tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post5140709367764819970..comments2023-10-25T05:30:54.507-04:00Comments on Oh Get A Grip!: The Reluctant HustlerAshe Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390519279886657608noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-29692002299541039002016-01-29T20:09:50.471-05:002016-01-29T20:09:50.471-05:00It's true that I've had "feelers"...It's true that I've had "feelers" from other publishers since my main publisher was sold and is under new management (management even more focused on the bottom line than the original one, which is saying a lot,) and at least one of those enquiring publishers is one I might consider, but I've been spoiled by having my books distributed to actual stores, and very few small presses can do that. However, with so few actual stores remaining, and Barnes &Noble closing outlets left and right, there may be no longer any point to thinking about brick-and-mortar distribution. We'll see. I'm sticking with the current one at least until all the books I'd already contracted for, and turned in, are in print, partly for the sake of the contributors<br />. "Sticking with," however, doesn't mean that I'm not doing an anthology or two for other smaller outfits run by friends. And I'm quite sure that if the sales of my books don't live up to the expectations of the main publisher, I won't get any more contracts. I'm not even sure I care. Sacchi Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10801164916418570059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-47344592104398795232016-01-27T20:46:20.726-05:002016-01-27T20:46:20.726-05:00The best indication I have of readers of my blog i...The best indication I have of readers of my blog is that when I post on Facebook that I've put up another free story or some potentially interesting bit of writing/publishing neep, I get almost immediate hits on that particular post! As many as two or three sometimes! And a comment or two about it on my Facebook page. Oh well.Sacchi Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10801164916418570059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-64244044225086017542016-01-27T07:50:42.129-05:002016-01-27T07:50:42.129-05:00In fact, there are so many publishers out there th...<i>In fact, there are so many publishers out there these days that there's quite a bit of competition for good authors.</i><br /><br />Yeah—and a lot of those publishers can't tell the difference between good and bad writing, or don't care. And because they tend to invest a minimum of resources into their e-book/POD product, it's little or no skin off their nose if your books don't sell. Their strategy, it seems, is to publish as much as possible as fast as possible and figure they, the publisher, will make out all right overall.Jeremy Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01980177431018869829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-43528403907364064062016-01-26T23:15:16.912-05:002016-01-26T23:15:16.912-05:00I share your frustration, Sacchi. But I love blogg...I share your frustration, Sacchi. But I love blogging (though it's hard to find the time). I do connect with readers there. And since I joined Twitter and Triberr, my average number of hits for a blog post has tripled.<br /><br />Does that mean I'm selling more books? I can't tell yet, since there's a significant lag between sales and payment, and I've only been doing this for three months.<br /><br />I do wonder about this: "if your books don’t sell, you don’t continue to get published" I'm not sure this is true anymore. In fact, there are so many publishers out there these days that there's quite a bit of competition for good authors. <br /><br />Anyway, each of us does what we can (and what we can stomach!) Keep it up.Lisabet Saraihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05162514190572269660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-67463358772920664422016-01-26T17:17:35.514-05:002016-01-26T17:17:35.514-05:00Sigh. I also wonder how to find readers (on-line o...Sigh. I also wonder how to find readers (on-line or in person) and seduce them into buying a book -- OR how to find readers that are already looking for the exact type of book I would like to sell them. I don't think anyone has a magic recipe for this.Jean Robertahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08805088081675965859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-10625307629467156602016-01-25T11:29:08.651-05:002016-01-25T11:29:08.651-05:00I think I'm fairly visible as editor on the Er...I think I'm fairly visible as editor on the Erotica Readers and Writers Association, but besides that and this blog, I'm not involved with social media. I never got anywhere doing things like everybody else. Seems like putting a message in a corked bottle and throwing it into the ocean. <br /><br />I do readings of my stuff (and attend others) in the San Francisco area. Last week I went to one of Rachel Kramer Bussell's. I kinda like readings better than social media, though they don't seem to produce many buyers. I guess I'm from a time where a bit of knowledge, a business card and winning smile got you somewhere.<br /><br />Daddy Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12927663248424944119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-37284464883844118492016-01-25T07:51:26.280-05:002016-01-25T07:51:26.280-05:00Since you already know what I would say here—and i...Since you already know what I would say here—and it sounds like you're already thinking along the same lines—this time I won't even say it, for the most part. But I will add my concurrence to one very specific point you touched on (which I actually don't think I've put my two cents in about here before!): At a certain point, after blog comments faded into nothing and my overall impression (from a complete lack of feedback or "buzz" of any kind) was that hardly anyone was reading my blog anymore, I became convinced that those impressive stats meant next to nothing. Whether it's indexing robots, spambots, people passively "seeing" blog posts in their feeds (but not reading them), or what exactly, I couldn't say. I know the tech people supposedly wrangle stats to minimize hits that "don't count"; on the other hand, I know that there's an entire industry built around convincing people, via impressive-looking stats, that various kinds of Web presences and online marketing are effective, and so it's presumably in the interests of most people anywhere in that industry to believe the stats and encourage the rest of us to trust them. But I do not believe them, because the evidence just doesn't add up.Jeremy Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01980177431018869829noreply@blogger.com