So I’m doing some research on marketing my work…still waiting on da’info regarding smashwords ‘n’ amazon before getting into it whole hog, and I decided to look at where my book sits over at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/284350 …and drumroll… I’m on page 5 of the bestseller filter in the fantasy category in my price range.
GO ME!!!
It means little to nothing compared to a zillion copies sold by the big names in the writing field, but hey, it made me grin, and since I put my blood, sweat n’ tears into the thing, I might as well enjoy it…and I have, after all, sold some copies and gotten a couple 5 star reviews.
The sad thing for writers trying to publish, either self or traditional, is that most of us don’t sell a single copy of anything…or so few copies as to make no never mind. Some of this is due to the glut of works out there, but sadly it is also due to the fact that fewer and fewer people are READING.
In my alter ego, as CABDUDE, I hear it all the time. People get in the taxi, conversation ensues, and they get all enthralled that I’m doing the taxi thing to allow me to focus on writing…and then the bomb drops:
“That is so cool…but I never have any time to read.”
I want to scream: “MAKE THE TIME! You have time to do every damn thing else, including sitting in front of a bottle of booze or watching mindless drivel on the tube WHILE consumin’ ze booze for hours on end!” …and then I stop myself.
Their life. Their loss.
As for me, I make the time, all the time. Reading enriches the soul, educates the mind, and is so much more fulfilling than anything else I can think of doing…er, well, ‘cept for writing.
And so, back to pounding away on the next one…and reading the next one!
My life. My win.
And congrats on that. ^_^ I hope you sell more.
Go over and read JA Konrath’s blog. Good info for indie authors. I’m going his route, and using Amazon KDP only. More Kindle’s than anything else out there. Plus you can get a Kindle reader for just about every tablet out there.
As for the people in the cab that say they don’t have time to read, basically don’t want to read. If you really want to do something, you would make the time to do it.
I like the smashwords approach, tbh. I will be putting it up on Amazon as well, but more is better, and I have B&N, Sony, kobo, etc., as well with smashwords. And as to the making time to read…well, that is why I DON’T rant at them. 😉