C h a z z W r i t e s . c o m

See all my books at AllThatChazz.com.

12/27/2012 • 12:57 PM 13

TOP TEN: Reach more readers with these blog tweaks

Tips and inspiration for the indie author’s journey to publication.

Besides writing more books (I am), I’m always looking for ways to improve so I can reach a larger audience. Here are a few things I’m doing to help my audience find me. To reach more readers, consider these improvements for your blog, if you aren’t already doing them.

1. Scannable posts.

I tend to write long posts. If I’m going to do that, I need subheadings so readers can find the information they want quickly. The average amount of time readers spend on anyone’s blog is somewhere between two blinks and a click.

2. List posts (like this one.)

If it’s going to be long, make it a list if it’s logical to do so. Everybody loves list posts and the Top Tens in Crack the Indie Author Code and Write Your Book: Aspire to Inspire are among the most read and most popular chapters.

3. Shorter posts.

Funny is great, but I should use it to make a point memorable. Otherwise it delays getting to the point. Shutting up about that now.

4. More internal links.

Readers love certain posts more than others. They should get links to similar posts so they can fall in love more deeply…er, I mean…um, get better informed.

5. Speakpipe.

Some readers want to connect more. Now they can leave me a voicemail on my author site. Check it out and leave me a message to see how it works. It’s the tab off to the side on the right. You can do this, too. Speakpipe is easy to sign up for and yup, it’s free.

6. Upping my verbal game.

Regular readers know I broadcast the All That Chazz podcast once a week. It’s fun, but it needs more punch. Brace yourself for the new episode airing Jan. 1. It’s full of testicular fortitude (or brass ovarian fortitude, if you prefer) and explores the subject of changing our lives and New Year’s resolutions in a way that will blow your mind. I can expand my audience to even more strangers if I podcast better.

2013 will also bring more interviews (maybe you!) for fresh energy to the podcast. My elocution is much better and my stammer less pronounced when I’m in conversation. Or when I do my Hannibal Lecter impression. The serial, week-by-week reading of Higher Than Jesus is coming, too.

7. Serialization on the author site.

I’ve already podcast Bigger Than Jesus. I’ll soon post a new chapter on the author site weekly. Serialization seems to be working well for other authors and, since I have a long series planned for my Cuban hit man, I want as many readers as possible to get the opportunity to get hooked on Jesus (Diaz, that is.) That’s also why the Hit Man Series introductory book is only 99 cents at the moment.

8. Embedded book samples on the author site.

I will soon include more pages so you can check out each book as a kindle sample. You can do this too. India Drummond explains how here.

9. Expansion to new platforms.

After signing on to KDP Select, I’ve acted as if Amazon is the only game in town. At the end of January, my exclusivity clause runs out the clock and I’ll expand to all other platforms so expect more download options and links for whatever your tablet or e-reader of choice is. Kobo and Apple are not as big as Amazon, sure, but they are in more markets and are coming up. With an eye to the long-term, I’ll be everywhere.

Each new book will still get its first shot at Amazon in 2013, but after that first three months, I’ll give readers everywhere a man-hug, no matter their device. Yes, I know you can read any book on Amazon with a free reading app for any device, but even if you’ve got a crappy Sony e-reader, that’s what you want to use.

10. I’ve got to make sure I reply to every comment.

This should be a no-brainer. It’s a time management issue. I appreciate it when people leave comments. However, I don’t necessarily acknowledge them all and I have to do better at that to encourage interaction and affirm I’m fully engaged. (That’s a dickish, marketing-speak way of saying, “I care. Thank you.”) When you comment somewhere and it’s not acknowledged in some way, it feels like your hand got slapped when you were going for a friendly handshake.

BONUS

I’ve got to do more guest posts on other blogs and I must do more with my author site.

ChazzWrites gets a lot of traffic. I need to make sure there’s more discoverability among strangers, spillage and funneling to more great content for those interested in my work. Hence, more links to the author site for more opportunities for us to fall in love with each other (in a platonic, non-creepy, man-hug sort of way.)

More tips and tricks to steer your authorship.

~ Robert Chazz Chute is…does this little bio at the end of posts make me look like a douchebag who takes himself too seriously? Does this bio make me look phat or just fat? Check out the All That Chazz podcast at AllThatChazz.com. For not much longer, you can find all my books of suspense and hardboiled action here.

Marketing Your Books: #11 is really harsh. Sorry. (chazzwrites.com)
2012: The Peak of Independent Authors? (chazzwrites.com)
My Year in Indie Publishing: Lessons learned (chazzwrites.com)
The Way Out is Through (and a bonus!) (allthatchazz.com)
Ta-da! Motivation, Inspiration & Information for Writers (chazzwrites.com)
Twitter: The Cull and The Call (chazzwrites.com)
#NaNoWriMo: How to make reading like cardio (chazzwrites.com)
Podcast: The Christmas Apocalypse Edition (allthatchazz.com)

Filed under: publishing, All That Chazz, Amazon, Amazon.com, Author, Bigger than Jesus, Blog, blogging, book marketing, book promotion, books, conversions, Crack the Indie Author Code, ebooks, embedding kindle samples, get more readers, hardboiled, improving your blog, Kobo, new year's resolutions, Podcast, publishing, reach more readers, Robert Chazz Chute, self-publishing, speakpipe

12/26/2012 • 12:47 PM 5

How writers become publishers: Tools for the quest for love in 2013

In the days following Christmas, with your eyes on the prize of snagging all those new readers with new e-readers, you have hope. You’re out there marketing and trying to grab a piece of that book market pie. Hope must be tempered with thought and experience, so consider these valuable resources:

More tips and tricks to steer your authorship.

1. The Self-publishing Podcast

I finally found a podcast that talks about writing and publishing the same way I talk about it: It’s often genuinely fun. I listen to a lot of writing podcasts that are all about the scolding. Self-publishers aren’t naughty children, so that’s tiring. The Self-publishing Podcast isn’t like that.

2. Litopia

It’s a podcast that speaks with authority about publishing. They used to take themselves a tad too seriously. It’s improved and they tackle interesting publishing issues. Have a listen.

3. APE

You’re an APE (Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur). Marketing guru Guy Kawasaki breaks it down in his new book.

4. You. Yes, you!

In a few days you’re going to make some half-assed New Year’s resolutions. We all will, but it doesn’t have to be a too-familiar exercise in failure that mimics last year’s New Year’s resolutions. Dreams of success can inspire you and fuel your art and business. Fantasies can distract or destroy. What can’t you control and what do you need help with?

If 2013 is really going to be your year, take this time to think about what’s real. Resolutions that work are plans that include lists and measurement and many course corrections. Many writers could realize their potential if they harnessed all that New Year’s resolution energy and converted it into daily resolve. (Ooh, does that sound too grim? It shouldn’t. Most of what we do as writers and publishers is fun.)

You’ve got a lot to consider seriously in the battle for 2013 and readers’ hearts and minds. How about you hold off on making those big resolutions just yet? You’re still lethargic from all that Christmas turkey. Instead, take today to ruminate and marinate. You know yourself best. It’s introspection time.

5. Crack the Indie Author Code and Write Your Book: Aspire to Inspire

As long as we’re talking about reading great books about writing and publishing that are fun, helpful and encouraging, how about these? Yes, I wrote them and I’m biased, but they’re no less double-plus awesome.

Grab Crack the Indie Author Code and fuel your inspiration.

Filed under: publishing, blogging, book marketing, book promotion, Christmas, Crack the Indie Author Code, Guy Kawasaki, New Year, new year resolutions, publishing, self-publishing, Write Your Book: Aspire to Inspire, writing

12/24/2012 • 1:34 PM 1

How to have a Christmas of Consequence

Tomorrow is Christmas and in Retail World, things get crazy. As we run around, taking care of last-minute errands in a mad rush, please remember to be patient and

Lily’s Christmas message from Bigger Than Jesus

kind. Last year, on the day before Christmas, I saw a woman screaming at an old man who had parked at the entrance to a drugstore. She shrieked hysterically at the old man as his wife, a fragile old woman with a cane, limped weakly toward the car with her medicine.

The angry woman saw her, but she was already committed to her rage. She did not ease up on the throttle and apologize. She continued shrieking at the old man for parking where he shouldn’t. There was no compassion.

We attach significance to special days and ask that everyone abide by a higher standard of conduct. But it shouldn’t matter what day it is! Every day is an opportunity to be kind. If Christmas is your thing, if Sunday is a special day to you, if Easter is your big deal, if you think you’re a good person who cares about others (or aspire to be) carry that kind spirit with you through all your days. Do that and all your days will be better. You’ll spread love and joy and get it back many times over. people will be drawn to your warmth and light.

And to that shrieking, angry young woman, I’m really sorry about following you home and keying the f$#! out of your new car’s paint job on Christmas Eve. Smashing the window and stuffing the raccoon roadkill under the seat was a tad over the top, too.

Have a safe and happy Christmas, everyone. And be good. Someone knows if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for Goodness sake. We are everywhere and we are watching.

All about the love…and vengeance.

~ Hey! Just kidding, y’all! I’m a crime novelist who writes books about righteous vengeance. What did you expect? Teddy bears and kittens? Hear the Christmas Apocalypse podcast at AllThatChazz.com. Get all the books by Robert Chazz Chute by using the magic, making a wish and clicking here. With one click, suspense and hilarity are delivered to you (or as a gift) in time for Christmas so you can avoid any parking woes and holiday shopping drama.) Here’s a funny video from College Humor for more on making sure you catch and keep the holiday spirit.

Podcast: The Christmas Apocalypse Edition (allthatchazz.com)

Filed under: publishing, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas spirit, compassion, fiction, Holidays, kindness

12/23/2012 • 1:04 PM 2

Twitter: The Cull and The Call

Click here to get Bigger Than Jesus

This morning I unfollowed a couple of hundred people on Twitter. They didn’t do anything wrong, but they weren’t following back after I followed them for a long time. I feel like I’m asserting my worth. Every few minutes, someone retweets articles from this blog and I really appreciate that. I try to be helpful and (sometimes in theory, often in practice) spreading the word helps readers.

But what does following and unfollowing on Twitter mean for you?

1. Fellow crime fictioneer Claude Bouchard built a huge Twitter following by unfollowing anyone who didn’t follow him (after giving them a few days to get around to it.) Then he follows new people. He’s gathered a group of readers and fans who have discovered he’s one of the good guys who writes about bad guys. (He also gave me a great review and cover blurb for Bigger Than Jesus, so clearly, he’s an adorable genius.) Unfollowing makes room for people who are into you.

2. There’s dignity in not chasing. I recently let a business deal slide because I felt I was dealing with someone who wanted to be chased but not necessarily caught. If I’m the one who always has to initiate, they just aren’t that into me. I don’t do business with people who aren’t into me, even if it costs me money in the short term. Finding a business partner is like finding a life partner. If it doesn’t start with love, there’s a much greater than 50/50 chance that you’ll be sitting across from them at a conference table someday looking sad. When they screw you over, they’ll say, “Thank you for your years of service. This isn’t personal. It’s just business.” If you’re friends, too, they won’t have the “just business” excuse.

3. Some people on Twitter demand “engagement”, as in personally. Yet they never initiate engagement themselves. “Engaging” everyone on a follow list of decent length is bad math. I’m happy to answer questions and talk to people, but there aren’t enough hours in the day to cater to every prince and princess’s self-centered whim. Twitter is a conversation at its best, but nothing is at its best all the time. That’s feel-good advice masquerading as good advice. If Twitter were really a conversation, none of us would have had time to write or read any books or go to the bathroom. (Okay, we could go to the bathroom and be on Twitter, but it’s icky. Don’t!)

4. Following people who aren’t into you is a self-inflicted wound. I should have unfollowed a bunch of people a long time ago. They didn’t succumb to my charms so I’m not asking them to junior prom anymore. It’s embarrassing. However, if they do that thing where they announce who unfollowed them or get pissy about being unfollowed, that’s ego and entitlement talking.

5. The TrueTwit validation thing? Please stop it. If I want to follow you, I don’t want to jump through hoops. It’s much easier for you to block the odd spammer than it is for me to “apply”. I work for myself. One of the reasons I work for myself is I don’t want to apply for a job, especially the non-paying job of following people on Twitter. It’s supposed to be the Internet. That means no arbitrary rules and fun! Don’t be Dean Wormer putting us on double secret probation.

What’s the easiest way to reclaim your dignity, grow your Twitter following and find people who are into you? Manageflitter. It’s free and details who is inactive and who isn’t following you. There are plenty of other metrics but those are the ones I use most. That and if anyone has an egg for a profile pic, they’re purged.

BONUS

Every day is be independence day here. Here comes the stirring call to action.

There are people who automatically don’t like indie authors because they’re indie. They come in suspicious and paint everyone with nasty broad brushes. I believe these curmudgeons are a vocal minority and I refuse to chase them or worry about them. People who insist classical music is the only real music aren’t into my taste no matter how hard I sell the joys of Green Day, Everlast and the Pixies. I am an independent author with an independent mind. To form a beachhead, I must find readers with independent minds. I’m an indie author. Are you an indie reader? Follow me @rchazzchute. Or unfollow me @rchazzchute.

A quick-moving plot with lots of surprises and a clear-eyed examination of addiction.

~ Robert Chazz Chute is a nice guy, despite the grumpy tone of this post. To hear the All That Chazz podcast, go to AllThatChazz.com. You’ll also find links to his books of suspense and very quirky crime novels there. Whatever you do, do it with dignity.

Author Interview – Robert Chazz Chute – The Bunny’s Review (chazzwrites.com)
Simon & Schuster Joins Forces With Author Solutions To Rip Off Writers (chazzwrites.com)
Why I’m Choosing Indie Publishing (chazzwrites.com)
Thinning Out the Twitter Herd (socialdialect.com)
Seriously? Stop. (craftybrainlint.wordpress.com)
When is an “unfollow” a good thing? (yeahsocialmedia.com)
Why I Won’t Follow Users of TrueTwit (blackinkwhitepaper.wordpress.com)
Twitter Writing 101: RTs, Hashtags and More (windmillnetworking.com)

Filed under: publishing, All That Chazz, allthatchazz, Bigger than Jesus, books, higher than jesus, Manageflitter, Podcast, Robert Chazz Chute, suspense, TrueTwit, Twitter, unfollow, unfollowing on twitter, why unfollow on twitter

12/22/2012 • 4:13 PM 3

Smashwords: Mark Coker’s 2013 Book Publishing Industry Predictions – Indie Ebook Authors Take Charge

See on Scoop.it – Writing and reading fiction

Robert Chazz Chute‘s insight:

I made a lot of predictions at the end of Write Your Book: Aspire to Inspire, so I’m particularly interested in reading what Mark Coker sees in his crystal ball. Wow. It’s exhilarating and depressing and more of the same. Our biggest worry is the glut of free and breaking through to discoverability. Learn from Mr. Coker at the Scoopit! link.

In the comments section of a former post (2012 Indie authors’ peak? below), a reader asked how crazy you have to be to go indie. He thought the only reason to self-publish is to get successful enough that traditional publishers might pick you up. He asked how successful you have to be to get attention from traditional agents and publishers. I’m going to repost my reply to that author here because it seems to fit:

On a scale of one to ten, how crazy? You’d have to be lotto odds blotto insane, but this is a compulsion rather than a calculation.

To your second question, there is no single measure. One author, years ago, sold 75,000 books on his own before a traditional publisher came calling. (To put that in perspective, sell 5,000 books the traditional way in Canada and you’re in bestseller territory.) Scott Sigler had 100,000 fans before publishers would pay attention while John Locke sold a million books before trad publishing picked him up. The rule of thumb is that trad publishers will show up at just about the time you begin to wonder why on earth you’d need them.

Since we may never be picked up by traditional publishers (and publishing can be so much heartbreaking work), would you write and publish even if no trad publisher ever asks you to the dance? By cold calculations, we’d be far more financially secure driving a cab or baking bread or…just about anything else. It has to be a labor of love, of love of writing and reading and self and others.

~ Chazz

See on blog.smashwords.com

Filed under: publishing

12/22/2012 • 8:37 AM 4

Writers, Readers and the Blame We Get

I know a couple of erotica authors well enough to tell you that their private lives are not a full schedule of whips, naked gymnastics and ropes with elaborate knots. They’ve never had sex at the top of the Eiffel Tower with multiple hunky Norwegians. They’re ordinary moms who share your concerns about life. They have vivid imaginations that stay busy while they’re stuck in traffic as they chauffeur their children to play dates. Some readers draw conclusions about the character of the writer from the books they write. Unless it’s an autobiography, that’s an annoying habit.

When I wrote Self-help for Stoners, some readers assumed I was a drug addict. Never mind my liberal stance on unwinnable drug wars and the hypocrisy and sadism of sanctions against marijuana users. My addictions are sovereignty, choice and chocolate croissants. The drug I toss back most? Caffeine, just like you. When I wrote Sex, Death & Mind Control, some people thought I dabbled in the occult. Not so. I am not in a cult, either, (though I wouldn’t be averse to leading one for those awesome tax perks.) My work is fiction and my brain makes odd neural connections. Ideas get put together in new and exciting ways. That’s writing and that’s all.

When I gave my dad Higher Than Jesus for Christmas, he felt self-conscious about reading a crime novel written by his son that included sex. I know that because he tried to make me feel self-conscious about it. Yes, there’s a particularly blushworthy chapter, but I told him when I gave it to him that he never complained about the violence in my books, so he didn’t get to object to the sex. Here’s that fun phone conversation:

Me: Merry Christmas, Dad!

Him: I’m almost finished reading Higher Than Jesus. It’s quite the book.

Me (catching the tone): Uh-huh.

Him: I think you have fantasies about long legs —

Me: Stop! It’s fiction, Dad. I’m a writer. You’re an adult. I’m treating you like one.

Him (apparently unconvinced of points one through four): Mm, yeah. Well, I did enjoy it.

Me (deadpan): Imagine my relief.

Worse? Now I’m a bit worried. Since the gut-wrenching horror of the tragedy and loss in Newtown, Connecticut, even I’m becoming concerned that my fiction might intersect with real life. Part of the plot of Higher Than Jesus turns on a gun control issue and the actions of a fanatical group. Real life events have turned since I wrote that novel. Congruence make me think that my fiction and conjecture could actually line up with plots in reality. If something in particular (a very bad thing) happens in January, will some reader try to make that connection to my funny, sexy crime novel? They won’t call me prescient. They’ll wonder if a nut read my book!

I hope law enforcement officers will foil any real life plots. Jesus Diaz is an interesting character, but I don’t think issues of national security and international peace should be left to my goofy, conflicted, love-obsessed, Vicodin-addicted hit man. He foils plots, too, but never in an easy, linear way. Our world has lots of tough problems, but fiction isn’t the problem. If anything, it’s a solution. Fiction is a safe outlet for revenge fantasies. Art yields entertainment, not sorrow. (Yes, I believe this is true about video games, too. Penn & Teller did an episode about the safety of video games. Here’s a link to that vulgar, NSFW video on my author site. This video is not for the easily offended or anyone who refuses to even consider that video games might not cause horrible school shootings.)

To readers: Please don’t ascribe words on the page to the character of the author. We’re just tap dancing to entertain you and most of us prefer to keep our violence where it can be safely managed: In fiction. Yes, my revenge fantasies are rooted in a deep dark place, but I learned to sublimate my rage with humour. If you’re going to make assumptions about me from my books, please assume I’m better than I am, not worse.

“Worthy of Elmore Leonard with shades of Thomas Harris…”

~ Robert Chazz Chute writes suspense and crime novels. He’s not Cuban. He’s not a hit man. He’s close to the same height as his Cuban hit man, though, so clearly he’s exactly like his fictional killer. Hear the All That Chazz podcast and check out his books at the links at AllThatChazz.com.

#NaNoWriMo: How to make reading like cardio (chazzwrites.com)
#NaNoWriMo: You can’t murder Miss Marple (chazzwrites.com)
#NaNoWriMo: Evolving a series from one book (chazzwrites.com)
My Year in Indie Publishing: Lessons learned (chazzwrites.com)
Marketing Your Books: #11 is really harsh. Sorry. (chazzwrites.com)
#NaNoWriMo: The key tip to write a much better book (chazzwrites.com)
Setting writing and exercise goals that work (chazzwrites.com)

Filed under: publishing, allthatchazz.com, Art, crime fiction, fiction, gaming, higher than jesus, Jesus Diaz, Literature, Not safe for work, Penn & Teller, readers, Robert Chazz Chute, Sex Death & Mind Control, Stoners, videogames, writers, writing

12/20/2012 • 11:44 PM 0

We now interrupt this program with tofu goats and what can be done about the Apocalypse

Free until Friday at midnight! Enjoy the last Christmas giveaway while you can.

And now, to avoid the Apocalypse, I’m asking for a small sacrifice:

Could you please go to this link for Murders Among Dead Trees and click it to get it?

(In the UK, use this link to drink my hot chocolate stories of Bad versus Evil.)

This collection of short stories is free

until Friday, December 21st at midnight

and packed with awesome fiction about friction. It’s often paranormal or at least strange. Everything looks normal until you look closer. I revised, edited again, added a sneak peek of a future book and topped it off with lots of behind-the-curtains commentary.

Also appreciated:

Click the LIKE button or add it to your wish list. Even if you hate my stinking guts and won’t get it or ever read it, this is a rare situation where wishing helps. Finally, you could even click the “Agree with these tags” button toward the bottom of the page. These things help get Amazon’s attention.

It’s that or the Mayan Apocalypse, people! Or send a virgin goat to appease me…oh. That sounded bad. I should be clear that I intend to eat these goats, so a virgin tofu goat would also do nicely. Thank you.

That’s right. I’m so damn powerful, I can stop the Apocalypse, but to move up the Amazon rankings by giving away stuff for free? Surprisingly difficult. These are some quirky superpowers I’m rocking here.

Okay, look. I don’t want anyone to worry and I’m not going to lie to you. Whether you help out or not, I promise to save the earth from the angry Mayan god, Lex Luthor or Galactus or whatever. I don’t really expect payment for doing the right thing. Like Spider-Man, “Action is his reward” and all that. Sigh…still…well, just so you know I’m not totally douchey, that’s all. Thanks for your help if you so choose. Thanks for your consideration.

PS: Virgin Tofu Goats is the new name for my band.

PPS: Won’t it be great to get past this? We’ve had a year of talk about the Mayan Apocalypse and after this, we’ll never have to hear a word about the Mayans again. You’re a footnote of a hoax of history and superstition! Take that Mayans! You and your funny plant hats. Ha!

“You will laugh your ass off!” ~ Author of Cybrgrrl, Maxwell Cynn

~Robert Chazz Chute is a crime novelist and suspense author who just received two new five-star reviews for the Hit Man Series books, but his bestseller is still Self-help for Stoners. (You don’t have to be a stoner to love it.) He’s still feeling so good about these developments, he’s writing about himself in the third person. Weird. And all that goat talk steered in a disturbing direction for a moment there, didn’t it? Hear his podcasts or learn more about all his books at AllThatChazz.com.

Podcast: The Christmas Apocalypse Edition (allthatchazz.com)
Excellent music choices to dance to the end of the world

Filed under: publishing, Amazon, Apocalypse, christmas giveaway, ebook, free ebook, giveaway, Mayan Apocalypse, Murders Among Dead Trees, Robert Chazz Chute, self-help for stoners, short stories, sneak peek, Spider-Man

12/20/2012 • 8:29 AM 0

New York Times Bestselling Author Gemma Halliday on 2012 – Her “Year in Review”

See on Scoop.it – Writing and reading fiction

Robert Chazz Chute‘s insight:

A couple of days ago I wrote a review of my first year as a full-time writer and publisher (see below). It’s a great idea to look back before you look forward because, as I’ve mentioned, that which is not measured cannot be improved. At the Scoopit! link you’ll read Gemma Halliday’s take on her 2012. We learn more from failures than triumphs, so I paid special attention to her take on advertising.

See what you think at the link. ~ Chazz

See on thewritersguidetoepublishing.com

Filed under: publishing

12/19/2012 • 12:48 PM 3

2012: The Peak of Independent Authors?

See on Scoop.it – Writing and reading fiction

Back in October, when my sales weren’t really strong, I simply figured everyone was waiting until mid-November to get their early Holiday shopping in. Once December hit, I’d be off to t…

Robert Chazz Chute‘s insight:

Today’s disturbing observation comes from the King of Disturbing, zombie master Armand Rosamilia. Learn more and soak up Armand’s brutal honesty at the Scoopit! link below.

We can look at falling sales as a challenge to write more. (I do.) We can try to find new and creative ways to market. I agree, though I’m not sure what that manna from heaven might look and taste like, if it arrives. We can write better books, though sadly, it’s actually debatable how important that really is. (See Fifty Shades of Gray…actually don’t! Buy a book from an author who could actually use the dough to eat.)

A while back, a fellow author confessed she saw no need to buy any books, ever again. Why buy when so much is free? I confess I’ve ridden the KDP Select free train and contributed to that problem. I can’t say Amazon’s destination is riches with those magic five days of free. Last I checked, with Kobo, it’s free as much as you want (!). It shakes the foundations of the market when an author says she sees no reason to purchase a book.

To that, I say we must develop our voices so our reader base appreciates our unique, special snowflakeness. I don’t think authors are interchangeable, but with infinite choice, prices do fall toward zero. (I’m still betting on my unique voice and sticking with my prediction that all ebook prices are about to rise. Mine will, anyway. We’re going to be cheaper than big house ebooks, but compete on the new algorithm’s terms.)

It’s not that the Mayans were right and it’s not about a false sense of entitlement. It’s that if book sales are really bad across the board, we don’t care much if it’s the end of the world. Am I worried about the end of the world? No. That solves the VISA problem. Am I worried about the state of publishing? I’m writing this under my desk in the fetal position.

(Armand’s not alone scary observations about book sales. Author Derek Haines wrote Self-published Authors Get Ready, You’re being Dumped on his blog, The Vandal. Find that at this link: http://bit.ly/WQdWIu)

Mull both links and riddle me this, Batman: Are you hopeful that post-Christmas morning (after all those new tablets and e-readers are unwrapped) authors might then feel a sales deluge?

Sucking my thumb… ~ Chazz

See on armandrosamilia.com