Share Your Successes!

I just put out two ebooks with the major online retailers. We shall see how it goes. Links to my books in their different formats are listed on my blog.

http://td-dewmer.blogspot.com/

Brag and bafflement

In January, I e-published my first mystery. I put it up on Smashwords and all their associated sites, and separately I put it up on Amazon.

Until last week, I would have said that I'd sold about fifty copies over all those various platforms. But then late last week, Barnes and Noble updated their sales figures to Smashwords, and turns out they sold 1400 (!) copies of my book in April!

Whee!

But meanwhile, April saw a grand total of 12 sales on Amazon.

I know what the difference is, I think. On Barnes and Noble, my book crossed the secret magic threshold to become an Also Bought. So it's showing up on other book pages "People who bought this book also bought these books". So now it's selling itself -- on Barnes and Noble.

On Amazon, it's NOT an Also Bought. At the bottom of my book's page, there are Also Boughts, but when I click on them, there's not a referral back to my book.

I gather there's some number that you have to meet, some complex algorithm of sales and time and matches, in order for your book to become an Also Bought.

Does anyone know how I can make that happen? I'm loving the B&N sales, but it's making me very dissatisfied with Amazon. B&N is showing me that when people who like cozy mysteries see my book, they have a tendency to buy it. But how do I get them to see it on Amazon?

Should I tweet about it? Or is that just annoying?

(The book is Died On The Vine, BTW, so if you have a Kindle and like mysteries, for heaven's sake - BUY MY BOOK!)

Adding to my last -

Or, come to think of it, should I just be happy that my book is selling on Barnes and Noble and not be such an impossible to please ingrate?

Joyce,
Congratulations! My B&N sales are nonexistent, most of mine are on Amazon. Nobody really knows what the method is at any of the online retailers. But yes, Tweet your book, have a Facebook authors page, and an author's page on Amazon. Get the word out there, but don't overdo it until you come across as a spammer.

Beverly, I'm almost finished with the second book in your Black Knights of the Hudson series and it is just as good as the first. You are a master storyteller and a fantastic writer! As a reader, I thank you for putting out such a fine series. As an author, I am in awe of your talent.

Joyce, that is great news about B&N. It must mean that word is getting out and I'll bet Amazon sales will be soon to follow.

Why Nick, thanks so much. I'm delighted you're enjoying the second book as well. I can't even answer such wonderful compliments without sounding silly or pretentious so I'll just say I appreciate them and you made my evening.

Thanks to you and the response of other readers, I've taken the time off from writing to tweak the covers a bit so that it is easier to tell them apart (my avatar is now new Book II). I had hoped to have AW's fine artist, Gale Haut, do them, but I had to choose between a superb graphic artist and getting the audiobooks done. Hopefully, the new design will suffice until I can afford to have Gale take over the graphics later on. He does such beautiful covers for Merrihiatt.

I like the new cover a lot

Oh good. Thanks again, Nick.

Congratulations, Joyce. I think algorithms are being tweaked all the time. Who can keep up?

Mark Coker's book about Secrets of E-Publishing Success did say that books tend to peak on different platforms at different times, and figuring out why is difficult/impossible. But it's weird to see in real life. Do you guys know I haven't sold a single book on Amazon yet in May?! It'll never be an Also Bought at that rate! I'm just reveling in my B&N sales now - no updates since May 3rd, but I keep watching my rankings bounce up and down, so I know it's selling some, just have no idea of specific numbers.

Congrats to Hugh! WOOHOO! http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/20th-century-fox-options-self-published-sci-fi-novel_b51491

I'm thrilled for Hugh! Great news!

Very, very, very cool!!!!! Congratulations

Wow! That's amazing man! Congratulations!

Yes, yes, so cool! Was so pleased to hear about this! Very happy for him

Congrats to Joyce too on the B&N sales 1400 copies in a month in B&N is ... fantastic stuff...

This thread is such an inspiration. Thanks, all, for letting us know about your successes. I'm very pleased for and proud of every single one of you.

I hope that everyone with a recent success has mentioned it here, and that people with smaller (but still good) sales aren't feeling intimidated by the big numbers some of our members are enjoying. Success isn't always defined by huge sales or big deals, and I hope no one feels excluded from posting here because they've "only" enjoyed a success of a less quantifiable kind.

Congratulations, Joyce!! I pulled my book from Smashwords and the affiliates because nothing was happening with it there and I wanted to use the Amazon program. Good to know it works for some.

Old Hack said:

This thread is such an inspiration. Thanks, all, for letting us know about your successes. I'm very pleased for and proud of every single one of you.

I hope that everyone with a recent success has mentioned it here, and that people with smaller (but still good) sales aren't feeling intimidated by the big numbers some of our members are enjoying. Success isn't always defined by huge sales or big deals, and I hope no one feels excluded from posting here because they've "only" enjoyed a success of a less quantifiable kind.

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Thanks for posting that.

Old Hack said:

This thread is such an inspiration. Thanks, all, for letting us know about your successes. I'm very pleased for and proud of every single one of you.

I hope that everyone with a recent success has mentioned it here, and that people with smaller (but still good) sales aren't feeling intimidated by the big numbers some of our members are enjoying. Success isn't always defined by huge sales or big deals, and I hope no one feels excluded from posting here because they've "only" enjoyed a success of a less quantifiable kind.

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This means a lot, OH, truly. I'm trade e-pubbed but I wanted to join in the festivities too. That's why I'm here, and I'm not shattering records at all. I'm just happy to finally see some activity with my latest book. And I learned most of the promo/marketing tips here.

In fact, I've hit a lull (no sales) and panicked a bit over the last four days. So I started an announcement thread on Goodreads, which I'm just starting to use and familiarize myself with. Made a sale twenty minutes after posting. Shocker.

I've got to learn to follow my own blog advice--avoid hitting critical mass, that point of saturation. Try new resources and outlets, ya know, change it up a bit. I'm starting to act like a human being on Twitter and FB, and not like a robot churning out press releases. More, much more participation and off-topic discussions and views.

Tri

And right on cue there's a new thread in the Round Table called, How do you define success?

I wonder if the OP there read my comment here?

Finally, after several months, I've gotten back-lash sales on a previous title that I hadn't promoted at all. I attribute those sales to the current ones--somebody (or a few people) got curious and looked up some of my other titles after reading the one I have front-row-and-center. I know this because that older book had flat-lined for more than a year.

tri

That's great, Tri.

Old Hack said:

This thread is such an inspiration. Thanks, all, for letting us know about your successes. I'm very pleased for and proud of every single one of you.

I hope that everyone with a recent success has mentioned it here, and that people with smaller (but still good) sales aren't feeling intimidated by the big numbers some of our members are enjoying. Success isn't always defined by huge sales or big deals, and I hope no one feels excluded from posting here because they've "only" enjoyed a success of a less quantifiable kind.

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This. Having one sale a month can be a success. Finishing a novel can be a success. I really do not believe we are competing with one another as much as we are defining what success is for our particular journey and then doing all we can to touch, and hold onto, that brass ring.

My goals may seem low compared to other people's, but they are mine and they are just as valid as anyone else's. I join in the celebration of all our successes!

I just started Book 3 in the Black Knights of the Hudson series. I'm hooked on your books, ET!

MysteryRiter said:

Congrats to Hugh! WOOHOO! http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/20th-century-fox-options-self-published-sci-fi-novel_b51491

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You know, I was wondering why we hadn't gotten an update from him lately. (I lurked before I joined, and this thread is a favorite of mine.) I guess he was kinda busy.

Congratulations, Hugh! This is extremely cool.

MysteryRiter said:

Congrats to Hugh! WOOHOO! http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/20th-century-fox-options-self-published-sci-fi-novel_b51491

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Congrats Hugh! After lurking around here for a while as a visitor and seeing posts about Wool, I bought it and loved it. I'm on #6 right now. I have a hard time putting it down when the kids call me (which is every time I pick it up!).

I think this is the first fiction I've read in 20+ years (all business and bio).