Is BookRiot a Good Investment? Here are two user experiences

I do a lot of face-to-face sales at conventions and book events. Oftentimes I run into my buddy Scott Burtness who writes Horror Comedy (think Buffy the Vampire Slayer.) In fact, we met at one of such event for about the third time in a row and just decided to start doing a lot of the same things together and learning what is working for the other guy and try to replicate those results.

He and I have both been guest speakers at MN based MinnSpec meetups and try to help other Indies up north. We were discussing marketing one day and had both been looking into BookRiot as an alternative to a Bookbub ad (since neither of us had scored one yet.) BookRiot was a little cheaper, but came with what seems like a lot of accolades to its credibility from libraries, etc.

One thing that I found as odd was that I could not find any actual user reviews/reports on the service. Bookbub provides its users with a genre-based breakdown for estimated sales from previous users. After we both decided to drop over $1,000 each on an ad package we agreed to keep informed and report back. Here are the detailed results of our ads…

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Author Feature: Kathleen Jones

A graduate of the University of Toronto and Ryerson University’s Certificate in Publishing Program, Kathleen Jones toughed it out in the corporate world for over thirty (long) years, chiefly as an editor for various Canadian book publishers. Some of the time, she had the opportunity to do the type of work that she enjoyed . . . but too all often, she didn’t. Towards the end of her corporate career, the type of work that interested and challenged Kathleen began to slip away, and she became less and less happy.

Then one day, Kathleen realized something: creative, out-of-the box thinkers like her didn’t belong in the corporate world, and if she wanted “meaningful” work, she’d have to create it for herself.

That was when Kathleen decided to pursue the only work that she’d ever really wanted to do since she was a child: the work of a novelist!

KDP Hiccups: Where are my Sales & Who Jacked my Royalty Rates?

I discovered a few little things very recently after combing through my KDP sales… some of my numbers weren’t adding up correctly. Here are two little known issues that I got to the bottom of after spending some lengthy time on the phone with support.

1. Why are some ebook sales showing up as $35% when I am at the 70% royalty rate?
2. I have a huge spike in sales on my chart but they aren’t there when I generate a report—where are my missing book sales?

Wolves of the Tesseract Huge Giveaway!

Wolf of the Tesseract is FREE today! and Wolves of the Tesseract 2: Through the Darque Gates of Koth is discounted all week on a count-down deal. I’d love if you downloaded the series and let me know what you thing! (and follow the jump to learn how to get the comic book prequel for free). Both books are in KU.

“Claire Jones is more than your average girl: her bloodline ties her to the all-powerful Architect King. Only she can stop the creatures that dwell beyond the known dimensions… and the forces of the enemy have multiplied.”

State of Writing

Lot’s happening, as per usual. Last week I completed an outline for my next SF, Dekker’s Dozen: Austicon’s Lockbox. (I also got a lot done at work, too.) This week I’ll be pretty busy prepping for cons and doing other promo work since I have a huge giveaway going on right now… but hopefully I find some time to write as well. With three outlines complete that are just ready for me to begin, picking a project might be the hardest part.

Wolf of the Tesseract is FREE today! and Wolves of the Tesseract 2: Through the Darque Gates of Koth is discounted all week on a count-down deal. I’d love if you downloaded the series and let me know what you thing! (and follow the jump to learn how to get the comic book prequel for free). Both books are in KU.

Author Feature: Dan Petrosini

Dan Petrosini writes Am I the Killer? which is Book 1 in A Luca Mystery Series. It is a story that explores the effects of a brain injury. The idea for it came from watching a documentary on HBO called Crash Reel which followed an Olympic snowboarder who suffered a traumatic brain injury.
In my novel, a returning Marine suffers a brain injury and is accused of murdering a man who bullied him as a child. The investigation is complicated by the marine’s inability or unwillingness to recall the events on the night of the murder.
Homicide detective Frank Luca leads the investigation and the book was so well received that I wrote featuring him.

Tell us about yourself and how you got into writing:

Born in NYC but living in S.W. Florida, I am married with two daughters and a needy Maltese. I began writing stories as a child and enjoyed expressing my ideas through them. When it came to longer format, ie novels, I started many but finished none until about 25 years ago when I finally pushed one over the finish line. Since that time, I have whittled away at my non-completion rate and complete most projects.

Sharpen your hook: Write a killer first page!

Books that sell need a bunch of things.  Before a reader even looks at your content they are going to look for any reason to say “no.” It’s how our minds work—we are constantly asked to run a gauntlet of commercial interests trying to sell us every product under the sun… including your book. If you have a good cover and back blurb and haven’t priced your book into oblivion, only then will a potential reader look at your actual words on paper.

Following is an article on how to sharpen your first page: the single most critical piece of writing in your actual story. If your book is going to make it, the first chapter—especially your first page, has to be amazing.

Review: Black Moon by Tegon Maus

The first thing that I noticed on Tegon Maus’s second installment of the Tucker Littlefield Chronicles was the cover. Front and center on Black Moon, we have perhaps the most unassuming protagonist ever. It immediately made me wonder if Vizzini from the Princess Bride was our main character. Something about the completely normal seeming Littlefield is particularly appealing. Honestly—who puts a balding, middle aged, normal dude as their Fantasy protagonist? Honest people who’ve had enough rippling muscles and flat abs… and Tucker Littlefield is honest (and likeable, too.)

State of Writing

This week didn’t produce as much as I’d hoped, but I did manage to complete the edits on my other WIP, the crime comedy. Marketing took up a big chunk of my free time this week. I’ve been working on a cover redesign for Wolf of the Tesseract (for a huge promo push coming next week) and facebook ads and list building (so many giveaways).

If I get anything done this week, it would be to prep for that big push (and maybe talk to some betas about reading my current WIP). I wouldn’t mind beginning the audio recording of the final Dekker’s Dozen book or perhaps writing a short story, but we’ll see. Work has been weird with all of this snow and missed school days.

Author Feature: CM Cevis

Cevis writes a heroine-led Urban Fantasy series, the  starter book tells the story of the origins of the preternatural civil war.

Tell us about yourself and how you got into writing:

I’m a 37 year old mother, reader, writer and gamer. I’ve always been interested in reading, as my mother was and still is a rabid consumer of mysteries, but I think I gravitate towards UF because of my dad’s influence of Dr. Who, Star Trek and Star Wars. Mix in the fact that he and I used to watch Rambo movies and the like WAY before I probably should have been allowed, and you’ve got my writing: Urban Fiction, strong women, violence and explosions. Sometimes some romance. Sometimes.