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I don't usually track sales on Amazon. That's not what I got into writing for. However, sometimes we need to know what's working (or not) with our marketing.Friday started a three-day "free" marketing blitz for the Just An Old Fashioned Love Story anthology. Click here to see my post about it. We paid for some marketing that spread throughout the weekend. We topped at #2 for anthologies (#1 was an erotic series). Our highest level (that I saw) was #61 for the Kindle's Top 100 Free. I'm not sure how that equates to overall downloads. Our member over that hasn't reported.
It was an interesting experiment, and we're starting to get some reviews in.Which, of course, is kind of the point of giving the book away, that and exposure.
Second Meander - Genre
It can be your friend or your worst enemy.
I've mentioned before about struggling staying in one genre. Yes, I write romance, but I almost always like my romance served with a nice side of ... something. It's that "something" that keeps sending me into different genres. For example:
- A Change of Plans, Safe Harbors #1 is an adventure romance, though it has elements that place it in women's fiction.
- Hope's Watch, Safe Harbors #1.5 is romance but also deals with women's fiction elements.
- Torn Canvas, Safe Harbors #2 is general fiction with a strong romantic element.
- A Season of Change, Safe Harbors #2.5 is romance but there are some suspense elements.
With Swing Vote, Safe Harbors #3, I've been under the impression that it was a thriller--because it has thrillerish elements. But the more I've been researching, the more I've concluded that I can't/shouldn't write and market it as thriller.
So I did even more research. I've concluded that SV is going to be romantic suspense. And I'm good with that. I have the skeleton of the story down (that's my first draft), but I needed to KNOW for sure what approach to take before I proceeded any deeper into the edits.
Third Meander - Size
The awesome Canda Mortensen post on her blog here about the length of various categories of literature. Since I have various lengths (Hope's Watch and A Season of Change are both novelettes and Second Chances 101 is a novella), I thought I share. I found it interesting.
Did you have a good weekend? Do anything fun?
woohoo, hope the sales are good... Amazon's list don't always mean big sales!
ReplyDeleteThat's what we'll have to find out.
DeleteAt least my books are long enough to classify as novels.
ReplyDeleteAwesome on the sales rankings! They do mean sales.
*crosses fingers* And maybe some sales of other books.
DeleteGlad your marketing blitz went well. Yes, sometimes you have to focus on that. And I think it's good that your books fit in more than one genre because it makes them appeal to people who might not be as excited if you just write in one genre. For example, I don't love romances unless there's something else to the story like suspense, a thriller, or fantasy, etc.
ReplyDeleteThat's my hope. I just hadn't intended to cross genre in the same book series. lol Oh, well. The stories are what the stories are.
DeleteReviews and exposure are sure the best reason to do free, works for me many times. Plus with so many it sells others as well.
ReplyDeleteHmmm ... Marketing-schmarketing. Anyway, was off Saturday and cleaned some. Loppity-lopped on Sunday.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoyed your lippity lopping. ;)
DeleteInteresting bits of meandering. I've sometimes wondered about what length makes a novella vs a novellette vs a short story. Thanks for the table.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the good numbers with the anthology. WIth great exposure, perhaps it can help bring eyes to your individual projects.
As for my weekend, I was happily lazy for part of it and a total domestic cleaning house for the other half. It all turned out to make for a nice start to this week.
Cleaning the house. Very domestic. And it does set up the week, doesn't it?
DeleteI think genre is a funny thing, I don't like the idea of being "stuck" in one genre but it helps to build an image as a writer. I mean, you have an image as a romance writer but you can do a lot of things within that as you described. At least you know you're keeping things interesting throughout the series.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I'm hoping, Nick. And it doesn't hurt that other authors have told me their series have kind of morphed from one genre to another.
DeleteWoo! Let the sales fly higher.
ReplyDeleteLet it be!
DeleteSince its all mostly romance, not really genre hopping. If you wrote a children's fantasy that happens to have a love interest, that might be genre hopping. I think people get too hung up on the concepts. Stephen King sells in horror/thriller, romance, fantasy; but all his stories have that theme of macob, the ordinary person thrust into unbelievable circumstances. I think its cool that you can apply your romance craft to all kinds of fictional settings.
ReplyDeleteWell, everything I write has a romantic element to it. I like romance and I think it ups the ante because the characters have more to lose.
DeleteGenre is tricky, but you have the strong romance theme playing throughout, so you probably won't shock any fans if you stray more toward suspense in one book and adventure in another.
ReplyDeleteI hope your free promotion translates to many sales!
Shocking my fans isn't something I want to do, that's for sure! :D
DeleteI saw when those books went up for free. Told some friends about it. :)
ReplyDeleteHope your freebie blitz generates some good sales.
ReplyDeleteSame here, LD. Thanks!
DeleteI always wonder about word count and consistently look it up. My latest novel was a little below 50k and I worried it was a novella. I was wrong...it's a novel.
ReplyDeleteGreat rankings.
Yeah, what I had thought was a short story for hope's watch turned out to be a novelette.
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