Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Selling Books

Not sure why, but this month is shaping up as my best ever sales month. KDP pages are up by nearly four times the norm, and my e-Book sales have been brisk. I have also sold some soft cover books online and wholesaled another 15 of my CCC book to a local museum. Wish every month would be like this.


Here is the Amazon link to all of my books - thanks for looking.


Meanwhile, I am back to work on another collection of short stories and am well into my fourth children's chapter book, about 1/3 finished and have finished the introductory material and first chapter of the third in the series of Blade Holmes novels.

Still taking quite a few summer day trips and enjoying it!




Thursday, June 15, 2017

Editors and Selling Books

Editor Advertising
Be careful what you pay for. Recently I have been seeing more and more ads for editing services on Twitter, Facebook and in eMails sent my way. I have no problem with those who solicit work but would like to mention that if trying to find customers for an editing service,  it would be best to have a clean copy for potential customers to read. Last night I read through an ad on Google + with two errors in the first sentence. Another had so many errors I was not sure if the potential editor was trying humor, in showing things he would correct, or that far from being able to write clean copy. Don’t take this post in a negative way, good editors can be a great help to writers, but a bad editor helps no one, and hurt the entire image of the Indy author-industry. Much like paying for book covers, before you pay up, make sure you are getting what you want.
Great time of the year for hiking - we are enjoying the great wildflowers 


Selling Books
I am still experimenting with different ways of advertising my books and looking at how each influences sales. So far, I have found some eye-openers. First I have noticed that advertising has boosted my KDP pages read. Second I have found that sometimes the cost of advertising can be as much as the revenue added through additional sales. I will stay the course for another two months and then decide to continue or try something else.  
Click here to see my Amazon Author Page – did you know that Amazon keeps authors books in order by how they are selling at the present time?

Big Weekend Coming
Looking forward to a big weekend, Saturday, Fur Trade Days, at Fort Laramie and Sunday in Denver for Rockies vs. Giants.
2016 Fur Trade Days

Meanwhile
Keep on reading and keep on writing.
Osprey sitting on a fence post



Wednesday, June 7, 2017

My Books and Kindle Unlimited


Things are looking up. Sales I mean, and my KDP pages read is now looking better than ever at nearly a thousand pages each day.

Whether or not to put books in the Kindle Select or in the Unlimited program is a decision many self-publishers are having to make. Basically, self–pub authors have two choices, go with the Select or Unlimited program on Amazon, or go wide and publish on many platforms. There are certainly good points and bad to each, so why did I choose to go with the Amazon only, Select program? Easy, I’m pretty lazy, much-preferring writing, taking photos, working in the garden, traveling and playing golf to trying to sell books. 

All this and a great short - free on Kindle Unlimited


Don’t get me wrong, I love selling books, just not crazy about all the time it takes to do promotions. I still do some and will continue but only on Amazon. Over the past two years, my sales have been mostly through Amazon or with the soft cover books I sell myself or that are sold in bookstores. I don’t believe it will harm my sales to be exclusively on Amazon, so far it is helping.

Relaxing at the Guernsey Dam Spillway with a nice rainbow


Meanwhile,
I am researching, time-lining, and rough outlining the third in the series of my Marshall Blade Holmes western mysteries. Still early, but I like the way the story is shaping up. Also, I am still working on my nonfiction Fort Laramie book.

Fort Laramie


What am I reading?
Fort Laramie by Donald Clayton Porter

I am nearly finished with both and will write a full review. I have read much of Donald Clayton Porter’s work and always like it, but at the moment I am really enjoying Mr. Case’s book. My Kindle says I am at 71% of the read (I do miss page numbers when I read on my Kindle) and am sure I will wish for more when it is finished. I started the Hanksville book a few weeks ago but put in on the backburner as I was off on some speaking engagements and heavy into the research part of my Fort Laramie book, now it is my go to each day. Click the link above and take a look at Oscar Case’s Man From Hanksville.