Understanding Book Read-Through Value

self-publishing Jun 13, 2020

Whether you publish traditionally or independently, sell-through rate and read-through value is incredibly important. For you as an independent author, it’s the difference between a reader finding one of your books and quickly buying and devouring the rest of your backlist (read more on the importance of a backlist here), and that reader moving on never to think of you again.

If you aren’t sure what sell-through rate and read-through value is, you’re in the right place. Read on to find out exactly what these terms mean and why they are important for you. 

What is Sell/Read-Through Rate?  

Sell-through and read-through rate in our case means the same thing – either term refers to how many of your readers go on to read another one of your books. Think of all the times you’ve finished a book by a new-to-you author, finished it, and immediately looked for more by them. If you find one and buy it, you increase their read-through rate.

In other...

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The Importance of a Backlist for Self-Published Writers in 2020 (and Beyond!)

self-publishing Jun 04, 2020

If you’re a new independent author, you’re likely feeling overwhelmed by all the different information available on all the things you should be doing. It seems like every day someone has found self-publishing success in a new way, and suddenly you ought to be doing the same. But if you have yet to put out your first book, or only have a couple out, do you really need to be worrying about all the different things going on?

Well, yes and no. While it’s great to be aware of what other authors are doing to find success, if you flit from thing to thing without ever settling on a chosen strategy you’ll struggle to find success for yourself. If you want a single proven strategy, read on.

Write, Edit, Publish, Repeat

Have you ever heard the above advice? Or heard that the best thing you can do to promote your current book is to write another? This advice is true and time tested. The best thing you can do if you self-publish fiction under a single pen name is to...

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3 Tried-And-True Audience Building Techniques For Self Published Writers That Won’t Work In 2020

marketing self-publishing May 29, 2020

More writers self-publish than ever before. This increase in activity has driven innovation in self-publishing platforms and raised the credibility of self-published work among previously skeptical readers. Yet the rapid growth of the self publishing industry does come with consequences for self published authors. In increasingly crowded online selling/advertising spaces, it's becoming increasingly difficult for authors to generate sales by using the same tricks that worked before. Keep reading to learn which old audience building tips are now audience building mistakes, as well as how to build an audience for your self-published book in 2020! 

Audience Building Mistake 1: Overlooking New Trends In Selling *And Advertising* On Amazon

Knowing how to build an audience for your self published writing requires knowing how to create strong SEO in online book listings and author bios. In the past, self-published authors have gotten by with haphazard and accidental on-page SEO, while...

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5 Step Plan To Write Everyday

self-publishing May 25, 2020

Becoming a writer can take a lot of work. It can also take a lot of time. 

But it is the best decision you will ever make.

Nothing is more rewarding in life than being able to express clearly what you think. Or telling a story that resonates and moves people. If you can do this, you can move mountains.

It takes practice. And to get words on the page you will need to make it a habit.

All your favorite authors have habits. All your favorite artists have habits. People that are successful are go-getters. Here is the difference:

No-Getter

Writes whenever inspiration strikes. Anytime of the day or night. Sometimes days and weeks pass without any words having been written.

Go-Getter

Writes every single day. Not just on a book or a project, but to practice putting thoughts into words. Uses scheduled times and word goals to stay motivated.

So if you want to work like the professionals and become a go-getter, here are the five steps you can implement so you can write every single day.

...

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Sell More Books: 5 Reader Engagement Ideas for Fiction Writers

Ever heard of the 1,000 true fans idea? It’s the idea that when you have a thousand fans that are willing to buy everything you do and adore everything you put out, you can make a good living and in some versions of the idea, become a millionaire.

This idea can absolutely apply to your author career – imagine if you had one thousand people on the edge of their seats waiting for your next release just so they can buy it? Suddenly, your $2.99 book becomes $2,990 in sales – and that momentum on the first week of release can do incredible things for your sales to people who are new to you.

The best way to achieve this kind of reader loyalty (besides writing great books!) is to increase your reader engagement. Here are 5 reader engagement ideas to help you sell more books and grow your self-publishing career.

Reader Engagement Idea #1: Ask a Question in Every Newsletter

If you haven’t yet set up your newsletter subscriptions, stop reading here, go to Mailchimp, ...

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Self Publishing Book Covers That Sell

cover design May 05, 2020

The truth is, more than three-quarters of potential readers will judge your book by its cover, and 40% won’t buy it if they disagree with your design decisions. Don’t take it personally — it’s not just your book they’re judging. That’s because nearly two-thirds of readers believe good cover design is more than just having a pretty book cover to use as a smart marketing tool; it’s a representation of the book’s genre, tone, and/or characters.

Consequently, the most successful self published authors are well-versed in self publishing book cover dos and don’ts. Moreover, with the rise of online and digital book sales, it’s becoming increasingly more important for authors to know the ins and outs of good amazon author page design, as well.

Tips For The Best-Selling Book Cover

Design A Pretty Book Cover, But Keep It Cool

Studies show that women aged 18-35 (the largest group of book-buyers) tend to prefer book covers featuring...

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Why ProWritingAid is the Best Writing Software for New Fiction Writers

writing tools Apr 16, 2020

When I first decided to take my writing seriously, I knew I needed to use a piece of software to help highlight the weak points in my writing so I could improve. Of course, in an ideal world (one where I have an infinite amount of money) I would simply pay a professional to look over everything I write and give me pointers on the actual mechanics of the words I put down on the page.

Obviously, that world doesn’t exist, so the next best thing was to use software to analyze my writing for me. There’s a few available, and after choosing one (spoiler: it was ProWritingAid, I dived into writing.

After just a week or two, I saw my ability drastically improve, which was largely down to ProWritingAid’s Style Report feature.

 

Why is ProWritingAid’s Style Report a Gamechanger?

For me, it was instrumental in improving my fiction writing because it doesn’t just check your grammar, it calls you out on your lazy writing. If you write something ...

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20 Hacks To Promote Your Self Published Fiction Book On A Budget

The Best Self Published Book Promo Strategies, Including Why & How To Use Social Media Promo For A Book

Recent reports show that the literary self publishing industry is experiencing a sustained period of rapid growth [1]. That means it’s now easier than ever to self publish your book, but it also means that there’s more competition than ever for readers’ attention. People can only read (and buy) so much, so the choices you make about how to promote your book are critical to the success of both your book and your career as a self published author.

Yet, especially for a new or first-time author, the costs of following many of the best self publishing promo tips can be prohibitive. Some sources say that successfully promoting your book will cost $4,000-$7,500 at minimum [2]. That said, there are low- and no-cost publishing promotion strategies (especially using social media) that tend to yield a high return on your time and monetary investments. The key...

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Top 10 Unusual Places Online To Get Inspiration For Fiction Books

inspiration Mar 30, 2020

Because sometimes you need a little outside influence to have the best self-publishing book ideas.

As a writer, having unique ideas about the plot, setting, characters, and other aspects of your work is an essential part of the writing process. Finding inspiration in unusual places is more than just a good skill to have; it’s an integral part of writing fiction books that sell. The following is a list of 10 great sites you can use to find the best book inspiration. Whether your best book ideas tend to be character-driven, plot-driven, or image-driven, there’s something on this list that will inspire you to write fiction books that sell.

If you need some inspiration to get started:

  1. Try out a 30-day creative challenge, like the April Colors Art Challenge by Miranda Zimmer. Though initially designed for visual artists, the prompts in this challenge are unusual, open-ended, and designed to make you create. If that challenge isn’t writing-focused enough, try out the...
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Top 10 Reasons Why Most Self-Published Books Fail to Gain Traction

self-publishing Mar 15, 2020

Self-publishing your work comes with a lot of benefits; from bigger royalty checks to control over every aspect of your book, but it also means you are completely responsible for the marketing of your book. If your self-published book flops or fails to gain traction, you have no one else to blame. 

If you’re worried your book may fail to gain traction or if you want to avoid this happening to you, read on to learn the top reasons why we see self-published books fail to gain traction. 

  • Your Cover Sucks

We all know we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but that’s exactly what we all do. It’s simply a fact that it’s the cover that will grab readers’ attention and pull them in to take a closer look, whether that’s in a bookstore or looking at the small cover image while shopping online. Good covers sell, and if you’re not shifting any books take a hard look at your cover and ask yourself if it was in a bookstore, would you...

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