On this day ten years ago

[gordo12]

Could you explain more about the ISBNs? I've been reading through Smashwords instructions and t&C's and thinking about posting an anthology and novel there.

If you register an ISBN is it just the ISBN authorities who would have your address - they aren't available to the public, surely?

For Canadians, you can open an account with the Gov, and they give you free ISBNs. It took about 5 days to get approved as a publisher. I had to declare an address and contact person. But other than that, you get an account and can register each book (or update) there to get a new number. Self-managed.

Any publisher giving out free ISBNs usually has exclusive rights to sell your book in their terms, from what I've read.

 

[Vix_Giovanni]

Surely there's a way of combining the two in an erotic story?

You know, tax day is coming up (although I think it's been extended this year). That could be a good erotic story event concept: The Tax Day story event. Lots of hot accountant and enrolled agent action.

Yes!!!!!! Love it! I don’t know how many people we’d get on board... especially this year since the filing will coincide with the Geek Day event. I’m cool with it just being you and me, but if we want more writers participating, maybe we could roll the idea into HeyAll’s annual On the Job story event.

 

[gordo12]

On a separate note, LC, congrats on your accomplishments. 100,000 books is a shitload of electrons. The beauty of that portfolio is creative properties like movies, books, music, and others, keep paying dividends for years, if not decades. You'll probably still be getting checks when you turn 100.

 

[AvroAnsonXIX]

Surely there's a way of combining the two in an erotic story?

You know, tax day is coming up (although I think it's been extended this year). That could be a good erotic story event concept: The Tax Day story event. Lots of hot accountant and enrolled agent action.

"This was the secret of Surbiton! Happy and contented Mr Norris returned to the calmer waters of chartered accountancy, for, in his way, 'Wrong Way' Norris was right."

"And now ... "

"It's ... "

"Monty Python's Flying Circus." *

(This scene is in a speeded up silent movie style.)

The old fashioned calendar on the wall reads "March 31" (or "tax day" in your locality). Playing on the old trope of people after tax day, there are several characters in the scene. Everybody is naked except they are wearing wooden barrels with shoulder straps.

A bureaucrat in a suit walks up looks around, visibly counts the barrels, makes a note in his notebook, then walks over to a man.

They have a very short silent conversation. The man takes his barrel off and gives it to the bureaucrat, leaving him completely naked. Then the bureaucrat takes two more barrels, one from a man and one from a woman. The naked men and woman shrug, and begin to hold hands.

As the bureaucrat takes other barrels from the other people in the scene, the first trio start to fondle. They kiss and then as more barrels are taken they start to have sex. One man plays with her and gets her nice and wet.

The second man holds the woman from behind, lifting her right thigh so the first man can enter her. Once the first man is inside the second man starts to fondle her breasts ...

All the while, the bureaucrat is taking barrels off screen two or three at a time. As he does, pairs, and trios are making lemons out of lemonade.

* (up to this point) -- Monty Python, Episode 28

 

[SimonDoom]

Yes!!!!!! Love it! I don’t know how many people we’d get on board... especially this year since the filing will coincide with the Geek Day event. I’m cool with it just being you and me, but if we want more writers participating, maybe we could roll the idea into HeyAll’s annual On the Job story event.

Is there an On The Job event this year? If so when is it and where are details posted?

 

[lovecraft68]

Surely there's a way of combining the two in an erotic story?

You know, tax day is coming up (although I think it's been extended this year). That could be a good erotic story event concept: The Tax Day story event. Lots of hot accountant and enrolled agent action.

Countless, stories where the accountant is willing to find loopholes if.....

 

[Abbafan]

Also, where can you publish ebooks that accept incest/taboo content? I'm an incest purist and have zero interest in writing stories that don't feature family fucking. I know Amazon won't allow that sort of content, but do other online publishers take a different view?

I didn't know that. They don't have a problem with that when it comes to the movies they sell.

https://www.amazon.com/Taboo-Vinega...=1&keywords=taboo+movie&qid=1616577815&sr=8-1

I guess they might worry more about the content of those books submitted by users since they are pretty much the publisher.

 

[Nellymcboatface]

I know this sounds like a brag thread, and I am proud of what I've done, but I want the message to anyone reading this who has wanted to sell, and is hesitant to try, to do it. Why not me? Was my thought, and why not you?

Next.

Brag away mate, sounds like you have worked hard and getting just rewards.
Well done & congratulations.

Thanks for posting, lots of interesting info as it's something I've thought of...
So it's great to read of others success and troubles, but overall it sounds great to hear a positive outcome.

Cheers.

 

[gordo12]

LC ( and any others with experience)

Any thoughts on using Kindle Unlimited VS charging your price for the books? There seem to be a lot of different opinions. On a recent search for erotic books, all but one were KU. I get the free part, but how much does the author lose in the long run by not getting his price? I saw an average price paid per page, and it seemed like you'd be trading dollars for pennies. Hoping that the increased readership would make up for it. Also, I was not too fond of the exclusive part of the deal.

 

[lovecraft68]

LC ( and any others with experience)

Any thoughts on using Kindle Unlimited VS charging your price for the books? There seem to be a lot of different opinions. On a recent search for erotic books, all but one were KU. I get the free part, but how much does the author lose in the long run by not getting his price? I saw an average price paid per page, and it seemed like you'd be trading dollars for pennies. Hoping that the increased readership would make up for it. Also, I was not too fond of the exclusive part of the deal.

My advice-others may disagree-is stay the hell away from amazon and their exclusive programs.

Why?
First off you have to be exclusive with them for a period of time (30-90 days depending) meaning you can't sell the book anywhere else.

Next the book is free and you get paid by page reads which for most people are pennies that add up to barely anything at the end of the month

meanwhile you're giving it away for free, then when the time is up and you charge a price for it, no one wants it because it was already up there for free.

I see people all over Twitter bragging about how their book has this great ranking in a category, then I click the link and sure enough because its goddamn free....then when its not and a sale is actual money...their rating says see ya, cause anyone who initially wanted it got it for the bubble.

In 10 years of selling I have never given a book away for free(in the market, I have sent PDF's to a few friends from here and other places). Some of my old stuff on Smashwords I only charge $1.99 but its still something. People know if they want my book they need to buy it because it will never be given away.

There is a school of thought, albeit one that I think is a little more negative than needs to be, but has some merit. When you keep giving your books away for free you're making people think you think its not good enough to pay for.

Back years ago, a free book was like a free sample of anything, give a taste away, and now they're hooked and will come back and pay for more(BTW this is street dealer 101) but these days? There is so much free that no longer is a reality, you gave one away, they took it, now they wait for your next free or they run around scooping up other free like Pac man.

Smashwords on their homepage boats they have 86k free books....think on that, you could download all day long for years on end and never pay for anything. It pisses me off they do it. SW is not worth a trillion like amazon, they should have at least a .99 minimum so they make something on each sale...but that's my opinion.

So after all that, I advise to stay away from those programs and anything that has your book out there for free downloads.

I'm sure someone may come around with the opposite opinion and reasons to back it up, and that's fine, the more you know the better before making a decision.

 

[gordo12]

There is so much free that no longer is a reality, you gave one away, they took it, now they wait for your next free or they run around scooping up other free like Pac man.

No, I'm having the same thoughts as you. That sentence hit it right on the head. I read KU series, and the minute I run into a paid one in the chain, I abandon and go look for something else. I'm not completely freeloading because I do pay for KU, but...

By my calculation, a 300-page kindle book, approx 60,000 -70,000 words, would get around 12c for a complete read. Even with 10,000-20,000 reads, I just don't need the money that badly. (let me know if my facts are incorrect)