I’m back from a week-long trip where the bears, moose, and killer geese were many and the internet connections were few. Thanks for checking out the book promotion tips I put up last week, courtesy of fellow indie authors from the Kindleboards (if you’re thinking of e-publishing, pop into the Writers’ Cafe over there, as you can learn quite a bit!).
I’ll be back to regular (written by myself) blog posts tomorrow. For today, just a couple of tidbits related to my stories:
First off, if you’re a book blogger and have reviewed my ebooks (or you’re thinking about it), why not see if you can make a couple of bucks for your efforts? If you join the Smashwords Affiliate Program, you can grab customized links at the bottom of any book’s page in their marketplace. If you include the link in a blog post (or anywhere on your site), and someone clicks it and ends up buying the ebook, you’ll make a little money.
11% of the cover price is the default affiliate rate, but you can find authors who have set the rate much higher. I have all my ebooks set at 75% because 11% of a $3 ebook is…lame. At least at 75%, you’ll get $2 and some change.
You can be an affiliate at Amazon too (since it’s a familiar brand and tied in with the Kindle, it tends to be easier to sell their ebooks), but authors don’t have any control over affiliate cuts there, and you’ll only make 4%-8% (the percentage increases across the board if you sell more item).
For more on making money with affiliate programs, you can check out the series I did a couple of months ago: How to Make Money as a Book Blogger (no promises of great riches, but, given time, you might be able to pay for some of your book purchases anyway).
In other news….
It’s been a little over two weeks since I released Dark Currents, and it’s already sold 300-odd copies on Amazon and some on Smashwords and Barnes & Noble as well (it’s still waiting on approval for distribution at Smashwords, so it’s not out for Sony, iTunes, etc. yet).
Sure, Amanda Hocking probably sells that many books in three minutes, but I’m tickled with the response so far, so many thanks if you’re one of the folks who grabbed a copy!
Last tidbit…
For the steampunk-Yukon-loving readers who have been wondering if there’s going to be another Flash Gold story, the answer is definitely yes.
I’m close to having a rough draft completed (that was the vacation project), and it looks like the second story will be in the 20,000-25,000 word range (the first was just shy of 18,000 words). As you can probably guess, I’m planning to stick with novellas for these characters. It takes a long time to write a 100,000-word novel, so it’s nice to be able to put these shorter adventures out in the interim. I don’t have a title for the sequel yet, but I’m hoping it might be ready by the end of August.
As always, thanks for reading!
Congratulations on the release of Dark Currents! I’ll have to check it out 🙂
Congratulations on Dark Current. And I’m doubly glad to hear about the sequel to Flash Gold. I’ve wondered that myself.
Hey welcome back! That’s very good news about Dark Currents. I can’t wait for Untitled Flash Gold Sequel 🙂 Ha ha, in my mind I’ve given it the code name Frost Bite 😉
Thanks, Jennifer, Reena, and Jon!
Hm, Frost Bite. I like that, but this one is set in May, so it’s a balmy 40 degrees in the Yukon. *g*
You say, “It takes a long time to write a 100,000-word novel, so it’s nice to be able to put these shorter adventures out in the interim.” True, but remember. Those shorter pieces, if related closely enough, can be assembled later into an omnibus. Your fans will love it, and new readers will like the chance to O.D. on you at one go. Ray Bradbury did it with one of my favorite books, “Dandelion Wine,” and the sword-and-sorcery books about “Fafrd and the Gray Mouser” were all like that and are great fun. So, keep writing those shorter pieces.
I read Flash Gold last week & really loved it. Glad to hear there’s more coming.
I’ve had my books on SmashWords for awhile now, and didn’t realize they had such a great (and open) affiliate program. I’m going to have to up the amount on my books as well. Thanks for the tip!
Thanks, Peter! Yup, I have a big Fafrd and the Gray Mouser collection somewhere. 🙂 I actually am planning to do an omnibus once I have three Flash Gold stories out, so I can list it at $2.99 for the higher royalty. Three of the novellas should be about the length of a novel, so a decent deal for readers.
Thanks for giving it a try, Nicholas!
You’re welcome, Scott. I’ve had a few Smashwords sales come through affiliates, and it’s very cool to have others helping you promote your work. 🙂
You need to update your other blog so that Goodreads gets updated – I had no idea that Dark Currents was out!
Ah, thanks TravelingGal! I went in and changed it. I had my other blog (which hasn’t been updated in ages) up on Goodreads.
Awesome news! I thoroughly loved Flash Gold (it was the book that got me to read your others) and am very very happy to hear a sequel will be coming out.
Personally I love novellas. I am an extremely busy parent and have little time for reading. Being able to get in, read an adventure in a day or two here and there and have it be a complete adventure is perfect.