Debating Kindle Select with a Google + Follower

Debating KDP Select (Kindle’s Promo Track) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

QUESTION

Ester Benjamin Shifren is one of my Google + followers who tell me, "I'm debating whether to do KDP Select which requires exclusivity for six months, or put my book out there with all the other e-readers. I'm leaning towards the latter. I think some of the magic of Select is wearing off. What's your opinion or thinking on the subject."

 

ANSWER

I did just the opposite, Ester, though I do think some of the novelty is wearing off. I also see that there are many more support sites out there for e-book freebies and that’s a big plus. Also B&N has pulled support for the Nook and the other platforms require another kind of language/format from the one Kindle uses. That means Kindle will not have that competition in the future.

It does get to be quite a time-consuming project for indie authors to reformat for all the different e-reader platforms. I had begun to get ready to do it for Kindle and am kind of relieved I don’t have to do it now. And Smashwords only pays you through Paypal which I distrust. Other authors also say that their royalties with Smashwords is negligible.Thinking back to my marketing theory that even promotions have to be promoted, that sounds about right. People usually go to buy your book where you send them and none of us can promote six to a dozen different e-book sites. Focus. Focus! (A warning here. Don't focus on  paperbacks only.  We need to cater to readers who prefer digital, too.)

 

Of course, there's always an alternative. Use Kindle Select for six months. Promote it. Reap the benefits. And post on the other platforms once your commitment is up. 

 

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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 edition 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 .

Poets Come Up with Great Promo Idea for Hard-To-Market Genres

I thought I'd tell you about a promotion idea using e-books, paperback books, and Smashwords coupons--all at once. It is the brainchild of my poetry partner Magdalena Ball and I and I thought those of you who write in the so-called hard-to-promote genres could adapt it. Of course, we also hope you'll consider using our poetry for your Christmas greetings. Here it is!

 

 

 

My writing partner Magdalena Ball and I figure nothing is more meaningful at any holiday than a poem—a real poem, not sing-song impersonal verse from the shelves of card shops (I've always disliked that kind of card exept for the way they sometimes use glitter, which is kind of hard to do with a chapbook!).

 

We've also noticed that many people order imprinted holiday greetings (very expensive ones!) in July. With that in mind we're offering a great Christmas-in-July incentive to those early birds who want to gift a chapbook Blooming Red: Christmas Poetry for the Rational to cherished friends. .

But how would poetry lovers, literature lovers and those who just like something different and beautiful to use as mini gifts or greetings know if this little booklet is for them?

We've arranged to get the e-book version for 50% off until August 6. That means your sample comes to you for a mere $1.98 using the special coupon code ZZ47S when you go to http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/45393

Then, when you fall in love with the exquisite poetry and the beautiful artwork by award-winning California watercolorist Vicki Thomas, you can order 25 full paperback booklets for only $3.00 each. This is a substantial discount from Amazon’s price of $6.95 each. They become your card and gift in one and orders of 12 or more come autographed by Carolyn. That’s got to be more personal than an imprint.

You just send your shipping address with your check or money order to:

Carolyn Howard-Johnson

PO Box 1101
LaCanada-Flintridge, CA 91012-1101

Include $6. Ship charges for the continental US and $12 worldwide, any quantity. Please order before August 15^th.

Blooming Red includes Maggie's science-inspired and my nostalgic poetry. It also includes some humorous poems for fair measure.

For more information on any of the chapbooks in this poetry series, contact either Carolyn or me, or visit media rooms at http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com or http://www.magdalenaball.com. To learn more about artist Vicki Thomas and to see her selections of her work, go to http://www.vickithomasartist.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 Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; 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: