tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post6506738655498589671..comments2023-11-02T02:40:48.410-07:00Comments on Crime Fiction Collective: The $2,400 QuestionL.J. Sellershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213491074676394406noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-74042970442927440452011-12-15T22:37:15.941-08:002011-12-15T22:37:15.941-08:00I can't wait to see how your contest works. I&...I can't wait to see how your contest works. I've done "out of the box" marketing in strange locations that have produced wonderful sales but alcohol was usually involved.<br /><br />I also always have a drawing or contest when I blog and that generates decent comments and some sales. The cheese hat prize was a big favorite.<br /><br />Keep us posted and I'm signing up and tweeting now!Cindy Samplehttp://www.cindysamplebooks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-54015707672014270322011-12-15T20:25:55.139-08:002011-12-15T20:25:55.139-08:00Thank you Jenny.
I am so pleased with the reactio...Thank you Jenny.<br /><br />I am so pleased with the reaction to The End of Marking Time. It has been used in a criminal justice course. One student said yesterday that she learned more from my book than anything she'd read in her criminal justice texts.<br /><br />Several people have said to me that every high school senior should read this book.<br /><br />I'm honored that it has had such an impact.<br /><br />CJCJ Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13520787721959143183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-83874485989913717432011-12-15T19:11:17.387-08:002011-12-15T19:11:17.387-08:00I don't need a giveaway to make me say that CJ...I don't need a giveaway to make me say that CJ's West THE END OF MARKING TIME is a book everyone should read!jenny milchmanhttp://suspenseyourdisbelief.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-36949191992524515152011-12-15T11:21:10.763-08:002011-12-15T11:21:10.763-08:00Things are changing at breakneck speed in this bus...Things are changing at breakneck speed in this business. What worked months ago no longer holds water where gaining readers is concerned. It seems those who can reinvent themselves on a regular basis are the ones who stay on top. Easier said than done, of course. <br /><br />I've also considered holding some big-ticket item giveaways--I'm just not sure if they garner more sales. The only thing I've found that continues to stand the test of time is focusing on my established audience and trying to grow out from there.<br /><br />Wishing you much success. I'll help spread the word.ANDREW E. KAUFMANhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08835920472268730244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-80539522163115342372011-12-15T11:06:24.087-08:002011-12-15T11:06:24.087-08:00Great ideas, CJ! But all of this makes me worry th...Great ideas, CJ! But all of this makes me worry that indie writers are now forced to spend too much of their precious creative energy and time marketing their books (sometimes too soon), to the possible detriment of their writing...? (I've seen more than a few examples of that on Amazon - no one I know - of books that just weren't ready yet.) One solution could be to send the manuscript off to a freelance editor to go through while you're marketing the previous one or planning promotion strategies for the upcoming one...Jodie Rennerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17180607353893233389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-48349867610261784772011-12-15T10:49:39.389-08:002011-12-15T10:49:39.389-08:00CJ -
How do you measure the success of ads? Very ...CJ -<br /><br />How do you measure the success of ads? Very few advertisers use direct sales as a measure. They use various more general metrics like "impressions." If I spent $100 on a KND ad and I saw $50 of extra royalties in the 48 hours following the ad, I might conclude it wasn't worth it. But that's not how most businesses that advertise would see it. They'd evaluate how many people saw the ad and how many clicked through and based on various industry norms or their own past data, they'd make conclusions. For most businesses, making back half their money right away would probably be a huge win for the ad.<br /><br />We as individual authors can't really do that. We don't have much context. One simple thing we can point out is that basing it solely on sales right after the ad doesn't account for samples. The vendors guard data about sample downloads, so we have no idea how these are translating into future sales. And we also don't know how our book would have done if we hadn't advertised.<br /><br />All that said, I have only done two very small paid ads. Partially because I don't want to invest in a sustained campaign that I have difficulty measuring anyway. I think what you're doing is a good move, and glad to hear you're getting people excited already!Edward G. Talbothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07101538926701204083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-7547126353137522292011-12-15T09:58:36.421-08:002011-12-15T09:58:36.421-08:00Intriguing idea, CJ.
As a reviewer, I'm intere...Intriguing idea, CJ.<br />As a reviewer, I'm interested in your results.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12487464497446199247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-85217433146925258522011-12-15T08:49:46.107-08:002011-12-15T08:49:46.107-08:00Thanks All.
There are some great sites out there ...Thanks All.<br /><br />There are some great sites out there that focus on indie books. Pixel of ink is a great one. I haven't had much luck with Kindle Nation Daily. My ads there didn't produce any measureable sales.<br /><br />Edward, you do touch on something interesting, the idea that we can measure the impact of an ad in the day it runs. This has been true for me. I see the impact of ads on e-books immediately and that makes accounting for (at least part of) the benefits easily measurable.<br /><br />One of my goals in the giveaway is to reward the people who help me spread the word day in and day out. While I can't guarantee any of them will win, at the very least I think they see my willingness to give back to my readers directly.<br /><br />I'll keep you all posted with my progress. In the first three days of the contest I have about 100 people registered and they've been tweeting and sharing like crazy.<br /><br />More to come.<br /><br />CJCJ Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13520787721959143183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-67089963502924020672011-12-15T08:16:58.743-08:002011-12-15T08:16:58.743-08:00Interesting idea. The question you have to ask yo...Interesting idea. The question you have to ask yourself is what the purpose of your advertising is? With traditional advertising, the concept is that if someone sees something enough times, they become comfortable with it and it increases the chances of buying. Getting a lot of eyeballs is therefore a good thing.<br /><br />Such campaigns are going to be impossible for an individual author to tie to sales. So authors have taken to looking at how many sales they have immediately after an ad. And most ads will not measure up. Some that usually do are:<br /><br />-Pixels of Ink.com.<br /><br />-Kindle Nation Daily, although their impact has gotten less because they have spread themselves too thin.<br /><br />-eReader news Today. They booked all their 2011 ads by June and closed for new ads after that. In theory they are going to open up again soon.<br /><br />-Kindle Lovers. Search for them on facebook. They had a free add promo at one point in October which i took advantage of. They easily generated 50 sales above normal for my book on Amazon that day, and the level of sales stayed higher afterwards.<br /><br /><br />Beyond that, I do think your approach is a good one. The big thing is you're connecting directly with readers and building a mailing list. This puts you less at the mercy of whatever choices Amazon makes about their algorithms for displaying books to potential buyers. Although I love what Amazon has done for me thus far, relying so heavily on them is a risk I am working to lessen.<br /><br />No major marketing triumphs of my own to share. But I'm certainly considering giveaways like what you are doing. The major question for me is how to spread the word so that a lot of people sign up for the drawings. Perhaps with such a good prize on offer, it will take care of itself.Edward G. Talbothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07101538926701204083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-8777018485898237902011-12-15T08:14:51.987-08:002011-12-15T08:14:51.987-08:00I suspect the market will be flooded with indie au...I suspect the market will be flooded with indie authors -- for a while --then it will settle down. I think the authors who persist with three or more books to offer will continue to rise to the top after folks who write one or two books and sell some figure out that it's very hard work to write a book, and harder to sell it, even a good one.Judy Borgerhttp://www.judithyatesborger.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-88680208654011778862011-12-15T07:45:41.870-08:002011-12-15T07:45:41.870-08:00I'll be watching. Very cool.
And I think I re...I'll be watching. Very cool.<br /><br />And I think I registered, but I'm not sure.<br /><br />Good luck, C.J. Keep us informed.Peg Brantleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-8023641339214996592011-12-15T07:34:40.657-08:002011-12-15T07:34:40.657-08:00Intriguing idea! I've considered big-ticket gi...Intriguing idea! I've considered big-ticket giveaways, but after querying authors who did them, I changed my mind. But one a month, which establishes consistency, could be effective.<br /><br />I've had similar experiences with promotion. What worked for me a year ago is no longer effective because the market is flooded with new authors all doing the same thing. The one consistent thing I do that still works for me is to give away books. <br /><br />It'll be interesting to follow your new promotion and see how it goes. Best wishes! I'm going to register now.L.J. Sellershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10213491074676394406noreply@blogger.com