The #1 Mistake Most Authors Make

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suetropez
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Re: The #1 Mistake Most Authors Make

Post by suetropez »

Maybe I'm off base here but isn't getting the e-book free or cheap the main reason for having e-books and e-readers? Convenience is one thing and cheap is the other.
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JessPT14
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Post by JessPT14 »

-- 11 Aug 2016, 19:08 --

My biggest issue is when one story is broken up into multiple books with each book under 100 pages, especially when it is not obvious that there is a cliffhanger and multiple books in the series. I would rather pay one higher price for one large book than pay multiple some amounts for each book.
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David Nash
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Post by David Nash »

Good post!

I tend to split my reading time between browsing the "slush pile" of authors who are offering free books, and immersing myself in the works of accomplished authors. I go to the slush pile looking for people who are just emerging, who have put in the time and the effort to create something different and unique. I go to the established author so that I don't get too jaded in my view of how "good writers" write. The best write books I don't like, and new writers can create gems. But both succeed when they focus on giving more in their story than they ever expect to get back.
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Post by karolinka »

Interesting way of looking at this. I do not mind paying more than $5 for an e-book if it's good. After all, the author still had to put lots of work into it, just like he/she would into a physical book. But, if it's good and has good review, why not pay a little more? Unless I want the physical copy for some reason, and then I would pay more. The matter of it being poorly edited is another matter.
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Post by MoisBenarroch »

Just read Scott´s book, you should read it. It´s short and very precise and comes from experience. The insight about Facebook is worth hundreds of dollars, and I have experienced it myself (facebook is just not what it used to be 3 years ago). The best way to make something of Facebook today is through groups, and even more through closed groups.

Book pricing is a real mistery to me, I have been trying to make sense of it, and I am puzzled. My best selling book (Gates to Tangier) has been a bestseller in Spanish, I have priced it between 2,99 and 9,49 and it sells at all these prices. It sells the same between 6,79 and 2,99. I tried for s short time to sell it for 0,99 and sales were only 20% higher, which doesnt make sense at all.
I think that mostly it depends on the way amazon itself makes the book visible.
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Post by Lincoln »

So true. There are already tons of studies about ebook pricing and in general it is a constantly evolving marketplace. Getting established is tough.
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Post by Barbara Dominick »

This is a good article. Quality is more important than quantity. Thank you Scott... I'll check out your 10 Step Plan!
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Post by Lincoln »

Barbara Dominick wrote:This is a good article. Quality is more important than quantity. Thank you Scott... I'll check out your 10 Step Plan!
Yeah, it is a great thing to check out for early stage advice!
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Post by Yolanda Denise »

I've bought the book and am reading it now.
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Post by Amagine »

I agree that a lot of writers have no respect their reader's time... or money! I've read books that were so unnecessarily long that I stopped reading it. I prefer books that get straight to the point, especially non-fiction books. Also, I've seen writers over charge on their books when I can get a printed book with basically the same plot for much cheaper. It definitely is a matter of taking the time to consider what's best for your target audience.
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Post by Victor Rose »

I just finished publishing my first novel, so I probably not the right person to ask. But not wasting the reader's time is something I considered from the very beginning. That includes removing un-needed fluff and redundant details. It also included limiting the novel to around 80K words. I would go higher if I need to, to finish the story, but most casual readers don't like read large tomes. They're just too much work to read.

The only thing I regret, so far, is releasing the novel on Kindle before professional copy-editing. I chose to do it, to get feedback and the feedback was both valuable and positive (besides comments about the grammar). After feedback came in it was clear I needed professional editing help. Which I got and couldn't be happier with the results.

Don't gamble on your abilities to copy-edit a manuscript correctly. Copy-editing and line-editing are a different skill set from writing.
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Post by karolinka »

Scott, that is an interesting point and one that I didn't even consider. Will keep this in my mind when selling/trying to sell my books. Thanks!
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