well today is depressing.

[apiphile]

Poll

I know if I say "guys please leave Amazon reviews/Lulu rankings" you will assume I mean everyone else but you, that no one will want to read your review, that nothing you do would help, and therefore it isn't worth you wasting your time - that is provably not true. The more reviews/upratings things have - especially on the Kindle store - the more

Comments

[apiphile]

but this isn't about whether my friends will/do buy my books. I assume that if you can afford it, want to, or whatever, you all will - because you know about them, have read other things I've written, and have formed an opinion. This is why I included "my friends are broke" as a GIVEN. I assume the people who want to buy books of my friends have already bought them or can't afford to. I want to know why people think no one else is buying them. And no one else IS.

[apiphile]

Most of all people read Amazon reviews to assure themselves that other people have read and enjoyed the book; they don't need Guardian Literary Review, just some indication that the thing isn't a steaming turd that they should avoid. I realise that getting people to rate/rank books is going to be even harder than getting them to comment on fanfiction but this is really a lot less to do with my ego than the comments are - reviews = sales, sales = cash and I NEED MONEY.

[apiphile]

I really, really, really don't want a post full of people whining about how inadequate they feel to explain why they want me to be broke forever; that and I'm open to the idea that it might also be a problem with my marketing copy (although if it is I'd really like some pointers in how I can improve on it).

[wolfy_writing]

Obviously, some people buy your books, because I've purchased nearly all of them. I'm less likely to buy things off Lulu because it's slightly more effort than either Amazon or iTunes. If anything, it's probably the reviews, which makes it more my fault than yours. (I did give you a bunch of stars everywhere I could, but actually writing reviews intimidates me. Sorry.)

People avoiding your books because of you somehow being unworthy isn't a real thing. Book sales aren't distributed based on who deserves it the most. You're every bit as deserving of a successful writing career as most writers, and more deserving than a few really successful ones. (There are a couple of well-known writers of best sellers who don't put anywhere near the effort and craftsmanship into their work that you put into yours.)

[redshira]

Basically, all of this. I am going to leave reviews, though, since I am clearly part of the problem. I can't say they'll be particularly descriptive - I'm a reader, definitely not a writer - but I will make it very clear that I think more people should buy the books.

[apiphile]

Well when I read product reviews on Amazon I'm usually looking to see if the people who bought it enjoyed it and would recommend it, rather than if they're great writers themselves. Some of them are in monstrously bad txt spk, even. ;)

[apiphile]

As I said to Vee upthread, this is not "wah wah why aren't my friends buying my books". My friends ARE buying my books, or at least the ones at the nexus of "have money" and "like my writing" on the Venn Diagram. The point is that my friends are a limited pool of people and I want to know why no one else in the known universe is buying (also, seriously, no, no one is currently buying my books. I can show you my sales stats). So far everyone's interpreted a sincere plea for guesses as to why I'm not doing so well / possible poking to get people to write reviews so I look slightly less like some mental writing books about cooking with your own semen to an audience of none as a whinge at you to buy things you've already bought. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO MAKE THIS MORE CLEAR. I HAVE NO ACTUAL EARTHLY IDEA. I PUT IT IN THE POST.

[sparrowpunk]

I've never actually thought about reviewing books on Amazon, even though sometimes they have been quite useful (usually in the don't buy this, it's a book you've got just with a different title way)- will try to remember to review yours, but need to reread them and kick my way out of this depressed urban fantasy binge first...

[apiphile]

Cheers. Is there anything in the marketing copy of other books that has particularly piqued your interest before?

[sparrowpunk]

Not off the top of my head, but I'll keep an eye out for it in future. Thinking about my dirty urban fantasy habit, the blurb you wrote for Pass the Parcel would probably have sparked my interest, though it's a little sparse. The sample is being sent to my Kindle so when I let it connect to the outside world I can say how much weight that would give my decision to buy it (though since it's less than the price of a coffee, it wouldn't be an epic cage match with my conscience :P). Will come back if I think of anything useful and constructive :)

[apiphile]

Thanks, sweetheart... do you reckon price is likely to be a factor, incidentally? I know Melanie said that if she prices too low, people assume it's rubbish and don't buy it.

[apiphile]

No, it's cool, I just need to make sure people actually flag up the book anywhere on book selling websites as being Read By Human Beings so that other human beings will read it - either the half a book review or the whole book review works there, so whichever. :)

[apiphile]

Thanks, guv'nor. ;) I mean, I do hope someone buys that, it's less than a bloody quid on the Kindle!