Kindle Forum banner

help! why won't my book sell? military sci fi/space fleet

9K views 98 replies 33 participants last post by  unkownwriter 
#1 ·
my book is out, but for the past few weeks, I only get 1-3 buyers per day, except one day where I got 9 (but I think that may be because the author alert went out the day before for all the people who followed my author's profile on amazon).

i know for a fact that my cover is amazing. it's getting hits left and right from every similar book's "viewers who viewed this book also viewed" section. in other words, my book is appearing in that section on many MANY other people's books. the cover is attracting hits to my book

so i don't understand why it won't sell like it should with that amount of hits to my book's page. is it the blurb? i've changed the blurb once already. is it the 10% sample? i've edited the sample three times already. first, there was this massive infodump, so i edited it out and replaced it with a smaller summary of the original massive infodump. then i thought it might be the first 10 paragraphs and that people thought the dialogue was boring, so i completely revamped the first 10 paragraphs. i rewrote it entirely. nothing worked

here's my book
https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Sol-Lee-Guo-ebook/dp/B07F64NTLW

please tell me why you wouldn't buy this book!

incidentally, that day when i had 9 buyers, halfway through (it already had 5 sales that day) I changed my 10% sample again. so now i wonder if me changing the sample the 3rd time had a negative effect (because it went back to 3 buyers the day after i did that). and now i'm wondering if i should change it back. i'm really befuddled

here's a snapshot of the sales so far:
 
See less See more
1
#77 ·
Joseph Malik said:
My thoughts are usually along the lines of, Oh, [crap], followed by, We need the SAW over on that side, and these three guys fanning out covering that area of approach, and I wonder if they have mortars on that hill, and Has everybody on the team practiced an Australian Peel? There's usually a component of What the [expletive] is Mike doing now? which goes hand in hand with at least one moment of wondering if it's too late to join the Coast Guard.
Yes. I'd be far more likely to buy/read that.
 
#78 ·
Let's not hit Federation Starship Yorktown too hard. The USS Yorktown (CV-5) is one of the most famous ships in the world, having surprised the Japanese so thoroughly at Midway they lost an incredible initiative and three aircraft carriers.

Yorktown was one of the original 12 Constitution-class starships in the original Star Trek series, and was referred to as a "Federation starship," so that could cause some confusion.

I've always utilized "starship" to signify a vessel capable of interstellar travel.

All was love until the Black T-Shirts came to our land, with their Oakleys and their Merrill Trail Runners, and they won the hearts of our women with their sleeve tattoos and offerings of Red Bull and beef jerky
Only writers can craft such magnificence. Tip of the cap, sir.
 
#79 ·
Shane Lochlann Black said:
"All was love until the Black T-Shirts came to our land, with their Oakleys and their Merrill Trail Runners, and they won the hearts of our women with their sleeve tattoos and offerings of Red Bull and beef jerky"

Only writers can craft such magnificence. Tip of the cap, sir.
Ditto. Joseph almost sold me a book with that line, but when I checked his page it looks like secondary-world epic fantasy rather than a Mil-Thrill or Mil-SF that would have ended up in my TBR pile. Nothing wrong there, just read enough of it in my younger days that lost any craving for more.
 
#80 ·
Shane Lochlann Black said:
Only writers can craft such magnificence. Tip of the cap, sir.
J. Tanner said:
Ditto. Joseph almost sold me a book with that line, but when I checked his page it looks like secondary-world epic fantasy rather than a Mil-Thrill or Mil-SF that would have ended up in my TBR pile. Nothing wrong there, just read enough of it in my younger days that lost any craving for more.
Kind words.

I write fantasy technothrillers. Think The Hunt for Red October but for knights in armor instead of submarines. So, it's a little different from typical portal fantasy, closer to mil SF with historical fiction/hard SF level worldbuilding. Not everybody's cup of tea. I appreciate the look, though.
 
#81 ·
MelanieCellier said:
I may be way off here--at the end of the day we're all just throwing around theories--but I still think you may have more of a traffic issue than you realize. I had a quick look at your book and the also-vieweds (interesting to look at them for this purpose, by the way, I hadn't really done that before), and while it's true that your book does appear high on the also-vieweds of the top books in your also-vieweds, none of them seem to be ranking well. (Mostly below yours.) So that really might amount to very little traffic. It's quite possible that the effect is created by the die-hard fans of the sub-genre who look at all new releases that come out, thus tying those books together. But that might be only a small overall number of people. It seems to me that the real test is whether books that are ranking really well have your book in their also-vieweds. (Since the high rank guarantees that there's lots of traffic to those books.) Now, I'll admit that I didn't drill down really far, here, but I didn't see your book in the Long-Range War also-vieweds for several pages, and when I looked at a handful of the top ranked books in your first listed sub-genre, I didn't see your book in the also-vieweds. At least not in the first few pages of them.

I saw in a different answer that your previous books (the two successful ones you're judging from) seem to have been released in 2014 and 2015. If that's the case, then I honestly think you should put them completely from your mind. From all accounts, it's a totally different marketplace to what it was back in 2014. I think you're stressing about all these little things that probably aren't what's making the difference. I think the difference is that it's 2018, and you're just not going to get the same results as you did in 2014. Not with the same methods, anyway. Not unless you've built up a loyal readership and a way to communicate with them (e.g. a mailing list).
i want to believe you so bad........ but the way i see it, the system that's in place is still the same. there is still a 'viewers who viewed this also viewed" section. and there's also a 'buyers who bought this also bought" section. there's just an additional "Sponsored products related to this item" section. i don't think the system in which my new book needs to use in order to sell is any different.

the big difference i can see is that during the first 6 days in which i published my book, this book sold only 3 units at most per day. my first book sold 16 units per day on average in the first 6 days. and the second book i published did the same.

there was just no sudden jump after the first 6 days. my newest book had no jump after the first 6 days as would be expected because it failed to enter the 'buyers who bought this also bought' phase as did my first two books.... because it didn't sell well during the first 6 days (the "viewer who bought this also viewed" proliferation phase)

i'm inclined to believe timothy ellis that it's because readers don't see my book as any different from the others. that it's the same old story and that it's not different. and also what other people said, that the blurb and the 10% sample are problematic

but to be sure, i'm going to try the whole ams thing as one fellow suggested. that way, I can see the amount of clicks to my page and then see how many of those clicks to my page ended up clicking the buy button (is that how it works? is seeing that possible? i'm a newb to ams)
 
#82 ·
Joseph Malik said:
you need a heavy line edit from an editor who will explain to you why these things above don't work, so that you can carry it forward
Like this piece of advice for anyone new to working with editors. If an editor gives you details on common mistakes, how to fix them, developmental issues, etc., you can use that feedback while working on your subsequent books. A valuable editor should want to help you improve as a writer (as long as you're open to it).
 
#83 ·
Patty Jansen said:
A few things:

In 2014 and 2015, mil-SF was really hot. It still sells well, but you have to be able to come up with the goods and write well. Selling well is not a matter of just publishing a book anymore.

Amazon has changed its page format. A lot of us (I bet most of us) are not seeing also-vieweds and alsobots anymore. Like, at all. Only sponsored product ads.

If you want to sell and you don't catch lightning and you don't have people waiting for the book, you have to bring your own audience. And that works better if you're wide (i.e. not exclusive to Amazon).
don't see how going wide will help bring an audience
 
#84 ·
TimothyEllis said:
Here's the thing: Amazon wants book 2 30 days after book 1. A year later, and you are resurrecting the dead. Another year later for book 3 and also resurrecting the dead, with the added thing that people have long forgotten you, and given up on ever seeing the next book.

So forget about the previous books, as they are not going to springboard book 3 or later. The only thing which works here is spending money. But, there is no point in spending money if you can't convert it.
I know that. I have no belief that because someone bought my first two books that they'll buy my fourth. there might be a few, but it's very small group of people. I'm not relying on that. I am relying on the system. the whole "also-viewed" phase and "also-bought" phase system that allows my book to proliferate within both phases during the first two weeks

TimothyEllis said:
For mil readers, YES. The military side of it MUST be perfect to how now military are set up, or explained why they are not. I swapped Major General and Lieutenant General around, and no-one blinked because my MC was setting up his own structure, and I went through his thinking about why it should be changed.

But to just use the wrong rank in a situation, upsets mill readers.

Biggest upset for me in the game X3 TC, was the plot assigned you a plot rank as you progressed, and the rank structure was just insane, having no relation to any existing structure. It breaks your flow in the game, and in the read.
ok, i'm going to change my sector general to fleet admiral

TimothyEllis said:
Likely enough, your change had nothing to do with the days with 9.

Admiral's dont run ships. Captain's do. Admirals most often have a separate CIC/CCC, with their own chair being in the same place as the Captain's chair in the main CIC/CCC. Admirals have staff, Captains have crew. Admirals give orders to Captains, who give orders to the crew. Admirals give fleet orders through a fleet com officer on the admiral's staff in the Admiral's CIC/CCC, one recipient of which is the captain of the ship the Admiral is on.

It is extremely rare for an Admiral to command a ship, or be on the bridge with the Captain. Admiral, Captain, and XO will all be in different places so at least one of them survives.

And mill readers expect all this. Space navy is always close to wet navy, in rank structure and ship design.

Space Opera on the other hand, breaks all the rules, or at least bends them a lot. You can get away with a lot writing SO, where you cant writing millsf. But SO is about characters, not momentous events. Yes, the events are still there, but the story is about people and how they feel, not about if the earth was saved or not.

You seem to have the mill mindset of writing event driven stories, but you lack an understanding of the military itself. And Mill readers are very unforgiving of basic mistakes.

If this was me, I'd be looking for a mill editor, or a mill author, who will red pen all your existing books, and tell you what you need to research to get it right. Then forget about this series, and use the lessons to start again with a new story. And in 2018, you need to release the whole trilogy inside a year. In 3 years time, you can go back and rewrite this series as second editions, and people will read them in flowback from your current books.
ok, thanks for the information. I will use it next time I write a book. I don't have any money, so I can't hire anyone (like an editor) from now on. i'm totally broke. I will try to find some mill reader. can you do it???? look at my new novel I mean
 
#85 ·
EditorKatherine said:
Like this piece of advice for anyone new to working with editors. If an editor gives you details on common mistakes, how to fix them, developmental issues, etc., you can use that feedback while working on your subsequent books. A valuable editor should want to help you improve as a writer (as long as you're open to it).
I don't have any money to hire anyone from now on. I have 500 dollars in my bank account and that's it
 
#86 ·
guochel said:
but to be sure, i'm going to try the whole ams thing as one fellow suggested. that way, I can see the amount of clicks to my page and then see how many of those clicks to my page ended up clicking the buy button (is that how it works? is seeing that possible? i'm a newb to ams)
You'll see how well your keywords and bid turn into impressions (when your ad appears on a page).

You'll see how many impressions turn into clicks. This tells you if our ad content--the cover and text are effective at drawing readers to your page.

Then you'll see how many clicks turn into sales. This tells how well your conversion elements outside the cover are working, since you already know the cover worked. (It might also help expose a case of a book looking like the wrong genre.)

Note that Amazon's conversion reporting seems really bad. Lots of authors report larger changes in their average daily sales (and page reads which aren't reported) than indicated when they stop ads. So know that they underreport (which is nuts because the industry outside Amazon almost always overreports) and do your own measurement before/after the ad by looking at your dashboard which tends to be more reliable.
 
#87 ·
ShayneRutherford said:
That's going to make him hard to relate to, I think, because the human race is too big and too nebulous a concept for people to invest in emotionally. We have sympathy for the plight of others when there's a disaster or a crime, but we don't have enough in us to invest in all the other people in the world. They're just a big faceless mass of humanity, until we can put a face to each one. And sure, soldiers who go to war are fighting for their country, but how many movies have you seen where the MC has a picture of his girl back home. He's fighting for his country because it's the right thing to do, but his personal stake is the woman he loves.

For most readers, I believe it's going to be that personal stake that makes them invest in the story. I mean, yes, I'm sure there are stories here and there that don't really have a personal stake for the hero, but all of the stories I remember best are the ones that I can connect to on an emotional level. It's just the way people are wired, I think.
Lilly_Frost said:
Or as Stalin said, to paraphrase: "The death of one man is a tragedy; the death of a thousand men is a statistic."
ok! I will put some "personal" motivation into my mc whenever they're fighting a war
 
#88 ·
oakwood said:
You asked for it so

You sir are blinded by your own hope.

Swallow the harsh medicine and be prepared to abandon your baby. With that I mean stop trying to tweak that which needs so much tweaking because time is probably better spent writing another book.
Building on experience from mistakes, create (plot, worldbuild, write etc) more for a clear market... your book cover and writing style for example is squarely aimed at young readers but you want adults, but are not ticking any boxes that would satisfy many adults, so confusion for all paries, increase your prospects by working harder (you did well by publishing, many writers never dare to publish at all, but one can always go harder, more, faster, deeper), work smarter (be more precise in your targeting (maybe more pinpoint targeting at your readers might help this book, but if it was me I would just leave it and start on the next job) also, perhaps.. consider writing in your own language.. if you are from a country with a large population, maybe success is easier in your language instead of trying to wrestle with english (yes obvious, so many mistakes)

Above all, turn your question/search around..

do not wonder why does my book not sell, ask yourself and study instead why are buyers picking up those other books?

read more in your genre/niche and study what makes those books tick - demographic targeting (age, gender, ethnicity, profession, interests, etcetcet), story structure and fulfilling important reader expectations, like military jargon, the language, pacing and of course the story.

"i know for a fact that my cover is amazing"

No it is not. Again, you are blinded by your own hope.

Your first book had a decent cover for targeting mature readers.
Earth Under Fire cover was also good enough.
Your latest cover is too busy, impossible to see what it is in thumbnail and the font /colrs /style screams late middle grade to early YA and reeks of passable content. based on cover alone, a very very very hard sell.
can someone answer why there's been two people already who think my novel (in the first post) looks made for young adult? And also how to increase "ticking boxes that would satisfy many adults"? what type of boxes are these? and why does my novel not have them?

and what do you mean by "be more precise in your targeting (maybe more pinpoint targeting at your readers might help this book)"
how am I failing to target my readers right now? and how do I increase targeting my readers with my next book?
 
#89 ·
Scrapper78 said:
I love military sci-fi. I can only tell you why I would personally be turned away form the book. None of these things makes your book or your writing bad. These are just the reasons I, a 40-year-old lover of all military fiction, would not purchase it. Once again, these are my OPINIONS and IMPRESSIONS. They are not meant to be indictments on the work itself.

Here are my impressions:
A:) 1-3 sales a day happens to lots of people who write good books. If it stays this way for a year, then get worried.
B:) The blurb is a turn-off. It's too blunt and the sentence structure is already warning me that the writing is likely too simplistic to attract me. ("...only one man tactically and strategically minded enough to save us." I'd have scrapped that entirely, but even then something like: "...only one man with the tactical and strategic skill to be humanity's last hope..." reads much better.)
C:)The blurb dumps plot points one after the other like a numbered list. There's no hook, no tension.
D:) The sample kills it for me. Here's why.

* "0.2 times the speed of light." That would be "Point-two C" for anyone who flies a space craft. You actually use it later, so this was unnecessarily jarring.
* Your writing is super tight and almost choppy. The descriptions are brutally clipped and deliver only the minimum information possible. This can be good, but where is the majesty of space? The terror of a colossal dreadnought? The sweat on the palms of a terrified pilot? You deliver the technical information really well, but I FEEL nothing. This is a style thing and lots of people won't have an issue with it. Just my impression.
* Yamato's internal monologue reads like something out of 1950's sci-fi serial short. "So the vile enemy has arrived..." "I must defend our existence at all costs..." "On death's ground we must fight..." "Why must they kill everything we hold dear?" Please tell me he wears a cape, because that would actually be kinda cool.
* "Head to stern..." On a ship, the "head" is the bathroom. Even though I knew what you meant, I could not escape a mental picture of the toilet here.
*"Speed and vector..." A vector is any quantity with magnitude and direction. Speed is the magnitude in this case. Don't say it twice!
*"His computer computed..." Really?
*In the sample, you use the word "gaze" nine times, and "eyed" seven times. I know our hero needs to watch a lot of readouts, but it got repetitive.
*The combat was actually pretty good, but too often it read like a stat dump from an Eve Online battle or a tabletop roleplaying game. Some readers will love that. Others won't.
*I feel no heat or connection to the newly-married couple. They just decide on a whim to get married and then they suddenly act like an old married couple.
*There are a lot of grammatical flaws and punctuation errors in that sample. It happens to all of us. Fixing it will help.

Don't take any of this too harshly. Your book probably will appeal to lots of people. Most sales issues boil down to finding the audience that likes your story and the way you tell it. Trying to write something that everyone will love is silly. Write a story you love and then go find other people who agree with you to buy it.

And always work on craft. Some of the mechanical/craft issues in your sample and blurb are easy enough to fix. Stay with it and it will get better.
ok, thanks for the help! i have no idea how i'll remember this. i guess i'll be going back to this thread a lot
 
#90 ·
Marty South said:
You need to take shoppers on this journey: COVER --> BLURB --> SAMPLE --> BUY BUTTON -->(and sometimes BIO). Anything that stops that progression is a problem.

COVER: The cover is fine. It's a little busy, and I don't personally like author names in the same font as the title. Many authors have a specific font and look for their name as part of their branding. But I don't think this cover gets in the way of sales.

BLURB: Too long, too much plot, not enough premise or character. Cut it down to 150 words or less, third person.

What makes your book different from the other books featuring space battles in which only one person can save the world? Character. Feature that character in the blurb. Make him vulnerable. Give him a personal/internal obstacle and a reason to overcome it, in addition to the external save-the-world task. Make readers care.

So... write 150 words about how alien lizards have created a game-changing technology that has ravaged the human world. Now Harvey Yamato, the only one who possesses the knowledge to combat this technology, must overcome his personal/internal/(often tragic) obstacle in order to save the world. [+Cliffhanger.]

SAMPLE: I'd recommend a new editor and formatter. Pay particular attention to the online sample. Make it sparkle.

BIO: Present yourself as a professional. You seem to have deliberately painted a picture of a college dropout/gamer who is cobbling together stories from ideas he's lifted from games. Cut the word "porn." Yeah, most of us get what you mean, but some readers take things literally. As is, this bio reads like you're targeting 17-year-olds.

PRO TIP: include your blurb and bio with the manuscript you send to your proofreader. That way you can avoid typos in your blurb and bio (e.g., "unc-chapel hill").
ok thanks! I will change my blurb soon. i'm just going to copy and paste the blurb that a fellow made for me this thread
I will also try to change my sample. not sure how yet
 
#91 ·
TromboneAl said:
My guess is that if you had a great cover and blurb that everyone here raved about, you'd be lucky to double your sales and more likely see no change.
TimothyEllis said:
For this book, a better cover and blurb would pick up some readers, but only those who dont read samples. The sample itself is the main problem.
I'd agree, to a certain extent, with both statements. The sample is the biggest issue. Even if all the marketing-oriented elements are flawlessly on point, in the end, the decision to buy or not will live or die on the strength of the writing.

There's been a a lot of great critique since I popped in last, much of it extended past the specific marketing elements and into the execution and focus of the book itself, and all of it reads true. These comments could help plot out a sound editing strategy, if you're interested in improving this book. Even if you're thinking of cutting your losses and moving on the next, they're a great touchstone of places to focus a more critical eye while writing and editing.

In fiction of any sort, the verisimilitude must be there or readers will bounce. In subgenres like military SF, the importance is even higher. The posters here have offered a ton of great pointers at where and how the present sample needs work and more research. Details matter. Realism, even in fantastical settings, is critical. Not only must the elements derived from military structure and tactics ring true, but the elements you create must also have rules and internal logic and, above all, make sense to an average reader.

The pushback on Yamato's personal stakes leads me to believe this story doesn't have much from that angle. If so, this would be your highest hurdle to revamping this book toward something more commercially viable. It's also the most crucial to you as a writer. You can eliminate the military issues in a different genre, but can't dodge the need for personal stakes and engagement with the character(s). Across all genres and subjects, readers want someone to relate to and see the impact of the events through the lens of their perspective. Even if Yamato's simply driven by a need to achieve or a fear of failure, that focus came from somewhere and references to it can be added to round out his motivations and make him a more flesh-and-blood person who lives and breathes on the page vs an avatar there to fulfill plot points. If there's no inner life to set Harvey Yamato apart from thousands of other starship commanders waging desperate war against an alien invader, there's not as compelling an urgency to want to know what happens. (We all know the hero will prevail. It's about as sure an ending as the killer being caught in a whodunit or the main couple's happily ever after in a romance.) I think Shayne Rutherford and others captured the essence and importance of creating empathetic engagement with the MC beautifully, so will suggest rereading that post rather than bloviating further on this point.

Polishing the prose for clunkers is also a big factor that'll carry over into any genre you write. Good editing is critical. There are a lot of places where you go off the rails. The inner dialog is way over the top. It reads as unrealistic with a old-serial or comic book kind of on-the-nose clunkiness, which Joseph Malik highlighted particularly well. The use of language is the essence of your voice as a writer, so cluttered prose is an issue, too. Unnecessary adverbs and narrative with excessive details and stage direction can quickly turn off readers who want to feel confident command of the language. A solid editor will help on many fronts, and would be well worth the investment to have one with real trade experience and chops have a go at even a part of the book. If you analyze their feedback and understand why they've recommended changes, you can carry that knowledge into editing the rest.

The most advice I'll extend, since the decision to edit or move on is a hard one. If you do revamp this book, don't stop the edit at the sample. Any issues present there may extend into the rest. I can't say for certain whether that's the case, not knowing how much of the sample is your unedited section and where the edited portion kicks in. The military/SF issues and lack of personal stakes will likely carry over, at the least. So I'd not recommend let readers drop off a quality cliff by polishing the bejeezus out of the teaser and leaving the rest as is. Ideally, you'd like them to want to buy your next book.

You've been given a lot to think about here, and I'm glad to see you countering less and taking more on board. That's the hardest part of improvement, but the thing that'll more significant strides forward possible.

No matter which direction you choose to take, good luck with your next step!
 
#92 ·
guochel said:
can you do it? ??? look at my new novel I mean
I haven't read enough to know how much work is needed, or even if it can be salvaged.

I'm not an editor, but I do my own editing. So yes, I could look at it, even edit it. But I don't work like an editor does. I would be looking at co-author and sharing royalties. It also means you need to be able to step away from the book, and let me do what ever it needs to read well. Most authors cant do that, and not many want to share the royalty. It is however an option when you cant afford an editor. The resulting book, when compared side by side with the original, would teach you a lot, if you made the effort.

The other option would be to find an editor willing to work on a royalty-share basis, where you would retain control of the edit process. I'm not sure if any do it, but it is perhaps worth pursuing here and in FB groups.
 
#93 ·
TimothyEllis said:
I haven't read enough to know how much work is needed, or even if it can be salvaged.

I'm not an editor, but I do my own editing. So yes, I could look at it, even edit it. But I don't work like an editor does. I would be looking at co-author and sharing royalties. It also means you need to be able to step away from the book, and let me do what ever it needs to read well. Most authors cant do that, and not many want to share the royalty. It is however an option when you cant afford an editor. The resulting book, when compared side by side with the original, would teach you a lot, if you made the effort.

The other option would be to find an editor willing to work on a royalty-share basis, where you would retain control of the edit process. I'm not sure if any do it, but it is perhaps worth pursuing here and in FB groups.
I meant a new new book.

not this old book. I'm not sure you would get paid much, cause even if you implemented new changes (of your own creation), I don't think it'll suddenly sell a whole lot more even with your changes... cause everyone that would buy it... they all have already looked at it (at the version without your new changes)

that's my hunch, anyway

as for percentage of royalties, i don't care how much money i recieve, only that the new new book sells. how about 50%?

anyway, that's just my mind creating more of a mess. if it's better to work on this old book (battle of sol) -- for educational and humanitarian purposes of helping me, i'll do that, too LOL. i love the idea of coauthoring... whichever book it is that is being worked on!
 
#95 ·
guochel said:
not this old book. I'm not sure you would get paid much, cause even if you implemented new changes (of your own creation), I don't think it'll suddenly sell a whole lot more even with your changes.
Assuming it can be done, I think it would sell much more.
Co-authoring and rewriting mean that the credits and content changes. You'd change the title too. And I'm sure he'd want a new cover.
Won't be the same, won't look the same, will be checked over by a whole new range of readers. No reason it wouldn't sell well.

Assuming it can be done.
 
#96 ·
Glis Moriarty said:
Assuming it can be done, I think it would sell much more.
Co-authoring and rewriting mean that the credits and content changes. You'd change the title too. And I'm sure he'd want a new cover.
Won't be the same, won't look the same, will be checked over by a whole new range of readers. No reason it wouldn't sell well.
Assuming it can be done.
Essentially, its taking a raw story, and majorly rewriting in an edit mode. The story remains, but very few sentences remain unaltered.

In this case, I'd release it as a second edition, with a new cover.

But I will repeat, I've not read enough to know if this one is even salvageable.

I've done this 3 times already, but not with an already published book.
 
#97 ·
TimothyEllis said:
Essentially, its taking a raw story, and majorly rewriting in an edit mode. The story remains, but very few sentences remain unaltered.

In this case, I'd release it as a second edition, with a new cover.

But I will repeat, I've not read enough to know if this one is even salvageable.

I've done this 3 times already, but not with an already published book.
let's do it!
 
#99 ·
whenever someone says a point, my natural tendency is to counter that point with a point of my own that is opposite of it
Welcome to Human Nature 101! The thing is, you're expecting people to pay you money, so you are going to have to become a professional and provide them something worth their time and money. You can't do that if you argue with everyone about everything. You got better towards the end of the thread, so kudos.

No one likes to hear it, but the craft of writing comes first. That takes time, effort and lots of practice. I know it's exciting to think about publishing and the dream of people buying your work can be so overwhelming that it can cause you to be blinded to the fact that the writing and presentation just isn't "there".

The market is a lot different in the middle of 2018 than it was four or five years ago. You can't depend on "the system" to sell your books, because there is no system. You are responsible for getting readers to see your book, which you should have already made sure is ready to sell. That doesn't come after you publish and get few to no sales, but before.

Publishing isn't easy, and it's not a straight or quick road to sales. Honestly, getting a couple of sales a day is pretty damned decent, considering the book and the fact you can't/don't promote. The thing is, those first 30 days are the most important time for a new book. It gets a little help by being on the new releases list, but after that, if it's not selling enough, it drops off in search results. To keep selling, readers have to be able to find it. That means getting the word out. There are free places and low-cost places to promo a free book (if you're in Select/KU you can run up to five days every enrollment), or one at .99.

You've gotten good advice from folks who write this genre, or who know more about it, and you should seriously take it. Research the genre, research military topics, research everything. Study writing books like your life depended on it, and practice, practice, practice. Write more books, incorporating all you've learned.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top