8. Short and Sweets

(Pas de version en français cette fois.
Mais contactez-moi si vous en souhaitez une!)

I don’t know if others are like me, but when I open a blog, it is usually after reading the headline and feeling convinced that this particular topic will be exciting for me. Sometimes it is because of an image, or a name that pops. Anyways… Once I have landed on the page, it takes a few seconds before I figure out if I will actually read. And there are several factors that come into play:

 – Too long, oh, God, way too long!
I read long articles for my studies, I read them when I am forced to do so. Never by choice. So, if it’s too long, it’s too bad!

– No bullet points
Immediately related to the point above. I am staring at an endless page (and you know what I mean, Internet pages can go on for a lifetime) of black characters on a white background. Bullet points help me find out if I am actually interested in what is written. You don’t have them, I won’t waste my time.

 – Anti-climax
Also following the above. Something was promised — you know what I mean: “Loose 10Kg in a month in 5 easy steps” kind of promise– and I just can’t see it materializing. So, major turn-off, and bye bye birdy!

As a result, I want to keep my posts short (400 words) and with sweets (images I like).

What about you? Do you prefer short or long articles? What makes you click? What chases you away? Let me know below or write to me.

#writingebooks #sellingebooks #write #sellbooks #selfpublish #makemoney #writer #blog #reading #blogger

7. No one reads!

(Pas de version en français cette fois.
Mais contactez-moi si vous en souhaitez une!)

Maybe it is truly so. Maybe there is so much information out on the web that readers are content just waiting for (good or not) stuff to hit them on the head without going out to search for it. Maybe they are just passively using the platform until something hits the charts, something they should not miss. Maybe, maybe.

As I wrote before, I am done waiting for my books to become best-sellers, for my posts to make the buzz. I am just a tear in the ocean. It is time that I accept this reality.
On Instagram, I get a lot of “like”s but no comments. I guess a lot of people just browse down and click on the picture, maybe don’t even read the words beside it. I am guilty of doing that sometimes when I do not have the possibility to read every post.

I want to change my Instagram strategy. I want to have the clicks that count. Am I being overzealous? Maybe or maybe not. I realized that quite a few people follow me to have one more follower, and I follow them in return, even if they are not really in my area of action. They are not writers, designers, editors, publishers etc. So, we really don’t have much in common.

When I tell people I write, I get the same reaction from most of them. People don’t buy books anymore. People are bombarded with information. People don’t read like they used to. If you ask me, this is all BS. People read and books are sold. Just like before . Just like before too, people read best-sellers, people watch the videos that make the buzz.

Nothing has changed. Just because you and I can now self-publish a book and have it accessible does not mean that readers will access it. It needs a little bit more than that.

I am still looking for what it is that is needed for my books to be bought and read (at least bought, so I can be a full-time writer!), so bear with me.

What about you? What do you think? How do you advertise your ebooks? How many do you sell? Is it profitable? Let me know below or write to me.

#writingebooks #sellingebooks #write #sellbooks #selfpublish #makemoney #writer

4. Ouais, un site, bon Dieu!

  English version here

La timidité, c’est terminé. Je veux vendre mes livres et j’ai pour cela besoin d’un site Internet qui soit le tremplin de mes actions commerciales.

Je connais pas mal d’auteurs qui, comme je le faisais jusqu’à hier, se posent des questions sur la marche à suivre, la façon de se faire connaître, mais tout en gardant son intégrité, sa créativité, son indépendance, bla-bla-bla. J’ai compris et je préfère vendre mes livres que d’en parler. Voilà tout. C’est mon unique légitimité. Je veux que les choses changent à mon avantage. Alors assez pensé et tergiversé. On casse tout et on recommence!

J’ai commencé à publier mes livres en 2011, plus par accident que par dessein, je dois l’avouer. Sept années plus tard, je vends deux ou trois livres par mois, et je gagne quelques centimes qui, une fois par an, se regroupent comme des petits santons de Provence et payent pour la tenue de mon compte bancaire. C’est du n’importe quoi!
Mais il y a pire… Il y a quelques années, j’ai participé à un projet. J’ai vendu une petite dizaine d’histoires (youpi! Houra!) et deux ans plus tard, j’ai empoché 142 euros après avoir vendu mes histoires 177 fois. Alors, les maths sont vite faits, ça suffit!

Je viens donc de mettre mon site Internet en attente. Après l’analyse méthodique de mes besoins, j’ai réalisé que j’étais trop réservée, trop polie. En clair, je suis trop timide, je ne me mets pas assez en avant. Mon site Internet doit:
1. Me faire connaître pour…
2. Vendre mes livres

Il y a des milliers d’articles qui parlent de la meilleure façon de promouvoir ses livres. J’en ai choisi un qui est aussi pérenne. Je vous fais profiter de mes efforts, pas à pas.

1. Créer un blog autour du thème de ses ebooks
   J’ai donc créé ce blog pour parler de l’écriture en général, de la lecture et bien entendu de mes livres. C’est dans ce thème que j’évolue.
2. Créer un landing page pour vendre vos ebooks
   C’est peut-être le plus difficile pour un auteur car il faut se mettre dans la peau d’un acheteur et cela est souvent àl’opposé du processus créatif. Quoi qu’il en soit, c’est un mal pour un bien. La landing page sera intégrée à mon site.
3. Développer une communauté autour de soi
   Physiquement, bien sûr, cela veut dire aller vers les gens, signer son livre etc. Virtuellement, cela veut dire utiliser les réseaux sociaux pour parler d’écriture, de lecture. Théophile donne ici un très bon conseil “Mieux vaut gérer parfaitement deux réseaux sociaux plutôt que d’essayer d’en gérer dix de façon médiocre ! ” C’est la raison pour laquelle je me limite à non pas deux, mais quatre plate-formes: TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK et  WORDPRESS, ce qui est déjà beaucoup de travail.
4. Valoriser son travail avec les réactions des lecteurs
   Les fameux commentaires. Mon lecteur, tout bombardé d’informations qu’il soit, doit être incité à me laisser un petit mot, parce que ça fait avancer le schmilblic. Je lis des blogs qu’on ne peut pas “liker” (stratégie intéressante) et du coup, si on veut faire passer un message, on doit laisser une phrase de retour. Pas une mauvaise idée, mais je suis parfois coupable de passer mon chemin, surtout si il faut s’inscrire pour laisser sa trace. Mmm, à cogiter, donc.
5. Parler de son ebook à la presse
   Cela impose de s’assurer avant que le ebook en question tient la route et est entièrement lavé d’impuretés. Sinon, on scie la branche sur laquelle on est assis. Il est facile d’auto-publier un chiffon, mais si on pense à le médiatiser par le biais de la presse, cela force à polir son oeuvre. Une bonne motivation!
6. Offrir un extrait
   C’est devenu indispensable. Je n’achète jamais un livre sans avoir lu quelques lignes au moins. Je n’achète rien qui soit dans une boite si je ne vois pas l’objet lui-même. Donc oui, oui, oui, des extraits!

Les autres conseils de cet article très intéressant ne sont pas pour moi au départ. Je ne me vois pas lire mon livre en public, mais pourquoi pas plus tard enregistrer un audio-book? Pour ce qui est de le vendre par affiliation, j’ai noté cette bonne idöe sur mon carnet.

 

 

4. F*¢k yeah! A website!

Version en français ici

I’m done with being shy and nervous about wanting to sell my books! This is history! I now want my website to be a springboard towards selling.

I know quite a few writers who, just like I did yesterday, wondered about the right way to get famous, still preserving their integrity, their creativity, their independence… Yada yada… I got it now, and I sincerely prefer to sell my books than talk about them. This is where I stand. I want things to change to my advantage. Enough huffing and puffing. Tabula rasa!

I auto-published my first ebook in 2011, rather unintentionally, I must admit. Seven years later, I sell two or three books per month, I earn a few cents. Once a year, these few cents have a party and pay for my bank fees. That’s rubbish!
And there is more… A few years back, I took part in a project. I sold about 10 short stories (Yey! I was on my way to stardom!). Two years later I cashed in 142 euros after they sold my stories 177 times. So, you do the Maths. Enough is enough!

I just put my website on hold. After an in-depth analysis of my needs, I rrealizedI had been too reserved, to polite. In clear I am too shy, I don’t put myself out there, hence no one sees me. My website will:
1. Help me get known to…
2. Sell my books.

I found hundreds of articles on the best way to promote books, and I chose one, easy, simple and evergreen. These are the steps I have chosen.

1. Get your digital house in order
   This goes without saying and has been the first step of my digital rebirth. My three social media platforms, three windows into the digital readership are TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, and FACEBOOK.
2. Blog about your topic
   Mission accomplished here with WORDPRESS. I have not “installed WordPress yet, but this will be one of the steps I will take in the next month or so.
3. Get reviews to showcase the readers’ satisfaction
   The oh-so-coveted comments. This is such an inescapable part of marketing ebooks that I will spend time on it in the next months. I will even write it on my calendar. Book reviews and blog comments go hand in hand. Popularity, influence is the go-to place for my strategy. I read blogs where it is not possible to “Like” and comments are the only option. This is an interesting way of forcing people to leave a trace. With a danger though, at times, I will just run away with a click, above all if I need to sign-up before posting a feedback. Food for thoughts.
4. Offer an excerpt of the book for free
   Just a glance, a peep. It is now essential. I never buy a book without looking inside, reading a few lines. I also never buy a boxed product without checking the object itself. So, yes, excerpts, please!

The other pieces of advise are certainly interesting but at the moment, not for me. Creating a buzz? Well, if I could do that, I would not be here sweating over my keyboard. I will create a buzz later on, when I have a community, when I have gained influence. Right now, it would buzz only for me. Making a video seems too raw for the time being. Making an audiobook, however, might be enticing. More on that later.