Erotic Cyn for your senses

Some of us authors have been talking a lot lately about sales- our ebook sales that is. One thing we’ve noticed is that overall sales are switching up a bit from our main publishers over to third party vendors. Some of my friends are not happy about this, but personally, I’m not bothered. In fact, I’ve been anticipating this very thing for the last three years since the introduction of Kindle by Amazon and now the Nook/Nook Color by Barnes and Noble. Most people who know me have heard me time and again push for our publishers to be proactive and involved in third party vendors that have active sales and are well known to readers. This Christmas has shown just how right I’ve been in pushing for this kind of partnership between publisher and third party vendors.

I can hear the gasps and see the severe expressions of disapproval from here. Before you condemn to the deepest pits of Tartarus, let’s talk about what it means for authors in this day and age to be on third party sites. Most people realize that authors make most of their money in sales. In the epublishing industry, that royalty is larger when the sales are done on the home site, aka the first party or first point of sale. A couple of my friends and I compared our last quarter statements, making sure to see how sales stacked up between epublisher and third party vendor. One thing we all noticed was a significant increase in sales through the vendors. Though we make less in royalties, the amount of sales does show that people are shopping where it’s easiest to get all their shopping needs done. Yet, when you compare the sales figures for the same books for that quarter we’ve been finding the sales are actually even if not higher for the 3^rd party vendor.

So the question is for authors—what’s really best for you and your books? How can you make sure you’re getting not only what’s best for you in terms of distribution but also in income? This is where things can be a bit sticky. The rates of what various third party vendors take as their cut can vary- some being reasonable while others can take quite a lot of money from you. The idea here is to not put all your eggs in one basket- make sure your publisher is using various methods of distribution- thus increasing your chances of getting your name and your books out to readers. What else can you do for yourself? Simple- tagging them if the third party sites allow it- and if they have Like buttons for Facebook, make sure you use them. This lets people know that your books are at certain places and can be used in those areas. This is a great way of not only showcasing yourself, but when you see the “If you like this book, then you might also like…” your name can find its way among them.

Another pro-active stance is to contact places like All Romance ebooks and see what promotion services they have that you can participate in. This will help you to not only develop a following on their site, but will also create a great working relationship with a vendor that can endorse your releases as well. If you’re an affiliate on Amazon, do a video to promote your works and let readers hear your voice. If you’re part of Barnes and Noble, go to their stores, see about doing a talk on ebooks and ebook readers. Take advantage of any and all opportunities that only print authors used to do, but put more time and effort into how to spin the new technology advantage into something others can enjoy. If people have smartphones- introduce them to the apps for Nook and Kindle. Show them how they can read your books on their phone simply and easily.

Third party vendors will continue to grow in market share when it comes to ebooks. Why? They’re the ones who had the lead when it was in print. Think about it- who did people buy their books from when books were only in print? Third party vendors. That’s right- the stores you buy books from vendors- not direct marketers. In fact, in some ways, it’s leveling out the playing field between print and epublishing. So, if print authors can make a lasting and great relationship with these vendors, so can we. More importantly, together, we can create new and exciting ways of promotion to make sure readers not only see our books, but also see our fellow authors whom we work with day in and out. Think of this as diversifying ourselves so we’re readily available to the consumer on their schedule, not just ours.

Just like we learned to work with review sites, in fact using them to help launch new series and to promote ourselves, it’s time to open up our doors to learning to use the third party vendors in the same manner. Not all of them might be willing to help in such a way, but many will provide various opportunities for marketing to readers for a small fee or even for free. Make a list of those options, compare, plan and see how to best provide yourself with those ways to build up your reader base as you continue your writing.

Third party vendors are no different than my publisher in my eyes. They still pay me- just differently. They have my books out for me to show to readers. (You want to hear squealing? You should have seen my friends at work when I showed them my books at Barnes and Noble.com on my Nook Color- I was so proud of myself!) Ebook readers are catching on, just as smart phones are also allowing people the joy of reading on the go. So take advantage of it- spread the word—BUY MY BOOK! Who knows- they just might- from whatever their favourite online store is. It doesn’t matter where they buy, just that they do.

Sorry, but comments are closed. Check out another post and speak up!