVix said:


> So, got a question for people that did a paperback edition after their ebook. Did you use Createspace or the new KDP paperback option? I've already done Createspace paperback edition of other books, so I'm familiar with the process. Never used the KDP paperback option yet. Is it similar to Createspace, same distribution and royalities?
> 
> Trying to decide which way to go, Createspace paperback or KDP paperback.


I heard the quality's better with Createspace...but authors really like how sales through KDP Paperback integrate with the sales report. Even with this, I'm choosing the better quality for my next one until I hear more positives on KDP.


----------



## Kay7979

Joynell Schultz said:


> I heard the quality's better with Createspace...but authors really like how sales through KDP Paperback integrate with the sales report. Even with this, I'm choosing the better quality for my next one until I hear more positives on KDP.


I think the biggest factor is the lack of wholesale pricing for authors. I just ordered another box of twenty through CS so that's important to me.


----------



## JulianneQJohnson

I am also sticking with CreateSpace until further notice.  It's comfortable, I get books quickly, I get wholesale prices.  Some folfs who have Prime get their KDP books by dropping the price on Amazon, ordering, putting the price back up to where it was, but that seems like jumping through hoops for very little in return.  I don't need my sales on in one place.  I can add.


----------



## MarilynVix

Thanks everyone. I'll go with Createspace then. I don't mind going to two dashboards for better quality. Besides, all my interior design and cover design is for Createspace. So, just wanted to be sure in case the ZON does a huge massive switch over surprising us all. Which, the Zon still might do. ;-)


----------



## Kelly Stock

Greetings all! I have finally found a bit of time to mosey on over to this thread having had my book The Soul Guide turned down by KS on Wednesday this week. I've got over the disappointment and am ready to get cracking with my release on KDP. There's still a bit (a lot) I need to figure out and finalise but I aim to get it up as soon as I can. Now, my objective for today is too read through this thread and get my pen and notebook out!


----------



## Kay7979

Kelly Stock said:


> Greetings all! I have finally found a bit of time to mosey on over to this thread having had my book The Soul Guide turned down by KS on Wednesday this week. I've got over the disappointment and am ready to get cracking with my release on KDP. There's still a bit (a lot) I need to figure out and finalise but I aim to get it up as soon as I can. Now, my objective for today is too read through this thread and get my pen and notebook out!


Welcome, Kelly. Glad to see you here and in our Facebook group. You won't find a nicer group of authors!


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Kay7979 said:


> I think the biggest factor is the lack of wholesale pricing for authors. I just ordered another box of twenty through CS so that's important to me.


YES! I forgot that part. I've heard some authors say they use Createspace for their own copies and then KDP for the ones sold on Amazon, but that's all WAY too much work for me. There's only so many hours in a day.



Kelly Stock said:


> Greetings all! I have finally found a bit of time to mosey on over to this thread having had my book The Soul Guide turned down by KS on Wednesday this week. I've got over the disappointment and am ready to get cracking with my release on KDP. There's still a bit (a lot) I need to figure out and finalise but I aim to get it up as soon as I can. Now, my objective for today is too read through this thread and get my pen and notebook out!


Sorry about the outcome of KS...but there is life afterwords. (BTW, your book looks fantastic!) My biggest suggestion is to really plan your release. I was so excited to publish, I didn't really plan out what a strong release looked like. (I should have sent out more digital advanced Reader copies, stayed at 99 cents, and did an advertising push for a week.)

And welcome to the Facebook group. It's nice to have you.


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## Used To Be BH

This came up in the current Kindle Scout thread, but some of you may not have seen it: _https://www.amazon.co.uk/b/ref=s9_acss_bw_tm_KDP3_2_tc_w?node=12414786031&search-alias=digital-text&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-4&pf_rd_r=9TCQ23RNNJ3ZC9ABJTEF&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=b1556794-e904-4f13-a6de-80d967dad6cb&pf_rd_i=12061299031_

The Amazon Storyteller contest is for books published on Amazon UK between February 21 and May 19. Grand prize is 20,000 pounds (someone said that was about $25,000 US), a marketing package determined at Amazon's discretion, and a publishing contract *for international rights only*. Amazon guarantees to publish one translation (print and ebook) and may do more at its discretion. (That's not a good deal if you already have a shot at international publishers or a cheap way to get good translations, but otherwise it sounds good.)

Apparently, Amazon did the same thing last year in Germany, and at some point in France. Entries in each were over a thousand, so the odds of winning would be less than one tenth of one percent, compared to 3% or so on Scout. Also, the publishing contract is only international. The English language edition remains self-published. However, the two things are not mutually exclusive. If one timed it right, one could enter Scout, and, if not selected, enter Storyteller.

Books have to be available in ebook (through KDP) and print by the end of the entry period to be eligible. Since the judges look at sales ranking and reviews, it probably pays to get the book up earlier in the entry period rather than later.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Oh, one other thing: entries must be enrolled in Select. Also, they can't be new editions of anything published previously anywhere, particularly in translation.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> This came up in the current Kindle Scout thread, but some of you may not have seen it: _https://www.amazon.co.uk/b/ref=s9_acss_bw_tm_KDP3_2_tc_w?node=12414786031&search-alias=digital-text&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-4&pf_rd_r=9TCQ23RNNJ3ZC9ABJTEF&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=b1556794-e904-4f13-a6de-80d967dad6cb&pf_rd_i=12061299031_
> 
> The Amazon Storyteller contest is for books published on Amazon UK between February 21 and May 19. Grand prize is 20,000 pounds (someone said that was about $25,000 US), a marketing package determined at Amazon's discretion, and a publishing contract *for international rights only*. Amazon guarantees to publish one translation (print and ebook) and may do more at its discretion. (That's not a good deal if you already have a shot at international publishers or a cheap way to get good translations, but otherwise it sounds good.)
> 
> Apparently, Amazon did the same thing last year in Germany, and at some point in France. Entries in each were over a thousand, so the odds of winning would be less than one tenth of one percent, compared to 3% or so on Scout. Also, the publishing contract is only international. The English language edition remains self-published. However, the two things are not mutually exclusive. If one timed it right, one could enter Scout, and, if not selected, enter Storyteller.
> 
> Books have to be available in ebook (through KDP) and print by the end of the entry period to be eligible. Since the judges look at sales ranking and reviews, it probably pays to get the book up earlier in the entry period rather than later.


I know that the chances of winning are low, but this very much seems like a bit of a "why not!" scenario! Especiallly if you already planned a release within that time!


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> Hey, all! The Spanish edition of _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_ wrapped up today. I'm hoping to have it for sale next week. Does anyone have suggestions on what language I should focus on next?


You probably know more about it than I do, but I have heard Germany has a very large book market.


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Hey, all! The Spanish edition of _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_ wrapped up today. I'm hoping to have it for sale next week. Does anyone have suggestions on what language I should focus on next?


I read the comments below, and I was going to say Germany, too. I've been using the Booklinker tool that allows me to see which countries people are from when they click on my book link. For no reason I can explain, 23% are from Germany. I don't think I've gotten a single sale from there, though.


----------



## Kay7979

The first issue of my newsletter, Gnome Gnotes, went out a little over a half hour ago. I hope it doesn't end up in people's spam folders. 

I mentioned previously in this thread that I was going to use a PDF about gem folklore as part of my reader magnet. I also said I had a fun idea, which I'd share once the newsletter went out. So, if you aren't signed up for the newsletter, I've posted it below, and I welcome your opinions. 


✧ A SPOTLIGHT ROLE IN BOOK THREE! ✧

In book one we learn about gems from our world. In books two and three we learn about amazing gems exclusive to the gnome world. I'm offering YOU a chance to invent a gem that will be included in book three. You choose the gem's name and description, and I'll decide what power it holds.

To give you some ideas to work with, you can name it after yourself if you like. For instance, George Kunz discovered a gem and named it kunzite. Morganite was named after J.P. Morgan. Or, you can choose a name that's simply a made-up word, as I've done.

Next, tell me what your gem looks like. Is it translucent or opaque? Does it come in more than one color, and if so, which color is the most common? If opaque, does it have flecks or veins of other minerals? Is it a solid color? Does it have any unusual effects, like a "cat's eye" gem or a "star" sapphire? Use your imagination and have fun inventing a gem.

Prior to publishing book 3, which should be by the end of this year, I will make a random selection from all the submissions and post the winner's name in the newsletter. Then, unless the winner has some objection, his/her name and the name of the gem will appear on the acknowledgements page of the book.

Exclusively for newsletter subscribers: you must be an active subscriber at the time of the random drawing.

ENTER BY replying to this newsletter with your gem name and description, along with your name and email address.


----------



## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Hi, Folks! So here I am to share my data from my first year published after not being chosen on Kindle Scout:

Here's a quick and ROUGH snapshot of my statistics of my first year since publication of my KS campaign book, *Rosette: A Novel of Pioneer Michigan.* I enrolled it in KDP Select and have done all three Kindle Countdown opportunities (and Free Days for the 99-cent companion short story), bolstered by advertising.​Over 1100 copies sold, 160 of them paperback​Over 40,000 pages read​About $2200 royalties, 10% from page reads, 30% paperbacks, 60% from Kindle copies​Made an additional $200 in the first six months of publication of my related short story, "Blizzard," on Kindle (200 units) and page reads (8500). The free days for the story have resulted in about 4,000 downloads (with paid advertising). The story's revenue is 75% Kindle buys, 25% page reads.​Of the total of $2400 revenue this year, about $1100 was spent on advertising, about half of that on my email list (I have 140 very loyal fans) and websites, the other half on email lists like Fussy Librarian and experiments with giveaways, FB ads, etc. I have also had a few thousand in expenses related to production, research trip, etc., so I'm not in the black overall yet, though I am for 2016. I had a big loss in 2015, before publication.  I support my writing by editing, mostly, these days.​I have 29 Amazon reviews of the novel at a 4.4 average, and 27 reviews of the short story at a 4.1 average.​I am in-process with a companion novel about Rosette's brother, Solomon Ramsdell, a bugler in the Civil War.​Questions? Ask away! ​


----------



## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Kay7979 said:


> The first issue of my newsletter, Gnome Gnotes, went out a little over a half hour ago. I hope it doesn't end up in people's spam folders.


That's an adorable title! :-D


----------



## Eric T Knight

> Over 1100 copies sold, 160 of them paperback
> Over 40,000 pages read
> About $2200 royalties, 10% from page reads, 30% paperbacks, 60% from Kindle copies


That's so awesome! Congratulations!


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## Kay7979

I'm gearing up to do another Kindle Countdown deal in a few days. My new 90-day Select period began on the 28th. I was able to set up the new Countdown in the US starting on Feb 2nd, but when I tried to set up one in the U.K. it told me I had to wait till the 21st. Makes no sense. I guess I won't bother running the sale in the U.K.


----------



## RWhite7699

We need 2 more supporters for our Headtalker campaign. Would greatly appreciate your support. Thanks! https://headtalker.com/campaigns/my-dystopian-valentine
And please check out our Valentine's bundle here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N163CLJ
Pre-order for only 99 cents.


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## MarilynVix

Thought I'd give you all a heads up that my novel that was rejected by KS is finally up and available on Amazon. 
Already have my first review, which seemed to like everything else but how my time machine was powered, and how it worked, which was surprising. But then, you never know how people are going to like your novel until it is out there.

Thank you everyone for your support. With all the rejections, it was nice to finally have the support to go for it that I found here. I think my 3 year project needed to find it's place in the world. Hopefully now, it will find its audience.

Everything For Love
https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Love-Time-Rogues-Book-ebook/dp/B01N245C65


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## Used To Be BH

MarilynVix said:


> Thought I'd give you all a heads up that my novel that was rejected by KS is finally up and available on Amazon.
> Already have my first review, which seemed to like everything else but how my time machine was powered, and how it worked, which was surprising. But then, you never know how people are going to like your novel until it is out there.
> 
> Thank you everyone for your support. With all the rejections, it was nice to finally have the support to go for it that I found here. I think my 3 year project needed to find it's place in the world. Hopefully now, it will find its audience.
> 
> Everything For Love
> https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Love-Time-Rogues-Book-ebook/dp/B01N245C65


Yes, readers are unpredictable. At least you opened with a three-star review instead of the two-star I started with! Actually, the text of the review leads more like a four-star to me, but people aren't very consistent in how they rate books, either.


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## MarilynVix

Bill Hiatt said:


> Yes, readers are unpredictable. At least you opened with a three-star review instead of the two-star I started with! Actually, the text of the review leads more like a four-star to me, but people aren't very consistent in how they rate books, either.


Yes. I know. It seems she liked it, just not how the time machine was powered, which is fine. It is a unique way, ;-). I got a five star on Goodreads which gives it a 4 star rating there, but she didn't post it on Amazon. I've noticed a lot of people have stopped posting on Amazon lately even when they post on Goodreads. It might have come from the review crackdown going on, but I'm not complaining. Two reviews when I wake up on release day is great. I was really not sure how people were going to like it, and the fact that my five star liked my historical description made my day. So, I'm happy. It's a great thing to wake up to after the let down of KS rejection. There is life after. ;-)

Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33953198-everything-for-love


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## Kay7979

MarilynVix said:


> Thought I'd give you all a heads up that my novel that was rejected by KS is finally up and available on Amazon.
> Already have my first review, which seemed to like everything else but how my time machine was powered, and how it worked, which was surprising. But then, you never know how people are going to like your novel until it is out there.
> 
> Thank you everyone for your support. With all the rejections, it was nice to finally have the support to go for it that I found here. I think my 3 year project needed to find it's place in the world. Hopefully now, it will find its audience.
> 
> Everything For Love
> https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Love-Time-Rogues-Book-ebook/dp/B01N245C65


Three years! That's a real labor of love. Best of luck and let us know if you see much action that may be Kindle Scout people who nominated your book.


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## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Eric T Knight said:


> That's so awesome! Congratulations!


Thanks, Eric!


----------



## MarilynVix

Kay7979 said:


> Three years! That's a real labor of love. Best of luck and let us know if you see much action that may be Kindle Scout people who nominated your book.


I've had one sale so far. Not a stampeded, but it's something. I do have a KU half read too. So, that could be a second. I got the message from KS in email around 5:50am. So, hopefully more sales will happen during the day.


----------



## Kay7979

MarilynVix said:


> I've had one sale so far. Not a stampeded, but it's something. I do have a KU half read too. So, that could be a second. I got the message from KS in email around 5:50am. So, hopefully more sales will happen during the day.


It's nice to start out with some KENP. I hope you get some daily. How many KENP equals half a book? I think my book is 500+ KENP which surprised me since the 6x9 paperback is 414 pages.


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## Emiliya

Hi Everyone.Thank you for your support.My novel Broken Chains was rejected.But I am cool with it.Life is still going on.


----------



## ChrissyQuinn

Hi folks! Camera Obscura was rejected unfortunately, but I'm not letting that stop me  I started my self publishing process today.


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## Kay7979

Emiliya said:


> Hi Everyone.Thank you for your support.My novel Broken Chains was rejected.But I am cool with it.Life is still going on.


Welcome aboard. We have a nice support group here and we're happy to share marketing strategies and advice.


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## Kay7979

ChrissyQuinn said:


> Hi folks! Camera Obscura was rejected unfortunately, but I'm not letting that stop me  I started my self publishing process today.


Welcome! It's good to publish right away while your book is fresh in the minds of those who nominated it.


----------



## Misfit

Hello, everyone

I haven't come over here since my novel Shallow Graves was rejected at the beginning of January. I figured I'd drop in and share my experiences and numbers so far with all of you.

I released the ebook around five days after the rejection. I haven't gotten around to the print version yet. I know. That should be a top priority, but I have so much going on right now (including working on the next two novels in the series) and it's daunting trying to learn how to do the formatting. I'll get to it soon enough.

I have to say the launch has surpassed my expectations. Granted my expectations aren't very high, but I'm pleased with the results so far. Shallow Graves recently hit a 5k ranking on amazon. Nothing amazing, but it's still way better than I ever expected. I have to assume the KS campaign boosted the release sales as I've done no other advertising. I released at 2.99 and haven't run a KDP deal yet. I planned on saving that for the 30 day cliff.

I truly don't think I would have cracked 10k ranking and maybe not even come close if not for KS. It's hard to say though, as I have no idea how many sales and borrows came from KS.

Over the last week I've been reading all I can about AMS and put my submission in over the weekend. So that's been running since Monday. It hasn't been up long enough to get any good data yet. One thing I do know is AMS is yet another huge time sink.

I also wanted to thank everyone here for the support over on the big KS thread and for all the invaluable information there and here. You all rock!

I'll be keeping a close eye on the AMS campaign and let you all know how it goes.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Misfit said:


> I have to say the launch has surpassed my expectations. Granted my expectations aren't very high, but I'm pleased with the results so far. Shallow Graves recently hit a 5k ranking on amazon. Nothing amazing, but it's still way better than I ever expected. I have to assume the KS campaign boosted the release sales as I've done no other advertising. I released at 2.99 and haven't run a KDP deal yet. I planned on saving that for the 30 day cliff.


Welcome! That's awesome news that Shallow Graves is doing well--especially with the $2.99 price. I raised mine to this price point and am basically selling nothing. We'll see how a countdown deal works though, I have one scheduled starting on the 16th.

I wish you a ton of continued success!


----------



## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Misfit said:


> I truly don't think I would have cracked 10k ranking and maybe not even come close if not for KS. It's hard to say though, as I have no idea how many sales and borrows came from KS.


Congratulations! If you want to extrapolate a bit for comparison with my year's stats posted a few days ago here, I got as high as 18k at my launch (and that jump was from 53k after KS notified my nominators). My first Countdown deal three months later kept me at the 10k level or so for about a week, and the launch of a companion short story and another Countdown three months later got me to my highest ranking, 3k+. Other promos got me a few spikes to better than 10k, and my next highest was my one-year-anniversary promo a couple of weeks ago, at about 6k. Mine is historical fiction of a literary sort, promoted as my recent posts explains.

In general, in early days I could watch my ranking sink toward about 200k, then a sale would bump me up to 70k or 50k, then it would start sinking again. But by the 6-month mark, consistent sales and borrows (on both the novel and the short story) have averaged me at about the 50k mark - I oscillate around that.

Best wishes for your work and sales!


----------



## Kay7979

I've reached the 90 day cliff. It's hard to believe it's been three months already. 

Tomorrow I start a seven-day Kindle Countdown deal, and Beyond the Forest will be $0.99 for the duration. Last time I split my week between $0.99 and $1.99. 

If any of you were planning to read/review my book, picking it up during the sale won't cost much and will allow you to post a verified review. Thanks!

I will post later today the list of promos I booked and what they cost. Last time I used a boatload and many were very inexpensive. This time I'm using fewer but they cost more.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Misfit said:


> Hello, everyone
> 
> I haven't come over here since my novel Shallow Graves was rejected at the beginning of January. I figured I'd drop in and share my experiences and numbers so far with all of you.
> 
> I released the ebook around five days after the rejection. I haven't gotten around to the print version yet. I know. That should be a top priority, but I have so much going on right now (including working on the next two novels in the series) and it's daunting trying to learn how to do the formatting. I'll get to it soon enough.
> 
> I have to say the launch has surpassed my expectations. Granted my expectations aren't very high, but I'm pleased with the results so far. Shallow Graves recently hit a 5k ranking on amazon. Nothing amazing, but it's still way better than I ever expected. I have to assume the KS campaign boosted the release sales as I've done no other advertising. I released at 2.99 and haven't run a KDP deal yet. I planned on saving that for the 30 day cliff.
> 
> I truly don't think I would have cracked 10k ranking and maybe not even come close if not for KS. It's hard to say though, as I have no idea how many sales and borrows came from KS.
> 
> Over the last week I've been reading all I can about AMS and put my submission in over the weekend. So that's been running since Monday. It hasn't been up long enough to get any good data yet. One thing I do know is AMS is yet another huge time sink.
> 
> I also wanted to thank everyone here for the support over on the big KS thread and for all the invaluable information there and here. You all rock!
> 
> I'll be keeping a close eye on the AMS campaign and let you all know how it goes.


5,000 is incredibly good, especially with no intro price. My early sales also convinced me that the KS process can be beneficial even if one isn't selected.

Of course, the fact that your book has an evocative title and an appealing cover helps.

I already picked up a copy and am looking forward to reading it.


----------



## Used To Be BH

ChrissyQuinn said:


> Hi folks! Camera Obscura was rejected unfortunately, but I'm not letting that stop me  I started my self publishing process today.


That's the spirit! I'm convinced the indie writers who succeed are the ones who persevere. Hardly anyone succeeds instantly.


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## Kay7979

Here is my list of promos, running in conjunction with my Kindle Countdown deal:

02/02 eBook Christian - $5.50.  Super cheap, and your book doesn't need to be overtly Christian, just meet their content guidelines.

02/03 Book Barbarian  $25.00

02/04 Book Sends/eReader IQ newsletter $35.00

02/05 Bargain Booksy $40.00

02/06 Book Goodies $10.00 also Genre Pulse $17.00

02/07 FKBT $30.00

02/08 Genre Crave $13.00

I don't expect to break even, although it would certainly be nice. Hopefully I'll get enough sales and extra KENP to offset some of my expenses. I've been getting consistent page reads since my last Countdown deal. Before that, having launched at full price without any significant advertising, I hadn't gotten much KENP since relatively few people had discovered my book.


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## TT Rankin

Good day all!  As a newbie to this self-publishing dream machine, I have yet to submit my first novel as it's still being finalized.  In preparation of said submission--when it comes to KS, other than the chance of having to face rejection  (nobody wants that), can any of you tell me was or is there any actual downside to trying the service out?

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


----------



## Kay7979

TT Rankin said:


> Good day all! As a newbie to this self-publishing dream machine, I have yet to submit my first novel as it's still being finalized. In preparation of said submission--when it comes to KS, other than the chance of having to face rejection (nobody wants that), can any of you tell me was or is there any actual downside to trying the service out?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


No there's no real downside except tying up thirty days. I assume you've checked out the thread of active campaigns? http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,213112.13875.html


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## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

TT Rankin said:


> Good day all! As a newbie to this self-publishing dream machine, I have yet to submit my first novel as it's still being finalized. In preparation of said submission--when it comes to KS, other than the chance of having to face rejection (nobody wants that), can any of you tell me was or is there any actual downside to trying the service out?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


I agree with Kay that there are no downsides. I think it gives a chance for a newly-publishing author to begin to network, learn about promotional opportunities, tweak the manuscript, blurb, etc., and learn from others' experiences on the KS thread here. I learned a LOT in my 30 days and worked on my paperback at the same time, which was ready to publish a month after my Kindle version launched. The KS campaign also gave me something for interested friends to join forces with me on - nominating, sharing with their friends, enjoying my email newsletter (which I recommend starting for the campaign!). Even though my book wasn't chosen, the message KS sent out sold about thirty copies the day it went out.


----------



## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Kay7979 said:


> Here is my list of promos, running in conjunction with my Kindle Countdown deal:
> 
> 02/02 eBook Christian - $5.50. Super cheap, and your book doesn't need to be overtly Christian, just meet their content guidelines.
> 
> 02/03 Book Barbarian $25.00
> 
> 02/04 Book Sends/eReader IQ newsletter $35.00
> 
> 02/05 Bargain Booksy $40.00
> 
> 02/06 Book Goodies $10.00 also Genre Pulse $17.00
> 
> 02/07 FKBT $30.00
> 
> 02/08 Genre Crave $13.00
> 
> I don't expect to break even, although it would certainly be nice. Hopefully I'll get enough sales and extra KENP to offset some of my expenses. I've been getting consistent page reads since my last Countdown deal. Before that, having launched at full price without any significant advertising, I hadn't gotten much KENP since relatively few people had discovered my book.


All the best with your promo, Kay! I look forward to seeing your analysis of it afterwards!


----------



## TT Rankin

Kay7979 said:


> No there's no real downside except tying up thirty days. I assume you've checked out the thread of active campaigns? http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,213112.13875.html


Thanks Kay, I'll check that thread out as well. There's so many threads and information available it's almost overwhelming (but in a good way!)

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


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## TT Rankin

Cindy Rinaman Marsch said:


> I agree with Kay that there are no downsides. I think it gives a chance for a newly-publishing author to begin to network, learn about promotional opportunities, tweak the manuscript, blurb, etc., and learn from others' experiences on the KS thread here. I learned a LOT in my 30 days and worked on my paperback at the same time, which was ready to publish a month after my Kindle version launched. The KS campaign also gave me something for interested friends to join forces with me on - nominating, sharing with their friends, enjoying my email newsletter (which I recommend starting for the campaign!). Even though my book wasn't chosen, the message KS sent out sold about thirty copies the day it went out.


Sounds worth it to me, thanks Cindy!

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

*waves* hi! Sorry that KS passed you guys up, but we have a good thing going on this thread and the fb group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666) so hopefully we should all be able to prove KS wrong one day!


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## Used To Be BH

Misfit said:


> I released the ebook around five days after the rejection. I haven't gotten around to the print version yet. I know. That should be a top priority, but I have so much going on right now (including working on the next two novels in the series) and it's daunting trying to learn how to do the formatting. I'll get to it soon enough.


The first paperback is always the hardest, but learning how to format doesn't usually end up being that hard. If you do hit a snag, just ask here. A number of us do our own formatting, and Mark seems particularly good at it. One of us is bound to have the answer.

Fun fact: your book is showing up in the also boughts for my latest release (another KS reject). It was first page yesterday and is second page today. This is further evidence that the KS exposure makes a difference. Initially, my also boughts were almost all Kindle Scout and Kindle Press books, sometimes not even the same genre. By contrast, my earlier books never show in the also boughts (though after about six weeks, the new one started showing in their also boughts. Every other release I've done had the first page of also boughts filled with my own books. If that's not evidence of the effect of KS, I don't know what is.


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## Browland86

Hi, everyone. My book was reviewed by Long and Short Reviews YA earlier this year; now it's up for Book of the Month for January. The person who wins the poll will get some extra exposure on the website. If you have a moment, please vote for my book, _An Aching Kind of Growing_. I'd really appreciate it!

http://www.longandshortreviewsya.com/book-reviews/january-book-of-the-month-poll-2/


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## bnapier

I so want to give it a go again.

However, the first time I tried it, I was in Hot and Trending for the final 8-9 days of the campaign. I was under the impression this basically meant the chances were good. When it was not picked up, it was like a double-failure. It felt like a public way for all of these people that nominated you to watch as your title was ultimately rejected.

So...can someone please tell me what it takes other than being Hot and Trending?


----------



## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

bnapier said:


> So...can someone please tell me what it takes other than being Hot and Trending?


It all comes down to what Kindle Press thinks they can make a profit with, so what they think will sell well. I was in H&T 96% of my time in my campaign and had numbers in the upper 10% of any numbers I'd seen at the time (traffic is higher now), and my book is highly rated, but I wasn't chosen. I think it's because mine is a "slow read" of academic/historical interest, and KS had just opened to general fiction the month before my campaign. Oh well.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

bnapier said:


> I so want to give it a go again.
> 
> However, the first time I tried it, I was in Hot and Trending for the final 8-9 days of the campaign. I was under the impression this basically meant the chances were good. When it was not picked up, it was like a double-failure. It felt like a public way for all of these people that nominated you to watch as your title was ultimately rejected.
> 
> So...can someone please tell me what it takes other than being Hot and Trending?


Yeah, I'm giving it a go again too (my new campaign starts Saturday.) I'm under the belief that being in H&T nor Page Views really matter that much to if KS will pick you. I'm not going wild on the promoting this time, kinda staying low key. I will share with social media, but I'm not going over the top to find people. If your book is what Amazon wants, they'll pick you. If not...they won't. All that H&T list did to me last time was drive me mad!



Browland86 said:


> Hi, everyone. My book was reviewed by Long and Short Reviews YA earlier this year; now it's up for Book of the Month for January. The person who wins the poll will get some extra exposure on the website. If you have a moment, please vote for my book, _An Aching Kind of Growing_. I'd really appreciate it!
> 
> http://www.longandshortreviewsya.com/book-reviews/january-book-of-the-month-poll-2/


I voted. Good luck!


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## Browland86

> I voted. Good luck!


Thanks, Joynell!


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## RWhite7699

Browland86 said:


> Hi, everyone. My book was reviewed by Long and Short Reviews YA earlier this year; now it's up for Book of the Month for January. The person who wins the poll will get some extra exposure on the website. If you have a moment, please vote for my book, _An Aching Kind of Growing_. I'd really appreciate it!
> 
> http://www.longandshortreviewsya.com/book-reviews/january-book-of-the-month-poll-2/


Voted for 'ya. Good luck!


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## Kay7979

Yesterday, day one of my Kindle Countdown, I started out on page eight of the fantasy and SF deals. By the end of the day I had five sales and now I'm on page 3. Considering all I had was eBook Christian, AMS as always, and my own Tweets, it could be worse. Hoping for better results today.


----------



## lincolnjcole

Kay7979 said:


> Yesterday, day one of my Kindle Countdown, I started out on page eight of the fantasy and SF deals. By the end of the day I had five sales and now I'm on page 3. Considering all I had was eBook Christian, AMS as always, and my own Tweets, it could be worse. Hoping for better results today.


Good luck with the results!


----------



## Kay7979

Kay7979 said:


> Here is my list of promos, running in conjunction with my Kindle Countdown deal:
> 
> 02/02 eBook Christian - $5.50. Super cheap, and your book doesn't need to be overtly Christian, just meet their content guidelines.
> 
> 02/03 Book Barbarian $25.00
> 
> 02/04 Book Sends/eReader IQ newsletter $35.00
> 
> 02/05 Bargain Booksy $40.00
> 
> 02/06 Book Goodies $10.00 also Genre Pulse $17.00
> 
> 02/07 FKBT $30.00
> 
> 02/08 Genre Crave $13.00
> 
> I don't expect to break even, although it would certainly be nice. Hopefully I'll get enough sales and extra KENP to offset some of my expenses. I've been getting consistent page reads since my last Countdown deal. Before that, having launched at full price without any significant advertising, I hadn't gotten much KENP since relatively few people had discovered my book.


Pardon me for quoting myself, but this is the easiest way to refer back to my promos.

Day 1, which was only eBook Christian resulted in 5 sales.

Day 2, Book Barbarian brought in 26 sales, and then early this morning the sales resumed. When I got up to 10 I was thinking Book Barbarian was still kicking in, since my next promo, Book Sends, isn't due till around 1:00-2:00 Eastern. (I also have eReader IQ newsletter today in conjunction with Book Sends. I'm not sure what the relationship is between the two, but I sprang for the add-on feature that included it.) Then I got a Tweet saying my book was featured in an Amazon email! As far as I know, this is a first for me. The woman was nice enough to send a screen shot, and she also forwarded the email. So, now I'm not sure how many of today's sales, (14 at 11:00 Eastern), are from Amazon, and how many are from Book Barbarian. It would be nice to isolate the data, but I'm not complaining.


----------



## Used To Be BH

bnapier said:


> I so want to give it a go again.
> 
> However, the first time I tried it, I was in Hot and Trending for the final 8-9 days of the campaign. I was under the impression this basically meant the chances were good. When it was not picked up, it was like a double-failure. It felt like a public way for all of these people that nominated you to watch as your title was ultimately rejected.
> 
> So...can someone please tell me what it takes other than being Hot and Trending?


When KS first started, one of the arguments used by the naysayers was that rejection would be public, but what I've found is that the nominators don't think less of you or your book if you aren't selected. What the KS exposure can do is give you a strong launch when you self-pub. My Ks reject did better than any previous book, even before I started other promotions, and it kept running strong for two and a half months--the longest continuous run I've ever had. Even now, it still outsells my other titles by a comfortable margin. I intend to put every appropriate book through Scout from now on.

The stats Lincoln Cole has compiled lead to one conclusion: the stats don't really matter. _https://www.lincolncole.net/blog/2016/12/4/kindle-scout-data-self-reported-stats#sthash.XvKfS1yg.dpbs=_ Notice that the average stats are higher for accepted books than rejected ones, but there are plenty of outliers on both sides. (He hasn't updated recently, so the rejected person with 14,000 page views  doesn't show, but you will notice at least one rejected book that seems to have been hot and trending the whole time, and at least one accepted book that was never hot and trending.)

Amazon doesn't release the details of its process. However, it's clear the stats are not the deciding factor. Ironically, when the program first started, many of its critics denounced it as "just a popularity contest." Well, it isn't one--and that's a good thing. (I can say that even though my stats were above average for the accepted books, and I was still rejected). If the stats really determined the outcome, you can bet the click farms would get involved and make a farce out of the whole thing. What really happens is that the editors pick the books they think will sell the best. They may consider the stats if they're on the fence about a book, but otherwise they probably largely ignore them. Note that Amazon never says the stats will determine the outcome. It implies they have an impact but leaves the editors final discretion.

I still think it's worth campaigning to maximize the book's exposure and help its eventual launch, whether through Kindle Press or otherwise.

The one thing you shouldn't do is be too disappointed. I was down for about an hour after hearing. After all, I'd had 510 hours in Hot and Trending and 3,758 page views, and I had faith in my book. But I decided not to let the rejection get me down, and, as I said, I had the best launch I've ever had, largely because of Scout.

It's hard to succeed as a writer whether you are on the self-published path, the traditional one, or some combination. The key is not letting setbacks discourage you. Those writers who actually make a living at self publishing typically don't see much of a build-up until the third book or so, sometimes much later than that. However, if you write well, have faith, and persist, it can happen.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Kay7979 said:


> Pardon me for quoting myself, but this is the easiest way to refer back to my promos.


I love you quoting yourself! I was just going to look for this post. I got denied for a Robin Reads ad, so I was looking to add something new in my lineup for my countdown deal (starting the 16th). I'd like to have something every day. It looks like I'm going to check out Book Goodies, Genre Pulse, FKBT, and Genre Crave.


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## Kay7979

Joynell Schultz said:


> I love you quoting yourself! I was just going to look for this post. I got denied for a Robin Reads ad, so I was looking to add something new in my lineup for my countdown deal (starting the 16th). I'd like to have something every day. It looks like I'm going to check out Book Goodies, Genre Pulse, FKBT, and Genre Crave.


I didn't try for Robin Reads. I really don't know why as it seems to have a good reputation. Do you have any idea the reason they rejected your book? Not enough reviews? Something about the subject matter? The only promo I ever requested that rejected me was People Reads. No idea why they turned me down.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Kay7979 said:


> I didn't try for Robin Reads. I really don't know why as it seems to have a good reputation. Do you have any idea the reason they rejected your book? Not enough reviews? Something about the subject matter? The only promo I ever requested that rejected me was People Reads. No idea why they turned me down.


I guess they only accept 1% of submissions. I wasn't flexible on dates (that may be a reason), but they said they had other books for that day that appeal to their readers better. That's all I got.


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## Kay7979

Joynell Schultz said:


> I guess they only accept 1% of submissions. I wasn't flexible on dates (that may be a reason), but they said they had other books for that day that appeal to their readers better. That's all I got.


As I recall, they require books to be $0.99, (or maybe free as well). It's hard to believe authors are beating down the door to sell their books for next to nothing. Sigh. I don't mind doing an occasional promo, but sometimes it seems rather demeaning.

I'm up to 35 sales today. I know many people do better, but I'm pretty happy, especially considering it's not quite 3:00.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> As I recall, they require books to be $0.99, (or maybe free as well). It's hard to believe authors are beating down the door to sell their books for next to nothing. Sigh. I don't mind doing an occasional promo, but sometimes it seems rather demeaning.


I wouldn't go quite as far as demeaning, but the fact that so many promo sites are driven by bargains doubtless makes it somewhat harder to sell books at full price. I'm not sure if it's still there, but there used to be a sie that let readers follow particular titles and let them know when the title was on sale.

Just the other day I dropped _Different Lee_ down to $0.99 for a promo. I dropped it 24 hours ahead to make sure the change would get made in time, but I wasn't advertising until the following day (the day of the promo). Despite that, I had sales bump bigger on the day of the price change than it was for the actual promo. That makes me think people are out there, waiting for that bargain...


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## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> I wouldn't go quite as far as demeaning, but the fact that so many promo sites are driven by bargains doubtless makes it somewhat harder to sell books at full price. I'm not sure if it's still there, but there used to be a sie that let readers follow particular titles and let them know when the title was on sale.
> 
> Just the other day I dropped _Different Lee_ down to $0.99 for a promo. I dropped it 24 hours ahead to make sure the change would get made in time, but I wasn't advertising until the following day (the day of the promo). Despite that, I had sales bump bigger on the day of the price change than it was for the actual promo. That makes me think people are out there, waiting for that bargain...


Maybe you're thinking of eReaderIQ. I have a huge list of authors I follow. I don't need to get books at $0.99 but I've got to really love an author to pay $7.99 to $12.99 for a paperback. I hate having to price my own at $14.95, but people buy them. I suspect those people may not read as many books per year as I do, but who knows?


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## Kay7979

I sold 78 books yesterday, breaking my previous one-day record of 67. I don't know how much was due to the actual promo, and how much was due to FINALLY being featured in an Amazon customer mailing. 

Today I have Bargain Booksy. I'm hoping people open their emails before they get busy with Super Bowl activities.


----------



## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Kay7979 said:


> I sold 78 books yesterday, breaking my previous one-day record of 67. I don't know how much was due to the actual promo, and how much was due to FINALLY being featured in an Amazon customer mailing.
> 
> Today I have Bargain Booksy. I'm hoping people open their emails before they get busy with Super Bowl activities.


That's an awesome sales result, Kay! You've made back all your advertising dollars now, haven't you? And page reads will continue . . . Congrats!


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## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> That's awesome! Excluding preorders, I've never done better than 8 in one day with _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_.


That kind of result normally comes from being picked by one of the larger promo sites, and as Kay points out, it often requires a discount price. I had a couple of days like that running an ENT ad and a Book Gorilla ad on my very first book, but I haven't been able to replicate that result recently. The highest I got with _Different Lee_ was 46, and that was a day with a major promo and the tails of two or three smaller ones.

I hear a lot of people complaining that the promo sites aren't delivering as much as they used to, which makes Kay's result all the more impressive.


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## edipet

Cindy Rinaman Marsch said:


> It all comes down to what Kindle Press thinks they can make a profit with, so what they think will sell well. I was in H&T 96% of my time in my campaign and had numbers in the upper 10% of any numbers I'd seen at the time (traffic is higher now), and my book is highly rated, but I wasn't chosen. I think it's because mine is a "slow read" of academic/historical interest, and KS had just opened to general fiction the month before my campaign. Oh well.


Amazon is just another publisher. Dare say - even bigger than the much-celebrated New York-Great 7 crowd. No agents...yet, but it has first readers. Those are the ones that will pick the books for publishing. Doubt that little (if anything) actually depends on how long your book is in Hot&Trending and how many Page Views. I've read one 'success' story where the author gave a screen-snapshot of how his book fared in Kindle Scout. You or I would not have considered - by a long shot - that this book would be a winner, based on its performance.

Amazon reader-editors pick the books according to the 'trends and our requirements' sheet - they work for a publisher, after all, so the employees always have a reference sheet to go by. Then there is the author's credentials, (yes, those matter just as much as they do to New York publishers), then there is the marketing consultant's chime-in about in what niche would the book fit, and then there are those other pesky, little details...voice, style, presentation, grammar, slant, subject, and as a distant glance at page-views, perhaps the interest rating.

Take a look at some of the past 'winners' that Amazon has published through its Kindle Scout or at some of the in-production. If you glance browse through them, you'll see some have great opening and go on to have great chapters; others have an engaging voice, still others have that something 'je'ne'sais'quois' that the first readers at Amazon are looking for. So don't fret over not being selected - Amazon will send notification to those who viewed and voted for your entry and that's free promo when you first release your book. Believe me, buying promo for new releases is not cheap nor is it easy to find because most effective and legitimate promo sites want a dozen reviews before they 'allow' you to buy their not-so-cheap promo. All the best, Edita


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## Used To Be BH

edipet said:


> Believe me, buying promo for new releases is not cheap nor is it easy to find because most effective and legitimate promo sites want a dozen reviews before they 'allow' you to buy their not-so-cheap promo. All the best, Edita


Actually, having done a new release promo just a couple of months ago, I can tell you that many promo sites will take a new release if the author has at least one other book with numerous good reviews. That said, your general point, that KS provides valuable exposure, is certainly spot-on. I know the extra boost helped my release tremendously.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Do you want to grow your mailing list?
Do you have a freebie to giveaway?

We're organizing a cross-promo for Kindle Scout Alumni to grow our mailing lists. (Well, since a lot of us are just getting started and our mailing lists aren't spectacular.) All you need is something to giveaway through instafreebies (or whatever else you use). Then, on "go live" weekend, we'll all promote the landing page of all our freebies--anyway we can. (Twitter, Facebook, Email, Friends, Mailing lists) Hopefully it works to build up our lists.

Just send me your instafreebie link (either post it here or message me.)

I think promo go live will be the 17th through the 19th...but if it works, we could repeat in a month or two.


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## Kay7979

My Bargain Booksy promo went well, despite competing with the Super Bowl. I discovered that even though my chart in KDP shows a new day at midnight Eastern time, sales from Central and Pacific time zones still post until midnight in those time zones. The final total for yesterday was 40 and I have 2 so far at 7:00 AM, so I feel pretty good about that. 

I also broke my previous daily KENP which had been 1198. The new number to beat will be 1346. Some of you may get thousands of page reads per day per book, but anything over 800 is a huge day for me. 

I have two smaller promos running today, and I'm not expecting a lot of sales but it will be interesting to see what happens.


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## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> No sooner that I mention my best day, that I have another! I sold 13 copies yesterday! I wonder if it's the new book trailer I had done?
> https://youtu.be/VHafWLoTXss


Wow that's great! Your trailer is awesome. I would consider having one made if it would turn out half as well.


----------



## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Mark Gardner said:


> No sooner that I mention my best day, that I have another! I sold 13 copies yesterday! I wonder if it's the new book trailer I had done?


Fun trailer, Mark! Definitely amps up the anticipation for your book . . .


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## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> No sooner that I mention my best day, that I have another! I sold 13 copies yesterday! I wonder if it's the new book trailer I had done?


It's a great trailer. Do you find you usually get a good conversion rate from them? I've heard that they don't really sell books, but a lot of people tend to offer their own experiences as if they were universal truths rather than just one data point.

Of course, being more impulsive than I should be as a marketer, I occasionally have one made. My latest didn't turn out as well as yours, though I was happy with it. However, it doesn't seem to be doing much. Anyway, as long as we're sharing videos, here it is:


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## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> It's a great trailer. Do you find you usually get a good conversion rate from them? I've heard that they don't really sell books, but a lot of people tend to offer their own experiences as if they were universal truths rather than just one data point.
> 
> Of course, being more impulsive than I should be as a marketer, I occasionally have one made. My latest didn't turn out as well as yours, though I was happy with it. However, it doesn't seem to be doing much. Anyway, as long as we're sharing videos, here it is:


Yours is pretty good too but I find the music a bit screechy and annoying.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Yours is pretty good too but I find the music a bit screechy and annoying.


I didn't see it that way at first, but I see what you mean now. It's not an ideal musical match for the content. Admittedly, most producers are limited to what they have available, whether we're talking about music, images, or video. Sometimes the fit is better than others.

The best book video I ever saw was done by someone who threw a significant amount of money into actually creating a video from scratch. She had a son, if I remember correctly, who was a director and worked for free, but the camera crew and actors were expensive. Her video actually fits the book really well, because the video was designed for it. Whether it actually sold books I never found out, but it was kind of a work of art in its own right.

My best video came from a designer who actually read the whole book first . Also, she seemed to have a better library of stock footage, though even her choices were sometimes not perfect fits for the book. Still, probably it was the best one could expect from stock footage. You kind of know going in that's what will inevitably happen, especially with fantasy and sci-fi.


----------



## Kyla S

Joynell Schultz said:


> Do you want to grow your mailing list?
> Do you have a freebie to giveaway?
> 
> We're organizing a cross-promo for Kindle Scout Alumni to grow our mailing lists. (Well, since a lot of us are just getting started and our mailing lists aren't spectacular.) All you need is something to giveaway through instafreebies (or whatever else you use). Then, on "go live" weekend, we'll all promote the landing page of all our freebies--anyway we can. (Twitter, Facebook, Email, Friends, Mailing lists) Hopefully it works to build up our lists.
> 
> Just send me your instafreebie link (either post it here or message me.)
> 
> I think promo go live will be the 17th through the 19th...but if it works, we could repeat in a month or two.


Thanks again, Joy! All signed up! By the way, I participated in a small Instafreebie promo last weekend, got 450 sign ups for a short story AND got an additional 6-8 sales of my book over the weekend more than normal. So that was cool!


----------



## Kay7979

Kyla S said:


> Thanks again, Joy! All signed up! By the way, I participated in a small Instafreebie promo last weekend, got 450 sign ups for a short story AND got an additional 6-8 sales of my book over the weekend more than normal. So that was cool!


Great results! Thanks for letting us know. I really need to work on newsletter signups, but don't have much to give away.


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## Joynell Schultz

Kyla S said:


> Thanks again, Joy! All signed up! By the way, I participated in a small Instafreebie promo last weekend, got 450 sign ups for a short story AND got an additional 6-8 sales of my book over the weekend more than normal. So that was cool!


Your welcome.

Where did you find the small promo last weekend? I'm having a hard time finding ones that don't require a certain size mailing list.



Kay7979 said:


> Great results! Thanks for letting us know. I really need to work on newsletter signups, but don't have much to give away.


I don't know how effective it would be, but what about the first 3 chapters of your book? That's in line with the kindle contract. (Maybe, along with that awesome gem guide you made.)

If you need help creating an epub, I have software that does an okay job.


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## MarilynVix

Oh, if you all are showing trailers, here's mine for Everything For Love.





I've set up a promo that is now full, for romances, this week. Julianne's_ Descending_ is a part of it. I'm crossing fingers that it will go well. I haven't really seen much from nominators from KS. My reviews seem to be from ARCs I sent out. I've got a release party on Wednesday, but I'm trying to figure out what else to do to promote. I bought an add on Digital Book Today in the new release section. Eventually, I do plan a promo with it having a discount price, but I wanted to wait a month or two after release.

Any suggestions on promoting new releases besides what I'm doing? Had any success with anything?
-Marilyn


----------



## Kay7979

MarilynVix said:


> Oh, if you all are showing trailers, here's mine for Everything For Love.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've set up a promo that is now full, for romances, this week. Julianne's_ Descending_ is a part of it. I'm crossing fingers that it will go well. I haven't really seen much from nominators from KS. My reviews seem to be from ARCs I sent out. I've got a release party on Wednesday, but I'm trying to figure out what else to do to promote. I bought an add on Digital Book Today in the new release section. Eventually, I do plan a promo with it having a discount price, but I wanted to wait a month or two after release.
> 
> Any suggestions on promoting new releases besides what I'm doing? Had any success with anything?
> -Marilyn


Subtle but nice trailer and the music doesn't dominate, which is important for your genre. The narrator's voice is pleasant.

I'm not sure what to suggest for promos. There are a few sites that take non-discounted books but you sell three or four copies instead of thirty or forty. It would get you some eyeballs, but they'd be costly eyeballs!


----------



## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> Great results! Thanks for letting us know. I really need to work on newsletter signups, but don't have much to give away.


It doesn't need to be much! A short story, or like Joy suggested, your Gem guide plus a preview, that would definitely work.

Not to sound overly pessimistic but of all the people who sign up, there's probably only a handful that actually read the magnet story. Though I do hope I'm wrong about that!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Joynell Schultz

MarilynVix said:


> Any suggestions on promoting new releases besides what I'm doing? Had any success with anything?


Check out my blog post on that topic: Lessons Learned in the first 30 days of Self-Publishing (https://joynellschultz.wordpress.com/2017/01/15/lessons-learned-first-30-days-of-self-publishing/) I talk about what worked and what didn't work. I actually had my novel priced at $2.99 for a few days at go-live, but dropped it to 99 cents for a month because I didn't sell anything. My next go-live I think I'll price at 99 cents for a week with a ton of advertising, then raise it to 2.99 and sit on it. I don't know yet though...I have two months to think about it.


----------



## lincolnjcole

lauramg_1406 said:


> It doesn't need to be much! A short story, or like Joy suggested, your Gem guide plus a preview, that would definitely work.
> 
> Not to sound overly pessimistic but of all the people who sign up, there's probably only a handful that actually read the magnet story. Though I do hope I'm wrong about that!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Great information!


----------



## Used To Be BH

Is it just me, or are the YouTube videos no longer showing in the forum? I was going to check out Marilyn's, but all I see is a big space where the video should be. The same is true of my own post and Mark's--both in Chrome and Firefox. The only difference is that the space is smaller.


----------



## Kay7979

Here's today's update on my Kindle Countdown Deal and promos:

Yesterday I had Book Goodies and Genre Pulse. Total outlay for both = $27 and I only got 18 sales. I hit a new high for KENP at 1405. 

Genre Pulse has a cool feature. They give you a tracking link for your book so you can see how many click's you're getting. Obviously clicks don't all convert to sales, but at least you know someone was interested enough to check out your book. Their data currently shows I've gotten more clicks today than yesterday when the promo was officially running. And the numbers I'm seeing today don't line up with the total clicks they reported yesterday, but I may not understand exactly how their system works. 

Today I have FKBT (Free Kindle Books & Tips) = $30.00. As an interesting side note, I was messaging yesterday with one of our former KS alumni that doesn't hang out here. She had just used Genre Pulse the day before and didn't know about the tracking link. In the course of our conversation she said she had used FKBT a few days ago and had 73 sales that day, with 17 the next day! It's possible her results were fueled by an additional push by the Amazon algorithms just as mine were the other day when I had 78 sales. In any case, that's encouraging, and I thought some of you would like to know her results and add FKBT to your own promo list. I don't expect to get her stellar results, but I'm hoping for a good day.


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> Is it just me, or are the YouTube videos no longer showing in the forum? I was going to check out Marilyn's, but all I see is a big space where the video should be. The same is true of my own post and Mark's--both in Chrome and Firefox. The only difference is that the space is smaller.


Hit refresh or reboot. They're showing up for me.


----------



## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Joynell Schultz said:


> Check out my blog post on that topic: Lessons Learned in the first 30 days of Self-Publishing (https://joynellschultz.wordpress.com/2017/01/15/lessons-learned-first-30-days-of-self-publishing/) I talk about what worked and what didn't work. I actually had my novel priced at $2.99 for a few days at go-live, but dropped it to 99 cents for a month because I didn't sell anything. My next go-live I think I'll price at 99 cents for a week with a ton of advertising, then raise it to 2.99 and sit on it. I don't know yet though...I have two months to think about it.


I just enjoyed reading this reblogged by Steve Vernon.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Hit refresh or reboot. They're showing up for me.


Interestingly, I've not had that problem before, but a reboot fixed it. Marilyn's video is definitely a good one.


----------



## Rfoster

Bill Hiatt said:


> It's a great trailer. Do you find you usually get a good conversion rate from them? I've heard that they don't really sell books, but a lot of people tend to offer their own experiences as if they were universal truths rather than just one data point.
> 
> Of course, being more impulsive than I should be as a marketer, I occasionally have one made. My latest didn't turn out as well as yours, though I was happy with it. However, it doesn't seem to be doing much. Anyway, as long as we're sharing videos, here it is:


My Experience is they dont sell based on page views, I have a very large Twitter account as @SolarPrepper and run them all the time. People just dont click them. I got a boatload of books and have used a very good super cheap online creator Animoto.com to make some as well as have purchsed other peoples. For sake of conversation I even have Author serial or multi book ones, this is one i have recieved a lot of compliments on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcBHHSrpN6Q just click my handle for other ideas. I love doing these things but they dont pay off unless your using them to corespond one on one with readers like a letter


----------



## Used To Be BH

Rfoster said:


> My Experience is they dont sell based on page views, I have a very large Twitter account as @SolarPrepper and run them all the time. People just dont click them. I got a boatload of books and have used a very good super cheap online creator Animoto.com to make some as well as have purchsed other peoples. For sake of conversation I even have Author serial or multi book ones, this is one i have recieved a lot of compliments on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcBHHSrpN6Q just click my handle for other ideas. I love doing these things but they dont pay off unless your using them to corespond one on one with readers like a letter


Yes, that video is definitely a good one. I can see why you got many compliments on it.

My experience is similar. I too like making them, but I haven't noticed them driving many sales. The one I use as a featured video on FB gets a lot of views, but not much conversion to sales.


----------



## Kay7979

Today is the last day of my Kindle Countdown Deal and various promos. I'm going to miss watching sales appear all day in Book Report. Sigh. 

Yesterday I had FKBT ($30) and got 35 sales. 

Today I have Genre Crave, and a couple days ago, spur-of-the-moment, I added Just Kindle Books ($15.00). I used them during my December promo, but they were booked for the end when my book was $1.99 rather than $0.99. I must add a good word for JKB. I had a brain cramp when I booked, and paid the $5.00 add-on so they would leave my book on their site for three days. Then I realized, DUH, my price reverts to $3.99 tomorrow. I corresponded somewhat unsatisfactorily with an underling, and then the owner wrote me last night. Not only did he refund my $5.00, he gave me a discount code for my next promotion. Very nice.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Today is the last day of my Kindle Countdown Deal and various promos. I'm going to miss watching sales appear all day in Book Report. Sigh.
> 
> Yesterday I had FKBT ($30) and got 35 sales.
> 
> Today I have Genre Crave, and a couple days ago, spur-of-the-moment, I added Just Kindle Books ($15.00). I used them during my December promo, but they were booked for the end when my book was $1.99 rather than $0.99. I must add a good word for JKB. I had a brain cramp when I booked, and paid the $5.00 add-on so they would leave my book on their site for three days. Then I realized, DUH, my price reverts to $3.99 tomorrow. I corresponded somewhat unsatisfactorily with an underling, and then the owner wrote me last night. Not only did he refund my $5.00, he gave me a discount code for my next promotion. Very nice.


Thanks for all the stats. Always useful!


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> Thanks for all the stats. Always useful!


I hope so. Your data was incredibly helpful to me when I ran my first promo in December.


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## PatriciaThomson

Kay7979 said:


> I hope so. Your data was incredibly helpful to me when I ran my first promo in December.


Out of curiosity, how much have you spent total for promotion compared to how many copies you've sold?


----------



## MN_Arzu

Hey guys!

Long time no see! I'm looking for copy/editing services for a 75k manuscript. Anyone has any recommendations that don't go above $450? This would be for March


----------



## Kay7979

PatriciaThomson said:


> Out of curiosity, how much have you spent total for promotion compared to how many copies you've sold?


I won't have final totals till tomorrow, but when you take into account the actual royalty paid, not the PRICE of the book, I'm sure I lost money. I spent $190.50 on promos and I have sold 219 books so far, with the Countdown deal scheduled to end at midnight tonight. But, I had only planned to recover half of what I spent, at best, so I'm happy. These promos always produce extra KENP, which is additional income that will be trickling in for days or weeks. Furthermore, it's great exposure. The more people who find and read my book, and tell others they liked it, whether through a written review or by word of mouth, the better. My second book, which should be out in April, will benefit if readers enjoyed this book.

Like any job, you typically pay for your education before you make a steady income. Writing is no different. I have a lot of money invested in cover art and promotions, but I consider it money well spent.


----------



## Kay7979

MN_Arzu said:


> Hey guys!
> 
> Long time no see! I'm looking for copy/editing services for a 75k manuscript. Anyone has any recommendations that don't go above $450? This would be for March


Thanks for stopping by! It's good to see you again. I'm sorry you haven't gotten any suggestions so far, and I don't have any recommendations, either. There are usually threads on editing services in the Writer's Café or you could start a separate thread with your question.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

MN_Arzu said:


> Long time no see! I'm looking for copy/editing services for a 75k manuscript. Anyone has any recommendations that don't go above $450? This would be for March


It's hard to find someone for less than $500. My copy editor will go through with one pass for somewhere around $150-200...she misses some things and recommends a second pass, but I just can't shell out the extra cash -- I figure if people start actually buying my book, I'll send it back to her for that second read through. (I can give you her name, if you like, but she's booked out until probably April.) If you want her contact info, message me.



PatriciaThomson said:


> Out of curiosity, how much have you spent total for promotion compared to how many copies you've sold?





Kay7979 said:


> I won't have final totals till tomorrow, but when you take into account the actual royalty paid, not the PRICE of the book, I'm sure I lost money. I spent $190.50 on promos and I have sold 219 books so far, with the Countdown deal scheduled to end at midnight tonight. But, I had only planned to recover half of what I spent, at best, so I'm happy. These promos always produce extra KENP, which is additional income that will be trickling in for days or weeks. Furthermore, it's great exposure. The more people who find and read my book, and tell others they liked it, whether through a written review or by word of mouth, the better. My second book, which should be out in April, will benefit if readers enjoyed this book.
> 
> Like any job, you typically pay for your education before you make a steady income. Writing is no different. I have a lot of money invested in cover art and promotions, but I consider it money well spent.


I look at it the same way. For my countdown deal next week, I spent about $200 on promos. I hope to get half of it back. I know I'm losing money, but without it, I'm not selling many books at all. (Only about 3 books per week priced at $2.99) I learned that promos don't do much for a full priced book -- except AMS ads. Those are selling most my books right now.


----------



## Kay7979

Joynell Schultz said:


> I look at it the same way. For my countdown deal next week, I spent about $200 on promos. I hope to get half of it back. I know I'm losing money, but without it, I'm not selling many books at all. (Only about 3 books per week priced at $2.99) I learned that promos don't do much for a full priced book -- except AMS ads. Those are selling most my books right now.


Exactly, and you know the strangest thing about AMS buyers? They are not very price sensitive at all. During both Countdown deals, I left AMS running under the logic that buyers who thought twice about paying $3.99 would be all over my book at $0.99. But it has proven wrong both times. I get no more sales from AMS at $0.99 than I do at $3.99. And AMS buyers happily shell out $14.95 for my paperback. Grant you I don't sell a lot of paperbacks, but they do sell, and I think I can trace virtually all of the sales back to AMS. Go figure.


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## Kay7979

Final report on my Kindle Countdown promo.

Yesterday I had Genre Crave and Just Kindle Books. I had 28 sales. 

Total sales for the week were 230, which is almost double what I did in December, and I actually spent considerably less on the promos.


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## Used To Be BH

Joynell Schultz said:


> I look at it the same way. For my countdown deal next week, I spent about $200 on promos. I hope to get half of it back. I know I'm losing money, but without it, I'm not selling many books at all. (Only about 3 books per week priced at $2.99) I learned that promos don't do much for a full priced book -- except AMS ads. Those are selling most my books right now.


Sadly, for most of us, you have to spend money to make money. I look at it as initial investment. The only real alternative getting started seems to be to crank out a book every two weeks, which I just can't do. I know there are writers who avoid promos that don't produce a positive ROI, but if they succeed, they do it in spite of that strategy, not because of it.

The trick is not spending more money than you can afford.


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## PatriciaThomson

Kay7979 said:


> Final report on my Kindle Countdown promo.
> 
> Yesterday I had Genre Crave and Just Kindle Books. I had 28 sales.
> 
> Total sales for the week were 230, which is almost double what I did in December, and I actually spent considerably less on the promos.


You don't count Kirkus Reviews in your budget?


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## Kay7979

PatriciaThomson said:


> You don't count Kirkus Reviews in your budget?


I thought you were asking about this Countdown Deal promo. No, I've never calculated everything I've spent since publication that might be considered advertising or promotion. To do that, I would have to add in the couple Facebook posts I've boosted, my ongoing AMS ads, my five books given away via a Goodreads giveaway, costs incurred for creating my website, and a host of other expenses.


----------



## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

MN_Arzu said:


> Hey guys!
> 
> Long time no see! I'm looking for copy/editing services for a 75k manuscript. Anyone has any recommendations that don't go above $450? This would be for March


Hi, Arzu! I do copyediting but at above your price point. I would encourage you to consider this, though: I'm currently editing for an author who had multiple editors before me for his debut novel, but when I saw what he started with, I knew those presumably-lower-priced folks had not really done him a service. I completed his book for a tad over a penny a word, and he was so happy with it he's coming back for my work for his subsequent novels in the series. I have the same struggles you do, though, in figuring out how to not go broke while writing, so I've strategized the editing I get for myself. For my first book I found a very talented writer who was just getting into editing and charged me half the going rate for a strong job. For my short story I paid a premium for a manuscript assessment that helped me work on story/character issues, and then I edited and proofread myself (just 10k).

I encourage you to take a look at my services (see the Moraine's Edge Books link below my signature) and send me a sample to see what I can do for you. Every writer has different needs, and I price according to the real-time service I provide. No judgments, though - I know we all do what we can to make our books the best we can within our own limitations.

End of commercial.


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## Rfoster

Kay7979 said:


> I won't have final totals till tomorrow, but when you take into account the actual royalty paid, not the PRICE of the book, I'm sure I lost money. I spent $190.50 on promos and I have sold 219 books so far, with the Countdown deal scheduled to end at midnight tonight. But, I had only planned to recover half of what I spent, at best, so I'm happy. These promos always produce extra KENP, which is additional income that will be trickling in for days or weeks. Furthermore, it's great exposure. The more people who find and read my book, and tell others they liked it, whether through a written review or by word of mouth, the better. My second book, which should be out in April, will benefit if readers enjoyed this book.
> 
> Like any job, you typically pay for your education before you make a steady income. Writing is no different. I have a lot of money invested in cover art and promotions, but I consider it money well spent.


Countdown deals scare me to death and I wont do another one. I had 40 books pretty well situated and made the vain glorious mistake of putting them all on countdown on my birthday  well was curious because I am a niche marketer with following, bad idea, bad Ron what were you thinking? it took me two months to get back in the ratings and it hurt my income horribly for a long time. I didn't advertise except social media which has always been enough for the last 6 years but that one time crucified me until i did the free book thing and got back up where i could be seen and they start selling again. A promo under countdown hurts you if don't sell, a freebie it dont matter if you don't get great response


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## Kay7979

Rfoster said:


> Countdown deals scare me to death and I wont do another one. I had 40 books pretty well situated and made the vain glorious mistake of putting them all on countdown on my birthday  well was curious because I am a niche marketer with following, bad idea, bad Ron what were you thinking? it took me two months to get back in the ratings and it hurt my income horribly for a long time. I didn't advertise except social media which has always been enough for the last 6 years but that one time crucified me until i did the free book thing and got back up where i could be seen and they start selling again. A promo under countdown hurts you if don't sell, a freebie it dont matter if you don't get great response


First of all, welcome.

I'm really confused by your comments. I can't imagine how a countdown can adversely affect your sales rank. Typically, even without additional promos running, you'll sell more books than normal, just because of the discount. But even if you sold no more books than on a normal week, how does that hurt your rank? At the very worst, you'd be right where you were to start with. What am I missing?


----------



## Kelly Stock

HELLO all, just touching base... I've been busy getting by book onto Amazon and setting up webpages, author central and trying to promote my book. I have started a headtalker campaign so any support would be well received  link here: https://headtalker.com/campaigns/purchase-the-soul-guide/

On another note... does kindle ranking start even on a pre-order? I was (pleasantly) surprised to find that I was ranking at all to be honest given I've not had many pre-orders and The Soul Guide isn't released until 18th Feb ( my daughters 10th Birthday) I've chosen to go Kindle select so can those who can get my book free in kindle unlimited pre-order too? And if do those stats feed into a books kindle ranking? Does the make sense Just curious?


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## Rfoster

Kay7979 said:


> First of all, welcome.
> 
> I'm really confused by your comments. I can't imagine how a countdown can adversely affect your sales rank. Typically, even without additional promos running, you'll sell more books than normal, just because of the discount. But even if you sold no more books than on a normal week, how does that hurt your rank? At the very worst, you'd be right where you were to start with. What am I missing?


Evidently the algorithm that moves the KDP promotions up and down in the search engine as come up dosent like low response. It worked kind of like republishing , you lose your niche at times. The free ones always get picked up some and you go back to your same place or ahead. Not so with count downs. I had did a few countdowns in the past with bad results similar but figured ,hey that much traffic all at once putting my whole back list up might of done something interesting. It did, it sent me to back of the line. Normally in my genre i have several spread out pages 1-14 say, after that fiasco I disappeared until I started trying to get back, zip nadh listings where things would normally be.

Oh and I am just over here observing right now, i am awaiting answer on my Scout book ( 7days now) so doing my ansty whats next thing


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Kelly Stock said:


> On another note... does kindle ranking start even on a pre-order? I was (pleasantly) surprised to find that I was ranking at all to be honest given I've not had many pre-orders and The Soul Guide isn't released until 18th Feb ( my daughters 10th Birthday) I've chosen to go Kindle select so can those who can get my book free in kindle unlimited pre-order too? And if do those stats feed into a books kindle ranking? Does the make sense Just curious?


Yes, preorders count towards your Kindle rank. I kinda felt the pre-order thing hurt me because on release day, I didn't get the big surge of purchases on one day...since they came in over the 2 week pre-order period. Next time, I'll still put it up on preorder so I can get things ready, but I'm not going to push it/advertise until it's actually available.


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> I thought you were asking about this Countdown Deal promo. No, I've never calculated everything I've spent since publication that might be considered advertising or promotion. To do that, I would have to add in the couple Facebook posts I've boosted, my ongoing AMS ads, my five books given away via a Goodreads giveaway, costs incurred for creating my website, and a host of other expenses.


I have advice regarding this: don't!

I have it all worked out and that minus number is scary! (Though it is getting smaller!)

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> Yes, preorders count towards your Kindle rank. I kinda felt the pre-order thing hurt me because on release day, I didn't get the big surge of purchases on one day...since they came in over the 2 week pre-order period. Next time, I'll still put it up on preorder so I can get things ready, but I'm not going to push it/advertise until it's actually available.


I use preorders to motivate me to get things done! I find it helps to have people expecting the book.

I wouldn't worry about preorders having low numbers. My December release (my KS reject) had 5. But then my next one (January) had 33 and my one coming up this month has 35. So it grows!

But yes they can change the ranking!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lincolnjcole

lauramg_1406 said:


> I use preorders to motivate me to get things done! I find it helps to have people expecting the book.
> 
> I wouldn't worry about preorders having low numbers. My December release (my KS reject) had 5. But then my next one (January) had 33 and my one coming up this month has 35. So it grows!
> 
> But yes they can change the ranking!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Haha same here, and this time my preorder is like triple my highest previous preorder ever! It's really been kicking me in the pants and making me finish (though the book is like 50% longer than any previous ones too, which is making it even more difficult!). I'm actually up to 123 preorders so far, which is super cool, but kind of scary lol


----------



## lauramg_1406

lincolnjcole said:


> Haha same here, and this time my preorder is like triple my highest previous preorder ever! It's really been kicking me in the pants and making me finish (though the book is like 50% longer than any previous ones too, which is making it even more difficult!). I'm actually up to 123 preorders so far, which is super cool, but kind of scary lol


I'm using it to motivate me to edit! February & March's preorders are written and Feb's is in the editing stage now. April's is possibly a third done (maybe).

My February preorder is at 37 but considering my December one was 5, I think that's great!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lincolnjcole

lauramg_1406 said:


> I'm using it to motivate me to edit! February & March's preorders are written and Feb's is in the editing stage now. April's is possibly a third done (maybe).
> 
> My February preorder is at 37 but considering my December one was 5, I think that's great!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Yeah, that is really good! Are these preorders for shorter novellas or full length projects?


----------



## lauramg_1406

lincolnjcole said:


> Yeah, that is really good! Are these preorders for shorter novellas or full length projects?


December (5) was full length.

January (33) & February (37) are novellas.

Worth noting that I switched genres at the beginning of the year, and seem to have got the covers right on my PNRs, whereas I didn't on my NA romance.

Plus I had more of an idea of what I was doing this time!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

lincolnjcole said:


> Yeah, that is really good! Are these preorders for shorter novellas or full length projects?


Also worth noting that the Feb one does have another 2 weeks to run. For some reason unbeknown to even me, I decided my release days were going to be the 24th of the month)

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## MWhateley

MN_Arzu said:


> Hey guys!
> 
> Long time no see! I'm looking for copy/editing services for a 75k manuscript. Anyone has any recommendations that don't go above $450? This would be for March


I use David Burton at economy edits. Look him up on google+. I used him for my last 2 books. I find him very reasonable. Look him up on google+. His prices are in display.


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## MWhateley

Well since Operation Desert Swarm was not selected I will be stalking this post. I am useless at self promotion, and marketing.  Hopefully,  I will pick up some tips from the old hands. Looking forward to meeting you all.


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## Joynell Schultz

Welcome to all the new followers of this post. There's also a Facebook group, if you're intersted: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/ (It's nice to discuss things there--a little more privately.)


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## Used To Be BH

MWhateley said:


> Well since Operation Desert Swarm was not selected I will be stalking this post. I am useless at self promotion, and marketing. Hopefully, I will pick up some tips from the old hands. Looking forward to meeting you all.


Welcome! I'm not sure any of us are exactly old hands, but sharing our ongoing experiences is useful. I frequently pick up new things.


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## Kay7979

I posted a couple days ago saying AMS hadn't produced many sales during my Kindle Countdown deal, but apparently I spoke too soon. More showed up. AMS was responsible for 12 eBook sales and a paperback. I'm glad I left it running during my promos.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> I posted a couple days ago saying AMS hadn't produced many sales during my Kindle Countdown deal, but apparently I spoke too soon. More showed up. AMS was responsible for 12 eBook sales and a paperback. I'm glad I left it running during my promos.


If only it weren't so laggy! It makes it difficult sometimes to connect sales with specific promos.


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## Kelly Stock

Kay7979 said:


> I posted a couple days ago saying AMS hadn't produced many sales during my Kindle Countdown deal, but apparently I spoke too soon. More showed up. AMS was responsible for 12 eBook sales and a paperback. I'm glad I left it running during my promos.


Apologies for being a complete knit wit but what is AMS?


----------



## Kay7979

Kelly Stock said:


> Apologies for being a complete knit wit but what is AMS?


Amazon Marketing Services


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## Kelly Stock

Kay7979 said:


> Amazon Marketing Services


Of course, thank you!


----------



## Robertson

Well, "Scot Free in Hollywood" was not selected. Not a big surprise, but I was getting fed up with the wait (12 days!)

However, I used the time to get my launch ready.  Scot Free is now available in both Kindle and paperback with CreateSpace. I've even got a new cover!

After a couple of emails, the two versions are now linked, and the Kindle page count has been updated to reflect the real-book total of 272 pages (the Kindle version was showing 180 pages, so quite a big difference!) Response time from Amazon has been excellent, and the changes are already live, 15 minutes after receiving their confirmation. To give credit where it is due, I call that amazing.

My campaign stats: 53 hours in H&T, all in the last 3 days. Total pageviews: 341 (59% from KS, 41% from external links).

As I said over on the other thread, my campaign was completely UNsupported by paid advertising. My FB and Twitter profiles are very low-key, but I did post a couple of times, and I sent personalized emails to a few contacts.

Now for the unfamiliar task of self-puffing my release. Any advice would be very welcome.

Robertson


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## Kay7979

Robertson said:


> Well, "Scot Free in Hollywood" was not selected. Not a big surprise, but I was getting fed up with the wait (12 days!)
> 
> However, I used the time to get my launch ready. Scot Free is now available in both Kindle and paperback with CreateSpace. I've even got a new cover!
> 
> After a couple of emails, the two versions are now linked, and the Kindle page count has been updated to reflect the real-book total of 272 pages (the Kindle version was showing 180 pages, so quite a big difference!) Response time from Amazon has been excellent, and the changes are already live, 15 minutes after receiving their confirmation. To give credit where it is due, I call that amazing.
> 
> My campaign stats: 53 hours in H&T, all in the last 3 days. Total pageviews: 341 (59% from KS, 41% from external links).
> 
> As I said over on the other thread, my campaign was completely UNsupported by paid advertising. My FB and Twitter profiles are very low-key, but I did post a couple of times, and I sent personalized emails to a few contacts.
> 
> Now for the unfamiliar task of self-puffing my release. Any advice would be very welcome.
> 
> Robertson


This thread has become quite lengthy but it's well worth reading. In a nutshell, without advertising and newsletter promotions it's hard for readers to find you. The first 30 to 90 days are especially important.


----------



## Robertson

Yes, absolutely. I have read a lot of this and other threads, and made a lot of notes.

I've got some promo lined up on the low-cost sites that seem to be most effective for people here, so I have started that process. The keyword choice for AMS is challenging.

BTW I found your detailed report of your recent Countdown and supporting promo really, really useful. I wanted to thank you for that.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Robertson said:


> Well, "Scot Free in Hollywood" was not selected. Not a big surprise, but I was getting fed up with the wait (12 days!)


I often wonder if the wait is a sign of more serious consideration. There's no way to know, but I think that could be the case.

Anyway, I just picked up a copy. My TBR is unfortunately quite long, but I'm looking forward to getting to it.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> I often wonder if the wait is a sign of more serious consideration. There's no way to know, but I think that could be the case.
> 
> Anyway, I just picked up a copy. My TBR is unfortunately quite long, but I'm looking forward to getting to it.


I'd *like* to believe that cause they made me wait 10! But who knows how KS really works!

Could I ask you guys to please support my headtalker campaign? Please & thank you!

https://headtalker.com/campaigns/the-vixens-bark-release-day/


----------



## Kay7979

Got you, Laura. 

Robertson, glad the info was helpful. 

I waited 12 days for the no. I feel your pain!


----------



## AaronFrale

I've waited anywhere from 48-hours to 12 days (two were 10+ days, one 48 hours, and the other about days). So far no rhyme or reason because the 48-hour wait was H&T almost the entire campaign. Though, I think the wait is more amount of submission related than comment on quality. I'm assuming that each book to under consideration goes through some sort of quantitative and qualitative analysis. Either way, it's all conjecture.


----------



## Robertson

Bill Hiatt said:


> I often wonder if the wait is a sign of more serious consideration. There's no way to know, but I think that could be the case.
> 
> Anyway, I just picked up a copy. My TBR is unfortunately quite long, but I'm looking forward to getting to it.


Bill, thanks for the support! 

My wife was looking behind my shoulder, she checked out your opus and could not resist getting the Devil Hath the Power (beautiful cover BTW). She's got a longish reading list but is a very active reviewer, so you might just get another review that is more than a list of your books! 

Cheers,

Robertson


----------



## Robertson

lauramg_1406 said:


> Could I ask you guys to please support my headtalker campaign? Please & thank you!
> 
> https://headtalker.com/campaigns/the-vixens-bark-release-day/


Laura, supported!



Kay7979 said:


> Robertson, glad the info was helpful.
> I waited 12 days for the no. I feel your pain!


The info was extremely useful! AwesomeGang, for example, are really good to deal with. It's fun to see some sales for a change!


----------



## Robertson

AaronFrale said:


> I've waited anywhere from 48-hours to 12 days (two were 10+ days, one 48 hours, and the other about days). So far no rhyme or reason because the 48-hour wait was H&T almost the entire campaign. Though, I think the wait is more amount of submission related than comment on quality. I'm assuming that each book to under consideration goes through some sort of quantitative and qualitative analysis. Either way, it's all conjecture.


Aaron, I also think that the editors were dealing with a backlog. There was a long silence, then If Only got picked up, and a few of us got the *other* email.

I see your Burrito-powered Cat is flying high in the H&T. Hot-sauce speed to you!

Robertson


----------



## Used To Be BH

Robertson said:


> Bill, thanks for the support!
> 
> My wife was looking behind my shoulder, she checked out your opus and could not resist getting the Devil Hath the Power (beautiful cover BTW). She's got a longish reading list but is a very active reviewer, so you might just get another review that is more than a list of your books!
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Robertson


Good to know. I hope your wife enjoys it. The cover was done by Julie Nicholls, who is a fantasy and science fiction writer as well as being a cover designer. She hasn't joined this thread, but she is a former Scout entrant as well.


----------



## Used To Be BH

AaronFrale said:


> I've waited anywhere from 48-hours to 12 days (two were 10+ days, one 48 hours, and the other about days). So far no rhyme or reason because the 48-hour wait was H&T almost the entire campaign. Though, I think the wait is more amount of submission related than comment on quality. I'm assuming that each book to under consideration goes through some sort of quantitative and qualitative analysis. Either way, it's all conjecture.


Ah, yes, if only we knew! I'm sure there are a lot of factors that contribute to waiting time. However, the long delays don't always seem to occur when there are many campaigns that have recently ended, and sometimes books in the same batch have radically different waiting times. Of course, that could be simple a function of the editors going through the books one at a time and choosing as they go. However, the fact that the emails tend to come in batches makes such a pattern slightly less likely.


----------



## Vinny OHare

Robertson said:


> Laura, supported!
> 
> The info was extremely useful! AwesomeGang, for example, are really good to deal with. It's fun to see some sales for a change!


Glad you liked dealing with us. Good luck. We have been getting a few more Kindle Scout campaigns of late. Wish the authors would let me know if they get accepted.


----------



## PatriciaThomson

Bill Hiatt said:


> I often wonder if the wait is a sign of more serious consideration. There's no way to know, but I think that could be the case.
> 
> Anyway, I just picked up a copy. My TBR is unfortunately quite long, but I'm looking forward to getting to it.


I also waited twelve days. However, Scout gets inundated with submissions and it probably doesn't have that large of an editorial staff. Based on my own experience, I think a lot of manuscripts get rejected after only having a couple of chapters read. There were two other people whose campaigns ran concurrent with mine, and both were rejected within forty-eight hours of the campaigns' end. Those who had longer waits can be reasonably reassured that someone read the whole thing (at least I hope).


----------



## AaronFrale

Robertson said:


> I see your Burrito-powered Cat is flying high in the H&T. Hot-sauce speed to you!


Thank you! My the hot-sauce ever be in your favor! (There's no end to the puns!)


----------



## Robertson

AaronFrale said:


> Thank you! My the hot-sauce ever be in your favor! (There's no end to the puns!)


True! The sillier, the better.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

AaronFrale said:


> Thank you! My the hot-sauce ever be in your favor! (There's no end to the puns!)


Keeping the cat / burrito theme:

What do call a cat in a blanket?

A purrrrito.

(Sorry, I couldn't resist!)


----------



## AaronFrale

Joynell Schultz said:


> What do call a cat in a blanket?
> 
> A purrrrito.


What do we call a cat in a blanket singing "Stop! In the Name of Love?"

A purrrito Supreme!

We've created a monster!


----------



## lauramg_1406

PatriciaThomson said:


> I also waited twelve days. However, Scout gets inundated with submissions and it probably doesn't have that large of an editorial staff. Based on my own experience, I think a lot of manuscripts get rejected after only having a couple of chapters read. There were two other people whose campaigns ran concurrent with mine, and both were rejected within forty-eight hours of the campaigns' end. Those who had longer waits can be reasonably reassured that someone read the whole thing (at least I hope).


Interesting! I think you could be on to something there Patricia!

I figure we could also be looking at different reading speeds. Maybe the person that reads the UF reads faster than the person that reads romance.

Aaron & Joy - I laughed and I'm not proud of it!

Everyone - thank you for the headtalker support 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## Used To Be BH

PatriciaThomson said:


> I also waited twelve days. However, Scout gets inundated with submissions and it probably doesn't have that large of an editorial staff. Based on my own experience, I think a lot of manuscripts get rejected after only having a couple of chapters read. There were two other people whose campaigns ran concurrent with mine, and both were rejected within forty-eight hours of the campaigns' end. Those who had longer waits can be reasonably reassured that someone read the whole thing (at least I hope).


I'd hope every book gets at least a cursory full read. What I think may happen is that books liked by the initial reader get vetted by others before a final decision. Unfortunately, it could still be as simple as the books getting read one by one. The ones that get read first potentially get accepted or rejected faster.


----------



## Robertson

> Quote from: Robertson on February 13, 2017, 03:41:44 PM
> 
> The info was extremely useful! AwesomeGang, for example, are really good to deal with.





Vinny OHare said:


> Glad you liked dealing with us. Good luck.


Vinny, thanks for fixing that for me. I saw my book in the newsletter and your site.

Robertson


----------



## lauramg_1406

Advice request time:

So I have a form for people to fill in if they want review copies and one of the people that's filled it in has requested an ARC (no problem there, that was the intention of the list) but they gave the previous book 2 stars on Goodreads (no actual review, but they did send me the link). What's the best thing to do? Just ignore it, or send her the ARC and see what happens? 

It just seems odd to request a second book in a series when you didn't like the first.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Robertson

Joynell Schultz said:


> Keeping the cat / burrito theme:
> 
> What do call a cat in a blanket?
> 
> A purrrrito.
> 
> (Sorry, I couldn't resist!)


Q: What do you call a cat who sleeps on burritos?










A: Mine


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Robertson said:


> Q: What do you call a cat who sleeps on burritos?
> 
> A: Mine


I love it! You're my new best friend.



lauramg_1406 said:


> So I have a form for people to fill in if they want review copies and one of the people that's filled it in has requested an ARC (no problem there, that was the intention of the list) but they gave the previous book 2 stars on Goodreads (no actual review, but they did send me the link). What's the best thing to do? Just ignore it, or send her the ARC and see what happens?
> 
> It just seems odd to request a second book in a series when you didn't like the first.


Okay, perhaps I'm not a professional, but I wouldn't give out the book. You didn't promise, you're having people apply for it. Make a rule that you're only giving it out to the top 20 (30? 50?) people that enjoyed your first book. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> Okay, perhaps I'm not a professional, but I wouldn't give out the book. You didn't promise, you're having people apply for it. Make a rule that you're only giving it out to the top 20 (30? 50?) people that enjoyed your first book. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.


This is what I was leaning towards! I think I just needed someone to say it to me!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## Robertson

lauramg_1406 said:


> Advice request time:
> 
> So I have a form for people to fill in if they want review copies and one of the people that's filled it in has requested an ARC (no problem there, that was the intention of the list) but they gave the previous book 2 stars on Goodreads (no actual review, but they did send me the link). What's the best thing to do? Just ignore it, or send her the ARC and see what happens?
> 
> It just seems odd to request a second book in a series when you didn't like the first.


I would second Joynell's advice.

You don't run a free book service, and why would you gift a second book to someone who could not even be bothered to review your first one?

When you have a sign-up form, you control your choices.


----------



## Robertson

> I love it! You're my new best friend.


Thanks! Beautiful dog you've got there. I bet he eats quite a lot!

Robertson


----------



## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> This is what I was leaning towards! I think I just needed someone to say it to me!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I'm actually puzzled why anyone who didn't like the first book would want a free copy. You can give ARCs to whomever you choose.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> I'm actually puzzled why anyone who didn't like the first book would want a free copy. You can give ARCs to whomever you choose.


To see if it's as bad as the first one? I've no idea! Seems like a strange thing to do to me (and a waste of her time). I've crossed her off the list now anyway!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Joynell Schultz

Today is day #1 of my first Kindle Countdown Deal for Love, Lies & Clones and I have some promos lined up. I love it when other's share, so I'm returning the favor. I set the price at 99 c/p for the entire countdown. Fingers crossed that I actually sell some books.

2/16 - Book Barbarian ($20) & My Book Cave-All Week Exposure ($20)
2/17 - eReader News Today ENT ($30) & Sweet Free Books ($7) & My Newsletter will go out.
2/18 - Book Sends / eReader IQ ($35)
2/19 - Guest blog for Mystery Thriller Week (I wrote an article about using medications as murder weapons) (Free), HeadTalker Campaign (Free), & a few Ask David Tweets ($2 - Maybe)
2/20 - eReader Cafe ($25) & a few more Ask David Tweets ($1 maybe)
2/21 - Free Kindle Books & Tips FKBT ($30)
2/22 - Bargain Booksy $50

Grand Total: $224 (I was shooting for $200, oh well.)
I'm hoping to earn half of it back...all of it would be fabulous.
I'm looking for some Kindle Unlimited page reads. I've had next to none of them. If this doesn't give me a bump, I'm going to take my book "wide". What's the harm.
Also, this promo will help me decide how to launch my next book (Assuming, Kindle Scout does not pick it up.)

So far today, no sales, but it's only been live for an hour and no promos went out.



Robertson said:


> Thanks! Beautiful dog you've got there. I bet he eats quite a lot!


Nah, she doesn't eat that much. She's actually quite lazy. She'd lay in my bed all day (and night) if that was a possibility. Sometimes, she does make it out to the couch and sleeps there instead.


----------



## Kay7979

Joynell Schultz said:


> Today is day #1 of my first Kindle Countdown Deal for Love, Lies & Clones and I have some promos lined up. I love it when other's share, so I'm returning the favor. I set the price at 99 c/p for the entire countdown. Fingers crossed that I actually sell some books.
> 
> 2/16 - Book Barbarian ($20) & My Book Cave-All Week Exposure ($20)
> 2/17 - eReader News Today ENT ($30) & Sweet Free Books ($7) & My Newsletter will go out.
> 2/18 - Book Sends / eReader IQ ($35)
> 2/19 - Guest blog for Mystery Thriller Week (I wrote an article about using medications as murder weapons) (Free), HeadTalker Campaign (Free), & a few Ask David Tweets ($2 - Maybe)
> 2/20 - eReader Cafe ($25) & a few more Ask David Tweets ($1 maybe)
> 2/21 - Free Kindle Books & Tips FKBT ($30)
> 2/22 - Bargain Booksy $50
> 
> Grand Total: $224 (I was shooting for $200, oh well.)
> I'm hoping to earn half of it back...all of it would be fabulous.
> I'm looking for some Kindle Unlimited page reads. I've had next to none of them. If this doesn't give me a bump, I'm going to take my book "wide". What's the harm.
> Also, this promo will help me decide how to launch my next book (Assuming, Kindle Scout does not pick it up.)
> 
> So far today, no sales, but it's only been live for an hour and no promos went out.
> Nah, she doesn't eat that much. She's actually quite lazy. She'd lay in my bed all day (and night) if that was a possibility. Sometimes, she does make it out to the couch and sleeps there instead.


Excellent lineup! I think you'll do better than you expect. I'm looking forward to hearing your results. My KENP is still dramatically higher, a week after my Countdown deal ended, so I think you'll get a boost in KU activity.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Excellent lineup! I think you'll do better than you expect. I'm looking forward to hearing your results. My KENP is still dramatically higher, a week after my Countdown deal ended, so I think you'll get a boost in KU activity.


I'd assume the same. In my limited experience, it can take time for KU readers to notice a new book, but once the flow starts, it may well continue.


----------



## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Joynell Schultz said:


> Today is day #1 of my first Kindle Countdown Deal for Love, Lies & Clones and I have some promos lined up. I love it when other's share, so I'm returning the favor. I set the price at 99 c/p for the entire countdown. Fingers crossed that I actually sell some books.
> 
> <snip>
> 
> So far today, no sales, but it's only been live for an hour and no promos went out.


Please keep us posted each day. I'd love to see your sales graph keyed to the promos later on. I hope all goes well!


----------



## Kay7979

I got an email from the Reading Deals promo site hawking their review service where for a fee they distribute your book to readers who agree to review your book. I am not inclined to try it, but I'm wondering if others here know whether it's worthwhile. I've been getting a rash of review requests from struggling authors. I sympathize since I need more reviews too, but I already have a backlog of hundreds of books, and I alternate between KS alumni and other books on my reading pile. I could refer people to Reading Deals if they didn't mind spending the money, but I'd hate to refer anyone if it wasn't worthwhile.


----------



## Paul Francois

Sorry I have been AWOL, been crazy ever since the new year began.



AaronFrale said:


> What do we call a cat in a blanket singing "Stop! In the Name of Love?"
> 
> A purrrito Supreme!
> 
> We've created a monster!


Oh I have to join this. What do you call two cats in a blanket?

A combo purrrito! 

Sorry could not resist!

Ok, so on a serious note I have a question. How are you guys doing with getting reviews? I have only been able to wrangle in a few on Amazon (counting 1 in UK) and a few on Goodreads. I have given out about 2000 free on instaFreebie and pushed 144 via Amazon (118 free and 26 paid).

I even ran a contest for a $25 Amazon Gift Card and nobody so far has entered the contest yet, and it has been running for a month!  Contest: http://gvwy.io/hijwbgl

Any tips?


----------



## Used To Be BH

Paul Francois said:


> Ok, so on a serious note I have a question. How are you guys doing with getting reviews? I have only been able to wrangle in a few on Amazon (counting 1 in UK) and a few on Goodreads. I have given out about 2000 free on instaFreebie and pushed 144 via Amazon (118 free and 26 paid).
> 
> I even ran a contest for a $25 Amazon Gift Card and nobody so far has entered the contest yet, and it has been running for a month!  Contest: http://gvwy.io/hijwbgl
> 
> Any tips?


First, having no one enter the contest was actually lucky, since offering a chance to win a prize in exchange for a review is a violation of Amazon's TOS. Anything, anything other than a free copy will get you into trouble.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Paul Francois said:


> Ok, so on a serious note I have a question. How are you guys doing with getting reviews? I have only been able to wrangle in a few on Amazon (counting 1 in UK) and a few on Goodreads. I have given out about 2000 free on instaFreebie and pushed 144 via Amazon (118 free and 26 paid).
> 
> I even ran a contest for a $25 Amazon Gift Card and nobody so far has entered the contest yet, and it has been running for a month!  Contest: http://gvwy.io/hijwbgl
> 
> Any tips?


Second, there are companies that will put your book in front of prospective reviewers. The company gets a fee for the service, but the reviewers get only a free book, so that's legit. The one Kay was just mentioning I haven't tried. I have tried Choosy Bookworm's Read and Review program. It's run by a fellow author, and it has produced a number of reviews for me, though not as many recently. (The $50 purchase requirement may have reduced the pool of those eligible.)

I just ran across a thread here two days ago that has other suggestions.

Long ago I tried Books Machine. Nothing. I also tried Review Saint. Nothing so far. I just signed up for one I found in the other thread, but I can't remember the name.

There are also FB groups that will put books in front of prospective reviewers for free. I never got any takers that way, but some people do, so you might.


----------



## AaronFrale

I've been getting reviews by being a free book factory. Whenever I promo, I do it free, and being in KU helps offset the cost. I bought Choosy Bookworm for Othello and Zombies, and am not really impressed with the results. I've given away five books and only got one review. They have 8 months to provide thirty emails of interested reviewers and at the rate I'm getting them, I'm guessing I won't get that many.

I also have at the end of each book: a polite "If you liked reading this book, please review it. Reviews really help me out" or something to that effect. And then every time I do a free promo, I mention in my newsletter, hey this book is free, and why not tell me what you think by reviewing it?

It seems to me that for every 1k I give away, I'm lucky to get a review or two for it.

At this point for me, until I sell enough to quit my day job, I put anything I make into paying for editors, ads, and art.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Cindy Rinaman Marsch said:


> Please keep us posted each day. I'd love to see your sales graph keyed to the promos later on. I hope all goes well!


Thanks! I'll keep everyone updated. So far today, I sold 8 books... Net loss today of $34.88, but it's still early.



Kay7979 said:


> I got an email from the Reading Deals promo site hawking their review service where for a fee they distribute your book to readers who agree to review your book. I am not inclined to try it, but I'm wondering if others here know whether it's worthwhile. I've been getting a rash of review requests from struggling authors. I sympathize since I need more reviews too, but I already have a backlog of hundreds of books, and I alternate between KS alumni and other books on my reading pile. I could refer people to Reading Deals if they didn't mind spending the money, but I'd hate to refer anyone if it wasn't worthwhile.


Sorry-I have no experience, but, like you, I'm so back-logged to--I'm booked out until June at my current too-slow reading speed. (You know, a family, a job, and trying to write more books.) I feel privileged that you read mine! Thanks!



Paul Francois said:


> Ok, so on a serious note I have a question. How are you guys doing with getting reviews? I have only been able to wrangle in a few on Amazon (counting 1 in UK) and a few on Goodreads. I have given out about 2000 free on instaFreebie and pushed 144 via Amazon (118 free and 26 paid).
> 
> I even ran a contest for a $25 Amazon Gift Card and nobody so far has entered the contest yet, and it has been running for a month!  Contest: http://gvwy.io/hijwbgl
> 
> Any tips?


Maybe I have tips. My next book is in Kindle Scout now, and I'm preparing to self-publish (I hate to assume they won't pick my book up, but I don't want to be behind schedule because I'm hoping for something.) Anyway, I'm seeking out Advanced Readers for Blood & Holy Water now. I've posted on two different advanced reader groups on goodreads and only got one or two bites. Then I posted on my blog and got 11 people interested. I'm sending a request out in my newsletter tomorrow. (I have about 100 subscribers.) I know authors with bigger newsletter lists get more takers. I did a similar thing with Love, Lies and Clones and did get a handful of reviews out of this method (minus the newsletter, since I didn't have a mailing list then.) I also use a lot of beta readers (like 10 per novel) so I will reach out to them for a review too--that is if they liked my book. Please, ask questions if you have any.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Paul Francois said:


> Ok, so on a serious note I have a question. How are you guys doing with getting reviews? I have only been able to wrangle in a few on Amazon (counting 1 in UK) and a few on Goodreads. I have given out about 2000 free on instaFreebie and pushed 144 via Amazon (118 free and 26 paid).
> 
> I even ran a contest for a $25 Amazon Gift Card and nobody so far has entered the contest yet, and it has been running for a month!  Contest: http://gvwy.io/hijwbgl
> 
> Any tips?


Most of mine for my KS reject book came from other KS Alumni (thanks guys!)

My more recent release currently has 19 reviews. There's a couple that seem to have come just by chance, but most came from sending out an instafreebie list to my mailing list. That's from 80 copies, so not great! I'm trying it a slightly different way for February's release, so I'll update next week when I have actual reviews number.


----------



## Kay7979

I just got an email response back from the last woman who emailed me to see if I'd review her book. She says she's using a site called Book Razr, and that her response rate has been about 20%. I don't know whether that means 20% of the people wrote back and acknowledged her request, or whether 20% actually agreed to review her book.


----------



## Paul Francois

Bill Hiatt said:


> Second, there are companies that will put your book in front of prospective reviewers. The company gets a fee for the service, but the reviewers get only a free book, so that's legit. The one Kay was just mentioning I haven't tried. I have tried Choosy Bookworm's Read and Review program. It's run by a fellow author, and it has produced a number of reviews for me, though not as many recently. (The $50 purchase requirement may have reduced the pool of those eligible.)
> 
> I just ran across a thread here two days ago that has other suggestions.
> 
> Long ago I tried Books Machine. Nothing. I also tried Review Saint. Nothing so far. I just signed up for one I found in the other thread, but I can't remember the name.
> 
> There are also FB groups that will put books in front of prospective reviewers for free. I never got any takers that way, but some people do, so you might.


Thanks Bill.

I can't use the one mentioned by Kay since I don't even have 5 reviews yet. And I can't afford the $150 Choosy Bookworm wants, I have only made about $25 in sales off my book.


----------



## Kay7979

Most of my early reviews came from Kindle Scout folks, and I'm on the third pass of editing book two, so before long I'll be contacting some of those same folks to see if they'll review an ARC of book two. 

Actually, part of the reason I started this thread was to develop a community of people who would help one another with everything from advice to reviews. The idea with reviews being that we would have a large enough pool to draw from that we could voluntarily read whose ever book appealed to us, knowing someone would return the favor. 

I confess I tend to be a bit more lenient with Indie authors. I might round a three star to a four, or a four to a five, but if I don't think a book is properly edited, or the subject matter turns me off, I'm going to pass completely. In the case of a book that needs more polish to be ready for publication, I feel we aren't doing the author any favors by saying nothing and reviewing it. 

The other night I started reading a book I'd downloaded, (not written by anyone here) and I had to close it after sampling a few chapters. Too many syntax problems and the writing was generally awkward. That doesn't happen too often. Oddly enough, a few days ago I started reading a Kindle Scout winner and aborted after a couple chapters, electing to read instead Ellie Robbins book, Everyday Monsters, which was excellent, by the way. The KS winning book wasn't poorly written, but the writing style wasn't compelling, and I simply wasn't enjoying it. 

Writing is a tough business. Fortunately, I don't do it for the money!


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## AaronFrale

Kay7979 said:


> I confess I tend to be a bit more lenient with Indie authors. I might round a three star to a four, or a four to a five, but if I don't think a book is properly edited, or the subject matter turns me off, I'm going to pass completely. In the case of a book that needs more polish to be ready for publication, I feel we aren't doing the author any favors by saying nothing and reviewing it.


I was always under the impression that authors reviewing other authors was a TOS violation from Amazon? Not that I've seen it personally, but I thought you couldn't leave reviews of authors in your genre, much like the friends and family frowned upon.


----------



## Kay7979

AaronFrale said:


> I was always under the impression that authors reviewing other authors was a TOS violation from Amazon? Not that I've seen it personally, but I thought you couldn't leave reviews of authors in your genre, much like the friends and family frowned upon.


Friends and family should not review your books, but authors who don't know you or are merely online acquaintances are not a problem. Some authors feel they shouldn't review other authors, as they may be biased, but there's no stipulation that you can't. I think many of the NetGalley reviewers are authors. And as I said above, I personally wouldn't review a book if I felt I couldn't give my honest opinion. And that goes for any author, Indie or traditionally published. I tend to be more critical of trad pub authors because I feel the bar is set very high for publication so there's less reason to excuse a flawed book.


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## Joynell Schultz

Kay7979 said:


> Friends and family should not review your books, but authors who don't know you or are merely online acquaintances are not a problem. Some authors feel they shouldn't review other authors, as they may be biased, but there's no stipulation that you can't. I think many of the NetGalley reviewers are authors. And as I said above, I personally wouldn't review a book if I felt I couldn't give my honest opinion. And that goes for any author, Indie or traditionally published. I tend to be more critical of trad pub authors because I feel the bar is set very high for publication so there's less reason to excuse a flawed book.


I'm just throwing an idea out there. What if we kept a master list of novels that need reviews. (It could be kept in this thread, on the facebook page, or I'd be happy to host it on a page of my blog) To get on the list, you need to review a novel that's already on the list. Then you stay on the list until you hit 10...or 20... reviews total on Amazon. That get's everyone off to a good start. (And, of course, we encourage everyone to read more than the one novel to get on the list.)


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## Paul Francois

AaronFrale said:


> I was always under the impression that authors reviewing other authors was a TOS violation from Amazon? Not that I've seen it personally, but I thought you couldn't leave reviews of authors in your genre, much like the friends and family frowned upon.


I think Amazon will remove the reviews if they see you friended to the reviewer. Not sure if they only check Amazon Central and Goodreads, or if their "hounds" check Twitter and FB.


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## Paul Francois

Joynell Schultz said:


> I'm just throwing an idea out there. What if we kept a master list of novels that need reviews. (It could be kept in this thread, on the facebook page, or I'd be happy to host it on a page of my blog) To get on the list, you need to review a novel that's already on the list. Then you stay on the list until you hit 10...or 20... reviews total on Amazon. That get's everyone off to a good start. (And, of course, we encourage everyone to read more than the one novel to get on the list.)


I like this idea. Helps us get off to a good start.


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## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> I'm just throwing an idea out there. What if we kept a master list of novels that need reviews. (It could be kept in this thread, on the facebook page, or I'd be happy to host it on a page of my blog) To get on the list, you need to review a novel that's already on the list. Then you stay on the list until you hit 10...or 20... reviews total on Amazon. That get's everyone off to a good start. (And, of course, we encourage everyone to read more than the one novel to get on the list.)


Can I suggest a shared Google spreadsheet? We could all update as and when then and there'd be less pressure on one person to look after it. If someone was then willing to give review copies, they could easily add a private instafreebie link (can be done with a free account).

On the note of authors reviewing authors, it doesn't seem to be much of an issue. I know I've reviewed books of people that have reviewed me and nothing's happened. However I guess there is a chance that some of that could be linked to me having a large pool of historic reviews? Maybe that implies I'm less biased or something? (By large I mean 200-300 reviews per year...which just made me realise that my reading is seriously lagging this year)

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Paul Francois

lauramg_1406 said:


> Can I suggest a shared Google spreadsheet? We could all update as and when then and there'd be less pressure on one person to look after it. If someone was then willing to give review copies, they could easily add a private instafreebie link (can be done with a free account).
> 
> On the note of authors reviewing authors, it doesn't seem to be much of an issue. I know I've reviewed books of people that have reviewed me and nothing's happened. However I guess there is a chance that some of that could be linked to me having a large pool of historic reviews? Maybe that implies I'm less biased or something? (By large I mean 200-300 reviews per year...which just made me realise that my reading is seriously lagging this year)
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Awesome idea. I know you can password protect IF giveaways so only the intended gets it.


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## lauramg_1406

Paul Francois said:


> Awesome idea. I know you can password protect IF giveaways so only the intended gets it.


You can make them so they can't be shared too. Though there still needs to be the trust that the intended party doesn't share the link, but i doubt that would be an issue with the people on this thread anyway!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> Can I suggest a shared Google spreadsheet? We could all update as and when then and there'd be less pressure on one person to look after it. If someone was then willing to give review copies, they could easily add a private instafreebie link (can be done with a free account).
> 
> On the note of authors reviewing authors, it doesn't seem to be much of an issue. I know I've reviewed books of people that have reviewed me and nothing's happened. However I guess there is a chance that some of that could be linked to me having a large pool of historic reviews? Maybe that implies I'm less biased or something? (By large I mean 200-300 reviews per year...which just made me realise that my reading is seriously lagging this year)
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I'm clueless with spreadsheets. I was stumped by the simple online forms you guys put up within the FB group. But don't let that stop you. You may have to help me figure out how to do things, or do it for me if that's easier, LOL. Something along that line sounds like a great idea.

As for sending ARC copies, anyone I trusted enough to read my book I trusted enough to have my email. I simply sent them a PDF or a MOBI file, whatever they wanted. And thanks to the KS Christmas promo we did together, I have most of your emails already.

I agree with your theory that active reviewers are less likely to have their reviews questioned. I've often thought the same thing. Yes, I've heard of active reviewers whose reviews were taken down, but I bet in many cases there was evidence of wrong-doing. I'm a relatively active reviewer, but nothing on the order of hundreds of books per year. In any case, the most suspicious reviews are probably those written by people who have never reviewed a book in their life, and they post a glowing five star review for a book.


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## Joynell Schultz

Mark Gardner said:


> With only 8 reviews after a month and a half, I'm up for thus idea!


Okay, we can do something more complicated in the future, but how about posting a list of books-to-read a few times per week on this thread. I'd be happy to get it started, then when if/when it grows, we can do something more formal?

So... Let's form a core list. If you've read a Kindle Scout Alumni book, and have less than 20 (10?) reviews on your book, let me know. (PM or post here.) Also, indicate if you'd be willing to give a free review copy. I'll compile a list and post it here in a few days. We'll just have interested parties get in touch with each other through personal messaging.

So, Mark. I know you've read and reviewed my book. We can get you on the list. Kay? Laura? I know you've both read your share of books too. Anyone else?


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## Kay7979

I've been puzzled by my dismal AMS click-to-sales conversion rate. I ditched the New Adult category, but that hasn't helped much, if any. Today, I looked at my best-performing keywords, and most are not words found in my blurb, although the subject matter implies some of them. So, I just revised my blurb a bit, and worked in some of the actual keywords. I also changed the vague mention of further books and stated "book two coming in Spring 2017." Let's see if that helps. Here's the revised version, which doesn't appear yet on the product page.

Lana can draw arcane powers from gemstones, but that doesn't mean she's ready to confront a gem master. She's no match for Sheamathan, brutal ruler of the gnome world. The oppressed gnomes of Shadow long for a better life, and Lana is willing to study their gems and look for a solution. But when she goes through the portal, she discovers her gnome guide has a different agenda. He takes her straight to Sheamathan's castle through a land full of mutant insects, intelligent flying serpents, and other horrors. There, he forces Lana to make a choice--turn her back on the gnomes and go home, or brave Sheamathan's goblin-like servants, find Sheamathan, and deliver a warning. Only someone very brave or very foolish would risk enchantment, the dungeon, or death, but the gnomes' conflict may spill over into her world if Lana refuses to go. 

Readers will enjoy this unique blend of urban and epic fantasy. Lana's story begins in our present-day world, as she prepares to take over the family jewelry store, but most of her adventures occur in the gnome world.

This is a standalone novel, with no loose ends or a cliffhanger ending, but the resolution opens the door for further adventures, and book two, Shadowglade, is coming in Spring 2017.


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## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Kay7979 said:


> I've been puzzled by my dismal AMS click-to-sales conversion rate. I ditched the New Adult category, but that hasn't helped much, if any. Today, I looked at my best-performing keywords, and most are not words found in my blurb, although the subject matter implies some of them. So, I just revised my blurb a bit, and worked in some of the actual keywords. I also changed the vague mention of further books and stated "book two coming in Spring 2017." Let's see if that helps. Here's the revised version, which doesn't appear yet on the product page.
> 
> Lana can draw arcane powers from gemstones, but that doesn't mean she's ready to confront a gem master. She's no match for Sheamathan, brutal ruler of the gnome world. The oppressed gnomes of Shadow long for a better life, and Lana is willing to study their gems and look for a solution. But when she goes through the portal, she discovers her gnome guide has a different agenda.


Kay, I can't offer any help on the AMS magic, but what about tightening up your blurb? For example, with what is above, I'd do something like this:

Lana draws arcane power from gemstones, but she's no match for the master--Sheamathan, brutal ruler of the gnomes. Lana will study the gems to help the oppressed gnomes to a better life, but her gnome guide through the portal has a different agenda . . .


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## SG

Paul Francois said:


> Thanks Bill.
> 
> I can't use the one mentioned by Kay since I don't even have 5 reviews yet. And I can't afford the $150 Choosy Bookworm wants, I have only made about $25 in sales off my book.


The R&R service is on sale today (regular service is $119 instead of $149) in case you're still interested. Just got an email from them


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## SG

AaronFrale said:


> Not that I've seen it personally, but I thought you couldn't leave reviews of authors in your genre, much like the friends and family frowned upon.


I've heard the same, so I avoid doing it. Not worth poking the Zon.


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## Kay7979

Cindy Rinaman Marsch said:


> Kay, I can't offer any help on the AMS magic, but what about tightening up your blurb? For example, with what is above, I'd do something like this:
> 
> Lana draws arcane power from gemstones, but she's no match for the master--Sheamathan, brutal ruler of the gnomes. Lana will study the gems to help the oppressed gnomes to a better life, but her gnome guide through the portal has a different agenda . . .


I'll give it some thought. Thanks. It's less words but I don't know as I like the feel of it as well. I hate writing blurbs! LOL! The new text appears now and my sales rank has dropped from 54K to 34K so far today, although there may be absolutely no correlation between the drop and the revised blurb.


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## Paul Francois

Joynell Schultz said:


> Okay, we can do something more complicated in the future, but how about posting a list of books-to-read a few times per week on this thread. I'd be happy to get it started, then when if/when it grows, we can do something more formal?
> 
> So... Let's form a core list. If you've read a Kindle Scout Alumni book, and have less than 20 (10?) reviews on your book, let me know. (PM or post here.) Also, indicate if you'd be willing to give a free review copy. I'll compile a list and post it here in a few days. We'll just have interested parties get in touch with each other through personal messaging.
> 
> So, Mark. I know you've read and reviewed my book. We can get you on the list. Kay? Laura? I know you've both read your share of books too. Anyone else?


Oh I am definitely in. I am behind on reviewing a few of the KS winners, but they can wait a bit longer. Who can I start with here?

Also, here is my book to whomever wishes to review it. I created a permanent giveaway on IF, password protected.

https://instafreebie.com/free/KUSbg
Password: shadowbane

Thank you in advance to those who select to read mine.

Mark, can I get a copy of yours? How about the rest of you? Joynell, Laura, Kay?


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## Kay7979

Paul Francois said:


> Oh I am definitely in. I am behind on reviewing a few of the KS winners, but they can wait a bit longer. Who can I start with here?
> 
> Also, here is my book to whomever wishes to review it. I created a permanent giveaway on IF, password protected.
> 
> https://instafreebie.com/free/KUSbg
> Password: shadowbane
> 
> Thank you in advance to those who select to read mine.
> 
> Mark, can I get a copy of yours? How about the rest of you? Joynell, Laura, Kay?


PM me and if you don't mind providing your email, I can send you a MOBI or a PDF.


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## Used To Be BH

SG said:


> I've heard the same, so I avoid doing it. Not worth poking the Zon.


To clarify, the TOS doesn't prohibit authors from reviewing in their own genre. (My guess is that most authors like to write what they like to read, but I could be wrong.)

It does prohibit review swaps, which to me means it's much safer not to review someone who has reviewed you, even if Amazon doesn't always catch it.

There is a prohibition on posting negative reviews on a competitor's product, which sounds as if it could effectively prevent an author from leaving a bad review on a fellow author's book, but I wouldn't do that, anyway. If I didn't feel as if I could be positive on balance, I just wouldn't leave a review.

I like the idea of having a list of books needing reviews. I would add that we should keep track to make sure we are reviewing people who haven't reviewed us.


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## Paul Francois

Kay7979 said:


> I've been puzzled by my dismal AMS click-to-sales conversion rate. I ditched the New Adult category, but that hasn't helped much, if any. Today, I looked at my best-performing keywords, and most are not words found in my blurb, although the subject matter implies some of them. So, I just revised my blurb a bit, and worked in some of the actual keywords. I also changed the vague mention of further books and stated "book two coming in Spring 2017." Let's see if that helps. Here's the revised version, which doesn't appear yet on the product page.
> 
> Lana can draw arcane powers from gemstones, but that doesn't mean she's ready to confront a gem master. She's no match for Sheamathan, brutal ruler of the gnome world. The oppressed gnomes of Shadow long for a better life, and Lana is willing to study their gems and look for a solution. But when she goes through the portal, she discovers her gnome guide has a different agenda. He takes her straight to Sheamathan's castle through a land full of mutant insects, intelligent flying serpents, and other horrors. There, he forces Lana to make a choice--turn her back on the gnomes and go home, or brave Sheamathan's goblin-like servants, find Sheamathan, and deliver a warning. Only someone very brave or very foolish would risk enchantment, the dungeon, or death, but the gnomes' conflict may spill over into her world if Lana refuses to go.
> 
> Readers will enjoy this unique blend of urban and epic fantasy. Lana's story begins in our present-day world, as she prepares to take over the family jewelry store, but most of her adventures occur in the gnome world.
> 
> This is a standalone novel, with no loose ends or a cliffhanger ending, but the resolution opens the door for further adventures, and book two, Shadowglade, is coming in Spring 2017.


Perhaps it needs more flare. Mind if I try? You don't have to use any of this, I will not be offended. 

Lana derives arcane powers from gemstones, but is she ready to confront a gem master? She's no match for Sheamathan, a malevolent tyrant of the gnome world. The oppressed gnomes of Shadow desire a better life, and Lana is willing to study their gems to expose the solution. When she enters the portal, she discovers her gnome guide has his own agenda. He deceives Lana by leading her straight to Sheamathan's castle through a realm crawling with mutant insects, clever flying serpents, and other horrors. There, he forces Lana to choose--turn her back on the gnomes and leave forever, or brave Sheamathan's goblin-like servants, locate Sheamathan, and deliver a warning. Only someone very brave or very foolish would risk enchantment, the dungeon, or death, but the gnomes' conflict may spill over into her world if Lana refuses this quest.

Readers will thrive on this unique blend of urban and epic fantasy. Lana's story begins in our present-day world, as she prepares to take over the family jewelry store, but she longs for an adventure deep within the gnome world. Can you handle this tale?


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## Used To Be BH

AaronFrale said:


> I've been getting reviews by being a free book factory. Whenever I promo, I do it free, and being in KU helps offset the cost. I bought Choosy Bookworm for Othello and Zombies, and am not really impressed with the results. I've given away five books and only got one review. They have 8 months to provide thirty emails of interested reviewers and at the rate I'm getting them, I'm guessing I won't get that many.


The service is pricey, and it doesn't always produce results right away. As I said earlier, I also have the feeling the $50 requirement contracted their pool significantly.

That said, there is an advantage to having reviews trickle in rather than flood in. There have been reports that an overly rapid burst of reviews can sometimes trigger a takedown response on Amazon's part. From that standpoint getting one every so often is better than getting a big number very rapidly. There are also authors who assume reviews that come in too rapidly are fake somehow.

I still get requests from time to time on books I've had up on Choosy for months, and every so often a review appears, so you ultimately end up with more than you think.


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## Paul Francois

Bill Hiatt said:


> To clarify, the TOS doesn't prohibit authors from reviewing in their own genre. (My guess is that most authors like to write what they like to read, but I could be wrong.)
> 
> It does prohibit review swaps, which to me means it's much safer not to review someone who has reviewed you, even if Amazon doesn't always catch it.
> 
> There is a prohibition on posting negative reviews on a competitor's product, which sounds as if it could effectively prevent an author from leaving a bad review on a fellow author's book, but I wouldn't do that, anyway. If I didn't feel as if I could be positive on balance, I just wouldn't leave a review.
> 
> I like the idea of having a list of books needing reviews. I would add that we should keep track to make sure we are reviewing people who haven't reviewed us.


Good point. We need to look at that and avoid it. I will start with Kay's book ASAP.


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## Kay7979

SG said:


> I've heard the same, so I avoid doing it. Not worth poking the Zon.


I think the idea behind this was that some authors purposely trash competitor's books. And as a general rule, authors tend to be harder to please. I've read a few reviews lately where the reviewers stated openly that they were authors themselves, and then made some really scathing remarks in the book review. One example is a recent review for Timeless Moments, by KS winner Michelle Kidd, who has a sales rank of 450 or so and rightly has the coveted Best Seller banner. I traced back the reviewer and I believe I found her own book, co-written with her husband, and hers is languishing in obscurity. So, my point is, mean-spirited reviews fueled predominantly by jealousy should be avoided!

From my point of view, I want reviews by people who normally read and love my genre. I don't care if they're readers or authors. I just want them to be fair.


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## Kay7979

Paul Francois said:


> Perhaps it needs more flare. Mind if I try? You don't have to use any of this, I will not be offended.
> 
> Lana derives arcane powers from gemstones, but is she ready to confront a gem master? She's no match for Sheamathan, a malevolent tyrant of the gnome world. The oppressed gnomes of Shadow desire a better life, and Lana is willing to study their gems to expose the solution. When she enters the portal, she discovers her gnome guide has his own agenda. He deceives Lana by leading her straight to Sheamathan's castle through a realm crawling with mutant insects, clever flying serpents, and other horrors. There, he forces Lana to choose--turn her back on the gnomes and leave forever, or brave Sheamathan's goblin-like servants, locate Sheamathan, and deliver a warning. Only someone very brave or very foolish would risk enchantment, the dungeon, or death, but the gnomes' conflict may spill over into her world if Lana refuses this quest.
> 
> Readers will thrive on this unique blend of urban and epic fantasy. Lana's story begins in our present-day world, as she prepares to take over the family jewelry store, but she longs for an adventure deep within the gnome world. Can you handle this tale?


Thanks, it's fun to see how other people tweak the content.


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## lauramg_1406

Okay I have several things to add:

On AMS - my most successful key words are for bestselling authors/also bought authors, within my genre. Saying that; nothing seems to have happened on my AMS for about a week. But that could be to do with whatever the reporting issue from earlier this month is.

Review "swaps" and amazon's TOS - I've not had any problems reviewing either PNR or NA Romance in the past couple of months, so I suspect that they're more lenient than they sound on the whole "reviewing in genre" thing. I haven't had a problem with reviewing people who've reviewed me. Equally, I don't say anything that I don't think, or post negative reviews. As I mentioned somewhere earlier, I have a quite extensive review history with books on amazon, so that *could* make a difference.

Review copies - happy to give one of any of my books! Just private message me and I can send a link 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> Okay I have several things to add:
> 
> On AMS - my most successful key words are for bestselling authors/also bought authors, within my genre. Saying that; nothing seems to have happened on my AMS for about a week. But that could be to do with whatever the reporting issue from earlier this month is.
> 
> Review "swaps" and amazon's TOS - I've not had any problems reviewing either PNR or NA Romance in the past couple of months, so I suspect that they're more lenient than they sound on the whole "reviewing in genre" thing. I haven't had a problem with reviewing people who've reviewed me. Equally, I don't say anything that I don't think, or post negative reviews. As I mentioned somewhere earlier, I have a quite extensive review history with books on amazon, so that *could* make a difference.
> 
> Review copies - happy to give one of any of my books! Just private message me and I can send a link
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I'm going to read one of your books eventually, soon I hope!

From what I've heard, most people do best on AMS with author's names or book titles. My best keywords have actually been non-author/book related words, and I realize that's rather abnormal. I also find it interesting that when I do get a hit from an author name/book title, it's almost always a big name author/classic book, many from the 1980s, and the readers usually buy my paperback. I'm honored to be attracting those readers, but I'm sure not getting rich from the sales.


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## Joynell Schultz

I created a list for us for review purposes. Here are the authors that have less than 20 reviews on their Kindle Scout's Missed Opportunity Novel. Is something like this helpful?

Books to Review: Since all books need some reviews to get off on the right foot, join our review request list. To get on this list, all you need to do is review one of these great books. No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. (Authors, if you hit 20 reviews, please request to be removed from this list.)

(Fantasy) *Beyond the Forest* - Kay L. Ling - Will provide review copies - send PM
(Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - Will provide review copies - send PM
(Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi)*War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - Will provide review copies - send PM
(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - Will provide review copies - send PM
(Mystery / Sci-Fi) *Love, Lies & Clones* - Joynell Schultz - Will provide review copies - send PM

Waiting to Enter the Queue:
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Paul, let me know if you've already reviewed one of our groups novels and I'll move you up.)

Books Being Reviewed:
Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Paul Francois
Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Joy Schultz


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## Joynell Schultz

Mark Gardner said:


> Joynell, can you add "Historical Fiction" as the main genre, and "Sci-Fi" as a sub-genre... I know it probably doesn't matter, but John and I have always pitched it as HF first and SF second.


Yup. You bet. That's the only one I didn't look up! Do you want John's name on it too?


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## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> I created a list for us for review purposes. Here are the authors that have less than 20 reviews on their Kindle Scout's Missed Opportunity Novel. Is something like this helpful?
> 
> Books to Review: Since all books need some reviews to get off on the right foot, join our review request list. To get on this list, all you need to do is review one of these great books. No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. (Authors, if you hit 20 reviews, please request to be removed from this list.)
> 
> (Fantasy) *Beyond the Forest* - Kay L. Ling - Will provide review copies - send PM
> (Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - Will provide review copies - send PM
> (Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi)*War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - Will provide review copies - send PM
> (Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - Will provide review copies - send PM
> (Mystery / Sci-Fi) *Love, Lies & Clones* - Joynell Schultz - Will provide review copies - send PM
> 
> Waiting to Enter the Queue:
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Paul, let me know if you've already reviewed one of our groups novels and I'll move you up.)
> 
> Books Being Reviewed:
> Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Paul Francois
> Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Joy Schultz


Is everyone in KU? Cause my plan was to read what I could in KU so people get paid (apart from Paul & Jenny, whose books are already on my kindle! And someone else's. I'm sure there's another one on there!)

I really need to get some reading done.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> Is everyone in KU? Cause my plan was to read what I could in KU so people get paid (apart from Paul & Jenny, whose books are already on my kindle! And someone else's. I'm sure there's another one on there!)
> 
> I really need to get some reading done.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I'm in KU but I'm not a high priority since I already have over 20 reviews. The only bad thing about KU is, as with ARCs, reviews won't be verified.

BTW, before long I'll need reviews for book two, Shadowglade. In some ways, it might be good if some reviewers hadn't read the first book. That way I can gauge the learning curve for plunging straight into book two.


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## Joynell Schultz

Okay. The list is updated to include Kindle Unlimited info and to organize the list by lowest review numbers (top) to highest (bottom). The reason I picked 20 reviews, is I understand Amazon has some magical algorithms that once you hit 20, they think of you as a real author or something like that.

Books to Review: Since all books need some reviews to get off on the right foot, join our review request list. To get on this list, all you need to do is review one of these great books. No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. (Authors, if you hit 25 reviews, please request to be removed from this list.)
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - Will provide review copies - send PM (7)
(Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - Will provide review copies - send PM or read in KU (8 )
(Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - Will provide review copies - send PM (8 )
(Mystery / Sci-Fi) *Love, Lies & Clones* - Joynell Schultz - Will provide review copies - send PM or read in KU (15)
(Fantasy) *Beyond the Forest* - Kay L. Ling - Will provide review copies - send PM or read in KU (24)

Waiting to Enter the Queue:
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (5) (Paul, let me know if you've already reviewed one of our groups novels and I'll move you up.)

Books Being Reviewed:
Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Paul Francois
Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Joy Schultz
[/quote]


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> I'm in KU but I'm not a high priority since I already have over 20 reviews. The only bad thing about KU is, as with ARCs, reviews won't be verified.
> 
> BTW, before long I'll need reviews for book two, Shadowglade. In some ways, it might be good if some reviewers hadn't read the first book. That way I can gauge the learning curve for plunging straight into book two.


My reviews can't be verified on amazon US anyway!

Which reminds me, Joy - you'll have an extra review when I transfer mine over to amazon US 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Joynell Schultz

lauramg_1406 said:


> My reviews can't be verified on amazon US anyway!
> Which reminds me, Joy - you'll have an extra review when I transfer mine over to amazon US


Thanks Laura!

This is a good topic. Can we review in both places. Somewhere, I thought you had to actually spend money on the other site to be able to review the books. If that's not the case, I have a lot of reviews to transfer over to the UK site as well.

Oh, and for those wondering how my Kindle Countdown Deal is going, here's an update:

2/16 - Book Barbarian & My Book Cave (spent $40) - Sold 21 books - Made $13.50 back. (Daily net loss $26.50)
2/17 - ENT & Sweet Free Books & My Newsletter of 130 subscribers (spent $37) - Sold 35 books - Made $22.50 back (Daily net loss $14.50)
Total spend so far: $75 Total income: $36 Net Loss: $39 (BUT, I just want people to read my books. I'd get more downloads if I did the FREE days, but would people who downloaded it free, actually read it?)

So far, my gut is saying that of all of the above, I'd try Book Barbarian again for my next novel and ENT. I'll skip My Book Cave and Sweet Free Books.

Overall, I'm expecting a loss on this promo. I'm hoping for a sales bump (I hit #59 in a category last night--maybe better as the night went on, but I go to bed early.) and I'm evaluating if I get Kindle Unlimited Page reads. (Zero so far.) I'm debating if being in Kindle Select is worth it for me. Do the countdown deals help sales? Do you make enough with Page Reads? For my genre, I struggle with this.

Today, I have Book Sends / eReader IQ, but they don't go out until this afternoon.


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## Kay7979

Paul and Cindy, thanks for your blurb suggestions yesterday. I've tinkered a bit more and arrived at this version:

Lana can draw arcane powers from gemstones, but she's no match for a gem master like Sheamathan, brutal ruler of the gnome world. The oppressed gnomes of Shadow long for a better life, and Lana agrees to study their native gems to find a solution. But when she goes through the portal, she discovers her gnome guide has a different agenda. He takes her straight to Sheamathan's castle through a land full of mutant insects, intelligent flying serpents, and other horrors. There, he forces Lana to make a choice--turn her back on the gnomes and go home, or brave Sheamathan's goblin-like servants to find the throne room and deliver a warning. Only someone very brave or very foolish would risk enchantment, the dungeon, or death, but the gnomes' conflict may spill over into her world if Lana refuses to go. 

Joy, I routinely post my reviews in Amazon U.S, Amazon U.K. and Goodreads. 

Thanks for your promo update. As for the KENP, before I did my Countdown in December, I rarely got KENP. Afterward, I got some daily, even if it was only 15 pages. Most days ranged from 150-500. Fast forward to my February Countdown. I'm now getting daily KENP in a higher range, from 250 to 1500.


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## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Kay7979 said:


> Paul and Cindy, thanks for your blurb suggestions yesterday. I've tinkered a bit more and arrived at this version:
> 
> Lana can draw arcane powers from gemstones, but she's no match for a gem master like Sheamathan, brutal ruler of the gnome world. The oppressed gnomes of Shadow long for


Good job, Kay! I'm always amazed at how I can improve by tightening things up. (And sometimes by expanding . . . )


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## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Joynell Schultz said:


> Oh, and for those wondering how my Kindle Countdown Deal is going, here's an update:
> 
> 2/16 - Book Barbarian & My Book Cave (spent $40) - Sold 21 books - Made $13.50 back. (Daily net loss $26.50)
> 2/17 - ENT & Sweet Free Books & My Newsletter of 130 subscribers (spent $37) - Sold 35 books - Made $22.50 back (Daily net loss $14.50)
> Total spend so far: $75 Total income: $36 Net Loss: $39 (BUT, I just want people to read my books. I'd get more downloads if I did the FREE days, but would people who downloaded it free, actually read it?)
> 
> Today, I have Book Sends / eReader IQ, but they don't go out until this afternoon.


Yeah, that's kind of how it goes these days. I just got turned down for BookBub again and will try again in March! Being Kindle-exclusive doesn't help for a BookBub. Wonder whether it would be worth it to go through the hassle of going wide for a season, just to see . . . probably not. Time is money, too!


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## Kay7979

Cindy Rinaman Marsch said:


> Yeah, that's kind of how it goes these days. I just got turned down for BookBub again and will try again in March! Being Kindle-exclusive doesn't help for a BookBub. Wonder whether it would be worth it to go through the hassle of going wide for a season, just to see . . . probably not. Time is money, too!


I just tried BookBub again now that I have over twenty reviews and the favorable Kirkus review. I got the no two days later just like on my first try.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> Thanks Laura!
> 
> This is a good topic. Can we review in both places. Somewhere, I thought you had to actually spend money on the other site to be able to review the books. If that's not the case, I have a lot of reviews to transfer over to the UK site as well.
> 
> Oh, and for those wondering how my Kindle Countdown Deal is going, here's an update:
> 
> 2/16 - Book Barbarian & My Book Cave (spent $40) - Sold 21 books - Made $13.50 back. (Daily net loss $26.50)
> 2/17 - ENT & Sweet Free Books & My Newsletter of 130 subscribers (spent $37) - Sold 35 books - Made $22.50 back (Daily net loss $14.50)
> Total spend so far: $75 Total income: $36 Net Loss: $39 (BUT, I just want people to read my books. I'd get more downloads if I did the FREE days, but would people who downloaded it free, actually read it?)
> 
> So far, my gut is saying that of all of the above, I'd try Book Barbarian again for my next novel and ENT. I'll skip My Book Cave and Sweet Free Books.
> 
> Overall, I'm expecting a loss on this promo. I'm hoping for a sales bump (I hit #59 in a category last night--maybe better as the night went on, but I go to bed early.) and I'm evaluating if I get Kindle Unlimited Page reads. (Zero so far.) I'm debating if being in Kindle Select is worth it for me. Do the countdown deals help sales? Do you make enough with Page Reads? For my genre, I struggle with this.
> 
> Today, I have Book Sends / eReader IQ, but they don't go out until this afternoon.


I can review on both UK and US. But it is worth noting that I have bought things from the US store (did a secret santa with my blogger group a couple of years ago).

I really need to remember to post reviews to US as well.

But even if I buy an ebook, it doesn't appear as verified on the US site. Plus when there are only a few reviews on UK then we can see US reviews too.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## RWhite7699

Joynell Schultz said:


> I created a list for us for review purposes. Here are the authors that have less than 20 reviews on their Kindle Scout's Missed Opportunity Novel. Is something like this helpful?
> 
> Books to Review: Since all books need some reviews to get off on the right foot, join our review request list. To get on this list, all you need to do is review one of these great books. No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. (Authors, if you hit 20 reviews, please request to be removed from this list.)
> 
> (Fantasy) *Beyond the Forest* - Kay L. Ling - Will provide review copies - send PM
> (Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - Will provide review copies - send PM
> (Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi)*War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - Will provide review copies - send PM
> (Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - Will provide review copies - send PM
> (Mystery / Sci-Fi) *Love, Lies & Clones* - Joynell Schultz - Will provide review copies - send PM
> 
> Waiting to Enter the Queue:
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Paul, let me know if you've already reviewed one of our groups novels and I'll move you up.)
> 
> Books Being Reviewed:
> Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Paul Francois
> Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Joy Schultz


Hi Joy...I would like to get my book, Lily of the Valley, on the list to be reviewed. I have already reviewed Beyond the Forest and Love, Lies and Clones. I will gladly do another. Who is most in need of a review?


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## RWhite7699

I just now borrowed What Lies Beneath the Mask. I will review it. BTW Lily of the Valley is soft sci-fi.


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## RWhite7699

Paul Francois said:


> I think Amazon will remove the reviews if they see you friended to the reviewer. Not sure if they only check Amazon Central and Goodreads, or if their "hounds" check Twitter and FB.


Wonder how they have the time and the staff to do all that checking up on us, but they don't have enough staff to properly edit the books they publish?


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## Kelly Stock

Joynell Schultz said:


> I created a list for us for review purposes. Here are the authors that have less than 20 reviews on their Kindle Scout's Missed Opportunity Novel. Is something like this helpful?
> 
> Books to Review: Since all books need some reviews to get off on the right foot, join our review request list. To get on this list, all you need to do is review one of these great books. No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. (Authors, if you hit 20 reviews, please request to be removed from this list.)
> 
> (Fantasy) *Beyond the Forest* - Kay L. Ling - Will provide review copies - send PM
> (Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - Will provide review copies - send PM
> (Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi)*War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - Will provide review copies - send PM
> (Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - Will provide review copies - send PM
> (Mystery / Sci-Fi) *Love, Lies & Clones* - Joynell Schultz - Will provide review copies - send PM
> 
> Waiting to Enter the Queue:
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Paul, let me know if you've already reviewed one of our groups novels and I'll move you up.)
> 
> Books Being Reviewed:
> Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Paul Francois
> Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Joy Schultz


Hi Joy,
I would love to get some reviews for my book The Soul Guide (contemporary fantasy) currently it has none, although I am hopeful that I will get some soon as it was only released yesterday! It's on kindle unlimited so free for anyone who's a member. So, how does it work? I don't have a paperback copy(still struggling with createspace, but that's a whole other story), but can send book via email as a word doc / pdf? Is that how you guys do it?? IF not, how should I send it on? I'm still trying to get my head around all the technical stuff. Also, happy to review back - do I just pick one / couple and PM like you say and then let you know who I'm reviewing??
Sorry, is that enough questions for now


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## Joynell Schultz

Our review list idea is going over well. This is great! I've updated it with everyone that contacted me over the past day. Here's our current selection. Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 25 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone.

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 6 Reviews)
(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Lit/Fiction) *Who We Are Instead* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 16 Reviews)
(Mystery / Sci-Fi) *Love, Lies & Clones* - Joynell Schultz - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
(Fantasy) *Beyond the Forest* - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 24 Reviews)

Waiting to Enter the Queue: (Authors here. Let me know as soon as you post a review, and I'll move you up to the top list.)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (5) 
(Action / Adventure) *Operation Desert Swarm* - Mike Whateley - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 0 Reviews)
(Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 0 Reviews)

Books Being Reviewed:
War of the Worlds: Retaliation reviewed by Mike Whateley
Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Paul Francois
Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Joy Schultz


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## lauramg_1406

RWhite7699 said:


> Wonder how they have the time and the staff to do all that checking up on us, but they don't have enough staff to properly edit the books they publish?


Some of it is automatically done if you have connected your fb account to amazon!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

RWhite7699 said:


> I just now borrowed What Lies Beneath the Mask. I will review it. BTW Lily of the Valley is soft sci-fi.


Thank you 

I think I might actually have Lily of the Valley on my Kindle. Not sure of that though...It's very unorganised on there!


RWhite7699 said:


> Hi Joy...I would like to get my book, Lily of the Valley, on the list to be reviewed. I have already reviewed Beyond the Forest and Love, Lies and Clones. I will gladly do another. Who is most in need of a review?


Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> Thank you
> 
> I think I might actually have Lily of the Valley on my Kindle. Not sure of that though...It's very unorganised on there!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I have my Kindle sorted into collections by genre, and I also formed a collection of Kindle Scout books.


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> I have my Kindle sorted into collections by genre, and I also formed a collection of Kindle Scout books.


Once upon a time I had it all sorted into folders. Then it just kind of slipped and now I have about 160 pages worth of books (still struggle to decide what to read sometimes)

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> Once upon a time I had it all sorted into folders. Then it just kind of slipped and now I have about 160 pages worth of books (still struggle to decide what to read sometimes)
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I feel your pain. I think I have about 1350 books. And shelves of paperbacks in the basement and a bin of them under the bed. Fool that I am, I bought three more books in the last few days. Sometimes I see a book with all kinds of rave reviews and accolades and I have to read it and see if it's really all that great. Lol. Does anyone else do that?


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> I feel your pain. I think I have about 1350 books. And shelves of paperbacks in the basement and a bin of them under the bed. Fool that I am, I bought three more books in the last few days. Sometimes I see a book with all kinds of rave reviews and accolades and I have to read it and see if it's really all that great. Lol. Does anyone else do that?


Book hoarding?? Definitely! Thankfully I have bookshelves in my room that work as a divider so I have an excuse to buy paperbacks. (And you know, create my own sorting system...I nearly cried when my Grandma put a book back wrong!)

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> Book hoarding?? Definitely! Thankfully I have bookshelves in my room that work as a divider so I have an excuse to buy paperbacks. (And you know, create my own sorting system...I nearly cried when my Grandma put a book back wrong!)
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


I hope you'll get a chance to read mine eventually, not so much because I need more reviews but because you and I have the same favorite authors and I value your opinion.


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> I hope you'll get a chance to read mine eventually, not so much because I need more reviews but because you and I have the same favorite authors and I value your opinion.


It's on my list! I promise! Actually I was kind of feeling in a fantasy mood the other day (I just had a book I needed to read cause it was an ARC first!)

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kelly Stock

Joynell Schultz said:


> Our review list idea is going over well. This is great! I've updated it with everyone that contacted me over the past day. Here's our current selection. Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 25 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone.
> 
> *Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*
> 
> Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 6 Reviews)
> (Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Lit/Fiction) *Who We Are Instead* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 16 Reviews)
> (Mystery / Sci-Fi) *Love, Lies & Clones* - Joynell Schultz - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) *Beyond the Forest* - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 24 Reviews)
> 
> Waiting to Enter the Queue: (Authors here. Let me know as soon as you post a review, and I'll move you up to the top list.)
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (5)
> (Action / Adventure) *Operation Desert Swarm* - Mike Whateley - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 0 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 0 Reviews)
> 
> Books Being Reviewed:
> War of the Worlds: Retaliation reviewed by Mike Whateley
> Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Paul Francois
> Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Joy Schultz


Thanks Joy. Makes perfect sense what a great system. I will let you know once I have completed a review  Now I'd better get reading!

Just as an aside - how do you fit it all in? I've spent today cooking up meals for my family for the week, just managed to get upstairs to read this thread, and to do some writing on my blog (plus I'm still trying to figure out how to add my book, web page, twitter etc to this signature) and my six year old has complained of being bored and wants me to take him to the park. Which of course I will, but I seem to have no time! Then back to work tomorrow!! There's not enough hours in the day!


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## Joynell Schultz

Kelly Stock said:


> Thanks Joy. Makes perfect sense what a great system. I will let you know once I have completed a review  Now I'd better get reading!
> 
> Just as an aside - how do you fit it all in? I've spent today cooking up meals for my family for the week, just managed to get upstairs to read this thread, and to do some writing on my blog (plus I'm still trying to figure out how to add my book, web page, twitter etc to this signature) and my six year old has complained of being bored and wants me to take him to the park. Which of course I will, but I seem to have no time! Then back to work tomorrow!! There's not enough hours in the day!


You're welcome.
And how do I fit it in? My kids are older (12 and 14) and like to occupy themselves...plus I have my alarm set for 3:30AM so I can write when the kids are still sleeping. (And I'm a slow reader, because of everything I have going on, I commit to one chapter a night, before bed. Eventually, I do finish books!)


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## Kelly Stock

Joynell Schultz said:


> You're welcome.
> And how do I fit it in? My kids are older (12 and 14) and like to occupy themselves...plus I have my alarm set for 3:30AM so I can write when the kids are still sleeping. (And I'm a slow reader, because of everything I have going on, I commit to one chapter a night, before bed. Eventually, I do finish books!)


Wowzers, 3.30am! Kudos to you for sure!! Likewise with the reading... normally so knackered by the end of the day that I'm about a chapter a night too. BTW I'm reviewing your book Love, Lies and Clones (I'm a big sci-fi/fantasy fan) so it was my first pick. Once I've done yours I plan to move on to some others from the list.


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## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> You're welcome.
> And how do I fit it in? My kids are older (12 and 14) and like to occupy themselves...plus I have my alarm set for 3:30AM so I can write when the kids are still sleeping. (And I'm a slow reader, because of everything I have going on, I commit to one chapter a night, before bed. Eventually, I do finish books!)


I love reading & writing but I could not do that! Hats off to you Joy!


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## Used To Be BH

Joynell Schultz said:



> You're welcome.
> And how do I fit it in? My kids are older (12 and 14) and like to occupy themselves...plus I have my alarm set for 3:30AM so I can write when the kids are still sleeping. (And I'm a slow reader, because of everything I have going on, I commit to one chapter a night, before bed. Eventually, I do finish books!)


3:30 am? Wow, and I thought my getting up at five sometimes was crazy.

I thought when I retired I would put in as many hours on writing (as my new job) as I had been working previously. Unfortunately, as one gets older, the energy level tends to drop.


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## RWhite7699

Mark Gardner said:


> Hey, everyone!
> 
> John and I keep flirting with breaking 20k rank in the Amazon ebook store, but can't seem to make it happen!
> 
> If you would kindly tweet or Facebook a link to our book, that'd be swell.
> Here's a tweet I just did if it'd make retweeting easier: https://twitter.com/Article_94/status/833429522670252032
> I don't do the Facebook, so I can't link you to that, but if you were to click on the FB share on the Amazon product page, that'll do the trick.


I retweeted, Mark. Good luck!


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## Joynell Schultz

Mark Gardner said:


> If you would kindly tweet or Facebook a link to our book, that'd be swell.
> Here's a tweet I just did if it'd make retweeting easier: https://twitter.com/Article_94/status/833429522670252032
> I don't do the Facebook, so I can't link you to that, but if you were to click on the FB share on the Amazon product page, that'll do the trick.


You're retweeted. Good luck.



Mark Gardner said:


> Still, I only manage to finish reading about 100 books a year.


ONLY manage to finish 100 books? My goal this year is 24 books!!! (Reading, not writing. I'm not Laura Greenwood.)



Kelly Stock said:


> BTW I'm reviewing your book Love, Lies and Clones (I'm a big sci-fi/fantasy fan) so it was my first pick. Once I've done yours I plan to move on to some others from the list.


Awesome (both reading my book and picking others on the list too.) I hope you enjoy it. If you need a copy, I can hook you up (I may know the author.) Let me know.

In case anyone cares, it's a beautiful day here in Northern Wisconsin. We almost hit 60 degrees and the snow has melted down to only six inches or so. Someday soon, I'll see the blacktop on the roads again.  Happy Sunday.


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## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Hey, everyone!
> 
> John and I keep flirting with breaking 20k rank in the Amazon ebook store, but can't seem to make it happen!
> 
> If you would kindly tweet or Facebook a link to our book, that'd be swell.
> Here's a tweet I just did if it'd make retweeting easier: https://twitter.com/Article_94/status/833429522670252032
> I don't do the Facebook, so I can't link you to that, but if you were to click on the FB share on the Amazon product page, that'll do the trick.


Tweeted and shared on Facebook. Good luck!!


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## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Woo! All y'all rock! 17k!


Yay! Go Mark!


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## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> You're retweeted. Good luck.
> 
> ONLY manage to finish 100 books? My goal this year is 24 books!!! (Reading, not writing. I'm not Laura Greenwood.)
> 
> Awesome (both reading my book and picking others on the list too.) I hope you enjoy it. If you need a copy, I can hook you up (I may know the author.) Let me know.
> 
> In case anyone cares, it's a beautiful day here in Northern Wisconsin. We almost hit 60 degrees and the snow has melted down to only six inches or so. Someday soon, I'll see the blacktop on the roads again.  Happy Sunday.


:-O my goal was originally to write 5 this year! Admittedly reevaluated that!

Reading I think I set my goal at 200 (or was it 250). Whatever it is, i'm very behind!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Joynell Schultz

Good morning (or afternoon, depending where you live.) I was only going to post the "books to review" list every few days -- let me know if it should be more often. I'm here ever day, so I could easily repost daily.

For those of you watching my Kindle Countdown deal, here's how we're going so far:

2/16 - Book Barbarian & My Book Cave (spent $40) - Sold 21 books - Zero KU Page Reads - Made $13.50 back. (Daily net loss $26.50)
2/17 - ENT & Sweet Free Books & My Newsletter of 130 subscribers (spent $37) - Sold 35 books - Zero KU Page Reads - Made $22.50 back (Daily net loss $14.50)
2/18 - BookSends/EReader IQ - Sold 21 books - 399 KU Page Reads - Made $15.50 back. (Daily net loss $19.50)
2/19 - Mystery Thriller Week Article / Ask David Tweets / HeadTalker - Sold 7 books - 383 KU Page Reads - Made $6 (Profit of  $6 today) 

Total spend so far: $75 Total income: $110 Net Loss: $62.50 
Conclusions: There's always spill-over from the previous days promos, so the numbers are not exact. I sold, perhaps, 5 books from the headtalker campaign. I wanted to sell nothing, so I could stop doing them, but they still probably prove worth something. (That's even with me thinking that the "featured photo" would share with my campaign, but it didn't. My campaign went live with no price or request to buy my book. Shucks.) Another take away--if you do a count down deal and DON'T advertise, you probably won't sell many. 

Three days to go.


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## Kay7979

Joynell Schultz said:


> Good morning (or afternoon, depending where you live.) I was only going to post the "books to review" list every few days -- let me know if it should be more often. I'm here ever day, so I could easily repost daily.
> 
> For those of you watching my Kindle Countdown deal, here's how we're going so far:
> 
> 2/16 - Book Barbarian & My Book Cave (spent $40) - Sold 21 books - Zero KU Page Reads - Made $13.50 back. (Daily net loss $26.50)
> 2/17 - ENT & Sweet Free Books & My Newsletter of 130 subscribers (spent $37) - Sold 35 books - Zero KU Page Reads - Made $22.50 back (Daily net loss $14.50)
> 2/18 - BookSends/EReader IQ - Sold 21 books - 399 KU Page Reads - Made $15.50 back. (Daily net loss $19.50)
> 2/19 - Mystery Thriller Week Article / Ask David Tweets / HeadTalker - Sold 7 books - 383 KU Page Reads - Made $6 (Profit of $6 today)
> 
> Total spend so far: $75 Total income: $110 Net Loss: $62.50
> Conclusions: There's always spill-over from the previous days promos, so the numbers are not exact. I sold, perhaps, 5 books from the headtalker campaign. I wanted to sell nothing, so I could stop doing them, but they still probably prove worth something. (That's even with me thinking that the "featured photo" would share with my campaign, but it didn't. My campaign went live with no price or request to buy my book. Shucks.) Another take away--if you do a count down deal and DON'T advertise, you probably won't sell many.
> 
> Three days to go.


It's good to see your KU page reads are starting to kick in. You should get a FAR longer tail on KENP than actual sales.


----------



## Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Joynell Schultz said:


> Total spend so far: $75 Total income: $110 Net Loss: $62.50
> Conclusions: There's always spill-over from the previous days promos, so the numbers are not exact. I sold, perhaps, 5 books from the headtalker campaign. I wanted to sell nothing, so I could stop doing them, but they still probably prove worth something. (That's even with me thinking that the "featured photo" would share with my campaign, but it didn't. My campaign went live with no price or request to buy my book. Shucks.) Another take away--if you do a count down deal and DON'T advertise, you probably won't sell many.
> 
> Three days to go.


Thanks for sharing again, Joynell! I'm sorry you're not seeing more profit, but in the early days I think we have to do a lot of experimentation to resolve on the things that work for us.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> If you would kindly tweet or Facebook a link to our book, that'd be swell.
> Here's a tweet I just did if it'd make retweeting easier: https://twitter.com/Article_94/status/833429522670252032
> I don't do the Facebook, so I can't link you to that, but if you were to click on the FB share on the Amazon product page, that'll do the trick.


Retweeted!


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Cindy Rinaman Marsch said:


> Thanks for sharing again, Joynell! I'm sorry you're not seeing more profit, but in the early days I think we have to do a lot of experimentation to resolve on the things that work for us.


Don't worry at all about me not making a profit. I knew that going in--hoping to get half my money back. This is really an experiment for me, and subject matter for a good blog post.

It's still one of the cheapest hobbies I've had.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Robertson

> John and I keep flirting with breaking 20k rank in the Amazon ebook store, but can't seem to make it happen!
> 
> If you would kindly tweet or Facebook a link to our book, that'd be swell.
> Here's a tweet I just did if it'd make retweeting easier: https://twitter.com/Article_94/status/833429522670252032
> I don't do the Facebook, so I can't link you to that, but if you were to click on the FB share on the Amazon product page, that'll do the trick.


Just seen this, Mark. Retweeted from my wife's account. Good luck!

Robertson


----------



## MWhateley

Posted my review of War of the Worlds:Retaliation on Goodreads and Amazon.co.uk. My review is:-

------
I am very dubious when I am reading a book that is set in the storyverse of a famous author. They often fall short of the original. This, I am happy to say, is the exception. 

I will avoid giving out too much information and spoiling the story. It is set decades after the original, and deals with man kinds response to the original invasion. It features real characters from history, and the occasional villain. The historical people behave and speak as you imagine them. It also incorporates a few modern conspiracy theories. How our technology is based on captured alien spacecraft. All of this is woven into a compelling story line. I loved it, and I am a fan of the original War of the Worlds. 

Well researched. Well planned. Well executed. My one suggestion to the Authors is; hurry and get your next book out. I can't wait to read it.
-----

I gave it five stars. I meant every word. I really did enjoy reading that. Excellent book. So pleased I had a chance to review it.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

I've updated the list of books needing reviews. Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 25 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone.

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Action / Adventure) *Operation Desert Swarm* - Mike Whateley - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 0 Reviews)
(Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 6 Reviews)
(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Fantasy/Suspense) *Guardian of the Grail* - Elena Bryce - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 15 Reviews)
(Lit/Fiction) *Who We Are Instead* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 16 Reviews)
(Mystery / Sci-Fi) *Love, Lies & Clones* - Joynell Schultz - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
(Fantasy) *Beyond the Forest* - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 24 Reviews)

Waiting to Enter the Queue: (Authors here. Let me know as soon as you post a review, and I'll move you up to the top list.)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (5) 
(Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 0 Reviews)
(Fantasy/YA) *Fake* - Lori Saltis - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)

Books Being Reviewed:
Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Paul Francois
Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Joy Schultz
Love, Lies & Clones being reviewed by Kelly Stock
What Lies Beneath the Mask being reviewed by Ruth White


----------



## Joynell Schultz

At the end of March, I was going to write a blog post titled: "Attempting to Plan the 'Perfect' Book Launch" If anyone wishes to give a quick sentence about what really worked, what they wish they did different, or what they're going to do next time, I'd be happy to post your comment and a link to your book in the post. (A little bit of publicity.)

Similar to how I did the series for our cross promo back in December (here's a link to one of the posts on that: https://joynellschultz.wordpress.com/2016/12/25/is-your-book-done-yet-part-1/ )

Just post your tip here and I'll transfer it over to the post (Let me know what book you'd like me to link to as well.)


----------



## RWhite7699

Joynell Schultz said:


> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***
> 
> I've updated the list of books needing reviews. Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 25 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone.
> 
> *Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*
> 
> Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Action / Adventure) *Operation Desert Swarm* - Mike Whateley - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 0 Reviews)
> (Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 6 Reviews)
> (Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Fantasy/Suspense) *Guardian of the Grail* - Elena Bryce - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 15 Reviews)
> (Lit/Fiction) *Who We Are Instead* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 16 Reviews)
> (Mystery / Sci-Fi) *Love, Lies & Clones* - Joynell Schultz - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) *Beyond the Forest* - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 24 Reviews)
> 
> Waiting to Enter the Queue: (Authors here. Let me know as soon as you post a review, and I'll move you up to the top list.)
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (5)
> (Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 0 Reviews)
> 
> Books Being Reviewed:
> Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Paul Francois
> Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Joy Schultz
> Love, Lies & Clones being reviewed by Kelly Stock


Hi Joy..You can put my name as reviewing What Lies Beneath the Mask. I'm nearly finished with it.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

RWhite7699 said:


> Hi Joy..You can put my name as reviewing What Lies Beneath the Mask. I'm nearly finished with it.


Yup. I modified my previous post and will copy that one when I repost -- when this thread gets long.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> At the end of March, I was going to write a blog post titled: "Attempting to Plan the 'Perfect' Book Launch" If anyone wishes to give a quick sentence about what really worked, what they wish they did different, or what they're going to do next time, I'd be happy to post your comment and a link to your book in the post. (A little bit of publicity.)
> 
> Similar to how I did the series for our cross promo back in December (here's a link to one of the posts on that: https://joynellschultz.wordpress.com/2016/12/25/is-your-book-done-yet-part-1/ )
> 
> Just post your tip here and I'll transfer it over to the post (Let me know what book you'd like me to link to as well.)


Newsletter swaps worked for me with Dryad! But maybe hold off to see how Friday's launch goes...may have better information for you then!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## Robertson

Joy, what an excellent idea! I would be interested in participating.

My answer:

"In the run-up to the launch it became clear that I had put all my energies into the book, at the expense of the cover. So I redesigned it from scratch, and I am much happier with how it has turned out. One aspect that I wish I could do differently next time is plan a much stronger promotional campaign. Unfortunately, that is budget-dependent, and it is debatable whether I could make any changes there."

The book to link to is Scot Free in Hollywood.

Thanks for the opportunity to be featured on your blog. I visited quickly. It looks terrific!

Robertson


----------



## Joynell Schultz

My Kindle Countdown is now over. :-( Makes me sad. I loved seeing my book sell. For those of you eagerly awaiting my update, here it is:

2/16 - Book Barbarian & My Book Cave (spent $40) - Sold 21 books - Zero KU Page Reads - Made $13.50 back. (Daily net loss $26.50)
2/17 - ENT & Sweet Free Books & My Newsletter of 130 subscribers (spent $37) - Sold 35 books - Zero KU Page Reads - Made $22.50 back (Daily net loss $14.50)
2/18 - BookSends/EReader IQ (spent $35) - Sold 21 books - 399 KU Page Reads - Made $15.50 back. (Daily net loss $19.50)
2/19 - Mystery Thriller Week Article / Ask David Tweets / HeadTalker (spent $2) - Sold 7 books - 383 KU Page Reads - Made $6 (Profit of $6 today)
2/20 - eReadercafe (spent $26) - Sold 13 books - 781 KU Page Reads - Made $12 (Net loss of $14)
2/21 - FKBT (spent $30)- Sold 14 books - 532 KU Page Reads - Made $11 (Net loss of $19)
2/22 - Bargain Booksy (spent $50) - Sold 24 books - 611 KU Page Reads - Made $18 (Net loss of $32)

*Total spend:* $220 Total income: $98.50 Net Loss: $121.50 BUT, we'll see what type of spill-over I have today of possible sales AND KU reads. (I'll update on this in a day or two.)

*Conclusions:* Paid advertising is a losing battle. These were all the recommended sites (I did a ton of research) and still failed to turn an immediate profit. Perhaps it's my cover...or that nobody cares about clones, but I figure, I'm at least similar to a "typical" indie book. Am I discouraged? Not at all. I was only expecting to get half the investment back, and my book is now on 129 Kindles PLUS those reading in KU. I don't think no advertising would get me far. In the mornings, waiting for the paid promo site's emails to go out, I had very few sales. When the emails hit, I could definitely see the boost it gave me.

*Next time:* I want to try to stack the good promos, Book Barbarian, ENT, My Newsletter, (maybe eReadercafe & FKBT), over two days with hopes of having a higher rank. (My best category rank that I saw was #59.) It's a fiscally losing proposition, which is fine if you have the money to throw into it. Another thing I'm still thinking over is if "FREE" would get me anywhere. I'm going to use this info for planning the launch of "Blood & Holy Water", pricing at 99 cents the first few days and some stacked promos...knowing I'll take a loss, but it will help the book be visible.

*The best part about this?* I received an email from someone who read my book. Random person who picked it up in this promo saying he really enjoyed it and will watch for more books I write. (Now, how do I put a dollar figure on this? A "true" fan.)


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Robertson said:


> Joy, what an excellent idea! I would be interested in participating.
> The book to link to is Scot Free in Hollywood.





lauramg_1406 said:


> Newsletter swaps worked for me with Dryad! But maybe hold off to see how Friday's launch goes...may have better information for you then!


Robertson & Laura, Fabulous! Thanks for participating in this!


----------



## Kay7979

Joynell Schultz said:


> My Kindle Countdown is now over. :-( Makes me sad. I loved seeing my book sell. For those of you eagerly awaiting my update, here it is:
> 
> 2/16 - Book Barbarian & My Book Cave (spent $40) - Sold 21 books - Zero KU Page Reads - Made $13.50 back. (Daily net loss $26.50)
> 2/17 - ENT & Sweet Free Books & My Newsletter of 130 subscribers (spent $37) - Sold 35 books - Zero KU Page Reads - Made $22.50 back (Daily net loss $14.50)
> 2/18 - BookSends/EReader IQ (spent $35) - Sold 21 books - 399 KU Page Reads - Made $15.50 back. (Daily net loss $19.50)
> 2/19 - Mystery Thriller Week Article / Ask David Tweets / HeadTalker (spent $2) - Sold 7 books - 383 KU Page Reads - Made $6 (Profit of $6 today)
> 2/20 - eReadercafe (spent $26) - Sold 13 books - 781 KU Page Reads - Made $12 (Net loss of $14)
> 2/21 - FKBT (spent $30)- Sold 14 books - 532 KU Page Reads - Made $11 (Net loss of $19)
> 2/22 - Bargain Booksy (spent $50) - Sold 24 books - 611 KU Page Reads - Made $18 (Net loss of $32)
> 
> *Total spend:* $220 Total income: $98.50 Net Loss: $121.50 BUT, we'll see what type of spill-over I have today of possible sales AND KU reads. (I'll update on this in a day or two.)
> 
> *Conclusions:* Paid advertising is a losing battle. These were all the recommended sites (I did a ton of research) and still failed to turn an immediate profit. Perhaps it's my cover...or that nobody cares about clones, but I figure, I'm at least similar to a "typical" indie book. Am I discouraged? Not at all. I was only expecting to get half the investment back, and my book is now on 129 Kindles PLUS those reading in KU. I don't think no advertising would get me far. In the mornings, waiting for the paid promo site's emails to go out, I had very few sales. When the emails hit, I could definitely see the boost it gave me.
> 
> *Next time:* I want to try to stack the good promos, Book Barbarian, ENT, My Newsletter, (maybe eReadercafe & FKBT), over two days with hopes of having a higher rank. (My best category rank that I saw was #59.) It's a fiscally losing proposition, which is fine if you have the money to throw into it. Another thing I'm still thinking over is if "FREE" would get me anywhere. I'm going to use this info for planning the launch of "Blood & Holy Water", pricing at 99 cents the first few days and some stacked promos...knowing I'll take a loss, but it will help the book be visible.
> 
> *The best part about this?* I received an email from someone who read my book. Random person who picked it up in this promo saying he really enjoyed it and will watch for more books I write. (Now, how do I put a dollar figure on this? A "true" fan.)


Yay for the true fan! That's a wonderful feeling. My second Countdown deal went better than my first. I'm still getting much higher KENP after the promo ended on Feb. 8th. Hopefully it will be the same for you. I noticed you started the promos with no page reads and started getting KENP after a couple days, so helping readers find your book is crucial.


----------



## Used To Be BH

[quote author=Joy]
*Conclusions:* Paid advertising is a losing battle. These were all the recommended sites (I did a ton of research) and still failed to turn an immediate profit. Perhaps it's my cover...or that nobody cares about clones, but I figure, I'm at least similar to a "typical" indie book. Am I discouraged? Not at all. I was only expecting to get half the investment back, and my book is now on 129 Kindles PLUS those reading in KU. I don't think no advertising would get me far. In the mornings, waiting for the paid promo site's emails to go out, I had very few sales. When the emails hit, I could definitely see the boost it gave me.
[/quote]
I would agree it's hard to make a profit on paid advertising. Part of the problem is that ebooks just aren't that expensive--especially when you have to discount for some of the promos. You can sell pretty well and still not make back what you spent.

However, it's hard to know what the real ROI is, because we can't account for KU readers who borrow the book during the promo but don't get around to reading until later. We also have no way of knowing how many sales the higher ranking on Amazon may generate over the next few days following. If we had some magic way of getting that information, I'm pretty sure the ROI would be higher.

I also think that most books would sink rapidly to the bottom of the pond without any advertising at all. I've lost quite a bit of money on AMS ads for the first book I released in 2012--but over time, the ads have sold well over 300 books, and I've gotten a good chunk of KU reads that may or may not be connected. Prior to my last release, that book was the only one that pretty consistently stayed above 100,000 and often lingered around 20,000. I have to think it would be sitting around 1,000,000 without AMS.

If one is patient, I suspect advertising to the extent one can afford it will keep the books alive until the audience becomes large enough to be more self-sustaining.


----------



## lauramg_1406

You can't put a price on a true fan! They're definitely worth too much for thatA

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Yikes! How's this for ambitious?
> 
> In 2016, I teamed up with Greg Dragon and David Kristoph to do a space disaster web serial. We had the readers vote to steer the narrative, and the whole thing was only 21 weeks long. Since I may be going to Phoenix Comicon as a guest, I want to pitch the story to industry professionals after hours. I'm hoping to capitalize on the popularity of _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_. We want to have our Kindle Scout campaign for _Days Until Home_ over and a decision before PHXCC2017. That means I need to submit no later than April 1st. I figure chapters 1 - 3 will be all that is displayed on KS since it's over 10k words.
> 
> We're going to edit our own chapters by next Friday, then rotate for proofreading for the following two weeks. We'll do the same for chapters 4 - 6 once we submit to KS so that we'll have a 20k sample for me to pitch at PHXCC2017 if KS passes on _Days Until Home_.
> 
> Personally, I have no idea how I'll manage my part with my last semester at University. I have 7 freakin' classes! But we all need to do what we need to do, right?
> 
> Anyway, on week four of our rapid editing schedule, we could use extra eyes because no matter how many times a chapter is proofread, there're always errors and typos. If any of you can assist, let me know. We also want to make sure our blurb is as catchy as possible.
> 
> -----
> Blurb:
> On a routine mining mission to the asteroid belt, the crew of the Kerwood is mired in their personal concerns: finishing quickly, getting home, earning a fair share of the profits. Until the ship experiences catastrophic failure on the return journey. Now they must put aside their petty worries if they're to have any hope of getting home alive. Will the crew find a way to set a course for Earth with their payload--or will they discover the disaster was orchestrated by someone who doesn't want them to return home at all?
> 
> Cover:


I have issues with your content that would take a while to explain, so I won't bother, I'll just revise. Bearing in mind that I totally suck at blurbs, and have just spent two days working on one of mine, here's my attempt to fix yours:

The Kerwood's trip to the asteroid belt is like a dozen other mining missions . . . until the ship experiences a catastrophic failure on the way home. The ship's disastrous malfunction seems suspicious, and as the crew struggles to repair the ship, it becomes increasingly obvious that someone engineered this disaster to make sure the cargo never reaches Earth. Suddenly, the crew's goal to earn a fair share of the profits and return home with their payload quickly seems less important than returning alive. If they can't find a solution soon, this will be the Kerwood's last mission.


----------



## Kyla S

Joynell Schultz said:


> My Kindle Countdown is now over. :-( Makes me sad. I loved seeing my book sell. For those of you eagerly awaiting my update, here it is:
> 
> 2/16 - Book Barbarian & My Book Cave (spent $40) - Sold 21 books - Zero KU Page Reads - Made $13.50 back. (Daily net loss $26.50)
> 2/17 - ENT & Sweet Free Books & My Newsletter of 130 subscribers (spent $37) - Sold 35 books - Zero KU Page Reads - Made $22.50 back (Daily net loss $14.50)
> 2/18 - BookSends/EReader IQ (spent $35) - Sold 21 books - 399 KU Page Reads - Made $15.50 back. (Daily net loss $19.50)
> 2/19 - Mystery Thriller Week Article / Ask David Tweets / HeadTalker (spent $2) - Sold 7 books - 383 KU Page Reads - Made $6 (Profit of $6 today)
> 2/20 - eReadercafe (spent $26) - Sold 13 books - 781 KU Page Reads - Made $12 (Net loss of $14)
> 2/21 - FKBT (spent $30)- Sold 14 books - 532 KU Page Reads - Made $11 (Net loss of $19)
> 2/22 - Bargain Booksy (spent $50) - Sold 24 books - 611 KU Page Reads - Made $18 (Net loss of $32)
> 
> *Total spend:* $220 Total income: $98.50 Net Loss: $121.50 BUT, we'll see what type of spill-over I have today of possible sales AND KU reads. (I'll update on this in a day or two.)
> 
> *Conclusions:* Paid advertising is a losing battle. These were all the recommended sites (I did a ton of research) and still failed to turn an immediate profit. Perhaps it's my cover...or that nobody cares about clones, but I figure, I'm at least similar to a "typical" indie book. Am I discouraged? Not at all. I was only expecting to get half the investment back, and my book is now on 129 Kindles PLUS those reading in KU. I don't think no advertising would get me far. In the mornings, waiting for the paid promo site's emails to go out, I had very few sales. When the emails hit, I could definitely see the boost it gave me.
> 
> *Next time:* I want to try to stack the good promos, Book Barbarian, ENT, My Newsletter, (maybe eReadercafe & FKBT), over two days with hopes of having a higher rank. (My best category rank that I saw was #59.) It's a fiscally losing proposition, which is fine if you have the money to throw into it. Another thing I'm still thinking over is if "FREE" would get me anywhere. I'm going to use this info for planning the launch of "Blood & Holy Water", pricing at 99 cents the first few days and some stacked promos...knowing I'll take a loss, but it will help the book be visible.
> 
> *The best part about this?* I received an email from someone who read my book. Random person who picked it up in this promo saying he really enjoyed it and will watch for more books I write. (Now, how do I put a dollar figure on this? A "true" fan.)


Thanks for sharing, Joy. I'm on the third day of a five-day .99 promo. I'll post when it's done. I think these promos are always losses until we get more books out and start getting money with read-through to other books. I think the KU tail helps as well, but it can be tough to figure that out.


----------



## Evenstar

I just left my review for Al Moe's Getting Thin is Murder. It's good! It deserves more reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6MR9A5/


----------



## Kay7979

I'm trying another Goodreads Giveaway. This time I'm only giving away one copy since I don't think the five copies last time produced any reviews. I think the books became Christmas gifts! This giveaway includes US, UK and Canada. 
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/225055-beyond-the-forest


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Kyla S said:


> Thanks for sharing, Joy. I'm on the third day of a five-day .99 promo. I'll post when it's done. I think these promos are always losses until we get more books out and start getting money with read-through to other books. I think the KU tail helps as well, but it can be tough to figure that out.


I can't wait to see your results!



Kay7979 said:


> I'm trying another Goodreads Giveaway. This time I'm only giving away one copy since I don't think the five copies last time produced any reviews. I think the books became Christmas gifts! This giveaway includes US, UK and Canada.
> https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/225055-beyond-the-forest





Mark Gardner said:


> I was thinking of doing that, then in the description saying that I was also giving away ten or twenty eBooks.


I just completed another one, giving away 1 copy. Again, I had quite a few people add it to their "to read" list and my winner was from Bulgaria (I opened it up to everywhere. It only cost me 8 or 9 dollars to ship there direct from CreateSpace.) I'm going to stop doing these. Yes, my first giveaway of 2 books did result in 1 review, but IMO the expense of these isn't worth it. Even if people put you on their "to read" list, there's hundreds of book on these people's lists. They are professional giveaway enter-ers (yeah, I made up a word here.) Okay. I'm being quiet now.

Mark - I don't know how you'd get the names to give away the eBooks. (Other than making them add it as a "to read" and picking form there.) Hmm... That's an idea.



Evenstar said:


> I just left my review for Al Moe's Getting Thin is Murder. It's good! It deserves more reviews.
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6MR9A5/


His book is on my kindle already! I need to buckle down and get reading.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

I've updated the list of books needing reviews. Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 25 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone.

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Action / Adventure) *Operation Desert Swarm* - Mike Whateley - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 0 Reviews)
(Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Fantasy/Suspense) *Guardian of the Grail* - Elena Bryce - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 15 Reviews)
(Lit/Fiction) *Who We Are Instead* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 16 Reviews)
(Mystery / Sci-Fi) *Love, Lies & Clones* - Joynell Schultz - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
(Fantasy) *Beyond the Forest* - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 24 Reviews)

Waiting to Enter the Queue: (Authors here. Let me know as soon as you post a review, and I'll move you up to the top list.)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (5) 
(Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 0 Reviews)
(Fantasy/YA) *Fake* - Lori Saltis - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)

Books Being Reviewed:
Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Paul Francois
Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Joy Schultz
Love, Lies & Clones being reviewed by Kelly Stock
What Lies Beneath the Mask being reviewed by Ruth White
[/quote]


----------



## Kay7979

I'm doing a U.K. only Kindle Countdown deal till the 28th. If any of you U.K. people want to be merciful and retweet one of my ads, or the sale notice on my FB author page, that would be great. There's little way to advertise strictly in the U.K. I have two promos today, and that's it for the entire Countdown deal. The first is eBookDealOfTheDay (only on the UK site) and I have an eBook Soda promo today, but I get their email notifications for fantasy, and my book didn't appear in today's email. It's on their website, but I have no way to know whether it showed up in anyone else's emails. (edited to say, I probably didn't get the emaied notification since the sale is U.K only.)

https://twitter.com/polly_metallic/status/835509040255991809

https://www.facebook.com/KayLLing.author


----------



## Robertson

Kay7979 said:


> I'm doing a U.K. only Kindle Countdown deal till the 28th. If any of you U.K. people want to be merciful and retweet one of my ads, or the sale notice on my FB author page, that would be great. There's little way to advertise strictly in the U.K. I have two promos today, and that's it for the entire Countdown deal. The first is eBookDealOfTheDay (only on the UK site) and I have an eBook Soda promo today, but I get their email notifications for fantasy, and my book didn't appear in today's email. It's on their website, but I have no way to know whether it showed up in anyone else's emails. (edited to say, I probably didn't get the emaied notification since the sale is U.K only.)
> 
> https://twitter.com/polly_metallic/status/835509040255991809
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/KayLLing.author


Retweeted by my wife.

Kay, have you tried Book Hippo?

They give you the cutest badge, and have sold a few books for me on UK last week.

Best of luck!

Robertson


----------



## Kay7979

Robertson said:


> Retweeted by my wife.
> 
> Kay, have you tried Book Hippo?
> 
> They give you the cutest badge, and have sold a few books for me on UK last week.
> 
> Best of luck!
> 
> Robertson


Thanks so much! Another person mentioned Book Hippo and had dismal luck with it, but it may depend on genre. Maybe I shouldn't have passed that one by!


----------



## Robertson

Kay7979 said:


> Thanks so much! Another person mentioned Book Hippo and had dismal luck with it, but it may depend on genre. Maybe I shouldn't have passed that one by!


Well, I went with them because it's one of the few that don't require 5 or 10 reviews, and I've only got 3 so far. Unfortunately, I don't have a support group to help my launches.

Also I've spent my budget for a while, so the free option was tempting. I had an unexpected few sales on UK following Book Hippo, but who knows?

Robertson


----------



## Kay7979

Robertson said:


> Well, I went with them because it's one of the few that don't require 5 or 10 reviews, and I've only got 3 so far. Unfortunately, I don't have a support group to help my launches.
> 
> Also I've spent my budget for a while, so the free option was tempting. I had an unexpected few sales on UK following Book Hippo, but who knows?
> 
> Robertson


I looked it over a few minutes ago, and I'm confused by their dropdown calendar. Maybe it was a glitch, but it looks like they're only showing one date per month. Another issue: they state they aren't likely to promo a book without a URL link to your professional editor. Seriously? I've never seen that requirement anywhere. My sister and I are the professional editors, LOL. I've sent sample chapters to "real" professional editors and they've told me they'd feel guilty taking my money.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Mark Gardner said:


> D: Here ya go, Dad, I made you this:
> 
> Now I guess I have to finish it...


Holy cow is she talented (tell her that, please!) I love the artwork.  Finish the book.

(Of note, I have one too, about a magic mirror my daughter wants me to finish. If she drew a picture like this, I may have to put my other projects aside.)


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Mark Gardner said:


> I know, right! I think that she might just become a better illustrator than my wife!
> I just need to find a kick-ass chick to collaborate with! She also wants me to finish my Mermaid novella, but she didn't art it or anything.


Okay, I'm a writing newbie and all... Why do you need someone to collaborate with? Why not write it yourself?


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> So, this happened today:
> D: Here ya go, Dad, I made you this:
> 
> 
> Now I guess I have to finish it...


Fantastic! She's very talented. And I agree with Joy: you don't need any help writing it. And you already have the perfect beta reader!


----------



## Robertson

Kay7979 said:


> I looked it over a few minutes ago, and I'm confused by their dropdown calendar. Maybe it was a glitch, but it looks like they're only showing one date per month. Another issue: they state they aren't likely to promo a book without a URL link to your professional editor. Seriously? I've never seen that requirement anywhere. My sister and I are the professional editors, LOL. I've sent sample chapters to "real" professional editors and they've told me they'd feel guilty taking my money.


For the calendar, I remember that there was a default date shown. I clicked on the date I wanted, and it accepted it. There are arrows to move to a different month, if you prefer.

For the editor, I gave them the URL of my wife's website. She has a page about her copy-editing.

Robertson

P.S. I have sent you a PM


----------



## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> Holy cow is she talented (tell her that, please!) I love the artwork.  Finish the book.
> 
> (Of note, I have one too, about a magic mirror my daughter wants me to finish. If she drew a picture like this, I may have to put my other projects aside.)


Kids are just great! My brother (he's  sat watching me write earlier. When I asked him if he didn't find it boring his answer was "nope".

So glad I wasn't writing a sex scene.

Also, it was his weird way of showing he was mad at me because I wouldn't play poker with him.

Yes I realise that maybe playing poker with an 8 year old isn't the best thing to do.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## MN_Arzu

lauramg_1406 said:


> Yes I realise that maybe playing poker with an 8 year old isn't the best thing to do.


You're kidding right? I'll always be grateful to my grandfather who taught me poker. There are SO MANY poker references out there in movies and TV series and books, which won't explain to you why a full house is better than a trio, or why bluffing with a pair is a big ouch, that not knowing how to play is just awful.


----------



## lauramg_1406

MN_Arzu said:


> You're kidding right? I'll always be grateful to my grandfather who taught me poker. There are SO MANY poker references out there in movies and TV series and books, which won't explain to you why a full house is better than a trio, or why bluffing with a pair is a big ouch, that not knowing how to play is just awful.


That is true....I just feel bad that I taught a kid how to play.

Admittedly, I taught him (and my Mum) at a charity event. We won second prize in the end!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## RWhite7699

Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews


Update from Ruth White
I have posted my review for What Lies Beneath the Mask, and I am now reading Operation Desert Swarm.


----------



## lauramg_1406

RWhite7699 said:


> Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews
> 
> Update from Ruth White
> I have posted my review for What Lies Beneath the Mask, and I am now reading Operation Desert Swarm.


Thank you for your lovely review Ruth! (And I'm already in the process of sorting out the errors!)

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Joynell Schultz

(Someone, tell me to stop doing this if it isn't helpful.)
*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

I've updated the list of books needing reviews. Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 25 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone.

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Action / Adventure) *Operation Desert Swarm* - Mike Whateley - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 0 Reviews)
(Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 9 Reviews)
(Fantasy/Suspense) *Guardian of the Grail* - Elena Bryce - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 15 Reviews)
(Lit/Fiction) *Who We Are Instead* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 16 Reviews)
(Mystery / Sci-Fi) *Love, Lies & Clones* - Joynell Schultz - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
(Fantasy) *Beyond the Forest* - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 24 Reviews)

Waiting to Enter the Queue: (Authors here. Let me know as soon as you post a review, and I'll move you up to the top list.)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (5) 
(Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 0 Reviews)
(Fantasy/YA) *Fake* - Lori Saltis - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)

Books Being Reviewed:
Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Paul Francois
Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Joy Schultz
Love, Lies & Clones being reviewed by Kelly Stock
Operation Desert Swarm being reviewed by Ruth White


----------



## MWhateley

Joynell Schultz said:


> (Someone, tell me to stop doing this if it isn't helpful.)
> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***
> 
> I've updated the list of books needing reviews. Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 25 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone.
> 
> *Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*
> 
> Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Action / Adventure) *Operation Desert Swarm* - Mike Whateley - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 0 Reviews)
> (Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 9 Reviews)
> (Fantasy/Suspense) *Guardian of the Grail* - Elena Bryce - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 15 Reviews)
> (Lit/Fiction) *Who We Are Instead* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 16 Reviews)
> (Mystery / Sci-Fi) *Love, Lies & Clones* - Joynell Schultz - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) *Beyond the Forest* - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 24 Reviews)
> 
> Waiting to Enter the Queue: (Authors here. Let me know as soon as you post a review, and I'll move you up to the top list.)
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (5)
> (Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 0 Reviews)
> (Fantasy/YA) *Fake* - Lori Saltis - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)
> 
> Books Being Reviewed:
> Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Paul Francois
> Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Joy Schultz
> Love, Lies & Clones being reviewed by Kelly Stock
> Operation Desert Swarm being reviewed by Ruth White


I love that you are doing this. I do wonder if it ought to have it's own thread though?Thoughts anyone.


----------



## Kay7979

No separate thread. This is for Kindle Scout alumni only.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> No separate thread. This is for Kindle Scout alumni only.


Also, keeping our business consolidated in one thread makes it easier to keep track of.


----------



## RWhite7699

Joynell Schultz said:


> (Someone, tell me to stop doing this if it isn't helpful.)
> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***
> 
> I've updated the list of books needing reviews. Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 25 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone.
> 
> *Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*
> 
> Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Action / Adventure) *Operation Desert Swarm* - Mike Whateley - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 0 Reviews)
> (Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 9 Reviews)
> (Fantasy/Suspense) *Guardian of the Grail* - Elena Bryce - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 15 Reviews)
> (Lit/Fiction) *Who We Are Instead* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 16 Reviews)
> (Mystery / Sci-Fi) *Love, Lies & Clones* - Joynell Schultz - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) *Beyond the Forest* - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 24 Reviews)
> 
> Waiting to Enter the Queue: (Authors here. Let me know as soon as you post a review, and I'll move you up to the top list.)
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (5)
> (Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 0 Reviews)
> (Fantasy/YA) *Fake* - Lori Saltis - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)
> 
> Books Being Reviewed:
> Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Paul Francois
> Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Joy Schultz
> Love, Lies & Clones being reviewed by Kelly Stock
> Operation Desert Swarm being reviewed by Ruth White


It is very helpful to those of us who participate. It could be more helpful if all involved would remember that to get reviewed, you have to do a review or two. Right now only four people are on the list actually reading and reviewing books, while thirteen people are asking for reviews. Duh!


----------



## MWhateley

RWhite7699 said:


> It is very helpful to those of us who participate. It could be more helpful if all involved would remember that to get reviewed, you have to do a review or two. Right now only four people are on the list actually reading and reviewing books, while thirteen people are asking for reviews. Duh!


Fair point. I will be reviewing Beyond the Forest. Contacted Kay for a review copy.


----------



## Kay7979

I picked up a copy of Kyla's book, Who we are Instead, via my sister's account, and will get to that one soon.


----------



## Kay7979

I am the worst blurb writer in the world. I've spent three days writing the blurb for book two, Shadowglade. Seriously, three days! Here's my present effort. Let me know if it makes you want to buy the book. Maybe I'm getting closer. 

As payment for defeating their evil ruler, the gnomes offer Lana and her two allies Sheamathan's castle and valuables--including gems with amazing powers. But this incredible windfall soon loses its appeal. The castle is full of wards and booby-traps. The most dangerous is Sheamathan's sentient spell book. When they open it, they break a ward, releasing malicious spells. Now, in addition to subduing the savage, goblin-like breghlin and establishing a gnome government, the trio must deal with a constant eruption of new problems. Amid the chaos, they continue to pursue the gnomes' lost history. The books in Sheamathan's library contain ancient knowledge, and the castle itself holds unexpected clues. Lana and her allies are shocked to learn most everything the gnomes believe about themselves and their world is false. At first, the stunning revelations are cause for celebration. But one devastating secret will turn the gnomes' joy to despair.


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> When are you doing your cover reveal?


I need to finish the blurb so you can put it on the back cover. I suppose I could show the cover without any typography. Assuming I figure out where/how to upload a photo to this thread. You forget, I'm the tech-challenged member of my family, LOL.


----------



## MN_Arzu

Kay7979 said:


> I am the worst blurb writer in the world. I've spent three days writing the blurb for book two, Shadowglade. Seriously, three days! Here's my present effort. Let me know if it makes you want to buy the book. Maybe I'm getting closer.
> 
> As payment for defeating their evil ruler, the gnomes offer Lana and her two allies Sheamathan's castle and valuables--including gems with amazing powers. But this incredible windfall soon loses its appeal. The castle is full of wards and booby-traps. The most dangerous is Sheamathan's sentient spell book. When they open it, they break a ward, releasing malicious spells. Now, in addition to subduing the savage, goblin-like breghlin and establishing a gnome government, the trio must deal with a constant eruption of new problems. Amid the chaos, they continue to pursue the gnomes' lost history. The books in Sheamathan's library contain ancient knowledge, and the castle itself holds unexpected clues. Lana and her allies are shocked to learn most everything the gnomes believe about themselves and their world is false. At first, the stunning revelations are cause for celebration. But one devastating secret will turn the gnomes' joy to despair.


Ok, you lost me after breghlin. 

I think the problem with your blurb is that you're trying to tell us EVERYTHING that's happening. How about you start with the short version, and then go adding to it?

Here's an example I grabbed from another forum:

The main character
What he or she is facing / wants / has to choose between / is conflicted by / his or her goal
An idea of what's at stake
What needs to be done to achieve their goal or overcome their difficulty

"When X is rebuffed by Y {opening conflict}, she must set aside her lifelong fear of elephants {what's at stake} to take a job as elephant keeper {what needs to be done} to win Y's love and respect {quest completed}."


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> The best way is to upload it to your wordpress site, then use kBoard [I M G] [/I M G] (without spaces) and be sure to append the URL with "?w=600" (without quotes) to set the width to 600 pixels.
> 
> For example:


Thanks for doing it for me! I'm in the middle of emails and other things, and you're 100% faster than me.


----------



## Carey Lewis

RWhite7699 said:



> It is very helpful to those of us who participate. It could be more helpful if all involved would remember that to get reviewed, you have to do a review or two. Right now only four people are on the list actually reading and reviewing books, while thirteen people are asking for reviews. Duh!


Unfortunately, I can't review on Amazon because I haven't spent $50 yet. Boo. Tis hard being poor.


----------



## Kay7979

Carey Lewis said:


> Unfortunately, I can't review on Amazon because I haven't spent $50 yet. Boo. Tis hard being poor.


Do you have a rich friend with an Amazon account? (wink)


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Kay7979 said:


> Do you have a rich friend with an Amazon account? (wink)


 I was thinking the same thing!



MN_Arzu said:


> I think the problem with your blurb is that you're trying to tell us EVERYTHING that's happening. How about you start with the short version, and then go adding to it?


I agree. It feels like I'm being told the whole story. Could you try capturing our emotion? Or just a teaser.
"Lana has it all figured out. She has two friends with magical abilities that match her own. She conquered the evil Sheamathen. She saved the gnomes. She can walk between worlds. It's perfect, right? Not quite. Now, the castle's booby-trapped and her biggest challenge is yet to come."
Hmm... Maybe keep what you have, but cut the part starting at "when they open it" and instead, leave it as some question the reader needs to read your book to answer.
I'm far NOT an expert, but I did blog about this once upon a time. Maybe there's an idea? https://joynellschultz.wordpress.com/2016/08/19/how-to-write-an-enticing-book-blurb/ (At least you can laugh at my cover fails over there...and my first drafts of my blurbs too.)



RWhite7699 said:


> It is very helpful to those of us who participate. It could be more helpful if all involved would remember that to get reviewed, you have to do a review or two. Right now only four people are on the list actually reading and reviewing books, while thirteen people are asking for reviews. Duh!


Okay. I was thinking that we'd only need to read one book to get on the list (with hopes everyone kept reading from this list.) We all read at different speeds...what if we say that we strongly urge everyone to read one book from this list monthly to stay on the list?


----------



## RWhite7699

Carey Lewis said:


> Unfortunately, I can't review on Amazon because I haven't spent $50 yet. Boo. Tis hard being poor.


You could send your review to somebody else on the list and let them post it as their own - assuming that someone agrees with your review. I can't believe Amazon has that archaic rule.


----------



## Kay7979

RWhite7699 said:


> You could send your review to somebody else on the list and let them post it as their own - assuming that someone agrees with your review. I can't believe Amazon has that archaic rule.


This was basically what I had in mind, but I do understand why Amazon made the rule. People would open an account just to post a bogus review for their friend/son/mother etc. and it was making a mockery of the review process.


----------



## lauramg_1406

RWhite7699 said:


> It is very helpful to those of us who participate. It could be more helpful if all involved would remember that to get reviewed, you have to do a review or two. Right now only four people are on the list actually reading and reviewing books, while thirteen people are asking for reviews. Duh!


The next 4 (maybe 5) books on my to - read list are from here. I just haven't had a chance to start one yet! (My Grandparents were down for the weekend)

Also, I now have 10 reviews Joy! (Half way there!) I got an external one yesterday 

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Used To Be BH

RWhite7699 said:


> It is very helpful to those of us who participate. It could be more helpful if all involved would remember that to get reviewed, you have to do a review or two. Right now only four people are on the list actually reading and reviewing books, while thirteen people are asking for reviews. Duh!


As I understand the rules, though, they had to have written at least one review to get on the list, correct? It would be nice if people were reviewing all the time, of course, but sometimes that can't happen.

BTW, I fully intend to participate, but I'm in the last stages of that mythology project I got myself buried in, so I can't right now. I didn't put my book in the queue because I wasn't sure how long it was going to take me to do the review that would qualify me to get reviews. I mention this only because I didn't want people to think I was just ignoring the whole thing.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Carey Lewis said:


> Unfortunately, I can't review on Amazon because I haven't spent $50 yet. Boo. Tis hard being poor.


Keep writing, and eventually you won't be poor. (Your material is good, so success is hopefully just a matter of time.)

I was reminded as I prepared my income tax materials that my income from writing, modest as it is, has more than doubled every year. January was almost as big for me as the preceding twelve months, though February is looking more typical.

Of course, I'm retired and have other sources of income, which helps. Maybe you can find a job that you don't hate to build some income while you work on your writing. If I had to survive on what I make as a writer, I'd starve.


----------



## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> Keep writing, and eventually you won't be poor. (Your material is good, so success is hopefully just a matter of time.)
> 
> I was reminded as I prepared my income tax materials that my income from writing, modest as it is, has more than doubled every year. January was almost as big for me as the preceding twelve months, though February is looking more typical.
> 
> Of course, I'm retired and have other sources of income, which helps. Maybe you can find a job that you don't hate to build some income while you work on your writing. If I had to survive on what I make as a writer, I'd starve.


This is good advice Bill!

I'm currently trying to make a decision about a job. I've been offered a new one (but with less hours) and I'm trying to decide if I can justify taking it.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

Those of you who had recent promos, how did it affect your KENP? Mine increased noticeably after the second or third day, and continued after the end of the promo. Now, it's dropping again, and naturally my sales rank is worsening as well. Still, happy for the boost, even if it's temporary.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Kay7979 said:


> Those of you who had recent promos, how did it affect your KENP? Mine increased noticeably after the second or third day, and continued after the end of the promo. Now, it's dropping again, and naturally my sales rank is worsening as well. Still, happy for the boost, even if it's temporary.


My promo ended last week Wednesday and my page reads are down to pretty much zero. (I was at zero before.) I'm in a Kindle Unlimited Promo that started March 1st, so I don't know if my page reads today are from that or from my countdown deal advertising.

Order Date	KENP Reads
Feb 16, 2017	0
Feb 17, 2017	0
Feb 18, 2017	399
Feb 19, 2017	383
Feb 20, 2017	781
Feb 21, 2017	532
Feb 22, 2017	611
Feb 23, 2017	78
Feb 24, 2017	24
Feb 25, 2017	28
Feb 26, 2017	531
Feb 27, 2017	0
Feb 28, 2017	0
Mar 01, 2017	103


----------



## Kay7979

Joynell Schultz said:


> My promo ended last week Wednesday and my page reads are down to pretty much zero. (I was at zero before.) I'm in a Kindle Unlimited Promo that started March 1st, so I don't know if my page reads today are from that or from my countdown deal advertising.
> 
> Order Date	KENP Reads
> Feb 16, 2017	0
> Feb 17, 2017	0
> Feb 18, 2017	399
> Feb 19, 2017	383
> Feb 20, 2017	781
> Feb 21, 2017	532
> Feb 22, 2017	611
> Feb 23, 2017	78
> Feb 24, 2017	24
> Feb 25, 2017	28
> Feb 26, 2017	531
> Feb 27, 2017	0
> Feb 28, 2017	0
> Mar 01, 2017	103


I was really hoping your promos would give your KENP a permanent boost. Hopefully, you'll have few days at zero. What is a Kindle Unlimited promo? How do you get one?

People say KENP revolves around exposure, but one can't constantly run promos. I have an AMS ad going constantly, so I imagine some of my KU borrows come from there. I also post my book in a handful of Facebook groups, although I seriously doubt I get much benefit from them. I hit a new record of 1712 KENP during my rather pathetic U.K. countdown deal. I only have 325 so far today. I'd really like to keep the KENP rolling, but not sure what else to try.


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## Used To Be BH

lauramg_1406 said:


> I'm currently trying to make a decision about a job. I've been offered a new one (but with less hours) and I'm trying to decide if I can justify taking it.


That sounds like a tough choice. It's especially tricky when income from writing is so difficult to project. I never know from one day to the next what my sales will look like.


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## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> That sounds like a tough choice. It's especially tricky when income from writing is so difficult to project. I never know from one day to the next what my sales will look like.


It is! It's also turned out to be a bit more complicated than that too :-(

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> I was really hoping your promos would give your KENP a permanent boost. Hopefully, you'll have few days at zero. What is a Kindle Unlimited promo? How do you get one?
> 
> People say KENP revolves around exposure, but one can't constantly run promos. I have an AMS ad going constantly, so I imagine some of my KU borrows come from there. I also post my book in a handful of Facebook groups, although I seriously doubt I get much benefit from them. I hit a new record of 1712 KENP during my rather pathetic U.K. countdown deal. I only have 325 so far today. I'd really like to keep the KENP rolling, but not sure what else to try.


My own limited experience suggests that having more books helps, particularly related books. I've found KU readers go through a series much faster than buyers do, and I'm tempted to believe the more voracious among devote a lot of their time to reading series books from series with which they are already familiar. In another Kboards thread, some people shared their KU reading habits, and a lot of people have books sitting in their KU slots for months or even years while they keep grabbing the next book in a series they're reading, so two or three of their slots turn over frequently, while books in the other seven or eight may sit.

There's no easy fix for that, of course, but it does offer hope that, as you put out more books, your response rate from KU readers will increase.


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## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> My own limited experience suggests that having more books helps, particularly related books. I've found KU readers go through a series much faster than buyers do, and I'm tempted to believe the more voracious among devote a lot of their time to reading series books from series with which they are already familiar. In another Kboards thread, some people shared their KU reading habits, and a lot of people have books sitting in their KU slots for months or even years while they keep grabbing the next book in a series they're reading, so two or three of their slots turn over frequently, while books in the other seven or eight may sit.
> 
> There's no easy fix for that, of course, but it does offer hope that, as you put out more books, your response rate from KU readers will increase.


That sounds encouraging. I should have an ARC ready for Shadowglade in a week or two, and hope to hit the publish button in April.


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## Joynell Schultz

Kay7979 said:


> I was really hoping your promos would give your KENP a permanent boost. Hopefully, you'll have few days at zero. What is a Kindle Unlimited promo? How do you get one?
> 
> People say KENP revolves around exposure, but one can't constantly run promos. I have an AMS ad going constantly, so I imagine some of my KU borrows come from there. I also post my book in a handful of Facebook groups, although I seriously doubt I get much benefit from them. I hit a new record of 1712 KENP during my rather pathetic U.K. countdown deal. I only have 325 so far today. I'd really like to keep the KENP rolling, but not sure what else to try.


I'm a member of this group and they had a KU promo that I signed up for. https://www.facebook.com/groups/sffpromos/?ref=bookmarks

I also have a permanent AMS ad and have tried FB groups, but don't think they are worth it. I'm not worrying too much about it, since I have my new novel coming out in April...(Unless, by some miracle, Kindle Scout picks it up.)

I think Romance readers are the big consumer of KU page reads.


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## lauramg_1406

Bill Hiatt said:


> My own limited experience suggests that having more books helps, particularly related books. I've found KU readers go through a series much faster than buyers do, and I'm tempted to believe the more voracious among devote a lot of their time to reading series books from series with which they are already familiar. In another Kboards thread, some people shared their KU reading habits, and a lot of people have books sitting in their KU slots for months or even years while they keep grabbing the next book in a series they're reading, so two or three of their slots turn over frequently, while books in the other seven or eight may sit.
> 
> There's no easy fix for that, of course, but it does offer hope that, as you put out more books, your response rate from KU readers will increase.


I'll vouch for this! Even with two books in a series now out, I'm seeing more organic sales for book 1, even though I'm not actively promoting it!


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## AaronFrale

Hi everyone! 

A couple of authors and myself getting together a story bundle for Dystopian novels (post-apocalyptic will do too), we are trying to keep all the stories in KU (so Amazon only). The plan is to release the bundle in April/Mayish, keep it up for a limited time, and yank it. If you want to be a part of it go ahead and contact:

touch dash of dash grace at hotmail dot com


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## Joynell Schultz

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

I've updated the list of books needing reviews. Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 25 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Action / Adventure) *Operation Desert Swarm* - Mike Whateley - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 0 Reviews)
(Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 1 Reviews)
(Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
(Fantasy/Suspense) *Guardian of the Grail* - Elena Bryce - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 16 Reviews)
(Mystery / Sci-Fi) *Love, Lies & Clones* - Joynell Schultz - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 18 Reviews)
(Lit/Fiction) *Who We Are Instead* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 20 Reviews)

Waiting to Enter the Queue: (Authors here. Let me know as soon as you post a review, and I'll move you up to the top list.)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 5 Reviews) 
(Fantasy/YA) *Fake* - Lori Saltis - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)


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## Kay7979

I started Who We Are Instead this morning.


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## RWhite7699

Mike Whateley, I am house sitting and dog sitting this weekend for my daughter, so I will be able to finish your book without distractions, and post your review on Monday. It's good.


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## Used To Be BH

RWhite7699 said:


> Mike Whateley, I am house sitting and dog sitting this weekend for my daughter, so I will be able to finish your book without distractions, and post your review on Monday. It's good.


I take it the dog is well behaved!


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## MarilynVix

Hi everyone! I wanted to update everyone on my second month activities after launching _Everything For Love _. The one thing about being rejected from KS is that you can still push on and self-publish. So, I've listed my book on Netgalley to try to get some more reviews so I can get a BookBub ad (a girl can dream, right?). If you missed out in nominating my book, here's a chance to check it out. Just to note, it will only be up for the month of March.

https://s2.netgalley.com/catalog/book/108948

By the way Mark Gardner, thanks for downloading it from Netgalley. You reminded me to probably get the word out to people that it's up there now. Plus, it's a great way to get reviews after your book is self-published. Gotta have a thick skin though. Netgalley reviewers can be brutal.


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## MWhateley

RWhite7699 said:


> Mike Whateley, I am house sitting and dog sitting this weekend for my daughter, so I will be able to finish your book without distractions, and post your review on Monday. It's good.


Your daughter's dog must be better behaved than my little dog, Chewie. He is a Kujo wannabe.

Glad you are enjoying it.


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## Joynell Schultz

Mark Gardner said:


> I went ahead and stream-of-consciousness'd out another chapter after a 16-month hiatus: http://wp.me/p4le2s-1Ot


Was it painful?


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## Kyla S

I should have mentioned that I've been reading Guardian of the Grail this week, but I finished and left Elena a review under Kyla S.  Mark Gardner, you need to put your books in KU.


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## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> The only way to get into KU is to be Amazon exclusive! Three of my short stories are in KU.


I have a recurrent daydream that one day KU will no longer require exclusivity. I think KU readers like having a big selection. I think the exclusive content part isn't a big draw by itself. If they wanted to buy the book, they could buy it on Amazon, anyway. I can see prohibiting books from being listed on other borrow sites like Scribd, but I can't imagine that being able to buy them other places makes much difference.


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## RWhite7699

Bill Hiatt said:


> I take it the dog is well behaved!


I answered this last night, but my message got lost somewhere out there in cyberspace. Yes. Two good dogs, one good cat. We are in the middle of nowhere in rural PA. Peaceful.


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## RWhite7699

Mark Gardner said:


> Ruth, I read _Lily of the Valley_ today. I enjoyed it. When are you publishing _This Other Eden_?


Thanks, Mark. Glad you like it. I am trying to build up my readership for this one before I let the next one go.


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## RWhite7699

BTW, Mark, did your success with BookBub continue to help you? How about your other books? Can you see a difference in their sales due to BookBub?


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## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> I didn't do a bookbub. I haven't done any advertising for _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_. I wanted to wait until the audiobook was done before I did any advertising. I'm shocked that it's doing so well. (Well, not really, it's an awesome book!)


Yes, it sounds as if its doing surprisingly well without promotion. Even with some promotion, some of my releases have sunk like rocks.


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## Alyson Larrabee

I'm probably going to be a genuine card-carrying member of this group as of March 21st. Until then, I'll be obsessing over my graph spikes and valleys. I'm in the "dreaded middle" of my Kindlescout campaign and of course I made the rookie mistake of busting out of the gate too fast.

Please help me out by viewing and/or nominating Hidden in the Dark.

Thanks!

Alyson

https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/3HAS5FYM9TKAW


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## Joynell Schultz

Alyson Larrabee said:


> I'm probably going to be a genuine card-carrying member of this group as of March 21st. Until then, I'll be obsessing over my graph spikes and valleys. I'm in the "dreaded middle" of my Kindlescout campaign and of course I made the rookie mistake of busting out of the gate too fast.
> 
> Please help me out by viewing and/or nominating Hidden in the Dark.
> https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/3HAS5FYM9TKAW


I have you "saved for later" hopefully that boosts you up. I'll nominate you as my other nominations fall off. Urgh, the middle sucks. I believe we simply don't know enough people to keep our nominations consistent enough to stay on the Hot and Trending. Luckily, number of page views/nominations is not as important as one thinks for Kindle Scout to select you. (I tend to feel they generally ignore this--it's just a way to keep us busy and get some hype for an eventual release.)

I hope I don't have to welcome you to this group, but if you do join us, don't worry -- there is life after Kindle Scout.


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## RWhite7699

Mark Gardner said:


> I didn't do a bookbub. I haven't done any advertising for _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_. I wanted to wait until the audiobook was done before I did any advertising. I'm shocked that it's doing so well. (Well, not really, it's an awesome book!)


Yeah, after I sent that message, I realized I had somebody else in mind who was very successful with BB. Anyway, you should do one. I would be very curious to see how a sequel to War of the Worlds would do. I'm thinking it would fly.


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## Joynell Schultz

Mark Gardner said:


> I'm stoked that it's doing so well. If only people would start leaving reviews! The plan is after the 90-day cliff, when the Spanish, German & english audiobook are out, to raise the price and start advertising.


Those are great sales, Mark! Any ideas for the rest of us? Do you think your higher price helps? or having a hardcover available? I'm pushing 90 days here...and haven't sold anything for a week now. Urgh. I'm considering permanently pricing at 99 cents -- since some sales are better than none.


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## Joynell Schultz

Mark Gardner said:


> Ideas? ...I CUT OUT ALL OF THIS TO SHORTEN THIS POST...
> "Some sales are better than no sales." I disagree. I'm in it for the long haul.


Thanks for all of this! I think our ultimate goals determine the book pricing. IF we want writing to be our bread and butter, I think your strategy may be the best.

I'm in it purely for a hobby and ONLY want people to actually read my novels. Not only am I considering pricing them at 99 cents, I'm debating just publishing them all for free. No strings attached. My fear with pricing them as free is that people will just download them and not read them. I don't care about the number of downloads -- I'm looking for people actually reading the stories. It's not at all that I'm undervaluing my 81-86K word novels, I just don't want price to be a limiting factor for anyone.

I can do that though because no matter how good my novels may sell, it'll never be able to replace my current income--nor do I need it to.

I had thought about raising the price to $3.99 at one point, hoping it would pull in readers, but I chose not to. Maybe I will yet, before I go the 99 cent (or free) option.

Okay, just my thoughts. I love hearing everyone's reasoning and plans...since we're all so different and none of them may be right...or the all may work. ;-) Thanks again, Mark. I loved your data. I really need to write up a business plan for myself (and my next book.)


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## Joynell Schultz

Mark Gardner said:


> If you were inclined to give the darn things away for free, I would price it at a decent price and add to the description that review copies are always available. Rip off one of those drug company disclosures: "If you are unable to afford a copy of XXX, Joy Schultz is here to help!"


That's actually a brilliant idea, I never thought of that (can we do that?). Maybe I do undervalue my work, but I think you even said in your review of LLC that it was good at the 99 cent price point. It's my first novel and I have no experience, obviously!

As always, thanks for your support.


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## lauramg_1406

I think just getting your next book out will help Joy! Is there a chance you could write a short story/novella/prequel about June's father's youth or something? Maybe just something that gives you the extra exposure?

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Joynell Schultz

lauramg_1406 said:


> I think just getting your next book out will help Joy! Is there a chance you could write a short story/novella/prequel about June's father's youth or something? Maybe just something that gives you the extra exposure?


Yeah, I'm jumping the gun some. I actually did write a prequel from June's mom's POV. I was worried it gave away too much of the plot of Love, Lies & Clones, so I didn't do anything with it. Maybe I should look at it again. I mean, it's not doing that bad. I haven't hit my 90 days yet and have sold 243 books.

I know I need to focus on writing, but all this marketing stuff really suck the time away--with very little reward when you only have one book out there. Soon...Now, I'm just focusing on my vacation. Three days and counting.


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## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> Yeah, I'm jumping the gun some. I actually did write a prequel from June's mom's POV. I was worried it gave away too much of the plot of Love, Lies & Clones, so I didn't do anything with it. Maybe I should look at it again.
> 
> I know I need to focus on writing, but all this marketing stuff really suck the time away--with very little reward when you only have one book out there. Soon...Now, I'm just focusing on my vacation. Three days and counting.


Can you release it as a 1.5? State it should be read after LLC? That way it doesn't give anything away!

Marketing really does :-( I need more time in the day to cope!

However I very much advocate a second book in the same series! I've definitely seen an (overall) upward trend from it!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Joynell Schultz

lauramg_1406 said:


> Can you release it as a 1.5? State it should be read after LLC? That way it doesn't give anything away!
> 
> Marketing really does :-( I need more time in the day to cope!
> 
> However I very much advocate a second book in the same series! I've definitely seen an (overall) upward trend from it!


I think I can rework the prequel to not give anything important away. I just need some time. I don't know why I starting writing 3 novels all at the same time that were not connected. I need to really write Love, Lies & Clones II or Blood & Holy Water II then see what happens.

Of note, I'm considering semi-retiring from my job in June. That'll give me a ton more time to play with writing.


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## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> I think I can rework the prequel to not give anything important away. I just need some time. I don't know why I starting writing 3 novels all at the same time that were not connected. I need to really write Love, Lies & Clones II or Blood & Holy Water II then see what happens.
> 
> Of note, I'm considering semi-retiring from my job in June. That'll give me a ton more time to play with writing.


Because that's what you wanted to write! I mean I don't know about you, but I didn't realise that series sold so much better until recently!

:-O I'm jealous! Though I'm considering dropping down to 4 days a week once my writing income can make up the difference!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Mark Gardner said:


> For me it's all about midterms this week, and my vacation the following week.


I have a holiday booked in June...does that count as soon? 

I need one though! 2017 hasn't been the easiest of years so far!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Joynell Schultz

Mark Gardner said:


> For me it's all about midterms this week, and my vacation the following week.


I don't envy you! I never want to go back to college. It's great--except exam weeks. (Midterms and finals.) Maybe a non-science/math field would have been more fun.



lauramg_1406 said:


> I have a holiday booked in June...does that count as soon?
> I need one though! 2017 hasn't been the easiest of years so far!


I love how you're a work-a-holic. I've never seen as much ambition as you have. June will come soon enough--enjoy your holiday (Mark--you too!)


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## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> I don't envy you! I never want to go back to college. It's great--except exam weeks. (Midterms and finals.) Maybe a non-science/math field would have been more fun.
> 
> I love how you're a work-a-holic. I've never seen as much ambition as you have. June will come soon enough--enjoy your holiday (Mark--you too!)


Haha I wouldn't quite call it ambition! More determination to prove a lot of people wrong. A large number of people have told me they don't expect me to go far in life (and one person, who really shouldn't be saying stuff like this to me, told me this week that writing was nothing more than an "isolating hobby and I need to find a better one").

Maybe the wrong reason to want to do well...but at the moment it seems to be working!

Plus, i've always said I wanted to enjoy whatever job I had. Writing is the only one I've found that actually keeps me excited even after months of doing it every day!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> I don't envy you! I never want to go back to college. It's great--except exam weeks. (Midterms and finals.) Maybe a non-science/math field would have been more fun.
> 
> I love how you're a work-a-holic. I've never seen as much ambition as you have. June will come soon enough--enjoy your holiday (Mark--you too!)


(But I will enjoy my holiday! It's for a friend's wedding in Spain, so.lots of sun and sangria!)

I hope you enjoy yours too! It's the tour of Europe, right?

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Joynell Schultz

lauramg_1406 said:


> I hope you enjoy yours too! It's the tour of Europe, right?


Yeah, that's the one. My kids are so excited. We've been everywhere in North America, so it's time to expand our horizons. Stops in Spain, France, Italy and Malta. What I'm looking forward to most, honestly, is not having internet. I'm going to focus on outlining my "Hidden" project and finishing "The Secret Lives of Superhero Wives." I'm excited to be done with that book. Then I'm all caught up on my projects  I have a hard time having things half-finished.



lauramg_1406 said:


> Haha I wouldn't quite call it ambition! More determination to prove a lot of people wrong. A large number of people have told me they don't expect me to go far in life (and one person, who really shouldn't be saying stuff like this to me, told me this week that writing was nothing more than an "isolating hobby and I need to find a better one").
> Maybe the wrong reason to want to do well...but at the moment it seems to be working!
> Plus, i've always said I wanted to enjoy whatever job I had. Writing is the only one I've found that actually keeps me excited even after months of doing it every day!


Without a doubt, you'll go far in life. With your productivity, I can see you doing well with your novels. Keep going! I'm loving watching you! (Not in a stalking kinda way though.  )


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## Joynell Schultz

Mark Gardner said:


> BTW, how's _secret lives of superhero wives_ shaping up? That one looks very interesting...


Thanks for asking! The first draft is done. It has 3 story lines, from 3 different wives. I'm interweaving them now...making sure the facts all match and it's stemless. It's my first stab at writing something a little lighter and with some humor. (Though, being married to a superhero can be depressing.) It may fail my beta readers...ya know, 'cause I'm not very funny. (Though, I've had two people read the first three chapters, and it appears to be working.) I'm shooting for beta readers in May and publishing in Fall. (The beta reading process takes me so long -- since I like to have two or three rounds of them. Someday, I hope to be a better writer that I don't need so much help.)

Eight years in college? I'm so sorry. This is your last semester, right?


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## RWhite7699

Joynell Schultz said:


> (Someone, tell me to stop doing this if it isn't helpful.)
> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***
> 
> I've updated the list of books needing reviews. Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 25 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone.
> 
> *Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*
> 
> Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Action / Adventure) *Operation Desert Swarm* - Mike Whateley - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 0 Reviews)
> (Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 9 Reviews)
> (Fantasy/Suspense) *Guardian of the Grail* - Elena Bryce - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 15 Reviews)
> (Lit/Fiction) *Who We Are Instead* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 16 Reviews)
> (Mystery / Sci-Fi) *Love, Lies & Clones* - Joynell Schultz - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) *Beyond the Forest* - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 24 Reviews)
> 
> Waiting to Enter the Queue: (Authors here. Let me know as soon as you post a review, and I'll move you up to the top list.)
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (5)
> (Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 0 Reviews)
> (Fantasy/YA) *Fake* - Lori Saltis - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)
> 
> Books Being Reviewed:
> Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Paul Francois
> Beyond the Forest being reviewed by Joy Schultz
> Love, Lies & Clones being reviewed by Kelly Stock
> Operation Desert Swarm being reviewed by Ruth White


Hi Joy...I posted my review for Operation Desert Swarm. Mike has two reviews now.


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## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> Yeah, that's the one. My kids are so excited. We've been everywhere in North America, so it's time to expand our horizons. Stops in Spain, France, Italy and Malta. What I'm looking forward to most, honestly, is not having internet. I'm going to focus on outlining my "Hidden" project and finishing "The Secret Lives of Superhero Wives." I'm excited to be done with that book. Then I'm all caught up on my projects  I have a hard time having things half-finished.
> 
> Without a doubt, you'll go far in life. With your productivity, I can see you doing well with your novels. Keep going! I'm loving watching you! (Not in a stalking kinda way though.  )


That does sound good! Not sure I could go that long without Internet though! I'm too used to it obviously!

Haha not stalker ish at all  but we'll see! At the moment I hope I can do it, but don't expect to as such!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## MWhateley

RWhite7699 said:


> Hi Joy...I posted my review for Operation Desert Swarm. Mike has two reviews now.


Thank you Ruth. I liked the, Nano, in-joke.


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## Joynell Schultz

I think this is going wonderful so far. Thank you everyone who keep reviewing.
Note: This will be my last post for two weeks. If there's changes, feel free to copy the list and modify it. Thank you all!

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

I've updated the list of books needing reviews. Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 25 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 1 Reviews)
(Action / Adventure) *Operation Desert Swarm* - Mike Whateley - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 2 Reviews)
(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
(Fantasy/Suspense) *Guardian of the Grail* - Elena Bryce - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
(Mystery / Sci-Fi) *Love, Lies & Clones* - Joynell Schultz - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)
(Lit/Fiction) *Who We Are Instead* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 23 Reviews)

Waiting to Enter the Queue: (Authors here. Let me know as soon as you post a review, and I'll move you up to the top list.)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 5 Reviews) 
(Fantasy/YA) *Fake* - Lori Saltis - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)


----------



## RWhite7699

Mark Gardner said:


> I'm stoked that it's doing so well. If only people would start leaving reviews! The plan is after the 90-day cliff, when the Spanish, German & english audiobook are out, to raise the price and start advertising.


Yes! I agree. If only people would start leaving reviews!


----------



## Kay7979

I just finished Kyla Stone's Who We Are Instead. Excellent book. 

This thread has been busy! I missed about a dozen posts and just got caught up. The discussion about pricing always fascinates me. I understand both viewpoints: price it free/low to get exposure, or price it high so maybe people will give it the respect it deserves. I lean toward Mark's viewpoint that it's better to have an occasional promo, or gift a few copies, than keep the price permanently low. But I don't fault anyone who wants to take the opposite approach. 

I own tons of free books and a lot of $0.99 ones that I may never read. From what I've read on the KBoards, that's common. The free/cheap books that are series openers are probably well worth reading, but I'm not so sure about the rest. No doubt there are gems in the pile, but many are not-ready-for-primetime. Like Joy, I'm  primarily interested in having people read and enjoy my work, but like Mark, I'd rather give away some copies and have my regular price at $3.99. Beyond the Forest is about 114,000 words, and Shadowglade is over 90,000. I spend longer editing my books than most people spend writing one (or two), and I can't bring myself to price at $0.99. 

On a KBoard thread I read recently, someone said they didn't want to develop a readership that would only buy $0.99 books. That's a good point. I want to develop a readership who doesn't flinch at $3.99. 

I hate all this marketing stuff! I didn't plan to publish any of my books. I wrote for my own enjoyment, and my sister and husband were my only fans. I was content with that. There are days I think I should have left well enough alone. Other days, I'm happy I shared my work. Thank goodness I'm retired and it isn't a big deal whether I'm selling enough books to pay for expensive covers and advertising etc.


----------



## MWhateley

Joynell Schultz said:


> I think this is going wonderful so far. Thank you everyone who keep reviewing.
> Note: This will be my last post for two weeks. If there's changes, feel free to copy the list and modify it. Thank you all!
> 
> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***
> 
> I've updated the list of books needing reviews. Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 25 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)
> 
> *Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*
> 
> Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 1 Reviews)
> (Action / Adventure) *Operation Desert Swarm* - Mike Whateley - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 2 Reviews)
> (Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
> (Fantasy/Suspense) *Guardian of the Grail* - Elena Bryce - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
> (Mystery / Sci-Fi) *Love, Lies & Clones* - Joynell Schultz - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)
> (Lit/Fiction) *Who We Are Instead* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 23 Reviews)
> 
> Waiting to Enter the Queue: (Authors here. Let me know as soon as you post a review, and I'll move you up to the top list.)
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 5 Reviews)
> (Fantasy/YA) *Fake* - Lori Saltis - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)


I'll finish beyond the forest in the next two days. I intend to review the soul guide next.

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk


----------



## MWhateley

RWhite7699 said:


> Yes! I agree. If only people would start leaving reviews!


Good sales figures.

Mine has flat lined. Not sure if I should do more marketing or just crack on with the next book in the series.

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

MWhateley said:


> Good sales figures.
> 
> Mine has flat lined. Not sure if I should do more marketing or just crack on with the next book in the series.
> 
> Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk


How long has your book been out? Maybe it's time for a couple promos.


----------



## MWhateley

Kay7979 said:


> How long has your book been out? Maybe it's time for a couple promos.


About four weeks. I've got a sponsored product promo on amazon. Doesn't seem to attract much attention.

How much does the audio book conversation cost?

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk


----------



## Paul Francois

Joynell Schultz said:


> I think this is going wonderful so far. Thank you everyone who keep reviewing.
> Note: This will be my last post for two weeks. If there's changes, feel free to copy the list and modify it. Thank you all!
> 
> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***
> 
> I've updated the list of books needing reviews. Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 25 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)
> 
> *Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*
> 
> Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 1 Reviews)
> (Action / Adventure) *Operation Desert Swarm* - Mike Whateley - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 2 Reviews)
> (Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
> (Fantasy/Suspense) *Guardian of the Grail* - Elena Bryce - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
> (Mystery / Sci-Fi) *Love, Lies & Clones* - Joynell Schultz - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)
> (Lit/Fiction) *Who We Are Instead* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 23 Reviews)
> 
> Waiting to Enter the Queue: (Authors here. Let me know as soon as you post a review, and I'll move you up to the top list.)
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 5 Reviews)
> (Fantasy/YA) *Fake* - Lori Saltis - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)


Hi Joy,

Thanks for keeping track of the reviews.

I finished reviewing Kay's novel, Beyond the Forest. You can read my review on Amazon and Goodreads:

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2IOKVAXPSDP96/

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1933833596


----------



## Joynell Schultz

New post so soon: I added Shadowbane and took my book off (I hit 20 reviews on Love, Lies & Clones, and I'm happy with that. I'll need you all when I release Blood & Holy Water.)

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

I've updated the list of books needing reviews. Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 25 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 1 Reviews)
(Action / Adventure) *Operation Desert Swarm* - Mike Whateley - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 2 Reviews)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 5 Reviews) 
(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
(Fantasy/Suspense) *Guardian of the Grail* - Elena Bryce - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
(Lit/Fiction) *Who We Are Instead* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 23 Reviews)

Waiting to Enter the Queue: (Authors here. Let me know as soon as you post a review, and I'll move you up to the top list.)
(Fantasy/YA) *Fake* - Lori Saltis - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)


----------



## Paul Francois

Mark Gardner said:


> I'm stoked that it's doing so well. If only people would start leaving reviews! The plan is after the 90-day cliff, when the Spanish, German & english audiobook are out, to raise the price and start advertising.


Damn! My sales are not even close to that and I have at least 5 reviews.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Paul Francois said:


> Damn! My sales are not even close to that and I have at least 5 reviews.


Don't worry! I have 20 reviews (averaging 4.7 stars) and lately, I'm lucky to sell one book per week!


----------



## Paul Francois

Joynell Schultz said:


> New post so soon: I added Shadowbane and took my book off (I hit 20 reviews on Love, Lies & Clones, and I'm happy with that. I'll need you all when I release Blood & Holy Water.)
> 
> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***
> 
> I've updated the list of books needing reviews. Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 25 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)
> 
> *Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*
> 
> Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 1 Reviews)
> (Action / Adventure) *Operation Desert Swarm* - Mike Whateley - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 2 Reviews)
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 5 Reviews)
> (Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
> (Fantasy/Suspense) *Guardian of the Grail* - Elena Bryce - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
> (Lit/Fiction) *Who We Are Instead* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 23 Reviews)
> 
> Waiting to Enter the Queue: (Authors here. Let me know as soon as you post a review, and I'll move you up to the top list.)
> (Fantasy/YA) *Fake* - Lori Saltis - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)


Ok, I also got Mark's book, War of the Worlds: Retaliation:

https://www.amazon.com/review/R187J6N8GQBH76

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1933990009


----------



## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> Don't worry! I have 20 reviews (averaging 4.7 stars) and lately, I'm lucky to sell one book per week!


My book that has the most reviews (24) has mostly unverified reviews from review copies I sent out. If you're looking for some, then it might be worth emailing your NL (if you have one) and asking if anyone would read and review.

You're never going to get all of them to, but at least some! I've had about a quarter of those claimed leave a review on one book, and a third on another (though the number I gave out for the second was much lower than the first)

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Joynell Schultz

lauramg_1406 said:


> My book that has the most reviews (24) has mostly unverified reviews from review copies I sent out. If you're looking for some, then it might be worth emailing your NL (if you have one) and asking if anyone would read and review.
> 
> You're never going to get all of them to, but at least some! I've had about a quarter of those claimed leave a review on one book, and a third on another (though the number I gave out for the second was much lower than the first)


I'm happy with 20 reviews on Love, Lies & Clones. I think that's respectable. I did email my newsletter for Advanced Reader Copies of Blood & Holy Water and have 23 people reading it now. I'm hoping to get 5 reviews on launch day.


----------



## msknyc

Hi everyone,

Last week I found out that my book 'The Atlantis Twins' wasn't selected. I was more upset than I thought I'd be I hafta admit! But I'm over it now. Onward! 
*
Question for anyone else who has gone through this process: *

Can titles be tweaked/changed without messing up the ability to notify nominees that the book is available? I will *probably* only change the series title. Has anyone else done this? Thanks!


----------



## RWhite7699

Mark Gardner said:


> I read and reviewed Ruth White's Mansions of Karma. Here are some links for your retweeting and reblogging pleasure:
> https://article94.wordpress.com/2017/03/07/mansions-of-karma-by-ruth-white/
> https://twitter.com/Article_94/status/839104788625252353
> https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1931851164/
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R1ZA7UOT8AGVED/


Wow! Thank you, Mark. I thought you had forgotten to post! Really appreciate it.


----------



## Kay7979

msknyc said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> Last week I found out that my book 'The Atlantis Twins' wasn't selected. I was more upset than I thought I'd be I hafta admit! But I'm over it now. Onward!
> *
> Question for anyone else who has gone through this process: *
> 
> Can titles be tweaked/changed without messing up the ability to notify nominees that the book is available? I will *probably* only change the series title. Has anyone else done this? Thanks!


I don't think it should be a problem. The email notification will link directly to your book, so it shouldn't matter what changes you've made to the title.


----------



## skylarker1

Joynell Schultz said:


> (Someone, tell me to stop doing this if it isn't helpful.)
> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***
> 
> Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Action / Adventure) *Operation Desert Swarm* - Mike Whateley - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 0 Reviews)
> (Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 9 Reviews)
> (Fantasy/Suspense) *Guardian of the Grail* - Elena Bryce - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 15 Reviews)
> (Lit/Fiction) *Who We Are Instead* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 16 Reviews)
> (Mystery / Sci-Fi) *Love, Lies & Clones* - Joynell Schultz - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) *Beyond the Forest* - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 24 Reviews)


Hi, I've got a not-for-Kindle Scout book out now, 'The Winter Knife' - a darkish fantasy for young readers (~ 14-15) that needs more reviews. I'm especially interested in reviewing Love, Lies & Clones (big sci-fi fan), but am not in Kindle Unlimited.


----------



## Kay7979

skylarker1 said:


> Hi, I've got a not-for-Kindle Scout book out now, 'The Winter Knife' - a darkish fantasy for young readers (~ 14-15) that needs more reviews. I'm especially interested in reviewing Love, Lies & Clones (big sci-fi fan), but am not in Kindle Unlimited.


I remember your book. Our campaigns ended within a couple days of each other.


----------



## skylarker1

Kay7979 said:


> I remember your book. Our campaigns ended within a couple days of each other.


Sure. I thought your cover looked familiar...


----------



## RWhite7699

Joynell Schultz said:


> I think this is going wonderful so far. Thank you everyone who keep reviewing.
> Note: This will be my last post for two weeks. If there's changes, feel free to copy the list and modify it. Thank you all!
> 
> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***
> 
> I've updated the list of books needing reviews. Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 25 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)
> 
> *Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*
> 
> Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 1 Reviews)
> (Action / Adventure) *Operation Desert Swarm* - Mike Whateley - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 2 Reviews)
> (Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
> (Fantasy/Suspense) *Guardian of the Grail* - Elena Bryce - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
> (Mystery / Sci-Fi) *Love, Lies & Clones* - Joynell Schultz - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)
> (Lit/Fiction) *Who We Are Instead* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 23 Reviews)
> 
> Waiting to Enter the Queue: (Authors here. Let me know as soon as you post a review, and I'll move you up to the top list.)
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 5 Reviews)
> (Fantasy/YA) *Fake* - Lori Saltis - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)


updated


----------



## Joynell Schultz

I think an old list popped up somewhere. I found internet today yet to update. Here's the current list. (skylarker1 - I'll PM you the link for the free copy of Love, Lies & Clones.)

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

I've updated the list of books needing reviews. Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 25 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 1 Reviews)
(Action / Adventure) *Operation Desert Swarm* - Mike Whateley - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 2 Reviews)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 5 Reviews) 
(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 9 Reviews)
(Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
(Fantasy/Suspense) *Guardian of the Grail* - Elena Bryce - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
(Lit/Fiction) *Who We Are Instead* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 23 Reviews)

Waiting to Enter the Queue: (Authors here. Let me know as soon as you post a review, and I'll move you up to the top list.)
(Fantasy/YA) *Fake* - Lori Saltis - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)
(Darkish Fantasy/Young Readers) *The Winter Knife* - Laramie Sasseville - (Has 0 reviews)


----------



## msknyc

Kay7979 said:


> I don't think it should be a problem. The email notification will link directly to your book, so it shouldn't matter what changes you've made to the title.





Kay7979 said:


> I don't think it should be a problem. The email notification will link directly to your book, so it shouldn't matter what changes you've made to the title.


Thank you Kay! That's helpful.


----------



## MWhateley

Posted my review for Beyond the Forest on Amazon.co.uk and goodreads. 

Really enjoyed it Kay. It was a pleasure reading and reviewing it.


----------



## Kay7979

MWhateley said:


> Posted my review for Beyond the Forest on Amazon.co.uk and goodreads.
> 
> Really enjoyed it Kay. It was a pleasure reading and reviewing it.


Thank you so much for the review and for your kind words. Off to read it now. What a day. High winds with 60-80 mph gusts. Power went out hours ago!


----------



## Kay7979

Where is everyone this weekend? I just finished the fourth editing pass on Shadowglade, and am having it converted to MOBI for my handful of ARC reviewers. What is everyone else up to this weekend?


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Where is everyone this weekend? I just finished the fourth editing pass on Shadowglade, and am having it converted to MOBI for my handful of ARC reviewers. What is everyone else up to this weekend?


I'm still struggling with that mythology project I told you about before. I reserved time with an editor, and now I'm breaking my neck to get the draft finished before the deadline.


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> I'm still struggling with that mythology project I told you about before. I reserved time with an editor, and now I'm breaking my neck to get the draft finished before the deadline.


It sounds like you're nearing the finish line for this project. I remember your description of it and it sounded really interesting. Best of luck!


----------



## ginwilli

Joynell Schultz said:


> Don't worry! I have 20 reviews (averaging 4.7 stars) and lately, I'm lucky to sell one book per week!


Well, you are certainly ahead of me, Joynell! I am one of your subscribers, currently trying to keep up with your 1000 fan series. Hey, that's awesome! With the way you are going I expect you'll soon see an uptick in your sales as well as your subscribers. Good work!

PS: Please don't send us anymore snow--don't need or want!


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Erika saw last month's royalty check and declared that we're going to Disneyland for spring break.


That's fantastic! Weren't you going away next week? 
I should be ready for formatting in 2-3 weeks.


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Yeah, it's next week now. We arrived in DLR safe.


Have a great time. Ride Pirates of the Caribbean for me.


----------



## Paul Francois

Sorry Joy, I just saw the news that Blood and Holy Water was not selected for publication.


----------



## Kay7979

Yes, I hope the news doesn't spoil Joy's cruise. I see Wyrd House was also declined. That looked like an interesting book as well. I have my fingers crossed for Jen Carter. I think she's on day twelve of the waiting game, which is typically the max, and her last book was accepted so chances are good.


----------



## lincolnjcole

Mark Gardner said:


> Pirates is closed


Noooooo.

I mean, I don't really care, but, it would be neat to ride before it closed.


----------



## MarilynVix

Just applied for a BookBub ad. *Crossing fingers*


----------



## Kay7979

MarilynVix said:


> Just applied for a BookBub ad. *Crossing fingers*


Good luck!


----------



## Paul Francois

MarilynVix said:


> Just applied for a BookBub ad. *Crossing fingers*


Good luck! I was denied, but I knew I would be. LOL


----------



## MN_Arzu

Hey all!

For those who are interested in free promos: My free book promo for _Underneath - A Merfolk Tale_ is about to end in two hours.

I ran it first for visibility, and second because the sequel is coming next month. I also ran the promo all 5 days, but in the future I will run it only for 2 or 3. The decline in downloads is steep, and it seems I can maximize the after sales more with less free days.

I did reach 6k downloads, so yay! So far, I've received 11 reviews, all positive 

I promoted with free booksy and free book feed, plus my fist ever newsletter to 1600 subscribers, and the lovely help of Lincoln's own newsletter. If you're going to run a free promotion, make sure you're shouting it to the four winds.

I've also managed to sell about 25 books of my other book plus 3 more reviews, and around 3500 in KU pages for Underneath alone.

Bottom line, be smart about doing free promotions. They can certainly re-start a title, and I'm looking forward to picking more readers for the sequel


----------



## Used To Be BH

MN_Arzu said:


> Hey all!
> 
> For those who are interested in free promos: My free book promo for _Underneath - A Merfolk Tale_ is about to end in two hours.
> 
> I ran it first for visibility, and second because the sequel is coming next month. I also ran the promo all 5 days, but in the future I will run it only for 2 or 3. The decline in downloads is steep, and it seems I can maximize the after sales more with less free days.
> 
> I did reach 6k downloads, so yay! So far, I've received 11 reviews, all positive
> 
> I promoted with free booksy and free book feed, plus my fist ever newsletter to 1600 subscribers, and the lovely help of Lincoln's own newsletter. If you're going to run a free promotion, make sure you're shouting it to the four winds.
> 
> I've also managed to sell about 25 books of my other book plus 3 more reviews, and around 3500 in KU pages for Underneath alone.
> 
> Bottom line, be smart about doing free promotions. They can certainly re-start a title, and I'm looking forward to picking more readers for the sequel


Good info! Thanks! Maybe I'll have to rethink free promos.


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Well, I've got great news for my most recent Kindle Scout reject: _Severed Press_ is interested in acquiring the English paperback and e-book rights for _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_.
> 
> In other news, it looks as if I'll be a guest at Phoenix Comicon. I need to hash out dates and lodgings with their people this week, so I'm excited about that.
> 
> Finally, I just saw the notification that the _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_ audiobook is in status "completed," so it should be out this week. Next week at the latest.


All GREAT news! Congratulations. You're on a roll.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> Well, I've got great news for my most recent Kindle Scout reject: _Severed Press_ is interested in acquiring the English paperback and e-book rights for _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_.
> 
> In other news, it looks as if I'll be a guest at Phoenix Comicon. I need to hash out dates and lodgings with their people this week, so I'm excited about that.
> 
> Finally, I just saw the notification that the _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_ audiobook is in status "completed," so it should be out this week. Next week at the latest.


Congratulations!

I checked out their website, and it looks as if they have a pretty extensive catalog for a relatively new small press. Their operation also looks professional. In any case, it's always nice when the publisher comes to you.


----------



## Kay7979

Hey, I'm an official author now. I got my first one star review on Amazon. I've been dreading a one or two star but I actually laughed when I read it since the synopsis of my book says it's about a girl with gem powers, and the reader complained it was too much about gems. Sigh.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Kay7979 said:


> Hey, I'm an official author now. I got my first one star review on Amazon. I've been dreading a one or two star but I actually laughed when I read it since the synopsis of my book says it's about a girl with gem powers, and the reader complained it was too much about gems. Sigh.


Oh, Kay, I feel bad for you. I dread that day, but it will come. Luckily, you have a ton of fantastic reviews so this one get's lost in the list and doesn't do much to your star rating. Since you have no 2 or 3 stars, people will just see it as that reviewer was an "idiot".



Mark Gardner said:


> Well, I've got great news for my most recent Kindle Scout reject: _Severed Press_ is interested in acquiring the English paperback and e-book rights for _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_.
> In other news, it looks as if I'll be a guest at Phoenix Comicon. I need to hash out dates and lodgings with their people this week, so I'm excited about that.
> Finally, I just saw the notification that the _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_ audiobook is in status "completed," so it should be out this week. Next week at the latest.


Congrats on all of the above! You're doing great. I love seeing success stories.



Paul Francois said:


> Sorry Joy, I just saw the news that Blood and Holy Water was not selected for publication.


No worries. I have my pre-order up and running (though I'm not advertising it, since pre-order numbers don't help you as much as release day sales.) Release day set for April 4th. I'm sending out my Kindle Scout email on it's own day, before I advertise to everyone else. I want to see if Kindle Scout does generate book sales. I know I received 8 mailing list sign up from my "thank-you, but I was rejected" letter.



ginwilli said:


> Well, you are certainly ahead of me, Joynell! I am one of your subscribers, currently trying to keep up with your 1000 fan series. Hey, that's awesome! With the way you are going I expect you'll soon see an uptick in your sales as well as your subscribers. Good work!
> PS: Please don't send us anymore snow--don't need or want!


Fabulous! Thanks for following along. I'm up to 1200 subscribers to my newsletter now. I gotta write a blog post about it tonight. Vacation got me so behind! (Not that I'm complaining.) And we did have more snow last week. I'm glad I was in Southern Europe.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

If we're still working on building up our reviews, here's what I think the list looks like now. Being gone for 2 weeks, catching up is a little tough.

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

I've updated the list of books needing reviews. Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 25 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Action / Adventure) *Operation Desert Swarm* - Mike Whateley - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 2 Reviews)
(Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 4 Reviews)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 6 Reviews) 
(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Historical Fiction/Sci-Fi) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 9 Reviews)
(Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
(Fantasy/Suspense) *Guardian of the Grail* - Elena Bryce - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)

Waiting to Enter the Queue: (Authors here. Let me know as soon as you post a review, and I'll move you up to the top list.)
(Fantasy/YA) *Fake* - Lori Saltis - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)
(Darkish Fantasy/Young Readers) *The Winter Knife* - Laramie Sasseville - (Has 0 reviews)
[/quote]


----------



## Paul Francois

Kay7979 said:


> Hey, I'm an official author now. I got my first one star review on Amazon. I've been dreading a one or two star but I actually laughed when I read it since the synopsis of my book says it's about a girl with gem powers, and the reader complained it was too much about gems. Sigh.


That is like going to see a Fast & Furious movie and complaining about all the cars and the racing scenes.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Hey, I'm an official author now. I got my first one star review on Amazon. I've been dreading a one or two star but I actually laughed when I read it since the synopsis of my book says it's about a girl with gem powers, and the reader complained it was too much about gems. Sigh.


I hate it when readers don't bother to look at what they're buying, then blame the author because it isn't what they wanted. That ranks right up there with dinging short stories--because they're short.


----------



## Michele Brouder

MN_Arzu said:


> Hey all!
> 
> For those who are interested in free promos: My free book promo for _Underneath - A Merfolk Tale_ is about to end in two hours.
> 
> I ran it first for visibility, and second because the sequel is coming next month. I also ran the promo all 5 days, but in the future I will run it only for 2 or 3. The decline in downloads is steep, and it seems I can maximize the after sales more with less free days.
> 
> I did reach 6k downloads, so yay! So far, I've received 11 reviews, all positive
> 
> I promoted with free booksy and free book feed, plus my fist ever newsletter to 1600 subscribers, and the lovely help of Lincoln's own newsletter. If you're going to run a free promotion, make sure you're shouting it to the four winds.
> 
> I've also managed to sell about 25 books of my other book plus 3 more reviews, and around 3500 in KU pages for Underneath alone.
> 
> Bottom line, be smart about doing free promotions. They can certainly re-start a title, and I'm looking forward to picking more readers for the sequel


11 new reviews, that's great!


----------



## Kay7979

Michele Brouder said:


> 11 new reviews, that's great!


Hi, Michele. We've missed you.

Paul and Bill, thanks for commiserating with me.


----------



## JulianneQJohnson

Bill Hiatt said:


> I hate it when readers don't bother to look at what they're buying, then blame the author because it isn't what they wanted. That ranks right up there with dinging short stories--because they're short.


I had one where the reviewer said she felt I tricked her into buying the book. I looked into some of her other reviews. Apparently Nora Roberts, Danielle Steel, and several other well know writers "tricked" her as well. The phrase ended up in many of her reviews. Hey, at least I was in good company, and she gave me one more star than Nora Roberts. Winning!


----------



## Kay7979

JulianneQJohnson said:


> I had one where the reviewer said she felt I tricked her into buying the book. I looked into some of her other reviews. Apparently Nora Roberts, Danielle Steel, and several other well know writers "tricked" her as well. The phrase ended up in many of her reviews. Hey, at least I was in good company, and she gave me one more star than Nora Roberts. Winning!


Ha! That's a good one! I'm glad you beat out Nora Roberts.


----------



## MWhateley

Kay7979 said:


> Hey, I'm an official author now. I got my first one star review on Amazon. I've been dreading a one or two star but I actually laughed when I read it since the synopsis of my book says it's about a girl with gem powers, and the reader complained it was too much about gems. Sigh.


My second book got a one star review on good reads. Just made me try harder. Welcome to the one star club. 

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Oh, I have a headtalker if anyone is willing to give me some support. https://headtalker.com/campaigns/blood-holy-water-new-release/ I'm releasing Blood & Holy Water (my recent rejection) on April 4th/5th.



Mark Gardner said:


> Well, Kindle Scout is just as inconsistent as they always have been. They rejected _Days Until Home_ because they say is was previously published. Since they give no details, I can only assume that they're considering the original web serial as "published," even though _Sixteen Sunsets_ was previously a web serial, and they accepted that as a KS campaign.


Too bad. I didn't think that counted. I know you can have your stuff up on WriteOn and/or Wattpad and it's fine. Definite inconsistencies. Now that I have a couple books under my belt and a few loyal fans, I may not try them again. The lack of information on number of nominations and what star ratings people gave your cover, etc bothers me.


----------



## Kay7979

MWhateley said:


> My second book got a one star review on good reads. Just made me try harder. Welcome to the one star club.
> 
> Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk


Ha. I can't try harder. The reader bought a book about gem powers and complained it included too much information about gems. There's not much hope for that.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> Well, Kindle Scout is just as inconsistent as they always have been. They rejected _Days Until Home_ because they say is was previously published. Since they give no details, I can only assume that they're considering the original web serial as "published," even though _Sixteen Sunsets_ was previously a web serial, and they accepted that as a KS campaign.


If it were a customer service issue, I'd be tempted to reply to the email in hopes of getting a clearer response. I suppose KS doesn't work on the same system of bumping each response up to someone who knows a little more, but I'd have an almost irresistible desire to point out the inconsistency.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

The power of a cover:

I had enough feedback on my original cover for Love, Lies & Clones that I began thinking perhaps something else would be better. Those comments, paired with a 12 day stretch of not selling a single book, despite having an AMS ad running, made me try a new cover. I keep reading that three things sell your book: Cover, Title, and Description (Maybe Reviews too.) 

I whipped up the cover in my signature and put it up on Amazon as a trial. That's the great thing about being an indie author -- you can swap things out so easily. Anyway, in the following 12 days I sold 4 eBooks (still priced at $2.99) and 2 paperbacks. PLUS I'm getting Kindle Unlimited page reads every day. My AMS ad click ratio went from 1 click per every 2000 impressions to 1 for about every 1000 impressions.

So...Covers do matter. My new one is probably still not the solution, but it's helping for now. I wonder if I shelled out a few hundred dollars on a professional cover, how much better would the book do. I'm not ready for the plunge yet. 

Okay, comments over. Have a great night everyone!


----------



## AaronFrale

Well, it's time for me to join the "now what?" crew for the second time. Time Burrito was not selected, but I've received a large response from readers contacting me about it (which was good to hear). I'm going to do a free promotion on April 15th-19th with $274 in ads. I'm in KU, so I'm hoping the boost in KU downloads will help cover some of that. I'm also hoping the residual sales will also help recoup that cost. 

Last time I did a free promo with KU boosted by ads, I got to rank 148 in amazon overall in the free store, and had enough residuals to break even that month, and enough the following month to have a positive ROI. This time, I'm spending three times more, and the book will be in the first 30 days during the promo time. 

Of course I also could be spending $274 dollars to have a bunch of people download my book . I'll keep you posted on how it turns out and share my advert list as soon as I hear back from ENT (which will push me to the limit of my budget).


----------



## MN_Arzu

Well, I'm one week post free-promo and I couldn't be happier  I've sold about 50 books and I've passed 15k KU pages since then. For some reason, KU seems to love me, so much I've been hovering around 10k in the kindle store all 7 days.

For once, I do wonder if the mermaid genre is finally picking up steam and I'm riding that wave 

In any case, free-promos can certainly be profitable. Don't be afraid to try them a couple of times to see if it's right for your books.


----------



## Kay7979

MN_Arzu said:


> Well, I'm one week post free-promo and I couldn't be happier  I've sold about 50 books and I've passed 15k KU pages since then. For some reason, KU seems to love me, so much I've been hovering around 10k in the kindle store all 7 days.
> 
> For once, I do wonder if the mermaid genre is finally picking up steam and I'm riding that wave
> 
> In any case, free-promos can certainly be profitable. Don't be afraid to try them a couple of times to see if it's right for your books.


That's fantastic, and you deserve it. I really enjoyed the book!


----------



## AaronFrale

MN_Arzu said:


> In any case, free-promos can certainly be profitable. Don't be afraid to try them a couple of times to see if it's right for your books.


That's excellent to hear! I'm glad it did well for you! Yeah, so far free promos seem to do better for me than 99 cent ones.


----------



## MN_Arzu

Here's another strategy that has worked for me:

Do a Goodreads giveaway (but don't give more than 3 books away) that lasts for one month, and at the same time, lower the price of your book to $0.99. The people who want to read your book *now* will go and buy it when they see it's discounted. 

If you'd like, you can also coordinate a free discount deal to start when the giveaway ends, or a day before. I see a greater spike when I do this 

Keep in mind that Goodreads giveways seem to be dead in the middle of the campaign, but in my experience, if I run a shorter giveway, not as many people participate ::shrug::


----------



## Joynell Schultz

If anyone's interested, I just finished up my first 90 day contract with Kindle Select. Here's my take-aways in my blog post: https://joynellschultz.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/lessons-learned-90-days-of-self-publishing/



MN_Arzu said:


> Here's another strategy that has worked for me:
> Do a Goodreads giveaway (but don't give more than 3 books away) that lasts for one month, and at the same time, lower the price of your book to $0.99. The people who want to read your book *now* will go and buy it when they see it's discounted.


I'm loving all your tips! Thanks for sharing. I've done goodreads giveaways for Love, Lies & Clones and didn't feel they did much, but I set one up for my new novel, Blood & Holy Water and am using your trick of having it priced at 99 cents. We'll see if that helps at all.

I've also took your "FREE" days into account and will be trying them out in the next month or two. Thank you again!


----------



## JPDavid

Hi fellow former Kindle Scouters. My book Mind Game wasn't accepted for Kindle Press so I'm pressing forward and discovered this board. Here's what I've done/am planning to do:


Hired a designer who created a much better cover.
Wrote a much more effective blurb.
Established my own publisher name and purchased ISBNs for all versions of Mind Game.
Listed the ebook on Amazon as available for pre-order (with a delivery date of June 23rd, which I will move closer at some point).
Added Mind Game to my Amazon Author page.
The print book is in process and I intend to do a soft launch on Amazon with no publicity as soon as the print cover is finalized. 
I'll be contacting fans (I feel so presumptuous using that term!) and others who are interested in e-ARCs with the hope that they'll post positive reviews at Amazon prior to my ebook launch.
Once Mind Game has a sufficient number of (hopefully) positive reviews, I'll move the ebook release date closer.
Ads will go live on the release date.
I intend to simultaneously release Mind Game on Kindle, Kobo, Nook, and iTunes.

This is all new to me and I'm really hoping to have an effective launch. 

Do you see anything that I'm missing?
Are there any insights you can give me on what has/hasn't worked for you?
When should I notify Amazon that Mind Game is available so that they'll send emails to those who nominated it on Kindle Scout (now, when there are some positive reviews posted, when it's actually available, some other time)?

Thanks in advance for any insights you can offer! I look forward to contributing to this group!
JP









https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XVJKH7Q


----------



## MN_Arzu

Welcome! We all went through the same journey, and there IS life after KS 

So, as a graphic designer, I can certainly tell you that your cover is pretty good. You can try other designs, of course, but if you're worried that your cover isn't professional enough, I can assure it has nothing to envy anyone.

Now, I'm a bit confused: you can't have reviews before the book has launched. Amazon won't allow them. Or are you thinking of launching the print version and THEN the ebook version? Selling print copies is incredibly hard. Like I've sold one print version for every 300 ebooks. If I stumble on your print version and I'm interested, and then find out there's no ebook to buy, I'll leave and never come back.

What you can do is release the ebook version without promotion, wait a couple of weeks for your ARC reviews to show up, and then do the whole promotion thing. That's one way to do it, anyway


----------



## JPDavid

Thanks for the welcome, MN!
I appreciate your comment about my new cover and also your information about releasing the ebook without promotion, waiting for ARC reviews, and then doing the promos. That certainly sounds like excellent advice and I may do exactly that. 
I can see how my tactic caused some confusion, because it's true that you can't have reviews before the book is published. The workaround for that is one that I learned at a workshop by David VanDyke (https://www.amazon.com/David-VanDyke/e/B008EZHPC4) who sells tons of ebooks on Amazon (and very few print books). He releases his new books quietly in print for the sole purpose of giving his eARC reviewers a place to post their reviews prior to the ebook's release. That way, he has several (usually) very favorable reviews on the Amazon page at the moment the ebook is released.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

MN_Arzu said:


> What you can do is release the ebook version without promotion, wait a couple of weeks for your ARC reviews to show up, and then do the whole promotion thing. That's one way to do it, anyway


What I do is release the print version a week or two before the eBook so my advanced readers can get their reviews up there and I don't waste any time in that first 30 days for promoting.



JPDavid said:


> Are there any insights you can give me on what has/hasn't worked for you?
> When should I notify Amazon that Mind Game is available so that they'll send emails to those who nominated it on Kindle Scout (now, when there are some positive reviews posted, when it's actually available, some other time)?


Just a quick overview of what I'm doing for my launch this time. (I have my recent KS reject eBook set to launch April 4th)
Pre-Launch: 
I focused on building my email list / fan base. Part of this was the Kindle Scout program. I figure that their email may account for something. We'll see, I'm doing an experiment. I also created a freebie book giveaway to build my newsletter list and had some Amazon giveaways to build people following my Amazon Author page.
I started distributing Advanced Reader Copies 6 weeks ago (during my Kindle Scout campaign.)
I have a paperback giveaway on goodreads building up Blood & Holy Water's "to read" list.
Coordinated my launch schedule -- see below
Put my book up on pre-order. Two week pre-order time period, just so I can make sure the blurb, categories, etc are okay. I am not advertising this, as pre-orders on Amazon don't help you out. You're better to get these sales on the day of launch, to build up your ranking, than slowly over time.
Got an AMS ad ready for the new book. It takes time to put in the 1000 keywords.
Published the paperback for the sole purpose of collecting reviews.

Launch: So, this is what I have planned for my launch week. I don't know if it'll work...I'm pricing the book at 99 cents for the month of April, trying to build up ranking and since I'm still a no-name author. I tried $2.99 with my other book for a few days and sales suffered.
Tuesday 4/4: Launch day! Kindle Scout email to go out. I'm not doing any other advertising because I want to see if this brings in sales.
Wednesday 4/5: My newsletter goes out (1400 subscribers) and an email from a critique forum I belong to (critters.org) that critiqued the novel. Also, will start tweeting and using copromote to extend my reach. Will continue this for the entire launch week.
Thursday 4/6: Headtalker campaign and ENT $30 (eReader News Today) -- though, they haven't accepted the book yet. If it falls through, I'll find another promo site to fill this day.
Friday 4/7: Notify Facebook (will probably boost a post to people that like my page, their friends, and upload my newsletter email list) and Bargain Booksy $40 & People Reads $9
Saturday 4/8: Free Kindle Books & Tips $25
Sunday 4/9: Resend my newsletter to non-openers as a "Thank-you for your support" email. Awesomegang $10 & SweetFreeBooks $7
Monday 4/10:BK Knights $11
Tuesday 4/11: 
Wednesday 4/12: Resend my newsletter to non-openers through a different mail program (mailerlite instead of mailchimp) trying to get as many opens as possible.

Post-Launch: I'll probably add to this list (as I'd like to keep a little advertising going for the whole month. Maybe $20/week or less.)
Thursday 4/20: Newsletter swap with another author
Saturday 4/29: Fussy Librarian $22

I had heard that spending about $100 on a launch is helpful for the Amazon algorithms to kick in. We'll see. My last book I spent virtually nothing on the launch. This one, I'm looking as an experiment to see what I want to do with my next book.

You can also check out my blog posts on how my launch went if you're interested.
30 Day Update: https://joynellschultz.wordpress.com/2017/01/15/lessons-learned-first-30-days-of-self-publishing/
60 Day Update: https://joynellschultz.wordpress.com/2017/02/16/lessons-learned-60-days-of-self-publishing/
90 Day Update: https://joynellschultz.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/lessons-learned-90-days-of-self-publishing/

I'm always looking for advice too. If I'm missing anything, please let me know!


----------



## Kay7979

MN_Arzu said:


> Here's another strategy that has worked for me:
> 
> Do a Goodreads giveaway (but don't give more than 3 books away) that lasts for one month, and at the same time, lower the price of your book to $0.99. The people who want to read your book *now* will go and buy it when they see it's discounted.
> 
> If you'd like, you can also coordinate a free discount deal to start when the giveaway ends, or a day before. I see a greater spike when I do this
> 
> Keep in mind that Goodreads giveways seem to be dead in the middle of the campaign, but in my experience, if I run a shorter giveway, not as many people participate ::shrug::


My first giveaway ran one week and I gave away five books, US only and never got a review. I had one end last night, one book only, won by a woman in Manchester, England. 939 people requested the book. I think it's a good idea to coordinate a promo with the start or finish date. It's depressing that so many people add the book to their to be read shelves, but like me, they have a backlog of hundreds of books, so it doesn't mean much.


----------



## Kay7979

JPDavid said:


> Thanks for the welcome, MN!
> I appreciate your comment about my new cover and also your information about releasing the ebook without promotion, waiting for ARC reviews, and then doing the promos. That certainly sounds like excellent advice and I may do exactly that.
> I can see how my tactic caused some confusion, because it's true that you can't have reviews before the book is published. The workaround for that is one that I learned at a workshop by David VanDyke (https://www.amazon.com/David-VanDyke/e/B008EZHPC4) who sells tons of ebooks on Amazon (and very few print books). He releases his new books quietly in print for the sole purpose of giving his eARC reviewers a place to post their reviews prior to the ebook's release. That way, he has several (usually) very favorable reviews on the Amazon page at the moment the ebook is released.


I've heard many people recommend this method. I may do it for my upcoming launch.


----------



## JPDavid

Wow Joynell, your information is awesome! Thanks so much.
JP


----------



## Leo deSouza

Hi guys.

Could you please tell me if you know about this?

*What are the criteria that Amazon uses to accept the submission? (I'm talking only about the submission, not signing the Scout Publishing contract!)*

I heard that they check basic things like the cover and the general book commercial appeal.

But what about the manuscript? Do they check the formatting? What about the writing style and all?

*Do they read the accepted manuscritps? Once your submitted book is accepted, do Amazon editors read the entire book on their own? Or will they only do it when the campaign is over and your book got enough nominations?*

Thank you.


----------



## Steven L. Hawk

Joynell Schultz said:


> The power of a cover:
> 
> I had enough feedback on my original cover for Love, Lies & Clones that I began thinking perhaps something else would be better....
> ...I wonder if I shelled out a few hundred dollars on a professional cover, how much better would the book do. I'm not ready for the plunge yet.


Covers really do matter.

You don't necessarily have to shell out big bucks for a great cover, though. There are a lot of pre-mades that can be had for under $100. The cover for "Son of Justice" is my favorite of all my books. It was only $70, and it was my first KS winner. The trick is knowing what you want and being willing to sift through hundreds of available covers (across dozens of pre-made cover sites) until you find the perfect one.

FYI, about a week ago Kindle Press issued new covers for a dozen or so Scout winners. It went over pretty well with the affected authors. IMO, the updated covers were better than the old in every instance. It reaffirms the importance of covers that KS is willing to spend the $ to do that.


----------



## Steven L. Hawk

Leo deSouza said:


> *Do they read the accepted manuscritps? Once your submitted book is accepted, do Amazon editors read the entire book on their own? Or will they only do it when the campaign is over and your book got enough nominations?*


Kindle Press sometimes reads the manuscript when deciding if a book will be selected as a Scout winner. Several selected authors have commented that their communications from the KP team include details that could only be known by someone who read the book. As for editing, KP only sends manuscripts to an editor after the book has been selected for publication. It could be an in-house editor or a Kirkus editor.

Also, it's important to understand that selections aren't made based on the number of nominations a book receives. It's more about perceived "saleability" of the book than the number of nominations received or how many hours it sat on the H&T list. I've had two books selected by KP and neither were high in either category.


----------



## AaronFrale

Mark Gardner said:


> Hey, all y'all! As y'all _should_ know, authors whose books that are accepted for Kindle Press receive a $1,500.00 advance against future royalties. Had my _War of the Worlds_ sequel been picked up by Kindle Press, and their US digital sales matched what I've done these last 82 days, yesterday I would've earned out. w00t!


That's awesome Mark. So what's your secret? I've only been able to maintain sales numbers like that for three weeks at most. I do a big promotion, get a little traction, then sales dwindle and then disappear. It's a nice little treadmill, but never seems to sustain itself.


----------



## MN_Arzu

I changed yesterday my category from science fiction -> adventure to fiction -> mythology and folk tales. Granted, my merfolk book is not fantasy, but I gathered that people who like mermaid stories would more likely search for them under mythology. 

I'm now in the top #100 for Fantasy -> fairy tales and Fiction -> Mythology and Folk Tales. 

Re-assigning categories can help you, especially if you land in a category that is not that crowded


----------



## Kay7979

Robertson said:


> For the calendar, I remember that there was a default date shown. I clicked on the date I wanted, and it accepted it. There are arrows to move to a different month, if you prefer.
> 
> For the editor, I gave them the URL of my wife's website. She has a page about her copy-editing.
> 
> Robertson
> 
> P.S. I have sent you a PM


I just wanted to mention that I did run a promo. I didn't realize they're free (they do ask for a donation). In the spot about the editor I said I had a Kirkus review. I figured their main concern was that the books they promote are polished.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Leo deSouza said:


> Hi guys.
> 
> Could you please tell me if you know about this?
> 
> *What are the criteria that Amazon uses to accept the submission? (I'm talking only about the submission, not signing the Scout Publishing contract!)*
> 
> I heard that they check basic things like the cover and the general book commercial appeal.
> 
> But what about the manuscript? Do they check the formatting? What about the writing style and all?
> 
> *Do they read the accepted manuscritps? Once your submitted book is accepted, do Amazon editors read the entire book on their own? Or will they only do it when the campaign is over and your book got enough nominations?*
> 
> Thank you.


The answer to most of those questions is "Nobody knows for sure." I would be willing to bet the ones that get accepted are read *before* bring accepted. The editors would be taking a big risk if they didn't.

A few books have been accepted with very low hot and trending numbers (indicating relatively few nominations), so I don't think nominations are a prerequisite for selection (or even getting a full reading), though they may help in the event the editors are on the fence about a book.


----------



## MN_Arzu

Nekroza said:


> Has it lead to more sales?


Oh yeah. I did the change on Sunday, and on Monday I sold 15 books, and 4k KUs. Keep in mind I'm coming from a free promo second week, so I've been getting fairly good KU's for the past 10 days as people start reading the book


----------



## Leo deSouza

Bill Hiatt said:


> The answer to most of those questions is "Nobody knows for sure." I would be willing to bet the ones that get accepted are read *before* bring accepted. The editors would be taking a big risk if they didn't.
> 
> A few books have been accepted with very low hot and trending numbers (indicating relatively few nominations), so I don't think nominations are a prerequisite for selection (or even getting a full reading), though they may help in the event the editors are on the fence about a book.


Thank you, Bill.

Yes, the mystery goes on.


----------



## MN_Arzu

As I go lining up new promos, I can tell you that the best result I ever got was by combining Booksends and Free kindle books and tips. The book was discounted at 0.99, and I sold 90 in one day, plus I got about 6k KU reads in the following 5 days. I made it to rank #3600 in the entire paid store. I ran it on a Monday 

If anyone else wants to share their experiences, I'm all ears!


----------



## Kay7979

I have a few promos booked for Beyond the Forest on April 22, 23, and 24. I plan to publish the sequel, Shadowglade, at the same time, hoping people will buy and read BtF, then buy the sequel. 

I remembered belatedly that my husband and I have a major coin show that runs Friday the 21st - Sunday the 23rd. So, I either need to publish on Thursday the 20th, or set up a preorder and publish the following Monday, or sometime during that week. Is there any advantage to one method or the other? I know some people like preorders and others advise against them. Opinions probably vary depending on whether or not you're a best-selling author trying to hit a particular rank in the first few days of the launch.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Kay7979 said:


> I have a few promos booked for Beyond the Forest on April 22, 23, and 24. I plan to publish the sequel, Shadowglade, at the same time, hoping people will buy and read BtF, then buy the sequel.
> 
> I remembered belatedly that my husband and I have a major coin show that runs Friday the 21st - Sunday the 23rd. So, I either need to publish on Thursday the 20th, or set up a preorder and publish the following Monday, or sometime during that week. Is there any advantage to one method or the other? I know some people like preorders and others advise against them. Opinions probably vary depending on whether or not you're a best-selling author trying to hit a particular rank in the first few days of the launch.


From what I understand, on Amazon, preorders hurt your ranking on release day. You get the sales rank spike on the day it's pre-ordered, but not again when the sale actually hits your dashboard. I don't think this is a bad thing if you're capturing sales you wouldn't have got otherwise, but promoting the new book to family, friends, fans, mailing list, promos, etc on "pre-order" is not worth it. You should wait until release day so you get the sales spike closer together. I think there is a purpose for preorders though -- I just wouldn't promote them. (So, you'd be better off if all those preorder sales came in on release day instead of trickle in during your pre-order period.)

I put my new book, Blood & Holy Water, on preorder so I could make sure everything gets matched up right and the categories were good, then I gave the link to advanced readers so I could get some reviews up there before launch (some of my advanced readers ended up buying the book, so their reviews say "verified purchase".) I can only do this because I have the paperback up there for sale already. BUT I'm not promoting the ebook at all until release day. Does that help?

Just my 2 cents.


----------



## Used To Be BH

MN_Arzu said:


> As I go lining up new promos, I can tell you that the best result I ever got was by combining Booksends and Free kindle books and tips. The book was discounted at 0.99, and I sold 90 in one day, plus I got about 6k KU reads in the following 5 days. I made it to rank #3600 in the entire paid store. I ran it on a Monday
> 
> If anyone else wants to share their experiences, I'm all ears!


My best was ENT (over a hundred copies). That was long enough ago that there was no KU, though. More recently, I don't think I've gotten anything about fifty, but the subsequent boost in KU reads was considerable.


----------



## Kay7979

Joynell Schultz said:


> From what I understand, on Amazon, preorders hurt your ranking on release day. You get the sales rank spike on the day it's pre-ordered, but not again when the sale actually hits your dashboard. I don't think this is a bad thing if you're capturing sales you wouldn't have got otherwise, but promoting the new book to family, friends, fans, mailing list, promos, etc on "pre-order" is not worth it. You should wait until release day so you get the sales spike closer together. I think there is a purpose for preorders though -- I just wouldn't promote them. (So, you'd be better off if all those preorder sales came in on release day instead of trickle in during your pre-order period.)
> 
> I put my new book, Blood & Holy Water, on preorder so I could make sure everything gets matched up right and the categories were good, then I gave the link to advanced readers so I could get some reviews up there before launch (some of my advanced readers ended up buying the book, so their reviews say "verified purchase".) I can only do this because I have the paperback up there for sale already. BUT I'm not promoting the ebook at all until release day. Does that help?
> 
> Just my 2 cents.


Yes, that's helpful. I plan to publish the paperback ahead, for the reason you mentioned. I have a handful of ARC reviewers who will post a review.


----------



## sheritybemy

Hi guys

Could you help my book get into the hot & trending

Please Nominate

https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/D76MFAH6DOMP

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

sheritybemy said:


> Hi guys
> 
> Could you help my book get into the hot & trending
> 
> Please Nominate
> 
> https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/D76MFAH6DOMP
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


You want to add your name to the Kindle Scout thread that's for nominations and support during your campaign. Good luck!

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,213112.15850.html


----------



## sheritybemy

Kay7979 said:


> You want to add your name to the Kindle Scout thread that's for nominations and support during your campaign. Good luck!
> 
> http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,213112.15850.html


 Thanks

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Joynell Schultz

Does anyone remember how long it takes Kindle Scout to notify the people that nominated you that your book is available after you click that button on your campaign page to "Tell your Scouts?" (You know, well after you were rejected and that email went out.)

Blood & Holy Water's official release is tomorrow and I'd like to coordinate the Kindle Scout "this book is now available" email with the release, but don't want to push the button to early...but now, I'm panicking that it takes a while.

Thanks!


----------



## Kay7979

Joynell Schultz said:


> Does anyone remember how long it takes Kindle Scout to notify the people that nominated you that your book is available after you click that button on your campaign page to "Tell your Scouts?" (You know, well after you were rejected and that email went out.)
> 
> Blood & Holy Water's official release is tomorrow and I'd like to coordinate the Kindle Scout "this book is now available" email with the release, but don't want to push the button to early...but now, I'm panicking that it takes a while.
> 
> Thanks!


Normally, it's almost immediate. We're talking hours, not days. But Jen Carter had a problem with hers not appearing for three or four days. It finally showed up, but by then, I think she had already emailed them asking why it hadn't been sent.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Kay7979 said:


> Normally, it's almost immediate. We're talking hours, not days. But Jen Carter had a problem with hers not appearing for three or four days. It finally showed up, but by then, I think she had already emailed them asking why it hadn't been sent.


Thanks! That's what I thought. If I remember correctly, my last one went out way earlier than I expected. I'm going to wait until tomorrow morning to push the button then.


----------



## Paul Francois

Joynell Schultz said:


> Thanks! That's what I thought. If I remember correctly, my last one went out way earlier than I expected. I'm going to wait until tomorrow morning to push the button then.


Cool, I will look for the email.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Oh, it looks like I've been slacking on this list. Does anyone else need to be put on it? I've been busy planning the launch of my newly rejected Kindle Scout book, that time whizzed by. (I did add my new book to the list, as it launched today.) I'm unsure if the list is working...slow at best.

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Paranormal Romance) - *Immortal Embrace* - Michelle Hughes - (Has 0 Reviews)
(Action / Adventure) *Operation Desert Swarm* - Mike Whateley - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 2 Reviews)
(Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 4 Reviews)
(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 8 Reviews) 
(Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 9 Reviews)
(Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
(Fantasy/Mystery/Clean Romance) *Blood & Holy Water* - Joynell Schultz - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 13 Reviews)
(Fantasy/Suspense) *Guardian of the Grail* - Elena Bryce - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 18 Reviews)


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## Joynell Schultz

Paul Francois said:


> Cool, I will look for the email.


I pushed the button on Kindle Scout at midnight last night...we'll see how long it takes them. Thanks for watching out for it!


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Mark Gardner said:


> Joy, you can remove _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_ from the list. Now that _Severed Press_ has the rights to the English paperback and ebook, I'd rather focus my efforts on titles I still directly control.


Sounds good. I modified my previous post and removed it. I can't wait to hear how it goes under Severed Press.


----------



## lincolnjcole

Mark Gardner said:


> Joy, you can remove _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_ from the list. Now that _Severed Press_ has the rights to the English paperback and ebook, I'd rather focus my efforts on titles I still directly control.


That's really cool! How has it been going with the press?


----------



## Kay7979

Joynell Schultz said:


> I pushed the button on Kindle Scout at midnight last night...we'll see how long it takes them. Thanks for watching out for it!


I got the notification this morning.


----------



## JPDavid

I just now added *Getting Thin is Murder* by Al Moe to my Kindle and I'll be reviewing it soon. My suspense thriller *Mind Game* will be available soon!
JP


----------



## Joynell Schultz

JPDavid said:


> I just now added *Getting Thin is Murder* by Al Moe to my Kindle and I'll be reviewing it soon. My suspense thriller *Mind Game* will be available soon!
> JP


Sounds great! Let me know when your review is posted and I'll put Mind Game on the list.


----------



## MWhateley

I feel about as popular as the UK in the Eurovision song contest. Lol. 

Take desert swarm off the list joy. I think it's got all it's going to get. Give some of the newer books a chance.

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

MWhateley said:


> I feel about as popular as the UK in the Eurovision song contest. Lol.
> 
> Take desert swarm off the list joy. I think it's got all it's going to get. Give some of the newer books a chance.
> 
> Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk


I wouldn't ask to be taken off the list. I hope we'll be getting a constant influx of new folks who want to support one another. Give it more time and I'm sure you'll get some reviews.


----------



## MWhateley

Kay7979 said:


> I wouldn't ask to be taken off the list. I hope we'll be getting a constant influx of new folks who want to support one another. Give it more time and I'm sure you'll get some reviews.


It's been out a while now. So I don't need reviews for promotion purposes. That time has passed. I'm happy to leave it to get reviews the old fashioned way.

There are books that are still in their first sixty day phase that would benefit from reviews more. Plus I struggle with finding the time to give reviews, so it is cheeky expecting people to give me reviews.

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk


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## RWhite7699

Hey, Kay and all my thread buddies. I got back the copyright to six of my books, and I'm now in the process of self-publishing them. Please check out the first one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y1P8QCY/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1491354559&sr=8-9&keywords=Memories+of+Summer
It's an oldie but goody, and I don't expect much, but I'm proud of it. No vampires or zombies. Not even any sex. It's one of those books that wins awards and gets reviewed by big-time reviewers, but doesn't sell. Maybe it will do better self-published.


----------



## Kay7979

RWhite7699 said:


> Hey, Kay and all my thread buddies. I got back the copyright to six of my books, and I'm now in the process of self-publishing them. Please check out the first one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y1P8QCY/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1491354559&sr=8-9&keywords=Memories+of+Summer
> It's an oldie but goody, and I don't expect much, but I'm proud of it. No vampires or zombies. Not even any sex. It's one of those books that wins awards and gets reviewed by big-time reviewers, but doesn't sell. Maybe it will do better self-published.


That's great news. I'm sure you can do better marketing the books yourself. I'm looking forward to reading more of your oldies but goodies!


----------



## Kody Boye

I hit publish on my KS reject WHEN THEY CAME a few days ago. WHEN THEY CAME can be found at Amazon in my signature. I also have a free short story in that universe that I hope is enticing people to purchase the book. Running a Facebook ad now and am hoping that is going to help with the promotion.


----------



## Kay7979

Kody Boye said:


> I hit publish on my KS reject WHEN THEY CAME a few days ago. WHEN THEY CAME can be found at Amazon in my signature. I also have a free short story in that universe that I hope is enticing people to purchase the book. Running a Facebook ad now and am hoping that is going to help with the promotion.


Welcome and good luck. Let us know how your marketing efforts go--what works and what doesn't. I've run an AMS ad since November and have recently gone back to trying Facebook ads. I'm currently using the one they call "traffic" objective, with a link straight to my product page on Amazon.


----------



## RWhite7699

Hey, good folks. Please support my headtalker campaign here: https://headtalker.com/campaigns/memories-of-summer-2/ 
Thank you!


----------



## Kay7979

RWhite7699 said:


> Hey, good folks. Please support my headtalker campaign here: https://headtalker.com/campaigns/memories-of-summer-2/
> Thank you!


With pleasure! Got you! Looking forward to reading the book. That's my era. &#128512;


----------



## MN_Arzu

Hey!

I ran a Genre Pulse Book Blast for $200 and only managed to sell 73 books. I had high hopes for that one, so it kind of sucked. Of course, I could be looking at a serious increase in KU's as the days pass, but so far, disappointing. Surprisingly, I ran an eReaderIQ promo, and that one sold 29. Since it was only $12, that was totally worth it!

Now is time to wrap up the sequel and send it to the new editor for her to work her magic. I've never launched a sequel before, so here's to learning more about the business of selling books


----------



## Kay7979

MN_Arzu said:


> Hey!
> 
> I ran a Genre Pulse Book Blast for $200 and only managed to sell 73 books. I had high hopes for that one, so it kind of sucked. Of course, I could be looking at a serious increase in KU's as the days pass, but so far, disappointing. Surprisingly, I ran an eReaderIQ promo, and that one sold 29. Since it was only $12, that was totally worth it!
> 
> Now is time to wrap up the sequel and send it to the new editor for her to work her magic. I've never launched a sequel before, so here's to learning more about the business of selling books


Thanks for the update and good luck with your sequel. I'm in the same spot. My sequel is out in paperback and the eBook will be out in a couple weeks. I plan to discount Beyond the Forest for ten days and hope the action spills over onto Shadowglade.


----------



## MWhateley

Kay7979 said:


> Thanks for the update and good luck with your sequel. I'm in the same spot. My sequel is out in paperback and the eBook will be out in a couple weeks. I plan to discount Beyond the Forest for ten days and hope the action spills over onto Shadowglade.


I'll be interested to see how your sequel goes. I'll be finishing mine soon.

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk


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## MWhateley

Mark Gardner said:


> Speaking of sequels, John and I came up with a rough synopsis to another _War of the Worlds_ sequel. Since *Severed Press* has the worldwide English eBook and paperback rights, plus the contract for _War of the Worlds: Retaliation_ gives them first right of refusal, I think I might kick John and my rough synopsis at them this week, and ask for an advance.


Excellent news Mark. I'd buy it. Loved the last one.

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

It's been quiet around here lately. I guess we're spending more time in our Facebook group, but I like this format too. It's easier to write long posts. 

I'll be launching book 2 next week. The paperback is already up and I have five reviews, so I hope to have a few more by the time I'm ready to book promos. I'll be running promos for book 1 during Shadowglade's launch, hoping people will pick it up at $0.99 and then go on to book 2 at $3.99. We'll see. I'll post my results if anyone is interested. 

Other things I'm trying to see if it's helpful: I just added the series name to book 1, and noted book 2's launch date at the end of my blurb. I also changed categories. I've never felt urban fantasy was a good fit. Epic is closer but still not a great match. So, I'm trying fantasy folklore/fairytales and for book two will use one category as contemporary fantasy. I've seen portal stories in so many different categories that it's tough to know where mine belongs.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> It's been quiet around here lately. I guess we're spending more time in our Facebook group, but I like this format too. It's easier to write long posts.


I have to pay more attention to FB then, I guess. I haven't been very active there during my current project, but I'm nearly done, so I'll start visiting the FB group pretty soon and see what's happening there.


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> I have to pay more attention to FB then, I guess. I haven't been very active there during my current project, but I'm nearly done, so I'll start visiting the FB group pretty soon and see what's happening there.


Good. We look forward to seeing more of you in both locations! I like to keep this thread going since I hope we'll continue to get alumni from the other KS Kboard thread. The larger our support group the better.


----------



## Alex Lidell

Hi fell ex-Scouters!  I just found out this forum existed from the wonderful Jada Ryker.  I was in Kindle Scout over the summer with TIDES.  Wasn't accepted, went into mourning, then got my act together and worked with editors to self publish.  Broke TIDES up into two books, the first of which releases on May 2 and the second on June 20th.  Also wrote a prequel novella.  I'm yet to contact Scout to let the know that TIDES is available... Will do it after May 2nd when its actually out.  So that's my story!  Looking forward to learning yours and catching up on everyone's journeys.  I wish i'd found you all sooner! -Alex


----------



## Fatman Butter

I'm curious Alex, why didn't you do the editing before entering the novel into Scout?


----------



## The one with all the big dresses on the covers

Alex Lidell said:


> Hi fell ex-Scouters! I just found out this forum existed from the wonderful Jada Ryker. I was in Kindle Scout over the summer with TIDES. Wasn't accepted, went into mourning, then got my act together and worked with editors to self publish. Broke TIDES up into two books, the first of which releases on May 2 and the second on June 20th. Also wrote a prequel novella. I'm yet to contact Scout to let the know that TIDES is available... Will do it after May 2nd when its actually out. So that's my story! Looking forward to learning yours and catching up on everyone's journeys. I wish i'd found you all sooner! -Alex


I remember nominating your book on Scout  Seems like such a long time ago! (Which means my own Kindle Scout book was a REALLY long time ago )

I really like your new Air and Ash cover.


----------



## Kay7979

Welcome new people! 

Once a week Joynell provides an updated list of books that need reviews. If you read and review someone's book from that list you're eligible to have your book added to the list and someone will review yours.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Fatman Butter said:


> I'm curious Alex, why didn't you do the editing before entering the novel into Scout?


Since the Scout editors want something as close to ready-to-publish as they can get, it would seem a wiser course of action. The submission guidelines actually say, "professionally edited," which is certainly a hint. So is the fact that a novel gets only one round of editing post-selection.

I think it's also better to jump in fast if one is rejected, so that people who nominated the book will still remember it and hopefully be enthusiastic about it. The longer the delay, the less the momentum from the Scout campaign will help the eventual KDP release. I did do another read-through after Scout (and caught a few things that surprised me), so one more look never hurts, but otherwise I think it's better to get the book out as soon as possible.

That said, I also understand that the Scout campaign might give people new ideas they want to implement. I have heard at least a couple other people say they did a complete, post-Scout rewrite and were happy they had done it.


----------



## Alex Lidell

Fatman Butter said:


> I'm curious Alex, why didn't you do the editing before entering the novel into Scout?


I did - but it was ONE book. I re-wrote it as two books and a novella before going the indy route  That nearly doubled my word count and it needed to be re-edited


----------



## Alex Lidell

MN_Arzu said:


> Hey!
> 
> I ran a Genre Pulse Book Blast for $200 and only managed to sell 73 books. I had high hopes for that one, so it kind of sucked. Of course, I could be looking at a serious increase in KU's as the days pass, but so far, disappointing. Surprisingly, I ran an eReaderIQ promo, and that one sold 29. Since it was only $12, that was totally worth it!
> 
> Now is time to wrap up the sequel and send it to the new editor for her to work her magic. I've never launched a sequel before, so here's to learning more about the business of selling books


Genre PULSE or Genre CRAVE? Just double checking  73 books from a single promo is actually really good - unless it's book bub... I am really excited about your eReader stats!!!


----------



## Alex Lidell

Kay7979 said:


> It's been quiet around here lately. I guess we're spending more time in our Facebook group, but I like this format too. It's easier to write long posts.


There is a facebook group Could you point me in the right direction??


----------



## Alex Lidell

MelanieCellier said:


> I remember nominating your book on Scout  Seems like such a long time ago! (Which means my own Kindle Scout book was a REALLY long time ago )
> 
> I really like your new Air and Ash cover.


Melanie!!! Hi Hi Hi. Yeah, it's been a while. Catch me up on your publishing progress

BTW - do you (or anyone) know how long it takes from when you ask KindleScout to let those who voted for your book know that you have it our on Amazon not to when they actually post the announcement? I'm trying to figure out the ideal release timing


----------



## KJD1957

MN_Arzu said:


> Granted, my merfolk book is not fantasy ...


Er ... if a story on merfolk isn't fantasy, I don't know what is! Teehee.


----------



## Kay7979

https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/

This is the Kindle Scout alumni Facebook group link


----------



## KJD1957

Bill Hiatt said:


> The answer to most of those questions is "Nobody knows for sure." I would be willing to bet the ones that get accepted are read *before* bring accepted. The editors would be taking a big risk if they didn't.


To be completely honest, Bill, one or two of the books that have made the 'campaign trail' recently have been so poor, I doubt even the author read it after finishing the first draft, let alone anyone on the KS editorial team. One in particular had no proper cover (just a black placeholder) and read as though the author used Google translate to turn a foreign book into English. I read it on the first day of my campaign and couldn't believe it! Where's the credibility we all need? 

On the other hand, most of the KS books are pretty darned good.


----------



## Alex Lidell

Kay7979 said:


> https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/
> 
> This is the Kindle Scout alumni Facebook group link


thank you!!!!


----------



## RWhite7699

My Headtalker campaign still needs five more supporters. Would appreciate your support. Thanks! https://headtalker.com/campaigns/memories-of-summer-2/


----------



## KJD1957

RWhite7699 said:


> My Headtalker campaign still needs five more supporters. Would appreciate your support. Thanks! https://headtalker.com/campaigns/memories-of-summer-2/


Done, here's mine if you'd like to reciprocate:
https://headtalker.com/campaigns/kindle-scout-campaign-6/


----------



## RWhite7699

KJD1957 said:


> Done, here's mine if you'd like to reciprocate:
> https://headtalker.com/campaigns/kindle-scout-campaign-6/


Already supported yours. Tried to add support again, but they wouldn't let me! Good luck!


----------



## The one with all the big dresses on the covers

Alex Lidell said:


> Melanie!!! Hi Hi Hi. Yeah, it's been a while. Catch me up on your publishing progress
> 
> BTW - do you (or anyone) know how long it takes from when you ask KindleScout to let those who voted for your book know that you have it our on Amazon not to when they actually post the announcement? I'm trying to figure out the ideal release timing


From the various comments I've seen from authors who have finished their campaigns recently, there seems to be some variability in how long it takes the notification email to go out. Surprising, since I would have assumed it was an automated process.

I've snapped up your preorder while it's 99c  (I have to start being more circumspect about my book purchases since my Christmas kindle gift cards have just run out. Otherwise my husband is going to start questioning why there are so many book charges on the credit card when I already have about 50 unread books on my kindle and no time to read them  )

As for my publishing progress, I published my original KindleScout attempt and have turned it into a series. I've got four books out in the series so far (three novels and a novella) and am about to publish the second novella. After that, I just have one more novel before starting a separate follow-on series, and I'm currently agonising over whether to try KindleScout again with that last book.


----------



## Michelle AMorrison

This may be the wrong forum for me. I am new in every way not yet even attempted any publication.  Why am I here? I was referred to thissite because I am thinking of publishing something I wrote.  No i have never published anything before.  SO I was reading the kindle book on how to upload but it seems there is a lot to know before I even go there.  So please can someone tell me whats the process for this.  Do you try for KS then if rejected go on to self publishing or is it one and the same if not whats the difference,  I need guidance... thanks


----------



## Alex Lidell

MelanieCellier said:


> From the various comments I've seen from authors who have finished their campaigns recently, there seems to be some variability in how long it takes the notification email to go out. Surprising, since I would have assumed it was an automated process.
> 
> I've snapped up your preorder while it's 99c  (I have to start being more circumspect about my book purchases since my Christmas kindle gift cards have just run out. Otherwise my husband is going to start questioning why there are so many book charges on the credit card when I already have about 50 unread books on my kindle and no time to read them  )
> 
> As for my publishing progress, I published my original KindleScout attempt and have turned it into a series. I've got four books out in the series so far (three novels and a novella) and am about to publish the second novella. After that, I just have one more novel before starting a separate follow-on series, and I'm currently agonising over whether to try KindleScout again with that last book.


Oh wow you already have FOUR books out?!! I bow down to your writing greatness!!!! Why agonizing over KS? If there a big downside in trying for it?

Huge hug for getting my preorder! Seeing that number jump made my evening ))

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## The one with all the big dresses on the covers

Alex Lidell said:


> Oh wow you already have FOUR books out?!! I bow down to your writing greatness!!!! Why agonizing over KS? If there a big downside in trying for it?


Haha, thanks. 2016 was an awful year for me in my non-writing life, so getting those four books out (admittedly one was in January 2017) was the best highlight of the year 

Two hesitations I guess. One is the delay - 45+ days seems like a long time to hold off on a completed, publish-ready book (given the pace required for indie publishing success.) Two is the potential damage to my brand if I'm not selected. I'm concerned that a lot of readers who aren't involved in the publishing world see failure to get picked up by a publisher as purely a measure of writing quality rather than a reflection of the many factors that contribute to the decision. (Which I totally understand, I probably thought the same way before becoming an author.) It didn't matter with my first book when the only audience I had was my family and friends and the people who found me on Scout. But now that I have a small readership, it feels like more of a disadvantage, if that makes sense.

I think I'm probably going to go for it anyway, because I'd love some Amazon marketing power for my series. But the book isn't finished yet, and I'm a bit of an agoniser by nature, so I'm getting my fill of agonising in while I finish writing it


----------



## KJD1957

RWhite7699 said:


> Already supported yours. Tried to add support again, but they wouldn't let me! Good luck!


Thanks RW.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Here's the updated list. Anyone's who has a rejected Kindle Scout book can jump in.

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Paranormal Romance) - *Immortal Embrace* - Michelle Hughes - (Has 3 Reviews)
(Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 4 Reviews)
(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 10 Reviews) 
(Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
(Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
(Fantasy/Mystery/Clean Romance) *Blood & Holy Water* - Joynell Schultz - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 18 Reviews)
(Fantasy/Suspense) *Guardian of the Grail* - Elena Bryce - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 21 Reviews)


----------



## Joynell Schultz

RWhite7699 said:


> My Headtalker campaign still needs five more supporters. Would appreciate your support. Thanks! https://headtalker.com/campaigns/memories-of-summer-2/


Gotcha!



KJD1957 said:


> Done, here's mine if you'd like to reciprocate:
> https://headtalker.com/campaigns/kindle-scout-campaign-6/


Gotcha, too!



Michelle AMorrison said:


> This may be the wrong forum for me. I am new in every way not yet even attempted any publication. Why am I here? I was referred to thissite because I am thinking of publishing something I wrote. No i have never published anything before. SO I was reading the kindle book on how to upload but it seems there is a lot to know before I even go there. So please can someone tell me whats the process for this. Do you try for KS then if rejected go on to self publishing or is it one and the same if not whats the difference, I need guidance... thanks


This group here all tried for Kindle Scout, then went on to self-publish. I personally did this for the exposure, not really expecting KS to pick me up. I ended up with 30 sales when I did publish (plus 8 mailing list sign ups) from the Kindle scout program. Is this worth locking your book up for 45 days? I don't know. If you'd get the KS contract, that would definitely be worth it. As a new author, I'd recommend giving it a try. It's great to help teach you how to promote your book, as just publishing does not lead to sales.


----------



## Kay7979

Joy, Can I get Shadowglade added to the review list? The paperback was published on the 4th and I'll be hitting the publish button on the eBook this week.


----------



## KJD1957

Joynell Schultz said:


> Gotcha!
> 
> Gotcha, too!
> 
> Thanks millions, Joynell.


----------



## MN_Arzu

Alex Lidell said:


> Genre PULSE or Genre CRAVE? Just double checking  73 books from a single promo is actually really good - unless it's book bub... I am really excited about your eReader stats!!!


Heh, I always thought genre pulse and genre crave were the same thing  In any case, I ran a previous campaign with another 2 sites for half the price that got me more than 90 sales. So I wasn't amused to pay $200 (and I had a discounted coupon or it would have been $299) and sell less. But you know, some sites work better than others for certain genres ::shrug:: This one I won't revisit unless I'm trying a different genre.

On happier news, I just reached my 50th review, so there clearly is life after KS


----------



## MN_Arzu

KJD1957 said:


> Er ... if a story on merfolk isn't fantasy, I don't know what is! Teehee.


Ah, that old discussion of what is sci-fi and what is fantasy. For me, if there's magic involved, then it's fantasy. If the world explanation is science, then it's sci-fi. Since there's no ounce of magic in my world, I categorize it as sci-fi. Say, merfolk who evolved naturally, genetic manipulation, or otherwordly origins would all fall into sci-fi stories for me.

Of course, I read once an article saying that Star Wars is fantasy, regardless of it being a space opera, so I made my peace with the accepted definition I chose. But I understand why people think I messed up the category, so I just go wherever my readers might find me


----------



## Kay7979

My official launch date for Shadowglade is tomorrow, but the book is live now. Everything went better than I expected. The book was live about four hours after I hit the publish button, and the paperback and eBook are already linked. (I wrote to KDP support to make sure this got done right away.) The website claims it can take up to 72 hours for reviews to transfer, but they're showing up already. I started an AMS ad, and will be interested to see how it performs for a new release vs. an older book. 

I want to give a shout-out to our own Mark Gardner who did my typography and formatting. He's super efficient and easy to work with.


----------



## Kay7979

I don't know if anyone is interested in another promo results post, but I'm running a discount on Beyond the Forest, starting tonight through the end of the month. My goal is to drive readers from BtF on to Shadowglade, which I launched yesterday at $3.99. The only near-term promo I'm doing for Shadowglade is a KBoard Discovery Day ad on 4/25 that costs $15.00. I used that for Beyond the Forest and didn't get a lot of sales (launched that book at $3.99, too.) but it's good for some KU borrows.


----------



## KJD1957

Kay7979 said:


> I don't know if anyone is interested in another promo results post, but I'm running a discount on Beyond the Forest, starting tonight through the end of the month. My goal is to drive readers from BtF on to Shadowglade, which I launched yesterday at $3.99. The only near-term promo I'm doing for Shadowglade is a KBoard Discovery Day ad on 4/25 that costs $15.00. I used that for Beyond the Forest and didn't get a lot of sales (launched that book at $3.99, too.) but it's good for some KU borrows.


Good luck with the launch, Kay. 
First I've heard of KBoard Discovery Day. Please let me/us know the results.


----------



## Kay7979

Today's useful tip: AMS ads work FAR better on new releases. I can't say how effective my new ad is since there's a reporting delay, but at the rate I'm going, by tomorrow I'll have as many impressions for this book as I have for an ad I started on Beyond the Forest on March 20th.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Today's useful tip: AMS ads work FAR better on new releases. I can't say how effective my new ad is since there's a reporting delay, but at the rate I'm going, by tomorrow I'll have as many impressions for this book as I have for an ad I started on Beyond the Forest on March 20th.


Good to know. It's often easier to get a response to new release--that's why it's so important to keep releasing.


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> Good to know. It's often easier to get a response to new release--that's why it's so important to keep releasing.


This may be true, and I hope so, but my main point is that most everyone, including me, has been complaining about a drastic slowdown in the amount our ads are being served by Amazon. I used to get about 24k impressions per day with one ad. Now I have two, upped the daily spend, and I'm lucky to get 10-12K impressions between both ads. The new ad has 91K impressions in a day and a half!


----------



## Kay7979

Promo overview: I'm trying to build momentum daily. Tomorrow SHOULD be my biggest day. So far this afternoon I've gotten down to 61, 65, and 111 in my three categories, so hoping to go sub 100 on all three soon.


----------



## KJD1957

Kay7979 said:


> Promo overview: I'm trying to build momentum daily. Tomorrow SHOULD be my biggest day. So far this afternoon I've gotten down to 61, 65, and 111 in my three categories, so hoping to go sub 100 on all three soon.


Fabulous, Kay. 
Well done indeed.


----------



## Kay7979

KJD1957 said:


> Fabulous, Kay.
> Well done indeed.


Thanks! Now down to 43,45 and 79 and hoping for better tomorrow!


----------



## Kay7979

My promos are ongoing. I haven't been able to beat my Paid in Kindle Store rank from February's promos, but I've changed categories to ones better suited to my books, and since they were smaller categories, I have made new lows there. 

So far, my best results were from Robin Reads, so I can confirm what others say--this is one of the top promo sites. 

My goal with this promo was to discount book one to drive traffic to book two, which I launched at $3.99. This strategy has been moderately successful based on my small expectations. If someone is hoping to achieve a low sales rank and get promoted by Amazon as a hot new release, this isn't the route to go. (Unless you already have a big following). It's accomplishing what I set out to do, though, so I can't complain. I'm getting a trickle of sales for Shadowglade as well as some KU borrows and KENP. I'm hoping that many of the people who bought Beyond the Forest will read it and immediately buy or borrow Shadowglade. We'll see. 

I've already started to book a couple promos for mid-June, when I can run a Kindle Countdown deal for Shadowglade. I booked a double promo (both books) with Book Barbarian, and also with Fussy Librarian. 

Another note for those of you with new releases: People Reads has a New Release category, and as I recall, you don't need many reviews. (starting to get foggy on the various sites and requirements.) I booked Shadowglade at $3.99 with them for this Friday, and Beyond the Forest is running in the fantasy category on Saturday. The normal price for each promotion is $8.99, but they gave me a 15% multi-book discount, bringing the cost per promo to $7.64. 

I also ran a KBoards discovery ad for Shadowglade ($15) and I'm not sure what my results were since I had another small promo yesterday plus AMS, but I may have gotten a sale or two and a couple KU borrows. I consider it a donation to the Kboards, which has been a wealth of information, and any sales or KU are gravy.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Kay7979 said:


> My promos are ongoing.


Thanks for the update Kay! Someday, I'll have book two to promote and I'll be picking your brain!


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Here's the updated list. Anyone's who has a rejected Kindle Scout book can jump in.

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 4 Reviews)
(Paranormal Romance) - *Immortal Embrace* - Michelle Hughes - (Has 5 Reviews)
(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Fantasy) * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 12 Reviews) 
(Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
(Fantasy/Mystery/Clean Romance) *Blood & Holy Water* - Joynell Schultz - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 18 Reviews)
(Fantasy/Suspense) *Guardian of the Grail* - Elena Bryce - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 23 Reviews)


----------



## AaronFrale

So I did some heavy free promo with Time Burrito and got to rank 90 overall for free books. Here's what I did:

4/15 EReaderIQ $35, EBookSoda $15, BKnights $10, Author Shout $5, My blog, twitter, FB, and mailing list
Downloads: 1154
4/16 Booksends $50
Downloads: 793
4/17 Genre Pulse $17, Bookscream-free, Booktasik-$8
Downloads: 397
4/18 Freebooksy $70, BookBasset $21.99 <--- it hit 90 because of this and stayed 90-100 till the end
Downloads: 1832
4/19 Bookbarbarian $55
Downloads: 1121

Total free downloads: 5297
Total Cost: $286.99

Residuals (so far): 25 sales, 7000 KU (270 ku for a complete read through), 5 PB sales, 15 reviews (4.1 average). hovering in the 15k-20k sales rank on average since promos end, my guess is that it's mostly KU downloads because my sales aren't that high

I don't know if I'll make my money back, but it seems that it's doing well. Any ideas on how to keep the pressure up? Any ad sites I should do at the $2.99 price it will be locked into for a while?


----------



## Joynell Schultz

AaronFrale said:


> So I did some heavy free promo with Time Burrito and got to rank 90 overall for free books. Here's what I did:
> Total free downloads: 5297
> Total Cost: $286.99
> 
> I don't know if I'll make my money back, but it seems that it's doing well. Any ideas on how to keep the pressure up? Any ad sites I should do at the $2.99 price it will be locked into for a while?


Amazing number of downloads. What would make me happy is the reviews. Congrats!

And about that $2.99 price point. If you figure out a way to sell books at $2.99, LET ME KNOW! I struggle to move them even reduced to 99 cents. Everyone seems to want free books these days.

Here's some ideas:
Newsletter swaps
AMS Ads
Facebook Ads
BookBub ads
I know there are some promo sites that will promote $2.99 books...I don't know how many sales you'll get for it. (BKnights is one that may get you a handful of sales... I know I've come across more, but can't pull them off the top of my head.)

Good luck, and keep sharing!


----------



## Kay7979

AaronFrale said:


> So I did some heavy free promo with Time Burrito and got to rank 90 overall for free books. Here's what I did:
> 
> 4/15 EReaderIQ $35, EBookSoda $15, BKnights $10, Author Shout $5, My blog, twitter, FB, and mailing list
> Downloads: 1154
> 4/16 Booksends $50
> Downloads: 793
> 4/17 Genre Pulse $17, Bookscream-free, Booktasik-$8
> Downloads: 397
> 4/18 Freebooksy $70, BookBasset $21.99 <--- it hit 90 because of this and stayed 90-100 till the end
> Downloads: 1832
> 4/19 Bookbarbarian $55
> Downloads: 1121
> 
> Total free downloads: 5297
> Total Cost: $286.99
> 
> Residuals (so far): 25 sales, 7000 KU (270 ku for a complete read through), 5 PB sales, 15 reviews (4.1 average). hovering in the 15k-20k sales rank on average since promos end, my guess is that it's mostly KU downloads because my sales aren't that high
> 
> I don't know if I'll make my money back, but it seems that it's doing well. Any ideas on how to keep the pressure up? Any ad sites I should do at the $2.99 price it will be locked into for a while?


Good going, Aaron, and thanks for sharing the detailed information to help others. Keep us posted on how long the sales tail goes. I'm encouraged to hear you're already getting reviews!!!

There are quite a few sites that will take books at $3.99 or less, but I don't recommend using any that are very expensive since most readers who subscribe to these sites are spoiled with all the free and $0.99 books. If you didn't notice in my prior post, People Reads has a New Release category. Their regular price is $8.99. I signed Shadowglade up for New Release and Beyond the Forest for Fantasy. The promos run different days and go to different lists of readers, so we'll see what happens. They gave me a 15% price break for submitting two books, so each promo was $7.64. That's a reasonable price to gamble on results. You might want to give them a try.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Kay7979 said:


> If you didn't notice in my prior post, People Reads has a New Release category. Their regular price is $8.99.


I used PeopleReads for Blood & Holy Water's release, and it got me a handful of sales at 99 cents. I'm unsure how good it'd do for full price. Keep us updated, Kay!


----------



## Adrian Ferrer

MN_Arzu said:


> On happier news, I just reached my 50th review, so there clearly is life after KS


That's really inspiring!

Would you share with us how did you get so many? You know... getting reviews is probably the hardest task for indies.


----------



## Emiliya

https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Chains-Emiliya-Ahmadova-ebook/dp/B01N9YR6ZK/refAs a moving piece of motivational fiction, at the heart of Broken Chains lies the core inspirational issue: How can one best live with a deep sense of inner freedom and independence? In setting up an intriguing novel of romance and family saga, the author starts with an encounter between the
parents of the protagonist that leads to a brief affair and an unwanted pregnancy. Esmira, the mother, raises her daughter alone under difficult circumstances. Once an adult, Silvana must confront the horrors of abusive relationships on her own. This is not only a page turner that serves as fundamental self-help to its readers, but also a deeply moving tale of one Azerbaijani woman's struggle to avoid the same fate that befell her mother. She flees Azerbaijan to an uncertain future. In addition, the novel serves as a gripping story of making sacrifices, overcoming suffering, finding true love, dealing with family conflicts, coping with inhumanity, finding redemption, and attaining liberty. Finally, this intriguing tale introduces readers to the exotic country of Azerbaijan, geographically located between spheres.


----------



## Kay7979

Lorri Moulton said:


> So, I review one of these book and then I can get my KS book (not chosen) on the list? That would be great!


Welcome. That's correct. If you aren't a KU subscriber, and/or the book you decide to review isn't in KU, the author will provide you with a PDF, ePub, or Mobi file for review.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Lorri Moulton said:


> I decided to start with Blood and Holy Water...I remember reading the excerpt on KS. Thank you.


Fantastic! Thank you. Please let me know if you need a free review copy.


----------



## AaronFrale

Kay7979 said:


> Good going, Aaron, and thanks for sharing the detailed information to help others. Keep us posted on how long the sales tail goes. I'm encouraged to hear you're already getting reviews!!!


I'll keep you posted. So far, it seems like it's not slowing down (of course I fear since I'm talking about it that it will  ). I just signed up for a People reads new release for may and then a month long ad for June. I'm going to try Bookbub, Robinreads, and ENT in June when I have a 99 promo option again. I was rejected for those three in my first round, but I figure I'll have more reviews by then.


----------



## Kay7979

AaronFrale said:


> I'll keep you posted. So far, it seems like it's not slowing down (of course I fear since I'm talking about it that it will  ). I just signed up for a People reads new release for may and then a month long ad for June. I'm going to try Bookbub, Robinreads, and ENT in June when I have a 99 promo option again. I was rejected for those three in my first round, but I figure I'll have more reviews by then.


BookBub is a long shot, no matter how many reviews you have, but I haven't had any trouble getting the others.


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Well, all, I finally got my rejection from TOR for _Warmache_.
> 
> I've got two titles that I'll be preparing for KS this year: _Moonrise_, the sequel to the not-selected _Sixteen Sunsets_. And my debut murder mystery, _Score of Silence_. The audiobook for _Sixteen Sunsets_ is scheduled for release next month. John and I are still talking to _Severed Press_ to do another War of the Worlds book. We've got about two weeks left in the contractually obligated offer period.


Bummer on the TOR rejection, but it sounds like you're firing on all cylinders with your other projects.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Lorri Moulton said:


> Just finished the book and it was amazing! I left a review and it should show up on Amazon in a few minutes. Honestly, I read a lot for research when I wrote mine...and this is one of the best!
> 
> Here's my link. Thanks and I'll try to read a few more this weekend.
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y1FTL51?ref_=ks_dp_pdm


Awesome Lorri! I'm so happy you liked it and what a nice review. (I know, I know, authors aren't supposed to comment on their reviews.)

Let me know what book you'd like added to the "to-read" list and I'll get you put on right away.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

I had to update the list already -- quite a few changes. My book hit 20 reviews... Yay! and I had two new ones to add on.
Reminder that anyone who has a rejected Kindle Scout book can jump in.

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 4 Reviews)
(Paranormal Romance) - *Moonlight Roses & Murder* - Lorri Moulton - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 5 Reviews)
(Paranormal Romance) - *Immortal Embrace* - Michelle Hughes - (Has 5 Reviews)
(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Fantasy) * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 12 Reviews) 
(Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
(Contemporary Romance) * Englishwoman in Paris* - Jenny O'Brien - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 14 Reviews)


----------



## Kay7979

Lorri Moulton said:


> The same book I submitted to Kindle Scout, _Moonlight Roses & Murder_, which is a paranormal romance and a mystery/suspense story.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y1FTL51?ref_=ks_dp_pdm


I'll read yours. I downloaded it the other day. I'm in the middle of two books already (I do that routinely) but we're going on vacation for two weeks starting next Saturday, so I should be able to get to it then.


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## Kay7979

Bill, I see you're running some promos. I just saw you in Book Gorilla. Have you tried them before? Good luck!


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Bill, I see you're running some promos. I just saw you in Book Gorilla. Have you tried them before? Good luck!


I have used Book Gorilla on and off, with reasonable success. That was my first big promo (about 85 sales, mostly on the first day). I don't use them as often as some because they schedule so far ahead it's difficult to coordinate them with other promos. I think they'd be a great combination with ENT, but ENT only schedules one month out, while BG is always booked at least two months in advance.


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> I have used Book Gorilla on and off, with reasonable success. That was my first big promo (about 85 sales, mostly on the first day). I don't use them as often as some because they schedule so far ahead it's difficult to coordinate them with other promos. I think they'd be a great combination with ENT, but ENT only schedules one month out, while BG is always booked at least two months in advance.


Last Sunday, I did a KND with free rollover to Book Gorilla and my results were not great, and I spent a fortune on it. I'm on day ten of promos, finishing today, and I think after the first three or four days I exhausted most of my buyers. I have a feeling a lot of people subscribe to multiple newsletters, and they see the same books a few days in a row. And yet when you launched Different Lee, you ran promos for quite a few weeks and didn't seem to run out of buyers, so I don't know.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Last Sunday, I did a KND with free rollover to Book Gorilla and my results were not great, and I spent a fortune on it. I'm on day ten of promos, finishing today, and I think after the first three or four days I exhausted most of my buyers. I have a feeling a lot of people subscribe to multiple newsletters, and they see the same books a few days in a row. And yet when you launched Different Lee, you ran promos for quite a few weeks and didn't seem to run out of buyers, so I don't know.


I agree that some people probably subscribe to all the lists, but it's difficult to measure the impact because we have no way of knowing how big the overlap is. Most of my really big DL promos were near the beginning of the cycle, but it wasn't a steady slide downhill by any means.

I've never had much luck with KND, and when I tried the rollover, the results weren't as good as when I booked Book Gorilla separately. If I had to guess, I would say it was because the rollover promotions can't be starred titles--the rollover only gives you regular placement, not starred placement (which costs a little extra). The rollover is more economical, but your title appears further down in the newsletter. BG says 75% of their readers indicate that they read all the way down, but I'm a little skeptical.


----------



## Rae B. Lake

Hey All!

My Book is still in kindle scout... few more days left! But I would LOVE to read youse guys work and review! I am 90% expecting to be on this thread within the next week! But  even if I get picked, I still would like to read your work! Is this allowed? Or do I have to rejected from scout to join in?


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## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Yikes! I decided to submit the latest draft of _Score of Silence_ to Kindle Scout.


Ha! You're a glutton for punishment! Good luck and we'll all be nominating you!


----------



## Kay7979

Rae B. Lake said:


> Hey All!
> 
> My Book is still in kindle scout... few more days left! But I would LOVE to read youse guys work and review! I am 90% expecting to be on this thread within the next week! But even if I get picked, I still would like to read your work! Is this allowed? Or do I have to rejected from scout to join in?


This thread is for all Kindle Scout alumni, but specifically for those of us who weren't selected. If your book is selected, you'll be able to join a closed Facebook group for those authors, and you'll find a supportive group there as well.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> This thread is for all Kindle Scout alumni, but specifically for those of us who weren't selected. If your book is selected, you'll *also* be able to join a closed Facebook group for those authors, and you'll find a supportive group there as well.


I suggested the addition of one word (in bold above). I think that's what you meant, isn't it? The original wording was clear in the first part, but not so much in the second.


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## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> I suggested the addition of one word (in bold above). I think that's what you meant, isn't it? The original wording was clear in the first part, but not so much in the second.


Yes. "There as well" meaning in addition to here!


----------



## KJD1957

Rae B. Lake said:


> Hey All!
> 
> My Book is still in kindle scout... few more days left! But I would LOVE to read youse guys work and review! I am 90% expecting to be on this thread within the next week! But even if I get picked, I still would like to read your work! Is this allowed? Or do I have to rejected from scout to join in?


Mine finishes tomorrow and I expect go be in the same boat within the next few days. Nonetheless, I will be self-publishing anyway! 
The KJD spirit will never die until he does. Deep, eh?


----------



## Kay7979

KJD1957 said:


> Mine finishes tomorrow and I expect go be in the same boat within the next few days. Nonetheless, I will be self-publishing anyway!
> The KJD spirit will never die until he does. Deep, eh?


Everyone is welcome here, and it's nice to see people join us from the original thread. The best part of the Kindle Scout program is meeting other authors who are all trying to make their way in this tough industry. Kindle Scout provides a unique opportunity to pitch our books to an editorial staff, without waiting months or years for an answer. Which ever way the decision goes, everyone seems to come away learning new things and making new friends during the campaign.


----------



## KJD1957

Kay7979 said:


> Everyone is welcome here, and it's nice to see people join us from the original thread. The best part of the Kindle Scout program is meeting other authors who are all trying to make their way in this tough industry. Kindle Scout provides a unique opportunity to pitch our books to an editorial staff, without waiting months or years for an answer. Which ever way the decision goes, everyone seems to come away learning new things and making new friends during the campaign.


I hear you, Kay!


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Rae B. Lake said:


> My Book is still in kindle scout... few more days left! But I would LOVE to read youse guys work and review! I am 90% expecting to be on this thread within the next week! But even if I get picked, I still would like to read your work! Is this allowed? Or do I have to rejected from scout to join in?





KJD1957 said:


> Mine finishes tomorrow and I expect go be in the same boat within the next few days. Nonetheless, I will be self-publishing anyway!
> The KJD spirit will never die until he does. Deep, eh?


I have both of you in my nominations...good luck! Hopefully, you don't join us.  (I mean that in a good way!)



Mark Gardner said:


> Especially since I just got a rejection from TOR...
> 
> I think I'm gonna work on getting _Moonrise_ ready for a run this summer.


Sorry about the rejection for TOR. BTW - your new cover for War of the Worlds looks fabulous! I'm undecided if I'm submitting _The Secret Lives of the Superheroes' Wives_ to Kindle Scout...I probably will...and will join you in your campaign efforts this summer with _Moonrise_. You can't have too many superhero books out there.


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## Used To Be BH

Report on yesterday's promo (Book Gorilla and Book Barbarian for _Different Lee_: 42 sales, all US. The book was over 97,000 in the Kindle store in the early morning, something like 5,800 24 hours later.

At a $0.99 promo price, I'm not making back what I spent, but in terms of exposure, I'm happy with the results.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> (_War of the Worlds: Retaliation_ is actually a historical fiction novel that happens to have strong sci-fi elements.) He agrees that the new cover looks more sci-fi genre fiction. Heck, if it sells thousands of copies with the new cover over the hundreds of copies with the old cover, I'm fine with that.


It's interesting how perspectives differ. I would have said it was a sci-fi novel with strong historical elements. 

Yes, I did finally get around to reading it, and I thought it was great! I'll be posting a review as soon as I finish my current project, which is nearly done.


----------



## Kay7979

Bill Hiatt said:


> Report on yesterday's promo (Book Gorilla and Book Barbarian for _Different Lee_: 42 sales, all US. The book was over 97,000 in the Kindle store in the early morning, something like 5,800 24 hours later.
> 
> At a $0.99 promo price, I'm not making back what I spent, but in terms of exposure, I'm happy with the results.


Thanks for sharing the info. Most people are saying promo results lately have been a little softer than usual. In any case, it's good to stir things up a bit and generate more visibility for our books. I just finished my Shadowglade launch period and priced Beyond the Forest back to its normal price a few minutes ago. I'll report my results in a separate post, and you and others can tell me if I should have tried a different strategy.


----------



## Kay7979

As I mentioned in a previous post, I decided to launch Shadowglade at full price and discount book one, Beyond the Forest, hoping to get readers started in the series. 

Question: Is it easier to "get sticky" with a new release than with an older title? Does Amazon's algorithms favor "hot new release" data? If so, maybe I should have tried to get the lowest possible sales rank for Shadowglade rather than BtF, but I've never had any luck getting sticky so far, so I don't know if it would have mattered.  

Shadowglade launched on the 19th, and I priced it at $3.99, and reduced BtF to $0.99. I had planned to run my main promos through the weekend, and then have a dribble of smaller promos into the following weekend, hoping to keep my sales rank from cratering too quickly. Unfortunately, I didn't do as well as I did in my February promos. In February, I had tripped the algorithms and gotten a boost from Amazon, which gave me a day with 78 sales and a sales rank under 2500. This time, my biggest day was 54 sales, and I stalled out at a sales rank of 3883, although I did get down to 1283 in Canada, and was in the top 100 within my categories in all the English speaking markets. Disappointed with these results, I added more smaller tier promos and made a second push into last weekend (ended yesterday), and I temporarily lowered my rank, which had started to drift higher, but I was wasting money, since so many people had already seen my book in the prior newsletters that I didn't get a lot of sales. Lesson learned. 

Final results from the 19th - 30th. Only 207 eBook sales of Beyond the Forest, far fewer than February, but set new records in KENP = 12,547. 
eBook sales of Shadowglade came in at 29 sales. Lowest sales rank 36,174.  KENP starting to trickle in = 1104. 
15 paperback sales between both books. 

I plan to run a Kindle Countdown deal in mid-June, with both books at $0.99 for a week.


----------



## AaronFrale

Joynell Schultz said:


> (Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)


I posted a review for Laura's book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R38ZUYDOOJ1ZSH/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B01N778J7W

Since Time Burrito is already at 19 reviews, I'm going to put Atmospheric Pressure on the list

(Dystopian) *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)


----------



## lauramg_1406

Sorry I've been quiet! Had a hectic month! But I did promise that I'd cross post my experiences with doing a double release (both books were PNR). This also appears in a post in the FB group, along with a screenshot of my rough ROI (works out about 31% but may go up slightly in the next few days): https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/946638448812654/

Report on the double release! Apologies for a long post!
Before I start, let it be known that I'm not happy with my ROI. But this was a useful experience.
Firstly, there's a couple more days where I'll likely see a tail from promos as the last one went out today.
A note on what I'm tracking: I've been tracking sales of my three Paranormal Council books (The Dryad's Pawprint, The Vixen's Bark & The Necromancer's Prey) and the spin-off, Spellbound. I've also tracked pre-orders of book 4 of the Paranormal Council series (The Vampire's Bite) but these HAVE NOT been assigned a monetary value on my spreadsheet.
How costs are worked out: Listed on the left is the promos I booked (in dollars). Underneath them is the conversion into GBP (my home currency). Sales are recording in GBP.
Sale = 0.27p per unit 
KENP = 0.0045 per page
Pre-orders gained BEFORE the promos started on the 19th April, haven't been counted in the totals (though they are viewable on the spreadsheet (on the right you can see pre-order numbers).
There were a few hiccups along the way, including me forgetting when I'd booked a promo, Necromancer's 2nd & 3rd reviews being not so great (thankfully, reviews 1 and 4 through 22 have all been much better!), and a mess up with Spellbound's pre-order meaning that the wrong file was sent out. Somehow I managed to escape the pre-order mess up unscathed, no one stars and no returns...so God knows what I did to get so lucky! Oh and amazon took over a week to link book 4 to the rest of the series, so I think I missed out on a few pre-orders because of it.
What didn't work:
ReadCheaply - Heard GREAT things about this one...didn't do much at all. 
The Fussy Librarian - Same as Readcheaply really. It was very disappointing.
What kind of worked: 
Genre Pulse- not the worst performance of them all, but I'm not rushing to book again 
Genre CRAVE book fair - these have worked great for me in the past, but not quite so well this time. 
Shifted Sheets Promotions/Uncarved - these are the same people. I think some of the effectiveness was lost because I'd had the ARC team builder run a few days before. But I'll happily use them again.
What REALLY worked: 
Romancing the Dragon Newsletter Service Series Promo - I'm really impressed with this one. It sold copies of Vixen and Necromancer, and as of earlier, I've also seen the sales figures for that day of the Box Set containing book 1. Safe to say, should they put the sale on this again, I'll be jumping at the chance. It was definitely worth the $25 it cost me (I'd be a little more hesitant at $50)
Additional Notes: 
I used the Shifted Sheets Promotions ARC Team builder during this. There is another thread about my experiences with them, but to say I'm pleased with the results is a massive understatement!
I'm not happy with the ROI I've got from this, but I've learnt some useful stuff, and it's influenced my future plans for release.
Pretty sure that's everything!
OH if you're considering doing a double release: DON'T! It's hell!


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## Joynell Schultz

Kay7979 said:


> Question: Is it easier to "get sticky" with a new release than with an older title? Does Amazon's algorithms favor "hot new release" data? If so, maybe I should have tried to get the lowest possible sales rank for Shadowglade rather than BtF, but I've never had any luck getting sticky so far, so I don't know if it would have mattered.


I don't know this answer, but I understand it takes a good 250 sales your first week to get sticky.

Also, all the extra sales may lead to sales of Shadowglade down the road. It's to hard to tell.

After my "free" day with Love, Lies & Clones, I've sold a little more than a book a day priced at $3.99 since then. I'm going to start playing more with free strategy than countdown deals. We'll see what happens. (Though, I am trying another strategy for Blood & Holy Water and doing a countdown at the end of June. Less promo, spaced closer together.)



AaronFrale said:


> (Dystopian) *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)


Cool. I'm adding you to the list.



lauramg_1406 said:


> Sorry I've been quiet! Had a hectic month! But I did promise that I'd cross post my experiences with doing a double release (both books were PNR). This also appears in a post in the FB group, along with a screenshot of my rough ROI (works out about 31% but may go up slightly in the next few days): https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/946638448812654/


Laura - this is great stuff! Yeah, ROI sucks...I haven't found the secret either. My ROI tends to be about 50% and I don't add in any small sites anymore, lots of work to add and not enough sales to make the effort worth it. I look at it like a learning experience. We'll figure it out sometime!


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## Joynell Schultz

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 4 Reviews)
(Paranormal Romance) - *Moonlight Roses & Murder* - Lorri Moulton - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 5 Reviews)
(Paranormal Romance) - *Immortal Embrace* - Michelle Hughes - (Has 5 Reviews)
(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Fantasy) * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Dystopian) *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
(Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 12 Reviews) 
(Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 13 Reviews)
(Contemporary Romance) * Englishwoman in Paris* - Jenny O'Brien - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 14 Reviews)


----------



## lauramg_1406

Joynell Schultz said:


> I don't know this answer, but I understand it takes a good 250 sales your first week to get sticky.
> 
> Also, all the extra sales may lead to sales of Shadowglade down the road. It's to hard to tell.
> 
> After my "free" day with Love, Lies & Clones, I've sold a little more than a book a day priced at $3.99 since then. I'm going to start playing more with free strategy than countdown deals. We'll see what happens. (Though, I am trying another strategy for Blood & Holy Water and doing a countdown at the end of June. Less promo, spaced closer together.)
> 
> Cool. I'm adding you to the list.
> 
> Laura - this is great stuff! Yeah, ROI sucks...I haven't found the secret either. My ROI tends to be about 50% and I don't add in any small sites anymore, lots of work to add and not enough sales to make the effort worth it. I look at it like a learning experience. We'll figure it out sometime!


Exactly! We'll figure it out at some point! And because in this I haven't included preorders in my ROI, it's not as bad as it looks! I've learnt plenty so not too much of a waste!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## Kay7979

Joynell Schultz said:


> I don't know this answer, but I understand it takes a good 250 sales your first week to get sticky.
> 
> Also, all the extra sales may lead to sales of Shadowglade down the road. It's to hard to tell.
> 
> After my "free" day with Love, Lies & Clones, I've sold a little more than a book a day priced at $3.99 since then. I'm going to start playing more with free strategy than countdown deals. We'll see what happens. (Though, I am trying another strategy for Blood & Holy Water and doing a countdown at the end of June. Less promo, spaced closer together.)


Interesting data about the 250/wk to get sticky. My February promo saw 230/wk, and my sales rank tanked immediately after it ended. I had decent KENP follow-through, but sales, not so much.

My theory was, as you suggest, that current sales of BtF will lead to future sales (and KU borrows) of SG. We'll see!

I've heard really disparate opinions on the free days. It's great to have folks report how their promos went, since we may not get the same results, but at least we can make an informed choice based on the data. I'll be looking forward to hearing your strategy for Blood & Holy Water.

My next promo attempt will be a countdown deal in mid June. This time, I'll be discounting BOTH books, advertising both a couple places, and only SG in the rest. Some sites only book 30 days out, and we're leaving for a couple weeks vacation which will mess up my ability to apply right at the 30-day mark. Other places book farther out, and are ALREADY booked up! Yikes! So, I'll be using your strategy of less promos but timed closer together, since I don't have a choice.

Promos are addictive. I shudder at the cost, but it's sort of like going to the casino, lol! You figure you're going to lose most of your money, but you're having fun while you do it. (And I'm not even a gambler). It's a rush watching the sales activity when things are going well. Of course, when thing's aren't going well, it's like being on a losing streak on the slot machines.


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## Kay7979

lauramg_1406 said:


> Exactly! We'll figure it out at some point! And because in this I haven't included preorders in my ROI, it's not as bad as it looks! I've learnt plenty so not too much of a waste!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


Good point, Laura. We have to keep in mind that every reader we gain now is a future reader of our next release, and hopefully our entire series.


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## Joynell Schultz

Here are my two blog posts on my launch strategy for Blood & Holy Water and my analysis of how it went. Still not perfect...but 1000 times better than Love, Lies & Clones.

My detailed plan: https://joynellschultz.com/2017/04/02/planning-the-perfect-book-launch/

What I learned/results: https://joynellschultz.com/2017/04/28/book-launch-results/


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## lauramg_1406

Kay7979 said:


> Good point, Laura. We have to keep in mind that every reader we gain now is a future reader of our next release, and hopefully our entire series.


Exactly! I have 27 preorder of the Vampire's Bite which has been up on amazon for 12 days or so. No promo except linking it to the other books on amazon (which took twice as long as normal so has only been linked for 6 or so of them) and in the back matter of book 3. So I've gained more than the ROI suggests!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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## AaronFrale

Update for you:

As I posted earlier I had an amazing free promo with Time Burrito and made a costly mistake this week!

Here's the Final month stats for April
Amazon.com
35 Sales
10436 KU (which is amazing because my book is only 270 for a read through)
+a dozen sales of other books that have not sold in a while, hard to say if the promo helped
2000 KU of other books (hard to say if linked to Time Burrito)

amazon.co.uk
1 sale (CEL-LA-BRATE GOODTIMES COME ON!)
No KU

Other iterations of Amazon:
A nothing party!

Mistakes I made: I set up an AMS AD, to try and jog sales a bit, and picked "use as fast as possible" and also a $1 per click and then forgot about the add. One day later, I made 3 sales and spent all $100, so very bad ROI, and because I forgot to check on it, I could have paused it and reconfigured when I saw the sales not flooding in. However, I have another AMS ad, with a limit of $3' a day. However, AMS isn't really making good return, as that one only sold 4 copies so far and has cost roughly $30, 

I have a People Reads for 5/16 for a new release (I got it free because I bought a month long one for June).

I submitted to RobinReads and they have once again rejected Time Burrito. I'm going to wait until closer to June to submit to BookBub and ENT.


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## Joynell Schultz

AaronFrale said:


> However, AMS isn't really making good return, as that one only sold 4 copies so far and has cost roughly $30,
> 
> I submitted to RobinReads and they have once again rejected Time Burrito. I'm going to wait until closer to June to submit to BookBub and ENT.


I have my click bid for AMS set to between 8 cents and 12 cents. I'm spending virtually nothing and it does produce sales ever few days. Maybe your click bid is too high?

Oh, I was rejected for RobinReads more than once. Did you do the Premium Featured Slot? If so, submit the genre specific one instead. I kept forgetting I didi the featured slot and they only pick a few select few. I turned around the next day and submitted to the genre specific one and was accepted. (Even though it says to wait a week.)


----------



## David Thompson

Hello All,

What a great topic...took me ages to read it all, but well worth the effort.

I'm not sure this will help, but I thought I'd share this with you.

I have four books on Amazon, iBooks, Barnes and Noble etc etc...all four books were through
a legit publisher and have been online for quite a few years...up to 10 years, I think.

One of them, at the suggestion of my publisher, is free: Bar Girl. It has been downloaded thousands of times
in the UK and US. The UK site reviews are much better than the US, although the US reviews aren't that bad!

The launch of the free book, which at one time was No1 in the UK 'Freebies' DID help sales of the other three books.
But not by much.
Readers who search for free books are unlikely to then spend money on the next one. Even in a series. The very fact that they
are looking for a freebie in the first place, kind of knocks them out of the ball park as far as we authors are concerned.
What we want is sales! And money! Enough to give us the freedom to do what we want to do....write. (Or sit by a pool.)

I am now in the process of writing a series of adventure books. I started in February this year. It's a series I have been working on in my head
for many years. Making money was more important, however, and I didn't get around to it until now. (The money situation changed )

I believe that my publisher would accept the books without hesitation. He's really not that fussy. Quantity over quality. But I'm going it alone for a while.
Several reasons:
I don't think my publisher is doing anything I can't do for myself. (Some publishers can do a LOT more, but not mine).
It's exciting.
It's fun. (I'm a bit weird that way.)
And, if it works, it will make me more money.

My (limited) strategy:
Put book one on Kindle Scout. Don't do anything. See what happens. You're right...it absolutely bombed  
Never mind. It's online and a few hundred people looked at it. Goal one achieved.

While it was there, I finished book 2 and got it ready for publishing on KS.
Book 1 campaign finished. Load it on to Amazon KDP as an ebook and paperback. Easy to do, but takes a few hours.
Upload book 2 to KS. Use a little of what I learned from the first campaign.
Sign up to a few forums and tell my friends on Facebook. (This forum is by far the best one out there BTY)
Don't spend too much time pushing the book. Concentrate on writing.
Half way through the campaign and I'm almost treble the total number of views the first book received.
That's almost a thousand views! Without doing much at all. Yipee! And a few more !!!
And without spending ANY money. Not even on the cover! (Which in hindsight I should have )

While book 2 is up, finish and edit book 3. When book 2 campaign ends, get it on KDP and upload book 3 to KS.

It seems to me that KS is free advertising. If any of the books are selected, then great, that's a bonus. But
even if they're not....it's a free advertising platform and you learn a lot!

When I started I had no idea people actually 'Paid for Clicks' - how naive of me - or that views and nominations meant nothing
as regards being chosen.

Is it good to be chosen? I think it's probably not that good if you are writing a series. I'm sort of  
half and half at the moment...great to be chosen, but concerned about future copyright issues if I want to sell the whole series.
That's really why I don't try that hard to get views and nominations. Do I really want to be selected? Hmmm...not sure.
If I was writing a standalone book, then sure, I'd love it! But maybe not for a series.

I don't think I need to worry about the above too much because I very much doubt any of my books will be selected.
And I'm not just saying that to get the sympathy vote. I honestly don't think they are the sort of books
Kindle is looking for.

Anyway, in 12 days my second campaign will end. Book 2 will go on KDP and book 3 will go on KS. Book 4 is in progress.
BTY, did you know you can 'Save as Draft' on KDP? I've already done that for Book 2 and Book 3. When I'm ready, I click publish.
That's it. Pretty easy. Yes, of course you knew. Sorry. I get a bit carried away.

I spend as little time as possible on my KS campaigns and look upon them as a free billboard on the side of a road.
A few hundred people looked at it? Wow! Great!

Strange thing, but I've noticed that since I got back in the saddle, my old books have started to sell again. 
Not a lot, but a few. Nice. Shame I only get 10%...bloodsucking publishers!

Anyway, enough already! I have to get back to writing.

DT


----------



## Paul Kohler

D'oh! My KS book was just rejected. Now, I am sad...  But! I will self-publish ... and I'm looking for opinions.

My Kindle Scout book was the first book in a new trilogy I am writing. Obviously, it is written, but I have some edits I want to do to it before I publish. I think I could get that done in a week or so. But, I'll be on vacation starting on Monday until May 20th. D'oh! 

I have book #2 in the trilogy written, but it is a ways from being ready to publish. It's just the first draft, which needs a few rewrites done, and a few rounds of editing. Unfortunately, I cannot get to it until I'm back from vacation. At that point, I can dedicate more time to it.

The final book in the trilogy is outlined but needs to be written and edited.

My plan all along was to publish these books as close to one another as possible. At first, I was thinking about every 30 to 60 days. Then Life happened, as it seems to always do. Now with a big family vacation that snuck up on us, a realistic schedule is really out the window. D'oh!

So, now I am contemplated with an actionable plan for publication. I obviously want to capitalize on the Amazon email that they'll send out when I do publish my book. I want to have the email go out as close to the actual campaign as possible before readers begin to forget that the book was recently rejected. At the same time, I still want to keep subsequent publications as close as possible, but they still need work.

Should I publish book one as soon as possible and have a longer span (probably about 90 days) before book #2 is ready ... or do I hold off on publishing the scout book until book #2 is closer? Thanks, everyone!


----------



## Kay7979

David Thompson said:


> Readers who search for free books are unlikely to then spend money on the next one. Even in a series. The very fact that they
> are looking for a freebie in the first place, kind of knocks them out of the ball park as far as we authors are concerned.
> What we want is sales! And money! Enough to give us the freedom to do what we want to do....write. (Or sit by a pool.)


I think there's some truth in that. Some readers may go on to buy more of the series, but others will simply go on to the next free book.



David Thompson said:


> It seems to me that KS is free advertising. If any of the books are selected, then great, that's a bonus. But
> even if they're not....it's a free advertising platform and you learn a lot!
> 
> When I started I had no idea people actually 'Paid for Clicks' - how naive of me - or that views and nominations meant nothing
> as regards being chosen.
> 
> Is it good to be chosen? I think it's probably not that good if you are writing a series. I'm sort of
> half and half at the moment...great to be chosen, but concerned about future copyright issues if I want to sell the whole series.
> 
> BTY, did you know you can 'Save as Draft' on KDP? I've already done that for Book 2 and Book 3. When I'm ready, I click publish.
> That's it. Pretty easy. Yes, of course you knew. Sorry. I get a bit carried away.


I have the same opinion about series. It may be a blessing that KS didn't select my first book. Unless they took all the books in the series, my marketing efforts would be hampered. From what I've seen, if a book has the potential to be a hot seller, you'll do very well on your own, but even better with Amazon Press behind you. If a book is good, but not profoundly better than the competition, the author is probably better off marketing it himself. Amazon Press will not put a lot of effort into promotion, and the author isn't free to run discounts and promos whenever he likes.

Yes, the save a draft feature on KDP is very helpful. It's nice to have everything ready to go while mulling over categories and keywords. Then, when you're ready, you just press the button.


----------



## Kay7979

Paul Kohler said:


> My Kindle Scout book was the first book in a new trilogy I am writing. I have some edits I want to do to it before I publish. I think I could get that done in a week or so. I have book #2 in the trilogy written, but it is a ways from being ready to publish. It's just the first draft, which needs a few rewrites done, and a few rounds of editing. The final book in the trilogy is outlined but needs to be written and edited.
> 
> My plan all along was to publish these books as close to one another as possible. At first, I was thinking about every 30 to 60 days. Then Life happened, as it seems to always do.
> 
> So, now I am contemplated with an actionable plan for publication. I obviously want to capitalize on the Amazon email that they'll send out when I do publish my book. I want to have the email go out as close to the actual campaign as possible before readers begin to forget that the book was recently rejected. At the same time, I still want to keep subsequent publications as close as possible, but they still need work.
> 
> Should I publish book one as soon as possible and have a longer span (probably about 90 days) before book #2 is ready ... or do I hold off on publishing the scout book until book #2 is closer? Thanks, everyone!


It's good to get the KS book out as quickly as possible before people forget about the book, but only if you can do so without rushing it to publication and putting out an inferior product. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. I wouldn't worry too much about not publishing book one and two close together. Do what works best for you. Don't let the process become so stressful that it's no fun to be an author.


----------



## JoAnn Franklin

Anyone know of anybody who does a good job formatting a novel for submission on CreateSpace?  I've lost patience with the process because I can't get the final line on each adjoing page to line up right.  Some pages have a line that is below the line on the adjoing page.  Looks dumb and I don't know how to fix it, so, I'm in need of a decent formatter at a fair price.
--JoAnn


----------



## Kay7979

JoAnn Franklin said:


> Anyone know of anybody who does a good job formatting a novel for submission on CreateSpace? I've lost patience with the process because I can't get the final line on each adjoing page to line up right. Some pages have a line that is below the line on the adjoing page. Looks dumb and I don't know how to fix it, so, I'm in need of a decent formatter at a fair price.
> --JoAnn


Mark Gardner who hangs out on this thread just did mine. I'm not sure he has the time right now, but maybe he'll see this post and respond.


----------



## AaronFrale

JoAnn Franklin said:


> Anyone know of anybody who does a good job formatting a novel for submission on CreateSpace? I've lost patience with the process because I can't get the final line on each adjoing page to line up right. Some pages have a line that is below the line on the adjoing page. Looks dumb and I don't know how to fix it, so, I'm in need of a decent formatter at a fair price.
> --JoAnn


I've used Therin for editing and noticed other services such as formatting. I highly recommend:

https://www.kniteandday.com/


----------



## AaronFrale

Joynell Schultz said:


> I have my click bid for AMS set to between 8 cents and 12 cents. I'm spending virtually nothing and it does produce sales ever few days. Maybe your click bid is too high?
> 
> Oh, I was rejected for RobinReads more than once. Did you do the Premium Featured Slot? If so, submit the genre specific one instead. I kept forgetting I didi the featured slot and they only pick a few select few. I turned around the next day and submitted to the genre specific one and was accepted. (Even though it says to wait a week.)


I've done genre slots for Robin Reads. I've been able to get four other books through them, but for some reason, this one isn't to their taste. I'll try again after a few more reviews.

As far as the ads, I used to do low bid, but I'd never get the ad displayed. The book seems to be doing well enough without the ad for the time being. I think I'm going to let it ride a couple days at a low bid. I also am going to try a couple places that advertise 2.99 books. My hope is to keep a decent amount of sales in May so I can do a 99 sale in June.


----------



## David Thompson

This is how much KS knows!

I ran my campaign last month. Kindle Scout hardly looked at it. 192 views and zero hours in H&T.

Hah! I published it a few days ago....the results just go to show that KS doesn't have a clue!

I have now sold THREE copies! One in Australia, one in Thailand and one in the US!! 
This book is an INTERNATIONAL *best*SELLER!!!!!!

So! How do you feel now, KS? 


            

(Tongue-in-cheek) 

DT


----------



## AaronFrale

David Thompson said:


> I have now sold THREE copies! One in Australia, one in Thailand and one in the US!!
> This book is an INTERNATIONAL *best*SELLER!!!!!!


Now you just need a movie starring Mel Gibson, Tony Jaa, and Brad Pitt and that'll really show 'em what's what!


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Mark Gardner said:


> As they say, "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more:" https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/2EKMJBJRHGZ12


I got you saved! Will nominate as soon as I'm able. (It looks like a good book!)



David Thompson said:


> This is how much KS knows!
> 
> I ran my campaign last month. Kindle Scout hardly looked at it. 192 views and zero hours in H&T.
> 
> Hah! I published it a few days ago....the results just go to show that KS doesn't have a clue!
> 
> I have now sold THREE copies! One in Australia, one in Thailand and one in the US!!
> This book is an INTERNATIONAL *best*SELLER!!!!!!
> 
> So! How do you feel now, KS?
> DT


Congrats!



Lorri Moulton said:


> I'm just going to ask, since I'm running out of time. Please review my book! I have two mystery/suspense promos on Mother's Day weekend...and I could really use a few more reviews.
> While it is a paranormal romance (though not a very steamy one) it's also a murder mystery with a little history thrown in. I'm terrible at staying in one genre. Hope you enjoy it!
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y1FTL51?ref_=ks_dp_pdm


I'd love to review it, but I have three books ahead of you that are also waiting! I don't even know how to help. Have you tried emailing your newsletter/facebook group offering a free copy for an honest review? I typically can get 20 reviews or so that way...


----------



## CynthiaClay

Kay7979 said:


> As I mentioned in a previous post, I decided to launch Shadowglade at full price and discount book one, Beyond the Forest, hoping to get readers started in the series.
> 
> Question: Is it easier to "get sticky" with a new release than with an older title? Does Amazon's algorithms favor "hot new release" data? If so, maybe I should have tried to get the lowest possible sales rank for Shadowglade rather than BtF, but I've never had any luck getting sticky so far, so I don't know if it would have mattered.
> 
> Shadowglade launched on the 19th, and I priced it at $3.99, and reduced BtF to $0.99. I had planned to run my main promos through the weekend, and then have a dribble of smaller promos into the following weekend, hoping to keep my sales rank from cratering too quickly. Unfortunately, I didn't do as well as I did in my February promos. In February, I had tripped the algorithms and gotten a boost from Amazon, which gave me a day with 78 sales and a sales rank under 2500. This time, my biggest day was 54 sales, and I stalled out at a sales rank of 3883, although I did get down to 1283 in Canada, and was in the top 100 within my categories in all the English speaking markets. Disappointed with these results, I added more smaller tier promos and made a second push into last weekend (ended yesterday), and I temporarily lowered my rank, which had started to drift higher, but I was wasting money, since so many people had already seen my book in the prior newsletters that I didn't get a lot of sales. Lesson learned.
> 
> Final results from the 19th - 30th. Only 207 eBook sales of Beyond the Forest, far fewer than February, but set new records in KENP = 12,547.
> eBook sales of Shadowglade came in at 29 sales. Lowest sales rank 36,174. KENP starting to trickle in = 1104.
> 15 paperback sales between both books.
> 
> I plan to run a Kindle Countdown deal in mid-June, with both books at $0.99 for a week.


When you say "sales" I assume, you were charging for the book? How much did you charge and did you cover (or better) your advertising costs? Thanks for answering.


----------



## David Thompson

AaronFrale said:


> Now you just need a movie starring Mel Gibson, Tony Jaa, and Brad Pitt and that'll really show 'em what's what!


I need a woman....sultry but with a strong personality...I'm thinking Jennifer L?


----------



## Kay7979

CynthiaClay said:


> When you say "sales" I assume, you were charging for the book? How much did you charge and did you cover (or better) your advertising costs? Thanks for answering.


As described in my post, book one was reduced to $0.99 during the promo, and book two launched at $3.99. I'm sure I didn't recover all the advertising costs during that time period, but the ongoing increased KENP helps, and as people finish reading book one and hopefully go on to book two, that will help too. People seldom recover the cost of promotions immediately.


----------



## Anthelid

My short story about a future world where its illegal to show your face due to appearance-based discrimination was released to Amazon recently and is 99 cents but will be free from May 10 to 15. 
the link:
https://www.amazon.com/Day-Universal-Holos-B-Campbell-ebook/dp/B071KZVPZF/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1494233622&sr=1-2&keywords=the+day+of+the+universal+holos

Appreciate anyone taking the time to read this and good luck with your publishing efforts.


----------



## Adrian Ferrer

Joynell Schultz said:


> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***
> 
> Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)
> 
> *Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*
> 
> Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 4 Reviews)
> (Paranormal Romance) - *Moonlight Roses & Murder* - Lorri Moulton - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 5 Reviews)
> (Paranormal Romance) - *Immortal Embrace* - Michelle Hughes - (Has 5 Reviews)
> (Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Dystopian) *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
> (Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 12 Reviews)
> (Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 13 Reviews)
> (Contemporary Romance) * Englishwoman in Paris* - Jenny O'Brien - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 14 Reviews)


I want to review Getting Thin is Murder by Al Moe. How do I proceed?


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Adrian Ferrer said:


> I want to review Getting Thin is Murder by Al Moe. How do I proceed?


Fantastic! I'll notify Al, I know he checks Facebook more than this thread and have him get in contact with you. You don't have Kindle Unlimited, right?


----------



## Adrian Ferrer

Joynell Schultz said:


> Fantastic! I'll notify Al, I know he checks Facebook more than this thread and have him get in contact with you. You don't have Kindle Unlimited, right?


Thanks!

No KU here.


----------



## Adrian Ferrer

Dear friends.

As many of you already know, my book, Angel of Death, was recently rejected by the Scout program. 

However, I just released the book through KDP, and it is already available! 

Now I'm looking for friends who could make reviews about the book on Amazon.com.

If you are willing to help me and are interested in a thriller involving murders and religion, please give my book a try.

But be warned that the book contains Bible-related content and that many of the ideas in the book confront the dogmas of the church. So if you have no problem opening your mind to new ideas that might confront the church's official position, Angel of Death is a good call!

Those who read The Da Vinci Code and did not feel offended by its content will deal well with Angel of Death. I'm a Christian, and I'm not here to disrespect people's religious views, but only to present new points of view.

Please, help me with this. I am an indie author and I do not have the resources to edit and promote the book by myself. I am a debut author, I do not have a list of readers or even friends who can read the book since I do not live in an English-speaking country. I am alone in this, relying on my courage alone.

On the other hand, all I ask for is an honest opinion. Rate 1 star if you find the book bad, or give 5 stars if you find the book excellent; 2, 3, 4 stars, whatever is your opinion, no restrictions. However, I would like to ask for you to have a little patience about the editing, because like I said, I'm an indie author with no resources. (Hey! The editing is not bad actually! Just don't expect for professional standards.)

I promise anyone who reads the book will not regret it, and that there really is a great revelation within it. I'm not lying about this, and I'm not being fancy to get attention. I'm telling the truth!

Angel of Death is not a long book and is fast paced.

Please contact me and I will send you a copy of the book.

PS: Please, only ask for the book if you are really willing to read and review it within a reasonable period (about one week and a half maybe). Don't take me wrong, it is just that I don't have resources to buy many books for giveaways and the first days of release are crucial for the book campaign, especially considering that I'm going to participate in *Storyteller UK*. I'm really in need of reviews!

Thank you!!!


----------



## Rae B. Lake

Hey All! 

So I was rejected on Kindle Scout... :-( But that is ok! I can still do this!

I have already published and am in need of some reviews! Of course I would love to read your stuff too! I don't know how to get on the list, I believe I am already a member of the Facebook group. Just let me know what else is needed!

Thanks a million!


----------



## Rae B. Lake

I reviewed yours lorri moulton! Trying to get another one to read today!


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Updated list...but I'm hearing some are having a hard time getting review copies out of the authors on the list. If that's happening, please message me and I'll remove the book from the list.

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Romantic Fantasy) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 1 Reviews)
(Paranormal Romance) - *Moonlight Roses & Murder* - Lorri Moulton - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Paranormal Romance) - *Immortal Embrace* - Michelle Hughes - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Fantasy) * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Soft Sci-Fi) *Lily of the Valley* - Ruth White - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Dystopian) *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
(Mystery) *Getting Thin is Murder* - Al Moe - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 13 Reviews) 
(Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 14 Reviews)
(Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 15 Reviews)
(Contemporary Romance) * Englishwoman in Paris* - Jenny O'Brien - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 16 Reviews)


----------



## MelissaMacVicar

Glad I found this thread! I too am a Scout reject. Will purchase and read a book to review so I can get on the list.
Thanks!
Melissa


----------



## Kay7979

MelissaMacVicar said:


> Glad I found this thread! I too am a Scout reject. Will purchase and read a book to review so I can get on the list.
> Thanks!
> Melissa


Welcome! It's not necessary to purchase a book on the list, although that would be nice since it means the review would be verified. Many books are in KindleUnlimited, and if you don't have a KU membership, the authors will provide you a copy in Mobi, ePub, or PDF format.


----------



## AaronFrale

I'm pretty sure my post ad wave for Time Burrito is over. The book crashed through the 100k sales rank barrier where it usually disappears into nothing. There were 20 more sales, 12k reads, and six hard copies. I'm guessing overall I will get about 2/3's of my investment back. Overall I'd say it was a success, with the next book, I might experiment with a higher price, to see if I can even out my ROI. 

There is also the fact that when I release a book, all my back catalog gets a little boost. I guess my goal should be to write 500 books, if I only sell one copy of each every month, a get $2 a book, that's enough to live off of the royalties.


----------



## amdonehere

I just posted a detailed account of how I used my KS run to launch my book. You can read it here: http://www.kboards.com/index.php?topic=245964.msg3497685#msg3497685


----------



## David Thompson

The Road to El Nido crashed and burned.

Crooks' Corner is under review.

Shipley Bridge just launched

https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/ZYHBGKNS4ZJV

Not bad in two months!

Hope KS don't get fed up with seeing my campaigns!


----------



## Used To Be BH

David Thompson said:


> The Road to El Nido crashed and burned.
> 
> Crooks' Corner is under review.
> 
> Shipley Bridge just launched
> 
> https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/ZYHBGKNS4ZJV
> 
> Not bad in two months!
> 
> Hope KS don't get fed up with seeing my campaigns!


I wish I could be as productive as that!


----------



## AaronFrale

Mark Gardner said:


> My goal is to publish at least 2 books a year, that way in four or five years when I'm an overnight success, I'll have 20+ titles in my back catalog.


Yep, that's my plan too. I figure that I can write one new one and one sequel to an existing book (which I'm bad at doing, I write them halfway and then get really excited by a new idea and write new book). I'm trying to stick to my guns this year and produce at least one sequel.

Let us know how Comicon goes!


----------



## Dan Petrosini author

Hello All,

I am no your camp!  The Final Enemy was rejected by KS

Oh well, now will self publish. Got to get moving,  Looking for suggestions to get FAST reviews,  

Look forward to learning from all of you!
Cheers,
Dan Petrosini


----------



## AaronFrale

dan petrosini author Am I the Killer? said:


> Oh well, now will self publish. Got to get moving, Looking for suggestions to get FAST reviews,


The best way to have reviews on day one is plan about three months in advance of your release. Ask your reviewers if they'd like a copy of the book in exchange for posting it on release day. Send out copies and wait. If you have a decent sized fan mailing list, you can do that pretty easily. If you are just starting, I'd focus on building the fan base and getting the book out there over reviews.

I know it's not fast, but anything else that isn't you providing a copy of your book in exchange for a review will most likely be a TOS violation and could get you booted. Some sites will promise fast reviews, but I'd be wary. If they use a bot to generate reviews that will definitely get you booted. Keep in mind paying for people to review your book is also a TOS violation.


----------



## ID Johnson

Hi guys! I've found my way over from the other thread. My eyes are still adjusting from the darkness of the waiting room, lol. I've read through a lot of the thread and appreciate all the great suggestions for a successful launch. I will likely be self-publishing in the next few days. Just wanted to say hello and thanks for the tips!


----------



## Kay7979

ID Johnson said:


> Hi guys! I've found my way over from the other thread. My eyes are still adjusting from the darkness of the waiting room, lol. I've read through a lot of the thread and appreciate all the great suggestions for a successful launch. I will likely be self-publishing in the next few days. Just wanted to say hello and thanks for the tips!


Welcome and good luck! There's definitely life after Kindle Scout, and there's something to be said for retaining full control over marketing your novel.


----------



## amdonehere

dan petrosini author Am I the Killer? said:


> Hello All,
> 
> I am no your camp! The Final Enemy was rejected by KS
> 
> Oh well, now will self publish. Got to get moving, Looking for suggestions to get FAST reviews,
> 
> Look forward to learning from all of you!
> Cheers,
> Dan Petrosini


That almost got me too. I found myself suddenly scrambling to get books out to ACR readers. Good luck!


----------



## ID Johnson

Kay7979 said:


> Welcome and good luck! There's definitely life after Kindle Scout, and there's something to be said for retaining full control over marketing your novel.


Thank you! Yes, that control is definitely a plus. It's nice to be among friends!


----------



## ID Johnson

Hey, y'all! (I can say that--I'm from Texas.)
I just wanted to let you know I went ahead and self-published Beneath the Inconstant Moon and it went live today. Here's the link if you'd like to check it out. I've got it at 99 cents for now so hopefully some of those people who wanted it for free won't mind paying a buck. We'll see!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072FJQ8GD


----------



## Joynell Schultz

I took off a few books where the authors seem to not be responding. If I removed you in error, please let me know.

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Contemporary Romance) - *One Broken Day* - Melissa MacVicar - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 1 Reviews)
(Romantic Fantasy) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 1 Reviews)
(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Paranormal Romance) - *Moonlight Roses & Murder* - Lorri Moulton - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Dystopian) *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
(Fantasy) * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 11 Reviews)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 13 Reviews) 
(Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 14 Reviews)
(Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
(Contemporary Romance) * Englishwoman in Paris* - Jenny O'Brien - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)


----------



## Joynell Schultz

ID Johnson said:


> Hey, y'all! (I can say that--I'm from Texas.)
> I just wanted to let you know I went ahead and self-published Beneath the Inconstant Moon and it went live today. Here's the link if you'd like to check it out. I've got it at 99 cents for now so hopefully some of those people who wanted it for free won't mind paying a buck. We'll see!
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072FJQ8GD


Congrats (and Welcome!) I hope it's going well.



ID Johnson said:


> Hi guys! I've found my way over from the other thread. My eyes are still adjusting from the darkness of the waiting room, lol. I've read through a lot of the thread and appreciate all the great suggestions for a successful launch. I will likely be self-publishing in the next few days. Just wanted to say hello and thanks for the tips!


Welcome!


----------



## Dan Petrosini author

Hello All,
Before pulling the trigger and putting The Final Enemy into KDP, was looking for confirmation or other approaches to pricing.  Was going to put up for a period, 2 weeks?, at .99 cents before going to 2.99 to 'thank' nominators even though my thank you letter makes no reference to that gesture.

Any feedback..Thanks a bunch Dan


----------



## C L Salaski

ID Johnson said:


> Hey, y'all! (I can say that--I'm from Texas.)
> I just wanted to let you know I went ahead and self-published Beneath the Inconstant Moon and it went live today. Here's the link if you'd like to check it out. I've got it at 99 cents for now so hopefully some of those people who wanted it for free won't mind paying a buck. We'll see!
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072FJQ8GD


That's great news, I.D. I'm heading over to Amazon right now.

As soon as I read your first few paragraphs on KS I was immediately drawn into your story. I knew I was going to like your book. In a way, we are like-minded. You used the word "furiously" to describe the waves, similar to the way I did in The Neglected Ones. I was advised by a beta reader to remove the word "furiously" but I chose not to eliminate the word just because it was an adverb. Many times we need those adverbs to clarify and add strength to a scene. Also I love the way you describe the sea as being angry, and in my novel I describe the wind as being angry. Love it! 

Just saw your ranking. Way to go!!!

Kind regards,

Cindy


----------



## C L Salaski

What's the best way to get beta readers?

Any guidance you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Cindy


----------



## BillyDeCarlo

<opening door tentatively, intimidated by seeing a roomful of strangers, hesitating, thinking about bailing, then trudging in slowly with head down...>

Hello. Just got the word. Dang, I'm rejected. In the meantime, I need to get the book out there. Does anyone have any kind of list or timeline of what steps to take now? I know how to publish it via CreateSpace, KDP, and Ingram Spark. But as far as marketing, what steps to take when? I have a bunch of notes and highlighted book passage from books on the topic, I'll revisit those, but just looking for other tips here as well. Specifically for a debut novel under a pen name. Feeling a sense of urgency now!

Vigilante Angels Book I: The Priest
https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/1GDECMSG2NR1Y


----------



## Dan Petrosini author

Hello All,

I appreciated all the counsel and comfort!]
The Final Enemy is now LIVE!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072FNDQ68/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1495485988&sr=1-1&keywords=the+final+enemy

Thanks Dan


----------



## BillyDeCarlo

Does anyone know whether putting my book (which was just declined by KS) on preorder will allow me to push the button that says it's available on my KS page? I'm taking no more than a week to re-read it and get my marketing in order, but wonder if a seven day preorder in the meantime would be good. Also because I'm hoping that the sites that won't allow me to create an author page because this is my debut and I don't have a book out yet (Bookbub, Amazon, Goodreads) may then let me create one so it's in place for the real launch.


----------



## JulianneQJohnson

Hello everybody!

Dan P- getting advance reviews after a KS campaign is tricky.  One isn't allowed to send out ARC copies while campaigning, and waiting to do it after can seriously hurt the sales you might get from the campaign itself.  (Learned that the hard way.)  In my opinion, go ahead and publish the book as soon as it's ready.  Hopefully some reviews will come from your nominators.  Also, go ahead and send ARC copies out to any beta readers or newsletter subscribers you wish.  The reviews won't be there on launch day, but they will get there eventually, and reviews are good whenever you get them.  Stay away from sites like Instafreebie if you are in KU.
Also, I think the .99 launch is a good thank you.  

ID Johnson- Good to see you and hope your launch goes swimmingly!

C L Salaski-
I'm with you!  yes, a profusion of -ly adverbs can be the sign of a green writer, but that does not mean one has to eradicate them all as if they were plague carriers.
As for beta readers, if you have a newsletter you can ask for volunteers.  You can also get involved in a writer's forum such as Absolute Write, where they have a section for those looking for beta readers.  You could also post places like the KBoards.

Billy- there's tons of online info about how to get the word out.  You can also back up in this thread and read a bit, there's tons of information here.  My only advice is to not sink a bunch of money into ads and promotion if this is the first title under this name.  Paid promotion works best when there is a back-list or more books in a series to promote buy-through. Just my opinion, of course.
You can set up the book for pre-order and get those author pages in place, but if it was me, I'd wait on pushing that KS button until it's live.


----------



## Dan Petrosini author

The Final Enemy was up on Amazon yesterday afternoon around 4 PM and sales were just 25 copies. Hoping that there is some lagging data....
https://www.amazon.com/Final-Enemy-Dan-Petrosini-ebook/dp/B072FNDQ68/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1495546722&sr=1-1&keywords=the+final+enemy


----------



## ID Johnson

C L Salaski said:


> That's great news, I.D. I'm heading over to Amazon right now.
> 
> As soon as I read your first few paragraphs on KS I was immediately drawn into your story. I knew I was going to like your book. In a way, we are like-minded. You used the word "furiously" to describe the waves, similar to the way I did in The Neglected Ones. I was advised by a beta reader to remove the word "furiously" but I chose not to eliminate the word just because it was an adverb. Many times we need those adverbs to clarify and add strength to a scene. Also I love the way you describe the sea as being angry, and in my novel I describe the wind as being angry. Love it!
> 
> Just saw your ranking. Way to go!!!
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> Cindy


Hey Cindy! I noticed the similarities about our books from the beginning, too. I will be reading the rest of yours as soon as it is available! A few of my betas had difficulty with that first paragraph, too, but I left it alone. I've been happy with the launch so far, thank you! It has been almost as stressful as the campaign! I've not been spending as much time on here as I'd like, so I apologize for just now responding.


----------



## ID Johnson

Dan Petrosini author said:


> The Final Enemy was up on Amazon yesterday afternoon around 4 PM and sales were just 25 copies. Hoping that there is some lagging data....
> https://www.amazon.com/Final-Enemy-Dan-Petrosini-ebook/dp/B072FNDQ68/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1495546722&sr=1-1&keywords=the+final+enemy


Dan, your results are very similar to mine. 25 copies the first day. I pushed into the top 10,000 briefly, and I've been hanging out between 13,000-11,000 since. This is day 6. I've sold about 83 copies of "Moon" since Thursday. Is it record shattering? No. Is it good for me? Absolutely! Am I happy? You bet! Will I be pushing to do better? Yes, sir! So... good luck! If you hit on something that works wonders, let us know!


----------



## amdonehere

One thing I'm really concerned about is what the KS buyers will do to my Also-Boughts. I need my Also-Boughts to be populated by the right books in my target genre. I'm in a total dilemma about what might happen if a surge of KS buyers might make my Also-Boughts a mess.

I'm seriously thinking about emailing Chris Fox and asking him what I should do.


----------



## BillyDeCarlo

Joynell Schultz said:


> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***


I want to review (Dystopian) Atmospheric Pressure - Aaron Frale. How can I reach the author to ask for a copy?


----------



## Kay7979

BillyDeCarlo said:


> I want to review (Dystopian) Atmospheric Pressure - Aaron Frale. How can I reach the author to ask for a copy?


He checks this thread periodically, but it wouldn't hurt to send him a private message via the Kboards.


----------



## Dan Petrosini author

JulianneQJohnson said:


> Hello everybody!
> 
> Dan P- getting advance reviews after a KS campaign is tricky. One isn't allowed to send out ARC copies while campaigning, and waiting to do it after can seriously hurt the sales you might get from the campaign itself. (Learned that the hard way.) In my opinion, go ahead and publish the book as soon as it's ready. Hopefully some reviews will come from your nominators. Also, go ahead and send ARC copies out to any beta readers or newsletter subscribers you wish. The reviews won't be there on launch day, but they will get there eventually, and reviews are good whenever you get them. Stay away from sites like Instafreebie if you are in KU.
> Also, I think the .99 launch is a good thank you.
> Thank you!!
> ID Johnson- Good to see you and hope your launch goes swimmingly!
> 
> C L Salaski-
> I'm with you! yes, a profusion of -ly adverbs can be the sign of a green writer, but that does not mean one has to eradicate them all as if they were plague carriers.
> As for beta readers, if you have a newsletter you can ask for volunteers. You can also get involved in a writer's forum such as Absolute Write, where they have a section for those looking for beta readers. You could also post places like the KBoards.
> 
> Billy- there's tons of online info about how to get the word out. You can also back up in this thread and read a bit, there's tons of information here. My only advice is to not sink a bunch of money into ads and promotion if this is the first title under this name. Paid promotion works best when there is a back-list or more books in a series to promote buy-through. Just my opinion, of course.
> You can set up the book for pre-order and get those author pages in place, but if it was me, I'd wait on pushing that KS button until it's live.


----------



## ID Johnson

I know there has been some conversation about AMS ads (on the other thread mostly, I think) but wanted to mention that I started mine as soon as they became available, and I usually have pretty lackluster performance with those. Probably because I'm not very good at writing the product description and I hadn't done sponsored until a few days ago. I'm having really good luck with one of my product display ads. I'll usually spend about what I make but this one is at 29%. I think that's pretty good, isn't it? Or not? This may be a topic for a different thread, but since we were talking about how quickly to get them going, I would advocate for as soon as possible.
Alexa--my also-boughts are pretty all over the place now. I always have a ton of my own books in there but I also have some out of genre stuff from other KS authors so it is definitely something to think about. I know I'm in a lot of those authors' for those particular books as well. I think it will straighten out as sales catch up to the population algo, but who knows. I'm certain not all of my sales have come from my friends or KS friends, but it looks that way right now.


----------



## Kay7979

ID Johnson said:


> I know there has been some conversation about AMS ads (on the other thread mostly, I think) but wanted to mention that I started mine as soon as they became available, and I usually have pretty lackluster performance with those. Probably because I'm not very good at writing the product description and I hadn't done sponsored until a few days ago. I'm having really good luck with one of my product display ads. I'll usually spend about what I make but this one is at 29%. I think that's pretty good, isn't it? Or not? This may be a topic for a different thread, but since we were talking about how quickly to get them going, I would advocate for as soon as possible.
> Alexa--my also-boughts are pretty all over the place now. I always have a ton of my own books in there but I also have some out of genre stuff from other KS authors so it is definitely something to think about. I know I'm in a lot of those authors' for those particular books as well. I think it will straighten out as sales catch up to the population algo, but who knows. I'm certain not all of my sales have come from my friends or KS friends, but it looks that way right now.


My sister listened to a podcast that recommended product display ads. I'll be interested to hear how your campaign goes. I'd say you're doing extremely well so far. As for also boughts, I wouldn't worry too much about other genres being mixed in. I've never felt I got much benefit from my also boughts regardless of what books were in the lineup.


----------



## ID Johnson

Kay7979 said:


> My sister listened to a podcast that recommended product display ads. I'll be interested to hear how your campaign goes. I'd say you're doing extremely well so far. As for also boughts, I wouldn't worry too much about other genres being mixed in. I've never felt I got much benefit from my also boughts regardless of what books were in the lineup.


Thank you! I can't complain about anything right now, that's for sure! I need to learn more about AMS ads. Do you happen to know the name of the podcost your sister listened to? I think I know just about enough to be dangerous! Most of my also boughts historically have been my own books, so I either I have a loyal fanbase or not enough reach, lol!


----------



## Used To Be BH

ID Johnson said:


> I know there has been some conversation about AMS ads (on the other thread mostly, I think) but wanted to mention that I started mine as soon as they became available, and I usually have pretty lackluster performance with those. Probably because I'm not very good at writing the product description and I hadn't done sponsored until a few days ago. I'm having really good luck with one of my product display ads. I'll usually spend about what I make but this one is at 29%. I think that's pretty good, isn't it? Or not? This may be a topic for a different thread, but since we were talking about how quickly to get them going, I would advocate for as soon as possible.
> Alexa--my also-boughts are pretty all over the place now. I always have a ton of my own books in there but I also have some out of genre stuff from other KS authors so it is definitely something to think about. I know I'm in a lot of those authors' for those particular books as well. I think it will straighten out as sales catch up to the population algo, but who knows. I'm certain not all of my sales have come from my friends or KS friends, but it looks that way right now.


I had a similar experience with Also Boughts when I released my Kindle Scout reject: lots of KS and Kindle Press books, none of my own. I didn't notice a lot of out-of-genre connections, but I wouldn't worry about that part. To me, the pattern looks a lot like reaching new readers, people I wouldn't have reached if I hadn't gone through the KS process.


----------



## Kay7979

ID Johnson said:


> Thank you! I can't complain about anything right now, that's for sure! I need to learn more about AMS ads. Do you happen to know the name of the podcost your sister listened to? I think I know just about enough to be dangerous! Most of my also boughts historically have been my own books, so I either I have a loyal fanbase or not enough reach, lol!


I haven't listened to it yet myself, but this is the program. Please let us know if you find it helpful.

http://sellmorebooksshow.com/episode-163-amazon-ads-writing-for-exposure-and-kfc-romance-novels/


----------



## Michael Sussman

Glad to have found this group, having recently run a KS campaign for my novel, Incognolio, a surrealistic psychological thriller which I'm preparing to self-publish.

I have published books before, but never self-published, so am feeling a bit overwhelmed with how much there is to learn.

One issue I'm trying to clarify: If I purchase an ISBN via Bowker and list my newly named imprint as the publisher, will that appear on my Amazon page as the publisher, rather than CreateSpace?


----------



## BillyDeCarlo

Michael Sussman said:


> One issue I'm trying to clarify: If I purchase an ISBN via Bowker and list my newly named imprint as the publisher, will that appear on my Amazon page as the publisher, rather than CreateSpace?


Yes, exactly. There is also be a field there to designate the publisher name, so don't miss that. And fill out all of the fields in Bowker as well for the book.


----------



## amdonehere

Kay, Bill,

You might not be aware that a messy also-bought is hurting your sales. I know for a fact because my genre is more niche, and I experienced the change. What happens is, if you have your also-bots all lined up with your genre, Amazon will regularly send out emails to recommend your book to people who had purchased books similar to yours. They also put your book in these pop-ups at the end of other books that are in the same genre as yours. It's free advertising that you might not be aware of. They're continuous and can keep your sales steady.

If your also-boughts is a mix and the algo can't figure out who to recommend your book to, you don't get that kind of free advertising. You might think you're not being hurt, but you're not getting this really huge benefit.

I ran a free promo back in Nov which messed up my also-boughts. I suffered a sales downturn for 3 months and took a lot of efforts to restore the also-boughts. That's why I don't do free promos anymore.


----------



## Michael Sussman

BillyDeCarlo said:


> Yes, exactly. There is also be a field there to designate the publisher name, so don't miss that. And fill out all of the fields in Bowker as well for the book.


Thanks, Billy!

Has anyone hired a "book shepherd" to help with self-publishing? Was it helpful and worth the money? I'd like to avoid these full-service companies, but perhaps find someone to guide the process.


----------



## ID Johnson

Kay7979 said:


> I haven't listened to it yet myself, but this is the program. Please let us know if you find it helpful.
> 
> http://sellmorebooksshow.com/episode-163-amazon-ads-writing-for-exposure-and-kfc-romance-novels/


Thank you so much! I will let you know!


----------



## BillyDeCarlo

Michael Sussman said:


> Has anyone hired a "book shepherd" to help with self-publishing? Was it helpful and worth the money? I'd like to avoid these full-service companies, but perhaps find someone to guide the process.


I think you'll find that it's not that hard.

Once you have your publishing company set up it's not that hard. I did a sole proprietorship with my wife to start, but might go s-corp with it. Anyway, once you have that, it's just a matter of going to KDP and uploading your cover and content, along with your ISBN from Bowker, etc. Same with CreateSpace if you are doing a paperback, just select Ingram Spark rather than CS's expanded distribution as recommended here.

To make it easier, get someone to do your cover, and use a pre-formatted interior design template. Some are set up to work for both paperback and e-book, which saves a lot of hassle. I bought mine from bookdesigntemplates.com and they have a good selection for different genres. You can order author copy paperbacks very inexpensively from CS (but not from KDP's new paperback option, so be careful there, it's not quite baked yet). You can preview your kindle book by sending the files to your own kindle or using the previewer from KDP on your computer.


----------



## Michael Sussman

BillyDeCarlo said:


> I think you'll find that it's not that hard.
> 
> Once you have your publishing company set up it's not that hard. I did a sole proprietorship with my wife to start, but might go s-corp with it. Anyway, once you have that, it's just a matter of going to KDP and uploading your cover and content, along with your ISBN from Bowker, etc. Same with CreateSpace if you are doing a paperback, just select Ingram Spark rather than CS's expanded distribution as recommended here.
> 
> To make it easier, get someone to do your cover, and use a pre-formatted interior design template. Some are set up to work for both paperback and e-book, which saves a lot of hassle. I bought mine from bookdesigntemplates.com and they have a good selection for different genres. You can order author copy paperbacks very inexpensively from CS (but not from KDP's new paperback option, so be careful there, it's not quite baked yet). You can preview your kindle book by sending the files to your own kindle or using the previewer from KDP on your computer.


Thanks, again. I'll give it a whirl.


----------



## Knox

Hi guys!! Fellow reject here...see some familiar faces! I heard about the Storytellers contest and scrambled to get everything together to launch just in time. My mystery IMPULSE SPY just released at the end of last week, at $0.99 promo to thank my nominators. It is also in Kindle Unlimited. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071S7FH3T 
No huge sellout so far, but hoping for a nice steady trickle 


AlexaKang said:


> One thing I'm really concerned about is what the KS buyers will do to my Also-Boughts. I need my Also-Boughts to be populated by the right books in my target genre. I'm in a total dilemma about what might happen if a surge of KS buyers might make my Also-Boughts a mess.


Alexa, I am now actually grateful for the fact that my Scout email took several days before going out, after I pushed the button. By the time it hit, I already had a bunch of relevant also-boughts. Now it has been taken over by Scout books, but only partially. So I'm happy to see that there are still others there in the genre I'm going for. I think that having irrelevant also-boughts may turn off browsing readers, who think it's not what they're looking for. I didn't realize that messing them up also changes potential future marketing! Good to know.


----------



## ID Johnson

Kay,
I listened to the podcast last night. It was very helpful, although they didn't get too much into AMS until about 50 minutes in. The other info was still helpful but not as pertinent as the AMS discussion.  Thanks again for suggesting it! I learned a lot about how to tell if an ad is working, how long to wait, and when to scrap it and try again.


----------



## amdonehere

Knox said:


> Alexa, I am now actually grateful for the fact that my Scout email took several days before going out, after I pushed the button. By the time it hit, I already had a bunch of relevant also-boughts. Now it has been taken over by Scout books, but only partially. So I'm happy to see that there are still others there in the genre I'm going for. I think that having irrelevant also-boughts may turn off browsing readers, who think it's not what they're looking for. I didn't realize that messing them up also changes potential future marketing! Good to know.


Carrie Ann, do you mean KS took a few days to get the message out? I thought it was instantaneous and they have it on autopilot.

I was going to send them a message last night then decided to wait again because it's Memorial Day weekend. Will probably do it next Tuesday instead. I'm not really expecting any significant sales bump. Most of my voters probably got the book free from me already when I did the soft launch. Then again, I haven't seen Scout books in my Also-Boughts yet. It'll be interesting to see what results from their message.

I gotta say, the whole KS experience definitely affected how I normally run a launch. I haven't decided yet whether it's a good thing or bad thing.


----------



## Knox

AlexaKang said:


> Carrie Ann, do you mean KS took a few days to get the message out? I thought it was instantaneous and they have it on autopilot.


I thought it is mostly instant, with some hangups on occasion. But then I hit the button at 1pm on Friday-- and the email went out at 6pm on Monday. 
I know from the Scout board that Dan hit the button at 4pm on Monday-- and his also went out at 6pm on Monday. So now we're thinking they actually send some in batches...putting us in competition again!


----------



## Kay7979

ID Johnson said:


> Kay,
> I listened to the podcast last night. It was very helpful, although they didn't get too much into AMS until about 50 minutes in. The other info was still helpful but not as pertinent as the AMS discussion. Thanks again for suggesting it! I learned a lot about how to tell if an ad is working, how long to wait, and when to scrap it and try again.


Good. I'll have to make time to listen. I'll fast forward to the good part!


----------



## Used To Be BH

AlexaKang said:


> Kay, Bill,
> 
> You might not be aware that a messy also-bought is hurting your sales. I know for a fact because my genre is more niche, and I experienced the change. What happens is, if you have your also-bots all lined up with your genre, Amazon will regularly send out emails to recommend your book to people who had purchased books similar to yours. They also put your book in these pop-ups at the end of other books that are in the same genre as yours. It's free advertising that you might not be aware of. They're continuous and can keep your sales steady.
> 
> If your also-boughts is a mix and the algo can't figure out who to recommend your book to, you don't get that kind of free advertising. You might think you're not being hurt, but you're not getting this really huge benefit.
> 
> I ran a free promo back in Nov which messed up my also-boughts. I suffered a sales downturn for 3 months and took a lot of efforts to restore the also-boughts. That's why I don't do free promos anymore.


That's a good point, but most of my Also Boughts were in the right genre. They were just dominated by KS and Kindle Press books, but all of the ones I noticed were either the right genre or at least a related one. Aside from the people on Kboards, I'm assuming nominators would tend to buy books in genres they read themselves, which shouldn't cause a real problem.


----------



## Dan Petrosini author

AlexaKang said:


> Kay, Bill,
> 
> You might not be aware that a messy also-bought is hurting your sales. I know for a fact because my genre is more niche, and I experienced the change. What happens is, if you have your also-bots all lined up with your genre, Amazon will regularly send out emails to recommend your book to people who had purchased books similar to yours. They also put your book in these pop-ups at the end of other books that are in the same genre as yours. It's free advertising that you might not be aware of. They're continuous and can keep your sales steady.
> 
> If your also-boughts is a mix and the algo can't figure out who to recommend your book to, you don't get that kind of free advertising. You might think you're not being hurt, but you're not getting this really huge benefit.
> 
> I ran a free promo back in Nov which messed up my also-boughts. I suffered a sales downturn for 3 months and took a lot of efforts to restore the also-boughts. That's why I don't do free promos anymore.


Hello
I have bought quite a number of books from the almight Zon site and NEVER have received an email suggesting a buy. I dont understand how that works please let me us know thanks dan


----------



## amdonehere

Dan Petrosini author said:


> Hello
> I have bought quite a number of books from the almight Zon site and NEVER have received an email suggesting a buy. I dont understand how that works please let me us know thanks dan


Dan I get them on a weekly basis, sometimes twice a week, and I don't even buy books with the account tied to my author account. I browse a lot of books in my genre in search of keywords for my AMS ads, and like clockwork, Amazon would send me emails with a list of books they think I'd like based on my searches.

Maybe the emails they send you went to your SPAM box? It should go to your email account where you use to search for books.


----------



## amdonehere

Ok so I just notified KS that my book is now up for sale. My KS page gave me an automatic message that my message to them is "in review". What happens next? Will they send me an email to let me know when their email to those who nominated me has gone out?


----------



## ID Johnson

AlexaKang said:


> Ok so I just notified KS that my book is now up for sale. My KS page gave me an automatic message that my message to them is "in review". What happens next? Will they send me an email to let me know when their email to those who nominated me has gone out?


If you nominated your own book you'll get an email when everyone else does. I'm not sure what happens if you didn't nominate your own book, but it seems like some people have said they didn't get any type of notification that the email had gone out to those who had nominated if they didn't nominate their own book. I can let you know when I get the email though since I nominated your book!
My email went out only a few hours after I requested it be sent, which I think is different than some people who had to wait a few days.
And for the numbers people, I sold 25 books the day the email went out and 16 the next day before any promos.


----------



## amdonehere

ID Johnson said:


> If you nominated your own book you'll get an email when everyone else does. I'm not sure what happens if you didn't nominate your own book, but it seems like some people have said they didn't get any type of notification that the email had gone out to those who had nominated if they didn't nominate their own book. I can let you know when I get the email though since I nominated your book!
> My email went out only a few hours after I requested it be sent, which I think is different than some people who had to wait a few days.
> And for the numbers people, I sold 25 books the day the email went out and 16 the next day before any promos.


Thanks Immy. I did vote for myself and I haven't gotten any email, so I guess KS somehow put me in a second waiting room!!! 

Thanks for voting for me. I voted for yours too because I thought your book looked really good. 25+16 is pretty good. It's like if you ran a Fussy Librarian promo each day.

I don't know if I'll get any sales actually. 130+ people who voted for me had gotten my book free already, although from the looks of it, they don't seem to be Kindle Scout readers, but my own readers. Also, I've launched at $2.99 and the usual KS readers probably are more used to 99c. I do have a 99c promo week planned starting next week, so if the KS email doesn't go out till then, the stars may align.


----------



## Jennifer Bull

Hello, everyone. I'm finally coming to join this thread and it's lovely to see so many familiar names! Hope you're all doing well and your releases/soon to be releases are going well!


----------



## amdonehere

Welcome, Jennifer.

Ok so I did in fact got an email from KS today thanking me for notifying them my book is on sale, and telling me that an email will go out to my voters. I got that notification email to voters myself as well. But again, I'm not expecting a whole lot from it because I think most of them should already have gotten my book free by now.

The silver lining might be that my Also-bots are now firstly populated by my own books, and I've got 9 reviews so the page is a good sales pitch and not empty.


----------



## ID Johnson

AlexaKang said:


> Welcome, Jennifer.
> 
> Ok so I did in fact got an email from KS today thanking me for notifying them my book is on sale, and telling me that an email will go out to my voters. I got that notification email to voters myself as well. But again, I'm not expecting a whole lot from it because I think most of them should already have gotten my book free by now.
> 
> The silver lining might be that my Also-bots are now firstly populated by my own books, and I've got 9 reviews so the page is a good sales pitch and not empty.


I got your email, too, Alexa. Hopefully, that will translate as some sales today!
Today is day 15 after my release and I've sold 143 copies, if anyone wants to know. I'm still at 99 cents and have a few more promos scheduled for June and will go to 3.99 on July 1. My Book Cave and EBookSoda ran yesterday and did pretty well for less expensive sites. 
Hi Jennifer!! Nice to see you, although I'm sorry you're here because your book should have been chosen. (But then, I think that's pretty much everyone here, so....)


----------



## Jennifer Bull

ID Johnson said:


> I got your email, too, Alexa. Hopefully, that will translate as some sales today!
> Today is day 15 after my release and I've sold 143 copies, if anyone wants to know. I'm still at 99 cents and have a few more promos scheduled for June and will go to 3.99 on July 1. My Book Cave and EBookSoda ran yesterday and did pretty well for less expensive sites.
> Hi Jennifer!! Nice to see you, although I'm sorry you're here because your book should have been chosen. (But then, I think that's pretty much everyone here, so....)


Thanks, and likewise! I think we managed to hit an odd month at Scout... they only picked up 7 books this month. Some of which are genres they don't seem to have chosen before. Congrats on the sales! I'm making some final edits to the text and cover before I go live, but I should be joining you all on Amazon soon!


----------



## Kay7979

Jennifer Bull said:


> Thanks, and likewise! I think we managed to hit an odd month at Scout... they only picked up 7 books this month. Some of which are genres they don't seem to have chosen before. Congrats on the sales! I'm making some final edits to the text and cover before I go live, but I should be joining you all on Amazon soon!


Seven books is fairly normal. There have been some months with fewer, and I think the highest I've seen was thirteen.


----------



## ID Johnson

Jennifer Bull said:


> Thanks, and likewise! I think we managed to hit an odd month at Scout... they only picked up 7 books this month. Some of which are genres they don't seem to have chosen before. Congrats on the sales! I'm making some final edits to the text and cover before I go live, but I should be joining you all on Amazon soon!


I think I'm most surprised by the number of books that were on H & T nearly the whole time and didn't get picked. Now some of those books are hanging out in the top 5000. I can't imagine what they would have done with KP behind them. 
This is definitely my best launch ever but I'm sure it's nothing to a lot of people. I can't complain though!


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Hi All! Sorry I've been MIA. I have so many writing projects going right now, that I can't keep up on anything! (Not to mention those other things in my life that I have to give attention to too...like my family...and that job thing that keeps getting in the way.)

Here's an updated list:

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Paranormal Romance) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 1 Reviews)
(Contemporary Romance-YA) - *One Broken Day* - Melissa MacVicar - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)
(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Paranormal Mystery/Romance) - *Moonlight Roses & Murder* - Lorri Moulton - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Dystopian) *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 11 Reviews)
(Fantasy) * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 11 Reviews)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 14 Reviews) 
(Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 14 Reviews)
(Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)
(Contemporary Romance) * Englishwoman in Paris* - Jenny O'Brien - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)


----------



## Dan Petrosini author

AlexaKang said:


> Dan I get them on a weekly basis, sometimes twice a week, and I don't even buy books with the account tied to my author account. I browse a lot of books in my genre in search of keywords for my AMS ads, and like clockwork, Amazon would send me emails with a list of books they think I'd like based on my searches.
> 
> Maybe the emails they send you went to your SPAM box? It should go to your email account where you use to search for books.


I can't believe that I would not be targeted given how many books i buy. (Not in my spam!)


----------



## Decon

Just a few questions for the old hands at this.

At upload to KS do you format your MS in Word as you would for Kindle with the front matter? looking at samples, it seems not.

If the answer is yes, do you unclude a TOC? seems not.

If the answer is yes, can you include images as you could in an eBook?  Okay, got this, not in the first 5000 words.

Can you still publish a print book once they publish the eBook, or do they do that also?

Does it involve a great marketing push for your side? Or do they have enough participating readers to find you for reads?


----------



## Used To Be BH

Decon said:


> Just a few questions for the old hands at this.
> 
> At upload to KS do you format your MS in Word as you would for Kindle with the front matter?
> 
> If the answer is yes, do you unclude a TOC?
> 
> If the answer is yes, can you include images as you could in an eBook?
> 
> Can you still publish a print book once they publish the eBook, or do they do that also?
> 
> Does it involve a great marketing push for your side? Or do they have enough participating readers to find you for reads?


The directions say to include the front matter, and they said yes when I asked, but others have just submitted the body and gotten no complaints.

No, you don't include a TOC.

Kindle Press is digital only, but you can self-publish the paperback.

KS can involve a marketing push by you, but it doesn't have to. The stats don't actually determine selection, though the more attention your book gets, the better the launch is apt to be.


----------



## Decon

Bill Hiatt said:


> The directions say to include the front matter, and they said yes when I asked, but others have just submitted the body and gotten no complaints.
> 
> No, you don't include a TOC.
> 
> Kindle Press is digital only, but you can self-publish the paperback.
> 
> KS can involve a marketing push by you, but it doesn't have to. The stats don't actually determine selection, though the more attention your book gets, the better the launch is apt to be.


I might give Girl at the Window a try. It's ready for publishing but for a final edit and its on Wattpad in full, (Currently 141 in mystery thillers of the top 1000) but I wasn't going to publish until after the summer anyway, so nothing lost by submitting once it's edited.


----------



## Kay7979

Mark Gardner said:


> Wow, fast rejection for _Score of Silence_.


Wow. That really was fast. Sorry to hear it.


----------



## ID Johnson

Mark Gardner said:


> Wow, fast rejection for _Score of Silence_.


I was really surprised and sorry to see that email this morning, Mark. It looks like a great book with a strong beginning and I'm sure it will do amazing no matter what you decide to do next. Do you think you'll self-publish?


----------



## Knox

Joynell Schultz said:


> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***
> 
> (Paranormal Romance) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 1 Reviews)
> (Contemporary Romance-YA) - *One Broken Day* - Melissa MacVicar - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)
> (Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Paranormal Romance) - *Moonlight Roses & Murder* - Lorri Moulton - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Dystopian) *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 11 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 11 Reviews)
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 14 Reviews)
> (Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 14 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)
> (Contemporary Romance) * Englishwoman in Paris* - Jenny O'Brien - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)


Gonna start taking a shot at the list, but there are no mysteries at the moment. I've downloaded the three romances on Kindle Unlimited for now, and will try to review at least one. Remember even just the downloads to check it out helps the author! I tend to forget that.

Boy, the rollercoaster of a quick climb and a rapid drop in the charts is something to get used to...


----------



## Jennifer Bull

Mark Gardner said:


> Wow, fast rejection for _Score of Silence_.


Sorry, Mark  Best of luck with the book, however you go ahead with publishing!


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Here's an updated list (genre changes):

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Paranormal Romance) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 1 Reviews)
(Contemporary Romance-YA) - *One Broken Day* - Melissa MacVicar - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)
(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Paranormal Mystery/Romance) - *Moonlight Roses & Murder* - Lorri Moulton - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Dystopian) *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 11 Reviews)
(Fantasy) * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 11 Reviews)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 14 Reviews) 
(Clean Romance) *What Lies Beneath the Mask* - Laura Greenwood - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 14 Reviews)
(Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)
(Contemporary Romance) * Englishwoman in Paris* - Jenny O'Brien - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)


----------



## lincolnjcole

Mark Gardner said:


> Wow, fast rejection for _Score of Silence_.


Sorry to hear that. Good luck with your launch.


----------



## Knox

Mark Gardner said:


> I got my rejection for my mystery novel yesterday. I'm not ready to self-pub just yet. Let me know if you'd like an advance copy. I'm curious if your thoughts match all the other mystery readers thoughts.


Sorry about your rejection, but welcome! I've got some from the list to check out/review at the moment, along with others, so I don't think I have time for advance reading. But I'll be glad to take a look down the road, hit me up! And same here, let me know if you'd be interested in reading/reviewing Impulse Spy (it's also on Unlimited).


----------



## JulianneQJohnson

Mark Gardner said:


> Wow, fast rejection for _Score of Silence_.


Sorry to hear it. Don't fret about the speed of the rejection, KS has had a bit of a backlog, and I think they are pushing to catch up. Timing of the rejection doesn't seem to reflect on the quality of the book.

Did you have many page views? I can see the appeal of submitting to a different publisher now, but keep in mind the longer it takes you to publish, the less likely your folks who nominated it are to buy. That might not matter is you are going with another publisher, but even then, don't forget to use the button on your campaign to tell your nominators when it's available on Amazon.

Good luck to you!


----------



## Jada Ryker

Knox said:


> I am now actually grateful for the fact that my Scout email took several days before going out, after I pushed the button.


Hi, all, I'm here after my KS book The Freak Show Below wasn't selected. Given the excellent books that weren't selected (I've read a good number of them from Kboards authors on this and the nomination thread), I'm choosing to take not getting selected as a compliment  Onward and upward!

I read back through this thread. Great information! I haven't hit the button yet for the email to go out, but I'm planning to soon. It sounds as though the email to nominators could take several days or in Dan's case two hours.

Does anyone else want to weigh in on the time between clicking and emails to nominators?


----------



## Kay7979

Jada Ryker said:


> Hi, all, I'm here after my KS book The Freak Show Below wasn't selected. Given the excellent books that weren't selected (I've read a good number of them from Kboards authors on this and the nomination thread), I'm choosing to take not getting selected as a compliment  Onward and upward!
> 
> I read back through this thread. Great information! I haven't hit the button yet for the email to go out, but I'm planning to soon. It sounds as though the email to nominators could take several days or in Dan's case two hours.
> 
> Does anyone else want to weigh in on the time between clicking and emails to nominators?


Welcome. In most cases the notification seems to go out promptly, as in the same day, but it's tough to incorporate that email into your marketing strategy since you never know! Your last book looks awesome. You're sure to do well with it.


----------



## Jada Ryker

Thank you again to everyone who supported The Freak Show Below Kindle Scout campaign. I promised a free copy even if it was not selected. The book is free on Amazon now. Here are Amazon links, or you can click on the book in my signature.

Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072MJHB1F
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B072MJHB1F
Amazon Canada:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B072MJHB1F
Amazon Australia:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B072MJHB1F


----------



## J.G. McKenney

Was rejected by KS today and told about this thread. I'm curious to know what price you think would be the best for a launch, based on results. Sorry if it's been asked before.


----------



## Kay7979

J.G. McKenney said:


> Was rejected by KS toady and told about this thread. I'm curious to know what price you think would be the best for a launch, based on results. Sorry if it's been asked before.


I'm sorry but there is no easy answer to that since it's dependent on a number of factors, from the length and genre of your book, to your own personal marketing strategy. Some people do a week at 0.99 and run promos, then raise the price. Others start at full price.


----------



## BillyDeCarlo

J.G. McKenney said:


> Was rejected by KS toady and told about this thread. I'm curious to know what price you think would be the best for a launch, based on results. Sorry if it's been asked before.


I went with 99 cents for a month and promoting the heck out of it for the whole month (including AMS ads), as well as making sure that book two of the series is up for pre-order at the regular 2.99 price (US currency).


----------



## Kay7979

BillyDeCarlo said:


> I went with 99 cents for a month and promoting the heck out of it for the whole month (including AMS ads), as well as making sure that book two of the series is up for pre-order at the regular 2.99 price (US currency).


That sounds like a good plan. Let us know how it goes. Are you spacing out the promos? I have Kindle Countdown Deals running on both my books starting tomorrow. I probably have a month worth of promos compressed into a week!


----------



## BillyDeCarlo

Kay7979 said:


> That sounds like a good plan. Let us know how it goes. Are you spacing out the promos? I have Kindle Countdown Deals running on both my books starting tomorrow. I probably have a month worth of promos compressed into a week!


Yes, spacing them out through the month, to try to keep that sales chart pointing upward, not downward. I think this is the advice that Chris Fox gives in his marketing book and what he does, as he's posted here. So far, so good. It's taken me from six-digit rankings to five digit, to finally cresting into four digit and I'm only half way through the month, with some of my heavy hitters coming up. I'm learning a lot about which marketing/promo services work (for me) so that I can apply that to my subsequent books.


----------



## Kay7979

BillyDeCarlo said:


> Yes, spacing them out through the month, to try to keep that sales chart pointing upward, not downward. I think this is the advice that Chris Fox gives in his marketing book and what he does, as he's posted here. So far, so good. It's taken me from six-digit rankings to five digit, to finally cresting into four digit and I'm only half way through the month, with some of my heavy hitters coming up. I'm learning a lot about which marketing/promo services work (for me) so that I can apply that to my subsequent books.


If you have time, list the ones you're using, and if you don't want to record sales volume, maybe just a notation of which you found worthwhile. If you're interested in my prior promos, I always post a rundown here. You can search this thread for my posts.


----------



## BillyDeCarlo

Kay7979 said:


> If you have time, list the ones you're using, and if you don't want to record sales volume, maybe just a notation of which you found worthwhile. If you're interested in my prior promos, I always post a rundown here. You can search this thread for my posts.


I definitely will. I love when folks take the time to post those. We always have to remember that there are other factors, and what works for one author/book may well be a waste of money for another. There has been some conversation about BookRunes and I'm on their schedule for tomorrow. I was able to avoid spending money on Books Machine because of posts I read here. In any case, I'll post my experiences after I get through it.


----------



## Jada Ryker

I posted this on the other thread, so thought I'd post here as well.

Happy Friday! Some of us have used Tom Swyers' great suggestion of offering our KS book for free regardless if selected or non selected.

I wrote a blog post with the steps I followed from publishing to getting the book into the hands of the readers. It's available here: http://jadaryker.com/?p=441

I also discussed promotion options for the free days:
* Free: readper, Awesome Gang, Book Deal Hunter, Armadillo eBooks, eReaderLove, Content Mo

I'm not a proponent of paying a lot of money for promoting free books. I do see a correlation between free books and KENP; when one goes up, so does the other. 
* Paid: Ignite Your Book (99 cents), Snick List ($1.00)
* You could also use a tool like Book Marketing Tool for $29.99 to more easily submit (some 26 sites)
* I also included Tom's link to a list of free and paid sites.


----------



## Kay7979

Jada Ryker said:


> I posted this on the other thread, so thought I'd post here as well.
> 
> Happy Friday! Some of us have used Tom Swyers' great suggestion of offering our KS book for free regardless if selected or non selected.
> 
> I wrote a blog post with the steps I followed from publishing to getting the book into the hands of the readers. It's available here: http://jadaryker.com/?p=441
> 
> I also discussed promotion options for the free days:
> * Free: readper, Awesome Gang, Book Deal Hunter, Armadillo eBooks, eReaderLove, Content Mo
> 
> I'm not a proponent of paying a lot of money for promoting free books. I do see a correlation between free books and KENP; when one goes up, so does the other.
> * Paid: Ignite Your Book (99 cents), Snick List ($1.00)
> * You could also use a tool like Book Marketing Tool for $29.99 to more easily submit (some 26 sites)
> * I also included Tom's link to a list of free and paid sites.


Great info, thanks for sharing.

On my current Kindle Countdown Deal (6-15-6/21) I finally applied to a few sites that state "inclusion not guaranteed." I have enough promos lined up that I figured why not try? Any that took Shadowglade at no charge would simply augment my sales. To my surprise, most responded immediately with the Congratulations! email. One didn't notify me but included me yesterday. And there's one I haven't heard from.

Here's the list of the no charge inclusions:
Pretty Hot 
ebookasaurus 
Bookoftheday.org 
eBooks Habit 
Discount Bookman 
Awesome Gang 
My Book Place

Also, I'm in Book Hippo in the U.K. today. They never charge, but are fussy about what they include. If your book is accepted, they'd like a donation but it isn't required.


----------



## shansunr

Thanks Kay for starting and referring me to this thread. Just realised it is the same thread Jada also referred in another fb thread. Have a question. I just made my book available on Amazon yesterday and is on a free promotion today and tomorrow. I informed my scouts this morning but I don't think mails have gone out yet. If they are going to send the mails after tomorrow, they will not get my book free. how long it takes for Amazon to send mails to my scouts? Btw, here's the link to my book if you would like to read https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071KGFF5K
Also, can someone point me to info on how to add your books in your signature here.


----------



## Kay7979

shansunr said:


> Thanks Kay for starting and referring me to this thread. Just realised it is the same thread Jada also referred in another fb thread. Have a question. I just made my book available on Amazon yesterday and is on a free promotion today and tomorrow. I informed my scouts this morning but I don't think mails have gone out yet. If they are going to send the mails after tomorrow, they will not get my book free. how long it takes for Amazon to send mails to my scouts? Btw, here's the link to my book if you would like to read https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071KGFF5K
> Also, can someone point me to info on how to add your books in your signature here.


Usually Amazon's notification emails go out a few hours after you press the button saying they should notify folks. Sadly, there are exceptions.

Go here to make your signature line. https://www.kboards.com/authorsig/


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Here's an updated list:

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Paranormal Romance) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 2 Reviews)
(Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Contemporary Romance-YA) - *One Broken Day* - Melissa MacVicar - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 9 Reviews)
(Paranormal Mystery/Romance) - *Moonlight Roses & Murder* - Lorri Moulton - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
(Dystopian) *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 11 Reviews)
(Fantasy) * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 14 Reviews) 
(Mystery) *Impulse Spy* - Carrie Ann Knox (Has 19 Reviews)
(Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)


----------



## Jennifer Bull

shansunr said:


> Thanks Kay for starting and referring me to this thread. Just realised it is the same thread Jada also referred in another fb thread. Have a question. I just made my book available on Amazon yesterday and is on a free promotion today and tomorrow. I informed my scouts this morning but I don't think mails have gone out yet. If they are going to send the mails after tomorrow, they will not get my book free. how long it takes for Amazon to send mails to my scouts? Btw, here's the link to my book if you would like to read https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071KGFF5K
> Also, can someone point me to info on how to add your books in your signature here.


I know an author who clicked the button to inform her scouts on a Friday (about 3pm if I recall correctly) and another author who clicked the button on his the following Mon (not sure what time). Their emails went out together at 6pm on the Monday. If you pushed the button yesterday (Sat), I doubt it'll go out until Monday, but who knows what time. I hope it makes it before the free promo ends!


----------



## TT Rankin

So the Scout Team made me wait 14 days on my book A Return To Fallbrook just to let me wake up to the news on Fathers Day that I wasn't picked. Happy Fathers Day! 😃

I'm good with it though, I'll take the extra profits for my hard work. AND looks like I'm in some amazingly talented company over here.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


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## Michael Sussman

Tough news, TT, but I like your attitude!
Happy Father's Day!


----------



## shansunr

Kay7979 said:


> Usually Amazon's notification emails go out a few hours after you press the button saying they should notify folks. Sadly, there are exceptions.
> 
> Go here to make your signature line. https://www.kboards.com/authorsig/


Thanks! got it!


----------



## HilaryM

TT Rankin said:


> So the Scout Team made me wait 14 days on my book A Return To Fallbrook just to let me wake up to the news on Fathers Day that I wasn't picked. Happy Fathers Day! &#128515;
> 
> I'm good with it though, I'll take the extra profits for my hard work. AND looks like I'm in some amazingly talented company over here.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


I'm in review and just a little behind you time-wise. Continuously refreshing the page and seeing you still hanging in there - and having nominated A Return To Fallbrook! - I was getting excited and sure you had been picked.


----------



## TT Rankin

HilaryM said:


> I'm in review and just a little behind you time-wise. Continuously refreshing the page and seeing you still hanging in there - and having nominated A Return To Fallbrook! - I was getting excited and sure you had been picked.


Thanks Hilary, I had high hopes too, appreciate the nomination anyway. I really hope your news is better! Best of luck!

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


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## TT Rankin

Michael Sussman said:


> Tough news, TT, but I like your attitude!
> Happy Father's Day!


Thanks Michael!


----------



## ID Johnson

TT Rankin said:


> So the Scout Team made me wait 14 days on my book A Return To Fallbrook just to let me wake up to the news on Fathers Day that I wasn't picked. Happy Fathers Day! &#128515;
> 
> I'm good with it though, I'll take the extra profits for my hard work. AND looks like I'm in some amazingly talented company over here.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


I'm really sorry (and surprised) to hear that. I thought you had it.  But you are definitely in good company. There are a lot of books that were rejected recently doing quite well in ranking, and I'm sure Return to Fallbrook will do just fine. This is a great place to get info before your launch if you're going to self-publish. Best of luck!


----------



## TT Rankin

ID Johnson said:


> I'm really sorry (and surprised) to hear that. I thought you had it.  But you are definitely in good company. There are a lot of books that were rejected recently doing quite well in ranking, and I'm sure Return to Fallbrook will do just fine. This is a great place to get info before your launch if you're going to self-publish. Best of luck!


Thanks ID, I felt the same when Moon didn't make it. I like to think everything happens for a reason.☺


----------



## ID Johnson

TT Rankin said:


> Thanks ID, I felt the same when Moon didn't make it. I like to think everything happens for a reason.☺


Thank you! I appreciate that. I agree--things do happen for a reason. Things have fallen off a bit now that it's been a month, but I've never sold anywhere near 200 copies of the same book in one month before Moon, so it has been a success for me!


----------



## ID Johnson

I am going to be setting up my Instafreebie account later this week and giving away a novelette based on my paranormal romance series to try and grow my practically non-existent email list. (Thanks to Alexa Kang for all of your help and answering all of my questions about Instafreebie!) I'm hopeful that having a mailing list will help with my next Kindle Scout attempt later in the summer or early fall. Since I am transitioning from working full-time as an educator to working full-time as a writer, funds are extremely limited, so I have been searching for some inexpensive (but not cheap looking!) premade covers to use on Instafreebie and I found a graphic designer on Etsy who does great work and is having a sale right now. I wanted to pass it along in case any of you are in a similar boat. Here's the link to The Graphics Shed: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheGraphicsShed
I don't know her personally or anything, but I did find a couple of really nice premades for $5-$20 which will work perfectly for my Instafreebies. I will be looking at her for my upcoming novels as well.


----------



## Jennifer Bull

TT Rankin said:


> So the Scout Team made me wait 14 days on my book A Return To Fallbrook just to let me wake up to the news on Fathers Day that I wasn't picked. Happy Fathers Day! &#128515;
> 
> I'm good with it though, I'll take the extra profits for my hard work. AND looks like I'm in some amazingly talented company over here.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


Sorry, TT! I think that's the longest I've seen for a response. Good luck with your release!


----------



## HilaryM

Good morning from a cold but bright and sunny NZ! 

Received my rejection email an hour ago and while disappointed, at long last I feel motivated again! Of course, that could die away over the next twenty-four hours and I could end up sobbing into a glass of wine, but the last six weeks have not been good for my mojo. Unable to get down to any serious writing, because of course... well... um... who knows what might be around the corner... now I can take back control. And that suits me!

In fact, I've learned so much more about marketing and advertising and what to do next from everyone here that I actually feel quite excited.  

Onwards and upwards!


----------



## Kay7979

HilaryM said:


> Good morning from a cold but bright and sunny NZ!
> 
> Received my rejection email an hour ago and while disappointed, at long last I feel motivated again! Of course, that could die away over the next twenty-four hours and I could end up sobbing into a glass of wine, but the last six weeks have not been good for my mojo. Unable to get down to any serious writing, because of course... well... um... who knows what might be around the corner... now I can take back control. And that suits me!
> 
> In fact, I've learned so much more about marketing and advertising and what to do next from everyone here that I actually feel quite excited.
> 
> Onwards and upwards!


I think everyone who tries Kindle Scout comes away learning tons about marketing, and it's a great way to make friends among some very supportive writers. Feel free to spend 24 hours crying and smashing things, then go on with your plan B.


----------



## TT Rankin

Jennifer Bull said:


> Sorry, TT! I think that's the longest I've seen for a response. Good luck with your release!


Thanks Jennifer!


----------



## TT Rankin

HilaryM said:


> Good morning from a cold but bright and sunny NZ!
> 
> Received my rejection email an hour ago and while disappointed, at long last I feel motivated again! Of course, that could die away over the next twenty-four hours and I could end up sobbing into a glass of wine, but the last six weeks have not been good for my mojo. Unable to get down to any serious writing, because of course... well... um... who knows what might be around the corner... now I can take back control. And that suits me!
> 
> In fact, I've learned so much more about marketing and advertising and what to do next from everyone here that I actually feel quite excited.
> 
> Onwards and upwards!


I just got the email about No Place in Eden &#128577; Very sorry to hear that Hilary. The Scout Team has been incredibly stingy this month.

I was in a similar funk as you during the course of the campaign, and though it took a solid day to get past, the drive has begun to creep back...sounds like yours will to. I wish you the best of luck with your launch!


----------



## byjehunter

I got my rejection about a week ago and put Under Jupiter up on Kindle yesterday. Now to see how it does! I've decided to offer it free for today and tomorrow (June 20th and 21st), mostly as a thank you to my few newsletter subscibers. You can find Under Jupiter on the US Store here: https://www.amazon.com/Under-Jupiter-J-E-Hunter-ebook/dp/B072VT38R8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1497969605&sr=1-1&keywords=under+jupiter

It's so nice to see some familiar faces here!


----------



## Jennifer Bull

HilaryM said:


> Good morning from a cold but bright and sunny NZ!
> 
> Received my rejection email an hour ago and while disappointed, at long last I feel motivated again! Of course, that could die away over the next twenty-four hours and I could end up sobbing into a glass of wine, but the last six weeks have not been good for my mojo. Unable to get down to any serious writing, because of course... well... um... who knows what might be around the corner... now I can take back control. And that suits me!
> 
> In fact, I've learned so much more about marketing and advertising and what to do next from everyone here that I actually feel quite excited.
> 
> Onwards and upwards!


Sorry, Hilary  Best of luck with your release!


----------



## Kay7979

Welcome to all the new arrivals I haven't greeted. If you haven't seen it upthread, we have a review program for KS alumni. In order to be added to the list to have your book reviewed, you read and a review a book on the list. The idea is that we do not "exchange reviews." If you read my book, I don't review yours--someone else will. We want reviews to be honest. I recommend looking through the list to see what interests you, then read the blurb and some of the Look Inside to make sure you're comfortable with the quality of the writing and editing. 

My second book, Shadowglade, is on the list. (Book shown in my signature line) This is the final day of my Kindle Countdown Deal in the U.S. and the U.K. I'm willing to provide anyone a free MOBI or ePub file to review, but if you don't mind spending 0.99, you would be able to leave a verified review. I often do that for others here who have books on sale. 

Thanks in advance if any of you are interested. A few pages back I gave some details about the promos I booked for this Countdown Deal, and I'll be doing a wrap-up post tomorrow with total of books sold and which promos gave me the best results.


----------



## Kay7979

My double-header Kindle Countdown promo ended yesterday with a total of 435 sales between both books. I wasn't sure if this method would be successful, but I think I did OK. Most of the promos featured book 2, Shadowglade. Only a few featured Beyond the Forest. Sales data often updated with two books at a time, one of each, so I got crossover sales between books.

Prior to this promo, I still had also-viewed rather than also-boughts for Shadowglade, even though the book had been out for 60 days. I don't think I get many sales from also-boughts, but many people do, so I'm hoping I start to get some results now that I have 20 pages of also-boughts.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Here's an updated list:

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Paranormal Romance) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 2 Reviews)
(Sci-Fi/Superhero) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Contemporary Romance-YA) - *One Broken Day* - Melissa MacVicar - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 9 Reviews)
(Paranormal Mystery/Romance) - *Moonlight Roses & Murder* - Lorri Moulton - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
(Dystopian) *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 11 Reviews)
(Fantasy) * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 14 Reviews) 
(Sci-Fi/Historical Fiction) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 16 Reviews)
(Mystery) *Impulse Spy* - Carrie Ann Knox (Has 19 Reviews)
(Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)


----------



## Joynell Schultz

byjehunter said:


> I got my rejection about a week ago and put Under Jupiter up on Kindle yesterday. Now to see how it does!
> It's so nice to see some familiar faces here!


Your novel covers are beautiful! (And sorry about the rejection.)



Kay7979 said:


> My double-header Kindle Countdown promo ended yesterday with a total of 435 sales between both books.


Kay - I really love your updates! Thanks for your passion in this group.


----------



## lincolnjcole

Kay7979 said:


> My double-header Kindle Countdown promo ended yesterday with a total of 435 sales between both books. I wasn't sure if this method would be successful, but I think I did OK. Most of the promos featured book 2, Shadowglade. Only a few featured Beyond the Forest. Sales data often updated with two books at a time, one of each, so I got crossover sales between books.
> 
> Prior to this promo, I still had also-viewed rather than also-boughts for Shadowglade, even though the book had been out for 60 days. I don't think I get many sales from also-boughts, but many people do, so I'm hoping I start to get some results now that I have 20 pages of also-boughts.


That is super awesome! Congratulations!


----------



## Knox

Joynell Schultz said:


> Here's an updated list:
> 
> (Paranormal Romance) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 2 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Superhero) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Contemporary Romance-YA) - *One Broken Day* - Melissa MacVicar - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 9 Reviews)
> (Paranormal Mystery/Romance) - *Moonlight Roses & Murder* - Lorri Moulton - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
> (Dystopian) *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 11 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 14 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Historical Fiction) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 16 Reviews)
> (Mystery) *Impulse Spy* - Carrie Ann Knox (Has 19 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)


Impulse Spy is also in Kindle Unlimited. Would you mind updating the listing to reflect that?
It is also 99c for the next few days.


----------



## Patrick Tylee

Hi everyone.
Disappointed that I'm qualified to join this thread, TBH but...
Pleased that there's a place to come to share and learn with others in the same boat.

Question about ebook cover images and how they present in the ebook file.

When you upload your cover image and interior to KDP, do they convert the cover image and splice the code into the ebook file so that the cover shows up in the GO TO table of contents on the Kindle?

Or is the uploaded cover image only used on the Amazon sales page and the ebook file merely starts with the title page?

My previous books on Amazon were professionally prepared by a third party and the covers show up in the TOCs.
I don't have the expensive Adobe software to pull that off.
Is it worth it?

thanks.


----------



## Jennifer Bull

Patrick Tylee said:


> Hi everyone.
> Disappointed that I'm qualified to join this thread, TBH but...
> Pleased that there's a place to come to share and learn with others in the same boat.
> 
> Question about ebook cover images and how they present in the ebook file.
> 
> When you upload your cover image and interior to KDP, do they convert the cover image and splice the code into the ebook file so that the cover shows up in the GO TO table of contents on the Kindle?
> 
> Or is the uploaded cover image only used on the Amazon sales page and the ebook file merely starts with the title page?
> 
> My previous books on Amazon were professionally prepared by a third party and the covers show up in the TOCs.
> I don't have the expensive Adobe software to pull that off.
> Is it worth it?
> 
> thanks.


Sorry you've had to join us, but welcome!

I uploaded the manuscript (text only) and the cover separately (as I believe you're supposed to) and the cover does show in the ToC on Kindle. I used Scrivener for formatting the manuscript as I find it does a really good job.


----------



## Jennifer Bull

Well, I finally got my KS book released on Kindle yesterday! It's on a 0.99 launch promo for a couple of weeks, and it's free for anyone with Kindle Unlimited (or Prime, I believe). Link: http://mybook.to/DeadCloseToReality  Hope everyone's doing well?


----------



## BillyDeCarlo

Joynell Schultz said:


> Here's an updated list:


Joynell,

I just finished Atmospheric Pressure, which was on the list, and reviewed it on Amazon. Can you post my book on the list? I'd like more reviews.
Vigilante Angels Book I: The Priest (99cents and also on Kindle Unlimited)

Thanks, Fellow Non-Picked Scout!


----------



## Michael Sussman

Just received this email from KS. How do you arrange for "early access" for Scouts who nominated your book?


"The release date of June 27, 2017 for the Kindle Scout book you helped bring to life is fast approaching, but it’s not too late to get your copy of Deadly Choices before other readers do!

You have early access to this book thanks to your great work as a Kindle Scout, and by downloading your free book now, it will be ready and waiting on your Kindle when you have time to delve into a new story. Happy reading!"


----------



## Jennifer Bull

Michael Sussman said:


> Just received this email from KS. How do you arrange for "early access" for Scouts who nominated your book?
> 
> "The release date of June 27, 2017 for the Kindle Scout book you helped bring to life is fast approaching, but it's not too late to get your copy of Deadly Choices before other readers do!
> 
> You have early access to this book thanks to your great work as a Kindle Scout, and by downloading your free book now, it will be ready and waiting on your Kindle when you have time to delve into a new story. Happy reading!"


That's for selected books -- it's reminding you to download the book you nominated, which was selected by Kindle Press. We--those, ahem, declined by Scout--can't offer early access or free copies to people who nominated us, unfortunately.


----------



## Dan Petrosini author

Kay7979 said:


> My double-header Kindle Countdown promo ended yesterday with a total of 435 sales between both books. I wasn't sure if this method would be successful, but I think I did OK. Most of the promos featured book 2, Shadowglade. Only a few featured Beyond the Forest. Sales data often updated with two books at a time, one of each, so I got crossover sales between books.
> 
> Prior to this promo, I still had also-viewed rather than also-boughts for Shadowglade, even though the book had been out for 60 days. I don't think I get many sales from also-boughts, but many people do, so I'm hoping I start to get some results now that I have 20 pages of also-boughts.


Hi Kay
Can you explain what you did? Double? how did you promote the 'event'? Thanks dan


----------



## Kay7979

Dan Petrosini author said:


> Hi Kay
> Can you explain what you did? Double? how did you promote the 'event'? Thanks dan


I'm not sure how much of this you already know, so forgive me if I explain things that don't need explaining. My books are enrolled in KDP select, which means they're exclusive to Amazon, and eligible for a once-every-90-day promo. I used a Kindle Countdown deal for both books at the same time, in both the U.S. and the U.K. and reduced the price to $0.99. Then, I lined up promos with the various newsletter services that send notifications of discounted books to readers.

In the past, I've only run a countdown deal on one book. Running it on both at the same time was a first.


----------



## Dan Petrosini author

Kay7979 said:


> I'm not sure how much of this you already know, so forgive me if I explain things that don't need explaining. My books are enrolled in KDP select, which means they're exclusive to Amazon, and eligible for a once-every-90-day promo. I used a Kindle Countdown deal for both books at the same time, in both the U.S. and the U.K. and reduced the price to $0.99. Then, I lined up promos with the various newsletter services that send notifications of discounted books to readers.
> 
> In the past, I've only run a countdown deal on one book. Running it on both at the same time was a first.


Thanks!!


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Here's an updated list: a huge THANK YOU to everyone reading & reviewing. 

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Paranormal Romance) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)
(Sci-Fi/Superhero) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Contemporary Romance-YA) - *One Broken Day* - Melissa MacVicar - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
(Paranormal Mystery/Romance) - *Moonlight Roses & Murder* - Lorri Moulton - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
(Dystopian) *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
(Fantasy) * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
(YA Dystopian/Suspense/Thriller) *A Sea of Shattered Glass* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 14 Reviews)
(Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 14 Reviews) 
(Sci-Fi/Historical Fiction) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 16 Reviews)
(Mystery) *Impulse Spy* - Carrie Ann Knox - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)
(Crime Fiction) *Vigilante Angels Book I: The Priest* - Billy DeCarlo - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 23 Reviews)


----------



## Nikki Landis Author

Joynell Schultz said:


> Here's an updated list:
> 
> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***
> 
> Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)
> 
> *Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*
> 
> Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Paranormal Romance) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 2 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Superhero) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Contemporary Romance-YA) - *One Broken Day* - Melissa MacVicar - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 9 Reviews)
> (Paranormal Mystery/Romance) - *Moonlight Roses & Murder* - Lorri Moulton - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
> (Dystopian) *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 11 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 14 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Historical Fiction) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 16 Reviews)
> (Mystery) *Impulse Spy* - Carrie Ann Knox (Has 19 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)


Hi, just found my way here after my rejection on KS. What a great learning opportunity. My book, Fallen from Grace, is a paranormal romance/dark fantasy. I just released on Amazon and KU. I'd love to be added to that list for reviews. I actually just finished Jennifer's Dead Close to Reality and loved it. Leaving my review now. Glad to meet up with a lot of you and say hi.


----------



## Kay7979

Nikki Landis Author said:


> Hi, just found my way here after my rejection on KS. What a great learning opportunity. My book, Fallen from Grace, is a paranormal romance/dark fantasy. I just released on Amazon and KU. I'd love to be added to that list for reviews. I actually just finished Jennifer's Dead Close to Reality and loved it. Leaving my review now. Glad to meet up with a lot of you and say hi.


Hello and welcome! It's nice to hang out with others who have run campaigns, and you'll meet some who have run multiples. When you've reviewed one of the books on the list above, we can add your book to the list. Most of the authors are in KU, and if not, they'll provide you with a MOBI, ePUB, PDF or whatever type of file you'd like.


----------



## Nikki Landis Author

Kay7979 said:


> Hello and welcome! It's nice to hang out with others who have run campaigns, and you'll meet some who have run multiples. When you've reviewed one of the books on the list above, we can add your book to the list. Most of the authors are in KU, and if not, they'll provide you with a MOBI, ePUB, PDF or whatever type of file you'd like.


Hi! Thank you for clarifying. I've just downloaded Moonlight Roses & Murder on KU and I'll be sure to post the review once finished. Thanks!


----------



## Jennifer Bull

Nikki Landis Author said:


> Hi, just found my way here after my rejection on KS. What a great learning opportunity. My book, Fallen from Grace, is a paranormal romance/dark fantasy. I just released on Amazon and KU. I'd love to be added to that list for reviews. I actually just finished Jennifer's Dead Close to Reality and loved it. Leaving my review now. Glad to meet up with a lot of you and say hi.


Aww, I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for leaving me a review


----------



## Patrick Tylee

Joynell Schultz said:


> Here's an updated list:
> 
> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***
> 
> Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)
> 
> *Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*
> 
> Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Paranormal Romance) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 2 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Superhero) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Contemporary Romance-YA) - *One Broken Day* - Melissa MacVicar - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 9 Reviews)
> (Paranormal Mystery/Romance) - *Moonlight Roses & Murder* - Lorri Moulton - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
> (Dystopian) *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 11 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 14 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Historical Fiction) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 16 Reviews)
> (Mystery) *Impulse Spy* - Carrie Ann Knox (Has 19 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)


Good day, KSP Survivors.
Thanks for the life-raft. I find myself needing it.
After 14 days in the waiting room, I was confident that no news is good news.

GONG!

So, here we go with another title on the self-pub path.
I'll connect with Aaron Frale to begin my reviews with Atmospheric Pressure.


----------



## Kay7979

Patrick Tylee said:


> Good day, KSP Survivors.
> Thanks for the life-raft. I find myself needing it.
> After 14 days in the waiting room, I was confident that no news is good news.
> 
> GONG!
> 
> So, here we go with another title on the self-pub path.
> I'll connect with Aaron Frale to begin my reviews with Atmospheric Pressure.


Very good. Welcome aboard! I went twelve days before getting the "no" so I feel your pain. They've passed on some excellent books, and accepted some that surprised me. I tend to feel that things often come out for the best, so don't be discouraged, and best of luck with your book launch.


----------



## Michael Sussman

Does anyone have any advice on the advantages of bookmarks versus postcards for marketing purposes, especially for handing out to people you meet?


----------



## BillyDeCarlo

Michael Sussman said:


> Does anyone have any advice on the advantages of bookmarks versus postcards for marketing purposes, especially for handing out to people you meet?


Definitely bookmarks. Readers cherish them and for hardcore readers like me, it's very difficult to throw one away. Business cards are *far* more likely to get tossed in the garbage.


----------



## Michael Sussman

Thanks, Mark & Billy. Bookmarks it is! 

Do you design your own with free templates?


----------



## BillyDeCarlo

Michael Sussman said:


> Thanks, Mark & Billy. Bookmarks it is!
> 
> Do you design your own with free templates?


Actually, since you gave me the the idea, I went on the Vistaprint, Staples, and Canva sites to see what I could do. The first two were pretty horrible, but Canva has a great bookmark template, samples, and tool. In a few minutes I designed one that has the three book covers for my series, a tag line, and "For sale on amazon.com" and downloaded the png file. I'll take that to my local staples for mass production since it's nearby and I get a corporate rate there. I'd attach it here but I haven't revealed my cover for book three and promised my newsletter subscribers they'd get to see it first (which should be end of next week).

I need to see if I can create the barcode scan area like Mark has though. How does one do that? Great idea.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> I don't know if anyone cares, but my collaborative hard sci-fi space disaster novel that was rejected my Kindle Scout comes out on July 4th, 2017: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0721VCMC6/
> 
> It's in Kindle Unlimited. It only has 3 reviews. Any sharing, reviewing, etc, would be greatly appreciated.


I care. It may take me a while to get to it--I'm about six months behind on everything in my life at the moment. However, I will get to it eventually.


----------



## ID Johnson

Joynell Schultz said:


> Here's an updated list: a huge THANK YOU to everyone reading & reviewing.
> 
> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***
> 
> Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)
> 
> *Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*
> 
> Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Paranormal Romance) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Superhero) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Contemporary Romance-YA) - *One Broken Day* - Melissa MacVicar - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
> (Paranormal Mystery/Romance) - *Moonlight Roses & Murder* - Lorri Moulton - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
> (Dystopian) *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
> (YA Dystopian/Suspense/Thriller) *A Sea of Shattered Glass* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 14 Reviews)
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 14 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Historical Fiction) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 16 Reviews)
> (Mystery) *Impulse Spy* - Carrie Ann Knox - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)
> (Crime Fiction) *Vigilante Angels Book I: The Priest* - Billy DeCarlo - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 23 Reviews)


I read and reviewed _Impulse Spy_ by Carrie Ann Knox (wonderful read, by the way!). Would it be possible to add my failed KS entry _Beneath the Inconstant Moon_ to the list, please? It's on KU, currently priced at 3.99. I'm happy to give a free copy to anyone who would like to read it. It currently has 12 reviews. Here's the link if you need it:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072FJQ8GD/


----------



## Patrick Tylee

Lorri Moulton said:


> Patrick, your book is amazing! Just finished the look inside section and bought it. I'll leave a review as soon as I'm finished.
> 
> ETA: Not asking you to review my book. I write romance, but I love sci-fi.


Lorri,
Thank you so much for the kind words. I truly hope you find the story entertaining.
Your review is much appreciated. I'd like to know what you think of the twist at the end.
I'm okay with happy endings, and there usually is for at least one character in my books.
Remember the old sci-fi story/movie(s) titled Invasion of the Body Snatchers?
Elliot Gould starred in the 1978 remake. Sometimes 'happy' just means that the protagonist learns to survive in hell. 

- Patrick


----------



## Michael Sussman

Patrick Tylee said:


> Sometimes 'happy' just means that the protagonist learns to survive in hell.


Nicely put!


----------



## Kay7979

Some of our earlier participants have drifted off but are hopefully still lurking. Others prefer the Facebook format with individual threads by topic, so spend more time on the Kindle Scout Alumni Facebook group. I'd like to see this thread remain active so KBoard members can migrate here after their campaigns and continue to interact. We have some very knowledgeable and supportive KS alumni.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Some of our earlier participants have drifted off but are hopefully still lurking. Others prefer the Facebook format with individual threads by topic, so spend more time on the Kindle Scout Alumni Facebook group. I'd like to see this thread remain active so KBoard members can migrate here after their campaigns and continue to interact. We have some very knowledgeable and supportive KS alumni.


I'm always lurking...


----------



## JulianneQJohnson

I lurk around sometimes as well!

Michael- I like bookmarks.  Readers enjoy them and they are less likely to get thrown away.  I've been using Overnight Prints. They do good work and are fairly priced.  I designed mine in Paint Shop Pro, but they may have some templates available at Overnight Prints.  They do a nice range of styles, and if you want to spend the money, they do double-sided, rounded corner, etc as extras you can add.  I just do small, rectangular, single-sided because it's cheaper and I can get more.

Mark- Hope your launch went great!

Nick of Time is still doing well.  Broke 3k KU page reads today, which is a big deal to a plankton writer like me!


----------



## Patrick Tylee

Atmospheric Pressure and Sixteen Sunsets read and reviewed.


----------



## Michael Sussman

JulianneQJohnson said:


> Michael- I like bookmarks. Readers enjoy them and they are less likely to get thrown away. I've been using Overnight Prints. They do good work and are fairly priced. I designed mine in Paint Shop Pro, but they may have some templates available at Overnight Prints. They do a nice range of styles, and if you want to spend the money, they do double-sided, rounded corner, etc as extras you can add. I just do small, rectangular, single-sided because it's cheaper and I can get more.


Thanks, Julianne!

I had my business cards printed by Modern Postcard, but I think I'm going to go with GotPrint for the bookmarks--they seem to do quality work at a considerably cheaper rate.

Congrats on Nick of Time!


----------



## Rena Arun

Bill Hiatt said:


> I'm always lurking...


You ain't seen nothin' yet! 

Happy to see all the words to the wise here. Helps to keep you grounded. As someone once said, who knows who the Kindle Scout gods will choose. And who they don't, they drive mad with or without days in H&T.


----------



## Knox

ID Johnson said:


> I read and reviewed _Impulse Spy_ by Carrie Ann Knox (wonderful read, by the way!). Would it be possible to add my failed KS entry _Beneath the Inconstant Moon_ to the list, please? It's on KU, currently priced at 3.99. I'm happy to give a free copy to anyone who would like to read it. It currently has 12 reviews. Here's the link if you need it:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072FJQ8GD/


Thanks so much!!! So glad you liked it


----------



## Used To Be BH

Mark Gardner said:


> Thanks. Unfortunately, it didn't go good at all! I launched with 3 positive reviews, and 1 negative review. All four were from NetGalley, and I've sold a whopping two copies. Even my KU page reads are only about a hundred. (KU page count is about 400 or so.) I guess someone started to read it and never finished it. It hasn't been a week yet, but _Days Until Home_ is looking like a flop...
> 
> Oh, well, I've got deadlines that I'm not meeting for the next _War of the Worlds_ book. Plus, I'm still negotiating the particulars to my apperance at San Francisco Comic Con in September. I have to be choosey, because Erika won't let me do more than four apperances a year! Sigh, the writer's life, eh?


In my limited experience, it takes KU readers a while to discover new books. I don't know what else you're doing to promote, but I've found I usually need to accumulate a few sales before the KU pages really kick in.


----------



## Nikki Landis Author

Joynell Schultz said:


> Here's an updated list:
> 
> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***
> 
> Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)
> 
> *Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*
> 
> Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Paranormal Romance) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 2 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Superhero) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Contemporary Romance-YA) - *One Broken Day* - Melissa MacVicar - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 9 Reviews)
> (Paranormal Mystery/Romance) - *Moonlight Roses & Murder* - Lorri Moulton - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
> (Dystopian) *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 11 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 14 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Historical Fiction) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 16 Reviews)
> (Mystery) *Impulse Spy* - Carrie Ann Knox (Has 19 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) *The Soul Guide* - Kelly Stock - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)


Hi, just read and reviewed Moonlight, Roses, & Murder. Great book! Here's the links for the reviews:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2055997876?book_show_action=false
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RZRHIXK8V702J/

May I have my book added for review? Thank you! 

(Paranormal Romance/Dark Fantasy) Fallen from Grace by Nikki Landis, in Kindle Unlimited.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073C6P6YR/


----------



## ID Johnson

Knox said:


> Thanks so much!!! So glad you liked it


Can't wait to read the sequel!
Here's a link to the review on my blog if you want to use it for anything: http://wwwliteraturereview.blogspot.com/2017/07/my-review-of-impulse-spy-by-carrie-ann.html


----------



## Tom Swyers

I'm reposting this from my Kindle Scout Prepper Thread located here:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,245964.0.html

I think the post have valuable content for those not selected.

*Update:
*

This Monday, _The Killdeer Connection_ (selected by Kindle Scout) went live for preorder: http://hyperurl.co/PreorderKilldeer

(The preorder period will last one month until the book is officially released on Augst 8th).

I submitted the book to go live on June 13th (with edits) and it went live on July 10th.

I wish it didn't take that long, but that was out of my control.

I put that time to good use in planning a campaign during the preorder period.

The preorder price is set for me by Kindle Press at $3.99.

If you are not selected by Kindle Scout, you can price your book as you wish. That's a good option to have as right now I'm competing with Prime Day book sales including a sale that has all Kindle Scout prior selections being offered for .99.

I'm fine with that. I don't want my new release priced at .99--not after the Kindle Scout campaign I went through which garnered 8.4 k page views.

My preorder campaign is aimed at big name authors in my genre. Their price is like $9.99 to $14.99 for a new release. I can compete well on price. I also advertise a 7 day money back guarantee (from release). This is something Kindle offers for all ebooks but nobody uses that aspect in their campaigns.

All told, I was selected April 11th and went live for preorder on July 10th--almost 4 months to the day. I'd say half of that time was used in polishing the story while the other half was spent waiting.

With the delay, I feel like I've lost some momentum. Now I feel I'm back doing a Kindle Scout campaign all over again.

*Today's Tip: Go Preorder*

If you are not selected, my advice is to go Preorder for your Kindle Scout book for two weeks to one month.

Advanatges:

1. Your preorder sales will be counted towards your ranking during that period. If you can get on some of the hot new releases categories during that time during you will garner some organic sales due to more exposure not unlike being on the hot and trending list during your Scout campaign. If you are a new author, pricing it at .99 might be a good strategy.

2. If you don't go to preorder, you will be eligible for hot new releases only 30 days from launch. If you go preorder, you are eligible during your preorder period plus the 30 days after launch. Again, more exposure.

2. Your preorder also bought list will start to populate if you get sales during your preorder giving you even more organic reach and exposure for sales. If you wait until launch, this might take a few days. One advantage to winning Kindle Scout is that your also bought list populates within a day of going to preorder (this is because Scouters who voted for you are claiming their free books) giving you instant organic reach. (If you are not selected, you won't get those Scout also boughts until release. But you will get them for anyone who preorders).

3. While you won't really get a rankings boost from sales on the day of your launch (this statement applies only to Amazon), I contend that you have the opportunity during preorder to tickle the Amazon algos much the same way as if you frontloaded a BookBub campaign. Amazon algos don't reward spikes. So if you have an upward curve in sales going into lauch day, Amazon will show you more love during launch.

Note: I don't think any of the above applies if you are not going to do some ground work to get preorder sales.

Your Homework:

1.	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkNJ9msoV1U&t=286s

Start at 1:30 and go to end. (Killdeer is in 13 categories).

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yiz8UxGch3s&t=4s

Start at the beginning for this one and view until 4:50. Then fast forward to 5:41 to end.

3.	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evDUE_XPJCs

Start at 13:15 in this video and go until the end.

4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDZLG12oR0Q&t=405s

Start at 5:27 and go to end on this video

Please consider supporting my work with a preorder of _The Killdeer Connection_: http://hyperurl.co/PreorderKilldeer


----------



## Joynell Schultz

I'm updating the list. Sorry for the delays, but my father's been in the ICU for two weeks. He had a tree fall on him while walking int he woods. He's doing better now, so I'm trying to get caught up.

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - *Unimaginary* - Patrick Tylee - (Has 0 Reviews)
(Paranormal Romance/Dark Fantasy) - *Fallen from Grace* - Nikki Landis - in Kindle Unlimited (Has 7 Reviews)
(Paranormal Romance) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)
(Sci-Fi/Superhero) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Contemporary Romance-YA) - *One Broken Day* - Melissa MacVicar - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
(Fantasy) - * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
(Victorian Suspense) - *Beneath the Inconstant Moon* - ID Johnson - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 13 Reviews)
(Dystopian) - *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 13 Reviews)
(Fantasy / Children's) - *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 16 Reviews) 
(Sci-Fi/Historical Fiction) - *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 16 Reviews)
(YA Dystopian/Suspense/Thriller) - *A Sea of Shattered Glass* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 21 Reviews)
(Crime Fiction) - *Vigilante Angels Book I: The Priest* - Billy DeCarlo - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 25 Reviews)
(Mystery) - *Impulse Spy* - Carrie Ann Knox - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 26 Reviews)


----------



## Rena Arun

Tom Swyers said:


> *Today's Tip: Go Preorder*
> If you are not selected, my advice is to go Preorder for your Kindle Scout book for two weeks to one month.


Had not thought of this option --- Thanks for the helpful pointers.


----------



## Kay7979

Joynell, so sorry to hear about your dad!

About preorders: many authors advise against them as it has a negative impact on your sales rank when the book launches. For most of us, that probably isn't an issue, though, as we don't expect to achieve a super low sales rank regardless.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Joynell, so sorry to hear about your dad!
> 
> About preorders: many authors advise against them as it has a negative impact on your sales rank when the book launches. For most of us, that probably isn't an issue, though, as we don't expect to achieve a super low sales rank regardless.


How it works depends on how many preorders one has and how they are distributed. In theory, a steady stream might work better for the algorithms than a huge spike when the book becomes available, though the latter might also work if enough sales follow.

Preorders also make it easier for ARC reviewers without having to mess with getting the paperback up first.

However, most of the people I know aren't that interested in preorders. If they buy something, they want it in their hand (or on their Kindle) ASAP, not a month later. Also, a lot of promoters want the want to be available before they will advertise it.


----------



## Nikki Landis Author

Tom Swyers said:


> I'm reposting this from my Kindle Scout Prepper Thread located here:
> 
> http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,245964.0.html
> 
> I think the post have valuable content for those not selected.
> 
> *Update:
> *
> 
> This Monday, _The Killdeer Connection_ (selected by Kindle Scout) went live for preorder: http://hyperurl.co/PreorderKilldeer
> 
> (The preorder period will last one month until the book is officially released on Augst 8th).
> 
> I submitted the book to go live on June 13th (with edits) and it went live on July 10th.
> 
> I wish it didn't take that long, but that was out of my control.
> 
> I put that time to good use in planning a campaign during the preorder period.
> 
> The preorder price is set for me by Kindle Press at $3.99.
> 
> If you are not selected by Kindle Scout, you can price your book as you wish. That's a good option to have as right now I'm competing with Prime Day book sales including a sale that has all Kindle Scout prior selections being offered for .99.
> 
> I'm fine with that. I don't want my new release priced at .99--not after the Kindle Scout campaign I went through which garnered 8.4 k page views.
> 
> My preorder campaign is aimed at big name authors in my genre. Their price is like $9.99 to $14.99 for a new release. I can compete well on price. I also advertise a 7 day money back guarantee (from release). This is something Kindle offers for all ebooks but nobody uses that aspect in their campaigns.
> 
> All told, I was selected April 11th and went live for preorder on July 10th--almost 4 months to the day. I'd say half of that time was used in polishing the story while the other half was spent waiting.
> 
> With the delay, I feel like I've lost some momentum. Now I feel I'm back doing a Kindle Scout campaign all over again.
> 
> *Today's Tip: Go Preorder*
> 
> If you are not selected, my advice is to go Preorder for your Kindle Scout book for two weeks to one month.
> 
> Advanatges:
> 
> 1. Your preorder sales will be counted towards your ranking during that period. If you can get on some of the hot new releases categories during that time during you will garner some organic sales due to more exposure not unlike being on the hot and trending list during your Scout campaign. If you are a new author, pricing it at .99 might be a good strategy.
> 
> 2. If you don't go to preorder, you will be eligible for hot new releases only 30 days from launch. If you go preorder, you are eligible during your preorder period plus the 30 days after launch. Again, more exposure.
> 
> 2. Your preorder also bought list will start to populate if you get sales during your preorder giving you even more organic reach and exposure for sales. If you wait until launch, this might take a few days. One advantage to winning Kindle Scout is that your also bought list populates within a day of going to preorder (this is because Scouters who voted for you are claiming their free books) giving you instant organic reach. (If you are not selected, you won't get those Scout also boughts until release. But you will get them for anyone who preorders).
> 
> 3. While you won't really get a rankings boost from sales on the day of your launch (this statement applies only to Amazon), I contend that you have the opportunity during preorder to tickle the Amazon algos much the same way as if you frontloaded a BookBub campaign. Amazon algos don't reward spikes. So if you have an upward curve in sales going into lauch day, Amazon will show you more love during launch.
> 
> Note: I don't think any of the above applies if you are not going to do some ground work to get preorder sales.
> 
> Please consider supporting my work with a preorder of _The Killdeer Connection_: http://hyperurl.co/PreorderKilldeer


Interesting thoughts from everyone on preorders. I personally like them. It's a guaranteed sale (for the most part) and I thought it helped me out a little when Fallen from Grace released on June 30th. I only had it up for one week but I ended up with 25 preorders. For a little fish like me that was awesome especially because I notified all of my KS voters and family/friends they were going to be able to download their free copy as promised. Had some more sales since and my free downloads were over 500.

Not sure if I will go the free book to voters route again. Time will tell if that was successful and if I end up with a lot of sales or new readers that boost sales for my other books. So far, about the same as normal. And I'm almost 2 weeks from launch. I did add a few hundred new subscribers to my email list, some left but many stayed after their free copy. Hoping to get to that magical 50 reviews and beyond. Seems like reviews are living in some mystical land far away. Lol. Hoping to be scouting again in the fall with my next book.


----------



## J. M. Moreaux

Hi all, my new YA supernatural mystery The Inhabitable Boy is live and will be available FREE for 24hrs starting Friday US Pacific time https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073W4LCYK
Grab a copy if you like, enjoy, and please consider leaving a review. The new cover art should be available by then, and you can view it on twitter @JMMoreauxwrites too.
Cheers!


----------



## TT Rankin

Joynell Schultz said:


> Here's an updated list: a huge THANK YOU to everyone reading & reviewing.
> 
> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***
> 
> Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)
> 
> *Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*
> 
> Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Paranormal Romance) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Superhero) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Contemporary Romance-YA) - *One Broken Day* - Melissa MacVicar - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
> (Paranormal Mystery/Romance) - *Moonlight Roses & Murder* - Lorri Moulton - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
> (Dystopian) *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
> (YA Dystopian/Suspense/Thriller) *A Sea of Shattered Glass* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 14 Reviews)
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 14 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Historical Fiction) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 16 Reviews)
> (Mystery) *Impulse Spy* - Carrie Ann Knox - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)
> (Crime Fiction) *Vigilante Angels Book I: The Priest* - Billy DeCarlo - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 23 Reviews)


Hi Joynell, I just finished reading Moonlight Roses and Murder and reviewed it on Amazon. Could you kindly add my book to your lost?

"A Return to Fallbrook" by T.T. Rankin (Romance/General Fiction)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0737NG4VF/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdo_67LDzb5H6SPAF

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


----------



## TT Rankin

TT Rankin said:


> Hi Joynell, I just finished reading Moonlight Roses and Murder and reviewed it on Amazon. Could you kindly add my book to your lost?
> 
> "A Return to Fallbrook" by T.T. Rankin (Romance/General Fiction)
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0737NG4VF/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdo_67LDzb5H6SPAF
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


Forgot to add it is avail on KU

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


----------



## Joynell Schultz

Updates below:

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Romantic Comedy) - *A Return to Fallbrook* - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 1 Review)
(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - *Unimaginary* - Patrick Tylee - (Has 2 Reviews)
(Paranormal Romance) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Sci-Fi/Superhero) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Paranormal Romance/Dark Fantasy) - *Fallen from Grace* - Nikki Landis - in Kindle Unlimited (Has 10 Reviews)
(Fantasy) - * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
(Dystopian) - *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 13 Reviews)
(Victorian Suspense) - *Beneath the Inconstant Moon* - ID Johnson - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 15 Reviews)
(Fantasy / Children's) - *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 15 Reviews) 
(Contemporary Romance-YA) - *One Broken Day* - Melissa MacVicar - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 16 Reviews)
(Sci-Fi/Historical Fiction) - *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 16 Reviews)
(YA Dystopian/Suspense/Thriller) - *A Sea of Shattered Glass* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 22 Reviews)


----------



## Kay7979

Joynell, thanks so much for keeping the list updated. 

Kyla, I don't have KU, but I'm up to reading your latest, A Sea of Shattered Glass.


----------



## Dan Petrosini author

Bill Hiatt said:


> In my limited experience, it takes KU readers a while to discover new books. I don't know what else you're doing to promote, but I've found I usually need to accumulate a few sales before the KU pages really kick in.


Hello 
As inferred by Bill, KU page reads do take a bit of time to get going ( many people are like me with a long list to 'to read') 
However, my main point is promoting.
What are folks doing? and as important - Are they doing it methodically? 
I want to emphasis that while I hate marketing like the rest of you, without it, the effort you put forth in writing the book will go nowhere. I realize money is sparse and I am not advocating throwing it around but you can organize a successful launch of your book. It may not go to the moon and will probably fall back unless it catches the rare fire when the promos end. 
I have been regularly promoting my last book, The Final Enemy and I am not bragging but it is ranking well. Now, it is priced at 99 (and I'm frightened to put it where it belongs!) and if not for KU i probably wd be in the red but the point is to get it out there and expand your readership. I'm not an expert and have benefited from all the sages on KB who spell out what a campaign is. I attempted it, with my own twist, for my last two books and it worked so get going. Dan


----------



## Kay7979

I'm definitely one who believes in promos, and not just during the launch, but periodically. I do a Kindle Countdown deal during every 90-day period, and run AMS ads continually. Right now, I'm editing book three in my series. After that's published, I'll be working on a spinoff series. It will be interesting to see if I can build some synergies between both series.


----------



## AaronFrale

Mark Gardner said:


> Inkitt is bad news with predatory contracts, and no proven track record. Their founder changes his story frequently, and seems to promise everything without actually delivering. There are numerous threads here on kBoards on Inkitt.


It shows that I should really do my research here first. I researched only books published via them and from a couple of the articles I read, they seemed to have cleaned up a little. However, I did find one just now that I didn't find before that explained some of the contract in finer detail. It doesn't seem to be good based on that alone. I deleted my original post, just to avoid other authors from taking a look and reading now further. Thanks for the heads up.


----------



## AaronFrale

I'm also glad that I pony up the $35 on copyright


----------



## Dan Petrosini author

Tom Swyers said:


> I'm reposting this from my Kindle Scout Prepper Thread located here:
> 
> http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,245964.0.html
> 
> I think the post have valuable content for those not selected.
> 
> *Update:
> *
> 
> This Monday, _The Killdeer Connection_ (selected by Kindle Scout) went live for preorder: http://hyperurl.co/PreorderKilldeer
> 
> (The preorder period will last one month until the book is officially released on Augst 8th).
> 
> I submitted the book to go live on June 13th (with edits) and it went live on July 10th.
> 
> I wish it didn't take that long, but that was out of my control.
> 
> I put that time to good use in planning a campaign during the preorder period.
> 
> The preorder price is set for me by Kindle Press at $3.99.
> 
> If you are not selected by Kindle Scout, you can price your book as you wish. That's a good option to have as right now I'm competing with Prime Day book sales including a sale that has all Kindle Scout prior selections being offered for .99.
> 
> I'm fine with that. I don't want my new release priced at .99--not after the Kindle Scout campaign I went through which garnered 8.4 k page views.
> 
> My preorder campaign is aimed at big name authors in my genre. Their price is like $9.99 to $14.99 for a new release. I can compete well on price. I also advertise a 7 day money back guarantee (from release). This is something Kindle offers for all ebooks but nobody uses that aspect in their campaigns.
> 
> All told, I was selected April 11th and went live for preorder on July 10th--almost 4 months to the day. I'd say half of that time was used in polishing the story while the other half was spent waiting.
> 
> With the delay, I feel like I've lost some momentum. Now I feel I'm back doing a Kindle Scout campaign all over again.
> 
> *Today's Tip: Go Preorder*
> 
> If you are not selected, my advice is to go Preorder for your Kindle Scout book for two weeks to one month.
> 
> Advanatges:
> 
> 1. Your preorder sales will be counted towards your ranking during that period. If you can get on some of the hot new releases categories during that time during you will garner some organic sales due to more exposure not unlike being on the hot and trending list during your Scout campaign. If you are a new author, pricing it at .99 might be a good strategy.
> 
> 2. If you don't go to preorder, you will be eligible for hot new releases only 30 days from launch. If you go preorder, you are eligible during your preorder period plus the 30 days after launch. Again, more exposure.
> 
> 2. Your preorder also bought list will start to populate if you get sales during your preorder giving you even more organic reach and exposure for sales. If you wait until launch, this might take a few days. One advantage to winning Kindle Scout is that your also bought list populates within a day of going to preorder (this is because Scouters who voted for you are claiming their free books) giving you instant organic reach. (If you are not selected, you won't get those Scout also boughts until release. But you will get them for anyone who preorders).
> 
> 3. While you won't really get a rankings boost from sales on the day of your launch (this statement applies only to Amazon), I contend that you have the opportunity during preorder to tickle the Amazon algos much the same way as if you frontloaded a BookBub campaign. Amazon algos don't reward spikes. So if you have an upward curve in sales going into lauch day, Amazon will show you more love during launch.
> 
> Note: I don't think any of the above applies if you are not going to do some ground work to get preorder sales.
> 
> Your Homework:
> 
> 1.	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkNJ9msoV1U&t=286s
> 
> Start at 1:30 and go to end. (Killdeer is in 13 categories).
> 
> 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yiz8UxGch3s&t=4s
> 
> Start at the beginning for this one and view until 4:50. Then fast forward to 5:41 to end.
> 
> 3.	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evDUE_XPJCs
> 
> Start at 13:15 in this video and go until the end.
> 
> 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDZLG12oR0Q&t=405s
> 
> Start at 5:27 and go to end on this video
> 
> Please consider supporting my work with a preorder of _The Killdeer Connection_: http://hyperurl.co/PreorderKilldeer


Thanks for the post and info. Interesting data and videos.


----------



## Michael Sussman

There are so many options out there for promoting books it's pretty overwhelming. I tried a number of them during my KS campaign and by far the best I discovered was Author Shout, which I'll continue to use. I've also heard good things about Bookbub and Books Butterfly. I've compiled a list of some of the resources available, and am wondering which ones folks have found especially effective and which were a waste of money. Any and all feedback is much appreciated.

Author Buzz
Bargain Booksy
Bloggards Book Hive
Bookbub
Book Butterfly
BookCrossing
BookGorilla
Book Grow
Book Hippo
Book Lemur
BookRunes
Booksends
EReaderNewsToday
Fiverr
FussyLibrarian
Google Adwords
Instafreebie
Jessica Rose unbouncepages
Jason Reed
Kindle Countdown
Mailerlite
Net Galley
Reedsy
RG Book World
Robin Reads
Vote My Review
Whizbuzz
Wildbound


----------



## Michael Sussman

Has everyone abandoned this thread? What's going on?


----------



## ID Johnson

Michael Sussman said:


> There are so many options out there for promoting books it's pretty overwhelming. I tried a number of them during my KS campaign and by far the best I discovered was Author Shout, which I'll continue to use. I've also heard good things about Bookbub and Books Butterfly. I've compiled a list of some of the resources available, and am wondering which ones folks have found especially effective and which were a waste of money. Any and all feedback is much appreciated.
> 
> Author Buzz
> Bargain Booksy
> Bloggards Book Hive
> Bookbub
> Book Butterfly
> BookCrossing
> BookGorilla
> Book Grow
> Book Hippo
> Book Lemur
> BookRunes
> Booksends
> EReaderNewsToday
> Fiverr
> FussyLibrarian
> Google Adwords
> Instafreebie
> Jessica Rose unbouncepages
> Jason Reed
> Kindle Countdown
> Mailerlite
> Net Galley
> Reedsy
> RG Book World
> Robin Reads
> Vote My Review
> Whizbuzz
> Wildbound


There's a lot of discussion of Books Butterfly on the boards. I've used it a few times for free books and once for paid. It only worked well for the free giveaways. I think I used it for Kindle Scout, too, but can't remember. Some people will say to never use them, but I think you've got to contact the owner directly and make sure he knows what you want and you've got to make sure your book is free.
I've never gotten a Bookbub before. 
Ereader News Today is good, but they are a little more selective. 
Recently, I've been very happy with Book Pebble, Book Raid, and My Book Cave for low cost, fairly effective promos. I think you'll have different results if you're looking for a launch as opposed to free/countdown deals.
As for Instafreebie, I wrote two novelettes earlier this summer and have both of those up for free on Instafreebie exclusively, as well as the first part of Beneath the Inconstant Moon (because it's in KU I have to use less than 10%.) I've participated in 3 group giveaways since I signed up and I've had about 500 people sign up for my newsletter. I think some of those people are going on to buy the books associated with the novelettes/preview, but there's not much of a way to know for sure. I think Instafreebie is the single most important resource I've been introduced to through KS. I think it's awesome for list building.
I am sure there are other people who have more experience than I do, but that's what I know about the ones you've listed. Are you planning a launch soon?


----------



## Michael Sussman

Thanks, ID.

Yes, I'm doing a soft launch of my novel, Incognolio, on Aug. 9th.


----------



## Michael Sussman

Thanks, Lorri!

Are we still reviewing each other's novels?


----------



## Michael Sussman

I'm currently reading Patrick's novel, Unimaginary, and really enjoying it.


----------



## ID Johnson

Michael Sussman said:


> Thanks, ID.
> 
> Yes, I'm doing a soft launch of my novel, Incognolio, on Aug. 9th. I'm not very good at publicity, so I hired an author's assistant via UpWork, but I'm not convinced that she knows what she's doing.


Good luck! When I launched "Moon" I used the three sites I mentioned before (Book Raid, Book Pebble, and My Book Cave) as well a Bookzio and eBook Lister and a few other small ones. I also used a Facebook add and the email from Kindle Scout. I sold about 200 copies the first month at 99 cents so I didn't break even on what I spent on promo, but my goal was to get sticky. It didn't quite work out for me, but I am still doing all right a couple of months after launch and with my price at $3.99 now. I was in the top 10,000 for a bit the first week and stayed in the top 50,000 most of that month. Now we bounce around a bit but have stayed in the top 200,000. It was the best launch I've ever had but that really isn't saying too much since most of mine launch with little to no fanfare whatsoever and no promotion.
It seems like launching at 99 cents has worked out well for a lot of KS alum though. I wouldn't stay there for a whole month like I did. I think that was way too long.


----------



## Michael Sussman

Thanks, ID. It sounds like you're learning with each new release. I've published before, but this is my first attempt at self-publishing and I'm feeling much more stressed out. Luckily, I've taken up abstract painting, and it has really helped me relax and enjoy myself.


----------



## Dan Petrosini author

Michael Sussman said:


> There are so many options out there for promoting books it's pretty overwhelming. I tried a number of them during my KS campaign and by far the best I discovered was Author Shout, which I'll continue to use. I've also heard good things about Bookbub and Books Butterfly. I've compiled a list of some of the resources available, and am wondering which ones folks have found especially effective and which were a waste of money. Any and all feedback is much appreciated.
> 
> Author Buzz
> Bargain Booksy
> Bloggards Book Hive
> Bookbub
> Book Butterfly
> BookCrossing
> BookGorilla
> Book Grow
> Book Hippo
> Book Lemur
> BookRunes
> Booksends
> EReaderNewsToday
> Fiverr
> FussyLibrarian
> Google Adwords
> Instafreebie
> Jessica Rose unbouncepages
> Jason Reed
> Kindle Countdown
> Mailerlite
> Net Galley
> Reedsy
> RG Book World
> Robin Reads
> Vote My Review
> Whizbuzz
> Wildbound


Hi Michael, I hope you are well I haven't been as active on the thread but do check it often.
I have learned tremendously from the folks in this and other threads as well as through my first 4 books. So with The Final Enemy, I think I had a 'plan' to promote and it started w KS.
Next I ran (and continue to) a couple of Amazon ads, 2 Facebook and one Goodreads ad.
Then I used my Newsletter and a few swaps as well. In regards to book promo sites as others have said, it is difficult if not impossible to break even. That said, I did use eight and have ENT & Fussy coming up. What i was able to accomplish was to drive sales (though kept it at 99 cents) and KU downloads. (I think I will make some money when the KU payments come in as my page reads are very good) I do think that my efforts, and I tried to make them consistent every 2-3 days is the reason it is ranking very well and sticking there.

In regards to number of sales the best were Readper 35 and Robin Reads 40 (again ENT & Fussy to come) 
I've never has success with Book Grow and used Authorbuzz for my last book but it was not any good
Best of luck Dan


----------



## Michael Sussman

Thanks for all the feedback, Dan. It's great to hear that your efforts are paying off!


----------



## Kay7979

Dan Petrosini author said:


> Hi Michael, I hope you are well I haven't been as active on the thread but do check it often.
> I have learned tremendously from the folks in this and other threads as well as through my first 4 books. So with The Final Enemy, I think I had a 'plan' to promote and it started w KS.
> Next I ran (and continue to) a couple of Amazon ads, 2 Facebook and one Goodreads ad.
> Then I used my Newsletter and a few swaps as well. In regards to book promo sites as others have said, it is difficult if not impossible to break even. That said, I did use eight and have ENT & Fussy coming up. What i was able to accomplish was to drive sales (though kept it at 99 cents) and KU downloads. (I think I will make some money when the KU payments come in as my page reads are very good) I do think that my efforts, and I tried to make them consistent every 2-3 days is the reason it is ranking very well and sticking there.
> 
> In regards to number of sales the best were Readper 35 and Robin Reads 40 (again ENT & Fussy to come)
> I've never has success with Book Grow and used Authorbuzz for my last book but it was not any good
> Best of luck Dan


I'm not familiar with Readper and didn't turn up anything googling them. Do you have a link?

I do well with ENT, Robin Reads, Book Sends, my Book Cave, Bargain Booksy, Genre Pulse, and FKBT etc. A recent newer promo I tried quite successfully is Riffle. It's sort of a Goodreads type site but they do promos too. Their pricing structure is bizarre (and negotiable.) Don't pay over $30.


----------



## ID Johnson

Michael Sussman said:


> Thanks, ID. It sounds like you're learning with each new release. I've published before, but this is my first attempt at self-publishing and I'm feeling much more stressed out. Luckily, I've taken up abstract painting, and it has really helped me relax and enjoy myself.


Best of luck with your launch and the painting. That sounds like a great way to relieve some stress!


----------



## aurichalcyon

As a recent joinee of the Scout program, I'd like ask if anyone can offer their insight on why a book wasn't successfully selected? I.e.: not enough nominations, notations from feedback, etc. 
What are your pearls of wisdom to help those of us who are about to start this nerve-wrecking experience?


----------



## Dan Petrosini author

Kay7979 said:


> I'm not familiar with Readper and didn't turn up anything googling them. Do you have a link?
> 
> I do well with ENT, Robin Reads, Book Sends, my Book Cave, Bargain Booksy, Genre Pulse, and FKBT etc. A recent newer promo I tried quite successfully is Riffle. It's sort of a Goodreads type site but they do promos too. Their pricing structure is bizarre (and negotiable.) Don't pay over $30.


Hi Kay I mis-spoke it is readper.com Good Luck


----------



## aurichalcyon

Mark Gardner said:


> No one knows. It might have something to do with what they're looking for, and if your book fits that and had commercial salability. It could be the mood of the people selecting the books. I can tell you that it rarely has anything to do with the number of views, the number of days in H&T, or the number of social media followers.


Thanks Mark. That's not entirely bad for someone like me who doesn't have a big social media presence; just gotta rely on the judges and hope that I've made a good book.


----------



## Michael Sussman

Kay7979 said:


> I do well with ENT, Robin Reads, Book Sends, my Book Cave, Bargain Booksy, Genre Pulse, and FKBT etc. A recent newer promo I tried quite successfully is Riffle. It's sort of a Goodreads type site but they do promos too. Their pricing structure is bizarre (and negotiable.) Don't pay over $30.


Thanks for all the info, Kay. I'd never heard of Riffle. What is FKBT?
Oh, right, it's on my list!
I can see the sense of sometimes offering one's book for free, but part of me resists the idea. All that damn work and they get it for free


----------



## Kay7979

Michael Sussman said:


> Thanks for all the info, Kay. I'd never heard of Riffle. What is FKBT?
> Oh, right, it's on my list!
> I can see the sense of sometimes offering one's book for free, but part of me resists the idea. All that damn work and they get it for free


I never do free giveaways. Only $0.99.


----------



## ID Johnson

Michael Sussman said:


> Thanks for all the info, Kay. I'd never heard of Riffle. What is FKBT?
> Oh, right, it's on my list!
> I can see the sense of sometimes offering one's book for free, but part of me resists the idea. All that damn work and they get it for free


I use my five free KDP days for the first in my series and then people go on to buy the other three books. I also get a lot of KU reads for all four books during and after those promo days. I have stopped doing free days for my other books though because that never really helps with anything except for a review or two, and I find people are more likely to leave a harsh review if they got the book for free. It's like they think it must not have any value if it is free.

I also think Instafreebie works well when you offer a back story or some other related short story/novelette for free. It gets people interested in the characters, etc. and then they go on to purchase the full-length book. It's worked pretty well for me so far. But writing a novelette is not nearly as time consuming as writing a novel.


----------



## Tom Swyers

Hi Everyone,

I hope your summer is going well.

I posted an updtate to my Kindle Scout Prepper Thread in case anyone is interested:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,245964.msg3540427.html#msg3540427

_The Killdeer Connection_ was released by Kindle yesterday and I reflect back upon the last few months in my post.

Have a great day!

Tom


----------



## Michael Sussman

Tom Swyers said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I hope your summer is going well.
> 
> I posted an updtate to my Kindle Scout Prepper Thread in case anyone is interested:
> 
> http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,245964.msg3540427.html#msg3540427
> 
> _The Killdeer Connection_ was released by Kindle yesterday and I reflect back upon the last few months in my post.
> 
> Have a great day!
> 
> Tom


Thanks, Tom!

My soft launch got even softer when I discovered several typos in the eBook edition of my novel, INCOGNOLIO. (I suppose an anticlimactic launch is appropriate for an anti-novel!)

I made the corrections and am still waiting for them to kick in. Does anyone know how long this process typically takes? Thanks!


----------



## HilaryM

Joynell Schultz said:


> Updates below:
> 
> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***
> 
> Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)
> 
> *Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*
> 
> Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Romantic Comedy) - *A Return to Fallbrook* - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 1 Review)
> (Dystopian Sci-Fi) - *Unimaginary* - Patrick Tylee - (Has 2 Reviews)
> (Paranormal Romance) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Superhero) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Paranormal Romance/Dark Fantasy) - *Fallen from Grace* - Nikki Landis - in Kindle Unlimited (Has 10 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) - * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
> (Dystopian) - *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 13 Reviews)
> (Victorian Suspense) - *Beneath the Inconstant Moon* - ID Johnson - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 15 Reviews)
> (Fantasy / Children's) - *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 15 Reviews)
> (Contemporary Romance-YA) - *One Broken Day* - Melissa MacVicar - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 16 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Historical Fiction) - *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 16 Reviews)
> (YA Dystopian/Suspense/Thriller) - *A Sea of Shattered Glass* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 22 Reviews)


Hi Joynell,

Reviewed - and enjoyed - A Return to Fallbrook and posted on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Return-Fallbrook-T-Rankin-ebook/dp/B0737NG4VF

Would you add my unsuccessful Kindle Scout submission, No Place In Eden to the list please? Historical fiction, the link is https://www.amazon.com/No-Place-Eden-Hilary-Murray-ebook/dp/B073CW1LDB/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Many thanks!


----------



## Michael Sussman

Joynell Schultz said:


> Updates below:
> 
> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***
> 
> Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)
> 
> *Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*
> 
> Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Romantic Comedy) - *A Return to Fallbrook* - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 1 Review)
> (Dystopian Sci-Fi) - *Unimaginary* - Patrick Tylee - (Has 2 Reviews)
> (Paranormal Romance) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Superhero) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Paranormal Romance/Dark Fantasy) - *Fallen from Grace* - Nikki Landis - in Kindle Unlimited (Has 10 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) - * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
> (Dystopian) - *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 13 Reviews)
> (Victorian Suspense) - *Beneath the Inconstant Moon* - ID Johnson - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 15 Reviews)
> (Fantasy / Children's) - *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 15 Reviews)
> (Contemporary Romance-YA) - *One Broken Day* - Melissa MacVicar - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 16 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Historical Fiction) - *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 16 Reviews)
> (YA Dystopian/Suspense/Thriller) - *A Sea of Shattered Glass* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 22 Reviews)


Hi Joynell,

I just reviewed Patrick's UNIMAGINARY. Great story! Here's the link to my Amazon review:
https://www.amazon.com/UNIMAGINARY-Patrick-Tylee-ebook/dp/B073MNRN9K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1502939072&sr=8-2&keywords=unimaginary

My psychological thriller, INCOGNOLIO, was rejected by KS in May and has risen phoenix-like from the ashes. Please add it to the list when you get a chance. It's on Kindle Unlimited or I can send a pdf, mobi, or epub file to anyone who PMs me. Thanks so much & here's the link:

https://www.amazon.com/INCOGNOLIO-Michael-Sussman-ebook/dp/B074GRGHKR/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1502943783&sr=1-1&keywords=incognolio


----------



## Kay7979

I'd like to thank those of you doing reviews. It's a big help to all of us. 

I just signed up for the Hidden Gems review service since I haven't gotten any reviews from this group lately. Hidden Gems is a PAID service, ouch. Review requests go out and people volunteer to review, with no obligation to post a review, and certainly no obligation to post a favorable review. I'll let you know how it goes. 25 people requested my book, and about 80% typically post a review. I submitted the first book, Beyond the Forest, although I really need reviews for the second book (on our list) more. If this turns out well, I'll submit Shadowglade to the program later.

Meanwhile, I'm starting another Kindle Countdown deal tomorrow for Shadowglade. I have never run a sale on just this book alone. Last time, I did a Countdown Deal on BtF and SG simultaneously. I have no idea what kind of response I'll get to having book 1 at $3.99 while running a sale on book 2. Stay tuned to find out!


----------



## HargrovePerth

Michael Sussman said:


> Hi Joynell,
> 
> I just reviewed Patrick's UNIMAGINARY. Great story! Here's the link to my Amazon review:
> https://www.amazon.com/UNIMAGINARY-Patrick-Tylee-ebook/dp/B073MNRN9K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1502939072&sr=8-2&keywords=unimaginary
> 
> My psychological thriller, INCOGNOLIO, was rejected by KS in May and has risen phoenix-like from the ashes. Please add it to the list when you get a chance. It's on Kindle Unlimited or I can send a pdf, mobi, or epub file to anyone who PMs me. Thanks so much & here's the link:
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/INCOGNOLIO-Michael-Sussman-ebook/dp/B074GRGHKR/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1502943783&sr=1-1&keywords=incognolio


I am more than glad to do reviews for anyone who wants to swap. Please contact me and we'll get the kindle add to list worked out for ebook swaps.


----------



## Kay7979

HargrovePerth said:


> I am more than glad to do reviews for anyone who wants to swap. Please contact me and we'll get the kindle add to list worked out for ebook swaps.


We definitely don't do review swaps. Anyone who does that risks having Amazon remove their reviews. The way it works here is you find a book that interests you on our list of books that need reviews, and once you've reviewed the book, you're entitled to have someone in our group review yours. True, there is no guarantee someone will, but for the most part, everyone gets a review or two.


----------



## Joynell Schultz

With some major life changes in my world (like quitting a job and taking over running a zoo after an accident involving my father) I'm struggling to keep this list updated. Please be patient with me, as I'll pop in every few weeks to update. (Unless someone wants to take it over?)

Updates below:

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fiction) - *No Place In Eden* - Hilary Murray - (Has 0 Reviews)
(Thriller/Magical Realism) - *Incognolio* - Michael Sussman - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 2 Reviews)
(Romantic Comedy) - *A Return to Fallbrook* - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Review)
(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - *Unimaginary* - Patrick Tylee - (Has 4 Reviews)
(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - *Days Until Home* - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 5 Reviews)
(Sci-Fi/Superhero) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Paranormal Romance) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
(Fantasy) - * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
(Paranormal Romance/Dark Fantasy) - *Fallen from Grace* - Nikki Landis - in Kindle Unlimited (Has 13 Reviews)
(Dystopian) - *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 14 Reviews)
(Victorian Suspense) - *Beneath the Inconstant Moon* - ID Johnson - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
(Sci-Fi/Historical Fiction) - *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 17 Reviews)
(Fantasy / Children's) - *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 18 Reviews)


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## Joynell Schultz

Mark Gardner said:


> Last night, I finished reading Aaron Frale's _Atmospheric Pressure_. I enjoyed it, and it reminded me of Hugh Howey's Silo series. I'll be reviewing it on my blog this week.
> 
> Joy, once I review it, will that get me another KS reject on the list, or are we limiting it to two books per author?


Yes, send me the link to Amazon and I'll add you to the list. (Is it "Days until Home?")


----------



## Michael Sussman

Kay7979 said:


> I just signed up for the Hidden Gems review service since I haven't gotten any reviews from this group lately. Hidden Gems is a PAID service, ouch. Review requests go out and people volunteer to review, with no obligation to post a review, and certainly no obligation to post a favorable review. I'll let you know how it goes. 25 people requested my book, and about 80% typically post a review. I submitted the first book, Beyond the Forest, although I really need reviews for the second book (on our list) more. If this turns out well, I'll submit Shadowglade to the program later.


Hidden Gems looks interesting, Kay, but doesn't Amazon only allow paid reviews to be posted to the editorial review section & not customer reviews?


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## Kay7979

Michael Sussman said:


> Hidden Gems looks interesting, Kay, but doesn't Amazon only allow paid reviews to be posted to the editorial review section & not customer reviews?


No. ARC reviews are posted with regular reviews. They will be non-verified, and the reviews will mention that they were read as ARCs. They're not paid reviews in the same sense as Kirkus or various newspapers. Payment is for administration by Hidden Gems.


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## Kay7979

I see Bill has a lot of promos today. I've seen three or four for Different Lee so far today, and stacking promos usually is quite effective. Good luck, Bill!

As for my own promos, today I have:

Riffle $30.00
Book Pebble $5.00
eBookChristian $5.50
Robin Reads $50.00

I'm not holding my breath for a lot of sales since I've never tried putting book 2 on sale with book 1 still at $3.99. This is only the second promo I've run on Shadowglade, so I haven't saturated the market, that's for sure! I'll post my results.


----------



## MissingAlaska

So, without reading this entire thread again - and considering that much of it is so old as to be out-of-date -- what is the current consensus on the efficacy of launching a book using Kindle Scout? I'm still skeptical given the terms.  It seems like the books that do well would've done well anyway -- but I'm not completely certain.  Thoughts?


----------



## arivoli

Hey everyone. Glad to be a part of the group. My book Unknown Presence wasn't selected but I've since self published. It's FREE this weekend on Amazon. Check it out and download a digital copy and please leave your honest review. I'm glad to have the support of another KBoards group. You guys are awesome!

https://www.amazon.com/Presence-Alicia-Rivoli-ebook/dp/B0743N7XRB/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1502339689&sr=1-1&keywords=Alicia+Rivoli


----------



## Michael Sussman

Congratulations, Alicia. You've got some great reviews!


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## C. J. Sears

One of these days I'm going to make a dent in my Scout book backlog and actually join in on the Survivors action.*

*You may have to resuscitate my hundred year-old corpse for this to happen. There's a LOT of backlog...





arivoli said:


> Hey everyone. Glad to be a part of the group. My book Unknown Presence wasn't selected but I've since self published. It's FREE this weekend on Amazon. Check it out and download a digital copy and please leave your honest review. I'm glad to have the support of another KBoards group. You guys are awesome!
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Presence-Alicia-Rivoli-ebook/dp/B0743N7XRB/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1502339689&sr=1-1&keywords=Alicia+Rivoli


Nice to meet a fellow Arkansan on here (I'm from the River Valley). Looks like a good book. I'll be grabbing a copy. (Although my above section of the post indicates I may not get to reading it for a long time.  )


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## Nikki Landis Author

arivoli said:


> Hey everyone. Glad to be a part of the group. My book Unknown Presence wasn't selected but I've since self published. It's FREE this weekend on Amazon. Check it out and download a digital copy and please leave your honest review. I'm glad to have the support of another KBoards group. You guys are awesome!
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Presence-Alicia-Rivoli-ebook/dp/B0743N7XRB/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1502339689&sr=1-1&keywords=Alicia+Rivoli


Picked up my copy! I've a bit of a long tbr list but I will read and review when I can. Best of luck on the launch.


----------



## Patricia KC

Mark Gardner said:


> KS Cons (There aren't very many, but here are a few):
> [list type=decimal]
> [*]Many "traditional" authors and retailers still do not consider Kindle Press a legitimate publisher, despite many of Amazon's imprints signing major authors. This can result in some pretty crappy behavior from "traditional" authors.
> [*]Kindle Press doesn't "groom" authors for additional books in a series. Many small presses want to cultivate the relationship, and look forward to sequels, etc. With KS, you got book #2 ready, you have to campaign again.
> [*]Even if your subsequent book _is_ selected, you may not work with the same editor or team.
> [*]Kindle Press requires exclusivity and enrollment in KU/KL. With the payout shrinking month after month, these aren't the revenue streams that they used to be. Also, some authors have found massive followings on non-Amazon platforms.
> [*]Kindle Press won't consider works shorter than 50k words.
> [/list]


A note on #4: Although exclusivity applies, Kindle Press books are paid on the KU 1 model. Once a downloader reads 10%, the full applicable royalty is paid just as if it was a sale. Page reads and per page payouts don't apply.


----------



## lincolnjcole

Patricia KC said:


> A note on #4: Although exclusivity applies, Kindle Press books are paid on the KU 1 model. Once a downloader reads 10%, the full applicable royalty is paid just as if it was a sale. Page reads and per page payouts don't apply.


This is a fairly big benefit, especially depending on if your book reached a specific cutoff.

One huge note from recent stuff: KP is playing with prices right now in prep for the end of the year, so if you like having price stability then getting picked might not be a great thing! My book has changed prices like 4 times in 2 weeks lol.


----------



## The one with all the big dresses on the covers

lincolnjcole said:


> This is a fairly big benefit, especially depending on if your book reached a specific cutoff.
> 
> One huge note from recent stuff: KP is playing with prices right now in prep for the end of the year, so if you like having price stability then getting picked might not be a great thing! My book has changed prices like 4 times in 2 weeks lol.


Hey Lincoln! Just curious, how big have the price changes been? (I'm still playing with the idea of putting a later series book into Scout but admit to being a bit nervous about having weird and inconsistent pricing on the last in series.)


----------



## Rachel W

Joynell Schultz said:


> With some major life changes in my world (like quitting a job and taking over running a zoo after an accident involving my father) I'm struggling to keep this list updated. Please be patient with me, as I'll pop in every few weeks to update. (Unless someone wants to take it over?)
> 
> Updates below:
> 
> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***
> 
> Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)
> 
> *Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*
> 
> Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Historical Fiction) - *No Place In Eden* - Hilary Murray - (Has 0 Reviews)
> (Thriller/Magical Realism) - *Incognolio* - Michael Sussman - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 2 Reviews)
> (Romantic Comedy) - *A Return to Fallbrook* - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Review)
> (Dystopian Sci-Fi) - *Unimaginary* - Patrick Tylee - (Has 4 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - *Days Until Home* - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 5 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Superhero) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 8 Reviews)
> (Paranormal Romance) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) - * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
> (Paranormal Romance/Dark Fantasy) - *Fallen from Grace* - Nikki Landis - in Kindle Unlimited (Has 13 Reviews)
> (Dystopian) - *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 14 Reviews)
> (Victorian Suspense) - *Beneath the Inconstant Moon* - ID Johnson - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Historical Fiction) - *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 17 Reviews)
> (Fantasy / Children's) - *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 18 Reviews)


Hi Joynell

Sounds like you've got a lot going on. I have just posted a review for 'Fallen from Grace' and was wondering if you could add my book to the list? It was rejected by KS in July but I have now published and looking for those much needed reviews.

Here is the UK link https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tikopia-Cyberstalking-Dangerous-Crail-Assassin-ebook/dp/B074DZJNR6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503171717&sr=8-1&keywords=tikopia

and the USA one https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=tikopia

Thanks


----------



## Joynell Schultz

List updated below:

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)

*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fiction) - *No Place In Eden* - Hilary Murray - (Has 0 Reviews)
(Romantic Suspense) - *Tikopia: Cyberstalking is a Dangerous Game* - Rachel Wright - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 1 Review)
(Thriller/Magical Realism) - *Incognolio* - Michael Sussman - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 2 Reviews)
(Romantic Comedy) - *A Return to Fallbrook* - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Review)
(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - *Unimaginary* - Patrick Tylee - (Has 4 Reviews)
(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - *Days Until Home* - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 5 Reviews)
(Sci-Fi/Superhero) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)
(Paranormal Romance) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
(Fantasy) - * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
(Paranormal Romance/Dark Fantasy) - *Fallen from Grace* - Nikki Landis - in Kindle Unlimited (Has 13 Reviews)
(Dystopian) - *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 14 Reviews)
(Victorian Suspense) - *Beneath the Inconstant Moon* - ID Johnson - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
(Sci-Fi/Historical Fiction) - *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 17 Reviews)
(Fantasy / Children's) - *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 18 Reviews)


----------



## Used To Be BH

michaelsnuckols said:


> So, without reading this entire thread again - and considering that much of it is so old as to be out-of-date -- what is the current consensus on the efficacy of launching a book using Kindle Scout? I'm still skeptical given the terms. It seems like the books that do well would've done well anyway -- but I'm not completely certain. Thoughts?


If nothing else, the KS exposure (which there's no way to replicate outside of KS) should help the launch. The launch of my KS rejected title was the best I've ever had, and I know KS had an impact, because my also boughts initially were almost all Kindle Press or Kindle Scout books. My own books didn't showing up for a long time. That certainly suggests I was reaching a different group of readers than I have in the past. Also, even before other promos kicked in, my sales were higher than for past new releases, and several of the promos generated three to four times as many sales as prior promos with the same promoters. I'd highly recommend KS as a launch platform.

Rereading your question, I realized you're talking about books that are selected by Kindle Scout for publication. I'd second what Mark said, with a couple of extra caveats. I've done a lot of research of small presses in the past, and while some of them seemed like good companies to work with, in general their books didn't seem to do any better than mine. That's because a lot of small presses really don't have much marketing budget and/or expect the writer to do most of the marketing. KP doesn't always do a huge amount of marketing either, but from what I've heard, they seem to be stepping up their game, and at worst they have access to Amazon data that gives them a potential marketing advantage over other small publishers. Also, rights reversion and royalty split are both better with KP than with your typical small press.

It is odd that KP doesn't have a long-term vision for developing a relationship with authors. The editors appear to be focused on individual books to the exclusion of long-term author relationships. On the other hand, is there that much point in having a long-term relationship with a small publisher that doesn't do much for you? As for large publishers, self-publishing has a lot of authors who used to trad published. Many are self-publishing now because their publisher lost interest in them. (In other words, every single novel wasn't a best seller.)


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> No. ARC reviews are posted with regular reviews. They will be non-verified, and the reviews will mention that they were read as ARCs. They're not paid reviews in the same sense as Kirkus or various newspapers. Payment is for administration by Hidden Gems.


Yes, one can pay a company to facilitate as long as the actual reviewers aren't receiving anything except a free book.

We do need to examine review companies carefully. Most companies are smart enough to not guarantee good reviews in writing, but even a company that guarantees a specific number is suspicious. I'm happy to say that I saw no evidence of any red flags with Hidden Gems. They produce a good number of reviews, and they aren't by any means all five-star. (I even got a couple of two-star reviews from HG reviewers.) On balance, the HG reviews look a lot like my organic reviews for the same book. The advantage is that they do come in faster if you're releasing a new book.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> I see Bill has a lot of promos today. I've seen three or four for Different Lee so far today, and stacking promos usually is quite effective. Good luck, Bill!


Thanks! _DL_ was at something like 123,000. It's now at around 4,400. So far, I've picked up I about 104 sales and 4 full KU reads.

By the way, I used Ram's Promo Stacker (now I think called Book Rank). I've used it twice and gotten good results both times. Basically, Ram charges a fee to set up your book with a large number of promoters. He can spread them out or stack them, depending on what you want. With some promoters, he can get you a discount, though that's mostly for romance books at this time. He also got me into a promoter I didn't think I was eligible for with an earlier book I promoted. (He has the advantage of bringing promoters a lot of business, which I think helps.) He didn't get me a Book Bub, but then I didn't expect him to. If you want to save time on scheduling promos, his service is a good choice. Last time I scheduled that many promos on my own, it took me a full day.


----------



## Michael Sussman

How do you notify KS that your book is live & you want the emails to be sent out to scouts who nominated your novel? I understand there used to be a button, but I don't see one. I used a contact form yesterday but haven't heard back. My KDF free promotion has started, so I'd like to get the word out asap.


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## Rachel W

People have been discussing 3D book covers over on the Kindle Scout thread and Julianne posted this link http://naijawriterscoach.com/3d-book-cover/ which is brilliant and take about 10 minutes. I used it to make this ad (spent a few hours photoshopping it but considering it didn't cost anything its pretty good).


----------



## Rena Arun

Rachel W said:


> People have been discussing 3D book covers over on the Kindle Scout thread and Julianne posted this link http://naijawriterscoach.com/3d-book-cover/ which is brilliant and take about 10 minutes. I used it to make this ad (spent a few hours photoshopping it but considering it didn't cost anything its pretty good).


So helpful, Rachel, thanks. I must have missed that particular post.


----------



## JulianneQJohnson

Rachel- I just love your 3D cover pic.  It is awesome!  I don't think it needs the shadow, there's enough going on to make it look good.

I just popped in to say Ghost in the Park will be going live soon, I hope.  There's been a slight delay because I angered the keyword bots, and I don't know which keyword set them off.  Hopefully my random fussing will fix the issue.  I'll have several free days if anyone wants to grab a copy.  I'm also planning to stack a few cheap Fiver promoters, so I'll let you know if that makes a difference.


----------



## Rachel W

JulianneQJohnson said:


> Rachel- I just love your 3D cover pic. It is awesome! I don't think it needs the shadow, there's enough going on to make it look good.
> 
> I just popped in to say Ghost in the Park will be going live soon, I hope. There's been a slight delay because I angered the keyword bots, and I don't know which keyword set them off. Hopefully my random fussing will fix the issue. I'll have several free days if anyone wants to grab a copy. I'm also planning to stack a few cheap Fiver promoters, so I'll let you know if that makes a difference.


Excellent - will look out for it and look forward to reading.


----------



## Dan Petrosini author

Bill Hiatt said:


> Thanks! _DL_ was at something like 123,000. It's now at around 4,400. So far, I've picked up I about 104 sales and 4 full KU reads.
> 
> By the way, I used Ram's Promo Stacker (now I think called Book Rank). I've used it twice and gotten good results both times. Basically, Ram charges a fee to set up your book with a large number of promoters. He can spread them out or stack them, depending on what you want. With some promoters, he can get you a discount, though that's mostly for romance books at this time. He also got me into a promoter I didn't think I was eligible for with an earlier book I promoted. (He has the advantage of bringing promoters a lot of business, which I think helps.) He didn't get me a Book Bub, but then I didn't expect him to. If you want to save time on scheduling promos, his service is a good choice. Last time I scheduled that many promos on my own, it took me a full day.


Way to go Bill! I am so pleased for you. Dan


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## Kay7979

A couple of updates. 

First, I think it's safe to say that running a promo on book 2 in a series is NOT very effective. Running book 1, or both together, is the way to go. I had to try, and now I know. This strategy did generate some full price sales of book 1, but I'm selling way less of the promo book than I would normally. Generally, a week-long Kindle Countdown deal is good for 200+ sales. 

Second, Hidden Gems ARC service is money well spent. The reviews are streaming in today. Technically, reviews are due at the end of the seven-day period, but some reviews were posted ahead of time, and some will probably trickle in later. As I stated before, reviews are honest reviews, so expect ratings all over the board. I got at least one two star and a three star, but most have been four or five so far. It's helpful to hear specific criticisms as long as they aren't mean-spirited, and none have been.


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## Michael Sussman

I am giving Hidden Gems a try. Since my novel isn't in the Romance genre, their specialty, they were only able to find me 25 readers instead of the 100 I requested. Still, 25 is pretty good! The first review came in today, a few days early, and was nicely written. At first, I didn't understand the title of the review: Wednesday Thursday Friday did I just read? Ha!


----------



## Kay7979

Michael Sussman said:


> I am giving Hidden Gems a try. Since my novel isn't in the Romance genre, their specialty, they were only able to find me 25 readers instead of the 100 I requested. Still, 25 is pretty good! The first review came in today, a few days early, and was nicely written. At first, I didn't understand the title of the review: Wednesday Thursday Friday did I just read? Ha!


I only got 25 requests as well for my fantasy novel. So far, 14 reviews have been posted. I'll be interested to hear how this goes for you. I'm happy with how it's working out for me. It's nice that it's so fast! A week isn't long at all.


----------



## Rachel W

Michael Sussman said:


> I am giving Hidden Gems a try. Since my novel isn't in the Romance genre, their specialty, they were only able to find me 25 readers instead of the 100 I requested. Still, 25 is pretty good! The first review came in today, a few days early, and was nicely written. At first, I didn't understand the title of the review: Wednesday Thursday Friday did I just read? Ha!


I've just signed up with Hidden Gems also and have 3 reviews so far. From the reactions I'm thinking that the reviewers are more from the romance crowd (Tikopia is a Thriller with romance in it but not HEA but I have labelled it 'Romantic Thriller'). Will be interesting to see the rest of the reviews and in the very least it will help me classify my book better. If the romance readers don't like it then I will market as purely Thriller and hope that the romance part is not off-putting to the Thriller readers. Has anyone else had experience with this?


----------



## Kay7979

Michael Sussman said:


> I am giving Hidden Gems a try. Since my novel isn't in the Romance genre, their specialty, they were only able to find me 25 readers instead of the 100 I requested. Still, 25 is pretty good! The first review came in today, a few days early, and was nicely written. At first, I didn't understand the title of the review: Wednesday Thursday Friday did I just read? Ha!


I just looked at it, and I'm not sure I understand the reviewer's heading, but the review was articulate and the reviewer liked your book. Yay!


----------



## Kay7979

Rachel W said:


> I've just signed up with Hidden Gems also and have 3 reviews so far. From the reactions I'm thinking that the reviewers are more from the romance crowd (Tikopia is a Thriller with romance in it but not HEA but I have labelled it 'Romantic Thriller'). Will be interesting to see the rest of the reviews and in the very least it will help me classify my book better. If the romance readers don't like it then I will market as purely Thriller and hope that the romance part is not off-putting to the Thriller readers. Has anyone else had experience with this?


I'm not sure what you're referring to when you ask, "Has anyone else had experience with this?" Do you mean reviewers feeling your book is not in the right category? If so, I can't address that issue, but I agree that your reviews should provide valuable feedback. Maybe you would be better off to market the book as a thriller. Many books, despite the genre, include a bit of romance. I guess it depends on what percentage of the book covers the romance.


----------



## Michael Sussman

Kay7979 said:


> I just looked at it, and I'm not sure I understand the reviewer's heading, but the review was articulate and the reviewer liked your book. Yay!


Yeah, it took me a minute or two to understand the reviewer's heading: Wednesday Thursday Friday Did I Just Read? Longhand for WTF!

Got a dumb one today:
"The tense of the book kept changing from present to past and back again and ended up confusing me. It was the first meta book O read, and it seemed cool if I could get over the tense switching."

The novel is completely in present tense unless someone is reflecting on something that occurred in the past. Sometimes it's tough to refrain from posting an answer, but I know better than that...


----------



## Kay7979

Michael Sussman said:


> Yeah, it took me a minute or two to understand the reviewer's heading: Wednesday Thursday Friday Did I Just Read? Longhand for WTF!
> 
> Got a dumb one today:
> "The tense of the book kept changing from present to past and back again and ended up confusing me. It was the first meta book O read, and it seemed cool if I could get over the tense switching."
> 
> The novel is completely in present tense unless someone is reflecting on something that occurred in the past. Sometimes it's tough to refrain from posting an answer, but I know better than that...


I would never have figured out the Wed, Thurs, Fri reference!


----------



## Rachel W

Michael Sussman said:


> Got a dumb one today:
> "The tense of the book kept changing from present to past and back again and ended up confusing me. It was the first meta book O read, and it seemed cool if I could get over the tense switching."
> 
> The novel is completely in present tense unless someone is reflecting on something that occurred in the past. Sometimes it's tough to refrain from posting an answer, but I know better than that...


Likewise, I got a one star review from some numpty who completely missed the point of the book. It makes you question the sense in throwing your book to the great unwashed for their valuable opinions - however, the other reviews have been great, so worth the investment so far......


----------



## Rachel W

Kay7979 said:


> I'm not sure what you're referring to when you ask, "Has anyone else had experience with this?" Do you mean reviewers feeling your book is not in the right category? If so, I can't address that issue, but I agree that your reviews should provide valuable feedback. Maybe you would be better off to market the book as a thriller. Many books, despite the genre, include a bit of romance. I guess it depends on what percentage of the book covers the romance.


Yes that is what I meant. I guess that it's more of love story than a romance technically because its not HEA, which is what the romance readers are looking for. However, the story is based on the romance and if it wasn't for their ill fated relationship, the thriller aspect of the story would not have happened. Anyhow, since I wrote that post I have had 12 reviews come in and apart from one, they are all very positive so I guess it will find its niche.


----------



## Kay7979

Rachel W said:


> Yes that is what I meant. I guess that it's more of love story than a romance technically because its not HEA, which is what the romance readers are looking for. However, the story is based on the romance and if it wasn't for their ill fated relationship, the thriller aspect of the story would not have happened. Anyhow, since I wrote that post I have had 12 reviews come in and apart from one, they are all very positive so I guess it will find its niche.


Yay! Glad it's working out for you!


----------



## Michael Sussman

Has anyone had experience with Amazon sponsored product ads or product display ads? Was it worth it? Any advice appreciated.


----------



## Kay7979

Michael Sussman said:


> Has anyone had experience with Amazon sponsored product ads? Worth it? What did you use for your sponsored product? Another novel in your genre?


Yes, a few of us are using AMS ads, with varying degrees of success. I'd say it's worth a try. Every book performs differently, based on the effectiveness of your ad copy, the overall marketability of your book, etc. I have 1000 keywords, everything from generic terms used in fantasy novels to specific book titles and authors' names.


----------



## Michael Sussman

Thanks, Kay. I'm working on those keywords.


----------



## Kay7979

Michael Sussman said:


> Thanks, Kay. I'm working on those keywords.


You don't need hundreds of keywords to get started, but the more the merrier. Use any of your also-boughts that seem to be a good match for your book. You can also use also-boughts of also-boughts! LOL


----------



## Rachel W

Kay7979 said:


> You don't need hundreds of keywords to get started, but the more the merrier. Use any of your also-boughts that seem to be a good match for your book. You can also use also-boughts of also-boughts! LOL


I've just started using AMS and currently have 5 ads running (I tried loads of different things to see what works best). Some of them a getting a great click rate (5 per1000) but I am not getting many sales (only 2 sales to 50 clicks) which means its costing over $10 to sell a book!!. Just wondering if someone could have a look at my amazon page to see if there is anything blindingly obvious that puts you off buying my book? Here's the link https://www.amazon.com/Tikopia-Cyberstalking-Dangerous-Crail-Assassin-ebook/dp/B074DZJNR6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504033655&sr=8-1&keywords=tikopia

Also I've found that the product display type ads which don't use keywords, get both a lot more impression and far more clicks.


----------



## HargrovePerth

Michael Sussman said:


> How do you notify KS that your book is live & you want the emails to be sent out to scouts who nominated your novel? I understand there used to be a button, but I don't see one. I used a contact form yesterday but haven't heard back. My KDF free promotion has started, so I'd like to get the word out asap.


there is a button but it takes a few days for it to show up. For some reason it's not immediate, and they don't send the email out for a few days after you click that blasted little thing!


----------



## Michael Sussman

Rachel W said:


> Just wondering if someone could have a look at my amazon page to see if there is anything blindingly obvious that puts you off buying my book? Here's the link https://www.amazon.com/Tikopia-Cyberstalking-Dangerous-Crail-Assassin-ebook/dp/B074DZJNR6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504033655&sr=8-1&keywords=tikopia


Thanks for sharing feedback on your ad campaign, Rachel.

As to your Amazon page, it seems to me that your book description runs long and needs to be more concise without giving away so many details of the plot. Your cover is pleasing to the eye, but for me doesn't convey the sense of danger your subtitle eludes to. I think the title, Tikopia, is a bit too covered with clouds. The subtitle, Cyberstalking is a Dangerous Game, is barely visible.

I recently posted on our Facebook group page a link to an article that suggests tweaking or substituting covers when a book isn't performing as well as you'd like. As much of a hassle as this could be, you might want to consider it.


----------



## DMChappellAuthor

Just a quick update... My recent rejected KS submission , Ersha's Revenge (Kindle Edition), is now live on Amazon. My first book in the series, The Liberator's Medallion, will be available for free 8/30 - 9/1. Here is the link to the page in case you would like to get a copy of Book One http://amzn.to/2s1KXsU Share with anyone you think might like a free copy. Also, if you are willing, here is my tweet to promote the new book and promo days https://twitter.com/Chappell_DM/status/902948705040347136


----------



## Michael Sussman

Congrats on your novel, D.M.--it looks interesting!


----------



## lincolnjcole

DMChappellAuthor said:


> Just a quick update... My recent rejected KS submission , Ersha's Revenge (Kindle Edition), is now live on Amazon. My first book in the series, The Liberator's Medallion, will be available for free 8/30 - 9/1. Here is the link to the page in case you would like to get a copy of Book One http://amzn.to/2s1KXsU Share with anyone you think might like a free copy. Also, if you are willing, here is my tweet to promote the new book and promo days https://twitter.com/Chappell_DM/status/902688053822578691


Super cool, congratulations!


----------



## Rachel W

Michael Sussman said:


> Thanks for sharing feedback on your ad campaign, Rachel.
> 
> As to your Amazon page, it seems to me that your book description runs long and needs to be more concise without giving away so many details of the plot. Your cover is pleasing to the eye, but for me doesn't convey the sense of danger your subtitle eludes to. I think the title, Tikopia, is a bit too covered with clouds. The subtitle, Cyberstalking is a Dangerous Game, is barely visible.
> 
> I recently posted on our Facebook group page a link to an article that suggests tweaking or substituting covers when a book isn't performing as well as you'd like. As much of a hassle as this could be, you might want to consider it.


Thanks for looking at this for me - good point about the blurb being too long, I kept adding bits to it to make it more appealing but yes, I can see what you mean. I think i really need to try a completely different blurb. With regards to the cover, I'm not sure that it will be that easy to change as it was made by family member who would be a bit upset if I change it! Will have to think about it - maybe I could tweak it a bit as i have all the photoshop files. Thanks again.


----------



## Michael Sussman

Ah yes, Rachel, I know all too well about the delicacies of collaborating with family members.I once tried writing a novel in which I alternated chapters with my brother, and that did not go so well...


----------



## Kay7979

Michael Sussman said:


> Ah yes, Rachel, I know all too well about the delicacies of collaborating with family members.I once tried writing a novel in which I alternated chapters with my brother, and that did not go so well...


I think it would be tough to work with family. I don't think I could collaborate with anyone!

How are things going with your reviews? Are more coming in, or do you think you've gotten back as many as you're likely to get? Mine are done, but I submitted book two, so we'll see if I get a similar number of requests as the first book.


----------



## Rachel W

Michael Sussman said:


> Ah yes, Rachel, I know all too well about the delicacies of collaborating with family members.I once tried writing a novel in which I alternated chapters with my brother, and that did not go so well...


That could be interesting  My sister in law did some editing on my novel and added a few bits of her own....


----------



## Rachel W

Kay7979 said:


> I think it would be tough to work with family. I don't think I could collaborate with anyone!
> 
> How are things going with your reviews? Are more coming in, or do you think you've gotten back as many as you're likely to get? Mine are done, but I submitted book two, so we'll see if I get a similar number of requests as the first book.


I got 39 reviews in all and am really pleased with that - I had 50 people respond so 39 reviews is a great number. I'm pretty sure that is the majority although there may be few stragglers. As well as the benefit of actually getting the reviews it has been great for refining the reader demographic and genre placement. I was really surprised by the positive reviews from people I thought wouldn't like the book and also the realised that is it most certainly NOT a romance!! (LOL - having never read romance I wasn't quite sure of the requirements but apparently HEA is very important!!)


----------



## Michael Sussman

Kay7979 said:


> How are things going with your reviews? Are more coming in, or do you think you've gotten back as many as you're likely to get? Mine are done, but I submitted book two, so we'll see if I get a similar number of requests as the first book.


I've only received around ten, although I still have a couple of days left. Most were positive, but a couple of stinkers: a 2-star review from someone who didn't bother to finish reading the novel and a 1-star review from someone who wrote a single, rather incoherent, sentence who felt the book was not her "cup of tea." Overall, many of their reviewers do not appear to be particularly literate or articulate.


----------



## Used To Be BH

Michael Sussman said:


> I've only received around ten, although I still have a couple of days left. Most were positive, but a couple of stinkers: a 2-star review from someone who didn't bother to finish reading the novel and a 1-star review from someone who wrote a single, rather incoherent, sentence who felt the book was not her "cup of tea." Overall, many of their reviewers do not appear to be particularly literate or articulate.


That's true of the ones I got as well, though I have to say some of my organic reviews are the same way.

Avid readers will tend to be better-than-average writers, all things being equal, but there will be some who love to read who aren't as articulate. I saw some of that when I was teaching.


----------



## Michael Sussman

What bugs me, Bill, is that I gave a fair amount of information about my novel to these potential reviewers in order to discourage readers who don't care for unconventional, quirky, edgy novels. You'd think she could have figured out from that material that it wasn't the type of story she was likely to enjoy.


----------



## Kay7979

Rachel W said:


> I got 39 reviews in all and am really pleased with that - I had 50 people respond so 39 reviews is a great number. I'm pretty sure that is the majority although there may be few stragglers. As well as the benefit of actually getting the reviews it has been great for refining the reader demographic and genre placement. I was really surprised by the positive reviews from people I thought wouldn't like the book and also the realised that is it most certainly NOT a romance!! (LOL - having never read romance I wasn't quite sure of the requirements but apparently HEA is very important!!)


I'm so glad to hear you got a good response and your book appears to be connecting with your target audience!


----------



## Kay7979

Michael Sussman said:


> What bugs me, Bill, is that I gave a fair amount of information about my novel to these potential reviewers in order to discourage readers who don't care for unconventional, quirky, edgy novels. You'd think she could have figured out from that material that it wasn't the type of story she was likely to enjoy.


It's probably more challenging getting thoughtful reviews for a book that requires a more literate, discriminating reader. Still, even a handful in a week is better than collecting an organic handful that might trickle and take a year.


----------



## Kay7979

Hidden Gems Update: I had hoped some of the folks who reviewed my first book, Beyond the Forest, would ask to read Shadowglade, but if new readers didn't request it too, it could be tough to get 25 requests. So, I was surprised to get an invoice for 50 requests! I think it really helped that I followed HG's advice and included both books in the file. She said some folks might read both to fully understand the plot and characters. They're only agreeing to potentially review Shadowglade, but some may review both.


----------



## Michael Sussman

I don't think I'd recommend Hidden Gems to writers of non-Romance fiction.


----------



## Kay7979

Michael Sussman said:


> I don't think I'd recommend Hidden Gems to writers of non-Romance fiction.


Why? Rachel was pleased with the response to her thriller novel, and I'm pleased with the response (so far) to my fantasy novels. It's true that more readers sign up to review romance novels, but I'm not looking for 100-200 reviews. I'm happy with 20-50.


----------



## Michael Sussman

I only received around 10 and had two 3-stars, one 2-star, and one 1-star. On Goodreads I've got nothing below 4-stars. Based on the reviews I got I don't think the reviewers are particularly intelligent or well-read and some can't put together a coherent sentence.


----------



## Kay7979

Michael Sussman said:


> I only received around 10 and had two 3-stars, one 2-star, and one 1-star. On Goodreads I've got nothing below 4-stars. Based on the reviews I got I don't think the reviewers are particularly intelligent or well-read and some can't put together a coherent sentence.


I am sorry to hear that, but as you mentioned, your novel is a bit quirky and may appeal to more sophisticated readers.


----------



## Rachel W

Michael Sussman said:


> I only received around 10 and had two 3-stars, one 2-star, and one 1-star. On Goodreads I've got nothing below 4-stars. Based on the reviews I got I don't think the reviewers are particularly intelligent or well-read and some can't put together a coherent sentence.


I agree the quality of some of the reviews was pretty sub-par and I got several 3-star reviews from people who were clearly romance readers and did't like my book because if didn't fit the romance formula. Also some clearly couldn't string a sentence together. However I spoke to a friend of mine who has 500 reviews on his book and he's found that's par for the course with all reviews - i.e. criticizing the genre and not being able to write properly, so it's not exclusive to hidden gems!


----------



## Michael Sussman

Kay7979 said:


> I am sorry to hear that, but as you mentioned, your novel is a bit quirky and may appeal to more sophisticated readers.


That's true, Kay, but I warned potential reviewers that the novel is quirky and unconventional. And the blurb I included made it pretty clear that they would no longer be in Kansas:

Adrift in the dreamlike narrative of his own novel, Muldoon traverses identities, planes of reality, and the dark recesses of his psyche in an effort to grasp the enigmatic Incognolio. Is he writing a story in which his stillborn twin sister has come to life, or is he the one who died at birth and it's his sister who's writing the novel? Guided only by the whims and dictates of his subconscious mind, Muldoon must finally face his demons and write his way to freedom or succumb to madness.


----------



## Kay7979

Michael Sussman said:


> That's true, Kay, but I warned potential reviewers that the novel is quirky and unconventional. And the blurb I included made it pretty clear that they would no longer be in Kansas:
> 
> Adrift in the dreamlike narrative of his own novel, Muldoon traverses identities, planes of reality, and the dark recesses of his psyche in an effort to grasp the enigmatic Incognolio. Is he writing a story in which his stillborn twin sister has come to life, or is he the one who died at birth and it's his sister who's writing the novel? Guided only by the whims and dictates of his subconscious mind, Muldoon must finally face his demons and write his way to freedom or succumb to madness.


Yes, that should certainly convey the tone of the novel, so I'm not excusing the reviewers. Better they hadn't posted a review. Just for the fun of it, I checked the name of the one who reviewed mine and sounded a bit incoherent as if English wasn't her first language. It's the same person who left you the one star review. I got lucky, she left me a five, but her wording was definitely odd. That may indicate you'd do all right with a different novel, but after having a bad experience with this one, I don't blame you for not wanting to take that chance.


----------



## Carleton Chinner

Hi all,

Glad to see so many familiar faces here. 
My book, The Hills of Mare Imbrium, is now live on Amazon after it wasn't accepted by Kindle Scout.

Looking forward to learning from you all as I begin the long haul to gathering reviews and sales.


----------



## Michael Sussman

Welcome, Carleton, and best of luck! Looks interesting & I love your title.


----------



## Carleton Chinner

Thanks Micheal,

I've currently got Incognolio queued up to read after I finish N.K. Jemisin's The Obelisk Gate.


----------



## Rachel W

Does anyone have experience with using Google Adwords?  I've been playing around with it for the last few weeks with mixed results.  Sometimes it goes like a house on fire and other times I get 0 impressions.  So far it's been the most effective advertising I've used (apart from news letter and blog reviews).  Thoughts?


----------



## Knox

Wow! I'm thrilled to see this board is still kicking. I had migrated to the Facebook page and thought this was dead. I've nissed this conversation!

Going to have to check out this Hidden Gems thing, I'm intrigued...thanks for the heads up!


----------



## C. J. Sears

Well, I'm back here again. At least I'm out of purgatory aka the review stage of KS.

_The Smiling Man Conspiracy_ was unfortunately not selected after almost two weeks in review. Planning to launch soon. Some of you guys have had success with launching free, right? What's the best way to go about that? Just using free days from Select or manually setting it that way for a period of time? Or is there some other method?

I'll update you guys when it's ready to go so you can grab a copy.


----------



## Kay7979

Rachel W said:


> Does anyone have experience with using Google Adwords? I've been playing around with it for the last few weeks with mixed results. Sometimes it goes like a house on fire and other times I get 0 impressions. So far it's been the most effective advertising I've used (apart from news letter and blog reviews). Thoughts?


I've never used it. Only AMS. I haven't heard anyone else here say they've tried it.


----------



## Carleton Chinner

C. J. Sears said:


> Well, I'm back here again. At least I'm out of purgatory aka the review stage of KS.
> 
> _The Smiling Man Conspiracy_ was unfortunately not selected after almost two weeks in review. Planning to launch soon. Some of you guys have had success with launching free, right? What's the best way to go about that? Just using free days from Select or manually setting it that way for a period of time? Or is there some other method?
> 
> I'll update you guys when it's ready to go so you can grab a copy.


Sad to hear that. I thought it was a great read from the excerpt. 
Good luck with the launch and let us know when it's out


----------



## C. J. Sears

Carleton Chinner said:


> Sad to hear that. I thought it was a great read from the excerpt.
> Good luck with the launch and let us know when it's out


Thanks Carleton.

_The Smiling Man Conspiracy_ is available now on Amazon for $3.99:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075G9KNTQ/

Thanks for your support guys.

EDIT: Now FREE through the 13th.


----------



## DMChappellAuthor

Two days left on my Goodreads giveaway for Ersha's Revenge. Here is the link if you are interested in entering: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35488212-ersha-s-revenge


----------



## xprettyguardianx

The thought of my book not being picked by Kindle Scout really scares me but it's awesome to see so many people who are dusting themselves off and doing awesome things regardless. Gives me hope!


----------



## Decon

It's getting the reviews that's the problem as a new release for people to be confident to buy. The ones they accept are more or less guaranteed tons of reviews out of then gate.

I've gone with 99c in the hope of garnering enough sales to get a few reviews. I've also set up AMS sponsored ads, but at that price I'll lose money on the clicks until I decide to increase the price.

My book cover link in my signature works if anyone want to pick up a copy.










Does anyone know how long it takes for them to send out the email to the ones who nominated you that you have published your book, and do they also notify you when it's out?


----------



## Knox

Decon said:


> Does anyone know how long it takes for them to send out the email to the ones who nominated you that you have published your book, and do they also notify you when it's out?


You have to hit the button on your Scout portal indicating it is published. Then the notification email can go out very quickly (hour or two) or take several days. I hit the button on Friday afternoon and it finally went out Monday evening, in a batch with another author who had also hit the button in the meantime. They don't notify you directly, but hopefully you voted for yourself so you will get it too!

Good luck! Trying my first Kindle Countdown deal for Impulse Spy-- not sure what to expect! Definitely looks like not much without heavy advertising..


----------



## Decon

Knox said:


> You have to hit the button on your Scout portal indicating it is published. Then the notification email can go out very quickly (hour or two) or take several days. I hit the button on Friday afternoon and it finally went out Monday evening, in a batch with another author who had also hit the button in the meantime. They don't notify you directly, but hopefully you voted for yourself so you will get it too!
> 
> Good luck! Trying my first Kindle Countdown deal for Impulse Spy-- not sure what to expect! Definitely looks like not much without heavy advertising..


Thanks. I hit my button late last Friday, so hopefully it will go out late today. I guess it will be hit and miss for if it works or not if anyone would care to share if it produced an uiptick in sales.


----------



## [email protected]

Hi there,
My book, the Happy Hammock is currently in a kindle campaign with 17 days left. https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/6RZV8XHY3K9H. My numbers started good but have plunged and I am looking for ideas to get a resurgence easily?
Also, wanted to ask everyone who has finished a scout campaign if it seems typical that their campaign numbers fell during the weekend?
Look forward to your thoughts!
Best wishes,
Kathrin Lake


----------



## Rachel W

[email protected] said:


> Hi there,
> My book, the Happy Hammock is currently in a kindle campaign with 17 days left. https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/6RZV8XHY3K9H. My numbers started good but have plunged and I am looking for ideas to get a resurgence easily?
> Also, wanted to ask everyone who has finished a scout campaign if it seems typical that their campaign numbers fell during the weekend?
> Look forward to your thoughts!
> Best wishes,
> Kathrin Lake


Hi Kathrin

Yes my book had a massive slump in the middle of its campaign. It was in H&T for about 10 days but after that the views fell to less than 10 per day until the last 2 days, where it went back into H&T. I tried all manner of marketing things but they had little effect - I didn't notice that the numbers were particularly affected by the weekends but I guess everyone's campaign is different.


----------



## Decon

Well that's cheered me up, though I doubt it will last.

Off to a good start with Girl at the Window, and way ahead of some of the recently published KS books, athough my sale price is lower than them, but then I can increase it when I want to. Just lacking reviews which they get set up advance of publication. 

If anyone wants to grab a copy I have it on sale at 99c.

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,269 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#125 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers & Suspense > Crime > Kidnapping
#202 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers & Suspense > Crime > Serial Killers
#262 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Suspense > Psychological

I contacted Amazon to ask them to add another category which will be easier to get into the top 10 and they've told me just now they've added it and it will show in 24 hrs. So that's more good news.


----------



## Kay7979

Decon said:


> Well that's cheered me up, though I doubt it will last.
> 
> Off to a good start with Girl at the Window, and way ahead of some of the recently published KS books, athough my sale price is lower than them, but then I can increase it when I want to. Just lacking reviews which they get set up advance of publication.
> 
> If anyone wants to grab a copy I have it on sale at 99c.
> 
> Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,269 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
> #125 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers & Suspense > Crime > Kidnapping
> #202 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers & Suspense > Crime > Serial Killers
> #262 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Suspense > Psychological
> 
> I contacted Amazon to ask them to add another category which will be easier to get into the top 10 and they've told me just now they've added it and it will show in 24 hrs. So that's more good news.


It really isn't true that KS books launch with a lot of reviews. There are accepted books that ran campaigns the same time as my book last August that still only have 20-30 reviews. I agree it can be a help, and some books get a bigger response than others, but it's definitely no guarantee of success.


----------



## Decon

Kay7979 said:


> It really isn't true that KS books launch with a lot of reviews. There are accepted books that ran campaigns the same time as my book last August that still only have 20-30 reviews. I agree it can be a help, and some books get a bigger response than others, but it's definitely no guarantee of success.


I'm going by what the KS editor said on a you tube interview where she bragged about the average number of reviews their books garnered. There is a big difference to starting out cold with no reviews or even only one or two and letting them come in organically . It's taken me upto 6 years to get even close to 20 to 30 reviews. On some, I haven't even reached that yet. Everyone will have a different definition of what they mean by a lot. To me 20 or 30 is a lot.


----------



## Kay7979

Decon said:


> I'm going by what the KS editor said on a you tube interview where she bragged about the average number of reviews their books garnered. There is a big difference to starting out cold with no reviews or even only one or two and letting them come in organically . It's taken me upto 6 years to get even close to 20 to 30 reviews. On some, I haven't even reached that yet. Everyone will have a different definition of what they mean by a lot. To me 20 or 30 is a lot.


Yes, "a lot" is definitely a relative term. You may want to go back a few pages and look for the discussion about Hidden Gems ARC service if you haven't already seen it.

I've seen authors argue that a lack of reviews doesn't impair sales, but I think reviews are especially important for new authors with no track record. How many is enough? I don't know. As a reader I like to see ten or fifteen. I used to indiscriminately download Kindle books, but now I seldom do, even if they're free, unless I feel confident I'll enjoy them.


----------



## C L Salaski

Kay7979 said:


> I've never used it. Only AMS. I haven't heard anyone else here say they've tried it.


What is AMS?


----------



## Decon

C L Salaski said:


> What is AMS?


Amazon marketing services for sponsored ads. When you join, you compile keywords (usually book titles in your genre) and bid on each of them. Your book is then placed on a carousel on your keywords book sales page. You pay Amazon by the customer click. it takes on average 10 click to get 1 sale.

https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/A2DJUTY13KIH2C


----------



## Carleton Chinner

I set up this weekend as two of my free days on Kindle Select, then advertised through a number of free channels.
I wanted to see just how far I could get without spending anything, so went on to Twitter Facebook groups and three specific groups on Google+.
Hootsuite was a real plus in automating announcements to go out at suitable times on the far side of the globe while I was asleep in Australia.

Something must have worked. This morning, The Hills of Mare Imbrium is #25 in Amazon's Space Opera category


----------



## lukekbell

Hi all,
It's my first time posting in this thread but I know some of you from the KS waiting room.
I'm just wondering if anyone would be willing to give me some advice? 
I'm not trying to throw myself a pity party or anything but after taking some advice that I should include a link to be notified of the book being published for a free copy of it in the email that goes out after your campaign has ended (rejected or accepted), I'm a little dishearted to only have 7 people sign up.
I've had several people of Kboards say they would like to read it but as this is my first novel I'm seriously wondering whether it's just not good and whether to even bother with the headache of publishing it via KDP.
Has anyone else experienced such a feeble interest after the scout campaign?


----------



## Michael Sussman

lukekbell said:


> Hi all,
> It's my first time posting in this thread but I know some of you from the KS waiting room.
> I'm just wondering if anyone would be willing to give me some advice?
> I'm not trying to throw myself a pity party or anything but after taking some advice that I should include a link to be notified of the book being published for a free copy of it in the email that goes out after your campaign has ended (rejected or accepted), I'm a little dishearted to only have 7 people sign up.
> I've had several people of Kboards say they would like to read it but as this is my first novel I'm seriously wondering whether it's just not good and whether to even bother with the headache of publishing it via KDP.
> Has anyone else experienced such a feeble interest after the scout campaign?


I'm not sure what you mean that only seven people "signed up." Signed up where? That email is sent out to everyone who nominated your book and we have no way of knowing how many nominations our books receive, only the number of page views.

As to your broader question: are you in a writer's group? Have you received feedback on the novel from several people? Did you hire a freelance editor for developmental and line editing? I feel these are essential steps to take before trying to publish a book. Plus, keep in mind that few fiction writers are able to publish their first novel or two.


----------



## lukekbell

Lorri Moulton said:


> When I was in KS, I put my book right into KU after it was rejected. I had my five free days at the beginning and had several hundred books downloaded. I'm pretty sure people read them because my website is only listed at the end of the story and I had over 700 new followers a month later.
> 
> Remember, those of us with rejects are 97% of the authors entering Kindle Scout. To me, it's not devastating to be turned down. It's kind of like a badge of honor. That's right...I survived KS and I gave away and then SOLD quite a few books.


Thanks Lorri, I haven't had a professional editor or anything since I'm just trying this out and can't afford to pay for one. I think I will just suck it up and put it out there.


----------



## Carleton Chinner

Lorri Moulton said:


> Remember, those of us with rejects are 97% of the authors entering Kindle Scout. To me, it's not devastating to be turned down. It's kind of like a badge of honor. That's right...I survived KS and I gave away and then SOLD quite a few books.


Lorri that's so good I should print it and put it above my desk. Kindle Scout Survivor... and Proud of It

Comments like this are what keep me going.


----------



## ID Johnson

lukekbell said:


> Thanks Lorri, I haven't had a professional editor or anything since I'm just trying this out and can't afford to pay for one. I think I will just suck it up and put it out there.


Luke, you should probably have some sort of an editor look at it before you publish. It's so hard to catch everything yourself. Your brain will read what you think you wrote. I do a lot of editing for other writers and will be happy to take a look at it for you if you want to send it to me. If there are problems, your readers will let you know, and you definitely don't want a bunch of negative reviewers telling you that your grammar is poor or you don't know how to use a comma.


----------



## lukekbell

Thanks, Lorri & ID,
I may well hold you both to that, it would be good to make sure it doesn't read like a toddler with a keyboard. I'm making one more pass through it right now and then I would really appreciate some more eyes on it. It's a silly, funny, murder mystery. Possibly a bit gory in places, but I'm pretty sure it's not scary.


----------



## Dan Petrosini author

ID Johnson said:


> Luke, you should probably have some sort of an editor look at it before you publish. It's so hard to catch everything yourself. Your brain will read what you think you wrote. I do a lot of editing for other writers and will be happy to take a look at it for you if you want to send it to me. If there are problems, your readers will let you know, and you definitely don't want a bunch of negative reviewers telling you that your grammar is poor or you don't know how to use a comma.


ID is spot on. Get an editor my first couple i let go without professional help and it shows. (a tip i heard recently - Change the font and do a read thru. They said things show up that you as author normally wdnt catch Good Luck Dan


----------



## Rachel W

lukekbell said:


> Thanks Lorri, I haven't had a professional editor or anything since I'm just trying this out and can't afford to pay for one. I think I will just suck it up and put it out there.


Luke, I couldn't afford an editor either - I just had loads of friends and family read it and they were great. My sister-in-law dissected it and re-wrote parts even! I think all up they did a great job despite not being professional - I have 49 reviews all up and while some people couldn't handle the story, there isn't one negative comment about the grammar or structure. Also I have a good friend who is a very successful author, selling 100k + books per year and his wife did all his editing! In addition, neither of us have any formal writing education in fact I only did english to 4th form level! As long as you have people to properly read your book, I think you can get away without an editor - it's better than not publishing your book at all if that is the only other option. Also some other advice I was given which worked really well, was to put the manuscript away for 2-3 months without looking at it - start writing another book or something. When you read it again you'll see it with fresh eyes.


----------



## lukekbell

Rachel W said:


> Luke, I couldn't afford an editor either - I just had loads of friends and family read it and they were great. My sister-in-law dissected it and re-wrote parts even! I think all up they did a great job despite not being professional - I have 49 reviews all up and while some people couldn't handle the story, there isn't one negative comment about the grammar or structure. Also I have a good friend who is a very successful author, selling 100k + books per year and his wife did all his editing! In addition, neither of us have any formal writing education in fact I only did english to 4th form level! As long as you have people to properly read your book, I think you can get away without an editor - it's better than not publishing your book at all if that is the only other option. Also some other advice I was given which worked really well, was to put the manuscript away for 2-3 months without looking at it - start writing another book or something. When you read it again you'll see it with fresh eyes.


Thanks Rachel, it's good to know that not everyone can afford / does use a professional editor. I have just come back to it after finishing it and submitting it to KS which is a little over two months and I have to say there are a few more simple mistakes than I would like and sentences that I have rephrased to improve the flow. But at least I'm picking them up and not my reviewers!


----------



## Michael Sussman

Carleton Chinner said:


> Lorri that's so good I should print it and put it above my desk. Kindle Scout Survivor... and Proud of It
> 
> Comments like this are what keep me going.


 Thanks, Carleton, for your wonderful Goodreads review of Incognolio. I'm so glad you enjoyed the novel & can only hope that your prediction that it becomes a cult classic is prescient, since current sales are truly abysmal!


----------



## ID Johnson

Has anyone used Author Den's new review service? It sounds a lot like Hidden Gems to me, but cheaper, so I'm wondering if there's something I'm missing.... I don't think they have the number of potential reviews Hidden Gems has and they might not be as vetted. Wondering if anyone has used Author Den and had a good/bad experience.


----------



## sheritybemy

ID Johnson said:


> Has anyone used Author Den's new review service? It sounds a lot like Hidden Gems to me, but cheaper, so I'm wondering if there's something I'm missing.... I don't think they have the number of potential reviews Hidden Gems has and they might not be as vetted. Wondering if anyone has used Author Den and had a good/bad experience.


I went to the Hidden Gems site and noticed the charge is $20, do you end up paying more than that? If so how much?


----------



## ID Johnson

sheritybemy said:


> I went to the Hidden Gems site and noticed the charge is $20, do you end up paying more than that? If so how much?


I haven't used them, but I think it depends on the number of reviews you request. I think that's just a downpayment or something like that. There are some people who have used Hidden Gems in this thread though, so I'm sure they can give you more accurate information than I can.


----------



## Rachel W

sheritybemy said:


> I went to the Hidden Gems site and noticed the charge is $20, do you end up paying more than that? If so how much?


$20 is the deposit then they send out a request to their readers and let you know how many responses they got. After that, you let them know how many reviews you want and they send out your manuscript or ebook to the required amount of people. (they charge you $2 per email sent I think).

The number of returned reviews is around 80%. I paid for 50 emails and got 40ish reviews. There is no guarantee on the quality of reviews you get however. I made the mistake of describing my book as a romance (it's a thriller with a romantic story) but the lack of a HEA ending really pi**ed off some of the readers and I got a few 3 star reviews and even a 1-star!! (from someone who clearly wants to read stereotypical characters - read it - its funny) However, that said, most of the reviews were really positive and I thought it was very worthwhile.


----------



## sheritybemy

Rachel W said:


> $20 is the deposit then they send out a request to their readers and let you know how many responses they got. After that, you let them know how many reviews you want and they send out your manuscript or ebook to the required amount of people. (they charge you $2 per email sent I think).
> 
> The number of returned reviews is around 80%. I paid for 50 emails and got 40ish reviews. There is no guarantee on the quality of reviews you get however. I made the mistake of describing my book as a romance (it's a thriller with a romantic story) but the lack of a HEA ending really pi**ed off some of the readers and I got a few 3 star reviews and even a 1-star!! (from someone who clearly wants to read stereotypical characters - read it - its funny) However, that said, most of the reviews were really positive and I thought it was very worthwhile.


Thanks


----------



## sheritybemy

ID Johnson said:


> I haven't used them, but I think it depends on the number of reviews you request. I think that's just a downpayment or something like that. There are some people who have used Hidden Gems in this thread though, so I'm sure they can give you more accurate information than I can.


Thanks


----------



## lukekbell

Hi all,

Been away a while trying to get my book into shape for launch but I can proudly say it is now live on Amazon!
Thanks to everyone on here for all your help and advice, especially ID!
I am running a free promotion for all the people who nominated me on KS, if I have timed things right it should work. 
The book will be free from 5-6 October and I will be running a 0.99 promo later on once I (hopefully) have a few reviews.
If you have nothing better to do, or even if you have, grab a free copy here http://amzn.to/2xZ9AMk


----------



## ID Johnson

lukekbell said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Been away a while trying to get my book into shape for launch but I can proudly say it is now live on Amazon!
> Thanks to everyone on here for all your help and advice, especially ID!
> I am running a free promotion for all the people who nominated me on KS, if I have timed things right it should work.
> The book will be free from 5-6 October and I will be running a 0.99 promo later on once I (hopefully) have a few reviews.
> If you have nothing better to do, or even if you have, grab a free copy here http://amzn.to/2xZ9AMk


Yay! You're all going to want to read it! Best of luck, Luke!!


----------



## lincolnjcole

Dan Petrosini author said:


> ID is spot on. Get an editor my first couple i let go without professional help and it shows. (a tip i heard recently - Change the font and do a read thru. They said things show up that you as author normally wdnt catch Good Luck Dan


Haha, I heard that same tip. Tried it, didn't work for me. I missed just as many mistakes.

I'll stick with my editor for most projects. Her style is quite a bit different from mine, but it serves as a great counterbalance to keep me in check!

I'm down to 19 days left before my book launches. The post kindle scout life of this one has spiraled into something massive, so here's hoping the launch goes as well as I pray it does!


----------



## lukekbell

Aargh! The one time I don't want KS to be punctual and they send out my notification email within hours of my request!
I'll just have to hope people don't read their email until tomorrow I guess.


----------



## Used To Be BH

A few thoughts on editing:

It's generally better to have a professional editor if one can. Experience makes a difference. That said, it's always important to keep in mind that the editor is working for you, not dictating to you. (Some of the ones who started out with a trad publisher can be bossy--because then they really were dictating to authors.) If an editorial suggestion feels wrong to you, you don't have to follow it.

Of course, if you can't afford an editor, family and friends can work. You need to vet carefully, though. People you know will always look at your writing differently from outsiders. Sometimes their reaction to you colors  their editorial responses. Occasionally, they might bend over so far backwards to be impartial that they end up being too harsh.

When I was teaching English, I required my students to do at least two drafts on all take-home essays and to get feedback from someone else on the first draft. When the essay was turned in, the rough draft (with feedback) had to be attached. I usually didn't spend much time looking at the rough drafts myself unless there was something radically wrong with the final draft, at which point I started to delve into the writer's process a little more. I did, however, always at least glance at them. Sometimes the students had gotten great feedback from someone. Other times, not so much.

I encouraged students to pick people who could be objective about their writing, but many of them picked parents anyway, objective or not. My all-time favorite comment:
"This is the best essay I've ever read!
Love, Mom" (Unfortunately, it was far from being the best essay I'd ever read.)

Another mother denounced a draft as "terrible" that really wasn't, though. Some of the people giving feedback actually created problems in the essay. The feedback was a very mixed bag. Sadly, it was the students who were already the best writers who seemed to be able to find the best people to give feedback.

I'll end with a story that is hopefully worth at least a smile. One time I asked a student where the rough draft feedback was. He said, "Mr. Hiatt, my dog read it for me. See, here's his paw print!"


----------



## Kay7979

lincolnjcole said:


> Haha, I heard that same tip. Tried it, didn't work for me. I missed just as many mistakes.
> 
> I'll stick with my editor for most projects. Her style is quite a bit different from mine, but it serves as a great counterbalance to keep me in check!
> 
> I'm down to 19 days left before my book launches. The post kindle scout life of this one has spiraled into something massive, so here's hoping the launch goes as well as I pray it does!


Good luck with your launch! My third book is on preorder, launching on the 19th, which was a mistake. Most everyone who was anxious to get a copy are paperback buyers, and the eBook preorders are all but non-existent, which is killing my rank. Sigh. And AMS doesn't seem to be doing me any good either, except perhaps to drive people to book one and two in KU.

Proofreading tip: I put the book on my Kindle and read through it once with a normal size typeface. Then, I go through again with the type REALLY BIG. It makes a difference. With far less lines per page, I tend to spot things more easily.


----------



## lukekbell

Hi all,

I messed up my times (again) and the book is actually free as of now. Pacific time... you live and you learn.
I would love it if you all grabbed yourself a free copy and, when you eventually have time to finish it and if you like it, if you would leave a review on Amazon.
The link is below, go on... you know you want to. It's free!
http://amzn.to/2xZ9AMk


----------



## C. J. Sears

Sad to say that despite a pretty successful free launch for _The Smiling Man Conspiracy_ last month and an additional free promotion for Book 1 (_The Shadow Over Lone Oak_), reviews aren't coming in like I'd hoped.

Any recommendations on how to get more reviews? I know of The Book Review Directory, but I couldn't really find a match for my work there.



lukekbell said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I messed up my times (again) and the book is actually free as of now. Pacific time... you live and you learn.
> I would love it if you all grabbed yourself a free copy and, when you eventually have time to finish it and if you like it, if you would leave a review on Amazon.
> The link is below, go on... you know you want to. It's free!
> http://amzn.to/2xZ9AMk


Bought & downloaded. I remember liking the excerpt and loving the cover when it was on Scout. Hope your launch goes well.


----------



## Used To Be BH

C. J. Sears said:


> Sad to say that despite a pretty successful free launch for _The Smiling Man Conspiracy_ last month and an additional free promotion for Book 1 (_The Shadow Over Lone Oak_), reviews aren't coming in like I'd hoped.
> 
> Any recommendations on how to get more reviews? I know of The Book Review Directory, but I couldn't really find a match for my work there.
> 
> Bought & downloaded. I remember liking the excerpt and loving the cover when it was on Scout. Hope your launch goes well.


I had good luck with Hidden Gems ARC service. (Despite the name, it will take review requests at any point in a book's life.) Number of reviews you can expect varies by genre. I got almost thirty. (One or two I can't be sure of the origin.)


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> Proofreading tip: I put the book on my Kindle and read through it once with a normal size typeface. Then, I go through again with the type REALLY BIG. It makes a difference. With far less lines per page, I tend to spot things more easily.


I second that motion. I catch a lot more errors viewing the text at a larger size. You can do that in your word processor also if you like.


----------



## lukekbell

C. J. Sears said:


> Bought & downloaded. I remember liking the excerpt and loving the cover when it was on Scout. Hope your launch goes well.


Thanks CJ, I'm just doing a freebie for people who were interested from KS, hopefully that will give me a few reviews. I'm planning some ads and a 99p offer in a week or two once I figure out how that all works!


----------



## Dan Petrosini author

lukekbell said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Been away a while trying to get my book into shape for launch but I can proudly say it is now live on Amazon!
> Thanks to everyone on here for all your help and advice, especially ID!
> I am running a free promotion for all the people who nominated me on KS, if I have timed things right it should work.
> The book will be free from 5-6 October and I will be running a 0.99 promo later on once I (hopefully) have a few reviews.
> If you have nothing better to do, or even if you have, grab a free copy here http://amzn.to/2xZ9AMk


Hi Tried to get it but only book is the paperback Dan


----------



## Kay7979

Dan Petrosini author said:


> Hi Tried to get it but only book is the paperback Dan


It's showing up correctly now in both the U.S. and U.K.


----------



## lukekbell

Dan, I’m sorry your having trouble getting the ebook but I hope you managed to grab it while it’s free!
&
Kay, thanks for checking up on this!


----------



## lukekbell

Hi everyone, I need some advice.
I have a really good review of the book on Amazon, but the person has downgraded it by one star because of "a few typos".
Do I comment and ask them to contact me with details so I can fix them or just keep silent? Has anyone had this same experience?


----------



## Michael Sussman

I'm afraid that might look a little tacky, Luke. I'd suggest either hiring a proof-reader or going over it yourself once more very carefully.


----------



## xprettyguardianx

Was there anyone here who has put out any articles or detailed information regarding their kindle scout experience? My campaign just ended and I think my book did well, but I want to be prepared for that next step if it did not get selected. How did you manage the rejection? What did you do next with your book? What would you have done differently?


----------



## Kay7979

xprettyguardianx said:


> Was there anyone here who has put out any articles or detailed information regarding their kindle scout experience? My campaign just ended and I think my book did well, but I want to be prepared for that next step if it did not get selected. How did you manage the rejection? What did you do next with your book? What would you have done differently?


Many of us have done blog posts after Kindle Scout, discussing the campaign process and our experiences. Only about 3% of books are accepted, so it's smart to be prepared for the likelihood of rejection and not take it personally. A good campaign is essentially meaningless as the editorial staff makes its decision based on factors that have little or nothing to do with the author's campaign. I personally spent nothing on advertising during my campaign, and I somewhat regret the hours of contacting people I barely knew, trying to scrounge up every last nomination, as it really isn't necessary. If the contacts are people who will be genuinely interested in your book, then it's time well spent, but if they're people nominating just to support you, they're not likely to be buyers or reviewers later.


----------



## Kay7979

Book three in my series is on preorder and will launch ten days from now. Since I'm launching at full price, and have been looking for promo sites that will take a full-price book, I thought I 'd share my findings for anyone else who may need it. There are two or three sites I'm not including since your book can't exceed $2.99 and mine is $3.99. 

Here's what I have lined up: 

Bargain Booksy
Read Freely
EbookSoda
Choosy Bookworm
Book Pebble
Fussy Librarian

I'll reduce the price of book one to $0.99 from the 19th-31st. I've done Kindle Countdown Deals on books one and two fairly recently, so I'm not sure how effective it will be to promo book one, but one of the benefits of reducing the price in a non-Countdown Deal is that I can reduce the price in ALL Amazon markets instead of just the U.S. and the U.K. 

Promos on book one at $0.99:

Book Barbarian
Bookloversheaven
Awesome Gang
EbookHabit
Book Raid
MyBookCave
EbookBetty

I'm not expecting to get a great sales rank during this launch. If I wasn't in KU it might be a complete waste of money to run promos on a full-price book, but since KU readers aren't impacted by price, it may be helpful.


----------



## JDMatheny

The Torchbearer was turned down on 9/24 and it's launching tomorrow in Select.  It's my first book launch and it's fun and terrible lol.  Torchbearer is first of a trilogy and I'll have #2 - Cave of Bones - go up on pre-order tomorrow in the hopes that people will see that there's a follow up and maybe I won't have to spend too much promoting right away after book one.  I'll have Cave of Bones up for 2 or 3 weeks, haven't decided yet.  Thinking of it being longer because book 3 is only about 70% written and I don't want the gap to be too long.

Promotions Scheduled:
Bargain Booksy
ebook Betty
Book Runes
ebook Soda
Booktastik
Discount Bookman
Awesome Gang
Choosy Bookworm

I've had one AMS ad up for the last couple days at a 2.50 day spend with the idea that I'll kick up spend toward the end of my promo run to pick up slack and give me an idea of what's working.


----------



## lincolnjcole

JDMatheny said:


> The Torchbearer was turned down on 9/24 and it's launching tomorrow in Select. It's my first book launch and it's fun and terrible lol. Torchbearer is first of a trilogy and I'll have #2 - Cave of Bones - go up on pre-order tomorrow in the hopes that people will see that there's a follow up and maybe I won't have to spend too much promoting right away after book one. I'll have Cave of Bones up for 2 or 3 weeks, haven't decided yet. Thinking of it being longer because book 3 is only about 70% written and I don't want the gap to be too long.
> 
> Promotions Scheduled:
> Bargain Booksy
> ebook Betty
> Book Runes
> ebook Soda
> Booktastik
> Discount Bookman
> Awesome Gang
> Choosy Bookworm
> 
> I've had one AMS ad up for the last couple days at a 2.50 day spend with the idea that I'll kick up spend toward the end of my promo run to pick up slack and give me an idea of what's working.


Super cool, good luck with the launch! Let us know what works and what doesn't! My own launch is coming up at the end of the month for books I and II (the link is in my signature) so it's nice to hear about other people's launches to see what works!


----------



## Kay7979

JDMatheny said:


> The Torchbearer was turned down on 9/24 and it's launching tomorrow in Select. It's my first book launch and it's fun and terrible lol. Torchbearer is first of a trilogy and I'll have #2 - Cave of Bones - go up on pre-order tomorrow in the hopes that people will see that there's a follow up and maybe I won't have to spend too much promoting right away after book one. I'll have Cave of Bones up for 2 or 3 weeks, haven't decided yet. Thinking of it being longer because book 3 is only about 70% written and I don't want the gap to be too long.
> 
> Promotions Scheduled:
> Bargain Booksy
> ebook Betty
> Book Runes
> ebook Soda
> Booktastik
> Discount Bookman
> Awesome Gang
> Choosy Bookworm
> 
> I've had one AMS ad up for the last couple days at a 2.50 day spend with the idea that I'll kick up spend toward the end of my promo run to pick up slack and give me an idea of what's working.


Good luck! Thanks for sharing, and let us know how it goes. I'm not familiar with Book Runes. Where did you hear about them, and do you know if they perform very well?


----------



## xprettyguardianx

Kay7979 said:


> Many of us have done blog posts after Kindle Scout, discussing the campaign process and our experiences. Only about 3% of books are accepted, so it's smart to be prepared for the likelihood of rejection and not take it personally. A good campaign is essentially meaningless as the editorial staff makes its decision based on factors that have little or nothing to do with the author's campaign. I personally spent nothing on advertising during my campaign, and I somewhat regret the hours of contacting people I barely knew, trying to scrounge up every last nomination, as it really isn't necessary. If the contacts are people who will be genuinely interested in your book, then it's time well spent, but if they're people nominating just to support you, they're not likely to be buyers or reviewers later.


Will you share those blog posts?
How did you manage the rejection? 
What did you do next with your book?
What would you have done differently, not with your KS campaign but, with your book after it was rejected?


----------



## lincolnjcole

xprettyguardianx said:


> Will you share those blog posts?
> How did you manage the rejection?
> What did you do next with your book?
> What would you have done differently, not with your KS campaign but, with your book after it was rejected?


Here is my author resources page if you're curious about some blog posts about the process before and after. I've written extensively about the topic and it includes a breakdown of all four campaigns I ran, as well as a lot of analysis and recommendations.

 Find all of my author stuff here.


----------



## JDMatheny

Kay7979 said:


> Good luck! Thanks for sharing, and let us know how it goes. I'm not familiar with Book Runes. Where did you hear about them, and do you know if they perform very well?


Thanks! I pretty much get all my information through this site. Pretty sure I got Book Runes from another launch thread. There's so many different ones out there, I had a huge list, then as I read and re-read I would make stars next to the ones that got good feedback. Somewhere along the way that one ended up with a star  . Although it seems many work well for one and not another. I'll definitely update and give feedback.


----------



## xprettyguardianx

lincolnjcole said:


> Here is my author resources page if you're curious about some blog posts about the process before and after. I've written extensively about the topic and it includes a breakdown of all four campaigns I ran, as well as a lot of analysis and recommendations.
> 
> Find all of my author stuff here.


Thank you so much *waddles away to read*


----------



## ID Johnson

lukekbell said:


> Hi everyone, I need some advice.
> I have a really good review of the book on Amazon, but the person has downgraded it by one star because of "a few typos".
> Do I comment and ask them to contact me with details so I can fix them or just keep silent? Has anyone had this same experience?


Well, that's irritating. Don't respond. I wonder if they are an American thinking your British spellings are typos.


----------



## lukekbell

ID Johnson said:


> Well, that's irritating. Don't respond. I wonder if they are an American thinking your British spellings are typos.


I've left it for now and resisted the urge to add a comment and say that I found a few missing words but no typos. I'm also thinking it could be an American / British thing. Thanks Micheal and ID for the advice.


----------



## ID Johnson

lukekbell said:


> I've left it for now and resisted the urge to add a comment and say that I found a few missing words but no typos. I'm also thinking it could be an American / British thing. Thanks Micheal and ID for the advice.


I found two things just now when I went back through it quickly. The thing is, readers will often say things like that for reasons unknown. You wrote a great book. It's been proofread--it's been edited. You could update the manuscript again with the new changes you found and I found, but there are small mistakes in books published by the Big Five. I think sometimes people say that only because they got the book for free or because they know an Indie wrote it. It stinks but you don't want to start ripping your book apart trying to find something that's really not there.


----------



## lukekbell

Thanks ID, I did upload a new version today (which has literally just gone live) with the bits that I found, but I’m taking the review with a pinch of salt. I am I disappointed it wasn’t a five star review, yes. But 90% of the comment is that they liked he story and quoted parts and characters, so I’m taking it as a win!


----------



## ID Johnson

lukekbell said:


> Thanks ID, I did upload a new version today (which has literally just gone live) with the bits that I found, but I'm taking the review with a pinch of salt. I am I disappointed it wasn't a five star review, yes. But 90% of the comment is that they liked he story and quoted parts and characters, so I'm taking it as a win!


Absolutely! And a 4 star review is amazing!


----------



## DLBarton

Hi,

I have been away for some time, but now I'm finally releasing my novel! I was hoping someone could answer some very basic questions for me. In filling out the KDP form, do I use my blurb for the book description? Also, what seven keywords should I use (the book is scifi). 

If there is a specific thread that answers these types of questions that would be great, too.

Thanks for any help!
Doug


----------



## Kay7979

DLBarton said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have been away for some time, but now I'm finally releasing my novel! I was hoping someone could answer some very basic questions for me. In filling out the KDP form, do I use my blurb for the book description? Also, what seven keywords should I use (the book is scifi).
> 
> If there is a specific thread that answers these types of questions that would be great, too.
> 
> Thanks for any help!
> Doug


Yes, use your blurb for your book description. As for keywords, you can use far more than seven words since it can be seven short phrases rather than seven words literally. The best source for keyword advice is this thread:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,205816.msg3561855.html#msg3561855


----------



## Rachel W

Has anyone here used the kboards book promotion service?  I just signed up for the Book Discovery - not got a date yet but I'll keep you all posted on how it goes.  I probably should have asked the question before diving in but Hey-ho.


----------



## JDMatheny

Rachel W said:


> Has anyone here used the kboards book promotion service? I just signed up for the Book Discovery - not got a date yet but I'll keep you all posted on how it goes. I probably should have asked the question before diving in but Hey-ho.


Eh, I'm a diver too  . Got signed up for the 17th. Hope it stirs up some interest. Good luck!


----------



## Kay7979

Rachel W said:


> Has anyone here used the kboards book promotion service? I just signed up for the Book Discovery - not got a date yet but I'll keep you all posted on how it goes. I probably should have asked the question before diving in but Hey-ho.


I have used this service twice, with minimal results, but I launch at full price, and it may be more effective with a discounted book. Last I looked at the thread devoted to this service, people were complaining about trying to sign up and not getting any response. Apparently this has been corrected?


----------



## Used To Be BH

Rachel W said:


> Has anyone here used the kboards book promotion service? I just signed up for the Book Discovery - not got a date yet but I'll keep you all posted on how it goes. I probably should have asked the question before diving in but Hey-ho.


I don't have my notes in front of me, but I believe I sold a few books that way. (I had a lot of promotions running back to back, and some seemed to also produce sales the following day or two, so attributing an exact number to the Kboards ad is tricky.


----------



## Rachel W

Thanks JD, Kay and Bill - all useful info.  I'm pricing my book at 99p for a month to try and increase the volume of sales a little so hopefully this promotion gives it a bit of a boost.  I hope yours is successful JD, fingers crossed.


----------



## emmaryan

finally got my official rejection- after a nice feedback letter last week- and i sent the isbn for them to forward to scouts. what kind of sales boost does that entail? will scouters who nominated hoping for a free book actually buy it?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07654YDQX


----------



## ID Johnson

emmaryan said:


> finally got my official rejection- after a nice feedback letter last week- and i sent the isbn for them to forward to scouts. what kind of sales boost does that entail? will scouters who nominated hoping for a free book actually buy it?
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07654YDQX


I think your pricing when the email goes out makes a huge difference. Books priced at 99 cents when the email goes out tend to have a lot of buys from what I can tell, whereas books priced higher than that don't necessarily get the same reception. I think if you already have a good following, you can risk pricing higher but I plan to have _Prelude_ priced at 99 cents when the email goes out (assuming it isn't selected.) That's what I did with my last failed campaign and the book sold really well the first month. Part of that was promos as well. Best of luck!


----------



## JDMatheny

emmaryan said:


> finally got my official rejection- after a nice feedback letter last week- and i sent the isbn for them to forward to scouts. what kind of sales boost does that entail? will scouters who nominated hoping for a free book actually buy it?
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07654YDQX


Sorry to hear about the rejection, but congratulations on getting the feedback! I don't think that's a common thing and I certainly didn't get that. I would have loved to. Hope your launch goes well.

As for sales, I had a promo with Book Runes the first day of my release, along with the announcement, and got 10 sales my first day. Can't say where they came from, but they could trickle in as well. Hopefully you get off to a faster start!


----------



## JulianneQJohnson

emmaryan said:


> finally got my official rejection- after a nice feedback letter last week- and i sent the isbn for them to forward to scouts. what kind of sales boost does that entail? will scouters who nominated hoping for a free book actually buy it?
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07654YDQX


Firstly, that's awesome about the feedback! I hope they are going to do that more.

It depends. Some will certainly buy, especially since you launched at a discount and launched quickly after you got the no thanks. Numbers can vary. Only a percentage of those hoping to get it for free will buy it instead. It will help your launch if you do a bit of promoting yourself. There's some Facebook groups for .99 books you could join to promote. There's also Kindle Unlimited groups where you can promote if it's in KU. Tweeting and such is also free. And Melrock on Fiver does a nice book-blast sort of thing that's pretty cheap. Like 10 or 15 bucks.

I think my biggest launch, back before I launched for free, (and also back before I had much of a following) was like 25 books.

On a related but different topic, I just did a free launch for Ghost at the College. This was planned from the get go, in my thank you, etc. In four days I gave away 914 books, sold 43 other books, and had 9,773 page views in KU. Heck, the last free day was yesterday and I sold 9 books today and had around 3k page views. Sure, this is still small potatoes, but it is so much better than I used to do. Last month I earned my biggest paycheck to date, almost $600 bucks. The biggest cool thing is seeing that graph in KDP reports. All my lines are getting consistently taller. I really feel like I'm going to hit that $1k month one of these days, and then someday 2k, and so on.

Keep in mind I'm doing this with very little spent on advertising. I spent $40 on GitC's launch, and that's the most I've spent to date. I could be making more money if I advertised more, but right now I'm letting frequent releases sort of take the place of advertising money.

Anyway, this giant rambling post is mostly to talk about possible launch strategies and let you guys know how my books have been doing. I used to be tiny potatoes, but now I've fought my way to small potatoes!


----------



## emmaryan

JulianneQJohnson said:


> Firstly, that's awesome about the feedback! I hope they are going to do that more.
> 
> It depends. Some will certainly buy, especially since you launched at a discount and launched quickly after you got the no thanks. Numbers can vary. Only a percentage of those hoping to get it for free will buy it instead. It will help your launch if you do a bit of promoting yourself. There's some Facebook groups for .99 books you could join to promote. There's also Kindle Unlimited groups where you can promote if it's in KU. Tweeting and such is also free. And Melrock on Fiver does a nice book-blast sort of thing that's pretty cheap. Like 10 or 15 bucks.
> 
> I think my biggest launch, back before I launched for free, (and also back before I had much of a following) was like 25 books.
> 
> On a related but different topic, I just did a free launch for Ghost at the College. This was planned from the get go, in my thank you, etc. In four days I gave away 914 books, sold 43 other books, and had 9,773 page views in KU. Heck, the last free day was yesterday and I sold 9 books today and had around 3k page views. Sure, this is still small potatoes, but it is so much better than I used to do. Last month I earned my biggest paycheck to date, almost $600 bucks. The biggest cool thing is seeing that graph in KDP reports. All my lines are getting consistently taller. I really feel like I'm going to hit that $1k month one of these days, and then someday 2k, and so on.
> 
> Keep in mind I'm doing this with very little spent on advertising. I spent $40 on GitC's launch, and that's the most I've spent to date. I could be making more money if I advertised more, but right now I'm letting frequent releases sort of take the place of advertising money.
> 
> Anyway, this giant rambling post is mostly to talk about possible launch strategies and let you guys know how my books have been doing. I used to be tiny potatoes, but now I've fought my way to small potatoes!


Thanks. That was really helpful and congrats on your success....

I think I got feedback cuz I am already a Kindle Press author under my real name.


----------



## emmaryan

ID Johnson said:


> I think your pricing when the email goes out makes a huge difference. Books priced at 99 cents when the email goes out tend to have a lot of buys from what I can tell, whereas books priced higher than that don't necessarily get the same reception. I think if you already have a good following, you can risk pricing higher but I plan to have _Prelude_ priced at 99 cents when the email goes out (assuming it isn't selected.) That's what I did with my last failed campaign and the book sold really well the first month. Part of that was promos as well. Best of luck!


Thanks! I did price it at 99 cents. Now if they'd just send out the link, I could start obsessively refreshing my author central page!


----------



## ID Johnson

emmaryan said:


> Thanks! I did price it at 99 cents. Now if they'd just send out the link, I could start obsessively refreshing my author central page!


Well, I bought it, so there's that, lol.
It took them about two hours to send out my email when I pushed the button, but I know some people took a couple of days. I don't think I've seen it yet, but then I've gotten a lot of KS emails recently. If it hasn't gone out yet, I'm sure it will soon.


----------



## emmaryan

ID Johnson said:


> Well, I bought it, so there's that, lol.
> It took them about two hours to send out my email when I pushed the button, but I know some people took a couple of days. I don't think I've seen it yet, but then I've gotten a lot of KS emails recently. If it hasn't gone out yet, I'm sure it will soon.


 you did? that's so nice!

the link went out this morning and my rank's not bad for the start...


----------



## ID Johnson

emmaryan said:


> you did? that's so nice!
> 
> the link went out this morning and my rank's not bad for the start...


Yes! I'm looking forward to reading it as soon as I get a chance. I loved the excerpt. I got the email today from KS. Good luck with your launch!


----------



## Kay7979

Book three of my fantasy trilogy launches today at full price, $3.99. I don't think starting a third book at a discount would bring in a lot of sales so I'm discounting book one and hoping for sell-through or at very least some KENP. I usually post what promo sites I'm using and report results here on this thread, but it hasn't been too active lately so I made a separate KBoard thread.

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,256770.0.html

Stop over if you'd like to see details about the promo sites I'm using etc.


----------



## Michele Brouder

Kay7979 said:


> Book three of my fantasy trilogy launches today at full price, $3.99. I don't think starting a third book at a discount would bring in a lot of sales so I'm discounting book one and hoping for sell-through or at very least some KENP. I usually post what promo sites I'm using and report results here on this thread, but it hasn't been too active lately so I made a separate KBoard thread.
> 
> http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,256770.0.html
> 
> Stop over if you'd like to see details about the promo sites I'm using etc.


Good Luck Kay. Btw, I love your covers. Will be following for your results


----------



## Kay7979

Michele Brouder said:


> Good Luck Kay. Btw, I love your covers. Will be following for your results


Thanks! I miss you, Michele. You should post what you've been working on lately. I'm looking forward to another Christmas novel!


----------



## Arches

Congratulations, Julianne on the most recent launch. I've been following your progress and enjoying your success.


----------



## Michele Brouder

Kay7979 said:


> Thanks! I miss you, Michele. You should post what you've been working on lately. I'm looking forward to another Christmas novel!


My next Christmas novel comes out next month. Had a ball writing it. Also coming out is the sequel to Claire Daly. Excited about both but a little nervous as well.


----------



## Kimjwest

HI Everyone
I'm Kim.  I know many of you from the Scout thread. I creep around this thread occasionally but thought I'd better formally participate with all I'm learning from here.  My Scout reject launched on KDP 6 days ago. I only have one book published.  So far it's doing ok with an overall ranking of around 1300 but I've heard the ranking tanks after a few weeks so I'll be looking into promos etc.
Being new to KDP I also don't exactly know how page reads work.  This morning I have just over 75,000 page reads which I'm assuming I earn a few pennies on? Also, yesterday I had 65,000, which means they increased 10,000 over one day.  Does that mean my 290pg book was read by about 30 people on KU? How does it work?  The Google results don't explain it well.
Hope to learn more from everybody.
Best,
Kim


----------



## Kay7979

Kimjwest said:


> HI Everyone
> I'm Kim. I know many of you from the Scout thread. I creep around this thread occasionally but thought I'd better formally participate with all I'm learning from here. My Scout reject launched on KDP 6 days ago. I only have one book published. So far it's doing ok with an overall ranking of around 1300 but I've heard the ranking tanks after a few weeks so I'll be looking into promos etc.
> Being new to KDP I also don't exactly know how page reads work. This morning I have just over 75,000 page reads which I'm assuming I earn a few pennies on? Also, yesterday I had 65,000, which means they increased 10,000 over one day. Does that mean my 290pg book was read by about 30 people on KU? How does it work? The Google results don't explain it well.
> Hope to learn more from everybody.
> Best,
> Kim


You are much too modest! You're doing far better than okay in both sales rank and KENP. You're doing phenomenally. To calculate how your KU reads = #books you need to divide the pages read by your KENPC, which you can find in Author Central in your KDP Select info. The KENPC for my new release is 495. The print version, using relatively small print, is 300 pages, so there's not much correlation between eBooks and print. The payout is something like .0044 per page. I'm lucky to get 500-1500 page reads per days, so I can barely conceive of your totals at 65-75,000.

Good job!


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kay7979 said:


> You are much too modest! You're doing far better than okay in both sales rank and KENP. You're doing phenomenally. To calculate how your KU reads = #books you need to divide the pages read by your KENPC, which you can find in Author Central in your KDP Select info. The KENPC for my new release is 495. The print version, using relatively small print, is 300 pages, so there's not much correlation between eBooks and print. The payout is something like .0044 per page. I'm lucky to get 500-1500 page reads per days, so I can barely conceive of your totals at 65-75,000.
> 
> Good job!


Yes, that is exceptional. To me, it suggests that the scouters must really have liked that one. It also usually takes a while for page reads to kick in, so have that many on day six for a first book could be some kind of record.


----------



## Kimjwest

Thank you guys for your encouragement.  I really have nothing to compare it to so I wasn't sure about how well the book is performing.

My KENP reads are for all 6 days altogether not just the one day.

From what you are saying, that means KU reads affect paid sales rank because here are my rankings now which are fluctuating every hour up and down:

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,319 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#18 in Books > Literature & Fiction > African American > Women's Fiction
#19 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > African American > Women's Fiction
#22 in Books > Romance > Multicultural

I haven't sold many copies plus I had 2 free days out of the six.  So I can definitely credit the Scout campaign plus KU reads.  I guess it's worth campaigning even if you don't win then.
Thanks so much for the info on calculations.


----------



## Kay7979

Kimjwest said:


> Thank you guys for your encouragement. I really have nothing to compare it to so I wasn't sure about how well the book is performing.
> 
> My KENP reads are for all 6 days altogether not just the one day.
> 
> From what you are saying, that means KU reads affect paid sales rank because here are my rankings now which are fluctuating every hour up and down:
> 
> Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,319 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
> #18 in Books > Literature & Fiction > African American > Women's Fiction
> #19 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > African American > Women's Fiction
> #22 in Books > Romance > Multicultural
> 
> I haven't sold many copies plus I had 2 free days out of the six. So I can definitely credit the Scout campaign plus KU reads. I guess it's worth campaigning even if you don't win then.
> Thanks so much for the info on calculations.


Every time someone in KU borrows your book, it helps your sales rank, but the number of pages read had no effect on your rank. The pages read are how you're PAID for those borrows. Ten people could borrow your book, which would be great for your sales rank, but if those people never read the book, you'd never get paid.


----------



## Kimjwest

Kay7979 said:


> Every time someone in KU borrows your book, it helps your sales rank, but the number of pages read had no effect on your rank. The pages read are how you're PAID for those borrows. Ten people could borrow your book, which would be great for your sales rank, but if those people never read the book, you'd never get paid.


Thank you for the info, Kay. So much to learn!


----------



## Dan Petrosini author

Hello All
I am back in KS with new entry - Vanished. https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/I8EUM6E7GMAH

Though my last one, The Final Enemy, wasn't chosen by KS, it continues to do well. Get behind your work, promote it and keep writing! Have a good Day Dan


----------



## ID Johnson

My second failed KS campaign, _Prelude_, is now available. I launched at 99 cents but haven't run any promos yet except for a FB ad and AMS are starting to kick in. I will be doing free days next week because I told people that if they signed up for my newsletter, I'd let them know when it was free. So far, I haven't gotten a ton of signups, so I decided to go ahead and let KS know to send out the email. I'll still do the free days, but it seemed silly to keep waiting to see if people were going to sign up. Anyway, here's the link, but if you were planning on reading it, you might want to wait until next week when it's free. I'll repost. Thanks for all of your support!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076MQM29L


----------



## Kay7979

ID Johnson said:


> My second failed KS campaign, _Prelude_, is now available. I launched at 99 cents but haven't run any promos yet except for a FB ad and AMS are starting to kick in. I will be doing free days next week because I told people that if they signed up for my newsletter, I'd let them know when it was free. So far, I haven't gotten a ton of signups, so I decided to go ahead and let KS know to send out the email. I'll still do the free days, but it seemed silly to keep waiting to see if people were going to sign up. Anyway, here's the link, but if you were planning on reading it, you might want to wait until next week when it's free. I'll repost. Thanks for all of your support!
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076MQM29L


Good luck. I think you're doing the right thing by getting the book out as soon as possible.


----------



## ID Johnson

Kay7979 said:


> Good luck. I think you're doing the right thing by getting the book out as soon as possible.


Thank you!


----------



## Kimjwest

Question on BEST SELLING CLAIMS

Does anyone know what the rules are for claiming to be a bestseller on Amazon? I've discovered I'm number one in a category in the UK so I'm wondering if I'm allowed to say that and if so, how can I say it.  Someone else said maybe I should be top 100 first but I've seen other authors who never made top 100 claiming best seller status.
By the way this is my scout reject so its still going well.  To anyone who is dejected by a recent rejection, By my 9th day on KDP I'd already exceeded the Scout advance payout.  So there is hope for your reject; don't give up!


----------



## lincolnjcole

Kimjwest said:


> Question on BEST SELLING CLAIMS
> 
> Does anyone know what the rules are for claiming to be a bestseller on Amazon? I've discovered I'm number one in a category in the UK so I'm wondering if I'm allowed to say that and if so, how can I say it. Someone else said maybe I should be top 100 first but I've seen other authors who never made top 100 claiming best seller status.
> By the way this is my scout reject so its still going well. To anyone who is dejected by a recent rejection, By my 9th day on KDP I'd already exceeded the Scout advance payout. So there is hope for your reject; don't give up!


That's awesome 

Being number one in a category is great. Bestseller is almost meaningless now because people overuse it. Even NYT and USAT bestseller lists are sort of BS now because so many people scam their ways onto them.

Some people would say unless you reach the top #100 in the entire Amazon store you aren't bestselling, others would say reaching top 1000, others reaching top of a category. All in all, it comes down to each individual theory about bestselling, which is why its meaningless. Readers don't take it seriously anymore.


----------



## Kimjwest

lincolnjcole said:


> That's awesome
> 
> Being number one in a category is great. Bestseller is almost meaningless now because people overuse it. Even NYT and USAT bestseller lists are sort of BS now because so many people scam their ways onto them.
> 
> Some people would say unless you reach the top #100 in the entire Amazon store you aren't bestselling, others would say reaching top 1000, others reaching top of a category. All in all, it comes down to each individual theory about bestselling, which is why its meaningless. Readers don't take it seriously anymore.


Thanks, Lincoln.
I guess as a beginner I'm still starry eyed by the whole thing  
I suppose I don't really have to use it on Amazon, but perhaps will experiment in social media to see if it causes a spike in sales or something. The max I've reached in paid rankings is 873 a few days ago but hovering just over the 1000 mark now, so hoping to have at least another week before the cliff. 
Thanks for the reply + excellent info on launch strategies on your blog 
Kim


----------



## Used To Be BH

Kimjwest said:


> Thanks, Lincoln.
> I guess as a beginner I'm still starry eyed by the whole thing
> I suppose I don't really have to use it on Amazon, but perhaps will experiment in social media to see if it causes a spike in sales or something. The max I've reached in paid rankings is 873 a few days ago but hovering just over the 1000 mark now, so hoping to have at least another week before the cliff.
> Thanks for the reply + excellent info on launch strategies on your blog
> Kim


Those are very good stats!

If you experiment in social media, be as precise as you can. #1 UK bestseller in XXXX category, or something like that. The reason people are skeptical about bestseller tags is that they are often applied in a misleading way. If you are very specific, at least you won't alienate people by claiming too much.

I wish that Amazon would set some standards and leave evidence of past milestones on the product page, even if only at the bottom. Another problem with claiming bestseller status, even if the book has been really high, is that all customers will see looking long after won't see any evidence of that achievement. With NYT and others, someone could look up earlier list, but there's no way to do that with anything on Amazon except the new Amazon charts--and that's for the top twenty in fiction and in nonfiction only.

To end on a funny note, when the India store first opened, I sold one book there. That one book was enough to get me #17 in fantasy, which gives you an idea of how little traffic there was at the time. It didn't last long, of course, and ironically, the customer returned the book almost immediately.


----------



## Kimjwest

Bill Hiatt said:


> Those are very good stats!
> 
> If you experiment in social media, be as precise as you can. #1 UK bestseller in XXXX category, or something like that. The reason people are skeptical about bestseller tags is that they are often applied in a misleading way. If you are very specific, at least you won't alienate people by claiming too much.
> 
> I wish that Amazon would set some standards and leave evidence of past milestones on the product page, even if only at the bottom. Another problem with claiming bestseller status, even if the book has been really high, is that all customers will see looking long after won't see any evidence of that achievement. With NYT and others, someone could look up earlier list, but there's no way to do that with anything on Amazon except the new Amazon charts--and that's for the top twenty in fiction and in nonfiction only.
> 
> To end on a funny note, when the India store first opened, I sold one book there. That one book was enough to get me #17 in fantasy, which gives you an idea of how little traffic there was at the time. It didn't last long, of course, and ironically, the customer returned the book almost immediately.


That's hilarious, Bill! 
I've had about 4 returns since launch which I hadn't prepared for; at least you can laugh about yours!.
Thanks for the excellent guidance; I have seen some books claiming bestseller status and Googled them, never finding anything about their claim, so I guess it's important to be specific. I've realized the U.K. Performance is due to a Goodreads uk based group currently reading my book so I guess that's why it's done well this week over there. I did a social media heads up a few days ago for Japanese customers using Google translate and Japanese language #tags and immediately got a few purchases over there, so perhaps will send a social media msg with UK hashtags to target more Brits using this temp ranking as a banner. Tks


----------



## 97251

Hey everyone  

Question for those of you who participated in Kindle Scout.

Did you think it helped with visibility? Did you think you had a stronger launch afterwards?

(I don't mean being selected, but participating it and not being selected) 

Or would it be better to focus on other mkt strategies? I'm trying to decide for my next novel.


----------



## Kay7979

deniseleitao said:


> Hey everyone
> 
> Question for those of you who participated in Kindle Scout.
> 
> Did you think it helped with visibility? Did you think you had a stronger launch afterwards?
> 
> (I don't mean being selected, but participating it and not being selected)
> 
> Or would it be better to focus on other mkt strategies? I'm trying to decide for my next novel.


It's really impossible to say. For some, it seems to have helped visibility and sales. For others, not so much. I'm not sure what other market strategies you have in mind, but some of them could probably used whether or not you try Kindle Scout again.


----------



## 97251

Thanks, Kay7979, I haven't participated yet, but I was considering it. 
I


----------



## Used To Be BH

deniseleitao said:


> Hey everyone
> 
> Question for those of you who participated in Kindle Scout.
> 
> Did you think it helped with visibility? Did you think you had a stronger launch afterwards?
> 
> (I don't mean being selected, but participating it and not being selected)
> 
> Or would it be better to focus on other mkt strategies? I'm trying to decide for my next novel.


I'm one of the ones it definitely helped. I still did what I would have done for new release promos, but the book started with so much momentum that I got much better results, even from promoters I'd used before.

I think the question with KS is what do you have to lose by doing it? The campaign runs thirty days, and the decision-making process up to fifteen. That's the fastest you'll ever get a decision in traditional publishing. Aside from the slight delay, I can't see a downside. Get selected, and you have a nice publishing opportunity. Don't get selected, and you might have a more powerful indie launch. If there is a downside, I'm not seeing it.


----------



## Dan Petrosini author

deniseleitao said:


> Hey everyone
> 
> Question for those of you who participated in Kindle Scout.
> 
> Did you think it helped with visibility? Did you think you had a stronger launch afterwards?
> 
> (I don't mean being selected, but participating it and not being selected)
> 
> Or would it be better to focus on other mkt strategies? I'm trying to decide for my next novel.


I believe it is important to view participation in KS as an ADDITIONAL avenue of exposure. (plus you learn quite a bit from the other folks who have been through it. KS alone is not going to ensure a good launch, you have to promote....Dan


----------



## Used To Be BH

Lorri Moulton said:


> Hey Bill, just nominated your book! It looks intriguing.


Thanks!


----------



## DMChappellAuthor

Happy Halloween. I am putting the first book in my series, The Liberator's Medallion, on sale for free today to celebrate Halloween. Feel free to RT and/or get a copy for yourself. Have a wonderful, safe holiday!

http://amzn.to/2s1KXsU

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chappell_DM/status/925419885252853761


----------



## Steve Vernon

All of you Twitter aficionados - do me a favor and retweet this for Chloe Garner!

https://twitter.com/StephenVernon/status/926104189952036866


----------



## CF

Hello All,

Long time lurker here and a follower of this thread. Talked to Joynell and will be continuing the reviews list. The last one was months ago and to make things current, please reply here or pm me if you need reviews so I could put up a fresh list. 



Joynell Schultz said:


> Here's an updated list: a huge THANK YOU to everyone reading & reviewing.
> 
> *** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***
> 
> Remember, to get on the list, you need to have reviewed a book on the list (pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited.) Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. (Or sooner, if you like.) Let me know if I missed anyone. (Also, I'm throwing in a reminder that we have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/)
> 
> *Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*
> 
> Books to Review: Remember, no review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with a single author. If you don't have KU or the books not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Paranormal Romance) - *Frozen Perfection* - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 3 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Superhero) *Sixteen Sunsets* - Mark Gardner - (Has 7 Reviews)
> (Contemporary Romance-YA) - *One Broken Day* - Melissa MacVicar - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
> (Paranormal Mystery/Romance) - *Moonlight Roses & Murder* - Lorri Moulton - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 10 Reviews)
> (Dystopian) *Atmospheric Pressure* - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
> (Fantasy) * Shadowglade * - Kay L. Ling - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)
> (YA Dystopian/Suspense/Thriller) *A Sea of Shattered Glass* - Kyla Stone - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 14 Reviews)
> (Fantasy / Children's) *Shadowbane* - Paul Francois (Has 14 Reviews)
> (Sci-Fi/Historical Fiction) *War of the Worlds: Retaliation* - Mark Gardner - (Has 16 Reviews)
> (Mystery) *Impulse Spy* - Carrie Ann Knox - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)
> (Crime Fiction) *Vigilante Angels Book I: The Priest* - Billy DeCarlo - In Kindle Unlimited (Has 23 Reviews)


----------



## Kay7979

CF said:


> Hello All,
> 
> Long time lurker here and a follower of this thread. Talked to Joynell and will be continuing the reviews list. The last one was months ago and to make things current, please reply here or pm me if you need reviews so I could put up a fresh list.


I used Hidden Gems ARC service for Shadowglade, so now have plenty for that book, but could use more for Runes and Relics. The problem with that is it's book three in a series, but it might be interesting to get the perspective of someone attempting to dive into the third book without having read the others.


----------



## Arches

CF said:


> Hello All,
> 
> Long time lurker here and a follower of this thread. Talked to Joynell and will be continuing the reviews list. The last one was months ago and to make things current, please reply here or pm me if you need reviews so I could put up a fresh list.


I'd appreciate reviews for Forged by Fire, in my signature. Only two so far. Thanks.


----------



## Decon

I was stuck on 7 reviews for Girl at the Window, but i've just hit 12. Trouble is one if the worst ones refers to me as her? and so I'm not sure if it is a mistake as there are a few books with similar titles. Could do with more reviews.


----------



## Kay7979

The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


----------



## CF

List updated below:

*** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ***

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  and have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has 2 Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 2 Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has 3 Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return to Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 5 Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 5 Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)

(Paranormal Romance) - * Frozen Perfection * - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 11 Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 15 Reviews)

(Victorian Suspense) - * Beneath the Inconstant Moon * - ID Johnson - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois (Has 19 Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## srobards

Bill Hiatt said:


> Is anyone else made crazy by going through the file for the print edition to make sure hyphenation is correct? Perhaps there is a better way.
> 
> I use Scrivener for composing, but for final print preparation I export to Word, Once all the other settings are correct, I go through the document using Word's manual hyphenation routine, checking each suggestion against CMOS guidelines and common sense. Word has a few things built in, like a way to avoid hyphen stacks, and it always splits between syllables, as it should, but it doesn't obey other CMOS standards, like not leaving a single letter at the end of a line or two letters at the beginning. After fixing the hyphenation, I go back through the manuscript again to check for appearance, because Word makes it hard to see the context during manual hyphenation. I end up with a satisfactory result, but it takes about a full working day to do it. Anyone have a better method?
> 
> Also, what's the consensus on worrying about widows and orphans? I used to use widow and orphan control in Word, but I didn't like the resulting uneven look at the bottom of the page. It looks better to me for the pages to have a uniform bottom margin, the only exception being if the last page of the chapter ends up with only a single line of text, which luckily doesn't seem to be happening anywhere in the current manuscript.


I've used Scribus https://www.scribus.netfor a few years now and with manual manipulation you can produce a very good looking book. I have also used gimp and scribus to make covers. Both open source programs. Being a desktop publishing program, Scribus, doesn't take much to learn and also as you need to manually format each page, you can see what orphans and windows are their, and turn it forces me to edit to make sure there are no windows or orpans.


----------



## srobards

Another recent reject here. 

I am wondering if anyone has put what was a prequel into the release of the sequel? 

I'm considering putting the prequel, which is really a large prologue, in the same file during a preorder period, so they are sold as two books together.


----------



## Kay7979

srobards said:


> Another recent reject here.
> 
> I am wondering if anyone has put what was a prequel into the release of the sequel?
> 
> I'm considering putting the prequel, which is really a large prologue, in the same file during a preorder period, so they are sold as two books together.


I don't know anyone who's done that, but I see no harm in it.


----------



## Used To Be BH

srobards said:


> Another recent reject here.
> 
> I am wondering if anyone has put what was a prequel into the release of the sequel?
> 
> I'm considering putting the prequel, which is really a large prologue, in the same file during a preorder period, so they are sold as two books together.


I did it!

I had debated whether or not the prequel was necessary to understand book 1, but I couldn't insert the prequel, which was already published, if I wanted to go through the KS process, so I tried that first. During the process, some people who'd read the excerpt asked me if what they intuited had gone before was already available, so I pointed them at the prequel. When I got the editor's comments, his single biggest criticism was that the book, even though labeled book 1, seemed more like book 2 to him. He felt I need to fill in more of the back story. (I had put in what I though were enough details for a reader to know what was going on. Evidently not!)

That was enough feedback for me to realize it would be a mistake to publish book 1 without the prequel, so it became the prologue. just as you're suggesting. So far, the reviews have been good, so I guess I did the right thing.


----------



## CF

List updated below:

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  and have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has 2 Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 2 Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has 3 Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return to Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 5 Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 5 Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)

(Paranormal Romance) - * Frozen Perfection * - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 12 Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 15 Reviews)

(Victorian Suspense) - * Beneath the Inconstant Moon * - ID Johnson - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois (Has 19 Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## CF

List updated below:

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  and have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has *2* Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has *3* Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return to Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *8* Reviews)

(Paranormal Romance) - * Frozen Perfection * - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *12* Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *15* Reviews)

(Victorian Suspense) - * Beneath the Inconstant Moon * - ID Johnson - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *19* Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois (Has *19* Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## Kay7979

I've started a new Kindle Scout campaign. Either way it goes, it's good exposure for my new book and for the original trilogy. I won't bother posting a link. If anyone wants to check it out, you can find the link on Steve's nominations thread. Mostly, I'm just posting here to say that I've learned so much since my first campaign, and many of you have been a huge help to me over the last year and a half. Thanks!


----------



## CF

List updated below:

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  and have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has *2* Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has *3* Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return to Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *7* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *8* Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *15* Reviews)

(Paranormal Romance) - * Frozen Perfection * - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *16* Reviews)

(Victorian Suspense) - * Beneath the Inconstant Moon * - ID Johnson - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *19* Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois (Has *19* Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## Steve Vernon

I've posted this elsewhere - but I thought some of you folks here might be interested in reading my latest blog entry - DOES KINDLE SCOUT SUCK?

https://stevevernonstoryteller.wordpress.com/2018/02/04/does-kindle-scout-suck/


----------



## CF

Thanks for the link, Steve! That post is such an eye opener about KS.

List updated below:

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  and have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has 2 Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has 3 Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return to Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 5 Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 5 Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 7 Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 8 Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 15 Reviews)

(Paranormal Romance) - * Frozen Perfection * - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 18 Reviews)

(Victorian Suspense) - * Beneath the Inconstant Moon * - ID Johnson - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 19 Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois (Has 19 Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## CF

List updated below:

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  and have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has *2* Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has *3* Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return to Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *7* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *8* Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *15* Reviews)

(Paranormal Romance) - * Frozen Perfection * - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *18* Reviews)

(Victorian Suspense) - * Beneath the Inconstant Moon * - ID Johnson - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *19* Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois (Has *19* Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## kalencap

waving hello. Just received the "not selected" email this hour. Good to go.


----------



## georgiana89

Hi, as far as the review system in this thread goes, is it possible (once I've reviewed someone else's book, of course) to send someone an e-copy of my book before publication, so they could post a review on the day it goes live? Or do I need to be more patient and wait?! Thanks.


----------



## georgiana89

Also, a quick question that's probably been asked a million times before. Apologies if so. I scanned as many of the 96 pages as I could manage before posting!
My KS campaign closed on 5th Feb, and I was rejected last week. I got some good feedback, I've acted on it, and I'm basically ready to press go. 
However, I've signed up for Hidden Gems, as recommended on this thread, and won't get my reviews from that until around 3rd April. I'm also looking at various promo sites, and in many cases, they are booked up until late March or early April. 
So my question is, should I publish now in the hope of capitalising on the KS buzz (I got about 5000 views and plenty of H&T hours, and as I think feedback implies you were shortlisted, presumably a fair few nominations) or wait, risk losing that, and go for a launch backed up with reviews and heavy hitting promos? 
What do you think is roughly the longest you can leave it between a KS campaign closing and KDP publication happening and still get the benefit from the former?
Thanks.


----------



## Kay7979

georgiana89 said:


> Also, a quick question that's probably been asked a million times before. Apologies if so. I scanned as many of the 96 pages as I could manage before posting!
> My KS campaign closed on 5th Feb, and I was rejected last week. I got some good feedback, I've acted on it, and I'm basically ready to press go.
> However, I've signed up for Hidden Gems, as recommended on this thread, and won't get my reviews from that until around 3rd April. I'm also looking at various promo sites, and in many cases, they are booked up until late March or early April.
> So my question is, should I publish now in the hope of capitalising on the KS buzz (I got about 5000 views and plenty of H&T hours, and as I think feedback implies you were shortlisted, presumably a fair few nominations) or wait, risk losing that, and go for a launch backed up with reviews and heavy hitting promos?
> What do you think is roughly the longest you can leave it between a KS campaign closing and KDP publication happening and still get the benefit from the former?
> Thanks.


First of all, I must say this thread has languished lately and folks have drifted off, so the review feature hasn't been very active. In theory, you could read a book from the list to become eligible to receive a review from someone else, but there is no guarantee someone will step forward right away and request a review copy of your book. If they do, you can certainly send them an advance copy before publication. You need to be careful about giving out unpublished copies, but do you have trustworthy readers on your mailing list or Facebook Author Page followers who would like an advance copy?

As to your other issue, that's a hard question to answer, but I learn toward getting the book out quickly while it's fresh in the minds of those who nominated it.


----------



## georgiana89

Kay7979 said:


> First of all, I must say this thread has languished lately and folks have drifted off, so the review feature hasn't been very active. In theory, you could read a book from the list to become eligible to receive a review from someone else, but there is no guarantee someone will step forward right away and request a review copy of your book. If they do, you can certainly send them an advance copy before publication. You need to be careful about giving out unpublished copies, but do you have trustworthy readers on your mailing list or Facebook Author Page followers who would like an advance copy?
> 
> As to your other issue, that's a hard question to answer, but I learn toward getting the book out quickly while it's fresh in the minds of those who nominated it.


Thanks, that's useful. I suspect I'm going to publish earlier than April, mostly because I can't wait rather than for any more logical reasons! Shame the thread become less active. Hope your current campaign is going well.


----------



## Kay7979

georgiana89 said:


> Thanks, that's useful. I suspect I'm going to publish earlier than April, mostly because I can't wait rather than for any more logical reasons! Shame the thread become less active. Hope your current campaign is going well.


At what price do you plan to launch? There are a number of promo sites with short lead times, and there are a few that take books at $2.99 and even $3.99 if you're planning to launch at full price. Granted, few readers that subscribe to the newsletters are willing to pay full price for a book, but if you're in Select you may pick up some KU readers. You may want to use AMS as well if you're launching at full price.


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  and have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has *2* Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has *3* Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return to Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *7* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *8* Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *15* Reviews)

(Paranormal Romance) - * Frozen Perfection * - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *18* Reviews)

(Victorian Suspense) - * Beneath the Inconstant Moon * - ID Johnson - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *19* Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois (Has *19* Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## kalencap

Kay7979 said:


> At what price do you plan to launch? There are a number of promo sites with short lead times, and there are a few that take books at $2.99 and even $3.99 if you're planning to launch at full price. Granted, few readers that subscribe to the newsletters are willing to pay full price for a book, but if you're in Select you may pick up some KU readers. You may want to use AMS as well if you're launching at full price.


Working on this myself. Yay, I'm just getting an idea of KU, since didn't use on first novel. May not have been an option in 2012. Planning to launch ebook full ( at 2.99) and see how ku does. My first deal date is 0.99 on May 6 - 12 as planned, corresponding to Biggest Week in American Birding along Lake Erie with kindle countdown if everything loads right. Hope with the pricing that I can try ams ads and BookBub cpm ads (the paid ads, not the special listing most try for with the high reject rate). Probably use Facebook ads as well. Other than initial sales, will try to focus on review seeking through April.

That is the gist of a plan. Will try some promos to learn and see what happens before emphasizing the kindle countdown week in May as more of a hard launch after the soft launch March 13th. Will let folks know if I get preorder up okay and finalized.


----------



## CF

List updated below:

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - (Has *0* Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has *2* Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has *3* Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return to Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *8* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *8* Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *15* Reviews)

(Paranormal Romance) - * Frozen Perfection * - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *18* Reviews)

(Victorian Suspense) - * Beneath the Inconstant Moon * - ID Johnson - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *19* Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois (Has *19* Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## TascheLaine

My debut book was rejected by KS yesterday. It was also rejected by 28 agents (who never requested the ms, they rejected the query letter). The problem is, it's a memoir disguised as fiction--and I break some genre rules. If I truly want to market it as fiction, I need to add more dialogue and actually 'fictionalize' more of it. I thought if I left it the way it is and just said "based on a true story" that would work, but not according to the feedback I got from the KS editors. So, here's where I'm stuck... I seem unwilling to depart from the truth, yet equally unwilling to use my own name (the protagonist, aka me, has a fictitious name. I'm told you can't do that with memoir, it makes it less credible). Now I feel that if I release it as fiction--as it is--I'll get raked over the coals, because it doesn't follow true fiction elements.

Looks like rewrites are in my immediate future.

Thanks for letting me think out loud.

~Tasche


----------



## jdtoombs

My first novel, A Physician's Confession, was rejected by KS (and about 30 agents, too). It's now on Amazon and for the next few days, the Kindle version is free.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B4RQB8K/

I've started reading Secret Of The Lost Key, so Paul will have a review soon.


----------



## Rena Arun

It's been a while since my first novel, CYBELE (A Marteena Mohan Mystery) was rejected on Kindle Scout, but it's finally out on Kindle for 99¢ and on Kindle Unlimited.


----------



## ReaderPaul

jdtoombs said:


> My first novel, A Physician's Confession, was rejected by KS (and about 30 agents, too). It's now on Amazon and for the next few days, the Kindle version is free.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B4RQB8K/
> 
> I've started reading Secret Of The Lost Key, so Paul will have a review soon.


Thank you Sir. I am making small steps but feeling proud that I have my book out there in the big blue world. Going to check out A Physicians Confession.


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - (Has *0* Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has *2* Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has *3* Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Fantasy Romance) - * My Love Is Vengeance * - Georgiana Derwent - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *6* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *8* Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *9* Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *15* Reviews)

(Paranormal Romance) - * Frozen Perfection * - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *18* Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has *19* Reviews)

Congratulations on reaching the maximum number of reviews:

(Victorian Suspense) - * Beneath The Inconstant Moon * - ID Johnson - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *20* Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## JT Osbourne

*waves*

I guess this is my new home. I'll post my pre-order link in here when I get it sorted (right now there are some stray HTML tags to contend with). Launch date will be the 26th.


----------



## Kay7979

JT Osbourne said:


> *waves*
> 
> I guess this is my new home. I'll post my pre-order link in here when I get it sorted (right now there are some stray HTML tags to contend with). Launch date will be the 26th.


I noticed that. One thing I hate about KDP is every time you change the price it messes up the formatting on the product description. One you get your HTML code sorted out, it's a good idea to cut and paste your formatted blurb into a file so you don't have to tinker with it later.

I plan to launch _Wards and Wonders_ in a few days. I'm just waiting for KS to send out the rejection notification to my nominators. Right now, I'm still in "stealth rejection mode."


----------



## ID Johnson

CF said:


> * ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *
> 
> Congratulations on reaching the maximum number of reviews:
> 
> (Victorian Suspense) - * Beneath the Inconstant Moon * - ID Johnson - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *20* Reviews)
> 
> List will be updated once a week.



Thank you!


----------



## JT Osbourne

Kay7979 said:


> I noticed that. One thing I hate about KDP is every time you change the price it messes up the formatting on the product description. One you get your HTML code sorted out, it's a good idea to cut and paste your formatted blurb into a file so you don't have to tinker with it later.
> 
> I plan to launch _Wards and Wonders_ in a few days. I'm just waiting for KS to send out the rejection notification to my nominators. Right now, I'm still in "stealth rejection mode."


Good suggestion -- thanks!

I'm surprised they haven't sent out the email with your notification. Mine went out last night -- they wasted no time.


----------



## Kay7979

JT Osbourne said:


> Good suggestion -- thanks!
> 
> I'm surprised they haven't sent out the email with your notification. Mine went out last night -- they wasted no time.


The status finally changed last night from In Review to Not Selected. The "thank you for nominating" email went out to everyone this morning. I got it at 8:30. By then I had hit the publish button on KDP, and my book was live. I'm glad they delayed the process. It gave me time to make a few revisions, publish the paperback and eBook, and send out a few ARCs.


----------



## Kay7979

I didn't want nominators to get the Not Selected email the same day as the Now Available one, so I waited until last night to notify Scout. Some Kindle Scout participants have reported delays of up to a week, but the email arrived in my inbox early this morning, so Scout is on top of things these days. 

Since I didn't wait a few days to notify nominators, I won't know which sales are directly from Scout, which are from my Facebook boosted post, and which are from people belatedly opening my newsletter. I'm more concerned with getting sales than I am with where they came from, but it would be nice to know.


----------



## JT Osbourne

Kay, or others. Do you have much experience getting amazon categories changed? I don't like the ones I've been slotted in and not sure how to fix it.


----------



## AaronFrale

Kay7979 said:


> Scout is on top of things these days.


I know! I submitted my new title to yesterday around 2 pm. I got an email 4 pm that the campaign will start Mar. 8th. I have never seen such a quick turn around. Either they've started using a sophisticated AI to automatic these tasks, or the Mturk workers are having a slow day


----------



## Kay7979

JT Osbourne said:


> Kay, or others. Do you have much experience getting amazon categories changed? I don't like the ones I've been slotted in and not sure how to fix it.


You can call customer support and have them change it. Sometimes changing your keywords in KDP will change the categories, but it might be simpler to call Customer support.


----------



## kalencap

Kay7979 said:


> You can call customer support and have them change it. Sometimes changing your keywords in KDP will change the categories, but it might be simpler to call Customer support.


Echo that. I just added a sub-sub category. Of course, that only helps if there are sales happening. My ebook goes live next week. (I have a few things lined up, not necessarily in the order you are supposed to, but we shall see what happens.


----------



## TascheLaine

Lorri Moulton said:


> I have an author/friend, who has also been working on a 'memoir' that she's calling fiction...and it's under a fictitious name. When she publishes, it will probably be under the pen name for the memoir.


Huh, that's an option I hadn't considered. Thanks 

~Tasche


----------



## TrishaMcNary

I switched over to this thread because I was wondering if anyone else was experiencing the crisis of confidence I've felt since not being accepted. I know no one has been accepted in more than a month, but that doesn't keep me from having doubts about my book, especially compared to when I first started the campaign and felt so positive about it.
I've stalled on publishing, gone back through the book making revisions, and today even asking people to do a last-minute review on one chapter that gave me so much trouble. Then I re-read the chapter myself, and it looked OK, so I uploaded today to KDP, and now it's in "Publishing" mode. 
I really had great hopes for this book. I know it's better than my first book, which sells a few copies a week or KU reads, because I know some problems the first book has. And I'll be advertising this one more as well, but I'm having trouble thinking positive about it.
Does anyone else feel this way?


----------



## Used To Be BH

TrishaMcNary said:


> I switched over to this thread because I was wondering if anyone else was experiencing the crisis of confidence I've felt since not being accepted. I know no one has been accepted in more than a month, but that doesn't keep me from having doubts about my book, especially compared to when I first started the campaign and felt so positive about it.
> I've stalled on publishing, gone back through the book making revisions, and today even asking people to do a last-minute review on one chapter that gave me so much trouble. Then I re-read the chapter myself, and it looked OK, so I uploaded today to KDP, and now it's in "Publishing" mode.
> I really had great hopes for this book. I know it's better than my first book, which sells a few copies a week or KU reads, because I know some problems the first book has. And I'll be advertising this one more as well, but I'm having trouble thinking positive about it.
> Does anyone else feel this way?


It's natural to feel that way, but don't let the doubts win out. Recent feedback suggests that the KS editors will throw great books out the window over very minor things.

My first KS reject was the best selling book I've had so far. Other KS rejects have been successful as well.

It's also worth noting how many writers have started out slow. Agatha Christie (bestselling mystery writer of all time), got five years worth of rejections before selling a thing. JK Rowling got seven or eight, then got accepted on a fluke--then had her editor tell her she needed to get a day job, because she could never make a living with that kind of book. (LOL) Stephenie Meyer was told by fourteen agents that "Twilight" was unmarketable. John LeCarre was told by an editor to find something he was good at, because writing definitely wasn't it. Editors are people, too. They make mistakes, and anyway judging a book is a subjective process.


----------



## TrishaMcNary

Bill Hiatt said:


> It's natural to feel that way, but don't let the doubts win out. Recent feedback suggests that the KS editors will throw great books out the window over very minor things.
> 
> My first KS reject was the best selling book I've had so far. Other KS rejects have been successful as well.
> 
> It's also worth noting how many writers have started out slow. Agatha Christie (bestselling mystery writer of all time), got five years worth of rejections before selling a thing. JK Rowling got seven or eight, then got accepted on a fluke--then had her editor tell her she needed to get a day job, because she could never make a living with that kind of book. (LOL) Stephenie Meyer was told by fourteen agents that "Twilight" was unmarketable. John LeCarre was told by an editor to find something he was good at, because writing definitely wasn't it. Editors are people, too. They make mistakes, and anyway judging a book is a subjective process.


Thanks Bill. That's very encouraging. Maybe I need to expect a lot of rejection if I keep writing.
I guess time will tell after I publish this book whether it sells or not.


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - (Has *0* Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has *2* Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has *3* Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *8* Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *11* Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *15* Reviews)

(Paranormal Romance) - * Frozen Perfection * - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *19* Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has *19* Reviews)

Congratulations on reaching the maximum number of reviews:

(Fantasy Romance) - * My Love Is Vengeance * - Georgiana Derwent - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *20+ *Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## CF

For those that would still like reviews, check out this thread by Ram for his new arc review service that's free for the month of March: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,261215.0/all.html At this time, it also accepts already published books.


----------



## CF

List updated below:

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - (Has *0* Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has *2* Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has *3* Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *9* Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *11* Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *15* Reviews)

(Paranormal Romance) - * Frozen Perfection * - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *19* Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has *19* Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *0* Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *0* Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *1* Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has *2* Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has *3* Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *9* Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *11* Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *15* Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has *19* Reviews)

Congratulations on reaching the maximum number of reviews:

(Paranormal Romance) - * Frozen Perfection * - Rae B. Lake - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *20* Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## TascheLaine

CF said:


> * ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *
> 
> Books to review:
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *0* Reviews)
> 
> (Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *0* Reviews)
> 
> (Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *1* Reviews)
> 
> (Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has *2* Reviews)
> 
> (Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has *3* Reviews)
> 
> (Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)
> 
> (Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)
> 
> List will be updated once a week.




Thank you for doing this for us CF! My paperback is live, so I can receive reviews now. My ebook is in pre-order and launches April 2nd. The paperback doesn't seem to be visible to the public yet, so here is that link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1732126119

If you'd like to review CLOSURE before April 2nd, just email me and I will send you a free pdf or epub. My email is: [email protected]

Should I mention that I'm nervous for this launch?? (FIRST book jitters!!)

Thank you to everyone on here! I've been gleaning great advice from these threads! 

~Tasche


----------



## CF

List updated below:

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *0* Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *1* Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *1* Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has *2* Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has *3* Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *9* Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *12* Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *15* Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has *18* Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## Steve Vernon

Folks, for those of you who haven't heard - Kindle Scout is officially closing.

Here's the e-mail I just got this afternoon.

*Dear valued scout,

As a member of the Kindle Scout voter community, we wanted to let you know of some upcoming changes being made to the Kindle Scout program.

As of April 3rd, Kindle Scout will no longer accept new submissions, and you will no longer be able to start a new Kindle Scout campaign. Once the current campaigns end their voting period, you will have until May 31st to log into your Kindle Scout profile, redeem free copies of your selected nominations, and save any info you may want.*

Mike drop...


----------



## Used To Be BH

Steve Vernon said:


> Folks, for those of you who haven't heard - Kindle Scout is officially closing.
> 
> Here's the e-mail I just got this afternoon.
> 
> *Dear valued scout,
> 
> As a member of the Kindle Scout voter community, we wanted to let you know of some upcoming changes being made to the Kindle Scout program.
> 
> As of April 3rd, Kindle Scout will no longer accept new submissions, and you will no longer be able to start a new Kindle Scout campaign. Once the current campaigns end their voting period, you will have until May 31st to log into your Kindle Scout profile, redeem free copies of your selected nominations, and save any info you may want.*
> 
> Mike drop...


It makes me feel much better about not being selected.


----------



## kalencap

Steve Vernon said:


> Folks, for those of you who haven't heard - Kindle Scout is officially closing.
> 
> Here's the e-mail I just got this afternoon.
> 
> *Dear valued scout,
> 
> As a member of the Kindle Scout voter community, we wanted to let you know of some upcoming changes being made to the Kindle Scout program.
> 
> As of April 3rd, Kindle Scout will no longer accept new submissions, and you will no longer be able to start a new Kindle Scout campaign. Once the current campaigns end their voting period, you will have until May 31st to log into your Kindle Scout profile, redeem free copies of your selected nominations, and save any info you may want.*
> 
> Mike drop...


Interesting, given the recent lack of selections. By the way, while still struggling with initial sales, Saturday was one of the best single days for "The Ancient Tripod of Peace." Still hoping a few more reviews will come in and help its social proof soon for May plans.


----------



## jaxonreed

kalencap said:


> Interesting, given the recent lack of selections. By the way, while still struggling with initial sales, *Saturday was one of the best single days for "The Ancient Tripod of Peace."* Still hoping a few more reviews will come in and help its social proof soon for May plans.


Happy to hear that, Kalen.


----------



## SueSeabury

Published Forever Young today. It'll be free this Fri & Sat (Apr 6&7) to thank my scouts. Posting here in case KS doesn't send out the message.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CB9W837/
It's YA Dystopian. Here's the blurb:
Seventeen-year-old Moxie has just been given an extraordinary offer: to become the youngest human ever to receive eternal life. The physical body must be cast off, but it's a small price to pay to live forever. Thrilled at first; doubts soon crop up. Her nannybot and friends are all in favor, but Moxie isn't convinced and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. She must decide if her physical body is a worthless vestige like an appendix, or an integral part of who she is.


----------



## Tom Swyers

I used Co-Promote for my camapign for Kindle Scout and it was helpful. It was a program where you got points (depending on the number of your social media followers) for sharing other's social media posts (facebook, twitter, and instagram) before it folded. You'd put those points in an account and use them when you wanted others to share your posts like for a campaign you wanted some support on.You could pick and choose what posts you wanted to share. I know some authors here used it. Anyway, it's back again as Creator Collabs. I have been talking to one of the guys that runs it and if you sign up and send him an email with my name ("Tom Swyers") in the subject line, he will give you 200,000 points. (Tip: Sign on with your twitter. If you do that and hang around the site a bit and don't connect with facebook at the outset, it should prompt an offer for an adittional 200,000 points to connect to facebook. Also, you might get the same offer for instagram, but don't bother because that link is broken at the moment). You get to choose 12 topics. Definitely use "entertainment & media" as a topic. You can use "Kinlde Unlimited" as another topic too if the it fits. The other topics I use are "books," "ebooks," "indie author." Use some genre ones too--like I use "mysteries & thrillers." Then when you share a post, use the same topics as your tags. Now, there's no cost for joining or posting and you can share one post at a time on each of the platform mentioned for FREE. Yes, you can pay for more points, but if you manage things, you shouldn't have to pay anything, unless that works for you. His email address is: [email protected] . It may take some time to get used to the platform, but stay with it. Follow people who boost posts that you could see sharing. I don't have any affiliation with Creator Collabs (not an employee, just a user) but I will get 5k points if you sign up with this link: https://goo.gl/kVSdUt . Don't want to give me the points? No worries. Sign up here instead: https://creatorcollabs.com/


----------



## &quot;Serious&quot; ... but not really

Michele Brouder said:


> And I already have a question. I'm getting ready to publish my KS reject and I want to put it up for preorder for 99¢. However, it won't let me price it below 2.99. It is in the KDP program. Have I just not gone far enough in the submission process or do I need to take it out of KDP for preorder? My head hurts.


There are two royalty options --- 70% has a bottom price of $2.99 and 35% has a bottom price of $0.99. So you can switch back and forth between royalty options. It is up to you to promote it though.

I think if you are in the 70% option you can run an up to 5 day price campaign for $0.99 promo or $0 promo - but still promo advertising is up to you. Or if you are in the 35% option you can do the up to 5 day promo of $0.

Plus you can set your price above $0.99 and below $2.99 range in the 35% royalty option.

Good luck ...


----------



## TrishaMcNary

SueSeabury said:


> Published Forever Young today. It'll be free this Fri & Sat (Apr 6&7) to thank my scouts. Posting here in case KS doesn't send out the message.
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CB9W837/
> It's YA Dystopian. Here's the blurb:
> Seventeen-year-old Moxie has just been given an extraordinary offer: to become the youngest human ever to receive eternal life. The physical body must be cast off, but it's a small price to pay to live forever. Thrilled at first; doubts soon crop up. Her nannybot and friends are all in favor, but Moxie isn't convinced and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. She must decide if her physical body is a worthless vestige like an appendix, or an integral part of who she is.


I nominated it, and I got the message from KS yesterday. Just downloaded it to KU. I like the new cover.


----------



## SueSeabury

TrishaMcNary said:


> I nominated it, and I got the message from KS yesterday. Just downloaded it to KU. I like the new cover.


Yay, thanks! I hope you enjoy the story.
A friend sent me this
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2018/03/14/brain-upload-cloud-startup-fatal-procedure-nectome/
Life imitating art? 
*shudder*


----------



## TrishaMcNary

SueSeabury said:


> Yay, thanks! I hope you enjoy the story.
> A friend sent me this
> http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2018/03/14/brain-upload-cloud-startup-fatal-procedure-nectome/
> Life imitating art?
> *shudder*


Oooo eeee oooo! [Twilight Zone music]. Scary!


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closing, the list will be maintained until each book will either reach the maximum number of reviews (20) or the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks (starting today 4/10/1, wherein any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *0* Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *1* Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has *2* Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has *3* Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *9* Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *12* Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *15* Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has *18* Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## SueSeabury

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *0* Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *1* Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has *2* Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has *3* Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *9* Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *12* Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *15* Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has *18* Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.
[/quote]
I tried PMing a couple of people, but the names were 'not found.' How can we find out what the authors call themselves here?


----------



## TascheLaine

SueSeabury said:


> Books to review:
> 
> _The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_
> 
> (Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *0* Reviews)
> 
> (Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)
> 
> (Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *1* Reviews)
> 
> (Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has *2* Reviews)
> 
> (Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has *3* Reviews)
> 
> (Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)
> 
> (Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)
> 
> (Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *9* Reviews)
> 
> (Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *12* Reviews)
> 
> (Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *15* Reviews)
> 
> (Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has *18* Reviews)
> 
> List will be updated once a week.
> 
> I tried PMing a couple of people, but the names were 'not found.' How can we find out what the authors call themselves here?


I'm surprised this list is still active. No one has contacted me, and I guess I thought since Kindle Scout is dissolving that this board would probably be forgotten soon. I am still looking for reviews if anyone is interested...

Thank you,

~Tasche


----------



## CF

List updated below:

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closing, the list will be maintained until each book will either reach the maximum number of reviews (20) or the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks (starting 4/10/1, whichever comes first. After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *0* Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *1* Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has *2* Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has *3* Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *6* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *9* Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *12* Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *15* Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has *18* Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## CF

List updated below:

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closing, the list will be maintained until each book will either reach the maximum number of reviews (20) or the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks (from 4/10/1, whichever comes first. After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *0* Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *1* Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has *2* Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has *3* Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *6* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *9* Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *12* Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *15* Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has *18* Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## AuthorAmyCraig

I haven't gotten my KS rejection yet, but I assume it will be coming soon (campaign ended Apr 22 - 5 days ago). Thank you for keeping this thread alive. I look forward to reviewing books on the list and sharing "Prone to Wander" when it's ready for self-publishing.

I asked this question on the KS board, but please send me a direct message if you have any go-by or best practices you'd be willing to share with a newbie (me!).


----------



## DMChappellAuthor

I published my KS book yesterday. If anyone is interested in grabbing a Kindle free copy they are available until 4/30. https://amzn.to/2HRaWy2

Also, if you are willing to share my tweet link that would be amazing.

https://twitter.com/Chappell_DM/status/989903141977014273

DMC


----------



## CF

Free promo sites that could be useful: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,262685.msg3654313.html#msg3654313


----------



## AuthorAmyCraig

CF said:


> Free promo sites that could be useful: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,262685.msg3654313.html#msg3654313


Thank you!


----------



## CF

List updated below:

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closing, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks in a row for any book or 
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *0* Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *1* Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has *2* Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has *3* Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - (Has *3* Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *7* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *9* Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *12* Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *15* Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has *18* Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## Kristine McKinley

Well my book wasn't accepted into Kindle Scout. I knew it was coming, still stung. I spent most of my free time yesterday playing the Sims 3. I made myself in about as negative a light as I could because that's how I was feeling. She was an author. I forced her to write and after about the tenth book she finally had success. I ended the night closing the game and working on an entirely different writing project.

I have my plan, I'm going to stick with it, hopefully it works. Once I get my book published I'll be back to this thread. You all have been so great, I wish you all the luck in the world!


----------



## AnyaPavelle

Kristine McKinley said:


> Well my book wasn't accepted into Kindle Scout. I knew it was coming, still stung. I spent most of my free time yesterday playing the Sims 3. I made myself in about as negative a light as I could because that's how I was feeling. She was an author. I forced her to write and after about the tenth book she finally had success. I ended the night closing the game and working on an entirely different writing project.
> 
> I have my plan, I'm going to stick with it, hopefully it works. Once I get my book published I'll be back to this thread. You all have been so great, I wish you all the luck in the world!


I think using Sims as an outlet to process stuff is very creative! Well done!


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews **  *

*With Kindle Scout closing, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks in a row for any book or 
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *0* Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *1* Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has *2* Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has *3* Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - (Has *3* Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *6* Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *8* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *9* Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *13* Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *15* Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has *18* Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## DMChappellAuthor

CF said:


> * ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews **  *
> 
> *With Kindle Scout closing, the list will be maintained until each book will either
> 
> -reach the maximum number of reviews (20),
> -the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks in a row for any book or
> -no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.
> 
> After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *
> 
> Books to review:
> 
> (Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *6* Reviews)
> 
> List will be updated once a week.


Thank you in advance to anyone who is kind enough to provide a review. So far the reviews received have been positive, so hopefully it won't be too painful a task! Also, thank you to CF for maintaining this list until the bitter end.

DMC


----------



## DMChappellAuthor

Does anyone know if you are part of KDP Select do the "KU page reads" count on days when you choose to do the free book day promotion?  I mean, KU gets the book for free all the time (with the membership), so why would free days really matter?  I looked on the promotion info page and didn't see anything that specifically spoke to that.  Most likely I just missed seeing it.

DMC


----------



## AaronFrale

DMChappellAuthor said:


> Does anyone know if you are part of KDP Select do the "KU page reads" count on days when you choose to do the free book day promotion? I mean, KU gets the book for free all the time (with the membership), so why would free days really matter? I looked on the promotion info page and didn't see anything that specifically spoke to that. Most likely I just missed seeing it.
> 
> DMC


If you do a free promo. KU downloads help sales rank, and KU reads still count and you get paid for them. It all boils down what the member clicks when they are on the page. Do they click to download for free or do they click the KU button. But that's why free is still good, because the KU boost helps the free promo worthwhile.


----------



## DMChappellAuthor

AaronFrale said:


> If you do a free promo. KU downloads help sales rank, and KU reads still count and you get paid for them. It all boils down what the member clicks when they are on the page. Do they click to download for free or do they click the KU button. But that's why free is still good, because the KU boost helps the free promo worthwhile.


Gotcha. Thanks for the info!

DMC


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closing, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks in a row for any book or 
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Women's Fiction) - * Prone To Wander * - Amy Craig - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *0* Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *0* Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *1* Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has *2* Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has *3* Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - (Has *3* Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *5* Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *9* Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *10* Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *13* Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has *14* Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has *15* Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has *18* Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## terriluckey

Well, my book wasn't accepted for Kindle Scout so I'm resigned to doing it myself. I did publish it and it's now available at Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Code-FFF-Terri-Luckey-ebook/dp/B07CXN92V3 I'm also having a book launch Thursday https://www.facebook.com/authorterriluckey/ where I'm giving out a $50 Amazon gift card and other assorted prizes if anyone would like to stop by. And I plan to read some of the books for review as soon as my launch is over. The one positive during this whole Scout experience was the support that was available here.


----------



## AuthorAmyCraig

terriluckey said:


> The one positive during this whole Scout experience was the support that was available here.


Cheers to that!


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closing, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks in a row for any book or 
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 0 Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 1 Reviews)

Women's Fiction) - * Prone To Wander * - Amy Craig - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 1 Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has 2 Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has 3 Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - (Has 3 Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 5 Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 5 Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 9 Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 11 Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 13 Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has 14 Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has 15 Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has 16 Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## terriluckey

I completed my first review from this list. I downloaded "CLOSURE" by Tasche Laine from Kindle Unlimited, read it, and placed a review on Amazon. I received an email from Amazon that my review was posted. I just downloaded "Score of Silence" and am beginning to read it. I could really use more reviews for my Kindle Scout rejected book, "FEARLESS" so I'd appreciate having it added to the list. https://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Code-FFF-Terri-Luckey-ebook/dp/B07CXN92V3/ It is available on Kindle Unlimited or I can send an ARC copy to anyone who's interested in reviewing it. Thank you, Terri Proksch (Pen: Terri Luckey)


----------



## TascheLaine

terriluckey said:


> I completed my first review from this list. I downloaded "CLOSURE" by Tasche Laine from Kindle Unlimited, read it, and placed a review on Amazon. I received an email from Amazon that my review was posted. I just downloaded "Score of Silence" and am beginning to read it. I could really use more reviews for my Kindle Scout rejected book, "FEARLESS" so I'd appreciate having it added to the list. https://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Code-FFF-Terri-Luckey-ebook/dp/B07CXN92V3/ It is available on Kindle Unlimited or I can send an ARC copy to anyone who's interested in reviewing it. Thank you, Terri Proksch (Pen: Terri Luckey)


Thank you very much for the wonderful review Terri Luckey! What a great name!! I would love to help you out with Fearless but I'm not allowed to review yours, since you just reviewed mine. Best of luck to you! 

~Tasche


----------



## terriluckey

Thank you, Tasche Laine. I'm glad you liked my review. I know you aren't allowed to review Fearless, but please consider passing it on and reviewing someone else on the list. If everyone who receives a review, passes it on, we would all gain something from our experience with the dead Kindle Scout program besides a rejection letter.


----------



## TascheLaine

terriluckey said:


> Thank you, Tasche Laine. I'm glad you liked my review. I know you aren't allowed to review Fearless, but please consider passing it on and reviewing someone else on the list. If everyone who receives a review, passes it on, we would all gain something from our experience with the dead Kindle Scout program besides a rejection letter.


Absolutely! I couldn't agree more! I have been and am reviewing others here.


----------



## terriluckey

Awesome! 


TascheLaine said:


> Absolutely! I couldn't agree more! I have been and am reviewing others here.





TascheLaine said:


> Thank you very much for the wonderful review Terri Luckey! What a great name!! I would love to help you out with Fearless but I'm not allowed to review yours, since you just reviewed mine. Best of luck to you!
> 
> ~Tasche


----------



## DMChappellAuthor

How do you all handle reviews that include spoilers?  Not only was the most recent review I received extremely hard, the reviewer has the character names wrong and gives away details about the book that could ruin it for others.  I am fine with the bad review, if they didn't like it, they didn't like it.  But I don't want them to ruin the story for others.  Is there anything that can be done?

P.S. - I looked at the reviewer's profile and it seems the habit is to give bad reviews.

Thanks
DMC


----------



## Kay7979

DMChappellAuthor said:


> How do you all handle reviews that include spoilers? Not only was the most recent review I received extremely hard, the reviewer has the character names wrong and gives away details about the book that could ruin it for others. I am fine with the bad review, if they didn't like it, they didn't like it. But I don't want them to ruin the story for others. Is there anything that can be done?
> 
> P.S. - I looked at the reviewer's profile and it seems the habit is to give bad reviews.
> 
> Thanks
> DMC


I replied on the other thread. Afterward, I checked the review. At least she notes upfront it contains spoilers. So, anyone who doesn't want to know things in advance may skip over it. What bothers her may not bother others, and she's noted that your writing was good overall. It could be worse!


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closing, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks on any book, or
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author (click on their name to send a pm) for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 1 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 1 *Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Prone To Wander * - Amy Craig - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(YA Spy Thriller) - * Fearless * - Terri Luckey - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - (Has* 4 *Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 13 *Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 14 *Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 15 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 16 *Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## terriluckey

Just posted my review for M.A. Gardner's "Score of Silence" at Amazon.  Kudos to M.A. Gardner for writing such a well crafted riveting story.


----------



## terriluckey

Hi, everyone. Before I choose my third book to review, I'd like to know who's reading/reviewing what since we aren't supposed to swap reviews, and  violate Amazon's rules. So if you are reading one of the books on the list with the intention of reviewing it, (and I hope you are) would you please chime in and let the rest of us know which book you're reading.


----------



## DMChappellAuthor

terriluckey said:


> Hi, everyone. Before I choose my third book to review, I'd like to know who's reading/reviewing what since we aren't supposed to swap reviews, and violate Amazon's rules. So if you are reading one of the books on the list with the intention of reviewing it, (and I hope you are) would you please chime in and let the rest of us know which book you're reading.


I agree. I also have had no direct contact to know who is reading my book to review. I am only familiar with one review posted by KBoards members, but that doesn't mean others haven't. Since I gave 1200 copies away for free it is hard to tell who is who on reviews. Granted I know this is a catch 22 since just because you are reading it doesn't mean you will put a review since we aren't' supposed to put anything below a 4 star (at least that is what I have heard). So, if you aren't feeling it is a 4+ you wouldn't leave a review which might make having thrown your name out as a reviewer a bit tricky.


----------



## S.A. Highgate

I keep hoping Amazon comes out with a new program like Scout or their previous Breakthrough novel contest... has anyone heard of anything in the works?


----------



## terriluckey

DMChappellAuthor said:


> I agree. I also have had no direct contact to know who is reading my book to review. I am only familiar with one review posted by KBoards members, but that doesn't mean others haven't. Since I gave 1200 copies away for free it is hard to tell who is who on reviews. Granted I know this is a catch 22 since just because you are reading it doesn't mean you will put a review since we aren't' supposed to put anything below a 4 star (at least that is what I have heard). So, if you aren't feeling it is a 4+ you wouldn't leave a review which might make having thrown your name out as a reviewer a bit tricky.


Well if everyone would chime in and say I'm reading such and such with the intent to review it, that would help. If they didn't feel comfortable giving a review once they read it, they could message the author and just say they had decided against leaving a review because they didn't like the book.


----------



## naviwang

Just posted my review for a Score of Silence!

I'm almost ready to publish my Kindle reject, but it looks like they took down the campaign page where you can email all your scouts... guess I missed the deadline for that?


----------



## AaronFrale

naviwang said:


> I'm almost ready to publish my Kindle reject, but it looks like they took down the campaign page where you can email all your scouts... guess I missed the deadline for that?


Yeah, deadline was May 31st  happy release though!


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closed, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks on any book, or
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author (click on their name to send a pm) for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 1 *Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Prone To Wander * - Amy Craig - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 4 *Reviews)

(YA Spy Thriller) - * Fearless * - Terri Luckey - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 4 *Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 13 *Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 14 *Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 15 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 16 *Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## AuthorAmyCraig

Thanks for including the covers!

Consider checking out "Prone to Wander." It's in danger of falling off the review list due to "the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks on any book."

If the "women's fiction" scares you off... there's a winery, a biracial lovechild, alcoholic episodes, a robbery, some affairs, and a raging fire. Perhaps I should have added a volcano


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closed, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks on any book, or
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author (click on their name to send a pm) for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 1 *Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Prone To Wander * - Amy Craig - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 4 *Reviews)

(YA Spy Thriller) - * Fearless * - Terri Luckey - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 13 *Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 14 *Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 15 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closed, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks on any book, or
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author (click on their name to send a pm) for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fantasy) - * The Poet And The Muse * - Navi Wang - (Has* 0 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Prone To Wander * - Amy Craig - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 4 *Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(YA Spy Thriller) - * Fearless * - Terri Luckey - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 6 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 13 *Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 14 *Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 16 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closed, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks on any book, or
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author (click on their name to send a pm) for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fantasy) - * The Poet And The Muse * - Navi Wang - (Has* 0 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Prone To Wander * - Amy Craig - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 4 *Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(YA Spy Thriller) - * Fearless * - Terri Luckey - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 6 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 13 *Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 14 *Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 16 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closed, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks on any book, or
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author (click on their name to send a pm) for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fantasy) - * The Poet And The Muse * - Navi Wang - (Has* 0 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Prone To Wander * - Amy Craig - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 4 *Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(YA Spy Thriller) - * Fearless * - Terri Luckey - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 6 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 13 *Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 15 *Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 16 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closed, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks on any book, or
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author (click on their name to send a pm) for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fantasy) - * The Poet And The Muse * - Navi Wang - (Has* 0 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Prone To Wander * - Amy Craig - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 4 *Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(YA Spy Thriller) - * Fearless * - Terri Luckey - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 6 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 13 *Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 15 *Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 16 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 18 *Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closed, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks on any book, or
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author (click on their name to send a pm) for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fantasy) - * The Poet And The Muse * - Navi Wang - (Has* 0 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Prone To Wander * - Amy Craig - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 4 *Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(YA Spy Thriller) - * Fearless * - Terri Luckey - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 6 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 13 *Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 15 *Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 16 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 19 *Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## DMChappellAuthor

Lorri Moulton said:


> I know how difficult it is to get to those 20 reviews. Took me a while!
> 
> If anyone on the list wants to add their book to my Facebook readers' thread, you're welcome to do so. Just join the group and then the link should work. I'll post both links...hope it helps.
> 
> group https://www.facebook.com/groups/375972669542052/
> 
> thread https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2100490063574118&set=gm.473536826452302&type=3&theater&ifg=1


Thanks, Lorri. I am still a few shy so I try and see if I can figure out how to add my book to your readers thread.

Thanks
DMC


----------



## Cecelia

Good to see a few of you still around.


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closed, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks on any book, or
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author (click on their name to send a pm) for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fantasy) - * The Poet And The Muse * - Navi Wang - (Has* 0 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Prone To Wander * - Amy Craig - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 4 *Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(YA Spy Thriller) - * Fearless * - Terri Luckey - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 6 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 13 *Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 15 *Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 16 *Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 19 *Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closed, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks on any book, or
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author (click on their name to send a pm) for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fantasy) - * The Poet And The Muse * - Navi Wang - (Has* 0 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Prone To Wander * - Amy Craig - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 4 *Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(YA Spy Thriller) - * Fearless * - Terri Luckey - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 6 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 13 *Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 15 *Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

*Congratulations for making it to 20 reviews:*

(Women's Fiction) - * Closure * - Tasche Laine - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 21 *Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closed, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks on any book, or
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author (click on their name to send a pm) for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fantasy) - * The Poet And The Muse * - Navi Wang - (Has* 0 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Prone To Wander * - Amy Craig - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 4 *Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(YA Spy Thriller) - * Fearless * - Terri Luckey - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 7 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 13 *Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 15 *Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closed, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks on any book, or
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author (click on their name to send a pm) for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fantasy) - * The Poet And The Muse * - Navi Wang - (Has* 0 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Prone To Wander * - Amy Craig - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 4 *Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(YA Spy Thriller) - * Fearless * - Terri Luckey - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 7 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 13 *Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 15 *Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closed, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks on any book, or
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author (click on their name to send a pm) for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fantasy) - * The Poet And The Muse * - Navi Wang - (Has* 0 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Prone To Wander * - Amy Craig - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 4 *Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(YA Spy Thriller) - * Fearless * - Terri Luckey - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 8 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 13 *Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 15 *Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 18 *Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closed, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks on any book, or
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author (click on their name to send a pm) for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fantasy) - * The Poet And The Muse * - Navi Wang - (Has* 0 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Prone To Wander * - Amy Craig - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 4 *Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(YA Spy Thriller) - * Fearless * - Terri Luckey - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 8 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 13 *Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 15 *Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 18 *Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closed, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks on any book, or
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author (click on their name to send a pm) for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fantasy) - * The Poet And The Muse * - Navi Wang - (Has* 0 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Prone To Wander * - Amy Craig - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 4 *Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(YA Spy Thriller) - * Fearless * - Terri Luckey - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 8 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 13 *Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 15 *Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 18 *Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## DMChappellAuthor

_


CF said:



* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closed, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks on any book, or
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 15 *Reviews)

Click to expand...

_


CF said:


> CF - While I appreciate your time and effort to keep posting the above, it appears the numbers haven't moved in a long while for any of the titles listed. So, maybe it is best to let it die and to give you your time back? Not sure what others think.
> 
> DMC


----------



## CF

Hi DM, yeah if the numbers remain the same in the next 2 weeks, then it'll be a whole month of non-activity happening, which will be time for it to end. I've considered ending it much earlier but well, if it still gets any review/s 'till it's over, it'll still be worth it for the exposure, anyway.


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closed, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks on any book, or
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author (click on their name to send a pm) for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fantasy) - * The Poet And The Muse * - Navi Wang - (Has* 0 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Prone To Wander * - Amy Craig - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 4 *Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(YA Spy Thriller) - * Fearless * - Terri Luckey - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 13 *Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 15 *Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 19 *Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

*With Kindle Scout closed, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks on any book, or
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author (click on their name to send a pm) for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get one or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fantasy) - * The Poet And The Muse * - Navi Wang - (Has* 0 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Prone To Wander * - Amy Craig - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 4 *Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(YA Spy Thriller) - * Fearless * - Terri Luckey - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 13 *Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 15 *Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has* 17 *Reviews)

*Congratulations for making it to 20 reviews: *

(Dystopian) - * Atmospheric Pressure * - Aaron Frale - In Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 22 *Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------



## CF

* ** Kindle Scout Survivor Books in Need of Reviews ** *

~*~

With all the legitimate concerns about the horrible TOS from even worse owners VerticalScope (see below link for the discussion about it), I'll make this *the last post for this thread*, mainly as a consideration to all the authors and their content in this list. Even though they aren't responding or posting to air their views about the TOS, it's possible they don't consent to it, might've already left or decided not to post and just lurk because of it. I don't agree with the TOS either, but haven't posted a lot and will remain mostly a lurker in all this.

https://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,267677.0.html

*All updates to this list will stop after this post.* That said, the reviews are still coming in at a trickle. With almost non-existent traffic and activity on this thread, a new review still pops up about every 3-4 weeks (at the longest) for at least one book in this list. So all is not lost, writing good books, doing the marketing and implementing workable advice such as can be found here in kboards does pay off. No matter what happens (with kboards or anything else), best of luck and continue writing and publishing, everyone!

~*~

*With Kindle Scout closed, the list will be maintained until each book will either

-reach the maximum number of reviews (20), 
-the number of reviews stop increasing for up to 4 weeks on any book, or
-no new requests of books to be added to the list are received, whichever comes first.

After that, any updating will come to an end. Thank you to everyone and keep on writing and publishing! *

Some reminders to make it easier and not have to wade through all those previous posts, especially if you're new to this thread:

To get on the list, you need to have submitted a book to Kindle Scout at least once  *and* have reviewed a book on the list. Pick whichever one interests you & contact the author (click on their name to send a pm) for a digital copy or read in Kindle Unlimited then post your review for it. If you don't have KU or the books are not in KU, all the authors below have agreed to provide free digital review copies in exchange for a review. Just send them a PM.

Once you hit 20 reviews, you'll fall off the list. Or sooner, if you like.

To have your book(s) added/removed from the list, please reply to this thread or pm me.

We have a private Facebook group you can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/873131669496666/permalink/904011373075362/

*Important: No review swaps i.e. exchanging reviews with any author. *



Kay7979 said:


> The way the list was set up is that in order to have your book put on the review list, you must first review someone else's book that's on the list. Please note that the idea is we do not "exchange reviews." In other words, if I review Aaron Frale's book, he does not review mine; he reviews someone else's on the list. In time, if everyone participates, everyone's books get stillone or more reviews.


*Please keep reading. The more you review, the more this system will work.*

Books to review:

_The books on the top of the list need the most help. (Arranged by lowest review numbers to highest.)_

(Historical Fantasy) - * The Poet And The Muse * - Navi Wang - (Has* 0 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Secret Of The Lost Key * - Paul Kilmartin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Mystery/Thriller) - * Score Of Silence * - M. A. Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 2 *Reviews)

(Historical Fiction) - * No Place In Eden * - Hilary Murray - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Women's Fiction) - * Prone To Wander * - Amy Craig - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Unimaginary * - Patrick Tylee - (Has* 3 *Reviews)

(Dystopian Sci-Fi) - * Forever Young * - Sue Seabury - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 4 *Reviews)

(Romantic Comedy) - * A Return To Fallbrook * - T.T. Rankin - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Space Opera) - * Days Until Home * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 5 *Reviews)

(YA Spy Thriller) - * Fearless * - Terri Luckey - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Sci-Fi/Superhero) - * Sixteen Sunsets * - Mark Gardner - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 9 *Reviews)

(Dark Fantasy) - * Forged By Fire * - Michael Arches - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 13 *Reviews)

(Cozy Mystery) - * The Truth About Fairy Tales (Matchmaking Agency) * - D.M. Chappell - in Kindle Unlimited - (Has* 15 *Reviews)

(Fantasy / Children's) - * Shadowbane * - Paul Francois - (Has* 18 *Reviews)

List will be updated once a week.


----------

