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| Bacon Maple Bar from VooDoo Doughnut used solely to lure you here. |
While I am not abandoning the KDP program, the time has come to make a few changes. Many articles have been written about the dearth of freebies out there. I DO NOT have a problem with using the KDP program as a tool to market my stuff. I have always felt that was the purpose of the program. I think some authors felt that it was going to translate into big number sales. I saw it as a commercial. And if you lured in some readers who actually read your book, AND THEN they liked it well enough, they would check out your other stuff.
So, if I am weaning myself from the KDP teat (nice visual, eh?), then what could I possibly do instead. The answer? 99 cent sales. Sites like eReader News Today and Pixels of Ink have had to adjust with Amazon's rules regarding portals for freebies. To make that change, they are featuring "bargain eBooks" in greater numbers and freebies in lesser. If somebody is willing to pay something...even 99 cents, then it is less likely that the book will remain unread. And if you have a good product, it will foster that reader's interest and encourage them to read MORE of your work.
Now, a few titles will remain in the program, but it just makes more sense to use the 99 cent tool. I believe that 100 downloads at the bargain price is going to net more readers than giving away 5,000 for free.
To that end, I have a couple of titles that are on the cusp of qualifying for the ENT bargain program. The requisites (besides the 99 cent price point) are a minimum of ten reviews with an average of no less than 4 stars. Eye Witness Zombie needs one review. SO, if you read it and liked it but have never gotten around to that pesky review...it would be GREATLY appreciated. And then there is the Special Edition, Dead: Steve's Story which is the compilation of the 18 chapters of Steve's story from the first three DEAD books (The Ugly Beginning, Revelations, and Fortunes & Failures) which needs two reviews.
To be clear, I do NOT canvass for positive reviews. People are more than welcome to post whatever they like. But for this instance, I am actually appealing to those of you who LIKED the work but have not gotten around to a review yet.
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So, on to my next subject. Some of you may know that MDP produces one anthology a year where 100% of the generated proceeds go to charity. My editing is free, the cover art, all costs involved with production. That includes the authors. The stories that are submitted are done with the author receiving no compensation (not even a physical contributor's copy, although an ecopy is made available). We do not ask for exclusivity, in other words, the author can do whatever they like with their story...we do ask that they give us at least a mention if it goes to pub someplace else, but even that is nothing more than a request.
This upcoming New Year's Day, we would like to be able to offer "Scaring up a cure for CANCER" with every penny generated in profit being donated in a quarterly check to the V Foundation which works tirelessly to find a cure for a disease that affects so many.
Okay...but this one is going to be different. So I am canvassing for interest from some of my writer friends. This will be an "invitation only" anthology. The story must be horror, but the writer can choose what SORT...and cancer needs to be involved in some way. So, I am throwing a few writers out onto Front Street...here is the start of my wish list (in NO particular order):
- Mark Tufo
- John O'Brien
- Armand Rosamilia
- Catie Rhodes
- Greg Carrico
- Suzi M.
- Stephanie Meyers
- Chantal Boudreau
- Michael McFarland
- D.A. Chaney
- Steen Langstrop
- Heath Stallcup
- Dana Fredsti
- T. Fox Dunham
Next week I will share some exciting news about an interview request that I just received. So stay tuned.
