Saturday, February 11, 2012

A Little Wonky

My blog is getting a little wonky, a little writerly if you know what I mean, but I had to pass along this great blog post today from Phoenix Sullivan about the ins and outs of how the Kindle Direct Publishing free trials work, and the hidden benefits of running a free trial.

Not all books will benefit. Not all books will achieve the downloads needed when free to compare favorably to other books in their categories. Not all books will resonate with readers and benefit from a free run whether they're in Select or not, whether they get prominent category placement or not.

I'm currently writing works that are far out in the fat tail of the publishing world.  That being said, many of Phoenix's insights apply even at the extremes.  I have now run two free trials with moderately successful results given my low expectations. As I learn more with each passing day, it is now apparent that the apprenticeship at this craft will be a long one.  I advised today on Kindleboards that building an audience is a marathon, not a sprint, and that it takes time to get out of the doldrums of free trials with several hundred free downloads to numbers greater.

There is reason to hope, even as the Kindle Store becomes the new slush pile of the publishing world. Why am I hopeful? Because there is a huge, untapped audience out there who don't yet have e-readers. And of the ones who do have Kindles (and the ones to come), many of these readers haven't yet signed up for Amazon Prime, which is looking to foster additional new readers and new income for writers.  I'm amazed to read reports of genre authors with borrows ranging in the upper three-figures per month.

Although the payment rate for borrows for January hasn't been set yet, it could very well turn out that a few of us in the fat tail slush pile who are trying to claw our way out and find an audience could make as much or more from borrows than from actual sales.  The wisdom of the crowds from an informal survey seems to put the January expectation at around $2.10 to $2.20, although my latest assessment is that it will be closer to $1.75.  We should learn the final answer this week.

By this time next month, I hope to have my first longer work in the store, what currently looks to be a 15,000-word novella serving as the first book in a new series, and which will be my first entry at a higher price point.  It's time to step things up.

There's a marathon to run.

Update on the Remote Control Trial

I try to be transparent about how it's going as I learn the publishing game. Last week, mid-week, I offered Remote Control: What You Want When You Say What You Want for free with the thought that the "alsobots" (customers who bought X also bought Y) would kick in before the weekend and before Valentine's Day, netting a boost in sales.

It turns out that just a few hours ago today (Saturday afternoon), my second round of alsobots were updated. So far, no post-free sales, but I expect that to pick up. What I've noticed though:

  • Going free mid-week in February didn't generate as much activity as going free in January with "The Hen Party".  Down about 25% in free downloads in the US, and about 30-40% in Europe.
  • I'm concerned that some of the Amazon system glitches may have affected performance slightly, although it is more likely it is a difference in the combination of the work itself and the time of the trial.
  • Placement on the alsobot lists isn't quite as good in terms of being on the first page or two (presumably due to lower free trial sales), but the quality of associated works is higher.
  • I think the slightly higher price ($1.29), the different cover (more detailed and interesting, but less visually arresting in thumbnail form) and the long title may hurt a bit.
The best time for erotica sales and borrows appears to be Saturday through Monday, so the verdict won't be in until sometime next week.  Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, the glitchy sales updates have allowed me to make great progress on my first erotic novella where I enter the world of "The Hen Party" and go even deeper into the lives of those crazy Christian wives gone wild.  Look for a release sometime before the end of the month.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Psssst: Remote Control Going Free Wednesday and Thursday

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Remote Control: What You Want When You Say What You Want is going free Wednesday and Thursday in the Kindle Store if you want to do a little exploring with me in my erotic short story, a tale of cybersex, menage and romance.


Based on the success of my previous free trial, I wanted to try it again on a story with a little more of a romantic element to the sizzle. Let me know what you think, and be sure to leave a review if you liked it! Act fast! Tell your friends! Supplies are unlimited! At least for the next two days. It's a great story to share with your partner to set the mood for the upcoming weekend.

And if you're a sports fan or consorting with one who loves hoops, don't forget to check out March Madness: The Secret Sex Life of a Sideline Reporter as sideline reporter Chloe Severeid gets the scoop for the evening's game...and a little extra. I'm trying to decide whether to go "full novella" on Chloe's story. Tell me what you think!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Guess the Kindle Direct Publishing Borrow Payment Rate

In addition to geeking out on erotica, I geek out on numbers.

So sue me.

I posted a thread on Kindleboards tonight asking people to estimate what they think the rate paid for borrows will be for January for the Kindle Select program.

If you have followed such things, the December pool was $500,000 and paid $1.70 per borrow. For whatever reason (larger user base, or better performance), Amazon raised the pool to $700,000 for January. Later this past month, they announced that the pool would be $600,000 for February.

To register your vote, leave a comment here, or post on the Kindleboards thread at this link.

For what it's worth, my guess is $2.10. As of this post, the wisdom of the crowds says the amount is $2.72.

(By the way, feel free to check out my story The Hen Party which recently went onto a Kindle Select promotion and did well, presaging my forthcoming novella regarding Christian wives gone wild.