Ascendance is first book in a series of Nathan Marks stand-alone, near-future science fiction mystery-thrillers about human society and the impacts of new and potentially deadly technologies.
About Ascendance
Is it murder to kill GMO people?
Four teenagers are gunned down at a prestigious private school. Three of them were flawless and beautiful—almost superhuman—but also hateful bullies. The fourth was the vice president’s niece.
Reluctant partners Detective Sara Sanchez and tech billionaire Nathan Marks search for the killer as the world erupts into a war over what it means to be human… or a soulless abomination.
What they don’t know is that the shooting was part of a plot to kill millions. They have only seven days to stop a horror that will tear the world apart.
This cover was inspired by something I saw online about evolution. Designer Jayelle Morgan at DreamSaver Covers took that inspiration and made it real. Thank you!
Arachniss is a stand-alone near-future science fiction horror story about, well, you’ll see.
From the Cover
Who would you sacrifice to save what you love?
David just wants to write children’s books, spend time with his infant son Jason, and try to get out of his toxic marriage with his sanity intact.
The only problem is, something’s eating Jason.
Something’s eating everyone, bit by bit, inch by inch, and no one else notices. They have great stories about how they lost a limb here or a body part there, until they lose something they can’t live without and just…vanish.
Jason’s just missing a pinky today. No, wait, two. And a toe. His son is dissolving in front of him, and David will do anything to save him.
But how can David save his son from something no one can see?
“…a graphic, detailed, haunting and complex story of artificial intelligence, alien invasion, human nature in opposition to everything around us, and the obliviousness of mankind…” – 4.5 Stars / Reading Cafe
“Tension building was wonderfully done and was very ‘edge of your seat’. The author has a good sense of humour, which can also be quite dark at times, helping to lighten otherwise tense moments throughout the story. An intriguing and well executed supernatural thriller.” – 5 Stars / Bookish Beyond
Inspiration
I write science fiction and Arachniss is absolutely science fiction, but like Alien there’s also a good deal of horror and a lot about human–and inhuman–dysfunction. Is there deeper meaning to it? Probably. I mean, I hope so.
In Babadook, the monster is depression. In Jacob’s Ladder, it’s PTSD and addiction. The Ring, I assume if there is a metaphor, it’s about the destructive power of television. Night of the Living Dead is immigration and change. Zombie’s generally represent the dangers of groupthink and the numbing sameness of modern life, never more so than in Shaun of the Dead. In King Kong, it’s the modern world vs. nature and of course racism. In Get Out, it’s white supremacy. Godzilla: nuclear war. Vampires: sex and sexuality. Frankenstein’s monster: modern science. Werewolves: puberty and sexual awakening. Grendel: pride. Perhaps in Arachniss, it’s our willingness to accept horror for others to protect ourselves, and our ability to ignore it if it comes on slowly. We are all the frog in the initially comfortable pot of heating water, and we are all oblivious to what’s coming…
About the Cover
I came up with the cover on Canva, after a lot of idiocy and really bad ideas (which you might be able to see here on Pinterest). Designer Jayelle Morgan at DreamSaver Covers was kind and professional enough to take my concept to the finish line. Thank you!
They can save millions of lives, if she doesn’t kill them first
Tourist Raymond Molina finds the body of a young biologist in a Costa Rican bay—apparent victim of a shark attack—but no one knows how she got there. As Ray searches for what really happened to her, he stumbles onto the best kept secret in the natural world.
This is a secret hidden for centuries by residents of the coastal town of Sonara, protected by intelligent but violent animals unknown anywhere else on earth, and coveted by a massive biotech company that will do anything to discover the truth—no matter the cost.
And behind it all is a creature with the power to cure disease, all disease…or kill everyone on earth.
“…a wonderful story full of mystery and miracles. It explored a town essentially trapped in time, concealing many dark secrets, which would soon be uncovered by the main character.” – Bookish Beyond
“…drawn by the hand of a virtuoso…had me laughing and crying out loud… This is easily five stars—I’d give it more if I could.” – Dr. Heather Carter, author of The Black Unicorn
“…all is not well in the small coastal town of Sonara…the past holds heartbreak and death, betrayal and guilt, and threats to the world’s population now and in the future. Beasts is a complex, detailed, haunting and captivating story line of animal sentience, genetic manipulation, and immortality: a character driven twisted tale of family, tragedy, power and control…” – ReadingCafe
“There’s a lot of levels to this story…but it all really boils down to the relationships between EVERYONE living in Sonara. The ending was satisfying: wrapping everything up for each of the main characters and storylines. Oh, and don’t forget the enormous shark…” – Heather’s Bookshelf
“…fast-paced, with constantly unraveling mysteries… It reads like a thriller.” – L. Johnson
Inspiration
It’s hard to describe what inspired Beasts without giving too much away, but…one thing I loved about old movies and TV series like King Kong and Land of the Lost was the concept that there was still power and magic in nature if you knew where to look. And sometimes that magic is just biology we don’t yet understand. Beasts is about what happens when that biology creates power, and that power threatens to change almost everything we know about the natural world.
Even More Inspiration
The town of Sonara is vaguely based on the village of Nosara, where I spent a few different trips surfing and generally having an amazing time with locals and retirees and pretty much everyone. They were joyous, inspiring, formative trips that would probably never have happened without the invite of my friend Rusty, to whom I am forever grateful. You should visit Nosara, get a massage, do some yoga, go surfing, eat great food, drink a lot and generally embrace all that Pura Vida has to offer. And yes, there is or was a “Coconut Harry” in Nosara, but he and the Harry in Beasts are in no way related…even if they both run cool surf shops.
If you’re wondering, Sonara kinda means “it will dream” in Spanish, if you’re feeling charitable (but more correctly, “it will sound”). So Beasts of Sonara sort of means beasts of future dreams, or maybe jeweled beasts in mangled Swahili. So many bad choices…
About the Cover
I came up with the cover on Canva, after a lot of idiocy and really bad ideas (which you might be able to see here on Pinterest). Designer Jayelle Morgan at DreamSaver Covers was kind and professional enough to take my concept to the finish line. Thank you!
Related Books
See Run Lab Rat Run, where the genetic miracles of Sonara have taken a bizarre and brutally human but inhumane course.
Sonara, the fictional town in which Beasts takes place, is trademarked. Nomanity, the name of Jon Lamarr’s company in Costa rica, is a trademark. Nomanity also appears in Run Lab Rat Run.
“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 is a legacy post about the original
and never published version of Beasts.
***
I’ve been tracking my feeble attempts to get Beasts of Sonara (v1) published for the better part of a year. I’ve learned a lot in that time, some good, some bad, and a lot of it painful. We have this mythology in our society that failure makes you stronger or wiser, but I think that’s only true if you have the time, resources and ability to react positively to that failure. These are things I need to work on.
That said, and while I’ve come to realize that Beasts is not the work of staggering genius that I might have hoped, I remain confident that it’s better than a lot of what’s published even if it’s not perfect. To learn more about how it might be adjusted / improved, I submitted the latest draft of the manuscript to ArcherJockers, the company founded by the authors of The Bestseller Code. They have a service that analyzes novels compared to bestsellers using what they learned in researching and writing their (non-bestselling) analytical book. The results were interesting, and shared here in brief for reference only.
Quick summary: Beasts might not going to be a bestseller in its current form, if their analysis holds true. Beyond that, the results are bit ambiguous. I’ll use their structure to provide the highlights, using italics to indicate Archer Jockers text:
The report about your manuscript that follows is divided into the following overarching sections:
Plot & Emotional Development of Story
Overarching Theme & Focus of Topical Detail
In Depth Character Personality Analysis
Likelihood of Character Success with Readers
Personal Writing Style compared to Bestselling Style
The Settings of Your Novel
Star Ratings & Likely Market Success
1 / Plot and Story
1a / Plot Shape
We create a visualization of your plot shape in two ways. First we look at the traditional three act structure that all writing teachers address. In the image below we are seeing the shape of Beasts of Sonara.
Act One takes us to the first dotted vertical line. Act Two takes us to the second dotted vertical line. Act Three takes us to the novel’s close… We like to see a “peak” or “valley” in the line at the 50% mark, to show a well-structured half way point. We also like to see some symmetry or considered relationship between the shapes of Act One and Act Three…
Conclusion / Beasts seems pretty spot-on in this context.
Improvement / The first act could be shortened and the second lengthened. There could be more emotional variance in third act.
1b / Rhythm
Novels have a natural rhythm: chapter breaks, paragraph breaks and changes in narrative focus create them… The next graph is all about helping a writer get the pages turning, and keep them turning at an even pace. If a writer achieves the best of the three act graph, and the best of the rhythm graph, he or she has the perfect skeleton of a novel. These books are rare and always do well, typically instantly and enduringly…
Below is a more detailed picture of the plot in Beasts of Sonara. The vertical dotted black lines show your novel’s beat. Obviously, the more evenly spaced they are from 0 to 100 percent of narrative time (or page count), the more balanced and satisfying the story and reading experience…
Which lacks a visually pleasing shape. What’s with all the happiness half-way through? And why all the emotional ambivalence later on? Hmm. Here are comparable graphics from TheDa Vinci Code and 50 Shades of Gray:
Conclusion / Not entirely sure, but certainly there can be more emotional variance and improved timing / consistency in scene length.
Improvement / Beasts could probably have a shorter high-point emotionally, and some greater variance in later scenes.
2 / Theme & Focus
2a / Focus
This is where I thought I’d have the most trouble. I knew going in that Beasts was going to be a bit stream-of-consciousness and thematically…odd. But was still worried that some sub-elements were a bit distracting. My instincts here were apparently correct.
Our research for The Bestseller Code revealed the importance of thematic focus. Top selling novels achieve the focus and clarity that prevent unwieldy narrative that never wants to end. This is achieved by topical focus, which in turn is achieved when an author chooses the prevalent topics of his or her novel very consciously, and limits them. It is surprising to new writers that most top sellers have only three or four focalizing topics that claim 30% of all the pages of the manuscript. New writers tend to introduce too many topics, and thus the plot line becomes hard to control, or else the characters appear weak or the book “ends too soon” or “just won’t end!”
The next graph shows how Beasts of Sonara compares to the market in terms of thematic focus… Your book is shown in green. Notice that bestsellers achieve the goal of 30% with three to four topics. This goal means the reader will know clearly “what the book is about.”… Regardless of what your topics are, if it takes you many topics to get past 30%, we suggest some editing for focus…
Conclusion / I thought this was the most useful part of the whole analysis; clearly, I have too many themes and they distract from the focus of the novel.
Improvement / I probably need to pare themes down a bit, and get rid of sub-themes that while funny or entertaining as vignettes, interrupt the narrative flow.
Discussion / I went into writing Beasts knowing that I wanted it to be positive and humorous but with deep / thoughtful concepts and three-dimensional characters. I hadn’t written that much in a while, and was worried that I didn’t have enough for a full novel, but this turned out to be wrong; I struggled to keep the word count under 140K and then had to edit substantially to cut down to 107K for marketability. I need to have more confidence in the core story of my books going forward, and in my ability to tell a compelling story without sideshow distractions.
For Beasts, I’m going to look at some areas where I can improve focus before I continue trying to find an agent…but this may be after I finish my next novel.
2b / Top Themes
This part of the analysis seemed more observational than insightful, but it was useful to see what an objective / automated system thought Beasts was about.
When we look at a novel’s themes we like to see topics that group together to make genre or direction. In addition, the icing on the cake is to identify a pair of contrast, or high tension, themes within the top six. Examples include “children and guns,” or “sex and church.” … The labels we use are approximations based on your word choices.
Conclusion / Just laughing, really. Not one of those things would appear in my synopsis of what Beasts is “about.”
Improvement / No idea; still processing. Part of me feels like Beasts just doesn’t fit the allotted categories very well. How the heck is surfing equated to “swimming and bathing”? And “work life balance”? WTF. Not sure. Maybe the lesson here is that bestsellers fit into more obvious categories. I think the focus part is more important than the themes themselves, but I do notice there is a lack of desirable contrast in these thematic categories, which is worth thinking about.
2bi / Themes in Market
The table below shows which of the themes in Beasts of Sonara are positive or negative indicators of big success in the adult fiction market.
3 / Character Personalities
Since publishing The Bestseller Code, we have continued to research character, and now show your character’s agency within the plot and their temperaments. Authors are well advised to create some contrast in temperaments in order to develop a gripping story…
A good tactic is to look at the personality graphs below alongside the topic graphs we have just discussed. Can you develop areas of a key character with some further description, or perhaps dialogue, which centers around key theme? Can you position those themes in the places along your plot line that our graphs have shown to be a bit too steep or a bit too flat?…
Here is an example of what’s provided for each major named character. I’ve picked Isabella (Izzy) because I’ve always considered her to be a strangely week character despite her important role:
Conclusion / Not sure. I’d have to analyze in far more detail, but an initial skim shows character contrast in style and approach…which I assume is good.
Improvement / Not sure yet. Nothing that’s different from early reader feedback and my initial thoughts.
4 / Character Agency
4b / Character Verb or Action Association
Readers and editors prefer characters who can drive a plot, appeal to our hearts and minds, and can make something happen within their genre scenario. The word for this is “agency,” and we read it for your major characters based on their actions… Our data shows that characters associated with strong decisive verbs—such as want, need, and feel—have a mission in their world that will create a plot line of learning and growth for them. Weaker characters are more passive, more likely to respond rather than initiate…
The table below shows your most active characters and the verbs they perform in Beasts of Sonara. Do they represent the character you want to create?…
Karla has been everyone’s favorite character, so here’s here verb chart:
Conclusion / Yeah, no idea. Almost all of the characters in Beasts have strong agency, in my opinion, and those that do not (e.g., Jon, the Bryants, etc.) are minor. Karla is one of the strongest characters, but there’s not one verb in this chart that would tell you that.
Improvement / Not sure yet. Also not sure hot analysis is valid with non-human characters such as Chandu and Alejandro.
4b / Character Gender
There is no right or wrong here, and there is no evidence that more of one character gender and less of another leads to a successful book. Instead, consider this just one more piece of information about your book. If you are marketing your novel to one particular gender demographic, this data can help you think about the impression your story will have…
5. Style
This section was odd and surprising. I’ve always thought my style was my strongest point, and narrative thread was my weakest. This analysis says “style” is my weakest point, but the reasons are somewhat arcane. How many periods do I use? I get it, but there wasn’t much here I found useful…
We measure several hundred elements that are important to bestselling style. These include everything from the frequency of function words to sentence length and adjective to noun ratios. Style is of course about narration, description, frequency of dialogue, sentence length, complexity of prose, voice, tone and much more. We go granular with style analysis because the secret sauce of style is hidden in the fingerprints…
…Some might even go so far as to say that bestsellers have a style all their own. Many of these stylistic “habits” are difficult to discuss because they are “microscopic,” which is to say they are things that we are not likely to notice as we read. Things like how often an author uses the word “the” for example. But these features of style are incredibly important to the overall experience of reading a book, and winning writers seem to know instinctively just how often to use the word “very” or “really.”..
5a / Style of Beasts vs. Market
The first chart is based on sentence length. Apparently, my sentences are too short and simplistic. Not a single “+” sign to be found:
5b / Word Frequency
And I use all the wrong words:
5c / Adjective Frequency
But a few of the right adjectives:
5d / Adverb Frequency
And one or two adverbs are there:
5e / Punctuation Frequency
And my punctuation is on point-ish! More cowbell?
5f / Parts of Speech
And so on…
5g / Inappropriate Word Usage
Fuck, yeah. Honestly, I’m missing a few important words here.
6 / Setting
Though our research has suggested that geographical setting is only weakly correlated with success in the market, we find it useful when it comes to acquisition meetings to identify common places that an author references. These are the most common places detected in Beasts of Sonara.
Okay, so, Mina is a person, Everest is just the name of a book talked about in the book, and the novel takes place in Costa Rica. So…just a weakness of computer analysis.
7 / Overall Rating
The Bestseller-ometer assigned Beasts of Sonara an overall star rating of: 3 stars (★★★). Here is the breakdown of your composite score. Bestselling in a global way is all about hitting the sweet spot (5 stars) in most of these areas. However, we see good sales at three stars and above.
Conclusion / TWO STARS FOR STYLE? Shit. And when did we even talk about mood? I guess that was positive / negative emotion.
Improvement / Overall, I’d say the biggest issues are theme density and emotional variance. The other areas of concern seem to be secondary issues related to thematic drive and narrative force. Which is still a lot to work on. Two stars for style, though? That hurts ;).
Would I Use Archer Jockers Again?
Maybe. The thematic and plot analysis is useful. The style stuff is interesting. The setting area seems like they phoned it in, but overall it’s not that expensive. But there is little in the report that directly ties to scores given how much data is held back, so you can’t really make anything more than educated guesses with what thye give you. Could definitely be improved. I give them 3 stars (★★★).
This is a legacy post about the original
and never published version of Beasts.
***
I have written the great American novel. Now, I just need to find an agent and publisher who recognize my genius, and it’ll be easy street from here on. Or not. I’m going to track the process of finding an agent and getting published right here so that, when I’m famous, I’ll be able to look back and chuckle at how naive I was. Maybe I’ll learn something along the way that’s useful to others. We’ll see..
16x v1 / 16 Rejections inc. 7 assumed & 1x Full MS
1 Full MS request (rejected)
3 Drafts Completed & Edited
1 Idea Born
Updates & Commentary
September 21, 2018
Rejection Friday: “Thank you so much for giving me the chance to consider BEASTS OF SONARA. It’s clear that you’ve devoted a lot of hard work to this project, and your passion comes through in your writing. However, while there is a lot to be commended, I struggled to connect with the manuscript in a meaningful way, and therefore don’t believe that I would be the most effective champion for your book. Please remember that the publishing industry is subjective, and another agent or editor may feel differently. I’m sorry I don’t have better news for you, but I wish you all the best on your road to publication.”
August 20, 2018
Putting marketing on hold while I review Archer Jockers analysis of Beasts of Sonara (the novel’s actual title) and possible re-write / update.
August 13, 2018
Last week, I started to realize that this book might never be published the traditional way, and that self-publishing may be the only path forward. I’m not sure yet, but I started looking into it — realizing as well that the way books are marketed and sold these days is far more about commodity churn than a search for quality. You either have an angle and platform, or you’re nothing. Given that the novel fits no main genre and I’m just another white dude, it’s a bit challenging.
With that in mind, I approached a successful SD author who does well on Amazon for advice, and ended up pitching a concept of co-authorship to help get my next book off the ground. He was kind enough to consider the concept and review the first several pages of the next book. While he ultimately declined the idea, his feedback was generally positive:
Initial thoughts: “Shawn, I’ve read a few pages, and I have to say, the odds have gone from a thousand to one (I was lying when I said a hundred to one), down to 50 to 1. I can tell in a few pages that you write better than 90 percent of the garbage that’s on Amazon (I know, garbage doesn’t write, but you get what I mean). Still unlikely (really) but the odds are getting better. I’ve got a busy schedule, but I’ll try to get to it and make a decision by next week. The writing is good, but there are a number of other considerations.”
Second thoughts: “Shawn, thanks for the look. I’m going to have to pass on your proposal, as I expected. This just isn’t close enough to my work or style for it to make sense for me, and there are other complications to doing this, as well, that I won’t go into. I can say that you have a nice flowing writing style, a great imagination, and impressive world-building skills. I might start off with a prologue that lays out the stakes a bit. Then you can circle back to your beginning. Because it is well written and quirky, but I still have no idea what it’s really about. Wherever it is going, when the stakes are high, readers should have a taste of this to keep them engaged. (in my opinion, but I’m not a patient man, so others might find the world building compelling enough on its own… Best of luck to you. It takes a lot of luck and talent, but you’re one of the few who actually has the talent part going for you.”
So even while this was a rejection of concept, which is a bummer, he offered both positive feedback and some specific ideas not mentioned here. Not bad coming from a NYT bestselling author. I’m intensely grateful to have gotten any feedback at all.
My current feeling is that I went into this process naively, or perhaps just based on an archaic sense of how the market works. A lot has changed in the last ten years, and not much of it to the benefit of traditional publishing (obviously). I think I can figure out how to make a living on Amazon with self-publishing; I’m just not sure how long that will take or if I have the runway to do so… My traditional introversion and disinterest in social networking does not play well in this realm.
August 2, 2018
Rejected: “Thank you for your query. Unfortunately, this is not quite the right fit for me.” I keep thinking I’m getting “better” at this, but there’s no evidence in support of that statement. 🙂
August 1, 2018
Nearly instant rejection: “Thank you for thinking of me for your work; unfortunately, it’s just not quite right for me. As I’m sure you know, whether or not to take on a client is a very personal decision, and has as much to do with an agent’s personal preferences as it does an author’s writing abilities. I wish you lots of success in your writing career.” I found one typo in the query letter, which is a bummer, but still — that’s efficiency.
July 31, 2018
Query, query, query…
July 23, 2018
Rejection from recent query: “Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to read your submission. Unfortunately, after careful review, I have decided to pass on this project. This industry is incredibly subjective, and there are many agencies out there with many different tastes. It is for this reason that I strongly encourage you to keep submitting elsewhere, in the hopes of finding an agent who will be an enthusiastic champion for you and your work. I wish you all the very best of luck and success with your writing.”
Rejection (from April query): “Thank you for the opportunity to consider your work. I am sorry to say that I do not think this material would be right for me, and therefore I would not make your most effective advocate. Please remember this is just one agent’s opinion, and there may be other agents who feel differently. Thank you for thinking of me, and best of luck to you. I apologize for the form letter, but the volume of queries makes a personal reply impossible.”
July 20, 2018
Great feedback from my friend Jim, who would be honest with me if it sucked. Some more queries. Like firing cannonballs into a black hole.
July 17, 2018
Rejection Tuesday: “Thank you for your query. While your project does sound interesting, I’m afraid it’s not quite right for me at this time. I genuinely appreciate your email and wish you luck finding an agent who can successfully champion your work.”
July 16, 2018
Rejection! But, It’d already assumed the rejection after three months: “Thank you so much for your query and interest in representation by [Agency]. I regret that [Agency] is unable to take you on as a client at this time. We receive hundreds of queries a week, and as such we must turn down plenty of projects that could have wonderful commercial potential. Please know I personally read each query, and sometimes these rejections are based solely on the subject of material, which may not be an appropriate fit for my interests. Keep searching for someone who has the same spark as you do. If and when you find that agent, you’ll be glad you kept looking! I wish you all the best in your publishing pursuits, and on your hunt for the right agent for your book.”
July 8, 2018
I removed the more melodramatic opening I’d put into the novel prior to the recent sent of queries, in part because the first sentence may have been overly dark. In today’s environment, and when submitting to a primarily female agent cohort, anything that even implies violence against women is probably a negative (unless written by women), so we’ll see. The opening is more pleasant now, but loses some of its visceral force…
July 8, 2018
The Sunday-O-Rejection! Two came in Sunday and one early Monday AM. All are on the new synopsis. I’m wondering if /a/ synopsis still sucks or /b/ the misdirection of the dark opening of the book itself is turning agents off. Rejection: “Dear Author, Thank you for your email, and for giving me a look at your material. Unfortunately, I’m afraid I must pass, but I hope you will accept my best wishes for your future success.” One of my favorites because there’s no attempt to personalize, and it’s not even signed. Rejection: “Thanks so much for your query. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound right for XXX’s list. We wish you all the best towards seeing your book through to publication.” That’s rejection by the assistant. Nice. Rejection: “Thanks so much for contacting me about your book project, but I’m afraid I wouldn’t be the best representative for it. Best of luck on your path to publication.” Ahh, my path to publication. Am I even on it? Hmm.
July 5-6, 2018
More querification. Going to try for more male agents if I can find any — they all seem to be women these days, and all have such a professed focus on “women’s fiction” that being a dude is probably a disadvantage…
June 29, 2018
Rejection excitement! “Thank you so much for your query, but I am going to pass at this time. Unfortunately, the concept and sample pages didn’t connect with me as much as I’d hoped. Due to this, I don’t believe I’m the right agent to champion this piece. Thank you for considering me for your work, and I wish you luck in your writing future. In your search for the perfect agent, you may want to check out Writer’s Digest Guide to Literary Agents blog. We have found it to be a great resource for finding new agents who are looking to build their lists. We also encourage writers to gather beta readers and critique partners to help hone your craft; their suggestions can be invaluable.” I think this is a Jr. Agent. She needs help making her boilerplate rejections sound less pedantic. Maybe I’ll reject her rejection.
June 28, 2018
Rejection something or other: “Thank you for thinking of me, but I am not a good fit for this.” Received within 24 hours. I think it’s a record.
June 27, 2018
I’m up to 50 queries sent as of today. Let’s hope somebody out there is listening.
June 22, 2018
I’m assuming at this point that all queries have been rejected, even if there is no response. I’ll have to go back and look at my query letter, synopsis and excerpt to see what I can better due to market the book…
June 20, 2018
No news is bad news. Not a single response since I left for Denali and returned. Should I assume a 100% rejection rate (0/43)? If so, that’s a drag. Will have to restart the process…and figure out what’s going on. My first attempt at a writer’s group was not helpful. Will try that again as well.
May 23, 2018
Rejection: “Thanks so much for thinking of me, but this one’s just not quite right for my list. Due to a very full workload, I have to be extremely selective about pursuing new projects. Please know that this is a very subjective business and that tastes range widely among agents. Someone else may feel very differently—you deserve someone who is passionate about your work and is confident about their ability to position it. Best of luck with this, and thank you so much for thinking of me.”
May 22, 2028
Rejection: “Thank you for your query. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m the right agent for your project. Best of luck in finding representation, and thanks again for the query.”
May 14, 2018
More querification and waitifizing. Starting to think a lot about the next novel. Given what I’m seeing so far, there must be millions of unpublished novels out there, and just as many desperate authors waiting for the slightest positive reception. It’s like praying to god, except agents answer even less. Strange that it never occurred to me I’d be this far down the track with so little positive feedback. One of my author friends was right; humiliation is a large part of this process.
Decided to try out a writer’s feedback group. For anyone who knows how I loathe networking, you’ll know this is hard for me. In a funny way. Looking forward to what they have to say. The last and only other time I went to one of these was in 2002 (?).
May 7, 2018
Rejection #18: “Thank you so much for thinking of [Agency] for your query. We wish we could offer a more personalized response but on average, we receive 500+ email query letters a week. Do know that every query letter and sample are read and even though your project is not right for us, it might be right for another agent so don’t give up! We are also sorry to have no agent recommendations to offer. Good luck with all your publishing endeavors.” Five hundred queries per week? Egads.
April 27, 2018
Rejection #16: “Thank you for the opportunity to consider your query for Beasts of Sonara. Ultimately, I don’t think it’s quite right for my list at this time, and am going to have to pass. I’m sorry it isn’t a fit, but I wish you the best of luck in finding the right agent for Ray’s story.” At least, not a completely form response..
April 19-20, 2018
More querification.
April 18, 2018
Sent a few new queries out today. Sent two status update requests, as per website instructions. Assumed two queries have expired, creating virtual rejections #14 and #15. Some cool new agents out there…
April 13, 2018
Well, it is Friday the 13th, so I guess it’s only natural to expect my first full manuscript rejection. One agent had requested the MS more than a month ago. I can’t tell you how excited I was to get that far, nor how much emotional energy I invested in the hope of this one acceptance. It’s quite a roller coaster. In any case, here is the nearly form rejection (#13 on the 13th):
“Thank you so much for sending us [your novel] with a view toward representation. We’ve had a chance to read, and while we saw much to admire in these pages – particularly your wonderful and distinct voice – we didn’t find ourselves falling into them with the kind of all-in, no-reservations enthusiasm that we would need in order to serve as the book’s best champions. This isn’t to say that it’s not succeeding on its own terms, but rather that we’re likely not its best readers, and as such won’t presume to offer specific editorial suggestions—to do so would be irresponsible. That said, we’re very glad to have had the chance to read and familiarize ourselves with your writing. Please know that we’ll be wishing you the very best with this and all else going forward.”
Gad, I need a beer.
April 11, 2018
Rejection #12: “Thanks so much for the opportunity to consider your work! Unfortunately, this project isn’t right for me, but I wish you the best of luck in your writing endeavors and in finding representation!”
April 10, 2018
Some great feedback from a friend reading the latest draft. Also, a nice form rejection (#11): “Thanks so much for letting us take a look at your materials, and please forgive me for responding with a form letter. The volume of submissions we receive, however, makes it impossible to correspond with everyone personally. Unfortunately, the project you describe does not suit our list at this time. We wish you the best of luck in finding an agent and publisher for your work, and we thank you, once again, for letting us consider your materials.”
April 4, 2018
Got some great feedback from my fried Kathy and made some minor updates to the manuscript. Amazing how other people perceive what you’ve written. I can’t wait for some high school teacher to ask about all the metaphorical references to transcendentalism and I have to pretend I know what he or she is talking about.
April 2, 2018
Rejection #10: “Thank you for thinking to query me with your project. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like a good fit for my list at this time. Again, thank you, and best of luck finding an agent.”
March 29, 2018
Rejection #9: “Thanks so much for thinking of XYZ Agency and giving me the chance to review your work! Unfortunately, after reading your letter, I just didn’t feel strongly enough to request pages. I’m of the belief that authors deserve an agent who will be passionate about the projects they represent, and I didn’t connect as much as I’d hoped. Please know that every agent feels differently, and this is merely my personal preference. I encourage you to keep querying as what doesn’t fit for one agent is perfect for another. I wish you all the best in finding the perfect agent and good luck in your future writing endeavors.”
March 21 – 28, 2018
No updates. Taking a break from process to see what comes in.
March 20, 2018
Second rejection for the day (#9): “Thank you so much for submitting your query and pages to me here at XYZ Agency. Please know that I read all queries myself and consider each and every submission carefully. Unfortunately, I am going to pass on asking to read the full manuscript of your book – I’m sorry. I wish you the very best in your agent hunt!” So, generically positive I guess.
Brief rejection (#7) from email submission: “Thank you for submitting your query, but we’re not the right agency for your project. Best of luck elsewhere.” So, I guess there’s not point submitting to other agents at the same agency. This particular agent show no (zero) requests for manuscripts on Query Tracker. Actually, none of the agents show any recent interest in any manuscripts. Interesting.
March 19, 2018
Form rejection (#6) from form submission: “Thank you for sending your query. Unfortunately I have to pass as this is not quite the right fit for me. I wish you all the best success moving forward and finding the right home for your work.” First rejection using synopsis / query #2.
March 15, 2018
Personalized rejection (#5) from agent assistant: “Thank you for your thoughtful email. After careful consideration, [Agent] does not feel your work is the right fit for him. I should note that his current list is quite full and he’s not actively seeking new clients at this time. Thanks again for the opportunity. We wish you the very best in finding the right home for your work.” I thanked the assistant and asked if it was okay to submit to other agents at the agency, and she confirmed that it was: “You can certainly try others…”
Going forward, I think I need to focus on goofy agents who rep magical realism or related fantasy, so they get my sense of humor and tone. Brianne Johnson from Writers House, for instance. Some of my queries were clearly to people who are far too serious for this novel.
Another note: This industry is technologically broken.
March 12-14, 2018
The battle continues!
March 11, 2018
Today’s rejection (#4): “This is not right for me, but thank you for the look.” Not even a form letter. Is that good or bad? Came from a personal email address, which was different. Maybe just a smaller agency.
March 8, 2018 – Query v2
Started the morning off with a form rejection (#3): “Thank you so much for allowing our agency to consider your material. Unfortunately, after carefully reviewing your query, we’ve determined that this particular project isn’t the right fit for our agency at this time. As I’m sure you know, the publishing industry changes swiftly now, as do readers’ tastes and trends. As a result, our own agents’ needs shift and change, as well; therefore, we would like to encourage you to consider querying us with future projects as you may deem appropriate. Again, thank you very much for allowing us this chance to consider your material, and we wish you all the best in your publishing endeavors.” It was at least prompt, polite and positive.
Rewrote the dreaded Query Letter. Hopefully, it’s more bang and less whimper. MORE BANG!
March 7, 2018 – Looking for an Agent
Several query letters sent to agents today. Interesting that I was so reluctant to submit to Science Fiction / Fantasy agents before. The novel is nominally magical realism, but given that it’s not exactly literary fiction, Sci-Fi/Fantasy is as good a classification as any. Plus, I feel less ridiculous describing the plot to agents who probably see far stranger stuff.
Best advice so far from a published author: “Let me only say that preparing oneself for a steady diet of humiliation is excellent training for any author. ” Off to the races!
Received one rejection (#2) on the same day from VSA: “Thank you for considering XYZ Agendy as a potential agency to represent your work. We have reviewed the material you sent and we regret that we will not be offering to review your work further at this time. Please know that we are very selective with the materials that we request. We encourage you to keep writing and we wish you every success. Please forgive this impersonal note. We receive a tremendous number of queries and are forced to focus our attention on a limited number of projects.” I wish I could know if this was due to the quality of the query or the material itself, but such is life.
Several query letters sent to agents today. Frustrated that I don’t see some typos until too late, but overall what I’m sending seems professional. I’m still not comfortable selling myself, so it’s a bit of a slog mentally.
I received two responses the same day. The first from TCA requesting the full manuscript for review. I was ecstatic when the request came in. After reading more online, I have the impression this is more SOP for them (quick responses, quick reviews), which is great…but it tempered my optimism somewhat. Now waiting eagerly (over the next few weeks for some response).
Not 100% sure on etiquette. I know it’s fine to send multiple query letters simultaneously, and not fine to send multiple full manuscripts simultaneously, but is it okay to continue sending queries when a manuscript is out in case it’s rejected (which is highly likely)? Some investigation to do here.
The second response from IWM was a quick personal Rejection (#1) note: “Thanks for sending my way. I didn’t fall in love with the sample so we’ll have to pass.” Interesting. I have the impression you can submit to more than one agent as long as it doesn’t overlap, but I wonder if he’s speaking for all IWM agents? For now, I’ll assume so.
Late February 2018 – Synopsis
Blech. Man. Sometimes writing a summary of what you done really makes you question what you’ve done.
February 2018 – Ready to Start Marketing
Finished third draft of novel and now preparing to send out query letters. I like the writing part. I didn’t even mind it editing. But this marketing phase is intimidating and…banal. I know it’s part of the business of writing, but damn. It’s a completely different skill set.
January 2018 – Finished Second Draft
I had to cut the novel down from 130k words to under 110k for marketability reasons. Turns out, it wasn’t as hard as I thought. Got rid of a lot of fluff. Sped things up. I like it. Wouldn’t have gotten here without Juli’s help. Well, that’s not true; but it would taken longer and been a lot less fun.
Watched James Patterson Master Class, and started Aaron Sorkin’s. Patterson was pretty engaging, but I learned more from Stephen King’s On Writing. Was very impressed with Patterson’s work ethic and productivity. So far, Aaron is far more erudite and detailed, but his focus on dialog (screenplays) may not translate perfectly to novels.
December 2017 – Finished First Draft of The Novel
Gave a copy to my mom for Christmas to read. Sweet reaction. And she didn’t hate it, which is good. Her main advice; speed it up, man, speed it up! And, more distinct dialog. Also gave copy to friend Juli to review. Feedback positive, with usual sarcastic input. Go figure; she likes the most sarcastic character.
November 2017 – Quit My Job
Not really related. I was trying to write in my spare time, but it was taking forever. And work was making me grumpy. .Quitting allowed me to focus and make real progress. Probably the most important factor if I’m ever successful. I mean when. Other than Kathy taunting me for taking so long to write it. Pbththth.
Sometime in the Past
I wrote a vignette about a surfer and a decapitated sex doll. How can that not be the basis for a novel?
Before That
I wrote a dark little science fiction novel in college that was rep’d by Sandra Dijkstra until she asked for a rewrite and I lost interest. Ahh, youth. A few years later, I had another novel — true crime-ish this time — that was actually pretty timely, but was so dark (and long) that my friends thought I’d lost my mind. Put that in a drawer and haven’t seen it since. Net-net, the novel I’m working on now is not my first novel, but I hope it will be my first published novel. Hope. Lots of hope.
Resources
This is just some of the stuff I’ve used along the way. Some good, some bad, some genuinely odd. The whole industry has yet to be modernized in some ways, and I have a feeling that when it is…it won’t be good for authors, agents or publishers. Sometimes inefficiency is a good thing. In the meantime:
MasterClass/ Great relatively new resource to learn from the masters in writing and other areas.
Mrs. Snark / Blog about all the nonsense, recommended by a friend.
Publishers’ Marketplace / Good information on agents and agencies, most of which seems up-to-date.
Query Tracker / Insights into which agents respond when and how.
Writer Beware / Good general resource on the trials and tribulations of writing. Also recommended by a friend.
Writers’ Digest / Some good articles covering most areas of writing and marketing.
The intent of this post is to make it easier for me and, possibly, other authors to see what promotions work…and which ones don’t. It has no other value, so don’t get too excited. No excitement is appropriate. Maybe a little ennui.
This is a work in progress. Amazon and FB ads are not shown. Ascendance went through a much longer revision process than normal, and some mistakes were made. Performance on promotion sites seems to be declining generally.
Robin Reads promotion #1 was more successful than expected. I usually get less than the median (guesstimated) downloads for paid promotions on a given site, but in the case of Arachniss in the horror genre, I got 30+ downloads and purchases (which is more than the 22/23 median). Also noticed cross-sales for the first time on any promotion. Only odd thing was how KU reads plummeted on the same day.
ENT and Book Sends Promo on June 13, 2022 was hit by two bad reviews a few days before, which dropped ratings from 5* to 3.8*, which totally sucked. Someone really took a dislike to the book, which is fine, but other good reviews pending. Just makes comparing results on ENT in particular difficult. Probably cost 25-50% of sales. First one-star rating ever. Hurray?
BookBub Feb 1-3 First Ever in USA
This is a huge milestone. Wish it was on Beasts, but this is awesome. Category is horror and running for 3 days vs. 8 days of RLLR international-only deal based on this recommendation. Runs in USA, UK, AU and Canada, but AMAZON ONLY, obviously.
Date
Amazon
USA
Amazon
UK
Amazon
CA
Amazon
Other
Total
Jan 31
(+1)
0
0
0
(+1)
Feb 1
180+2
58
11
3
252+2
Feb 2
52
21
1
13
87
Feb 3
12
1
1
0
14
Feb 4
3
1
1
0
5
Total
247+2
82
14
16
358+2
$255+
Estimated sales are 50-2,000, roughly 50% of what an equivalent SF deal would be, for roughly half the price. Ended up toward the low end of this, with 360 sales, around half of the RLRR count, though this ticked up to 375 by end of Feb.
So, this deal was not as successful as the first. Bummer, but what can I learn from it? Cover issue? Blurb issue? Weird 2nd email BB sent out on same morning pulling buyers? Not sure. Certainly, not being wide internationally is a negative (say, 40% of int sales) but this could be made up for by a bump in KU page reads (about 11k so far). Not sure of any of it. 🙁
I sent an email to Bookbub about the promotion, and they let me know the Arachniss promotion garnered 1,225 clicks (as of 2/15). This converted to 366 sales as of the same date (375 by end of month) and 11k kindle page reads (22k by end of month). That implies a conversion rate of 29% if you just look at sales (which seems…amazing), and 32% if you assume the 11k page reads equates to roughly 22 books read (35% by EOM). Obviously, many books may have been downloaded by KU readers and never read, but there’s no way to track that.
The problem then seems to be conversion at the BB level. The email went to roughly 720k subscribers, resulting in 1,225 clicks, for a CTR of 0.17%…which seems freakin’ terrible, but I have no idea how that compares to other genres or promotions.
See Run Lab Rat Run Milestones for legacy details. New cover doesn’t seem to hurt sales, but doesn’t make dig difference either except on minor KU page reads.
Dec 2022 BookBub Promotion #1 (International)
(*!) First BookBub deal, international only for RLRR, but forgot to include Apple (a major EU publisher) :). Lesson learned, so we’ll see. Probably lost around 10% of sales? Ran deal Dec 29 to Jan 5 just to see what longtail looked like. Also note that I’ve never done any promotion of any kind on a publisher other than Amazon, and have thus never sold a single book (!) on any site other than Amazon until this promotion (meaning no ratings, reviews, etc.).
Date
Amazon
Apple
B&N
Kobo*
Google
Total
Dec 28
0
0
0
0
0
0
Dec 29
229
0
0
56
27
312
42%
Dec 30
176
0
0
45
4
225
31%
Dec 31
36
0
0
17
0
53
7%
Jan 1
17
0
0
9
2
28
4%
Jan 2
12
0
0
7
2
21
3%
Jan 3
13
0
0
9
6
27
4%
Jan 4
20
0
0
8
6
34
5%
Jan 5
22
0
0
7
2
31
4%
Jan 6
5
0
0
0
0
5 1%
TOTAL
530
72%
$203.48
;(
0
158
21%
$55.35
49 7% $33
737
–
$291.83
So, I’ll end up with 700+ sales during this promotion, and 3k+ kindle reads, putting me right in the middle of the 10-1600 estimated sales for Int-Only SF deals. Very satisfied, considering this includes publisher-backed major books. Note (*) that Kobo numbers are shifted back one day from dashboard, possibly due to time zone issues. Around 80% of all books sold were in the first days, so next promo will ge much shorter. About 72% of all sales were Amazon, but this is skewed by absence of Apple, so guesstimate 2/3 for Amazon internationally. Profit of $291.83-$167.00=$124.83. Better than nothing :).
Kindle page reads that I can reasonably attribute to the deal are roughly 6,000 (Beasts and Arachniss), which adds even more $ to the number above.
Oh, ratings also came in 1-3 weeks after, about 20 for Run Lab Rat Run on Amazon, 5 on Kobo, none on Google. Only one actual review, on Kobo. One or two and several ratings on Goodreads.
Update 2/21/23: According to BB, RLRR got 1,525 clicks during the promotion to a list of 220k subscribers, for a BB CTR of 0.69% (roughly 4x better than the CTR for Arachniss (see above)), and a wide conversion rate of more than 48% or 49%+ if you include page reads (vs. 33% for Arachniss).
This cover was inspired by something I saw online about evolution. Designer Jayelle Morgan at DreamSaver Covers took that inspiration and made it real. Thank you!
I came up with the cover on Canva, after a lot of idiocy and really bad ideas (which you might be able to see 
I came up with the cover on Canva, after a lot of idiocy and really bad ideas (which you might be able to see 
So, this deal was not as successful as the first. Bummer, but what can I learn from it? Cover issue? Blurb issue? Weird 2nd email BB sent out on same morning pulling buyers? Not sure. Certainly, not being wide internationally is a negative (say, 40% of int sales) but this could be made up for by a bump in KU page reads (about 11k so far). Not sure of any of it. 🙁