Shawna Hunter's Blog - Posts Tagged "sales"
To-Be-Read...forever?
My sales are in the toilet lately. I do have a lot of stuff coming. A new book being considered by publishers, a short story coming out as part of a Halloween anthology later this year, a golden flogger nomination for Master May I? Being announced in August, a new story being edited and 2 in the process of being written. I have a lot to announce...save for 1 vital necessity.
I do not have any new reviews. Checking my books on Amazon Author Central and Goodreads is a painful daily ritual lately. I can see that dozens of people have my books marked as to-be-read and some have clicked the star rankings but its those actual reviews that matter. Nothing boosts sales more than readers who share their honest thoughts on a book. Readers have my books, my one publisher does a week long giveaway every few months, but it seems that no one is (figuratively) cracking the spines. My sexy stories are languishing in the dust of to-be-read shelves and not getting the attention that they so desperately need.
How do I change this? How do I get people to select my stories from overstuffed kindle shelves? And, once they do, how do I get them to take a moment to type out their thoughts on what they've read (good or bad) so that the discussions can stay fresh? I have no answers at this time.
I do not have any new reviews. Checking my books on Amazon Author Central and Goodreads is a painful daily ritual lately. I can see that dozens of people have my books marked as to-be-read and some have clicked the star rankings but its those actual reviews that matter. Nothing boosts sales more than readers who share their honest thoughts on a book. Readers have my books, my one publisher does a week long giveaway every few months, but it seems that no one is (figuratively) cracking the spines. My sexy stories are languishing in the dust of to-be-read shelves and not getting the attention that they so desperately need.
How do I change this? How do I get people to select my stories from overstuffed kindle shelves? And, once they do, how do I get them to take a moment to type out their thoughts on what they've read (good or bad) so that the discussions can stay fresh? I have no answers at this time.
Indie Authors Need Your Help
Hey lovers,
Have you heard of #cockygate? How about #GetLoud? The Romance (and especially romance/erotica) genres are in trouble these days. Did you know that with 6 books published I struggle to make even $45 in a month. This month I made $4.
I write #LGBT erotica but lately the #LGBT tags have been stripped from my books, especially my Lesbian Romance, and (like many others) I’ve been tossed into a general BDSM Erotica category. This is Amazon trying to sweep a literary genre under the rug as if its no more than porn. It is not. I, like my contemporaries, work hard to write interesting and engaging narratives and we deserve to be treated like any other genre.
You can help. Use the hashtags, call attention to what’s happening, let people know. To help me specifically you can visit my fanpage for all my book links and descriptions but don’t stop with just me. Discuss your favorite authors, leave reviews, let people know that this isn’t a dirty subject. This is literature.
Here's a great explanation of what "book stuffers" are and why they are a problem:
https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/amaz...
facebook.com/ShawnaHunterErotica
Have you heard of #cockygate? How about #GetLoud? The Romance (and especially romance/erotica) genres are in trouble these days. Did you know that with 6 books published I struggle to make even $45 in a month. This month I made $4.
I write #LGBT erotica but lately the #LGBT tags have been stripped from my books, especially my Lesbian Romance, and (like many others) I’ve been tossed into a general BDSM Erotica category. This is Amazon trying to sweep a literary genre under the rug as if its no more than porn. It is not. I, like my contemporaries, work hard to write interesting and engaging narratives and we deserve to be treated like any other genre.
You can help. Use the hashtags, call attention to what’s happening, let people know. To help me specifically you can visit my fanpage for all my book links and descriptions but don’t stop with just me. Discuss your favorite authors, leave reviews, let people know that this isn’t a dirty subject. This is literature.
Here's a great explanation of what "book stuffers" are and why they are a problem:
https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/amaz...
facebook.com/ShawnaHunterErotica
