Stephen Drivick's Blog - Posts Tagged "amazon"

Hello. This is my first blog, and my first blog post ever.

First, ...who the heck am I? Well, I am a 43-year-old CAD drafter from Woodstock, GA that happened to write a zombie apocalypse novel.:)

It didn't start off as a novel. One day, around Halloween, I decided to try something creative, and write a zombie-themed short story. I used some elements from some thoughts I had about a post-apocalyptic world that I had rattling around in my brain. Add some zombies, and a story was born. It was called "Among the Dead." I wrote about 2500 words, and that was that.

Or so I thought. I couldn't stop. I added more and more till I had about 65,000 words or so. None of them were any good, but it was at least neatly typed in Open Office.

Then I heard about Amazon's KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) program, and a plan was born. Could I actually do it? I set out to challenge myself to publish to Amazon. After all, I had given Amazon a lot of money over the years. Why not see if I could get some back.:)

First came three self-edits. I read through my manuscript(actually, first I started calling it a manuscript), then brought out the RED PEN and started crossing things off. First, it was just a few words. Eventually whole passages and even chapters began to fall. After the bloodletting, there was a quick trip through ErrNet.

Next was a trip to a real editor. I sent it to eBookEditingPro.com. I was nervous. They were the first people to read my mess besides me. I spent the next week or so regretting my decision to write. Would they edit it, or would they sent it back with a email heckling me?

It came back with some helpful edits that I incorporated into the work. EBookEditingPro.com did an excellent job ...they actually made it sound like a book people could read!:)

Home stretch time. I built the book on Leanpub.com (great service), and they made nice, clean, ebook-like files for the Kindle, NOOK, and other readers. A title change to "Sometimes We Ran"(Among the Dead was already taken-damn), and then it was ready for the world ...I hoped.

Still with me? I set up an account with Amazon, uploaded files, including a killer cover, and set my creation out into the world for all to see ...like a Frankenstein's monster.

It sold two on the first day, and I was thrilled ...someone actually is reading it. Holy crap. It was exciting and scary at the same time.

I've glossed over a lot. It was not as easy as I made it seem. There were nights that I wanted to throw my computer across the room. There were nights I cursed my editors, Amazon, Leanpub, and others for talking me into this. All in all, though, it was a great experience.

Do I feel like a writer? I don't know yet. I am kinda playing this by ear for now. If it turns out I have fun doing something creative, I'll keep at it ...at least until Amazon tells me to stop.:)

Would I do it again? You bet!:) How about "Sometimes We Ran 2"?

Keep reading.

My novel Sometimes We Ran received its first review on Amazon.

To tell you the truth, I had been dreading this moment. Other authors told of one and two star reviews crushing dreams and spirits. I have bought things from Amazon. I know people can be downright mean when they review stuff.

I am pleased to say it was four star review! Very cool!

Not to brag (oh hell, lets brag!) there were words like:

"Lots of grisly scenes in here but also some much needed humor to break things up..."

"This is definitely a book for zombie lovers...."

"Highly recommended..."

Real cool, and a little bit of a relief. I am truly humbled, and glad someone enjoyed my work. A truly great day for me.

And to Navy vet...vt town (my first reviewer) Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.

People sometimes ask me where they can buy my book. After they ask, I usually stand there stammering like an idiot while I try to remember the particular link they need.

So here's a little list with a some commentary:

Amazon(Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CZLEYZE

Lets start with the biggie. Amazon is not fooling around with this book selling thing! 80% of sales are here. There is also a link to the paperback.

DriveThruFiction: http://www.drivethrufiction.com/produ...

I have a few sales here. Pretty neat site. I didn't see the "Activate Product" button for a few weeks, so SWR didn't even go up for sale for a while.(D'oh!). I have a paperback here as well, with a cool, black cover

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/somet...

Not much action here. I sold one in July. I think it will take a little more time.

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/eboo...

I have a ranking here, but no sales as yet. More time needed here as well.

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id65...

I'm on Apple as well. No sales yet, but I'm hopeful some fans will find me.

Leanpub: http://Leanpub.com/SometimesWeRan

Where it all started. Leanpub created all my files, and did a great job. They also have a nice little storefront.

So you see, I think I have achieved full market penetration. I like the shotgun approach.:)

Sometimes We Ran just sold its 100th copy today! To all the people that bought my little novel ...thanks.

I didn't know what to expect when I published, but I really wanted to make at least a 100 sales. That number came from an article that said most indie publishers on average didn't sell 100 copies after pushing the publish button. I thought that if I reached 100 copies, I could buck the trend.:)

Some things I have learned:

-Amazon may be the king of the world
Roughly 80% of my sales came from the great and powerful 'Zon. That includes both ebooks and print copies through CreateSpace. These guys know how to sell books! I know other people do well in other stores, but I can't budge the needle anywhere else.

-You have to do a print copy.
When I started out, I did not intend to do a print copy. I'm glad I went through the trouble. The softcover looks great, and it sold 20 copies. It's also cool to see your words in print.:)

-It's really tough to read reviews.
Right now, I have 5 reviews on Amazon. They average about 4.4 stars. Every time one pops up, I feel very cold and nervous. I got a 3 star a few months ago, and couldn't sleep for a week!

-Facebook and Twitter are necessary.
I was a casual Facebook user, and I avoided Twitter like a bad rash. However, most people get their info from them. You have to be on both.

-Open Office is pretty cool.
I use a downloaded copy of Open Office to write. It works very well. A lot of people use fancy programs, but good ole Open Office works just great. It's not fancy, but it just works. It's the Chevy Nova of word programs.:)

-Stop checking sales, and have fun.
I admit. I am a recovering chronic sales report checker. I would check my reports a few times a day, and want to hide under my desk when sales slowed up. I'm now down to 2 or 3 times a day. I stopped wringing my hands about sales, and relaxed a bit. I'm starting to have fun writing. I'll probably never be a rich bestseller, but the sales will come. At least I hope they do.:)

Again, thanks to all my new readers. I hope you enjoyed the book. Looking forward to Sometimes We Ran-150 copies sold.:)

Just found out Amazon is having a 30% off sale on books, Just use "BOOKDEAL" to get your savings.

May I suggest Sometimes We Ran? :)
http://tinyurl.com/nckocfa

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Sometimes We Ran 2: Community is published on Leanpub. It will be coming to an ebook store near you soon.

Here's the rollout schedule, barring any more sick breaks:

-publish to Leanpub
-download to my devices to check the files and make any adjustments
-MOBI files to Amazon(They are the biggest, so they get it first.:))
-EPUB files to Draft2Digital(NOOK, Kobo, Apple)
-EPUB, MOBI, and PDF files to DriveThruFiction
-PDF files to CreateSpace for print copies
-PDF and EPUB to Libiro.com
-do some promotion
-profit! (I hope.:))

That's it. If you absolutely need to read it right now, you can get it from Leanpub.com. They have instructions on how to download. You can even pick how much to pay!

Thanks for reading. See you soon zombie fans.

It's hard to believe, but Sometimes We Ran has been in publication for one year.

One year ago, I was sitting at my computer gathering files and pushing buttons to get my creation on Amazon. Many questions went through my mind: Is what I wrote any good? Will people throw down their Kindles in disgust? Is my cover okay? Why is Amazon taking so long?

After sending all the files to the mighty 'Zon and answering all the questions, I was published. Twelve hours later, Sometimes We Ran was for sale.

I was at a car show when it went live on Amazon. I sat in my hotel room, and checked my sales for the first time. To my surprise, two sales had already shown up. A sense of relief washed over me. Even if I never sold another book, at least I sold one. :)

In the coming days, Sometimes We Ran would be sent to Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Apple. DriveThruFiction.com would get a copy as well. Then the promotion train started, and a new author entered the world.

Writing Sometimes We Ran was a rewarding experience. I learned many things in the late nights creating my story. It led to another zombie novel, Sometimes We Ran 2: Community, and my current work in progress, Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue. I think it may lead to two more novels to complete the story of my characters.

The best part of all this is the fans. People actually bought the book, and said they liked what they read. Meeting and interacting with fans is pretty cool.:)

Sometimes We Ran is not a best- seller,(yet - fingers crossed) but that's okay. In time, it may sell a few more copies. I don't think that was the goal. Just getting the story out was what I wanted to do, and one year ago it happened.

And to all the people who took a chance on my first work ...Thank you, Zombie fans!:)

========================================

To celebrate, Sometimes We Ran: A Story from the Zombie Apocalypse will be 99 cents until Monday 5/26/14.

I know I said I wasn't going to do it, but I changed my mind.

I put Sometimes We Ran into KDP Select and the Kindle Unlimited program.

Other authors had stated that it did okay for their books, so I decided to give it a try. I'm not a big fan of going exclusive with Amazon, but it's only three months. If it doesn't work out, I can go back to the other bookstores.

JA Konrath (big time author dude) recently wrote a blog on what to do when your sales tank and you lose visibility. He had some great suggestions, including one saying "join KDP Select to shake things up."

So, I took his advice and "shook things up." Sometimes We Ran is now in Select and Kindle Unlimited, at least for the next three months.

Then we'll see what happens. :) Don't worry NOOK, Kobo, Apple, and DriveThruFiction, I might be back.

And, if you would like to read Sometimes We Ran for free and you're a Kindle Unlimited member, step over to this link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CZLEYZE

Be sure to press the magic "Kindle Unlimited" button, and thanks.:)

Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue is (finally) released to the general public! Right now, you can buy it from Amazon and DriveThruFiction. NOOK, Kobo, Apple, and Scribd coming soon.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VYWHZP6

DriveThruFiction: http://goo.gl/3p9dNR

I hope everyone enjoys it, and thanks to all the zombie fans out there.

Now, on to Sometimes We Ran 4: Enough with the Zombies already!. :)

Link to the cover if you want to take a peek: http://goo.gl/9UVuA5

It took four attempts to get the cover right, but Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue is out in print through Createspace! The fault is mine...took me a while to understand the dang template.

The link: http://goo.gl/oTeqTy $7.50

They should look great. Createspace always does a good job.

For those of you playing at home, this opens all my sales channels. Here are the links:

Amazon Kindle (Almighty 'Zon): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VYWHZP6

NOOK (more action there lately): http://goo.gl/4haHVD

Kobo (got a few fans over there):http://goo.gl/zsyjwi

Apple (picked up a sale here): http://goo.gl/8CwJ5v

DriveThruFiction (always a few zombie fans over there): http://goo.gl/41Dzgv

Scribd: http://goo.gl/be7Ryb

It's also available at:
Page Foundry: http://goo.gl/8xJynP, and Tolino.

It's also available at Libiro, the all indie bookstore. It comes and goes, so buy it when you see it. It may not be there next time. :)

Where all fine e-books are sold. :)

Later on, zombie fans.