Self-published e-book author: 'Most of my months are six-figure months'

CNN Tech ^ | September 7, 2012 | John D. Sutter

[freekitty]

Exacly

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Maybe you should start off small — say 10,000 pages or so.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

"I love the smell of old books, ...."



Reviews here:

http://www.amazon.com/Paper-Passion-Perfume-Geza-Schoen/product-reviews/3869305010

[ArmstedFragg]

Congrats! Sounds great!

Is there going to be a path that takes you through the book, but leaves out all the stuff you’ve already read several times?

[Wicket]

I’ve read quite a few that are self-published on Kindle. Some have interesting plot lines but the spelling and grammar are so poor that it is distracting. Some I have quit reading.

[JT Hatter]

I self published Lost in Zombieland: The Rise of President Zero using CreateSpace and Kindle Publishing. a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1470165228"> Link to Lost in Zombieland

The progs murdered my ratings on Amazon.com. But that was expected. Patriots rallied and pretty much made up for the slander.

It was a wonderful experience but I'm not sure I'll do it again. Lost a boat load of money (mostly on marketing) and won't see a break even ever, I think. Unless a bunch of people discover the book and start buying it.

But others have pointed out the main problem: if you don't market your ebook effectively, it's just another computer file among tens of millions. Nobody will even know it exists.

My wife wants me to write a sequel. Doesn't take a lot of sense to predict what happens when you elect a Marxist and convert a capitalist economy to a socialist one. The Rise of President Zero is predicting what's happening now.

[brothers4thID]

I published my first novel last year with both Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I've had 3x as many sales on Amazon and I believe that to be due to the tools they give authors for promotion and the ease of their program.

HOWEVER, anyone who thinks that he/she can take a MS Word ( or WordPerfect) document, push it through KDP software, and get a decently formatted book on the other end is seriously deluded.

Also, please note that a FEW authors have made substantial money through Amazon. The vast majority have not. Yes Hugh Howey makes a lot of money. Hugh Howey also writes very good science fiction with a large following.

I have not had a single six figure month. So, your results may vary.

Anyone wishing to know more is welcome to PM me.

[GeronL]

yes and it apparently has different formats for short story, novels and screen plays

[idov]

You asked if Amazon lets you preview the books.

If you purchase you have the right for a refund. If you get one on a free day, what’s the difference?

I’ve put up 12 books, l0 non-fiction and two fiction, with two more on the way. I’m a retired journalist but previously I would never have written a book because you would never get it published. This way it’s pick ‘em up and lay ‘em down. You do your print version at CreateSpace. That too is easy and free.

[Smokin' Joe]

I’m with you. I have books over 250 years old, and love the texture of the paper, the smell, the differences in writing style. For ‘junk reading’ (fun, but of little consequence in the grand scheme of things), a paperback is fine...often complete with ‘noseprints’ for bookmarks...read to unwind before/as I went to sleep.

[silverleaf]

ping self publish

[kabumpo]

Thank you, for being a true blue conservative, unlike many on FR.

[ApplegateRanch]

Why did he ALWAYS describe EVERY female (and most male) characters clothing from head to toe, including any and all weapons and accessories?

Including the under-dresses, and small clothes.

I also got sick and tired of Nynaeve tugging her braid at people.

Simple answer, he was paid by the word, and his editors let him get away with it.

[Smokin' Joe]

One of the beauties of the printed word, is that it is far more difficult to change...electronic formats lend themselves to easy revision. Hard copy is.

[2ndDivisionVet]

His Conan books were above average, but not the best. The guy the widow hired to finish the series is apeing him to the Nth degree.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Tell me about it. When I was writing the DMZ report in Korea for the President, SecDef, JCS and etc. (on a manual typewriter) if I made any kind of mistake it went into the burn bag and I had to start over. No wite-out on that kind of document.

[ApplegateRanch]

I gave up after reading Winters Heart.

[Smokin' Joe]

I learned on a manual, never liked electrics because I just made mistakes faster. I was slow, but accurate, and generally had thought every word out, written and rewritten in longhand prior to actually typing.

When I got my first word processor, though, I lost my fear of typos and just started hammering the keys (literally, because the old manuals had better than an inch of key travel). Being able to proofread and edit before you printed it out was a Godsend!

When I am done with the material I write professionally, those galleys go to the printer. and it is glorious to be able to do all that without printing a page until it is ready.

[ApplegateRanch]

Scrivener. e-book self publishing. writing ideas.

[Oratam]

interesting