Authors: When Your Book "Flatlines"

[Kay_Cee]

Someone once told me a novel has about the same shelf life as yogurt. But what do you do whn yours stops selling (flatlines on Amazon, if you know what I mean)?

All reviews of my three novels are in the 4 star–5 star range. I admit it irks me a bit when I see novels with far lower reviews selling like hotcakes while mine just sit there.

I’ve already droppped the price to the bare minimum Amazon will allow (99¢) and have advertised everywhere I know of on Facebook. And yes, I do the free book promotion, but I am permitted to do that only every six months.

Honestly, I don’t care about the money. I just want to get my message out there. I write about God’s incredible love for us, but it seems everybody wants to read about sin and scandal instead. I realize that since I write Christian fiction, I have a rather limited audience, but I would appreciate any and all advice on publicizing.

Thank you.

 

[Mary_Gail_36]

I read somewhere that doing book readings at your local library is a good idea. You then give out fliers with information on how to get the book. (Or have some copies of the book to sell on the spot)

Or have Oprah endorse it somehow.

 

[Kay_Cee]

I read somewhere that doing book readings at your local library is a good idea. You then give out fliers with information on how to get the book. (Or have some copies of the book to sell on the spot)

Or have Oprah endorse it somehow.

Our local libray does have that once in a while, but it’s a bit of a problem if you’re published only on Kindle and therefore have no paper copies to read from or sell.

I do print up bookmarks that advertise my novels, but having only those to hand out doesn’t go over so well. The total number of copies my books have sold from a library promotion is 2.

Any other ideas?

 

[dmar198]

Our local libray does have that once in a while, but it’s a bit of a problem if you’re published only on Kindle and therefore have no paper copies to read from or sell.

I do print up bookmarks that advertise my novels, but having only those to hand out doesn’t go over so well. The total number of copies my books have sold from a library promotion is 2.

Any other ideas?

I read digital books more often than I read printed books. But I’m unusual in that regard. You’d probably sell more if people could hold it. How much more expensive is it to get a book physically printed? Do you know?

 

[Kay_Cee]

I read digital books more often than I read bound books. But I’m unusual in that regard. You’d probably sell more if people could hold it. How much more expensive is it to get a book physically printed? Do you know?

Actually, Amazon will do an “on demand” printing, but it costs the reader quite a bit, something like 12 times the Kindle price. (Any time you see that a book is published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, that’s what it is.) A friend who is also an author has been encouraging me to go that route, but I wanted to keep the price down.

If I get a number of them published that way myself, I would be stuck with any I couldn’t personally sell. I don’t mind not making much money on this (my net profit per book is usually 21¢, and that gets donated to charity). However, I really don’t want to end up having this cost me after I’ve already invested so many years in the writing process.

Does anybody here have any experience with CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform? If so, how did it go?

 

[Gilly_flower]

There are an average 350,000 new books published worldwide each year, and 95% of them sell fewer than 100 copies apiece … even with the advertising power of a publishing house behind them. Your chances of finding a large audience for a minority interest book is therefore vanishingly small - I say this not to be discouraging, but so you don’t take it personally. To sell well you need both talent and luck - and people are put off self published books because the only person endorsing them is the author, and possibly the author’s adoring mum. So my advice would be to approach a publisher of Christian books who can advise you whether it is commercially worth publishing and, if it is, will market it for you. Don’t invest your own money in vanity publishing - it is a short cut to penury and heartbreak. If your book is worth publishing, someone else will pay you, not the other way round. And unless you have a success like Dan Brown the most you can hope for realistically is the bragging rights and a very modest cheque at increasingly distant intervals…so don’t give up the day job.

 

[AKDee]

I don’t have any answers for you, but your post made me aware that you have books out there which I plan to go check out now.

 

[edwest2]

Someone once told me a novel has about the same shelf life as yogurt. But what do you do whn yours stops selling (flatlines on Amazon, if you know what I mean)?

All reviews of my three novels are in the 4 star–5 star range. I admit it irks me a bit when I see novels with far lower reviews selling like hotcakes while mine just sit there.

I’ve already droppped the price to the bare minimum Amazon will allow (99¢) and have advertised everywhere I know of on Facebook. And yes, I do the free book promotion, but I am permitted to do that only every six months.

Honestly, I don’t care about the money. I just want to get my message out there. I write about God’s incredible love for us, but it seems everybody wants to read about sin and scandal instead. I realize that since I write Christian fiction, I have a rather limited audience, but I would appreciate any and all advice on publicizing.

Thank you.

I’ve been involved in publishing fiction books for a while. Every book is different. We have books that have gone through multiple printings and some that have not. Depending on the subject, the quality of the writing - even the cover, each book will sell whatever it sells. Yes, it is true that a book with a better cover helps get people to look, but if they read a few pages and don’t care for it, they won’t buy.

I’m a big reader of nonfiction. Better looking books catch my eye, but what I want is well-written, quality content. The more it has about what I want to know, the better the odds of my buying it.

The selling price for print books has certain limits, but .99 cents? I can’t see how anyone makes money off of such books, and yes, I know, some people just want to get their book, their message out there.

To look at it another way. Before the internet, the books available at a large bookstore were limited by shelf space, which had to be cleared for the new batch of books after a certain period of time. A lot of books were published but imagine the output being the size of a large lake. After the internet, all the oceans in the world filled up because of amazon, etc. Now the problem is, how does anybody find anything?

I’m writing this for the OP and all authors.

In electronic form, your book can stay in print forever, but if the right audience doesn’t see it, then what? I’m on a specialist history forum. I track down a lot of unusual titles, while few others do. Even publishers rarely post there. ??? Part of the problem is some people, for various reasons, think a clever title is more important than a plain English title. So tell me, which book title gives you a clue about the contents? “The Oranges Are Sweet” or “History of the 345th Fighter Group”? Anybody? How about “The White Rose of Stalingrad”? I actually had one Russian expert tell me the title was obvious - maybe to Russian aviation experts.

Some publicity suggestions:

Just google Christian discussion forum. Some may allow you to announce/promote your book. Then google Catholic discussion forum if your books are meant primarily for Catholics. It takes time but it does work. Even a few mentions on a few forums is better than none. So you may have to visit quite a few. I suggest visiting quite a few.

Next, try here:

catholicwritersguild.org/

Best,
Ed

 

[Kay_Cee]

There are an average 350,000 new books published worldwide each year, and 95% of them sell fewer than 100 copies apiece … even with the advertising power of a publishing house behind them. Your chances of finding a large audience for a minority interest book is therefore vanishingly small - I say this not to be discouraging, but so you don’t take it personally. To sell well you need both talent and luck - and people are put off self published books because the only person endorsing them is the author, and possibly the author’s adoring mum. So my advice would be to approach a publisher of Christian books who can advise you whether it is commercially worth publishing and, if it is, will market it for you. Don’t invest your own money in vanity publishing - it is a short cut to penury and heartbreak. If your book is worth publishing, someone else will pay you, not the other way round. And unless you have a success like Dan Brown the most you can hope for realistically is the bragging rights and a very modest cheque at increasingly distant intervals…so don’t give up the day job.

Well, if that’s the case, maybe I’m doing better than I thought. Total so far for my first novel is 474. Yet the number of reviews is only 11 (and just a few were from family and friends).

However, glancing at Amazon, most other books have hundreds, even thousands of reviews–which would seem to indicate that at least that many copies are out there.

Somebody “piggybacked” an ad for his novel in a comment on one of my reviews, and even though his book is rated 1.8 stars out of a possible 5, he’s got 25 reviews.

Maybe people like to complain more than they like to compliment?

 

[AKDee]

Maybe people like to complain more than they like to compliment?

Bingo.

As a business manager, in training they told us the importance of keeping the customer happy. The average customer will tell 3 people about a positive experience they had with a business. The average customer will tell 25 people about a negative experience they had with a business.

I imagine that translates over to not liking a movie, or a book, or whatever.

And this was before social networking, where you could write one post and hundreds of people see it.

 

[Kay_Cee]

I’ve been involved in publishing fiction books for a while. Every book is different. We have books that have gone through multiple printings and some that have not. Depending on the subject, the quality of the writing - even the cover, each book will sell whatever it sells. Yes, it is true that a book with a better cover helps get people to look, but if they read a few pages and don’t care for it, they won’t buy.

I’m a big reader of nonfiction. Better looking books catch my eye, but what I want is well-written, quality content. The more it has about what I want to know, the better the odds of my buying it.

The selling price for print books has certain limits, but .99 cents? I can’t see how anyone makes money off of such books, and yes, I know, some people just want to get their book, their message out there.

To look at it another way. Before the internet, the books available at a large bookstore were limited by shelf space, which had to be cleared for the new batch of books after a certain period of time. A lot of books were published but imagine the output being the size of a large lake. After the internet, all the oceans in the world filled up because of amazon, etc. Now the problem is, how does anybody find anything?

I’m writing this for the OP and all authors.

In electronic form, your book can stay in print forever, but if the right audience doesn’t see it, then what? I’m on a specialist history forum. I track down a lot of unusual titles, while few others do. Even publishers rarely post there. ??? Part of the problem is some people, for various reasons, think a clever title is more important than a plain English title. So tell me, which book title gives you a clue about the contents? “The Oranges Are Sweet” or “History of the 345th Fighter Group”? Anybody? How about “The White Rose of Stalingrad”? I actually had one Russian expert tell me the title was obvious - maybe to Russian aviation experts.

Some publicity suggestions:

Just google Christian discussion forum. Some may allow you to announce/promote your book. Then google Catholic discussion forum if your books are meant primarily for Catholics. It takes time but it does work. Even a few mentions on a few forums is better than none. So you may have to visit quite a few. I suggest visiting quite a few.

Next, try here:

catholicwritersguild.org/

Best,
Ed

Thank you for the suggestions. The link you provided seems interested only in books on paper, which mine are not.

I’ve joined a number of Christian, and specifically Catholic, forums. You’d be surprised how many do not allow self-promotion of any sort, even if what you have is free. Here’s a sample from one such group:

“This group does not allow nor has it ever allowed self promotion for profit of any kind; one strike policy applies & you will be blocked from this group & since I know most of the other admins in other Catholic groups I will insure that if you self promote here you will be blocked from quite a few other Catholic Facebook groups…This policy is not up for debate or discussion…” A later post added that this includes items that are free. I figure it’s his group, and he can make the rules, which I have no intention of violating.

I have advertised on all the ones I found that do allow it, and that has resulted in some copies going out, especially when they are free. But, as my daughter pointed out, nobody wants to see yet another ad when they already saw one last month.

However, your advice is sound, and I will continue to search for new forums.

 

[edwest2]

Thank you for the suggestions. The link you provided seems interested only in books on paper, which mine are not.

I’ve joined a number of Christian, and specifically Catholic, forums. You’d be surprised how many do not allow self-promotion of any sort, even if what you have is free. Here’s a sample from one such group:

“This group does not allow nor has it ever allowed self promotion for profit of any kind; one strike policy applies & you will be blocked from this group & since I know most of the other admins in other Catholic groups I will insure that if you self promote here you will be blocked from quite a few other Catholic Facebook groups…This policy is not up for debate or discussion…” A later post added that this includes items that are free. I figure it’s his group, and he can make the rules, which I have no intention of violating.

I have advertised on all the ones I found that do allow it, and that has resulted in some copies going out, especially when they are free. But, as my daughter pointed out, nobody wants to see yet another ad when they already saw one last month.

However, your advice is sound, and I will continue to search for new forums.

Wishing you the best.

Ed

 

[edwest2]

Well, if that’s the case, maybe I’m doing better than I thought. Total so far for my first novel is 474. Yet the number of reviews is only 11 (and just a few were from family and friends).

However, glancing at Amazon, most other books have hundreds, even thousands of reviews–which would seem to indicate that at least that many copies are out there.

Somebody “piggybacked” an ad for his novel in a comment on one of my reviews, and even though his book is rated 1.8 stars out of a possible 5, he’s got 25 reviews.

Maybe people like to complain more than they like to compliment?

There may be more than one reason. Some people do like to complain. I’ve noticed this on amazon where some reviews are not reviews at all but veiled or obvious dislike for any book that deals with religion or other hot button issues. And trust me, religion has gotten and is getting a lot of bad press. Another thing to think about is “ballot stuffing” or people getting groups of people to help promote a book. I won’t go into the thinking involved and the motivations because they are usually dishonest and unfair. On the other hand, there are companies who will promote your book for a fee, but that may or may not help much since each book and niche is different. I won’t name any since I don’t want to spam.

Ed

 

[Kay_Cee]

There may be more than one reason. Some people do like to complain. I’ve noticed this on amazon where some reviews are not reviews at all but veiled or obvious dislike for any book that deals with religion or other hot button issues. And trust me, religion has gotten and is getting a lot of bad press. Another thing to think about is “ballot stuffing” or people getting groups of people to help promote a book. I won’t go into the thinking involved and the motivations because they are usually dishonest and unfair. On the other hand, there are companies who will promote your book for a fee, but that may or may not help much since each book and niche is different. I won’t name any since I don’t want to spam.

Ed

Yes, I figure eventually I’ll get a nasty review from an anti-Catholic. On the other hand, such a thing is, in a twisted sort of way, a compliment. It would be saying that my books are very Catholic!

I certainly don’t want to cheat on reviews. I’ve seen cases of authors reviewing their own work. (And, by golly, those always get 5 stars and glowing compliments!) As our Church rightly teaches, it’s never okay to do evil so that good will result.

That said, I admit to getting frustrated sometimes. A lot of hard work, sweat, and heartache goes into writing a novel. For example, I waited 15 years until my Spiritual Director approved my first book for publication (not that there was anything wrong with it; he just wouldn’t bother reading it). And then I walk into a Barnes & Noble, or, even worse, a Costco, and I see what’s popular, what people want to read. Yes, I know: I should expect that the world rejects novels about God’s love. After all, it certainly rejects God Himself often enough.

 

[edwest2]

Yes, I figure eventually I’ll get a nasty review from an anti-Catholic. On the other hand, such a thing is, in a twisted sort of way, a compliment. It would be saying that my books are very Catholic!

I certainly don’t want to cheat on reviews. I’ve seen cases of authors reviewing their own work. (And, by golly, those always get 5 stars and glowing compliments!) As our Church rightly teaches, it’s never okay to do evil so that good will result.

That said, I admit to getting frustrated sometimes. A lot of hard work, sweat, and heartache goes into writing a novel. For example, I waited 15 years until my Spiritual Director approved my first book for publication (not that there was anything wrong with it; he just wouldn’t bother reading it). And then I walk into a Barnes & Noble, or, even worse, a Costco, and I see what’s popular, what people want to read. Yes, I know: I should expect that the world rejects novels about God’s love. After all, it certainly rejects God Himself often enough.

Yes, a lot of work goes into writing a novel. In your case, and this was hard for me to finally get: “If my work touches just one person then it is worth it.” When I realized that applies to all kinds of creative ministries: your writing, someone’s art, etc., it helped to ease my frustration.

I also see what’s sitting on the shelves, but I’ve watched the sinful and scandalous get promoted more and more as the years passed. Today, I’m thinking: Is anything really a scandal anymore?

Keep focused on your faith and on the Word. Better that some do what you are doing than none. I too wish to see a change in a different direction, but God gives us different Gifts as part on one body.

God bless,

Ed

 

[Kay_Cee]

Yes, a lot of work goes into writing a novel. In your case, and this was hard for me to finally get: “If my work touches just one person then it is worth it.” When I realized that applies to all kinds of creative ministries: your writing, someone’s art, etc., it helped to ease my frustration.

I also see what’s sitting on the shelves, but I’ve watched the sinful and scandalous get promoted more and more as the years passed. Today, I’m thinking: Is anything really a scandal anymore?

Keep focused on your faith and on the Word. Better that some do what you are doing than none. I too wish to see a change in a different direction, but God gives us different Gifts as part on one body.

God bless,

Ed

Thank you so much.

BTW, some gracious person came in to Amazon today and purchased all three of my books. That’s a bit more for my parish which is heavily in debt.

 

[edwest2]

Thank you so much.

BTW, some gracious person came in to Amazon today and purchased all three of my books. That’s a bit more for my parish which is heavily in debt.

You’re welcome.

Ed

 

[edwest2]

I read digital books more often than I read printed books. But I’m unusual in that regard. You’d probably sell more if people could hold it. How much more expensive is it to get a book physically printed? Do you know?

Just google “print on demand.” If your book is straight text, just find out what kind of file they need. You can get as few as one book printed but the cost goes down depending on how many you print. Depending on where you live, check out some local book printers. The printer we use does print on demand but we usually get at least 200 copies.

Easy to store and the quality is very close to “real” high volume printed books. I suggest looking at 3 or more for price and quality. Some print on demand books look not that great while others more resemble books you would find on the shelves. Ask for samples. The final cost will vary depending on the page count. Also, talking to a real person will walk you through things like “what kind of paper should I use for the interior” and “what kind of cover stock do you recommend”?

Example:

Trim size: The size your physical book will be after printing and binding.

Interior paper stock: This will be listed as a weight (20 pound, 30 pound, etc.). You will also want a paper with good opacity. That means you won’t be able to see the text printed on the other side of each page.

Cover stock: This is the thickness of the paper that the cover will be printed on, listed as a point. For example: 10 point. Or whatever they recommend.

POD costs vary. Like I wrote, call around and talk to a real person first. If you select, or someone suggests, an online service, you should be familiar with the terminology.

Best,
Ed

 

[bluerose]

One piece of advice my publisher has always given her authors is this:

Have the next book ready to go before the previous one “flatlines” (to borrow your phrase.)

It’s true: you will often see sales of previous books jump up when a new one is released. The reason is that people who are interested in your current book might not be aware that you have a previous book and, if they like your current offering, will go back and look for any other books you’ve written.

I may have mentioned this before, but if you can interest your local newspaper, diocesan paper, parish newsletter (neighboring parishes as well) in doing an interview or even reviewing your books, you might see an increase in sales.

The problem is that your books might not appeal to a wide audience, so you have to find the specialized niches where you can promote it to the readers who are most likely to purchase them.

I talk them up whenever I can. They are powerful books and I have to say that I am sorry that they aren’t available in print. I know many people who don’t use e-readers that would love your books!

 

[bluerose]

Somebody “piggybacked” an ad for his novel in a comment on one of my reviews, and even though his book is rated 1.8 stars out of a possible 5, he’s got 25 reviews.

Maybe people like to complain more than they like to compliment?

Oh, yeah, THAT guy.

He was banned from CAF a couple of years ago and wrote a truly atrocious book which he believes will be made into a movie and is better than anything out there. Those reviews are mostly one star reviews and he engages every reviewer in calling them “trolls” because they didn’t like his book and he claims that there is a conspiracy to quell his book’s message. I’ve reported him for spamming on your reviews, but then he’s spammed on everything from “Divergent” to far lesser known books.