# This is just TOO funny.



## David Gordon Burke (Dec 16, 2013)

So I have given up the daily review of my Sales at Amazon. Why bother for now? I realize that it's absolutely imperative to have a number of books / novels to offer before you are apt to see any significant numbers at all.

But.....I did want to see if my English book for Spanish speakers had done anything at all. So I headed over to Amazon, looked up the book and this is what I found.



#31 in Books > Libros en español > No-Ficción > Educación > *Teoría Educativa*
#100 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Education Theory > Contemporary Methods > *Bilingual*
One's heart is sure to start racing at this point, right? So I go to my sales report and it turns out that I had sold ONE copy. Apparently the Spanish market is very, very small. HAHA.


David Gordon Burke


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## The Tourist (Dec 16, 2013)

David Gordon Burke said:


> I had sold ONE copy.



David, look at the bright side.  That's one more copy than most of us will ever sell in our entire lifetimes.

I do think that your seminal offering of "The Ridiculous Military Blunders Of Santa Ana" might not have been the most astute topic for that demographic.


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## Gumby (Dec 16, 2013)

I can imagine that was a big letdown, but it's a start.


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## Gavrushka (Dec 16, 2013)

It made me smile, and thank you for sharing.

I think you've a new title to add soon, and your reputation can only build. - I look forward to an updated report in the New Year, where you've clambered higher up the chart.


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## David Gordon Burke (Dec 16, 2013)

The Tourist said:


> "The Ridiculous Military Blunders Of Santa Ana"



That's too funny.  But it does prove a certain point.  Why bother writing books and / or translating existing works into Spanish when the majority of people I have discussed this theme with (The Alamo, Texas, the lost territories etc.) think that the guy's name is Santana.  I mean really, the only thing Carlos ever did with military precision was roll a fattie.

David Gordon Burke


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## The Tourist (Dec 16, 2013)

Well, it wasn't just military blunders, the good general made a slew of mistakes in his private life.  For example, he once stated that he would give his right leg to learn how to dance the Jarabe Tapato. 

Oh, it didn't end there.  When first hearing El Degüello at the Alamo gates, he opined, _"It has a good beat, but isn't fun to Los Viejitos to..."
_


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## movieman (Dec 16, 2013)

David Gordon Burke said:


> So I go to my sales report and it turns out that I had sold ONE copy. Apparently the Spanish market is very, very small. HAHA.



Germany too. I've often hit a top 100 there by selling one book.


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## David Gordon Burke (Jan 20, 2014)

So I decided to give the book away for the KDP select limited time promo.  This is with the hope that a few reviews will go up and that it might lead to sales of some of my other titles.

There have been hundreds of downloads and not just at the .com version of Amazon.  

Now the ranking of my book is /

*Amazon Best Sellers Rank:* #7,041 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store) 

#3 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Education Theory > Contemporary Methods > *Bilingual*
*David Gordon Burke*


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## Gavrushka (Jan 20, 2014)

I've a Kindle arriving tomorrow, and was looking at the volume of free books available. - An unwholesomely huge volume! One of the top ones (after focussing in on sci-fi) had 41 reviews, all but a couple very positive. - The book was the first in a trilogy, and even then it led to minuscule sales of the second and third books in the series... - Something has to be done to regulate the self-publication market, but God knows what. - Every talentless muppet is throwing their crap out there and concealing the genuine authors.

I have to say, I've more or less rejected self-publication as a means of gaining any sort of financial success from writing.

Perhaps when you've a few more titles to your name, it will make a difference and you'll build up a head of steam. - I do wish you well, but I am beginning to feel that the current structure of the market is not a healthy one.


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## N J Xkey (Jan 20, 2014)

Most of the (paid for) books on my kindle come from my having downloaded a free book from an unfamiliar author and then NEEDING to read more by them (of course there have been plenty of free books I've downloaded and then not read past the first chapter...) so I think you're doing a good thing. From a reader's point of view the market is swamped with utter tosh, I'm not going to spend money on someone I've never heard of who has no reviews but I will give something that sounds intriguing a go if it's free and if it's good I WILL spend money on that author in the future. Honestly, some people are charging several pounds for 14 or 15 pages worth of drivel... It really is hard to find the diamonds among the rough :/


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## Morkonan (Jan 20, 2014)

David Gordon Burke said:


> *...*One's heart is sure to start racing at this point, right? So I go to my sales report and it turns out that I had sold ONE copy. Apparently the Spanish market is very, very small. HAHA.
> 
> 
> David Gordon Burke



 

That's the way to do it - Invent your own genre and then claim your crown! (I wonder how difficult it would be to flood Amazon/other with a bunch of titles in a genre nobody has ever heard of before? Unfortunately, it's the cross-refs and recommendations that would be pushing the majority of searchers your way and not independent searches. But, when a couple did hit, yours would be the title they saw!)


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## spartan928 (Jan 21, 2014)

The myth of technology is that a book will somehow generate commerce because it's "out there" and the "out there" is so vast and interconnected that the more places you get your book to pop up, the more it will sell. Hogwash. 

People buy from, and because, of other people. Gavrushka has a good point about the Himalayan slush pile of self-published books. Yet, it's all about generating word of mouth with real people. Any self-published author has to be willing to walk miles of pavement and slog many hours on a keyboard to build relationships with actual, breathing, living human beings. People have to want it, they have to love it, and in the beginning I'd suggest they have to like you, the author. The work and creativity involved in building this is huge but not impossible. In fact, self-published authors with great marketing skill, tenacity and people skills set themselves apart from probably 90% of other self-published authors. I believe one of the best ways to build a fan base is to be approachable, fun, creative, likable and not afraid to build relationships with as many people as possible.

That, and the book has to be awesome.


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## movieman (Jan 22, 2014)

spartan928 said:


> The myth of technology is that a book will somehow generate commerce because it's "out there" and the "out there" is so vast and interconnected that the more places you get your book to pop up, the more it will sell. Hogwash.



It certainly won't sell if it's just sitting on your hard drive.



> People buy from, and because, of other people.



To a large extent, yes. But plenty of people buy because they see something interesting for sale; I bought half a dozen or so books last time I was at a book store, one because I'd read other books by the writer, one because someone had recommended it to me, and the rest because they looked interesting. You don't get word of mouth until enough people have read the book to spread it, regardless of how that book is published.

I've sold almost 500 copies of the short story I uploaded just before Christmas, and I really have no idea why. I'm guessing it's because I'm starting to get the hang of covers and blurbs that actually attract people enough to read the sample and buy it.

Oops, just sold another one while writing this post.


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## Caragula (Jan 22, 2014)

"That, and the book has to be awesome."

I'd put it the other way around.


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## Jared77 (Jan 24, 2014)

The Tourist said:


> David, look at the bright side.  That's one more copy than most of us will ever sell in our entire lifetimes.



Yep, that's one more than me!


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