Kindle MatchBook

I received, this morning, an email from Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing team. It read:

Hello,

We are excited to introduce Kindle MatchBook, an innovative new program which enables you to offer your Kindle book at a discount when readers purchase your print book, so you can sell more books. It's easy to enroll.

Here's how it works:

1. Select your Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) title on your KDP Bookshelf and check the Enroll box for Kindle MatchBook on the "Rights & Pricing" page.
2. Set the discount for your book by choosing a promotional list price of $2.99 or less.
3. Save your Kindle MatchBook preferences.

By enrolling your book, you will be among the first to be able to take advantage of this new program. The Kindle MatchBook discount you select will not appear on Amazon.com until the program is fully launched in the coming weeks. We will notify you by e-mail as soon as your Kindle MatchBook discount is live. Your readers will soon have an easy and affordable way to read your book in both print and digital formats.

Visit your KDP Bookshelf today to enroll your books in Kindle MatchBook.

Best regards,
The Kindle Direct Publishing Team

My first impression is that this program is very similar to Amazon's AutoRip service.  When purchasing certain "hard copy" (CDs mostly but there are a few vinyl options) albums,a consumer can automatically download MP3 versions of the music for free.

I find this approach works better with music than with books.  I like having a CD for my car and MP3 for my computer or MP3player.  The only time I've purchased a digital copy of a book after having already bought a hard-copy was when I had a book sustain water damage during a move. Furthermore, the majority of my paperback sales have not been via Amazon, so my paperback customers would not be able to take advantage of this program.

However, I am the queen of "early adopters"; so, I have enrolled Dremiks in the program.  I'll keep you updated on the status of sales and the efficacy of this new program.

Sales Update March 20-October 31

The witty T.M. Hunter, creator of the awesome Aston West series, recently updated his sales data and provided the boot-to-the-butt I needed to update my own data. (Be sure to check out all of Hunter's works-- I have reviewed several.)  I wish more Indie authors would be as up front about their sales; we have nothing to hide and everything to gain from honest comparisons.


March 20-October 31st sales of "Dremiks"

Kindle: 88 copies (March - May average: 19/month ) (June-October average: 6/month)

Kindle UK: 2 copies

Nook: 17 copies (10 copies in March)

Paperback: 15 copies

Total sales: 122

The Nook and Kindle version of the book are currently priced at $4.99.  I raised it ( from $3.99) to this price point after seeing the other "Top 5 Finalists, Best Indie Book of 2012" listed at $4.99.  I honestly have not seen any noticeable difference in sales after raising or lowering the price.  I'm still mulling the idea of lowering the international price to see if I can garner a few more sales that way.

I currently have ads running on Goodreads and Facebook.  Both sites have a "pay-per-click" system.

I made an original ad-buy, in April, on Goodreads for $60 and still have not used all of that sum.  As of this posting, 216 people have added the book on Goodreads, with 19 ratings and 12 reviews.

Facebook allows me to turn on or off my add and pay-per-click as I go. I have it set for $8/day maximum with a $0.75/click threshold.  The book's Facebook page currently has 202 likes.  Obviously, more people have "liked" the FB page than have purchased the book.  I have seen no evidence that increased page traffic = more sales, and therefore have spent less than $100 on FB advertising since March.

Amazon has been helpfully sending out email "suggestions" to sci-fi readers.  These emails are based on what customers who bought "Dremiks" also purchased (associations), the "Likes" that users enter, and search "tags".  Amazon.com's "Dremiks" listing has 37 likes, 8 reviews (5 stars!), and 24 users who have agreed with some or all of the "tags"

The Amazon.co.uk page has 2 likes, no reviews, and only 1 person who has tagged the book.  Obviously I need more UK friends and readers!

Goals for the next three months: find ways to target Nook and international customers, finish the sequel, and determine the "sweet spot" for Kindle pricing.

Fellow authors: feel free to leave comments with links to your own posts about sales and advertising.

The Dreaded 2 Star Review

Readers often comment on bulletin boards and in reviews posted on popular sites like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Goodreads that they disregard the glowing 5 star reviews of new authors obviously written by family and friends. I’ve read several comments where a reader states that he or she looks only at the 2 and 3 star reviews to get a true feel for the book. I’m not sure I entirely agree with this policy, but if that behavior is widespread, it should help a new author to have a few critical reviews. So, I suppose “Dremiks” has officially “arrived” because I’ve finally received a 2 star review.

The reviewer was not malicious and did not state anything that indicated that he had picked up “Dremiks” thinking it a genre different than science-fiction space-opera. In fact, he seems to have sought out the book specifically because he likes the genre. Therefore, I cannot just roll my eyes and ignore his comments. I may not agree with his analysis, but it is a fact of life that not all readers are going to like my book—or any book. There are people who adore “The Great Gatsby”. I’d rather gnaw off my own arms than read it again. This particular reader didn’t like my story development and felt the ending was rushed. That’s his opinion and he’s entitled to it. Obviously if I receive hundreds of such reviews then I have serious issues and need to reconsider my writing style. One such review will not, I hope, doom my first book to the dustbin of hideous literature.

Finally, a complete stranger bought my book, read it, and took the time to write a detailed review of why he disliked it. That’s a pretty big moment in an author’s life, even if it hurts just a bit.

100!

As of Saturday, July 21, "Dremiks" has sold 100 copies worldwide. (The novel launched on March 20, 2012*)  While this is certainly not "bestseller" range, I am over-joyed that 100 people like my book enough to purchase a copy.

Thank-you friends, family, and fans!

I leave you with a celebratory dance: http://www.webhamster.com/

*edited to correct silly date typo