The Secret to Selling Your Books on Amazon

Do You Want to Know a Secret

Who doesn't want to know the secret to selling your books on Amazon? I know I do, and I am about to let you in on the secret. 

THERE ISN'T ONE

If there is a secret to becoming a best seller, or selling lots of books on Amazon, I haven't found it. Promotion can only take you so far, and the main thing you can do to sell books is to write a good book. You need to write the best you can, and then read it, change things, and read it again. Have someone else read it, and change it some more. Have an editor edit the crap out of it, do those edits, and then send it to them for a second edit. Have at least ten people read over it to see if you missed anything, and if something doesn't make sense. 

I know how you feel finding out there isn't a secret.

I know what you are thinking too, that is a lot of writing and reading to go through for one book. YES IT IS!! You want your baby to be as close to perfect as possible when it goes into the reader's hands. These people have paid money for your book, and if you just slap something together and throw it up, you better believe they are going to want their money back. Not only are they going to want their money back, they are going to tell everyone not to read it. They should. If you didn't think it was worth taking the time to make it perfect for them, or as perfect as possible, then why do you deserve for them to pay their money and spend the time it take to read through it?

Now here's a disclaimer. I do not think I am perfect, I don't know everything about publishing books. My books are not best sellers, and trust me I promote, I have really great bloggers and friends who help me share, and I work tirelessly on my books to make sure they are out there being their best. So, I don't want you to think I am doing everything right. I just want you to know, there is no secret to selling except WRITE GOOD BOOKS! I hope this encourages you to give your writing all you have, and make it the best it can be before you throw it to the wolves. 

Self Destruction Talk with Rue Volley

 Self Destruction Talk with Rue Volley

 

 

Here on the Self Destruction Blog we want to get different Indie Authors input. We are hosting a series of Self Destruction talks and we are honored that our first guest is the very successful Rue Volley. I will let her take it away!!

 

Well, I wrote a book and then I looked at it and went “what next?” I had not investigated anything, no publishers, no way to get it out there, hell…in 2010 I did not even have a Facebook page. At that time I was working in retail management and thought I would eventually work in the corporate office helping set up floor sets and marketing of which I am trained to do, but…I had a moment of clarity when my Father died in Feb of 2010 and suddenly I started to write it out…the emotions and struggle with that loss and The Blood & Light vampire series was born. 

So…I had a ‘book one’ and then I said “wow, I should have been a bit more organized with this.” And that was truth. Writing the book is nothing compared to the job that comes after and should have honestly been going on during the writing too. 

First of all be sure to set up a fanpage and get people involved. To start out with having “betas” to read and review your work as you go is so important. They will catch plot glitches better than you can if you write fast like I do. You also need to be on twitter and make a website or blog. There are so many free places out there to do this and not get strapped financially. I use moonfruit for my websites and did not mess with a blog. My website gives me the ability to blog on it so no need really. Also you need to join as many groups as you can find and read the about. If they have a ton of rules and what not’s avoid it. Nothing personal but you want safe places to share links and your news without someone complaining about you and starting drama so join groups that allow it and have interaction with each other. There are so many great ones and very few crappy ones so it should be easy. Also, you need to really shop your work out there with Indie Pubs, I say this because Vanity presses are not a good thing at all. I will tell you why…thank you for asking me. Lol

I self pubbed my first book in 2010 after I decided it would be the best thing to do. Like I said before, I did not think it through at all and I so wish that I had. I went with a BIG company, and yes there were good and bad reviews on this company as there are for everyone but I thought what option do I have? As I had not investigated my own outlets like createspace and formatting programs and author programs on amazon. Anyway, I was WAY overcharged on everything from formatting to final edits to tiny little “hidden” fee’s and it went on and on. Then it released and I waiting as I started to work hard to make a name for myself and get people to notice me. I did everything I mentioned above too late as in I should have been prepped BEFORE I released my book but you live and learn.

So…I sold the crap out of that book to friends and family and then started to get a fanbase too and continued to sell more and more and I was getting so excited about a royalty check! I mean my first pay from being a writer and anyone would be excited right? Well, they sold my hardcover for $30.00 my soft cover for $15.99 and the kindle for $8.99 and my first check was $22.00. I stood there with that check in my hand and then called them to have them pass me along to 5 people who explained to me all of the “fee’s” that had to be taken out and in the end I was getting less than .33 cents a book. I hung up completely disgusted and it was then that I decided I would do something different so I reached out and got an offer to do an anthology short with Vamptasy Publishing and I did a prequel short to my vampire series and submitted it. From that talks opened up and 3 months later I was signed. Is that normal? NO, not at all, but very lucky, yes.

Maybe it was karma, who knows but I found a great home of which I am still with three years later and now they have merged with Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing and hosts over 100 people on staff with authors included. So, the story did not end there. My Blood & Light series has been released, all 6 novels are now available and this entire time that first book, with the original cover was listed for sale although I canceled my contract with them and did everything in the proper way as they told me. I got the run around for quite some time as to why they had it listed on amazon and other sites and they kept claiming they made no money from it but it was available for sale. So, I hired two nasty lawyers of which I have to this day and they sent them some fabulous cease your behavior and copyright infringement and now the book is FINALLY gone after I stopped my contract with that original Vanity Press almost 2 years ago. 

Moral of the story is this.

1.     Do your homework on releasing a book of any kind.

2.     Avoid Vanity Presses if you are able too.

3.     Release the book yourself! With all the things now in your court as a writer you can set up a website, paypal and sell your own ebooks and prints for less than what some of those places charge you.

4.     Shop to Indie Pubs, but ask around and see what your fellow literary brothers and sisters say…and NOT drama, real “what the pub actually does for its writers”. You will encounter people who love to try to do damage to others out of jealousy and spite and they are straight up liars. Lol

5.     Set up a fanpage, website, twitter and get betas and people excited BEFORE you release your book NOT after.

6.     Stay positive, do not take trolls seriously, if they were doing something…ANYTHING in life, they would be busy doing that and not messing with you and trying to tear you down.

7.     Last thing…believe in you. Project that and a giving nature to truly help others and you will go far.

Xoxo~rue

 

Buy Rue's Books

Amazon.com: rue volley: Kindle Store

Fan Her!!

Nikki Needs to Get It Out

I just read riot act to marketing people. They fuckin' have no email right, no shit. I caught after bold phone message left the graphics guy and told him what I'm going to do and I will prosecute all of them and I don't give a fuck if it's 

only the one fuckin' broad that blew the money up her nose or in her vein. I AM SO FUCKING PISSED. If it was 1000, 2000 bucks, I wouldn't care but 25000 wasn't easy to come by. I have never been given anything in my life, never expected to. All I wanted was the truth because either way they will all suffer the consequences. Life's fuckin' hard for everyone. My sympathy ends when you fuckin' shine me on!.

Take the Risk

Writing....a place where a deeper unease can penetrate through the sickness, aching muscles, so lightweight that even the tinniest of atoms can weigh you down. No different from a junkie so that makes the writer vulnerable because he isn't really free to choose from that part of him. That place chooses him. So then comes the display of your guts, your blood, your sweat and tears. You lay open like a gutted fish. You wait for the whimper of dawn where someone says, "Hey, that shit you wrote? It's pretty damned good." So you surrender, like a junkie does when he steadies the rig to the vein. Euphoric. Published? Means nothing. It's how you get yourself out there that can get you in trouble. I hired a marketing firm in the beginning because nobody knew me from spit. Take a risk knowing you'll fall. I did to the tune of 25000 dollars. Take a risk, when the needle pricks the skin and you feel the sting. Overdose? Don't even know where the path leads. In this case, to an empty bank account. None of the publicity I wanted for DAZED(The Story of a Grunge Rocker) first in the DAZED novel series happened because one of the partners left the company with my files and my cash that should have paid for print and radio advertisments. More coming. There are good times and bad times. There are dreams inflated by the rush of smack when it punches. All the writer wants is another reader to say, "Hey, that shit you wrote? It's pretty damned good." Out-of-character to be taken. Not out-of-character to give them the fuck-you in the end. The beginning of my story I will share as it unfolds for new artists. Risks can devour all our strength so that our ambitions fade. I say, the sadness an itch might bring when taking risks is just the exhileration an artist needs. The words quit and writer don't belong on the same page. Nikki Palomino http://www.nikkipalomino.com