# How many readers does it take to sell a book?



## sunaynaprasad (Feb 6, 2014)

My book got 31 reads on BookDaily, but no sales. On Free-ebooks.net, it got a hundred downloads after 103 reads. I wonder why? It can't be because of the content because most reviewers gave it positive reviews. So why would 0 out of 31 people not buy it?


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## dale (Feb 6, 2014)

i'm assuming that "free-books.net" offers the download for free and the other you have to buy it?


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## sunaynaprasad (Feb 6, 2014)

Yep


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## spartan928 (Feb 6, 2014)

Because people are extremely reluctant to pay for a book that is from an unknown author and not recommended to them from a friend. Classic purchasing reluctance. People download free stuff all the time with no intention of reading past the first few ages, if that. Coughing up cash is an investment and all consumers wants assurance, typically beyond curiosity, that their investment will pay a dividend of entertainment. Your book needs some cred behind it. You get that by becoming known as an author and having some buzz behind the work. How to do that is a discipline unto itself and often a crapshoot of marketing experimentation.


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## The Tourist (Feb 7, 2014)

spartan928 said:


> Because people are extremely reluctant...Classic purchasing reluctance.



I agree.  And while I know this exists, I do not understand the idea of "loss."

For example, I can understand the reluctance to go to a new mechanic.  After all, there is lots of money and replacement hassles if your vehicle is sidelined due to incompetence.  But even if a book was 100 bucks, your life will not be permanently derailed.

The worst book I ever read (and I mean ever, ever, ever) was a novel called "Angelology."  I paid four bucks for it out of a bargain bin--and I still got ripped off.  I needed the book for a reference tool, and the first quarter of the book was tolerable.

But, hey, life goes on--I can always re-gift it!

People will spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars to travel to a new locale just to have the chance for a bit of fun.  But a book by a new author costing at best twenty books is akin to pulling a tooth.


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## Gavrushka (Feb 7, 2014)

It's not a function of price is it, Sunaynaprasad? You're in competition with every other author there has ever been, and some of the deals for household names are amazing. You may need to establish a following by offering it free a while longer, and then at a lower price than you would really wish. (Price elasticity in e-books I imagine is very high)

And why are you not promoting it on here?

Anyhow, I really do wish you the best and congratulations on getting a book out there!!


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## The Tourist (Feb 7, 2014)

Gavrushka said:


> It's not a function of price is it, Sunaynaprasad?



Perhaps not as primary criteria, but it's a very real element.  Even a guy who has enough wealth to buy a yacht has to write a check...

I think I handle fifty books before I buy one--but I might ride only three or four bikes before buying one of those.  I bought my Sportster 48, spent nine grand, with only a ten mile test ride.

But I could have bought all fifty of those books for well under 1,000 dollars, probably closer to 500.  Despite the relatively minor cost, I tossed 49 of these back without a glimmer of interest.  And frankly, one time I declined one simply because I wanted to buy coffee instead.  We make these subtle choices constantly.


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## TWErvin2 (Feb 7, 2014)

It's not just an investment in money, but to read a book is an investment in time, which is also a valuable commodity--even more than the 99 cents bargain ebook, or the $8.99 more expensive established name author's ebook.


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## The Tourist (Feb 7, 2014)

TWErvin2 said:


> It's not just an investment in money, but to read a book is an investment in time, which is also a valuable commodity--even more than the 99 cents bargain ebook, or the $8.99 more expensive established name author's ebook.



I'm wondering if this condition is like nature/nurture.  I have lots of time, so I can read.  Then again, I'm retired.  To most of the world, time is a precious commodity.

Perhaps it's a variable equation of time and/or money.


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## David Gordon Burke (Feb 7, 2014)

sunaynaprasad said:


> My book got 31 reads on BookDaily, but no sales. On Free-ebooks.net, it got a hundred downloads after 103 reads. I wonder why? It can't be because of the content because most reviewers gave it positive reviews. So why would 0 out of 31 people not buy it?



There are two mysteries and after a brief search I have no answer to either of them.
1.  Who are you?
2.  What's the deal with bookdaily and free ebooks net?

To address #1...and this goes for so many people here on WF...I don't see the point of getting yourself out there, posting 580 times about the writing process and you doing it all anonymously from behind a *pseudonym* which in my humble opinion made every one of your posts a lost opportunity.  At the bottom of each and ever one of your posts is a space for a signature where you can leave links to your blog and .com etc. etc.  Your name will appear in google searches which will link back to these posts and basically answer the question posed by Daltry, Moon, Townsend and Entwhistle at the begining of every Episode of CSI 'Who the ^%_#$@&^ are you?  

Issue #2 what are these sites you are posting your work to and are they proven entities that have been proven to increase profile and sales?  I surfed around bookdaily and was turned off in seconds.  No explanation for the author.  To be quite honest, book excerpts have all the appeal of a sharp piece of glass in the eye.  

Have you gone the KDP route?  Are you doing anything to increase your profile?  If I knew your true name or the name you write under, what would happen if I googled that name?  These are all massively relevant questions.  

BTW how many titles do you have for sale?  
The long term plan of an INDIE writer is not to get 100 downloads of his book per day.
The plan is to get 10 downloads from each of his 10 titles every day.  

Food for thought.

David Gordon Burke
BTW - for free downloads that lead to paid downloads, KDP select is the proven method.  

David Gordon Burke


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## sunaynaprasad (Feb 7, 2014)

I've done a lot to get my name out there. Reviews, guest posts, giveaways, etc. I do only have one title for sale, and it is available as an ebook for 2.99. How do you leave a signature at the end of your posts? That sounds like a great idea.


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## Daivo (Feb 7, 2014)

i am no expert, but i would have thought even if your book are not for sale (yet) untill you can get the fans how are willing to pay for your work. 
most bloggers have to do alot of blogging to get known and after a while 6+ months if you have got a good fan base then posibly you could make money of advertisements on your blog.
these days it is alot harder to do this than it was a couple of years back as every idea you have for a blog will have been done, seen and posibly overused. you need to make it eye catching, not 1 topic, make it a place to chill out to read things that interest you, a movie corner, music, commen intrests, etc.
i know a fair few bloggers who do it as a hobby, and a couple who are trying to get money through it, the people i know who are more serious usually work in a group of people each person focusing on their part to make the blog more open and user friendly. with somthing new each day.


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## sunaynaprasad (Feb 7, 2014)

I've done some blogging in the past. It wasn't a success.


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## PiP (Feb 7, 2014)

sunaynaprasad said:


> I've done some blogging in the past. It wasn't a success.



Hi Sunay,

To be a successful blogger it's not just about the content. You must 'give' in order to 'receive'. How much time did you spend commenting and taking an interest in other people's blogs? What social media platforms did you use to promote your blog?


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## Daivo (Feb 7, 2014)

exactly my point, i might not have explained myself properly as i was trying to fix my glasses at the same time, and as we all know, men can not multitask unless it is talking rubbish while drinking a few to many on a night out. 
you have to put in a lot of time and i mean a lot. you have to make your blog worth coming back to. has to be intresting on more than one level otherwise it will just be a bland one topic blog which as i mentioned is very over used
just stick at it and eventually you will be noticed 
just keep trying and never give up. failure is not defeat, defeat is when you fail to try.


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## PiP (Feb 7, 2014)

Daivo said:


> exactly my point, i might not have explained myself properly as i was trying to fix my glasses at the same time, and as we all know, men can not multitask unless it is talking rubbish while drinking a few to many on a night out.



LOL... ho ho... dare I say *ducks* I agree with you...but then... I never read your comment because I was cooking the dinner and talking on the phone at the same time 



Daivo said:


> you have to put in a lot of time and i mean a lot. you have to make your blog worth coming back to. has to be intresting on more than one level otherwise it will just be a bland one topic blog which as i mentioned is very over used
> just stick at it and eventually you will be noticed
> just keep trying and never give up. failure is not defeat, defeat is when you fail to try.



You are right, before joining WF I used to spend most of my time blogging and talking about any crappy thing that was of passing interest to life in Portugal. However, I am/was listed on the first page of google on several longtail keywords which  resulted in some pretty healthy organic traffic. Every week I receive emails from various marketing companies who are willing to pay me to promote content on my blog. I rarely accept.



> Have you gone the KDP route? Are you doing anything to increase your profile? If I knew your true name or the name you write under, what would happen if I googled that name? These are all massively relevant questions.



David Gordon Burke makes some excellent suggestions. And if you have published a book why are you not using your signature to help promote it?


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## sunaynaprasad (Feb 7, 2014)

I have a signature on Amazon. It's "fantasy author."


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## PiP (Feb 7, 2014)

sunaynaprasad said:


> I have a signature on Amazon. It's "fantasy author."



Sorry my bad ...I meant in your WF signature  If you look at David's and TWEvin's sigs and avatars, and indeed many of the published authors at WF,  they are utilizing both to help promote their book or website. It's only a suggestion and you must do whatever you feel most comfortable with


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## sunaynaprasad (Feb 7, 2014)

So how do you set up a signature here?


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## Gavrushka (Feb 7, 2014)

It should be under the heading 'settings' at the very top of the page. Then, in the panel on the left, 'edit signature' should lead you to the promised land!


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## sunaynaprasad (Feb 7, 2014)

Okay. I just set up my WF signature. How long does it take to appear on the site?


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## Gavrushka (Feb 7, 2014)

sunaynaprasad said:


> Okay. I just set up my WF signature. How long does it take to appear on the site?



Ummm...


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## sunaynaprasad (Feb 8, 2014)

Checked BookDaily and saw that my book has been exposed to 2,069 people. But when I checked my sales on Novelrank, it was zero. Every book I saw on the site was from an unknown author, so why wouldn't one out of all those people buy it? Should I discontinue on that site? Does that method of selling not work?


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## patskywriter (Feb 8, 2014)

I wonder if maybe some books aren't quite ready for the "big time." There's a music show on NPR where the CD reviewers choose a verdict from: Buy It, Burn It, or Trash It. To translate those phrases to the book arena, I'd say that "Buy It" means liking it so much that you're willing to fork over some cash; "Burn It" is akin to somewhat liking it but preferring to acquire it as a free download; "Trash It" means the readers checked it out and simply didn't like it.

I did read an excerpt from your book. At one point you said that someone's snoring suggested that she was asleep. A couple of pages later you then said that the slamming of a door suggested that someone was home. This is your first book and you should be proud, but sometimes it takes several tries before you hit your stride.

One of my favorite composers was a Brazilian guy named Tôm Jobím. At one time his songs were the most popular songs in the world and they were played by pop, jazz, and classical musicians and translated into dozens of languages. After he enjoyed all kinds of fame and riches, he had the guts to issue a retrospective of his career. I was amazed that his first songs were corny and just, bad. Really bad. Even I write better stuff than that. Obviously he kept at it until he reached a point where his talent couldn't be denied. So, keep at it. I don't think you're there yet (and neither am I, LOL), so keep at it. It takes a while.


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## sunaynaprasad (Feb 8, 2014)

Actually, this is the 5th novel I've written.


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## patskywriter (Feb 8, 2014)

I hope you still get my point.


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## sunaynaprasad (Feb 8, 2014)

I do.


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## Gavrushka (Feb 8, 2014)

patskywriter said:


> I hope you still get my point.



I think it's a point that needs underlining. -I've written four novels, rewritten one of those four, and only the most recent of those is in the ballpark of 'suitable for public consumption.' - It's such a long journey, and recognising where the destination is as much of a challenge as the route itself.

'Good enough' when it comes to writing went a little pear-shaped with the advent of self-publication. - It became so easy to put words out there that perhaps we lose perspective a little, and end up with unrealistic expectations too early in our writing careers.

I thought I'd come up with a short story that was so good that there'd be a bidding war between the monthly publications, but it was rejected by the first magazine... - I sat there and convinced myself it was too long, and that they'd never read it properly... Eventually I accepted I was still trudging towards the finishing post and remembered why I write in the first place... I love it... I love creating, and I sure as hell can't paint, sing or dance.

sunaynaprasad, I've read one of your stories, and it was more than reasonable... BUT is not as good as the words you'll write tomorrow.


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## sunaynaprasad (Feb 8, 2014)

Was this one I have posted on this site?


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## Gavrushka (Feb 8, 2014)

Yes! I commented on it... Was it a fox trying to fool a tiger? (I'm old and my memory is not so good). I remember you saying you'd written it quite a while ago.


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## sunaynaprasad (Feb 8, 2014)

Nope, I've never written that.


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## movieman (Feb 8, 2014)

Thanks for the link, I'd wondered what you'd written .

Some thoughts on why people may not be buying it:

1. I like the cover, so I don't think that's a problem.
2. I thought some of the reviews were a better blurb for the book than the one in the book description. That description is usually the next thing people look at after the cover, and probably puts many of them off. With some of my e-books, I've seen dramatic differences in sales after changing the book description.
3. The author bio appears to misspell 'copyrighted', unless that's an American spelling? To be honest, I'd remove that whole sentence, since it seems a negative in a bio where you're trying to give readers a positive reason to buy the book.
4. The first couple of pages of the preview were basically telling the reader about her life, rather than showing it. To me, the story didn't really pick up until she saw the message in the rain and began interacting with the housekeeper. That may also be putting readers off.

Another thing is that the e-book and print versions aren't linked. You might want to bug Amazon to link them all together so you see all three versions on the same page.


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## sunaynaprasad (Feb 8, 2014)

Yeah, that was because I wanted to start off with her goal (which becomes a sub-plot). How can I get Amazon to link the three together? What do I do?


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## movieman (Feb 8, 2014)

sunaynaprasad said:


> Yeah, that was because I wanted to start off with her goal (which becomes a sub-plot). How can I get Amazon to link the three together? What do I do?



You should just be able to email them the three ASIN IDs (in the product detail sections) and ask them to link them together. Normally it happens automatically if the title and author match, but doesn't appear to have done in this case.


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## sunaynaprasad (Feb 8, 2014)

Okay, thanks.


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## Gavrushka (Feb 9, 2014)

sunaynaprasad said:


> Nope, I've never written that.



Yes, I was confusing you with another member; forgive me.

Could you post a link to something you've posted on here, and I am sure that one or two of us will offer a critique. There may be a few minor adjustments we could suggest that could lead to better sales figures.


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## sunaynaprasad (Feb 9, 2014)

I am doing a post-production revision where I shorten the back story ( and move a couple of sentences to later parts) so that the inciting incident comes closer.


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