A
lot of readers will notice over the year that some of my eBook titles aren’t
available on certain sites.
The
reason for this is that they’re not selling there.
I’ve
had some titles get no sales over the course of six months. Others over the
course of a year.
When
a title doesn’t move in a venue, I have to make efforts to get readers to
discover them like the eBooks for under a Buck Campaign. Sometimes that means
promoting them hard on Twitter and Facebook every day. Other times that means
doing a YouTube Commercial.
If
efforts to promote a title through social media don’t work I have to do
something to get the sales. I’ve moved poor selling eBooks like All About
Marilyn to KDP Select I can get some readers to try a digital copy of a title
or two.
Hoping
they may even buy a paperback version of the title.
Sometimes
it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
If
none of these efforts work at getting new readers, I have no choice but to pull
a title and take it out of print.
Now
I don’t like discontinuing an eBook or a paperback. But I can’t afford to keep
titles in print that aren’t selling.
In
the case of paperbacks self-publishing them costs money. I need sales to cover
the maintenance costs to stay on the Lightning Source Server.
This
year has been a struggle for me. With my savings shrinking I’ve had to take a
long hard look at the future of my catalog. And looking at the weak paperback
sales I may be forced to cut some titles.
So
far The Temptation of John Haynes has made enough sales to cover its print
costs for this year. Unfortunately, All About Marilyn and All About Nikki-The
Fabulous First Season still haven’t sold enough paperbacks to cover their
maintenance contracts. In fact, All About Marilyn hasn’t sold any this year,
and While All About Nikki is an international smash hit as an eBook, the
paperback hasn’t moved a single copy.
Paying
for a year on Lightning Source costs me $12 a year. And I only need two sales
of a paperback title like All About Marilyn, The Temptation of John Haynes or
All About Nikki-The Fabulous First Season to cover those costs.
Each
paperback you buy helps me keep my titles in print for another year. It keeps
positive African-American fiction available in the marketplace. And it helps me
stay in business working towards publishing more positive, inspiring, and
uplifting African-American fiction for people all over the world to read.
I’ve
got a lot of great new titles I’d like to offer readers like The Sisterhood.
But the only way I can get those books to the marketplace is with the support
of readers like you.
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