Any time you write something and you put it out there for the world to see, it is a little scary. At least for me it has been pretty scary. But, one of the main requirements of self-publishing is forwarding the notice to your friends and family. "Hi! I wrote something. Please read it and forward your thoughts. Especially if you see a typo or two!"
Thus, when I received the following email from a close friend (who has critiqued my work in the past), I was elated. It was so thoughtful of him to send a little hip-hip-hooray my way :)
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I started reading it last night and I'm in Chapter 5. I love the writing style! Everything just flows so naturally, so conversationally. And the humor is a great touch too! I never thought a book about marriage could be fun to read. Honestly, I'm learning a lot about marriage law that I had never really thought of. And...I haven't seen a single typo yet. I have to say, I'm impressed. Not bc I didn't think you were a good writer, but bc writing a full book is so damn hard. I know I wouldn't try to do it.
You are good. Keep writing.
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I feel all warm and fuzzy now. Plus, I needed the confidence boost to start the next book. Happy days!!
Camille
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Author Central Profile Developed
Phew. That took some mindjuice...
When I originally posted my book on Kindle, I waited to work out the kinks before developing the hardcopy version on CreateSpace, another Amazon publisher. Once I had completed that, it asked me if I wanted to develop a Kindle page. Well, no, I already have one. I simply declined that option.
Once CreateSpace approved my book (i.e. not porn), they started posting the hardcopy version of my book in a separate doo-dad from the Kindle version. Considering it is difficult to explain, here is a screenshot of what it looks like:
I have to get these two listings together. So, in the Community section of kdp, I found people mentioned the need for an author page on Author Central. When you create an Author Central page, the commentor indicated it would essentially meld the two together.
First off, go to authorcentral.amazon.com. Once there, you need to set up a new account. Everything should be fairly easy from there. The only reason I write this post is that I had difficulty bringing in my twitter account and my blog accounts. I believe the main difficulty with the twitter account was the kinks in the author central site itself. I mean, what is so difficult about "@FromTheProposal". It should have simply accepted it, but no. I had to do it a couple of times. So, if you have this issue, I am just sayin': don't give up. Simply keep inputting it until it accepts it.
If you also have a blog, you need to figure out the RSS url, not the blog's URL. For this, simply visit your blog's help section. I use Blogger and it was very simple. The trick was simply visiting "Blogger Help" and then inputting my inquiry, "RSS URL". From years of trying to figure out Excel, I have learned to simply give up and search the help section. It always works out that way.
Anywho, here's to hoping that the two listings will meld within the next 24 hours!
Camille
P.S. - Make sure you double-check your author central. I just did and they had the second listing!
UPDATE: Here is my profile: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008QXS2EY They still haven't melded the two texts together. Shit.
When I originally posted my book on Kindle, I waited to work out the kinks before developing the hardcopy version on CreateSpace, another Amazon publisher. Once I had completed that, it asked me if I wanted to develop a Kindle page. Well, no, I already have one. I simply declined that option.
Once CreateSpace approved my book (i.e. not porn), they started posting the hardcopy version of my book in a separate doo-dad from the Kindle version. Considering it is difficult to explain, here is a screenshot of what it looks like:
I have to get these two listings together. So, in the Community section of kdp, I found people mentioned the need for an author page on Author Central. When you create an Author Central page, the commentor indicated it would essentially meld the two together.
First off, go to authorcentral.amazon.com. Once there, you need to set up a new account. Everything should be fairly easy from there. The only reason I write this post is that I had difficulty bringing in my twitter account and my blog accounts. I believe the main difficulty with the twitter account was the kinks in the author central site itself. I mean, what is so difficult about "@FromTheProposal". It should have simply accepted it, but no. I had to do it a couple of times. So, if you have this issue, I am just sayin': don't give up. Simply keep inputting it until it accepts it.
If you also have a blog, you need to figure out the RSS url, not the blog's URL. For this, simply visit your blog's help section. I use Blogger and it was very simple. The trick was simply visiting "Blogger Help" and then inputting my inquiry, "RSS URL". From years of trying to figure out Excel, I have learned to simply give up and search the help section. It always works out that way.
Anywho, here's to hoping that the two listings will meld within the next 24 hours!
Camille
P.S. - Make sure you double-check your author central. I just did and they had the second listing!
UPDATE: Here is my profile: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008QXS2EY They still haven't melded the two texts together. Shit.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
"Customers Who Viewed This Item Also Viewed"
As I ponder over the issue of rewriting my book's description, I decided it was time to review my links. See what kind of action the text has been having. First off, the free 5 day KDP Select advertising as definitely come to a close. How can I tell? The views of the text came to a complete halt. At the very end, the number was 62. The problem is that Amazon doesn't tell me if this is 62 different downloads or 62 times one or two people accessed the file. Maybe it was just someone reading a chapter at a time. We don't know. Obviously, there were no sales during this time period.
Next up, I decided to go back to the actual page for Amazon. It is still free for Prime members, but Kindle members must pay $9.99 (they can also simply order the book for $9.99). I am tempted to drop the Kindle price, but this is legal information. If it were a simple short story, I would totally offer it for $.99, but this is something different. I think. Am I wrong?
Finally, as I scrolled the page, I noticed the "Customers Who Viewed This Item Also Viewed" list. I found this to be very informative. Here is the screen image:
I don't know if you can see this, but it appears we are 1) definitely dealing with a woman and 2) a woman who is short on funds and 3) a woman who is seeking order in her life. We have Feng Shui, managing money, and exercise/diet books.
My marketing sense tells me I should communicate the "order" this text will provide the reader. Maybe something like, "Coupling with the one you love is a special time in both of your lives, but finding yourself and order in this matrimony is especially important for your overall well-being..." I am not sure what I will ultimately prepare, but at least this feature provides a window into who my audience is and what they are looking for.
They are definitely looking for something in the price range of $2.99...Hmmmm....
On another note, my parents sold one book at their store!!! Woohoo! It is the little things in life.
Have a great day,
Camille
Next up, I decided to go back to the actual page for Amazon. It is still free for Prime members, but Kindle members must pay $9.99 (they can also simply order the book for $9.99). I am tempted to drop the Kindle price, but this is legal information. If it were a simple short story, I would totally offer it for $.99, but this is something different. I think. Am I wrong?
Finally, as I scrolled the page, I noticed the "Customers Who Viewed This Item Also Viewed" list. I found this to be very informative. Here is the screen image:
My marketing sense tells me I should communicate the "order" this text will provide the reader. Maybe something like, "Coupling with the one you love is a special time in both of your lives, but finding yourself and order in this matrimony is especially important for your overall well-being..." I am not sure what I will ultimately prepare, but at least this feature provides a window into who my audience is and what they are looking for.
They are definitely looking for something in the price range of $2.99...Hmmmm....
On another note, my parents sold one book at their store!!! Woohoo! It is the little things in life.
Have a great day,
Camille
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