Organizey: Some Short Stories Are Now in Kindle Unlimited. Also, Marketing!

Um, this is really just to say and explain… or warn, maybe, if you disapprove!

So I did some marketing.  As in, paid-for ads.  Which is kind of rare for me!  But because of the ongoing secret desire to be a SFF writer, um, why not?  So I did some marketing, and it didn’t especially work.  I don’t think, anyways.  But oh well, never mind.  And I might say more later about that, but I’m not sure its really fair to the advertising places to go saying implied rude stuff about them when it’s probably my fault because blurbs or whatever, rather than theirs.

So I won’t.

And actually, also, for weird reasons that don’t especially matter right now, I do actually know that advertising needs to be done in campaigns and with repeat buys and layering and all that stuff, except they probably call it something else now, but anyways, so I completely expected this not to do especially well when it was just random one-offs.  And also, yes, I know what a call to action is too, I just don’t about writing stuff because it makes me feel dirty.  Seriously.  So this was all mostly just trying to prod the SFF stuff along a little bit, in a disorganized kind of way, since methinks no-one who reads SFF and doesn’t also read smutty romancey stuff knows who I am.  Which may be a potential problem with the idea being a SFF writer!  Ha!

So anyways.  The marketing, mostly not so much.  And never mind.  But then, while that was happening, and for no actual reason I can work out but which may somehow be related, One Plus Two Minus One, which is the weird mathsy B-G erotic romance, suddenly took off on free Amazon.

So I panicked and starting making the older free stuff that was on other places into kindle books for Kindle Unlimited, just to see what happened.  Because I was thinking maybe this is my big chance and the one and only time this happens and I need stuffs, more stuffs, stuffs all over the Amazon omg for people to find when they finish One Plus Two!  Or something.

And, well, people downloaded lots of One Plus Two for a couple of days, and then stopped.  Because that’s what happens!  But while that was going on, I maybe panicked a little and did the Kindle Unlimited thing.  Because I had been wondering for a while, like here the other day, if short stories in KU is some new and splendid thing I’m missing out on omg!  Mainly because of not doing much about it.

So, well, now I am doing something.  And I am really sorry if something you wanted to read but hadn’t got yet just disappeared from wherever…  like really, I am actually sorry…  but its probably still around somewhere, like still on here, hopefully.

Um, anyways.

The next bit from here is probably really more for other writers than people who are just here to read smut.  So if that’s you then you may as well go read smut!  Oh look, there’s linkys up the top, go look at them!

Um, okay.  So in case you don’t know what it is, KU is a subscription thing like Netflix or whatever, where readers pay a monthly fee to read as much as they want.  So I wondered if this might be the new free for promotions, sort-of-ish, in that people don’t have to pay money to try a new author, while feeling like they got something on a bargain and so the might value it more than actual free, and so actually read it?  Perhaps?

So anyways.  There is drama on the internets about this, a bit.  Because big famousy established authors are finding they get borrows rather than sales, which means they are getting less money.  Which they are unhappy about.  Obviously.

But that’s famous people, who are, well, not me.  So for someone like me, as in, someone who no-one has ever heard of, I wonder if maybe it will help, and people might actually find new writers to read this way, because they don’t have to pay specifically to read a new book, while I still get paid for “borrows”, as in, people downloading and reading past a certain point.  So basically, me doing what I’ve always done, except at Amazon and me getting money for it now.  As in, this way its  still free to you to read, just I get paid too!  Yay all around!

So TL;DR is, for now I think KU is good.  For me.  But not famous people.  Mainly because no-one has ever heard of me anyways.

And weirdly interestingly, the other odd thing about all this is that the amount you get on a 99c ebook is actually higher if it’s borrowed in KU than if it’s bought.  Seriously!  Like 30c in royalties for a sale against $1.30-ish in, um, lending fees when it’s borrowed.  Because the amount KU pays out is per book and fixed no matter how long the book is, so shorter things pay just as much!

So obviously people have started putting short stories into KU.

Which means shock!  Outrage!  Omg!  Short stories are cheating and ruining the fun for everyone!

But well, since I write a lot of short stories, and since, basically for my entire life, and for another entire life as long as mine before that, back to 1950 or something, short stores have never been a kind of writing to actually make a living at, and now maybe this is changing.  Maybe.  Hopefully.  Says me.  And since I like short stories, and I write them, I think this is really good!

So anyways, more TL;DR is, I just took some stuff down from other places and put it into KU.

These things.

Date Night
Zoe
Pictures of Jemina
Not-Sex on Not-Dates

And now I am saying so here, just on the off-chance that someone out there happens to hate reading stories on websites so much that they never have read here, while, um,  still reading the blog to see this, and also that someone adores Amazon so greatly they simply can’t bear to get books anywhere else.  So for that one imaginary person who doesn’t really exist, now you can see some new stuff you couldn’t before.  Yay!

That was all!

Oh, also, yes, kind of nice and pretty covers.  I think I’m going to do that from now on rather than vaguely sordid ones, because I don’t know, classier?  And because I don’t really write that sordid, so why mislead and disappoint people?  And also, those particular stories because it’s more what I’m doing now than the older ones, so that seemed better?  And just saying that in case anyone wondered if there was a plan.  There kind of was.

And now that’s all!

Except for this.  And completely not-really related… but why is it B-G or MF and not the other way around… Because it seems like the point-of-view character should be first, so like GB if its a girl meeting a boy?  Although I guess that looks like Great Britain…

Or am I being, way, way too nitpicky haha :)

And also, yes I am using “read more” linkys now.  For no real reason other than this one was long :)   And the whole slightly embarassing funny story about being on wordpress for a year and a half before I found it, sigh…

10 thoughts on “Organizey: Some Short Stories Are Now in Kindle Unlimited. Also, Marketing!

  1. Cool! I”m nearly ready to put up my first novelette, and I’m still struggling (panicking) a bit about whether to go with KU or just price it 99 cents, or something else entirely.

    • yay! for finishing stuff! that’s really good!

      and i get completely about the panic haha… and um, i’d like to say something helpful, but i think you’ve read way more than me about this so i won’t… but warm fuzzy hopeful panic-ending thoughts your way?

      but um, for 99c prices… remember i have terrible imposter syndrome and price low, if that helps to point out, so there’s that… :)

    • Well, as Tess says, if you’re a relatively unknown author, then getting your book borrowed on KU would be the way to go.

      The thing to watch, then, would be whether Kindle Unlimited actually changes the book market, and does it give good value for readers?

      Honestly, I’m a bit meh about subscriptions because like in the day of subscription MMOs, there will be this panic on the part of the reader to make as much use of their subscription in a month as possible. Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I like to take my time and enjoy a book. Sometimes, I might even take a break from it for a long while and pick it up again months later.

      That being said, what a subscription does is allow you to pick up any book in KU and potentially discover a really good story, without himming and hawing at the reviews, ratings and the asking price. So, maybe it’s worth it in terms of not being tied down making a purchase there and then.

      • of course what I say! ha! i know everything :) um, if it helps, lace was saying about this on hers too… just if that’s useful?

        but um, this bit -> “allow you to pick up any book in KU and potentially discover a really good story, without himming and hawing at the reviews, ratings and the asking price”

        that’s the thing for me, i think. the rest is for people bigger and more important than i to fight about all over the internets haha.

      • Yep, total agreement here. And I’m more than relatively unknown, I’m *completely unknown.* The research seems to suggest KU is the way to go, mostly (not necessarily entirely), and is especially good for shorter works. My only fear is the minimum pricing to be set for non-KU subscribers may turn some people off when it’s not a full-length novel. Then again, maybe not. I am probably going to go this route.

        And thanks, Tess, for the link! :)

      • oh wait, aren’t you’re meant to be on holiday? i’m really sorry! i didn’t mean pinging you to drag you back to the internets!

        but um, no worries though! it seemed kind of more useful than you two talking to each other here :)

  2. oh, that’s all right then!

    and sorry didn’t answer last night, it was way too late on ny eve my time and i was basically being dragged out the door still typing… :)

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