This is great news. I’m hoping going forward she can be a reliable reviewer to plan on earlier in the process. For now, she’ll target a review on Dec 5, and I’ll need to deliver a guest SF post on the same date.
Delayed b/c pre-publish date is not easily changed (?).
Nov 13 – First Bad Goodreads Rating (3*)
Unlike the 2* troll rating on RLRR, this looks like actually someone started reading on KU, DNF’d after about 30 pages and rated it 3* (still, this is a guess). Looking at his other books, I can see why; this had nothing to do with his regular reading preferences. I wonder if something mislead him? Either way, bad review accomplished. Won’t be the last.
First time I’ve gotten this for one book. Got this yesterday for Beasts + RLRR combined. Not sure why, but it feels like Beasts sells itself better than RLRR. Maybe the cover? Maybe the niche? Probably both.
Nov 17 – Bookraid Promo for $0.99
Not a bad outcome. Cost around $10 for 49 clicks, resulting in 17 sales or less. (estimated). Good ROI on clicks, but not enough clicks.
Nov 26 (Black Friday) – Book Sends Promo for $0.99
Not fantastic results, but probably not bad given holiday distractions. Maybe 14 ebook and 2 paperbacks sold, plus a bump in KENP the next day (blue is RLRR, amber is Beasts):
All small change so far, but one can imagine this leading to growth with consistent marketing and more books over time.
Nov 28 – Mention in Eliot Peper’s Newsletter
Shawn Butler, a subscriber to this humble newsletter, published his second novel—a biotech thriller.
November Sales (Partial Month)
More total sales that RLRR (82 vs. 73) for the first month of release, but mostly kindle vs. paperback (reversed from friends and family sales of debut). Interestingly, KU page reads were much higher (8,585 vs. 3,566), which is probably because I ran the better promo sites closer together. Not at all sure how holidays affects all of this.
Looking good so far. I’ll probably stop updating this after this month and move to more consolidating tracking elsewhere. Off to a good start, showing some growth, need to grow and and accelerate…
Mo
Paper-back
Kindle Paid
Total Paid
Free Kindle
Total Units
KENP Pages
Nov
18
64
82
0
82
8,586
Dec
5
81
86
0
86
15,881
2021
23
145
168
0
168
24,467
2022+ Tracking
Probably not updating much from now on. Too many little things to track.
Jan 29 – Book Review (Big Al’s)
Kind of a bummer of review, but still worth a read for future reference.
May 2022 – Barksdale Review Published?
Pending
Goals & Pending Milestones
TBD – Book Bub Promo
Check out as soon as launched. Rejected on first tries…
The question of how to help independent authors is not a new one. Self-publishing a book, successfully, is one of the most challenging aspects of being an author in this freakishly crowded market. The focus of this post is on how friends and family can help their independent author friends, the people they care about, to find success despite the many challenges we all face. It’s also about gratitude. I don’t think any of us can succeed without the help of others, and yet it’s incredibly hard to ask for that help. So, however you choose to help your independent authors, thank you.
We’re all busy. So the focus in this section is on things that take mere seconds or minutes, but which can still make a big difference.
Put Yourself in Their Shoes
It’s probably hard for most people to understand the isolation and challenges faces by independent authors. I mean, you just put it on Amazon and the money rolls in, right? Sadly, no. There are hundreds of thousands of new books published every year in the US alone. Rising above the resulting noise is challenging at best.
Success for independent authors depends on a combination of marketing investment (money), constant hard work and self-promotion, the quality of their product and, of course, a great deal of luck. Normally a large percentage of marketing resources would come from a publisher, but independent authors have to do all of this on their own. So even assuming the independent author has produced a great book with a great cover, there’s no way they can succeed on their own (unless they’re rolling in $$$ already). They need the help of friends, family and fans. In other words, they need you.
But no one likes to ask for help. At least, few of us do. It’s humbling and awkward and honestly we’d rather just be writing the next book. So understand that even if your author friend doesn’t ask for help, he or she would still appreciate it. And honestly, unsolicited assistance is such a great karmic gift that it’s almost better that way. Thank you in advance for even considering it.
Understand that Self-Publishing is Real Publishing
Most of us probably grew up with the idea that “traditional publishing” (via agent / editor / publisher / bookstore) is the way real writers do things, and independent or self-publishing (via vanity or hybrid publishers or doing it all on your own) is for losers. I’m just being candid; there is a stigma associated with independent publishing that needs to go away. Indie publishing is probably the way of the future, not a second-best option or aberration, so we need to elevate independent authors and systems as much as we can.
A lot of this has to do with indie authors themselves. Due to the relative ease of publishing via Amazon KDP and other services, many writers have published poorly written, badly plotted, barely edited and just plain terrible books. That makes us all look bad. But indie authors who are committed to their craft publish books that are just as well written, edited and formatted as traditionally published books. The majority of us invest vast amounts of time and money (for professional editing, cover art, etc.) into producing the best book for you that we can. You’ll have to be the judge of this in each case, but I can assure you self-publishing is not a second-best option. It’s often the only option, especially for underrepresented authors, and it’s not going way.
Thanks for understanding this, and for your help in dispelling misconceptions about independent publishing.
Buy their Books
This probably goes without saying, but the easiest way to help new or indie authors is to buy their book–even if it’s not in your regular genre. This helps the author in a number of ways: (1) obviously, the purchase itself is great (2) it shows online bookstores what books are selling and should therefore rise in search results and (3) this means more reviews, which means higher ranking, which means more sales.
There are of course authors who don’t really care about sales; they’re in it for the art or to reach a few friends and family members, or it’s just a hobby. But for many others who hope to make some tiny bit of a living off of their writing, they need to sell books. Every purchase helps.
Caveat: If buying the book is a financial issue for you, don’t; no author that I know wants to put their friends or families out. There should be no pressure here. It’s just appreciated if you can do it.
Share the Books on Your Social Media Channels
Most authors frankly suck at social media. I know I do. There are also some who are great at Facebook, have a thousand followers on Instagram or Twitter, or know what the heck is going on with TikTok. Posting a link to the authors book on your social media site with a nice comment is invaluable, and among the best types of word-of-mouth marketing. If you made a TikTok book review video of my debut novel, Run Lab Rat Run, I’ll probably die of happiness. But everything helps, and it just takes a few seconds in most cases.
Example: “I really loved [book title]. If you like [genre] and [something cool about the book], you’ll love this book!” [book purchase link] [#SomeHashtag] #ImAGreatFriend
It’s that easy.
Caveat: Don’t share a book you’re not comfortable with. Your social media presence is part of your personal brand, and authors understand that. If your friend wrote an erotic or hard sci fi book you just don’t think your friends would care for, great, don’t share it. If you’re not enthusiastic, your other friends will see that in your post, and that doesn’t help anyone.
Help Build their Ongoing Social Media Presence
This isn’t that hard, and it’s basically the same as the previous step on an ongoing basis. Just like, love, share or retweet the author’s posts. This helps them gain followers, buzz, and maybe a fan or two.
Share the Book in Targeted Social Media Groups
There are thousands of online groups specific to genre (e.g., science fiction), topic (e.g., politics), activity (e.g., underwater basket weaving) with members that be interested in a related book. If your friend’s book is a good fit for these groups (make sure it is), and you’re comfortable endorsing the read, share the book in the group. This is especially important since many of these groups won’t allow authors to promote themselves (for good reason).
Caveat: Don’t spam groups with books that aren’t relevant, especially if commercial links are not allowed. It’s everyone’s benefit to respect the ethics and rules of online communities. Sometimes, it’s just not a good fit.
2. More Easy Stuff
Okay, none of this is technically hard, but items here start to take up a little more time. Your time is valuable. So, here are some things to do if you a few hours and want to help even more.
Beta Read their Books
In industry jargon, “beta reading” means reading a book at any point prior to publication so that you can give feedback to the author. Is the book poorly structured or tightly architected? Do the characters come alive or lie dead on the page? Is the dialog realistic, the writing active and compelling, etc. What can the author do to improve his manuscript? All of this is invaluable feedback in the drafting process. We’d much rather screw up in private than publish something terrible for the whole world to see. So if you love a genre and your friend is writing in that area, offer to beta read their books. Not everyone has the time, but if you do, this is incredibly helpful. Thank you.
ARC Review their Books
An ARC is just an “Advanced Review Copy” of a book, usually the semi-final draft of a manuscript. ARCs are provided for free to advanced (pre-publishing) readers in order to generate ratings and reviews as quickly as possible after the book is published. Reviewers like you win by getting a free copy of the book. Authors win by building momentum for their new books starting before the book even goes live. There are numerous sites for this (if you are interested in signing up for ARCs generally), but your friend might like you to be part of his or her ARC group less formally. If you have the time and think the book might be interesting, sign up to do a review.
Caveat: Amazon seems to reject most reviews from obvious friends. So if you’re Facebook friends with the author, plan to publish your review on Goodreads or other non-Amazon sites if possible. The author should be able to let you know which platforms the book will launch on.
Read the Books (Once Published)
Seems obvious, right? But many of us have less time than we’d like. For me, personally, talking to friends about something I’ve written is even more important and validating than a simple purchase. We put hundreds or thousands of hours into these books, and it’s great to be able to hear what other people think of them. What characters did you love or hate? What themes resonated? What got you laughing or crying?
Caveat: Not every book is for everyone. Don’t feel pressured to read a book you don’t like or that doesn’t resonate with you. It’s supposed to be fun. If the author bugs you about it, tell them to knock it off. It’s about helping each other out, not feeling obligated to do something you don’t want to do.
Rate & Review the Books
Rating a book is a surprisingly simple step that many readers skip. Rating a book (without a review) on Amazon and other ecommerce sites is often a matter of seconds, and requires no additional thought. High ratings bring higher rankings, which bring more sales, and so on. A positive review would be even better, but even a quick rating is appreciated.
Caveat 1: If you don’t like the book, that’s fine, but don’t feel the need to leave a negative rating or review. This doesn’t really help anyone. If there are things the author needs to know, let them know in person so they can improve the next book.
Caveat 2: Amazon is notorious for not publishing reviews of friends and family. If you’re friends with the author on Facebook, in particular, you might not want to bother with a rating or review on Amazon, as it won’t appear and the author might get dinged for it (it’s not yet clear to me how this works). You can still leave your review on Goodreads and other platforms.
Pro Tip #1: Don’t feel the need to limit your reviews to Amazon and other bookstore platforms. Post your review to your social media feeds or other groups. Many groups discourage or even forbid self-promotion by authors, so this might be the only way group members will ever hear about their book. And there are groups that focus on book reviews that are hungry for new content.
Pro Tip #2: A review doesn’t have to be long. Two or three enthusiastic sentences will do just fine: “I couldn’t put this book down. I loved the characters and couldn’t wait to get to the end. Highly recommended!” Or something like that.
Share the Books on Your Blog or Website
I mean, if it’s relevant. Then what better way to share a friend’s work than on your own blog? This usually takes a little more thought and time, but the SEO and marketing value is huge, and it can be great content for your site as well.
Share the Books with Your Friends & Family
There is no better endorsement than giving a book to someone you love but, again, only if you feel comfortable doing it. And honestly, if you give books to people who aren’t into the genre or “that sort of thing,” it leads to bad reviews. No one likes bad reviews. So, share with care.
Share Author Online Promotions
Even if you’re already bought the book (thank you!), the author is always out there trying to find more readers. They might be doing temporary discounted or free book promotions, contests and who knows what else. If you think people in your network might be interested, let ’em know.
3. Still More Easy Stuff
The following items either take a little more time or require more social commitment and outreach, and that’s not for everyone. Some people prefer to be quiet allies, and that’s 100% fine. But if you’re a little more social or want to be…
Pick the Book for your Book Club
If the book’s genre fits the group and you think they’ll enjoy it, suggest away. Just make sure everyone knows it’s a friend’s book so there’s no resentment. And whatever feedback you get, good or bad, pass it on to the author. We’re always learning, and honest third-party feedback can be really helpful.
Attend Author Events
You know, when we’re allowed to see each other in person again. Nothing is lonelier for an author than showing up at a bookstore for a signing and having no one show up. Drop by to say hi, grab a coffee, browse the stacks and give your friend a high-five. You’ll probably get a free bookmark out of it. Unless the event is online, and then you’ll still get a nice digital tan.
Suggest Local Book Stores Carry the Books
If you frequent a local bookstore, take a moment to suggest to the manager or staff that they carry the book. This won’t work in all cases–the book would have to be available via their acquisition channels, and who knows what their acquisition policies are–but even if it works a small percentage of the time, this is a fantastic help.
Suggest Local Libraries Acquire the Books
Some libraries are open to this, others not so much, but they all find books one way or another. You might just help them find the next great all-American novel. Or at least a good educational read. And since libraries are often the only informational resource for some people, it helps your friends reach a whole new audience of readers.
Suggest Other Ideas
Are you a marketing or SEO professional? Do you have specific experience in online advertising, keyword selection, PR or anything related to product sales? Help the author out. It’s not like most of us have degrees in marketing and, if we do, it’s probably not focused on book promotion. It’s a crazy, crowded and fast-changing industry. If you know ways to rise above the fray, let us know. I’m not going to say there’s no such thing as a bad idea–there are many, many bad ideas–but it can’t hurt to suggest something. It’s great that you’re even thinking about it.
4. Do it All Again
A successful book needs constant love. After launch, attention tends to fade but the need for promotion doesn’t. If you know your friend’s birthday, re-post your book recommendation on social media every year on that day. Set a reminder for yourself. Or whatever. Ongoing, recurring support would be freakin’ awesome.
5. Thank You (!!!)
Just reading this post is more than most people will ever do to help indie authors. No one expects you to do all or even most of the above, and it’s not your job to help authors sell their books, but every little thing helps. Thanks for taking the time. Thanks for thinking about us. Thanks for caring. You rock.
A Note to Authors
Don’t forget to be grateful to the people that help you. Sign that book. Give them some tchotchkes. Or just be sure to say thank you. A lot.
Other Resources
There are several other good lists out there with suggestions for how to help self-published authors. Here are just a few of them:
Independent Book Review, “10 Ways to Support Indie Authors:” An excellent list, including a good introduction to the indie publishing world.
“If Michael Crichton wrote the Hunger Games. Engrossing story in a futuristic (pre-post-apocalyptic?) world where genetic engineering has reignited a full-blown caste system with have’s, have-not’s, and a thirst for social media-driven voyeurism.” –Jonathan Isaacs, author of Stopwatchers
“Vivid and fast-paced, Run Lab Rat Run explores the coming era of human augmentation at every level, from scientific to ethical, asking ‘What if every possibility comes true? Might we split into dozens of species?’ This is the real deal in speculative fiction.” – David Brin, author of The Postman and Existence.
“Gattaca meets the Hunger Games in this dystopian science fiction adventure” – K.A. Fox, USA Today Bestselling Author of the Murphy’s Law
“Shawn C. Butler pulls the reader into a world of genetic enhancements and mutations, artificial intelligence, robots and implants…a cautionary tale; a complex, thought-provoking and twisted story of specieism and discrimination, competition, power and control.” – ReadingCafe
“5 stars! Recommended to lovers of gripping futuristic tales with themes of society, inequality, and genetic modification. Run Lab Rat Run proved to be an insightful and gripping read, surrounding core themes of society, discrimination, and genetic modification. It was a highly thought-provoking read.” – Bookish Beyond
“I was instantly immersed in the book. Such fantastic, descriptive language without being verbose. Written so that it was a scarily believable future. A strong female lead who is also beautifully flawed such that we can empathise with her.” – Isobel Ross, Ultra Runner & Coach
“A fun and entertaining read that presents science fiction in a very believable way. Brilliant metaphors and imagery that could only be written by someone with personal experience in pushing a body to its limits.” – Tim Y
“Shawn Butler presents us with a glimpse into this possible future in an entertaining tale of an athletic competition gone mad.” – Lazarus Lake (aka Gary Cantrell), Founder of the Barkley Marathons
And Run Lab Rat Run has been an Amazon bestseller in several categories, including #6 in Genetic Engineering science fiction, #4 in Humorous SF; and #1 in Running and in Extreme Sports. Which is pretty cool.
Inspiration
Run Lab Rat Run was originally called Modified, as its core message is about what it means to be genetically engineered. What does “human” mean, and how will we share the planet with bioengineering humans who are, possibly, far superior physically and mentally to our “natural” selves. Will we have a caste system, a hierarchy analogous to white supremacy, with the most modified on top?
Those questions and many more occurred to me when CRISPR was introduced to the world. CRISPR offered new way of genetically modifying pretty much anything, cheaply and easily. It’s obvious that within a few years, and far less than a generation, human beings will be editing themselves–first for disease resistance, then for genetic anomalies, and then for, well, whatever we want.
If that doesn’t scare you, you’re not paying attention. Run Lab Rat Run is about one very possible world where value is determined by degrees of modification; a world I sincerely hope we do not choose.
About the Cover
This is the updated (second) cover, designed by myself and then finalized by Jayelle Morgan at DreamSaver Covers. Hopefully, this one is more true to market and compelling for the science fiction audience.
This was the original cover. I had no experience with book covers at the time, so I fiddled around in Canva, gave up, and paid for one on Fiverr. It’s not bad… though I decided to update now that I know more about how important covers are for conversion. You can see some really bad initial ideas on Pinterest.
This Run Lab Rat Run launch plan is largely for my tracking of the initial release on Amazon, which is my first book release of my debut self-published novel. I doubt anyone will ever read this article, but if anyone does, perhaps there will be a few helpful tidbits here for those starting off on their self-publishing career.
I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m relatively intelligent, experienced in online marketing, have what I believe is a quality novel, but I know I’m going to get most of this wrong the first time. So, my goal is to fail fast, learn fast and try as many different things as a I can on this first launch. Pretty obvious, but helps to put it in writing.
My goal is specifically NOT to make a lot of money on this first book, though that would be nice. I want to sell a lot of books, get reviews, and build a reader base. If I can come close to breaking even, that would be a miracle (even if you only count hard dollars and exclude all writing and editing time).
From this learning and reader base, I hope to know enough to start making some income on the second books and so on. But I still realize this is a challenging goal that almost no self-published (or traditionally published authors) ever reach. So, difficult but not impossible. Publishing this book will helpfully tell me how realistic these goals are…
Creation & Design
Writing & Editing
This includes everything from the basic writing to beta reviews and editing.
Step & Details
Status & Next
Various Drafts The usual pantser process. Editing included use of Word spelling and grammar checker and the free version of Grammarly, which I find moderately useful but inflexible esp. with regard to my writing style (which uses sentence fragments and avoids use of Oxford commas).
Done
Various Beta Reads
Great feedback from many. Thank you! Substantial improvements to drafts.
Done
Shortening & Simplification
Cut from 130k+ to 115k, removed many acronyms and abbreviations, etc. This was largely for querying agents, which did not pan out (though there were a few full manuscript requests).
Done
Professional Copy Editing & Proofreading
Friend I met at a conference is doing this. Exceptional skills and insight. Great comments and changes provided and made. Also did some sensitivity checking on one item and updated as a result.
Done
Final Draft Complete
Do final read, check all dates and stats, check all chapter headings, etc. Include internal to new title and remove reference to anything else. Check all typographical items including widows, etc.
Done
Final Title
The original title was Modified, which is now the book series (presumably). Also considered Dead Girl Running (which was taken) and The Dreams of Weak and Fragile Things, which was too literary. Run Lab Rat Run worked better for a a number of reasons. Should have had this finalized before starting work on cover.
Done
Book Parts (Front and Back)
Finalize all front, back and cover matter:
Graphical Cover Page (Done)
Text Cover Page (Done)
Copyright Page (Done)
Secondary Cover Page (NA)
Dedication (Done)
Email Solicitation (NA)
ToC (eBook Only). Decided to leave contents out of paperback to save pages, $ and formatting issues.
Acknowledgement (Done)
About the Author (Done)
Coming Soon: Beasts (Done)
Done
Foreword from Laz
Done and included. I’m so appreciative that he did this, given how out of his normal wheelhouse this book is. Yet another example of how Laz rocks.
Done
3D Course Map (Optional)
Asked for pricing on Fiverr. Would probably be helpful, but could be expensive. Found someone will to do for $150, but still not sure it’s worth it until there are more sales. Maybe next time, or if the book does really well, do online or in second edition.
NA
Chapter Header Art
Probably not.
NA
Modified Hierarchy Art
Done, but won’t be in book. On site only.
Done
Miscellaneous Early Items
You know, other stuff.
Step & Details
Status & Next
Attend Writing Conferences This was more about learning industry and making contacts than the book per se, but it was a great experience and resulted in winning the “Best Science Fiction” at the show in 2020, my first writing award. This was nominally helpful in the query process and allows me to say “award winning author” on the eventual cover.
Done
Select Publishing Name Going with my name vs. pen name for simplicity, but we’ll see how that works out. I might have gone with SCButler, but the domain was taken.
Done
Pick Initial Platform I’m going to go with Amazon KDP for both ebook (Kindle) and paperback versions for simplicity and cost reasons. Depending on how book sells, I may add other platforms after the 90-day Amazon exclusive to be in Kindle Select. I’d love to not be so dependent on Amazon, but it’s just a monster…
Done
Get ISBNs for Both Versions I don’t want to be stuck with Amazon’s free versions (which limit sales to Amazon), so I’ll by a pack of ten (10) for RLRR, Beasts and future books. Used Bowker for this.
Done
Pricing for Amazon Kindle & Paperbacks
I’d always wondered by Amazon Kindle vs. Paperback pricing was so different depending on self- vs. trad-published books, and know I know. The cost of on-demand printing at my page count (around 380 pp for 115k words) means the paperback has to be < $13.99 to make it worth selling. So I picked $15.99 for paperback and $4.99 as initial target for Kindle, but will start at $0.99 with free promos to boost sales.
Done
Cover Design & Artwork
You know, that thing on the outside of the book in the real world.
Step & Details
Status & Next
Figure Out What I Like
Poked around at what works in fiction, science fiction, etc., and knew quickly I didn’t want the usual melodramatic SF cover (nor did I think I could afford one that looked unique. Saved some on Pinterest.
Done
Cover Art (6″ x 9″) I started using Canva (free or $119/yr) to come up with some book cover ideas, thank God, because my initial ideas were frankly terrible (See Pinterest board). I was still reluctant to go with the $700+ standard cover services, so used Fiverr to test a $50 option. This worked surprisingly well and resulted in the final cover choice, saving me more than $700 or so. Take a look these guys ($600) for next time?
Done
Cover Art Change (5.5″ x 8.5″)
After the 1st paperback proof, I did some more research and realized I could use this trim size w/o changing page length and get a better look. Paid $20 on Fiverr for updated PDF / PSD files and a slightly updated title font.
Done
Cover Art Market & A/B Testing
Did not do this, though I can see why people do. Got feedback from friends and used gut instinct. Cover seems professional enough as compared to most other SF covers, though it’s not going to win any awards. See here ($50+) or one related service for future reference. See more cover design suggestions here.
Done
Typesetting & Versioning
Think of this as how everything inside the book looks and feels.
Step & Details
Status & Next
Various eBook Typesetting Rounds
I spent a LOT of time formatting the initial ebook version to remove Word artifacts, get things to work on Kindle, etc. the primary issue was that the default styles needed to be changed but couldn’t be without losing direct formatting (lesson learned). I also learned to use page-breaking sections in Word rather than page breaks in order to get header formatting to work in all chapters.To test changes, I loaded versions into KDP and used the Amazon preview tool to see how things looked. I also emailed these versions to my Kindle to confirm formatting. This was free, fast and resulted in greater confidence about final output.
Done
Generating eBook Formats (ARC, etc.) This was harder than it should have been, due to me using an older PC with an EOL operating system (Windows 7) on which the standard eBook conversion tool (Calibre) wouldn’t work. So, I used a web tool and then SmashWords to do the sample versions, but I’m not a fan of any of these tools; they just feel quirky, overly complicated and sometimes auto-insert branding information I didn’t like. Still more to learn here, but was able to get everything I needed for the ARC versions (See reviews, below). In the end, I got a solid epub and PDF versions without much trouble (ignoring several hours of missteps and learning).
Done
Final Kindle Format
After final edits, I’ll update Word source doc to include:
Possible interior cover copy page (Done)
All caps on chapter starts (Done)
Final chapter titles / formats (Done)
Chapter graphic (NA)
Single spacing + paperback fonts (Done)
Reference to resources (Done)
Etc.
Done
Various Paperback Formatting Rounds This was substantially different typesetting and font from what I used in the eBook, but I think the final paperback version will work better in both.Again, I loaded into KDP (along with cover) to use Amazon preview tool several times before ordering a proof. while the tool is a bit slow, it was great to evaluate final look and feel.
Done
Book Proof #1 (Paperback)
Received and reviewed (cost was about $10 from Amazon KDP). Several things I’d like to improve, including font, spacing, cover layout (minor), etc. Not much I can do about quality of paper (it’s thick and a bit coarse).I would like to see what page implication is of smaller font to allow for smaller trim. Went from 12 pt TNR with single spacing to 10 pt Garamond with 16 pt spacing. Overall page count didn’t change much, but it seems more readable. Also might try white paper with standard font color on Amazon vs. B&W on cream. Need a better SS font for headers, but I’ll try Calibri for now.
Done
Book Proof #2 (Paperback)
Second proof with new formatting, font & size, chapter headers & font, pagination, internal cover art, etc. Did not wait for final front / back matter or back cover changes.Great improvement vs. #1. Almost there, but font is probably too small and need to disable widow protection and do manually. Should be interesting.
Done
Book Proof #3 (Paperback) Test just to see if changed margins, font size (11), spacing of header, and paragraph spacing still looks good. If so, all that’s left is to repeat in final version.
Done
Final Paperback Version
See publishing details below. Remember to order author copies to sign and send to beta readers, family, etc.
Done
Amazon Kindle (KDP) Final Checks
This eBook manuscript will be the foundation used to produce the paperback, so everything done here is also done in support of the paperback. The following is far more detail than anyone else would possibly care about, but…here you go.
Step & Details
Status & Next
Final Skim
Check first section (done), all Easter Eggs (done), front cover graphic (done), cover page (done), legal text (done), dedication (done), update final TOC (done),
about the author (done), acknowledgements (done)provi and coming soon (done).Plus: ISBNs (done) and hyperlinks (done) to this site
Done
Final Text Cleaning
Check for double spaces (done), double paragraph returns (done) and untrimmed spaces (done).Plus: Finalize decision on indenting (done). I decided to remove 1st paragraph indents as per industry standard, even if I don’t like it (it’s odd when the starts is a few words or dialog). Looks fine.Plus: Finalize section break formatting with graphic indicator and indent removal, or not (done). I put in a single centered asterisk and paragraph formatting. Seems to work pretty well
Done
Final Header Cleaning
Check all spacing (done) inc. chapters with compound headers (done), all Obstacle details paragraphs (done) and all section headers (done).
Done
Final Text Formatting & Spell Check Check all primary text single-spaced (done), all paragraphs end in Section (Page) Break (done), and do final spell check (done).Plus: Remove page numbers (done) and format TOC to include chapter indents.
Done
Final decision on custom imprint Decided juice wasn’t worth the squeeze on this one.
Done
Apply Kindle DRM? Based on articles like this, I decided to leave it OFF.
Done
Initial Amazon Keywords & Categories
This was based on fairly rudimentary research, but does seem to match similar books on Amazon.
Done
Semi-Final Amazon Load & Preview Check
Visual check of all breaks, formatting, etc. Skim only, with focus on catching obvious issues. Looks fine in tablet, phone and Kindle views.
Done
Quarter-Final Email to My Kindle
Just another way to check how file appears.
Done
Strip Extra Returns on Chapter Breaks
Do this AFTER confirming preview of paperback version using single returns! LOL, kinda jacked up the order here, but it worked out.
Done
Semi-Final Email to My Kindle
Just another way to check how file appears. Found a few errors, so, tried again.
Done
Publish on Amazon
Push. The. Button. Only took a few hours to publish, rather than 24-72 hours: Amazon Profile Page
Done 8/9
Amazon Paperback (KDP) Final Checks
This uses the eBook as its foundation, so all checks applicable to the electronic version also apply here (and were already done).
Step & Details
Status & Next
Strip out Section Break Double Returns
Once this is done, preview on Amazon to assure that chapter-ending paragraphs still format properly.
Done
Remove TOC
This isn’t necessary in the paperback version.
Done
Page & Margin Setup Set margins to template (done), trim template (done), alternating mirror pages (done), different section first pages (done), remove widow/orphan control (done) and reformat interior cover graphic to margins (done).
Done
Add Paperback Items & Formatting Add in alternating pagination (done), normal font 12 to 11 (done), paragraph spacing exactly 14.25 (done), quote text spacing exactly 13 (done), header spacing (180/45 to 90/30) (done) and remove hyperlinks (done) and verify paragraph indents 0.2″ (done).
Done
Semi-Final Preview Check Load to Amazon and test out. This is the last step prior to verifying visual appearance of new font / spacing in Proof #3.
Done
Final Cover Check Do final review of cover, blurb, bio, etc.
This is all that platform stuff you’re supposed to have in place prior to launching, ideally with pre-existing traffic, etc. I had the website in place (you’re on it), and the social media accounts, but very little confidence I can drive any traffic via the latter; I don’t have that many followers and little interaction. So, work to be done is on (a) growing the audience and (b) increasing interaction.
Get Domain
Decided to use shawncbutler.com because, well, that’s my name and scbutler.com was taken. Picking a pen name thus became a backward step of using an affordable domain, which is fine.
Done
Pick Service (Platform)
Already use Word Press, so that was easy. Used same theme as for other sites, but this may change.
Book Resource Pages Due to the complexity and backstory, I plan to have several additional pages here instead of bloating the book itself. These include the following, none of which are required pre-launch (except the glossary, which is referenced in the book):
Book Promo Sidebar
This is too show up on every page. I don’t have a footer in this theme, so I’ll use this instead. I’ll need final cover art before launching.
This site was intentionally built, in part, to be a promotional platform for any running or hiking related books, and anything relating to the Barkley–which of course RLRR is.
Step & Details
Status & Next
Get Domain
Decided to use shawncbutler.com because, well, that’s my name and scbutler.com was taken. Picking a pen name thus became a backward step of using an affordable domain, which is fine.
Done
Pick Service (Platform)
Already use Word Press, so that was easy. Used same theme as for other sites, but this may change.
Done
Book Landing Page
NA. This is on shawncbutler.com
NA
Book Sidebar This is designed to route traffic to book page and/or purchase sites including both sets of links.
Create Account
Done. Some work done on building audience, but not much. Very little interaction. Around 450 followers as of end of June 2021. Probably need closer to 2000.
Done
Build Followers Or at least try…
Done
Kinda
Various Activities
I’ll need to come up with regular posts, calls to action, etc., etc., all of which is TBD.
Create Author Account
I have a person account, but not an author one. Submit new author (Done 8/11), Submit new book (Done 8/11)
Done
Build & Profile Setup and done.
Done
Various Activities
TBD. Not sure what’s useful here. Need someone to add my book to lists for me, as I can’t do it myself.
In Progress
Other Profiles & Pages
I’m sure there are many others to come. I’ll probably do a book link page on Books2Read (done).
Marketing & Marketing Services
One thing I learned quickly by listening to other self-published authors an watching some videos on YouTube (of course) is that there was a lot I don’t know about promotion, mailing lists, Amazon Ads, review solicitation and far more. Some of that in listed here.
Social Media Marketing Services
Paid Book Promotion Gigs & Services
Step & Details
Status & Next
Bublish
Do contract work for authors. Probably pricey, but checking.
Pending Phone call pending
Fiverr Gigs I had no idea this existed, but interesting. See list toward bottom of this linked page. Try this one (book must be FREE). See by platform, below.
Given my lack of a mailing list or desire to create my own list, I’ll probably need to use one of these (though it’s not really a replacement). Adds some $$$ to budget, but we’ll see. Apparently the recommendation here, money dependent, is to do multiple such pushes.
Step & Details
Status & Next
BookBub Pricing for services is high. For science fiction, a Featured Deal would cost $754 if priced at $0.99 or $2,640 if priced at $4.99. Clearly, this is only affordable or me at the lower level, if then. They claim to have 1.7m SF subscribers and an average download count of 1,180. They also have a New Releases for Less feature ($?). Free user (subscriber) resources include recommended Books
In Progress
Claim Author Profile when on Amazon?
Partner Account
User Account
BookDoggy
They have an $20 promotional newsletter for authors. Appears to require existing book online for at least X days, and then sign up for promotion? Books submissions reviewed and not guaranteed for selection.
Done
Running 9/821
FreeBooksy / BargainBooksy
Has both free and bargain book pricing. Promises email to 119k SF readers for $40. Dates appear to be available about a week out. No review requirement but editorial process.
Done
Using Bargain Booksy
Not great results
See Milestones
Fussy Librarian Appears to be best for using free promos when you have more than one book, and the others are not free (to boost sales.
Some interesting ideas in here about how to setup and prep for free book promotions in sync with Amazon Unlimited free days:
Book Review Services
These include services like Booksprout (with a free option) and paid options like Kirkus. Lots of options, but thankfully far fewer than with book promo sites.
ARC & Newsletter Management Platforms
These two functions are blended together, largely because getting ARCs and collecting newsletters both depend in these models on giving away free copies.
Step & Details
Status & Next
BookSirens
Offers paid marketing via their own newsletter a’la the paid promotion of Booksprout. I’ll definitely look at this if StoryOrigin doesn’t work out.
Done for Now Rejected 7/??/21
Applied 7/20/21
Booksprout
Seems to have a free version worth trying. Next level is $10/mo or $120/year, so I’ll have to see how free version works. I’ve read that (a) the free version is not protected and (b) doesn’t really work anyway. So on hold for now.
NA
BookFunnel A little pricier than Booksprout w/no free option, BF seems to have higher rates / more positive feedback online esp. because of spam blocking and book protection. Primary focus is on getting newsletter subscribers, NOT reviews.
NA
Insta Freebie
Old name for Prolific Works. Also with poor reviews.
NA
NetGalley
Another ARC platform, originally for trad published authors but also with a free-based structure for self-published books.
NA
Prolific Works
Very similar to BookFunnel, focused on getting newsletter subscribers. Based on online reviews and comments, not using for now.
NA
StoryOrigin
Much like BookFunnel, but with a free offering. Seems to be the rising star. In both cases, the $100/ yr offering seems best for my needs. Based on the combination of cost, documentation, feedback and features, I’m going with SO for the launch of RLRR.
My initial impression is that trying to reach (free) book bloggers is a colossal waste of time, with the effort and costs high, the probability or a review low and probably far out in the future, and the value questionable. I may change my mind if I learn more about this, but for now, I’m not putting any energy here. I’ve submitted to a few bloggers just to see if anything comes of it. For reference, Reedsy has a list of book review bloggers, filterable by genre, which includes both paid and free reviewers.
Book Reporter(113k v/m)
Cool site, but only published and rarely indie.
NA
Maybe post-launch
The Reading Cafe(20k v/m)
Free book review blogger, nice vibe, probably inundated, but does review SF.Update: Kindly responded in hours with interest. Cynicism reduced. 🙂
In Progress Interview 9/4/21
Confirmed 8/6/21
Q&A Sent 8/4/21
Response 7/15/21
Submitted 7/15/21
No idea how to approach these, but I assume there’s be a convoluted process involving video breadcrumbs and Star Trek references. Off to dig around YouTube for specs of information. In all cases, I’ll try to reference one of their reviews I especially liked. Just as with “regular” bloggers, my expectations here are low.
Step & Details
Status & Next
Kalanadi
Cool reviews, but “I do not taking reading requests and I am currently not accepting books for review.”
NA
SFF180 (Web)
Famous and established SFF reviewer, major stuff, so no idea if interested, but worth a shot.
In Progress Bounced 7/17/21
Submitted 7/16/21
Becky M
Nice, quirky reviews and similar tastes. Says she’s too busy for now to take on the review.
Rejected 7/15/21
Submitted 7/15/21
Dan Greene (50 million views)
Popular, cool guy, lots of energy, low probability of interest.
No idea how to approach these Instagram influencers, so research pending. A fellow author recommends using a paid marketer for Instagram, so I’m going to try to approach this using Fiverr gigs at first.
There are many. See this list, this Publishers Weekly list, and others. Debating value of these sites, as I’m not sure why readers would value paid reviews. Maybe to jump start unpaid reviews? We’ll see.
Step & Details
Status & Next
Bookish Elf(30k views / mo)
Thought this was a free book review blogger, nice vibe, probably inundated, but does review SF, but turns out it’s a paid service starting at $75.
Indie Reader
Much like Kirkus, but $275 for a review and have a “purchase in advance” option to save $50, bringing it down to $225 if you buy 5 weeks in advance of publishing. Turn-around in any case is 5-9 weeks.
Amazon Kindle Deals
Unlimited, Select and others. RLRR eligible if exclusive for 90 days from launch, which is planned.
In Progress
Select 1: 8/9 – 11/9
Facebook Ads
TBD
TBD
Launch Plan
Some additional details by date. Much of this was covered above.
Before Launch
One Month Prior to Launch
Pretty much everything done above, with some notable scheduled items here. Most of this was tracked above or…not.
Step & Details
Status & Next
Start Sending ARC Copies Start sending ARC versions to readers, and keep looking for new possible reviewers.
Done
Many Other Things
Just not tracking them here.
Done
Two Weeks Prior to Launch
This covers all work to be done the fourteen-to-seven days prior to the planned launch date. Didn’t track this here. See above.
Step & Details
Status & Next
Start Sending ARC Reminders Meaning, start sending notes to ARC readers about finalized date, and being very damn grateful.
In Progress Launch Note 8/13 Date Reminder 8/6
One Week Prior to Launch
This covers all work to be done the seven days prior to the planned launch date, with a focus on delivering a professional product, having reviews lined up, and hitting launch day running. I didn’t track much of this here (see above).
Step & Details
Status & Next
Finalize Initial Amazon Keywords
Done, based on use and frequency, with some focus on very long tale phrases since “Dystopian Science Fiction) is not exactly unique.
Done
Finalize Book / Profile Blurb Done, though can always improve.
Basic: Cover, Amazon (Done)
Add review snippets: Amazon (Done)
Add CRISPR text: Amazon (Done)
Done
Day of Launch – August 13
This is the day of formal launch on Amazon.com, publishing early AM to leave time for debugging and checking. Get it all done, and then have a damn beer.
Step & Details
Status & Next
Publish eBook & Paperback on Amazon
Check link and book profile pages (Done)
Purchase copy to ensure process works (Done)
Start tracking book stats on Amazon (Done)
Order author copies to sign & deliver (Pending)
Related Social Media Steps
Announce on Twitter (Done 8/11)
– Request retweets by friends (Done)
Announce on Instagram (Done)
– Request likes by friends (Done)
Announced on LinkedIn (Done)
– Update LinkedIn Profile (Done 8/11)
– Post LI book announcement (Done 8/14)
Announce on Facebook
– Post in feed (Done 8/11)
– Post in writers helping group (Done 8/11)
– Post in family group (Done 8/11)
– Request post in Chico 86 group (Pending)
– Post on author page (Done 8/11)
– Request friend post into FB BFC group (Done)
– Request friend post into TAUR
– Request post in Fiction (NA)
– Request post in Science Fiction (NA)
– Post in bargain eBook groups (Done)
Post on primary blog update page, new post? (Done)
Post on secondary blog (C2C) including “inspiration” (NA)
ARC / Review Steps Goal = TBD (Need to Revise) – Announce publication to ARCs / reviews
– Request review postings to Amazon / GR ASAP
– Start confirming reviews
In Progress
Post Launch
Week After Launch
Everything to be done for the week after launch, starting on day two. Key to make sure everything is setup properly, fully tested and edited, started tracking stats on promo sites via book sale / review stats / etc,
Step & Details
Status & Next
Amazon eBook & Paperback Pages Check tracking book stats on Amazon (daily)
Update book profile(s) w/critical praise
Related Social Media Steps
Post best reviews on Twitter (multiple varying hashtags)
Announce on Facebook
– Post in feed
– Post on author page
– Request post in Fiction
– Request post in Science Fiction
– Post in bargain eBook groups
The following were helpful in developing this launch plan, and might be helpful to other writers looking to launch their first book on Amazon. It’s a pretty random selection.
First Page Rankings by Dan McBeth
This is a pretty elementary set of suggestions for launch on Amazon, but I liked the simplicity and clarity of goals, some of which I adopted as my own. I’m not sure I buy everything he says, but nothing seems unreasonable or too costly. I like the idea of testing higher prices to find the right price point…
Pretty basic and overlapped with other resources and lists shown here, but good summary of 34 strategies to work on. She suggests getting a professional author head shot, which…I don’t wanna do, but probably will. A press kit is suggested, which seems very far down the road. Generally, her suggestions seem fit for people with lots of time who are great at social networking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha3m3D4oqTM
The Self Publishing Checklist
This is a simple interactive checklist that contains MANY great useful items, even if you don’t use them all.
Five Book Marketing Services on Fiverr by SP with Dale
Just a video comparing book marketing services on Fiverr. Kinda interesting, mostly in that it shows how immature the market is. There is really no trackback to actual sales, so it’s subjective feel on impressions (ish) offered.
Blog posts like this (Run Lab Rat Run Milestones) are just for my own tracking and, hopefully, to provide some insight to other authors starting the publishing journey. Given that Run Lab Rat Run is my first published book, there’s bound to be a lot of silly nonsense here.
This also went up quickly, probably around 24 hours.
8/12 – Goodreads Book / Author Profile
Run Lab Rat Run didn’t appear at first. I think what happens is that you need to enter your author information first, then GR scrapes Amazon for books by that author. No point in entering the book before your author info is posted on GR. I had the order wrong here, but it fixed itself quickly enough.
8/10 – 1st Sale on Amazon
According to the KDP reports dashboard, this happened almost immediately after I posted the launch on FB. One of my friends, no doubt.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I found myself really feeling for the main character, and cheering her on as she progressed throughout the story line. I could feel her aches and pains as she ran the race. The character building really helped keep you close to the heart of the story, a dystopian future where modified vs natural humans co-exist (not for long) and compete. I cannot wait for the next in the series so I can continue with Media on her journey. Shawn Butler has told an excellent story and I’m eager to see what is next.
Genetic manipulation and all it’s [sic] controversies is always interesting. I was not expecting to be pulled in to the world of marathon races as well. I was surprised at how compelling and exciting every minute was. At times I actually felt as if I were in the race with Media, willing her to keep pushing, not to give up, feeling exhausted and exhilarated right with her. The obstacles were thrilling, the race was grueling, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to keep up with every turn. I really enjoyed this book and am already looking forward to the next one. I want to know so much more!
8/12 – Fiverr Marketing on Instagram
This was Instagram posting done by SADesign4 on Fiverr, largely an experiment on my part. The post garnered several hundred likes, but hard to tell if there was any interaction beyond that.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CScm2WFr44L/
8/13 – 1st Rating on Goodreads (2*)
My first rating on Goodreads was apparently some troll who just leaves 2-Star reviews on everything, often dozens a day. No idea what the point of that is. I assume this is just grist for the publishing mill.
8/13 – 2nd Fiverr Marketing Experiment
After seeing what happened with Instagram, I thought I’d check out the equivalent experiment on Twitter, Facebook, a blog and Pinterest (all one effort) by Melrock. Thus far, this has yielded little interaction and I’m not sure how much value there is to these cookie-cutter efforts (they’re cheap for a reason). But Melrock has plenty of followers and traffic, so it’s interesting to see how things work.
I was off hiking when this posted, so didn’t catch a typo or two. If I were to do this again, I’d submit a custom text block, tweet, etc., rather than letting the marketer do them.
8/14 – 1st Bad Rating on Amazon (2*)
Another troll? Two-stars, no review, doubt they even read the book. Interesting. I wonder why people do this?
Fantastic Read! Another beta reader review. Very appreciated. Most ARC readers haven’t posted yet. Still working on how to do reminders there.
I’m not one for either genetic experimentation or extreme sports stories, but WOW. The race itself is interesting, Media is both hilarious and relatable, and my only complaint is that the second book isn’t already out. I loved every aspect of the world and the underlying forbidden romance. The character development is on-point, too, which is hard to find. I’m wildly excited to see what happens next!
8/20 – Researching Amazon Kindle Unlimited Royalty Model
The deals of the program are here. Less a milestone than needed step. I’ll wait for 30-60-90 days to try to calculate royalties in KU as compared to actual sales at $4.99 Kindle list price.
8/23 – Book Raid Email Marketing
This is my first CPC marketing effort, and just curious how it works. Cost is $0.60 per click, max of $60, with no guarantee of any conversion; however, it does appear to be pushing some Kindle sales.
We’re pleased to report that ‘Run Lab Rat Run (Modified Book 1)’ was successfully promoted today (August 23, 2021) for free in the BookRaid Newsletter! The effects of a promotion will usually last a couple days, but when the dust settles we’d love to hear how things went on your end. Did the promotion move the needle for your book in a big way? – Sincerely, the BookRaid Team
I think in retrospect I did this promo wrong. I should have used a KDP promo day to make the book truly free instead of only free using Kindle Unlimited. Would probably have gotten far more (non-KU) downloads and eventual reviews and stats, rather than 10 attributable Kindle sales from 500 clicks (which is FAR more than I expected). Glad about the purchases, but would have preferred more distribution and sales stats / ranking on Amazon. Still, a great deal either way from a marketing perspective. No way to see permalink for posting on their blog, but it’s under Aug 23 post for SF.
8/23 – Setup & Launch 2x Amazon Ads
Experiment with one ad focused on ultra running generally, and science fiction generally (many keywords), and another focused on the Barkley Marathons with different ad copy. This is purely for learning, and I doubt it will have much impact on sales. Campaigns run until 9/30.
Lisa left a great four-star review from the ARC read:
A thriller that brings to the light the potential nuances of human genetic modification. While the naive among us may think of eliminating horrible genetic diseases such as sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis with genetic modification, let’s face it, in a world where we cannot agree providing adequate health care for poor people, the scenario presented here is completely believable. The rich elite get genetic modifications. Everyone else just suffers in a dystopian world.
Feisty Media is an employee/test subject for TTI Labs. She lives a limited, highly constrained life in the lab, in a time when wealthy people purchase genetic enhancements such as super-human strength, endurance, fighting ability and all-around insane mental abilities that are tested on our heroine. Despite being dealt this poor hand of cards in life, Media is a lively optimist determined to make the best of things. She is actually quite enjoyable to spend time with, even if she is fictional.
Through a series of events, Media is given a chance to run in a bonkers ultra-marathon-ish race. This is where the book gets fun, even for us non-modified, borderline couch potatoes. Lots of entertainment here: weirdly modified super animals, increasingly difficult obstacles to overcome, violent competitors, morally ambiguous villains/heroes, family loyalties, a forbidden romance and some possible internecine corporate strife.
I recommend this book to most. Haters of science fiction wouldn’t enjoy this, nor would those who profoundly dislike competitive sports. I’m not a big science fiction fan, but will read the odd dystopian novel, so this book worked quite well as viable entertainment for me.
I’m knocking off one star, for a 4/5 star review, as I would have liked greater background on how this dystopian society came to develop. I realize that many people enjoy a more streamlined thriller, but heck, I read Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies for fun, so it could just be my preference. At any rate, I recommend this book as quality escapist literature with the added brain candy of how genetic modification could play out in a dystopian, barely regulated society.
8/23 – Goal: 50 Copies Sold
Sixty-six (66) ebook and paperback units sold by 8/23, mostly paperbacks by my friends (thank you!), including 10 ebooks from the BookRaid promo. I have no idea how many KU units have been downloaded, and there doesn’t appear to be any reporting on this (?); you just see pages read, which is how you’re paid.
No clicks or displays. I suspect bids are too low to match generic bids in same categories. Will let it run for a few more days before adjusting. So far, $0 spent, which is not good.
First newsletter type promotion to SF group for $40. We’ll see how it goes. Platform appears to be on brand of Written Word Media. Not sure I set this up right, so we’ll see how it goes. Oh, it worked. This is from the email that went out:
Since they offer no reporting on the promo, unlike BookRaid, there’s no way to know how many people clicked on the link. Which is weird. I think I can attribute two (2) Kindle ebook sales and some KU downloads to them, but that’s it and that’s being generous. Also noted that my book was last on the list in the email, which means more scrolling. I wonder how you get placed higher?
Added Free Book Profile on Awesome Gang. Not sure of value.
8/27 – Updated and Added Amazon Ad Campaigns
I had impressions but no clicks, so tried adding (A) SF campaign (B) auto campaign and (C) campaign focused on products (similar books) rather than keywords.
8/29 – Various Minor
Added Universal Book Link. This is a service of Books2Read, affiliated with Drafts2Digital. Updated landing page link to include UBL.
Submitted for New Releases promo (probably little value) on SFF Book Bonanza for $5. Will appear here. They have a number of other promos possibly worth looking at.
8/30 – Goal: 1st Review by Stranger on GR or Amazon
This is a review by someone I don’t know, not from ARC or beta program, and not a friend. Really looking forward to a truly unbiased review…or several. And…here’s the first one, on GR, technically from the ARC program on StoryOrigin (4-star):
Run Lab Rat was a great book, I would totally recommend.
Feisty Media is lively and interesting to read about, and the plot is great, I really enjoyed it. This dystopian society is interesting, and I found it very engrossing.
Which…sounds like they copied part of Lisa’s review. So, whatever. Not exactly great insight, but milestone reached. This may not appear for a day or two, as GR has some weird caching problems on different platforms.
8/30 – Removed “Series” from RLRR on Amazon
I hadn’t realized some people don’t like to buy books in a series until they’re all published. Not sure this matters, but no point in series until Book 2 is out anyway. This takes up to 72 hours to propagate.
Scheduled Kindle to be free for ONE DAY to test service. Should get samples of posts by email: Facebook Page; Facebook Group; Twitter; Tumblr; pending on Pinterest and others. Don’t see it shown here, where it’s supposed to be (maybe 1/2 day?).
By 9:30 am PT, 21 free ebook downloads were reported on the KDP dashboard (not fantastic, but not bad) which really makes me wonder how many I would’ve gotten with a BookRaid promo and a free book. Lessons learned.
By the end of this 24-hr promotion, 112 free books were downloaded and RLRR was momentarily a “best seller” in the “free” category for Extreme Sports (#1), Running (#1), Humorous SF (#4) and Genetic Engineering SF (#8). Not sure it means much, but I suppose I can now call it a bestseller :). Will update details page for book (slightly) based on this, but not sure how many of the 112 will read or review the book. Still not bad for $15 bucks.
August Sales
So, not sure there’s much point in obsessively tracking this, but here goes. And yes, most of these sales are friends and family. So, thanks! 🙂 All figures shown are net sales after returns.
Paper-Back
Kindle Paid
Total Paid
Free Kindle
Total Units
KENP Pages
54
17
73
110
183
3,566
The KENP figure equates to roughly 10 full reads. To put this all in perspective:
The average U.S. book is now selling less than 200 copies per year and less than 1,000 copies over its lifetime. – Publisher’s Weekly via 10 Truths
I’m assuming this is sales vs. giveaways (freebies), so my numbers seem okay so far…if I can maintain sales after friends and family are done. Not exactly setting the world on fire, but okay for a start. Interested to see how the Kindle Edition Normalized Pages (KENP) works out, but glad people are actually reading the book.
Good little write-up. Wish it was five, but still good details and almost all of her reviews are four-stars, with some 3.5-3.75 and the occasional 4.5. Also appeared on Goodreads. I assume this is in anticipation of 9/4 interview (below). This brings me to nine (9) ratings on Amazon and four (4) on GR. From the review:
RUN LAB RAT RUN is a cautionary tale; a complex, thought-provoking and twisted story of specieism and discrimination, competition, power and control. My only complaint would be the lack of background information regarding the Chrome Wars, the environmental disasters, and the history as to how and why the world of enhanced human modifications came to be.
Which is great feedback. Due to this book coming out before events it depends on are published in other novels, I can totally see the point. This will be addressed in subsequent releases, which should organically fix the issue for those reading the series in chronological order (by date, not publication date).
9/1 – Sent Books to Laz
After surprise delivery of author copies yesterday, sent 2x copies to Laz. He confirmed receipt and will be using RLRR in the future… 🙂
9/1 – Review Amazon Ads Spend & Results
Was starting to get impressions after 8/29 changes, but no purchases. Now I have far more impressions, some clicks, and one sale. Let it run until Friday or so…then probably kill some campaigns and change bids. This is clearly not ROI positive.
9/1 – Goal: 7-10 Amazon Reviews 4+ Average
Done. Made this goal with 8+ reviews, 4.4 average, but didn’t hit the 10-review mark. Several outstanding reviews in the works…
For a minimum, you should try to get 20 reviews within the first two months after your book release date. That shows your book has traction with real readers. At around 50 reviews, you are probably good to go. Around that point, you have solidified the book as reputable and should continue to generate reviews. – Scribe
Probably need to ping some friends about reviews?
9/1 – Goal: 75 Copies Sold
With at least two paperback and two paid ebook sales today, total paid sales are at 77 and goal is met.
Apparently, they review products to see if their reviews are authentic are not. Mine are graded A, as in very authentic. Not sure if that translates to less risk of Amazon take-downs, but it’s a positive sign. Discovered via Reddit post.
Fakespot analyzes the reviews authenticity and not the product quality using AI. We look for real reviews that mention product issues such as counterfeits, defects, and bad return policies that fake reviews try to hide from consumers. We give an A-F letter for trustworthiness of reviews. A = very trustworthy reviews, F = highly untrustworthy reviews. We also provide seller ratings to warn you if the seller can be trusted or not.
9/2 – Free Promo on Indie Unlimited
Trying free Thrifty Thursday newsletter / blog promo. Unlikely to do much, but completely free, and appreciated support for community. Should I reach out to other bloggers?
I’m not sure if this is going to bear any fruit (probably not), but…what the heck. Some of my favorite authors might be interested in RLRR. Sending today to some of the following. It would be an honor if any of them even read it…
(Maybe) David Brin, author of The Postman and Uplift series. Also looks eerily like my friend Allen. Responded quickly and offered to possibly look at my book if sent to him, which is the most I could expect. Sent 9/13 with fingers crossed.
(Pending) Andrew Niccol, Writer/Director of Gattaca, but can’t find info. Silly famous people.
(Pending) Stephen King, but no easy way to contact w/o being in spam folder. Probably need to focus on much less famous people :).
(Pending) Vernor Vinge (see singularity essay), can’t find contact info. Same for Larry Niven, etc. No doubt enjoying their retirement.
(Yes) Fellow IR/PS alum Eliot Peper. He responded with a “maybe” and offered to put me in his next newsletter. Seems like really nice guy. Appreciated.
(Rejected) Andy Weir, author of The Martian and Hail Mary. Rejected almost immediately with personal email.
(Rejected) John Scalzi, author of Red Shirts and Old Man’s War. Rejected almost immediately with personal email.
(Rejected, but Book Sent) Peter Watts author of Blindsight.
Not sure worth the effort, but like supporting the cause. Should have the same thing done on Wikipedia.
9/8 – FREE Promo #2 (BookDoggy)
Scheduled and verified ($18). TBD on stats and downstream value. Starting to wonder if these promos (free) should only be run once you have more than one book so that potential buyers have something paid to choose from. Nearly 150 downloads by 8 am PT, and 409 total free downloads for the promotion, so good response. Have to see if it helps with purchase / review “drought” over the last few days.
This article on BookBub claims free giveaways are great, but they’re hardly unbiased. And even here, the emphasis is on how freebies increase sales in a series, which I don’t have yet.
9/8 – Some Marketing Reading
Spending some time figuring out how to do this better. Derek Murphy’s PDF on book marketing included this model for launch week (costing around $2,000):
9/9 – Launched the RLRR Easter Egg Hunt
Not sure this is a good idea? Might be great. Might suck. Spaghetti thrown at wall. Shotgun fired. Next!
Also noticed a slight uptick in “to-read” additions on Goodreads, probably from the BookDoggy promo, but if I look at those users’ lists, there are thousands of books on them. So…yeah.
Need to look at more authors under genetics, designer babies and CRISPR.
9/10 – Disabled Amazon Ads
I was getting impressions (almost 100k total), very few clicks (around 60) and zero (0) orders / sales except when it was free, which shouldn’t really count. This includes KENP pages counts (also zero). Need to rework blurb / details page?
Think I need to schedule multiple overlapping promotions based on dropping price to $0.99 rather than free. Given limitations under KU, I have to do this well in advance but schedule now so it’s clearly a drop from the promo provider’s perspective. I’ll need to update blurb at the same time, and ideally A+ content would be live (still pending). Still undecided on waiting for there to be 10+ reviews on profile. Promos to run on (not all the same day):
Phase I:
Drop price 9/10 so ready for 9/13 promo (after 9/11!), run on selected sites, then restore price to $4.99 on 9/17 to reset discount-from level by 9/20.
Phase II:
Once there are 10+ reviews on Amazon, schedule big promo, drop price, and let her rip…
BookBub (price varies); registered, profile stuck, must drop to $0.99. I am concerned about rejection by them if not enough reviews.
We’ll see how this works in practice.
9/10 – Reloaded Books on Amazon to Correct 2-3 Typos
Shouldn’t impact anything. Also, updated blurb to be more catchy, hopefully, and improved overall formatting. And added review request and Easter egg link at end of Kindle version.
9/11 – Updated eBook Blurb & Dropped Price
This should be in effect by tomorrow, with different blurb for ebook than paperback, and new $0.99 price point for M/T promotion. The new price and edited blurb were live within a few hours. All set for Monday.
Crazy to think 9/11 was twenty years today. A lifetime ago. Good to remember my boss Danny Lewin who died that day…
9/11-14 – $0.99 Promotion
Running on these sites as part of new Phase I marketing test / plan. Meant for this to be 9/13-14, but there’s no way to predict timing on KDP updates.
Trying not to be too OCD about this, but eager to see some sales again. Sigh. The grind is grindy. Screenshot from BookSliced, partner site of JustKindleBooks:
Pretty sure these site display portions of promos are borderline worthless, but hopefully the newsletter reach is better. And dig all the romance and erotica. It’s a plague. Conclusion: A total of two (2) attributable ebook sales and maybe one KU download. So, complete waste of time and money. I would not use GenrePulse or JustKindleBooks again unless I knew what happened and how to fix it.
9/14 – Various
After abysmal results on yesterday’s promo, trying one more on Book Cave before pausing and then hoping for BookBub. Hopeful that results might be better given more vetting of books and online comments. Promo would run on 9/17 ($26).
Raised price back to $4.99. When this displays, apply for Promo at $0.99 on BookSends and ManyBooks (Must be free for “best price”, hmm) (per Scribe article). The purpose of these would be to drive enough added sales to get reviews to make BookBub submission more likely to be accepted.
Based on feedback on FB (by request), I’ve updated details on books (again) to (a) reduce running-related references and (b) remove categories related to running. Park of the concern is that it might look like a non-fiction books and thus NOT CONVERT if you’re looking for non-fiction. Updates done on site (inc. this one).
9/15 – Moved Laz’ Foreword to End (Postface)
As per suggestion on FB. Bummer, but if you looked at front matter on Amazon preview, the first thing you saw was the foreword and no way to fix that w/o moving. I’ll move back to foreword once sales are higher and more established.
Also, restarted Amazon ad campaign w/limited campaigns and targeting to see if that makes any difference. And started first Facebook ads, which…I have no way of attributing other than guesswork.
And…submitted to BookBub. Nervous about that. It’s the promo tool I want…
This was a first on Amazon, not long but unexpected and awesome, from Silvia:
The development of the characters and plots kept me up longer than I should’ve been. Enjoyed reading it very much. Can’t wait for the next part.
Also go rejection on blurb from A.G. Riddle. Might change to only requesting if I see the author doing blurbs elsewhere.
9/16 – Audited & Updated Book Categories on Amazon
I wanted to make sure all changes had taken effect, so asked for audit summary of categories and got the following, which was surprising. I guess they’d put RLRR into three kindle fantasy categories and missed several paperback categories (subjects). Though they did pull it out of all running categories.
Below are the categories for the kindle version of book ""Run Lab Rat Run":
/Kindle Store/Categories/Kindle eBooks/Science Fiction & Fantasy/Fantasy/General
/Kindle Store/Categories/Kindle eBooks/Science Fiction & Fantasy/Science Fiction/General
/Kindle Store/Categories/Kindle eBooks/Science Fiction & Fantasy/Fantasy/Action & Adventure
/Kindle Store/Categories/Kindle eBooks/Science Fiction & Fantasy/Science Fiction/Dystopian
/Kindle Store/Categories/Kindle eBooks/Science Fiction & Fantasy/Science Fiction/Humorous
/Kindle Store/Categories/Kindle eBooks/Science Fiction & Fantasy/Science Fiction/Adventure
/Kindle Store/Categories/Kindle eBooks/Science Fiction & Fantasy/Fantasy/Humorous
/Kindle Store/Categories/Kindle eBooks/Science Fiction & Fantasy/Science Fiction/Genetic Engineering
/Kindle Store/Categories/Kindle eBooks/Literature & Fiction/Absurdist
Below are the categories for the paperback version of book ""Run Lab Rat Run":
/Books/Subjects/Literature & Fiction/Genre Fiction/Absurdist
/Books/Subjects/Literature & Fiction/Action & Adventure
/Books/Subjects/Science Fiction & Fantasy/Science Fiction/General
/Books/Subjects/Science Fiction & Fantasy/Science Fiction/Genetic Engineering
Updates were requested in both cases. Pending update.
Not sure why this didn’t occur to me sooner. He wrote the book on my grandfather’s idiotic sperm bank and should be sympathetic to issues of eugenics. The first email bounced (from link above), so resent via Twitter.
Also sent notes to Edwin Black, Adam Cohen and Dr. Minna Stern (positive response/w purchase & read) (writers of books on eugenics). I’d keep trying this, as there is an obvious value to helping each other. Also try the page on Wikipedia. So odd I didn’t do this earlier.
9/16 – Started Using Asana for Project Tracking
Will restrict items here to things of more substance.
9/17 – Rejected by BookBub
Sad. No information on why, but lots of possibilities. Think I can reapply on 10/13 or so.
9/22 – More Book Review Requests
Sent to a few on this list, and a few from Reedsy as well. Got one response from Bookish Beyond, who said they’d be interested in reviewing. Book sent. We’ll see in four weeks or so…
9/26 – Eliot Peper Newsletter
Eliot was kind enough to mention RLRR in his monthly newsletter:
Not one, but two subscribers to this humble newsletter released their debut science-fiction novels this month. J.W. Galliger’s The Terminal Code is a murder mystery set in a future where the world has largely migrated to virtual reality, and Shawn C. Butler’s Run Lab Rat Run is a techno-thriller exploring the implications of genetic engineering. I’m so excited for and inspired by J.W. and Shawn.
The link here appears to have led to a few immediate ebook sales, which is great if hard to confirm. Thanks, Eliot! Someday, hope to make this list.
Also, changed price of ebook back to $0.99 in prep for Book Sends promo (tomorrow).
9/26 – Goal: Reached 10 Ratings on Goodreads
Also K.A. Fox was kind enough to read and review RLRR on GR, Bookbub and Amazon (TBD), which was great. And had first completely unsolicited, stranger five–star review on Amazon. So, cool.
Went out for $0.99 deal. Cost was $40 leading to 23 sales, so definitely okay (even if losing money) and hopefully driving future reviews.
9/29 – More Blogger EMs
And my first foreign review, from Germany: “Alles gut.” You’re damn right, alles gut! So there was that. Need to work on both traffic and conversion on Amazon.
September Sales
All figures shown are net sales after returns.
Mo
Paper-back
Kindle Paid
Total Paid
Free Kindle
Total Units
KENP Pages
Aug
54
17
71
110
181
3,566
Sep
12
45
57
411
468
3,829
YTD
66
62
128
521
649
7,395
Q4 2021
Sales have definitely slowed to a trickle. Facebook ads the only ongoing promotional effort, and those have not converted well. TBD on what’s next…
Nice interview with Isobel came out. I’m not sure it will generated much buzz for a number of reasons, but very pleased to have it out there. And it was fun to catch up with her.
10/9 – Goal: 20 Amazon Reviews 4+ Average
I doubt I’ll make this goal, as I’m at 19 on 10/8, but I’ve also stopped pushing this so hard. I realize that (a) I don’t want to be the guy pushing friends and colleagues for reviews (b) people have lives and (c) hopefully I can drive organic reviews by increasing readership (somehow). But still, 19 is pretty close to 20 reviews in two months (since release), so not too shabby.
10 / 20 – $0.99 Promo with
Promo with Book Cave (first). Sold 18 copies. Maybe some bump on KU. Not sure…
10 / 21 – 2nd BookRaid Promo @ $0.99
Didn’t really work. Three sales. Hmm. Maybe b/c repeat with same list?
This is a free promotion w/limited probable value, but still appreciated and shared.
October Sales
Things definitely slowing down, except for paid promos and KU sales. Not sure what’s driving KU at all (all ads have stopped), but at least half of paid ebook sales are from promos.
Mo
Paper-back
Kindle Paid
Total Paid
Free Kindle
Total Units
KENP Pages
Aug
54
17
71
110
181
3,566
Sep
12
45
57
411
468
3,829
Oct
3
29
32
0
32
6,640
YTD
69
91
160
521
681
14,035
11/4 – Promotion (0.99) on Fussy Librarian
We’ll see. Most of their promos are free. Interested to see how to build newsletter with them, too.
Worked well with 40 kindle editions sold at $0.99 and 600+ KENP pages attributed. Should do for Beasts ASAP.
Dec 9 – Updated Keywords on Amazon
Using Publisher Rocket. Despite the fact that RLRR was the highest ranking organic search result for CRISPR (which is kinda cool, but probably not helpful).
12/28+ – Do 2nd Book Sends Promo
Might try every 90 days…if they accept it.
12/31 – Goal: 50 Amazon Reviews 4+ Average
LOL, not even close. I think I was at 33 or so on NYE. Whatever.
December Sales
Some pickup due to Beasts promotions and launch. Probably not going to track after this (individually). Good things: more than 200 books sold in far less than a year, which beats (alleged) industry average; signs of pickup on launch of new book; new promo sites are better; no reason to do free promo anymore unless I can figure out how to make it drive sales; etc. Bad things: definitely a long road to sustainability; need constant new releases more on-market; at some point will need to go wide (off Amazon) and sacrifice KENP revenues.
Mo
Paper-back
Kindle Paid
Total Paid
Free Kindle
Total Units
KENP Pages
Aug
54
17
71
110
181
3,566
Sep
12
45
57
411
468
3,829
Oct
3
29
32
0
32
6,640
Nov
5
9
14
0
14
5,068
Dec
1
51
52
0
52
8,368
2021
75
151
226
521
747
23,905
2022+ Tracking
Probably not. Will consolidate at some point, or put only major events here. See promo tracking.
Milestones Pending
Coming soon, I hope.
Book Sold Every Day for 30 Days
Top #10 Ranking in any Amazon Category
Reached in Free categories on 8/31/2021, but waiting for non-free ranking.
Top #1 Ranking in any Amazon Category
Reached in Free categories on 8/31/2021, but waiting for non-free ranking.
Run Promos on these Sites
These are for free only:
FreeBooksy ($50 – $100); NA until value of free seen
This quick look at #SFFpit popular tweets is just my casual observations as I look at participating on July 28, 2021. It’s always good to try to learn from what’s worked for others, and since Retweets seem to be what we’re after (hopefully leading to agent likes), I spent some time looking at what posts got the most RTs. I’m not comparing anyone to anything, ranking anyone or anything, or otherwise implying competition where collaboration is best. If this is useful for you, great. If not, also great. Good luck to everyone tomorrow!
BTW, I’m picking 200 RTs as my cutoff for “lots of RTs” because I’m lazy and there are way too many to analyze if I go with 100 or even 150. There were many great / awesome / wonderful tweets that got 100+ RTs. This is not meant to say 200 is good, 199 is bad, etc. Just an arbitrary cutoff to save time.
BTW2, for hashtag definitions and content details, go here.
On February 3 of this year, #SFFpit had six tweets that earned more than 200 retweets, two of which were by the same person with the same pitch concept (with format updated). Well done, all.
Tweet Summary
Hashtags
User
Follower
RTs Likes
“Black Siren” @ 5:03 am
#YA #FA #BVM #OWN
Gabi Burton
8.9k
452
107
Eat Pray Love x Lovecraft @ 5:02 am
#A #DF #LGBT
Hester Steel
2.7k
345
109
Indian Alice in Wonderland (#1) @ 7:30 am
#MG #FA #OWN
Dr. Sara Kapadia
3.5k
233
58
Mononoke x Sanderson @ 5:07 am
#A #FA #EF
Daniel Roman
2.6k
212
11
Chinese Queer GOT @ 5:01 am
#YA #LGBT #POC #OWN
Ming
0.8k
208
81
Indian Alice in Wonderland (#2) @ 5:30 am
#MG #FA #OWN
Dr. Sara Kapadia
3.5k
200
23
NOTE: All figures shown here were from a snapshot in time. This numbers can and probably will change.
Five of the six tweets were from POC or LBGTQ+ participants, five of the six were by women (or so it appeared), and five of the six were by users with more than 2.5k followers. If there’s a lesson there, it’s that I probably need more followers–which is hardly surprising. And I need to post as quickly after 5:00 am PT as possible, so, some coffee or a timed tweet will help. Late morning and afternoon posts didn’t ever seem to get the same response (though that may just be a consequence of being up for a shorter period of time).
All of the pitched books sound like they’d be a great read, but I have no idea how many lead to agent likes (too many non-agent likes to filter) and/or agent pitches and/or representation.
“Black Siren” / 452 RTs
Very popular take on the classic Siren mythology, with a #BVM and #OWN voices update. Note that there was no summary line on this one, so “Black Siren” was taken from the text. I’m not sure the lack of a summary / title line impacted RTs one way or another, but the clear use of a diverse modification of a “traditional” trope seemed to work very well (see many of the titles below).
With a smile she can bring a man to his knees,with a song she can guide him to his grave.
A Black siren wants payback on the King who orphaned her. When the Prince falls for her without a Siren Song, she’ll risk her revenge— and her life— to save him.#SFFpit#YA#FA#BVM#own
Interesting pitch and comps. I read Lovecraft when I was younger and didn’t realize how racist it was. Never read Eat Pray Love, as I’m not quite the target demographic, but the combination of a journey of discovery and monsters sounds pretty cool. This tweet followed what seems to be “the standard” format of TITLE / text / hashtags (see below). #DF = Dark Fantasy.
EAT PRAY LOVE X LOVECRAFT It's ok to travel after a breakup. It's ok to join a secretive island commune. It's ok to take part in their rituals. It's ok to become the vessel of an eldritch force set on tearing apart reality. Do what u need to do to heal x #SFFpit#a#df#lgbt
The second very successful tweet of this concept by Dr. Sara Kapadia, with this one two hours later in the morning than the first (see below).
INDIAN ALICE IN WONDERLAND I was born under a thousand rain drops. I roam the magical kingdom where anything is possible, even the dreams of a twelve-year-old girl who wandered in from another world. I am Badal, the blue tiger. And I am waiting. #SFFpit#Own#FA#MG
Not sure if more RTs were due to timing, restructuring of text (prose vs. bullets), raising summary to top, familiarity with the concept or something else. For reference, here are the two side-by-side:
5:30 am Tweet
7:30 am Tweet
A for Alisha, the rebellious Indian girl
B for the blue tiger, her new friend
C for the magical kingdom hidden in a cave
D for the phoenix-dragon queen who threatens them all.
Together, the letters spell an adventure, an Indian ALICE IN WONDERLAND #SFFpit #MG #FA #OWN
INDIAN ALICE IN WONDERLAND
I was born under a thousand rain drops. I roam the magical kingdom where anything is possible, even the dreams of a twelve-year-old girl who wandered in from another world. I am Badal, the blue tiger. And I am waiting. #SFFpit #Own #FA #MG
Personally, I find the second tweet a little more compelling, but I’m not sure if that’s structure or the updated text.
MONONOKE x Sanderson / 212 RTs
Fantasy is really not my genre, so I had to look up the comps. Mononoke seems to be an animated Japanese TV series, so perhaps there’s an anime / manga tie-in that would draw in a large fan base. I assume Sanderson is Brandon Sanderson, an epic fantasy author. Sounds like a cool combo. The story seems very dramatic with crazy high stakes, so no wonder it was popular. Might have to read more fantasy. Structurally, this follows the standard format. #EF = Epic Fantasy
I’m definitely not the target demo for this, but I love me some GoT and the title / summary got me. I wonder how much it helped that Ming has two other books published under Joan He, implying a reader fan base and offsetting the relatively small twitter follower count (compared to others with high RTs)? Not sure. Still, seems like a great concept.
This sounds cool. I assume the phoenix-dragon queen takes the place of the Queen of Hearts. I wasn’t sure if the A/B/C/D format implied something beyond the initialism of the bullet points, so I was a bit stuck on that, and wonder if anyone else also stumbled over this while reading. Note the non-standard format, which I like for creativity, but found a little harder to read quickly. See comments on second standard-formatted version of this tweet, above.
A for Alisha, the rebellious Indian girl B for the blue tiger, her new friend C for the magical kingdom hidden in a cave D for the phoenix-dragon queen who threatens them all. Together, the letters spell an adventure, an Indian ALICE IN WONDERLAND #SFFpit#MG#FA#OWN
Obviously, this is a very, very small sample size so some of the following comes from looking at a lot of other tweets in various Pits.
1. Participate
Pretty obvious, but you can’t pitch if you’re not there. Participate even if it looks like the odds are stacked against you. For instance, it seems like users with lower follower counts get fewer RTs (for obvious reasons), the women authors do better than men (there are more women authors and readers, so maybe more participate?), and that some groups seem to do a better job supporting each other than others do (which is fine). But who knows how this all translates to agent representation, if it does at all? No matter what, it’s a chance to be seen and refine your elevator pitch, so go for it.
2. Write a Great Pitch (or Pitches)
Probably doesn’t hurt to have a great book idea with awesome comps. Brevity, emotional content, clear and very high stakes, compelling characters, all of that. In 280 characters. How hard can that be? Okay, yeah, that’s hard. Here’s a pitching guide from the SFFpit founder to help.
3. Pitch Early
The sweet spot for the most retweets appears to be between 5:01 and 5:30 am — in other words, a few minutes after the pit gets started. And all subsequent pitches should probably be made before noon, rather than evenly spaced throughout the day, but I can’t back that up with data…just an impression.
4. Use the “Standard” Structure
A lot will depend on how many characters you have available. I suspect some formats are chosen because they have fewer returns and spaces, leaving more characters free for text. But if I have the space, I’ll use this format:
SUMMARY / TITLE
Text or Bullets
#H1 #H2 #H3
Where the summary / title is in ALL CAPS to catch the reader’s eye. I’m sure there are other structures that work just as well or better, but this one seems to cover all the bases. Some examples that seem to work:
GREAT COMP x GREAT COMP
Really interesting text that tells a story.
#H1 #H2 #H3
Or something like this, if it works for your story:
TWIST OR UPDATE to GREAT COMP
Really interesting text that tells a story.
#H1 #H2 #H3
Nothing exactly mind blowing here. And if you prefer some other format, use it. There are no (few) rules here. Be free!
5. Have a Lot of Followers
Must work on this, seriously. If I want my pitches to blow up on the day, I need to build followers the rest of the year. Not my favorite thing or skill set, but that’s the way social media works.
6. Experiment
Try different pitches and formats throughout the day to see what catches peoples’ attention (withing the allowed # of pitches). That is, if your first pitch isn’t knocking it out of the park.
7. Retweet Other Pitches
I’m always baffled when I see people who pitch but don’t RT other pitches. It’s a collaborative event. If people see you not collaborating…
8. Follow Other Participants
I mean, a lot of us are in it for the long term, so why not? This also seems to help incentivize RTs and follow-backs.
9. Don’t Assume RTs or Likes Lead to Agents
They might, but then again they might not. There seems to be a lot of randomness to all this, but no matter what happens, you’ll learn what resonates and what might need a little more work.
NOTE: The etiquette is usually NOT like the tweets unless you’re an agent, and yet some tweets seem to have vast numbers of likes from random supports, while others don’t. No idea why this is, but you might want to let your base know not to click on the like button during the pit.
10. Have Fun
Because the alternative is sad.
#SFFpit Search Shortcuts
This is just so you can easily find tweet lists from past #SFFpits. Maybe you can find more insightful details than I have to help you out.
When people talk about how to make American better these days (meaning the USA), it’s always about the big things–racism, sexism, global warming, and so on. And these things are important, but also hard and complex and frankly disheartening. We sometimes forget that there are many other problems we could solve with relatively simple solutions if we gave them some attention. Things we could do quickly, in other words, if we can just find the will to do so.
That’s the focus of this and possibly future quick-and-dirty posts: What can we do now, today, to make things a little bit better for someone, somewhere, even if it’s not us? These things are not prioritized or ranked (numbering is just a way to order the list), and these ideas are just here for discussion and consideration. What do you think we should tackle first?
What most Americans don’t seem to know is that the US Imperial system is already based on the metric system (via standards set in by ISO in Europe). Most large US companies maintain machinery and systems based on metrics to ensure international compatibility. Food packaging includes both metric and imperial units. We’re already 90% of the way there. So what’s holding us back?
And the answer is, of course, nothing but political will. Neither party has much to gain by pushing the change, no major special interest is driving adoption, so the US is stuck with Liberia and Myanmar as the only countries on Earth not officially using the metric system. And both of the other countries are in the process of changing. We are at risk of “American exceptionalism” becoming American stupidity and irrelevance. This forces US businesses, scientists and pretty one everyone else to maintain two separate measurement systems and convert between them–sometimes causing expensive accidents.
How? Maybe states can start pushing adoption. I’m not sure of federal legal constraints, but there is nothing stopping schools in, say, California from teaching the metric system to ALL students starting immediately, even if it’s just as another option. Start making kilometers the default on road signs. Change all food serving default sizes to 100g like in Europe. Just. Do. Something.
2. Outlaw Political Redistricting (Medium)
Drawing strange political districts to benefit one party is obviously not ideal for democracy, and neither major party theoretically benefits more than the other (although the GOP seems to benefit more in practice). And it would ensure that states elect representatives that are actually representative of the population as a whole.
The key is to remove political parties from the process. Redistricting based on the decennial census should be focused on creating simple, competitive districts that represent the people of the state, regardless of political party. There are even mathematical systems to help measure how representative a district is:
And there are entire organizations dedicated to these improvements, including represent.us (see video below). We have the tools and knowledge to make these changes now. What’s stopping us? And the answer is, as always, entrenched political parties the special interests that back them.
And most Americans already support reforms to redistricting to eliminate or reduce political party control.
How? Just freaking demand reform from our elected officials. Call or write your representative. File lawsuits over biased redistricting. Given how polarized the US is, and the increasing speed at which we’re abandoning mainstream political parties, this should be a non-partisan issue we can actually address.
One of the greatest incentives for the private sector to encourage and drive mass incarceration is, the more prisoners they have (a) the more the government pays them and (b) the more cheap labor they have access to. This is in a very real sense a direct legacy of slavery, and it creates an incentive to imprison people. And yes, there’s a Jon Oliver video on this:
Among the MANY reforms needed is to require that prisoners are paid the prevailing minimum wage in their state of incarceration, require that they get to keep their wages, and ensure that the prisons themselves don’t get a single dime of this money. If we want prisoners to fight fires, pay them. If we want prisoners to pick up trash, pay them. Prison is about protecting us from violence and punishing crime, not creating a cheap labor force for corrupt politicians and local factories.
How? Make it a law for all state and federal prisons. Enforce it. That’s it.
4. Make Washington DC a State or Equivalent (Hard)
This one, and the ones that follow on US Territories, probably breaks the rule of being “easy to do” because while it’s theoretically easy, there is no way conservatives in the US will let either happen without a bloody fight. And I can’t blame them — it’s not like DC is going to swing for the GOP anytime soon (see second video, below). And pretending that Democrats are passionate about this for purely humanist reasons is farcical.
But none of that changes the fact that US citizens and legal residents of DC are currently and unfairly deprived of representation in Congress. We allegedly fought a war of independence over taxation without representation, so why is it okay for the people of DC?
In this case, there’s a fight to be had, but it’s a fight we need. The people of DC do not deserve to be treated like second rate citizens.
How? No constitutional amendment is required–this falls under the clear jurisdiction of Congress–and DC must be a state for its people to have the same rights as in other states (are there other creative options?). So GOP opposition just has to be overcome. I don’t know. This is genuinely hard. But we still have to do it.
5. Grant US Territories Statehood or Independence (Hard)
America’s colonial past is an anchor on our democracy, and a travesty for US citizens trapped in a limbo where they’re American but not-quite-American-enough to be treated like full citizens. All American territories should immediately be granted independence or statehood, at their discretion.
Every person in all of these territories is currently treated like a second-rate citizen of the US, taxed without representation, abused for land or corporate manipulation, and only partially protected by the US constitution (in practice). This is no way to treat human beings, let alone Americans. These territories should be freed or made states as soon as possible.
How? Great question, and there is no simply answer for the same reason that making DC a state is hard; adding new states affects the political balance in the US House and Senate, and the makes this a partisan issue. And I’d argue that, since most of the impacted people are not English-speaking whites, it’s also an issue for US racists who don’t want brown people to have more power in the country. I’m open to creative solutions? Add more conservative states at the same time by splitting existing states? Something else? How do we solve this problem?
6. Remove All Native Mascots and Team Names (Easy)
This one should be relatively simple, and there’s already vast momentum behind it from the US indigenous population. Native American cultures are not caricatures to be used for mock battle calls or team motivation. The Washington Redskins is a racist name just as the Washington Negroes would be. It’s time to change them, and all it takes is a decision to do so. The costs are not that great. The benefits include showing respect and offering dignity to an oppressed people, so…why not?
Of course there are conservative groups and interests like Prager U that will argue differently, but there is always opposition to change. The response in this case is, so what? This is not a trillion-dollar tax issue. This is not a guns-rights issue. This is just about respecting a people we’ve treated like crap for hundreds of years. That’s it. Everything else is noise and distraction. And we’re already doing it.
How? Just do it. Call your school, representative, team and demand that team names and mascots be changed. There are petitions on change.com. There are campaign websites. This should be a slam dunk.
7. Reform Juries to be More Representative (Medium)
The concept here is incredibly simple. Rather than worrying about the process of jury selection or exclusion, simply make it a federal law that the result of jury selection must be a jury that includes actual peers, or at least one, and is minimally diverse:
If the defendant or victim is Black, there must be at least one Black and one non-Black juror, if Asian, then at least one Asian and one non-Asian, etc. In other words, one person must be of the same or similar race, and one person must not be of that race or ethnicity.
If the defendant or victim is openly LGBTQ+, then the jury must include at least one person who is also LGBTQ+ and one who is not.
If the defendant or victim is disabled, then there must be someone else on the jury with a similar disability, or at least another person with adjacent experience.
And there must always be at least man and one woman.
This won’t guarantee a truly representative jury in all cases, but at least it establishes a minimum or representation in all cases.
How? Just make it a law. Or a constitutional amendment. Don’t care. Never again in the United States should anyone face a jury that does not include a simple person that looks like them or understands their experience. And this doesn’t even really have to change the current process. Lawyers can still reject or dismiss jurors they find biased or objectionable, they just have to keep the process going until minimal representation is reached.
8. End theWar on Drugs (Medium)
Two of the great travesties of modern America are the vast waste of lives and resources on idiot drug wars, largely to the benefit of US pharmaceutical companies and foreign drug lords, and mass incarceration of young men for petty drug crimes. Both of these issues can be substantially addressed by legalizing pretty much everything and then taxing it.
Legalization gets rid of idiotic legal penalties for personal decisions, raises revenues for treatment, decreases the size of government, and removes one major sources of systems racism from government structure. We’re already doing it with marijuana, and even hallucinogenic mushrooms. Just do it for freaking everything and focus on treatment.
How? Just freakin’ do it. We live in this weird fear that if a drug is legalized, crazy hippy mobs are going to run rampant in our cities. This is nonsense. Drug treatment and related issues can be easily funded by taxation on those drugs, with none of the costs of an utterly failed and immoral drug war.
9. Default to Roundabouts vs. Stoplights (Easy)
Roundabout Image
Hey, not everything has to be about vast and horrible issues. Sometimes you just want to make a little change that makes life better for everyone, and roundabouts are that kind of change. They’re safer than stoplight-regulated intersections, for cars, bikes and pedestrians. They cost less. And they leave space for a cute little garden or statue in the middle.
Roundabout Safety Graph
Roundabouts are already spreading around the country after decades of resistance, so let’s just change the logic: from now on, roundabouts should be the default while stoplight-controlled intersections are the exception you have to justify.
Roundabouts are not a cure-all, of course (see video below), but they are far, far better than traffic-light and stop sign intersections.
How? Anytime the city is building, planning, converting, expanding, just make sure roundabouts are the default and stoplights (or other options) come next, or at least that engineering and planning guidelines include them. This is largely a public education issue. So, tell people roundabouts are awesome. Because they are.
10. Upgrade Affirmative Action (Medium?)
Everyone has a strong opinion on affirmative action, pro or con, racist or not, and it results in more heat and friction than measurable progress. Do middle-class white women benefit more than BIPOC communities? Is it reserve racism? Does it stigmatize minorities on colleges and workplaces? It’s a mess.
There is plenty of controversy around, including backlash against “model Asian” college admissions, and what’s increasingly obvious is that basing admissions on socioeconomic factors rather than race has substantial benefits without all of the controversy:
What I’m suggesting is something a bit more radical: focus affirmative action explicitly on generations of historical poverty. In other words, admissions should favor families and people stuck in grinding poverty for the past, say, ten generations over those that have already made the leap to the middle or upper classes, regardless of race, gender or other factors. Add to this the stipulation the slavery and living on native reservations is by default a state of poverty, and you attain all the major goals of affirmation action without accidentally helping those who are doing just fine without it. I get there are some details to be worked out here, but we can all agree that poverty is bad and getting out of it is hard. So, let’s make it a little easier.
How? Oh, you know, minor political changes and whatnot. But seriously, changing race-based affirmative action to class-based affirmative action preferences is probably the only way to save it in our increasingly divisive political environment.
Other Ways to Make America Better
I’m sure I’ll have more ideas in the future, but I’d love to hear your thoughts. What works or doesn’t? What’s practical or not? And what do you think we can do to improve America? I mean, the United States.
Like many children of my generation, I love Dr. Seuss and always have, but this post isn’t about what you think it is. You’ve probably heard that Dr. Seuss Enterprises (DSE) has pulled six Dr. Seuss books from publication, and it’s likely you already have an opinion about it. Nothing you read here is likely to change your mind, and that’s fine. This post isn’t about that; it’s about what happens next, the inevitable slide down the slippery slope, and where that leads us.
Some background will help avoid confusion. Dr. Seuss Enterprises (DSE) issued the following statement on March 2, 2021 (links and emphasis added), and thus ignited the firestorm of indignation we’re now seeing online:
Today, on Dr. Seuss’s Birthday, Dr. Seuss Enterprises celebrates reading and also our mission of supporting all children and families with messages of hope, inspiration, inclusion, and friendship.
Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises’s catalog represents and supports all communities and families. –
So, all of these books are now cancelled, if you will, including their adorable covers:
Offensive Dr. Seuss Books – Courtesy of CBC News
And this is of course the right of any rights owner (like DSE) or publisher. I imagine the question in conservative minds is whether left-wing activists are cancelling Dr. Seuss by applying pressure to the publisher in censorial ways?
Is Dr. Seuss Being Censored?
There’s a lot of argument online about whether DSE pulling the books is censorship or not, but all this misses the point. There is government censorship, which we generally oppose as a nominally free society (but which happens all the time), and private sector censorship that we generally support (and which happens all the time). If you take away people’s ability to get information, that’s censorship.
Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or “inconvenient.” Censorship can be conducted by governments, private institutions, and other controlling bodies. – Wikipedia
All of which is academic. It’s only a legal issue if the government does it by force in contravention of free speech, etc., whereas private companies have every right to publish or not publish just about anything they want. That’s how capitalism works. So, yes, pulling the books is legal, standard, everyday private sector censorship. Forcing DSE to keep allowing the publication of books it doesn’t want to would be compelled speech, which conservatives allegedly object to.
What’s funny to me is that this type of censorship, pulling books from libraries or publication due to public outrage, is Politics 101 for American conservatives. How many books containing sexuality have they successfully pulled from local bookshelves? How many books have they banned for other reasons? I have no idea, but it’s a lot, and you can read more about that here. My point is that conservatives whining about censorship they themselves engage in with enthusiasm is hypocritical, disingenuous, and more than a little humorous. They practically invented this stuff. Welcome to the world you helped create.
What’s Wrong with these Dr. Seuss Books?
Dr. Seuss’ work dates from during and after World War II, and is inevitably going to reflect a different culture and norms than what we see today. That said, there are still parts of these books that are clearly racist and troubling. So, let’s take a look at the specific issues with each book. (Many of the images here are courtesy of the National Post and other sources.)
UPDATE: You can see all of the books in their entirety on the Internet Archive, at least for now, including all offensive pages.
And to Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street (1937)
And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street has a young protagonist fantasizing about a parade including “a Chinaman who eats with sticks,” a “Rajah, with rubies” and two fur-wearing people being pulled by a reindeer. So, yeah, that’s a little racist.
If I Ran the Zoo (1950)
If I Ran the Zoo‘s young male protagonist takes an imaginary hunting trip to Zomba-ma-tant where the Asiatic natives “wear their eyes at a slant.”
And the book also shows Black characters from the African island of Yerka, portrayed as pot-bellied, big-lipped monkey folk:
And something Middle-Easterny going on here:
So, again, not much to debate. These are clearly racist pictures of oppressed cultures.
McElligot’s Pool (1947)
McElligot’s Pool has another young boy, this time dreaming of what he’ll catch while fishing, including “Eskimo Fish from beyond Hudson Bay” with little fur collars. You could argue it’s not the image itself that’s intrinsically offensive–How many little dogs do you see dressed up in little coats on social media?–but it’s coupling with the “Eskimo” caption. Either way, yeah…
On Beyond Zebra! (1955)
This one I’m guessing at based on conjecture online (DSE didn’t specify what was offensive in each book). On Beyond Zebra! adds imaginary new letters to the alphabet, and includes an image of Nazzim of Bazzim riding a camel-like creature called a Spazzim. So…yep. I get it.
Scrambled Eggs Super! (1953)
Scrambled Eggs Super! has a kid bragging about crazy rare eggs, because why not, including one from Mt. Strookoo Cuckoo that he obtains with the assistance of turban-wearing Ali. He gets another egg from the Arctic nation of Fa-Zoal, whose people wear fur and paddle skin-covered boats. Another clear reference to native peoples:
The Cat’s Quizzer (1976)
The Cat’s Quizzer seems to be problematic due to an image of a yellow character in a coolie hat captioned with the question: “How old do you have to be to be a Japanese?” There is also some mockery of pygmies, but I can’t find any examples of the offending imagery online.
UPDATE: I found the following image on the Internet archive, but I see no indication of a cartoon with the text quoted above:
The text here might be at issue (“Do the Japanese eat with pogo sticks or joss sticks?”) but I’m not sure.
But Cat in the Hat was NOT Pulled
Best-selling but still problematic books like The Cat in the Hat, which is allegedly inspired by Black minstrel characters, were not pulled, which tells us something. Namely, that DSE is focused on the bottom line, and that they pulled books for strategic economic reasons.
Publishing is Struggling & Change is Inevitable
Publishing industry revenues have been flat or falling in real numbers for more than a decade. This is due to many factors, including the influence of Amazon.com and self-publishing, but if you can be sure of one thing it’s that these companies are all about finding ways to make more money while holding onto their legacy assets.
Statistica: Publishing Industry Revenues
So you can be sure any given book publisher that pulls a book is doing so, possibly for idealistic reasons, but certainly for financial ones. And this includes rights owners as successful as DSE:
The estate of Theodor Seuss Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss) nearly doubled its income in 2020, earning an estimated $33 million in a very Grinch-like year. The bigger payday is thanks to a smart new strategy from the team at Dr. Seuss Enterprises, which transformed the beloved children’s author’s 60-plus books into a multimedia universe. – Forbes
All of which means that publishers and rights owners including DSE will do whatever they can to grow new audiences while holding onto the old. Hence, why they pulled six relatively unpopular Dr. Seuss books while holding onto equally problematic assets like Cat in the Hat. My guess is they might even update and re-release these books in the future, thus gaining the PR value and sales for the retraction followed by secondary sales of the new versions. That’s just good business, if a little cynical.
Publishers Know Controversy Equals Sales
Just look what happened to American Dirt, a novel by a white female author about a Latina woman running to the USA to escape a Mexican drug lord. It has all the immigration porn stereotypes, and BIPOC authors and readers objected to its promotion when it wasn’t written by a LatinX author (See #OwnVoices). Did the publisher pull the book? No, possibly for principled or legal reasons, but also because it knew sales would boom, and they did. American Dirt sold far more books due to the controversy than it would have otherwise.
Publishers Change Book Titles & Content All the Time
One of my favorite examples is the popular and archetypal murder mystery And Then There Were Noneby Agatha Christie. This book was originally published under the title Ten Little Niggers (sorry), and Ten Little Indians in the US, until they finally stopped finding new ways to be offensive and came up with a completely new title. Was this censorship? Well, I guess if you really wanted a book with an offensive title, but no. It’s just good business and a good if slow awakening to moral reality.
We Should Support Publisher & Owner Changes
Lots of authors write at a time when something arguably bad is acceptable, or when they have too little editorial oversight, or they just get away with stupid stuff. One great example is Stephen King’s It, a fantastic horror novel featuring one of the stupidest and most exploitative scenes you can imagine — children having sex (a gang bang, really) in a sewer to keep the group together. I would love for SK to authorize an update to It without this idiocy.
And the same is true of The Stand‘s portrayals of African Americans (e.g., the infamous ‘black junta’ scene) and its caricature of mental disability. If these changes are not made, the assets that is SK’s legacy will fade faster than it has to, publishers will lose money, and we’re all worse off for it. In other words, if you really want older and “classic” works to survive into the future, you have to admit that (a) some of them are problematic in non-trivial ways and (b) allowing them to change is the only way to save them.
My guess is many books and book series will be pulled or updated in the coming years, not to censor them but to allow the greater body of the authors’ works to survive into the next century. This is a good thing, inevitable, and hardly new. Numerous other books have been pulled or updated based on newer standards of representation, including:
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder for its depictions of Native Americans, including the line, “The only good Indian is a dead Indian.”
Should we Burn Babar? by Herbert R. Kohl, which appears to celebrate colonialism when the MC returns to the jungle to “civilize” other animals.
And so on. All of these changes seem both reasonable and necessary, not censorial.
There’s a Much Bigger Problem for Dr. Seuss
And that is the true goal and motivation of many Seuss-haters, the thing that DSE is fighting against, not the removal or changes to a subset of Dr. Seuss books — it’s the wholesale removal of all Dr. Seuss books from school curricula, etc., due to the problematic nature of some and the history of Theodor Geisel himself. Because for every antifascist cartoon we like to remember him for…
As a result, there are many who argue with passion that all of Dr. Seuss’ works are tainted and should be removed or at least de-prioritized on school reading lists. And this is the real problem. DSE is trying to appease a group of people with a far larger axe to grind, and this token removal of a few books isn’t going to appease them. The question is whether it should. In other words, do we want a country or world in which entire bodies of work are removed or disparaged due to a (truly) problematic history of the artist and/or a few examples of (legitimate) bigotry? Because that’s the larger question being asked as we squabble over these six books.
Rap Music & Misogyny or Homophobia
Don’t get anxious. I’m not saying anything is or isn’t equivalent to anything else. I’m just asking a question. Let’s look at some troubling rap lyrics just by way of example. This is Dr. Dre rapping in N.W.A.’s “One Less Bitch:”
Yo, I tied her to the bed
I was thinking the worst
But yo, I had to let my n*ggas fuck her first, yeah
Loaded up the forty-fo’, yo
Then I straight smoked the ho
Which you can see and hear here if you like:
My question isn’t about this song or any number of other songs by Black or white artists, whether misogynistic, homophobic, or just violent and ugly. My question is about principles. If our principle as a diverse society is that an artist and his or her entire body of work should be ignored / not purchased / de-listed / censored or whatever the contextual syntax is, based on a subset of that work, then we should apply that consistently.
In other words, if it’s morally right to denigrate all of Theodor Geisel’s work, then we should do this universally and consistently. All of N.W.A.’s music and all of Dr. Dre’s work should be unpublished and removed from distribution by the owner. Any artist who has ever made a substantial negative comment or contribution toward any group, or displayed bigotry of any kind, should have all work taken down and pushed into obscurity, forever. Because that’s the slope we’re sliding down.
So What are our Principles?
I couldn’t care less that DSE had some some problematic Dr. Seuss books unpublished. No, that’s not right; I’m glad they did. I have no problem if they do the same to Cat in the Hat because of it’s problematic history. No one, and especially not children, should be forced or encouraged to read or listen to anything that fills their minds with racism, sexism, misogyny or bigotry generally.
HOWEVER, and that’s in all caps for a reason, I strongly object to the idea that an artist’s entire life work and body of creation should be purged from common distribution because of this. This would be true cancel culture that would make reactionary book-banning conservatives…right. And that’s freakin’ intolerable. Sadly, it also seems like that’s where we’re heading, and this process began long before DSE’s recent announcement.
See, I told you this wasn’t about what you thought it was.
This is just a tracking list of books I’ve read or not read and related comments I’ve made or not made, and thus might or might not be of interest. It’s not. It’s really not.
Re-read this due to working on WIP with consumption of meat as theme, and also just as a reminder. Like most of the classics, it seems good for what it was at the time it was, but clearly not a style that would be popular today. I sometimes forget the explicitly philosophical nature of old books, like the story was just a way to engage in a thought exercise, and I kind of miss that; nowadays, the plotting and drama of novels necessary to ensure sales gets in the way of thoughtful whimsy. That said, the Time Traveler in this book is a babbling idiot who blunders around time like a reckless child, so it’s hard to care that he vanishes in the end…spoiler?
Read this for research on a WIP, largely for the handling of cannibalism, but was excited given the 5-star ratings and buzz. So…I don’t know. It felt like a fast and melancholy march toward an expected end. People suck. They do terrible things. It’s worse than you think. Sigh. As if there’s not enough darkness in the world.
Fairly mixed feelings on this book. Loved the snarky tone because, well, that’s pretty much me as a teenager. The plotting and tone is also pretty cool. However, I never really felt like I could visualize what was going on (the description was almost mocking the concept of description?), there were a lot of characters I really didn’t care about, and the climactic fight scene went on, and on, and on…until I assume the they used up all the bones. So many bones. So, 3.5?
One of my favorite books of all time, re-read unintentionally while studying her prose style, which is light and flows like water. She writes like someone who loves writing and what she’s writing about, Greek mythology, and does both well. A bit envious of how easy it sounds, but maybe that’s just the result of hard work. I’d recommend this book to anyone even if you don’t care for mythology; it’s just a great and very personal story about one woman’s journey.
I keep hoping for something as original and enjoyable as Children of Time, but this was not it. It was like a freakin’ stew of science fiction creativity, diversity in overdrive (seriously, one of everything), and a weird political message about how we’re all better together and blah, blah, blah. I don’t mind political messages, but this was a sledgehammer disguised as novel. Also, just kinda boring. And hard to connect to the characters in changing POVs. Bleh.
Finished all 700+ pages of this last night, but kind of a slog and I skipped a lot of the middle and end chapters. I enjoyed the exploration / horror aspects at the beginning, then got bored of all the detail, then skipped all the prayers, and then found myself in a different book about Inuit culture that seemed only vaguely related to the first book. Feels like the book could have been 350 pages with better overlay of explorer / Inuit themes and a lot less…well, just a lot of extra words and long scenes that didn’t move the book along. Feels a lot like Stephen King books that could have used an assertive editor. Haven’t seen the series yet, but might watch to see how they adapted the book for TV.
Also, and I hate saying this b/c I’m really tired of everyone being so sensitive about everything, the book has some odd homophobic and misogynist themes that were avoidable. The shittiest character in the book didn’t need to be gay, and the very few women didn’t have to be quite so sexualized. I realize this is grist for the white male explorer mill, but it was still overdone.
Finished re-reading this b/c working on some horror elements in a new WIP. Every time I read SK now, I just get…bored. I loved his writing when I was younger, and still like his prose, but if feels as if he just needs someone to say, “Whatever your wrote, cut it in half” and instead his books get longer and longer. Anyway, this had a pretty good pace and build of tension until about half-way, and then it goes from let’s establish the crazy backstory to let’s use that backstory to explain a series of increasingly improbable but scary events. For some reason, just got bored at that point, but maybe b/c I knew what was coming. And I’m forever damaged by the movie…and the other movie.
In trying to learn how to write “good” horror and suspense, what I picked up from this book was that SK does a lot of telling and not showing; he tells the reader the MC is scared, and why, and how it feels, in ways that make utter nonsense sound spooky. But it was hard for me to get a feel for the scares b/c I just wasn’t that into it by the end. Skipped a lot of pages. Like, honestly, how much can you read about someone traveling from Chicago to Maine?
Another horror read for comps / genre background. Not a big fan of vampire novels, but I was enjoying this until I realized I’d already watched the series. Both book and series are good, but it ruined the surprise for me. That said, I found it less horror than violent / thriller, with a lot of interesting family and bullying themes that were scarier than the vampire. Part of me always has trouble believing that people are as terrible as they probably are, so the monsters and humans seem reversed (as in a lot of things I read). People suck. Book does not. Still, a bit long.
Re-read quickly for understanding of children’s-book plot structure and spider treatment, related to WIP. Still a charming book. Obviously aging, but adorable, with some gender dynamics that will probably be problematic in the near future. Sigh. But some cool spider dynamics and homage I can use. Or maybe I should just write children’s books; they seem much happier.
Hashtags! For Writers! Okay, that’s enough exclamation marks. This collection of Twitter hashtags for writers is not a definitive list of anything. There are an infinite number of potential hashtags on Twitter, even within the much smaller community of writers or the writing industry collectively. These are just some that I’ve found useful as a novice but impatient user of social media. My hope is that it will save other writers’ time learning how to leverage Twitter for their writing process and careers. As such, I hope you’ll comment on how the list can be improved so we all have a better resource going forward.
There is nothing magical about this list, but I hope you find some of them useful. If you think of important ones that are missing and would help others, let me know.
Note that I’ve capitalized words in hashtags to make them more readable. This has no impact on how the work on Twitter. In other words, #amquerying is functionally the same as #AmQuerying, and the results are identical. So, off we go…
Whatcha Doing?
#AmEditing(I’m editing!). Not sure if it’s better to use this or #Editing.
#AmPublishing(Here comes my debut!) is generally used while or for self-publishing.
#AmQuerying (I’m querying & need beer!) is used for authors with a finished manuscript who are searching for an agent.
#AmReading(And now I’m reading) is a way of sharing books what you’re reading generally, which can help better understand what others (and other writers) are reading or to find good book recommendations.
#AmWriting(I’m back to writing!) (>300/hr) is used mostly as a way to community who are currently in the process of writing (presumably, their #WIP). It’s inevitable that sub-tags such as #AmWritingFantasy will be used to add detail, but I’m not sure if this is a better or worse case than using #AmWriting with #Fantasy in the same tweet. My OCD mind prefers the latter (as it prevents hashtag proliferation and is more flexible), but results of course depend on who ends up using what (and logically whether you care a lot about “and” vs. “or”).
Got a Question?
#AskAgent is for asking agents questions when they have time, which they’ll generally let you know individually or during scheduled events. Here’s a greatly respected agent making himself available to answer writer questions:
#AskAuthor is used to ask authors and writers questions, but is perhaps used more by non-authors (e.g., agents) to query this part of the #WritingCommunity.
#AskEditor is used to ask editors questions when they’re available. Some #AskEditor sessions are obviously held by professional editors looking for clients (nothing wrong with that).
#AskMentor is nominally useful in many contexts, but here I think it’s mostly used during #PitchWars to interact with potential mentors.
#AskWriter is like #AskAuthor, but I’m not sure which is more common.
Looking for an Agent
See also Events & Competitions, below
#500Queries is used by agents to share the reasons they passed or declined a query, but I’m not that familiar with how it works or when it’s used. I’ll do some research and update this shortly.
#MSWL (Manuscript Wishlist) is both tag and website. Both are exceptionally useful for finding agents and what they’re looking for. This is especially true now that some agents are specific about not just age and genre (e.g., Adult Science Fiction) but also authors (e.g., preferring LGBTQ+ or BIPOC writers).
#QueryRejections is one that’s not used that much but which I’m advocating as a way to share our experiences with query rejections. This is a hard business, and you’re not alone in feeling the pain of rejection while #AmQuerying. Sharing is caring.
Just got rejected so fast the web form got backlash or a concussion. Imagining agent playing query wack-a-mole. It's impressive. #amquerying#queryrejections#TGIF
I’ve not gone through this process (yet), so if you have better or additional good hashtags, I’d love to know what they are.
#BookCoversfor information on book covers and design if you’re #SelfPublishing.
#IndieAuthorsis the subset of authors focused on #SelfPublishing or publishing with small independent presses.
#SelfPublishing or #SelfPub if you’re looking for (or to share) information on self vs. traditional publishing.
Marketing Your Book
This is also something I’m not familiar with just yet, so more hashtag suggestions welcome.
#BookGiveaway is used to announce promotional book giveaways, or to thank authors for the books, and so on. This is a great way to generate reviews for your book (and hopefully, more sales). I’m not sure if used more by #SelfPublishing authors, but I assume so.
I’m sure there are many more, but here are the ones I’ve come across or participated in at some point:
#10Queriesis used by editors (exclusively?) during #RevPit to provide feedback on all or many of the queries they’ve received for evaluation, and by writers to ask questions about the process.
#DVPit (Diverse Pitch) is a pitch event for diverse and marginalized writers.
#IWSGPIT (Insecure Writers Support Group Pitch) is not an event I’ve done, but it sounds like I should.
#NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is an annual no-prize contest where writers all try to write a novel from scratch in a month. Some award-winning novels have come out of this competition, so it’s definitely worth looking at. Note that this is not actually a Twitter event, but it’s a great place to learn about it.
#PBPitch (Picture Books Pitch) is an event for authors with #PictureBooks.
#PitDark (Dark Pitch) is an event for darker themed novels, not just #Horror.
#PitMad is a Twitter event put on by the people who run #PitchWars (see below) as a quick way to find interested agents, but here are also many other “pits” including #SFFPit (Science Fiction Pitch) sponsored or organized by others. I participated recently and noted some of the more retweeted tweets here. More retweets are meant to make you more evident to agents, but it’s not clear there is a direct correspondence. Example pitch:
BREAKING BAD + GOLDEN GIRLS
After binge watching shows like The Wire & Breaking Bad, a 70 year old grandmother decides to try to enter into the world of illegal drug sales with the help of some friends at her senior citizens home and her tech-savvy granddaughter.#PitMad#BVM
#PitchWars (Pitch Wars) is a recurring event where authors compete (in a friendly way) for mentorship by successful writers, editors and others. I’m trying this for my first time this year. The same team puts on #PitMad. Here was something I put together while getting ready for Pitch Wars this year using this tag.
I put this together for my use in #PitchWars 2020, for adult mentors only (Mentors x Genres), so if you find it useful, great. If not, great. Good luck to everyone!https://t.co/c2enfKlK8J
#RevPit (Revise & Resubmit) was apparently created by a group of editors to facilitate editing-focused assistance to writers. The site Revise & Resub also sponsors related events where you can win feedback on full manuscripts, which sounds amazing. And there’s an Annual Contest. I’ve not used this tag or done the contest(s), so I can’t speak to efficacy, but it sounds cool. Also not sure how this works with or overlaps #AskEditor–but I assume the latter is less formally “managed” by the RevPit editing team.
#SFFPit(Science Fiction & Fantasy Pitch) is an event much like #PitMad, but focused exclusively on #SFF pitches. Participation in 2020 was far lower than in #PitMad, but it’s probably worth doing both if applicable. Here’s a pitch that was well received:
TheHazelWoodxNinthHouse When Morghan finds a magic cult whose rebel leader claims to have info about her missing dad, she must decide whether leaving behind her family and betraying the girl she likes to become a rebel is worth learning the truth. #YA#BVM#SFFpit#CF#LGBT
— shelly page ✨ Preorder CHARMED (@shelly_p_writes) July 29, 2020
#WMPitch is an agent pitching event for children’s fiction writers put on by WriteMentor. The 2020 event took place on Sep. 24th.
General Writing & Community Resources
#Authors is an alternative to #Writers (and presumably other related creatives) that seems to be used less frequently.
#MustRead. Hey, sometimes you get tired of writing.
#ScreenWriting is for screenwriters, who go through entirely different writing and marketing workflows.
#WiP (Work in Progress) is for discussion of what you’re working on, including challenges and triumphs.
#WordCount is pretty specific and low-traffic, but if you really want to find information about ideal word counts for your book, you’ll find plenty to talk about. To save you time, if you have to use this hashtag, you probably need to trim your manuscript.
#WritersLift (<100/hr) is essentially a request for more followers and is generally sent to the Writing Community to help build your base on Twitter. This is an interesting social feature for new users, but I’m not certain how or if it translates to more active engagement of success in competitions, marketing etc. Regardless, there are hundreds of such tweets daily and it’s something worth trying when you first join Twitter or want to build your writing-related audience.
#WritersTips nominally offers tips to writers, but in my recent experience has seemed a bit spammy. If I’m looking for tips or to post them, I’ll usually go to #WritingTips instead, but I have no idea if this is a best practice or how others use both hashtags.
#Writing (>525/hr) is about…writing. Be funny it wasn’t at all. I’m assuming there is massive overlap with #WritingCommunity.
#WritingCommunity (>500/hr) is a great way to share and gather information from other writers. Here, for instance, is one of my tweets to the community. While I don’t have many followers, it still got some traffic and response. Now that I know this hashtag is used far more than #WritersCommunity, I’ll stop using the latter tag.
What do you wish you had more of as a writer, or what should be more available to all writers? PLEASE comment with details. Thank you. #WritingCommunity#Authors#WritersCommunity
#WritingPrompt for those looking for a little help with inspiration.
#WritingTipshas some great advice for writers. Tip to myself: Work on your #WIP!
Twitter Hashtags for Writers by Genre
Yeah, there are a lot of these. This is not all of them. If I missed yours, it’s not personal, but feel free to let me know in the comments below. I’ve covered the top ten genres in fiction (Sorry, non-fiction writers!), and other random stuff.
#A (Adult) is one many hashtags that are obviously ambiguous. While #A used in a #WritersCommunity post along with #SF might clearly indicate tweet about adult science fiction, it can also mean blood-type, etc., in other contexts. So, be sure to add other hashtags when using tiny little tags like this one.
Action-Adventure is often grouped for agent and sales purposes.
#Adventure, because life is too short for the alternative.
#ChickLit is (often?) a more light-hearted sub-genre of #Women’sFiction.
#ChildrensFiction is for those younger than #MG. The readers, not the authors.
#ChristianSuspenseis presumably not what Christ’s followers felt while waiting outside the cave. Just kidding. I assume there are sub-genres like this for many belief systems and theologies.
#CommercialFiction is nominally plot vs. character driven, in contract to #LiteraryFiction. See also #UpmarketFiction.
#DarkFantasy is one I’m afraid to click on. I assume this is a great sub-genre tag, but it also feels like typing “Dark Fantasy” on Google while hoping to avoid BDSM or goth porn. #NSFW?
#FairyTale can only be used if you pay the troll a tole.
#Fantasyseems pretty obvious, but context is key that that key is probably guarded by a dragon.
#Fiction covers everything except #NonFiction…or does it?
#KidLit (Literature for Kids) is (I believe) the same as #ChildrensFiction.
#LitFict (Literary Fiction) or #LiteraryFiction is the character-driven partner of plot-driven #CommercialFiction and co-parent to their #UpmarketFiction lovechild.
#MagicalRealism, where the mystery is if it’s realistic for me to write in this genre.
#MG (Middle Grade) comes between #ChidrensFiction (#KidLit) and #YA.
#Mysteryis probably not too hard to figure out, but I’m not sure if #Mysteries will yield better results. It’s a mystery.
#NA (New Adult) does not usually mean “Not Applicable,” but I suppose it could in other contexts. So, be careful or maybe use #NewAdult? Best choice will depend on when and how it’s used. Pitch Wars, for instance, uses #NA for brevity.
#PB (Picture Books) barbecue if a picture is worth a thousand words, a book of pictures is worth a gazillion. See also #PictureBooks.
#Romanceis a huge genre. Huge! But also tender and kind. See also #RomCom.
#SF (Science Fiction) refers to #ScienceFiction but also means San Francisco, among other things, and is generally used during #PitchWars and similar events were brevity is key and characters are precious. Otherwise, it’s probably better to use #SciFi.
#SFF (Science Fiction and Fantasy) is for when you want to reach a larger audience than just #Fantasy or #ScienceFiction, but smaller than #Speculative. I think.
#Speculativein this context means (I think) #SF + #Fantasy + #Horror, but probably means both more and less than that depending how it’s used. Also refers to the current stock market and political future of the USA.
#UpmarketFiction is anything with the plot-drive of #CommercialFiction and the style or character development of #LiteraryFiction.
#WomensFictionis generally the category encompassing #ChickLit and several other sub-genres, and is massive in scope and reach.
#YA (Young Adult) or #YoungAdult, one of the top age-based genres in #Fiction.
Hashtags by Service or Platform
I’m not going to list anything here, as they’re generally obvious, but if you want to publish or learn about (say) the SmashWords e-book platform, there’s a tag for that: #SmashWords. This can be very helpful when finding out how other writers like things like Query Tracker, etc., without using the @ format that directly links to the company or site’s profile.
#WritersCafe is one you’ll see quite frequently, referring to WritersCafe.org, an online writing community portal and resource.
More Information?
If you’d like to add or correct something here, please just let me know in the comments. Thank you!
