19 Feb 2012, Posted by caburkes in 40 To Go,Amazon,Barnes and Noble,Butta,CommonSense Series, No Comments. Tagged Amazon, EBook, HATE, Young Adult

Happy Anniversary: Goals For 2012

I’ve never really said what my goals were for 2012 except to simply write my ass off. But if you know anything about me, I usually have a more thought out plot to thicken.

Also, I just realized yesterday was my one month anniversary as a consistent published author. Butta‘ was placed on Amazon and an eBook after years of bemoaning when and how it would happen. One month later, how did I do?

Butta‘ is .99 cents. Why so cheap? Because my goal was to introduce myself as a new author no matter when I started. Forget the past and just get started. .99 wasn’t free, but it had a price that must be paid and you take a chance with a new author and if the past said anything about the story of butta‘, anyone Buttaeads it loves it and we can go from there.

In that regard, things haven’t changed. Butta’ now sells at 5-10 books a day. I don’t get much at all except new readers and potentially new fans and that’s all I ever wanted. The idea of getting rich on what I’m doing without a flat endorsement from a publishing company is not in my plans. I know guys with 45+ books out there and they are making a decent living. That’s pretty much where I’m looking to get to. What confuses me is … guys with so many books out there like that making about $1000-$2000 a month … where’s their book deal? That end of the business confuses me.
Buttam not there yet so lets not worry about it. I don’t make any real money on the sale of Butta’ but it keeps that title in and around ranking of 14,000 and 23,000 every day. Weekends are at its worse. I think people buy hard on Mondays and taper off by Friday. Even downloading the free stuff also. Weekends aren’t thButtat for sales it seems … or online for that matter. People DO go outside after all.

Butta’ went FREE for one day only back in January and blew out 717Buttaes in a day. Put me at #13 in the thriller category.

I never went back to free with Butta’ and just let her do her thing. It worked. As of now, she is purchased at .99 every day. Hasn’t missed a day since a little past January 18th. That’s a great feeling. Never mindButtamoney … that doesn’t matter. It’s a low level viral thing with my best foot forward. Butta’ speaks for me and how I will write for the rest of my life. I hope that draws others to my other work.

In regards to other work, I concluded a new book once a month was reasonable. Mostly things i already half written that i could clean up and put out to EBook. That includes unfinished film projects. So the next book went on a daring adventure to put audio and video in to the EBook. Scratch, a short horror story incorporated audio and video into the Kindle but discovered regardless of the Kindle Publishing Guides approval to use it, it only works for Kindle for iOS and, unbeknownst to them, Kindle for Android. So there were times it just didn’t work. Especially on the hot new device, the Kindle Fire.

It went up for free the first day and went free for a day … about 90 downloads. Then because I needed greater feedback, I posted it for free for three days and it was downloaded 500+ times. Half way through I posted a new version that did not utilize the embedded practices for Kindle and just kept the links that went to a YouTuButtage for extended audio.

During this first month, I’ve achieved four reviews (two for Butta’/two for Scratch) and both were 5 or 4 stars with praise for storytelling: the point of my existence.

Buttanks-ebook/dp/B0077YUVAQ/”title=”Scratch” >Scratch, no longer free, doesn’t move as Butta’ does in sales but I think it’s the a cross between the price, the shortness of it, the category and the fears that the story may have something to do with harming children, which it doesn’t. Far from it. so the reviews helped a little get that its a good suspense story and since those reviews, sales picked up an ounce more as opposed to a stand still.

The reviews help but I think thrillers might be doing better than horror right now. We’ll see around Halloween.

The free giveawayButtathe beginning help, but only carry certain books so far afterward. I can’t explain why Butta’Buttaoing so well. So well, in my terms, as opposed to first coming out and having nothing. Butta’ could be at a stand still like Scratch. I have no marketing. I don’t understand it except to assume word of mouth, a nice cover and a nice price.

The plan I knew worked for other things also seems to work here as well. I know with YouTube videos that you can post one video of anything you do … and it can just sit there. You post a second video, then the first one gets more play. Post a third and then the first two get more views and so on. Backed by online mentioning and continuously churning the butter, sort of speak, things pick up.

I applied that principal to Amazon, knowingly and purposely making sure I had a second book out right after the first and sales did improve to where its at now by the time ButtaQ/”title=”Scratch” >Scratch came out. Now they bounce off each other slightly with Butta’ getting more sales. Butta_self”Buttaexternal”title=”Scratch” >Scratch is priced differently and higher than Butta’.

Butta’ will be my only .99 novel.

Thirty-Day Summary:

I kicked ass considering I came from obscurity 2008 to 2011. Amazon has a royalty payout every 60 days so I’m happy to say within my first thirty days I’ll get money deposited and then some if things keep going this way.

Personal suggestions: Less innovation and get to the story. I say this with 40 to Go coming out tomorrow with audio and video attached for Barnes and Noble but its a proven technique for the ePub format so I’m not doing anything new there. I spent too long trying to get the Kindle to work and while I had a few successes, i could have polished off a book and a half. Spend the rest of this first year just putting out content … for content I am burst at the seams with.

2012 Outlook and Goals

Realistic Goal: One book a month with an extra one somewhere in between. I have the material. A lot of half written novels. Just got to focus on putting them together and putting them out. The vault has everything and writers-block is not an issue with a storage of ready-to-go storylines I had stocked up. stick with what works (Thrillers) and sample a few other genres that are selling right now (Young Adult, Vampire and Romantic drama/comedies). I’m happy thButtacan switch-genres readily. My calculations say that’s enough , at a steady pace like Butta’ at prices of $2.99 average price, to bring about $200-$450 a month.

Over-The-Top but Probable Goal: By years end, deposit a check for $1000+ exclusively on my writing. I can do it one of two ways: dish out 20-40 books but that would mean I’m writing at least two books a month and I don’t have the peace and quiet necessary … nor the respect for what I do in my house. It’s sad but true. Unless I’m bringing in a PHAT check, my writing is looked at as my hobby and essentially I am not working. Needless to say, my HATE for all concerned is a constant source of my heartburn, stress and occasional depression … but I will say my “Kiss my ass” line here right now because later, when its all said and done, I’ll be too busy writing to say it then.

What’s on my side: My switch-hitting ability to write any genre. I have no problem seeing what’s making money and, like a mercenary, bring a story line to it. Chances are I have one pre-written. CommonSense is a GREAT example of that. While it started off as Fan Fiction, it’s horror but the core characters are perfect Young Adult. The stories are already being downloaded on the net. People like the characters and the stories, so I don’t have too far to go to enter the YA market (now that it’s flooded). Thank you, Twilight.

What’s against me: Lack of money, children responsibilities, loneliness. Being online is cool for meeting like minds but online is cold and void. The connectivity of another writer who understands this process would be welcoming AT HOME.

I said it before, it’s so bad, I can write whatever the fuck I want about anybody and it won’t be noticed because they don’t read my stuff.

I am speaking of specifics people. Maybe if I had40 To Good and a fucking basketball in a story …

Disregard (cause I try each and every day) … 40 To Go tomorrow! The first novel that sets off the series in April and my chance to see if this process of a Motion EBook works. Trying out Barnes and Nobles Pubit services for all that.

Let’s go three for three!

 

Corey

Corey A. Burkes Author/CEO
DesktopEpics Entertainment
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