I thought I should share this - my sales have picked up since Book Stop Central went out.
July I sold 59 e-books and this month, already 79 e-books. Most of them on Barnes & Noble, which tripled sales from last month.
Yahoo!
Publishing the work of I. C. Talbot and K. A. Jordan
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Book Stop Central
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Monday, June 29, 2015
Announcing Book Stop Central
The most difficult thing for an author is to get their books under the eyes of readers. Most of the authors I know have a few email addresses, not enough to send out a monthly newsletter, which is a 'must do' for indie authors.
Our area author association Kentuckian Authors has over 300 authors. I'm sure that many of them have licked the newsletter/address problem, but there are plenty of us who are struggling.
The Co-op approach - one mailing list where authors pool their addresses and we all pitch in for the newsletter - looks like a possible solution.
In order for this to work, we are going to need a thousand addresses, and I hope to get 100 authors by Christmas. The first Book Stop Central newsletter will go out at the end of July.
HOW IT WORKS
Your book(s) will be added to our newsletter "Book Stop Central' for 3 months.
Each ad will require:
The $10 will cover the creation of the ad, adding the cover, text and links you send us. If your book is available as a paperback, provide us with that link, or the website of the books store where the book is available.
At the end of 3 months, you can sign up for 3 more months. We will send out a quarterly newsletter with number of openings, additions to the mailing list and clicks the newsletter receives.
WHAT'S THE CATCH?
We really NEED you to add at least 10 emails to our list each quarter. The success of this venture will depend on the number of email addresses we get. We need the addresses of fans, people who want to buy your books. Random addresses are not going to give us the same results.
Our goal is to have 1000 addresses by the first of January.
GOT A RELEASE COMING?
If you would like us to send out a special Newsletter, we can do that if you send us the information, cover art and links. The price will reflect the time required to produce your press release.
If you provide services to authors, or run a bookstore, you can join us as well. We'll be sending out a quarterly newsletter to authors and will advertise your services.
I hope you will join us. There's a sign-up form to the left.
HOW IT WORKS
Your book(s) will be added to our newsletter "Book Stop Central' for 3 months.
Each ad will require:
- $10 set up fee per book
- your email addresses
- a copy of the book's cover in JPEG format
- the blurb for the book
- the vendor website links you want included in your ad
The $10 will cover the creation of the ad, adding the cover, text and links you send us. If your book is available as a paperback, provide us with that link, or the website of the books store where the book is available.
At the end of 3 months, you can sign up for 3 more months. We will send out a quarterly newsletter with number of openings, additions to the mailing list and clicks the newsletter receives.
WHAT'S THE CATCH?
We really NEED you to add at least 10 emails to our list each quarter. The success of this venture will depend on the number of email addresses we get. We need the addresses of fans, people who want to buy your books. Random addresses are not going to give us the same results.
Our goal is to have 1000 addresses by the first of January.
GOT A RELEASE COMING?
If you would like us to send out a special Newsletter, we can do that if you send us the information, cover art and links. The price will reflect the time required to produce your press release.
If you provide services to authors, or run a bookstore, you can join us as well. We'll be sending out a quarterly newsletter to authors and will advertise your services.
I hope you will join us. There's a sign-up form to the left.
Stay tuned for updates.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Old Post I Forgot I Wrote About Pricing
From back in 2013 or 2014.
The dreaded science of Mathematics again raises it's ugly head as Dean Wesley Smith makes the case for the $4.99 Indie Novel. Click here to read Dean's post. (No that link doesn't work any more, it just goes to Dean's blog.)
Good GAD! The Indie roof may fall in. The culture of the 'Dollar Dreadful' has become entrenched - so I doubt even DWS's persuasive voice can be heard above the din.
I think he's got a heck of a point.
Add up the cost of rent, electricity, internet and add the day-to-day cost of living - $.35 an e-book just doesn't cut it for anyone except a hobby writer.
Even for a hobby writer - cover art and a copy editor can set you back $300 to $500 per book. Sell a couple thousand books at $0.99 to break even? Maybe you don't mind. But for the low-end that's not a lot of payback at $.35 royalty.
You know something is wrong when you see a $.99 book for sale and cringe inside, and it's not even your book.
To be comfortable in my own skin, I've got 'Let's Do Lunch' for sale at $3.99 and 'Swallow the Moon' is $3.99 therefore 'Impressive Bravado' a short story is $.99 or free.
These prices are fair in the Real World.
In the Indie Ghettos these prices are very high. At this point you have to ask yourself - to whom am I marketing this e-book?
The dreaded science of Mathematics again raises it's ugly head as Dean Wesley Smith makes the case for the $4.99 Indie Novel. Click here to read Dean's post. (No that link doesn't work any more, it just goes to Dean's blog.)
Good GAD! The Indie roof may fall in. The culture of the 'Dollar Dreadful' has become entrenched - so I doubt even DWS's persuasive voice can be heard above the din.
I think he's got a heck of a point.
Add up the cost of rent, electricity, internet and add the day-to-day cost of living - $.35 an e-book just doesn't cut it for anyone except a hobby writer.
Even for a hobby writer - cover art and a copy editor can set you back $300 to $500 per book. Sell a couple thousand books at $0.99 to break even? Maybe you don't mind. But for the low-end that's not a lot of payback at $.35 royalty.
You know something is wrong when you see a $.99 book for sale and cringe inside, and it's not even your book.
To be comfortable in my own skin, I've got 'Let's Do Lunch' for sale at $3.99 and 'Swallow the Moon' is $3.99 therefore 'Impressive Bravado' a short story is $.99 or free.
These prices are fair in the Real World.
In the Indie Ghettos these prices are very high. At this point you have to ask yourself - to whom am I marketing this e-book?
===============================
Oh, sadly, two or even 3 years later, the Dollar Dreadful still rules in Indie Book-land.
It's a micro-business, after all.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Two New Short Stories
I've just finished posting two new short stories by I. C. Talbot to Amazon.com
The Secret of Aleworthy Acres, by I. C. Talbot
Cara Novotny gets a letter from Amy Aleworthy, an elderly relation that takes her on a journey to the old family farm. But someting isn't quite right, Amy isn't what she seems. This short story is 5.5k words.
Shelter From The Storm, by I. C. Talbot
Hurricane Georges is coming to the little Florida farm belonging to a loney widow. Amy knows her house and barn can handle the storm. Meanwhile two cars break down on the road, a mother and her children are trapped in a ditch. Short story 3k words
The Secret of Aleworthy Acres, by I. C. Talbot
Cara Novotny gets a letter from Amy Aleworthy, an elderly relation that takes her on a journey to the old family farm. But someting isn't quite right, Amy isn't what she seems. This short story is 5.5k words.
Shelter From The Storm, by I. C. Talbot
Hurricane Georges is coming to the little Florida farm belonging to a loney widow. Amy knows her house and barn can handle the storm. Meanwhile two cars break down on the road, a mother and her children are trapped in a ditch. Short story 3k words
I'm glad to be back on track with releasing these short stories. I've been working on the Estate since April, and gotten behind in my publishing.
If you click the link on the first line, it will take you to the Amazon US, I. C. Talbot Author Page.
If you would like to know when new e-books are released and when they will come on sale or free, sign up for the Icy Road Publishing Newsletter. The link is on this page.
Also, I would like to announce that 'Tales From The Leeward Lounge II' is in the works, as are 8 more short stories.
I would like to credit my friend Karlin at The Country Clerk for her help in getting the short stories ready to publish. The stories needed to be formatted and proofread because they've gone through at least 10 different word processing updates and 6 operating systems. There were strange little glitches in all the files, so she had to seek them out for me.
If you are an author and need a hand proofreading, I recommend her highly.
Stay tuned for more releases this month!
Friday, June 12, 2015
The Emissary - A New Cover!
I'm pleased to be able to release the new cover for The Emissary - Journey. The first volume of "Horsewomen of the Zombie Apocalypse" series is about to get a new paperback cover!
Also coming out soon are the 3rd and final part of The Emissary in e-book and the paperback version of The Emissary - Arrival.
While the character Beth has light brown hair, I found this Cossack girl to have such a fierce look that I HAD to have her on my book covers.
Watch this space for more news from Icy Road Publishing.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Skin Deep
Newly released "Skin Deep" the story of Dulcie Weeks.
Born beautiful, Dulcie Weeks face made the world her playground. Just before her seventeenth birthday she's kicked by a horse, her looks marred forever. They say that beauty is only skin deep, so what is she going to do now?
This short story is 5k words.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Where The Harpies Gather
I've been following The Passive Voice since PG set up shop. It is one of my "Go To" sources of information on the State of the Publishing Industry, both trade and indie.
There's a huge scandal in the Erotic Romance community right now, and part of it is taking place on The Passive Voice. And while I've followed it for a few days, I have to admit I'm getting bored with watching the harpies gather. They are like a flock of crazed seagulls, shrieking, dive-bombing, clawing and shredding anything in beak-reach.
However, what I want to talk about isn't this scandal, it's a trend I've seen in a lot of places. You can call it Karma, or gravity, but however you label it: what goes up, must come down.
It happens to bloggers (Dear Author, Smart Bitches), publishers, authors, actors (Bill Cosby), news organizations (Fox News), the auto industry (GM), politicians (Eric Cantor), and most everyone else.
It seems the higher you fly, and the more shit you sling while you are on top, the uglier the events that bring you back down.
And let that be a lesson to all of us.
Monday, March 23, 2015
News At Last - Skin Deep
I know I haven't posted to this blog in forever. It's been a long, cold, difficult, winter and I'm really, really glad it's over!
Onward to Icy Road News - I've been working on some short stories and thanks to my friend Karlin, there's been progress! I sent her a dozen short stories that needed corrections. She revised them, sent them back and they are 'On Deck' to be published as soon as I finish up 'Tales From The Leeward Lounge Volume 2'.
I finally found a stock photo site I can afford, so I'm updating covers just as fast as I can.
The newsletter is coming out very soon, end of the month, with the titles of all the new stories and when they will be available on Amazon - and as freebies. If you sign up for the Icy Road Publishing newsletter you'll get the links and the dates the stories will be free.
Here is the newest short story:
Born beautiful, Dulcie Weeks face made the world her playground. Just before her seventeenth birthday she's kicked by a horse, her looks marred forever. They say that beauty is only skin deep, so what is she going to do now?
Onward to Icy Road News - I've been working on some short stories and thanks to my friend Karlin, there's been progress! I sent her a dozen short stories that needed corrections. She revised them, sent them back and they are 'On Deck' to be published as soon as I finish up 'Tales From The Leeward Lounge Volume 2'.
I finally found a stock photo site I can afford, so I'm updating covers just as fast as I can.
The newsletter is coming out very soon, end of the month, with the titles of all the new stories and when they will be available on Amazon - and as freebies. If you sign up for the Icy Road Publishing newsletter you'll get the links and the dates the stories will be free.
Here is the newest short story:
Born beautiful, Dulcie Weeks face made the world her playground. Just before her seventeenth birthday she's kicked by a horse, her looks marred forever. They say that beauty is only skin deep, so what is she going to do now?
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