tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post7265756787097358524..comments2024-03-26T23:41:10.319+00:00Comments on Authors Electric: Nick Green tells all! The Secret of Online Marketing SuccessKatherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-22248077745964903922013-10-05T16:53:41.464+01:002013-10-05T16:53:41.464+01:00There seems to be very little rhyme or reason to i...There seems to be very little rhyme or reason to it. Part of the problem is that such marketing as is done even by traditional publishers doesn't really work, either. My sales trundle along quite nicely. I'm not making any fortunes, but I'm selling books. There are spikes in sales but it's hard to say how and why they happen. Amazon's 'also bought' recommendations work - if you can get them. One of them worked for me last night (and presumably for the author in question!) when I was browsing for something to read, saw a book flagged up that I would never otherwise have found, bought it and was reading it within the hour. It gave me pause for thought about bookstores as well. I could have browsed my local chain bookshop for hours and never found this book. What WOULD have worked would have been some version of the old indie bookstore (which was closed down years ago by the advent of the big chains) where the owner took time and trouble to know and talk to her customers, and would therefore have known that I would love a new version of an old fashioned ghost story. But even then, living where I do, would I have waited and travelled ten miles into town on the off chance of finding something I wanted to read? Or would I have hit that buy-it-now button? I think the future probably lies with some combination of the two but the harsh reality is that I'm more likely to buy on impulse in Amazon than I am in a bookshop - and I do buy a lot of books. Catherine Czerkawskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14554969254207924049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-57786220365864651352013-10-05T16:04:16.325+01:002013-10-05T16:04:16.325+01:00So how *do* we sell without marketing? Because I d...So how *do* we sell without marketing? Because I do. Steadily. I'm not setting the world on fire, but I'm selling ebooks with no marketing or advertising other than interacting with friends on facebook and the occasional blog post. I don't think I've even tweeted more than a couple of tweets in the last few months. There must be something going on and I wish I knew what it was so I could harness it!Debbie Bennetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06761474820689143835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-19798888576172789872013-10-04T12:13:19.642+01:002013-10-04T12:13:19.642+01:00That's great Dan. Bring it on!That's great Dan. Bring it on!Dennis Hamleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15781139870037634374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-18009040644802113572013-10-04T08:46:41.634+01:002013-10-04T08:46:41.634+01:00Dan, I'm looking forward to your piece. Maybe ...Dan, I'm looking forward to your piece. Maybe you'll change my mind that a drop in Nick's ocean is worth the effort. Maybe.Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13770069472552779217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-60139177442328872712013-10-04T08:45:43.513+01:002013-10-04T08:45:43.513+01:00This comment has been removed by the author.Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13770069472552779217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-85021261911903851752013-10-03T20:16:13.352+01:002013-10-03T20:16:13.352+01:00Great post - and one of the great unmentioned trui...Great post - and one of the great unmentioned truisms that new writers rarely get to hear.<br /><br />Dennis, thank you! I am going to post an article based on last night's talk on Monday!Dan Hollowayhttp://danholloway.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-49893852082172588682013-10-03T16:45:44.052+01:002013-10-03T16:45:44.052+01:00I should add that I don't think it's total...I should add that I don't think it's totally useless. Just a drop in the ocean. But even that may be better than no marketing at all.Nick Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08191176209084540085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-29221298088624452582013-10-03T13:32:00.158+01:002013-10-03T13:32:00.158+01:00Nick, I've done none of those things and my sa...Nick, I've done none of those things and my sales progress sounds suspiciously like yours so it seems your central thesis is right! Yet last night I was at a meeting on marketing and social media addressed by our own Dan Holloway and I came away feeling really quite cheered. He presented what seemed to me a different, human-scale philosophy about social media which delighted me. What was it? Well, perhaps Dan will speak for himself one day.Dennis Hamleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15781139870037634374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-59874750045611498532013-10-03T11:57:08.681+01:002013-10-03T11:57:08.681+01:00hm very thought-provoking. But if we don't try...hm very thought-provoking. But if we don't try to market the books online, how will anyone stumble across them? There are so many books now on amazon - currently on fb some of us are discovering the types of porn on there, yesterday it was dinosaur porn and today it's 'gay cuttlefish shapeshifter porn' which is very specific! Lydia Bennethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09328239009863878547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-82086233064065246312013-10-03T11:16:47.222+01:002013-10-03T11:16:47.222+01:00This is so timely for me! I've just self-publi...This is so timely for me! I've just self-published a new edition of my o/p parenting title on bullying but haven't bothered to promote it, hoping it will sell a steady trickle on the back of my children's books on the subject, which get great reviews and sell well. I was thinking that when I self-pub my child-of-the-heart book on dreams+writing I should plan a proper launch campaign etc, but I'm getting the sense that building a community through blogging might be the most effective way of getting the word out, as well as being something I really enjoyJenny Alexanderhttp://jenalexanderbooks.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-45504711250946353122013-10-03T11:07:36.768+01:002013-10-03T11:07:36.768+01:00BTW, I do buy books on the basis of blog posts, bu...BTW, I do buy books on the basis of blog posts, but only when the blogger is a sound reviewer/critic/reader whose judgement I've come to respect. Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13770069472552779217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-3357942908497513192013-10-03T10:39:27.501+01:002013-10-03T10:39:27.501+01:00Indeed. Everyone should stop proselytising about m...Indeed. Everyone should stop proselytising about marketing and self-promotion. It's not only pointless, but downright misleading.<br />Spend your time reading and writing--and maybe living a bit more recklessly (heheh, Nick) in the real world.Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13770069472552779217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-77379104727354146722013-10-03T09:43:36.081+01:002013-10-03T09:43:36.081+01:00I had suspected as much, Nick. I know when I first...I had suspected as much, Nick. I know when I first published I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to spread myself over all aspects of the social media, although I never went so far as millions upon millions of 'buy my book' posts. I don't do nearly as much now and I'm relieved to hear it doesn't work anyway. It's a lot more productive if I spend my time writing. Thanks for a great post.Chris Longmuirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02488093821886798927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-47907491617839758492013-10-03T09:20:32.996+01:002013-10-03T09:20:32.996+01:00fascinating stuff, nick. i suppose you wouldn'...fascinating stuff, nick. i suppose you wouldn't fancy repeating the whole thing all over again for adult books? i think i could afford to lend you a chair, even!<br /><br />incidentally, i heard tom clancy quoted yesterday. his advice on selling was this: Get writing. Get lucky. I did!<br /><br />sad really, innit?Jan Needlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15823078224282953782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-8191542805252107392013-10-03T08:54:03.236+01:002013-10-03T08:54:03.236+01:00Phew - what a wonderful post. This is my experienc...Phew - what a wonderful post. This is my experience, too - but it's good to know that trying to do stuff differently, or more of it, will make not a monkey's toss of a difference.JOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03127111575563904349noreply@blogger.com