Post: #1

A successful crime fiction writer has a great blog talking about how he has utitilised the opportunities that the ebook revolution has thrown up.

JA Konrath used to be a published writer - but now feels he can make more money from ebooks than traditional publishing. But a lot of hussle and strategy is involved.

I never want to be an ebook writer - but even I find his site to be really interesting. Since the guy is an expert in this field and it is really interesting seeing how he works out the best way to make money in this field.

He is totally honest on his blog and regularly tells you exactly how much money he is making. So it is a very revealing look at the industry.

I know there are a lot of guys on the forum who are interested in this area. So - for you lot - I would recommend checking out his blog:

http://jakonrath.blogspot.co.uk/

His blog has been around for a few years. And at one point he packaged up a lot of his earlier writings and laid it out as a large ebook. The pdf file is pretty big and runs to over 1100 pages!

Anyway - it is an ebook which he gives away for free. So - you may want to download that - since with the Table of Contents it is easier to work your way through his work.

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/wp-conten...ngBook.pdf

Post: #2

I'm finishing up my first piece of fiction, and plan on selling it for cheap. I don't plan on making much, but it wasn't difficult and hey money is money.

I'll definitely check out the link as it sounds perfect.for.what I'm doing. Thanks!

Post: #3

One of the points he makes is that it is easier to sell genre fiction.

That way you can approach a fan base and offer your work very cheaply. If it is a genre that already has a large fan base (such as crime or horror) - you will get quite a lot of them checking out your work. Particularly if you offer it cheaply. Or give away free previews.

Then if your work is good - you can build a fan base in that area.

Even if you are not a genre writer - you might want to take your book and figure out which genre it is closest to. And then package the book and market it - as if it were written for a particular genre. Even if it wasn't. And if you do that - it would mean picking a title and cover which is reminiscent of the types of works in that genre.

Another thing - JA Konrath thinks covers are very very important. So don't get lazy with that aspect of your work. He will test out different covers and titles - and see which one sells best in the marketplace. Before settling on one - and sticking with that one for the rest of the books life.

Konrath makes a lot of money by undercutting more established writers and charging less for his ebooks. And because he doesn't have to split the money with a publishing house - he actually ends up making more than he has ever done.

The whole concept of 'writing books' has changed. There are people making very good livings publishing one or two books a year - and only charging one or two dollars for their work.

Another thing that Konrath does - is real time experiments to see how certain promotions and price points affect his sales. The amount of information you get from Amazon these days - means you can pinpoint the exact strategy that works for you.

Lastly - Konrath thinks the money is in ebooks (when done well). But a lot of authors would rather have the ego boost of being 'a proper author' - and as such end up earning a lot less money by handing over all their rights to a traditional publisher.

Konrath has really thought this through. Even to the point of turning a 'cease and decease letter' sent to him by a major corporation - into a viral news story.

You can read about it here:

/thread-24894-...#pid470628

I would also check out that thread in its entirety for a lot of interesting discussions about viral marketing and ebook publishing.

Post: #4

Awesome, much appreciated.

I completely agree with a.) eBook are the future and b.) Make the product cheap. I only plan on charging 2.99 or so for a book. It won't bring in a lot of money itself, but if I write 10 or 15 it should bring in some decent coin.

Post: #5

Yeah - the great thing about ebooks is that it is easy to publicise your back catalogue, and keep them in print and ready to buy.

With traditional publishers - most authors only have one book in print at a time. The key with ebooks is (according to Konrath) to have ten or more of them. That way you can sell them in different ways - maybe 3 for the price of two and so on. It also means that you have a lot more product lined up for instant purchase if you turn a casual reader into a fan.

The thing about genre fiction - is crime, horror, sci-fans (etc) are pretty obsessive and hungry for new books. And even new authors. So - tapping into these markets can be an effective place to enter into publishing.

The other tip from Konrath is to create a series of books featuring the same character (something which is common in genre fiction). That way - a fan of any of your books has a strong incentive to check out the rest in the series.

He has lots of other ideas as well. But the above are some of the ones I remember from checking out his blog a couple of years ago.

You may not want to be a genre writer. But it is worth experimenting with some of these markets - in order to see if a book you have written sells better when it is marketed to a specific fan base of a certain genre.

I don't read eboooks myself. But my understanding is that the traditional publishers have shot themselves in the foot. When they sell ebooks - it seems they are charging prices pretty close to a standard paperback edition of the book (10-15 dollars).

This encourages piracy - and (luckily for Konrath) it creates more interest in the flourishing self-publishing industry where authors are only charging 2-3 dollars for their work. Which even Konrath (as an author) feels is a fairer price to charge considering the massive reduction in overheads compared to traditional publishing.

One other thing. As well as paying attention to the cover and title of your book. He stresses you take the editing of your book very seriously. I am not sure if he advocate getting a professional editor. But at the very least - with the software available these days - there is not a single excuse for releasing a self-published book with spelling mistakes and sloppy grammar.

I know grammar can be a pain the ass. But how the fuck a book can be released in this day and age with spelling mistakes just astounds me. Last week I read a two and a half thousand page magic book - and there wasn't a single spelling mistake in there. So - fuck your excuses when it comes to a 200 page book.

Post: #6

I think that people are reading less these days, but I still believe that there will be a growing demand for short works/ebooks as print books may soon be a thing of the past.

As for the idea of writing a series, that's exactly what I'm doing.

And in terms of the cover/editing, I know this is important. I'm willing to invest money into getting it to be good, but how much money is too much? Since I won't be making a ton of money from each book, I probably won't be able to afford spending too much, although quality is important. I'm sure he's discussed this in his blog though, and the 1000 page ebook haha

Post: #7

1000 page ebook is a great read. It is really fun skimming through the book.

Post: #8

I am just reading through the blog again.

Great stuff.

He was a traditional writer - and was sick of being screwed by his publisher. Eventually he got dropped by them.

And it turns out it was the best thing that ever happened to him. He launched himself into self-publishing his work and figured out strategies which meant he went from making $30 a day from Kindle sales to $1000 a day.

And through his blog - he has inspired hundreds of other authors to go the self-publishing route.

Here is a post which sets out his 'manifesto' - so to speak.

http://jakonrath.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/...dense.html

Post: #9

It is a great resource. Thanks for sharing this with us. There is an e-book on amazon called "2k to 10k" which covers techniques that an author has used to go from writing 2k words a day to 10k words per day. I'd add that to the list of good reads as well as a book called "plotto" from way back. It is a plot generating device. You need creativity to use it and update it otherwise you will end up with a flat plot and flat characters... but it is a good starting point, especially if you get stuck. It's in the public domain, so here is a link to a PDF. There is also a commercial book version available that is probably easier due to formatting.

Plotto:
https://ia601505.us.archive.org/12/items...00cook.pdf


I also suggest "on writing" by Stephen King and "building great sentences" by Brooks Landon. There are a number of other good books out there, especially on outlining and plot structure in general, but I feel like there is much to learn by doing. Just reading about writing doesn't generate action in itself.

Post: #10

Konrath is definitely worth reading.