Recycle Your Books and Get More Readership, Too

Trying a Collected Works E-Book to Spur Sales

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Note: I got excited about Gene Cartwright's new "Collected Works" idea and asked him to tell you about it—as a success, but also as a guide for anyone else interested in trying this. I even like the cover. It has a traditional feel of collected works of the greats to it.

How and Why I Created My "Collected Works" on Amazon: $23 vs. $9.99

By Gene Cartwright

Am I breaking new ground? Perhaps.

Having a mind that seldom sleeps is both a blessing and a curse. I suppose I was in high-speed, Autobahn mode the other day, just after publishing my seventh eBook, "Fire Night."

http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Night-ebook/dp/B0079N53YE/ref%3Dsr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329934319&sr=1-6

Most of my titles at GeneCartwright.com are also hardcover and/or softcovers.

After uploading my recent title, "Fire Night" I decided to place it in Amazon’s Kindle Select Program. (https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/KDPSelect )Click the link to learn more about the program. Of course, an author hopes those who purchase one of his or her titles will be inclined to also read the others.

Therefore, it occurred to me increased readership would be more likely if a collection of all my works were available and at a price that made economic sense. So I created a single eBook containing all seven of my available titles: "Gene Cartwright  - Collected Works."  (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref%3Dnb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Gene+Cartwright) . These are complete works, not excerpts, including the Pulitzer-nominated, "A Family Gathering."

In my case, individual purchases of my books total over $23. However, purchasing my collection: "Gene Cartwright - Collected Works" at $9.99, will benefit the buyer and me. Of course, this all depends upon the pricing of one's individual works. The advantage to me is my "per buyer transaction profit" will likely be higher. Even if a buyer is not initially drawn to each title in the collection, I believe the bargain will be too good to pass up.

My second real advantage may be with the "Select" program. Amazon sets aside a monthly fund to distribute to the Select Program's authors, based upon the number of 'borrows' for an author's titles. This month, the fund is $600,000. Additionally, buyers may also purchase the book, if they choose. It is also great advertising, as all Amazon's 'Prime Members' are notified of the program's titles.

After 90 days, per my agreement with Amazon, I may choose to provide my collection to all other eBook vendors. I see it as a win-win option I am willing to test. A collection of works may not be of benefit to everyone. However, it is at least worth examining.

~Gene Cartwright is the guru behind the writers' social network iFOGO (http://ifogovillage.ning.com/). Besides social networking and a blog feature, you'll also find services and other associated Web sites that benefit writers like www.booksforfilm.com.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second ediction of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog: