October 12, 2015

Don't focus on money, focus on writing

"Hi Ksenia! I am enjoying reading through your website. I need to reorganize mine. I am a relatively new author. I put Parenting . . . A Work in Progress on Amazon, KDP, Smashwords, Ingram Spark, and use a local printer. The next book, The Adventures of Charlie Chameleon is with the formatter and is awaiting illustrations. I am considering doing what you have done for the Charlie eBooks. I believe you have hit upon an excellent method and would like to try it. Do you use both Mobi and ePub files? Do you send something to explain to folks how to upload the file to their devices? Are you finding that most people send funds close to what you may have gained otherwise? Many thanks, Ellen."

Thank you, Ellen! I'm thrilled you enjoy my blog. You got me thinking here, with your questions. What follows will be part cautionary tale part answers to your questions, something I wish someone told me three years ago when I started writing, something that would've helped me sleep and not worry to death. So, here is the thing.

DON'T FOCUS ON MONEY, FOCUS ON WRITING.

July 28, 2015

Let's continue our conversation about book pricing

by Ksenia Anske

I have written quite a few posts recently on pricing your indie books, all of which are stepping stones on the path of me learning it while watching the turbulent changes in the publishing industry and going through bankruptcy and running out of my ghostwriting money and being a novice to indie publishing. The only experience I can rely on is running my startup for 5 years, and the basics that I learned from reading books and articles on how to stay profitable and how to acquire customers and how to do basic accounting and more of the same.

Ryan, this post is for you because in the comment on my last pricing post you asked me to expand on this. I'll dump here what I remember as some basic principles (and which I still use as guidelines) and you tell me if it was helpful, okay?

July 9, 2015

I really need to drop prices on my paperbacks

by Ksenia Anske

Kill me, but I don't remember why I have priced my paperbacks a particular way a while ago. I think I thought of offering paperbacks like an expensive souvenir since I give ebooks away for free, following Seth Godin's idea and the blue ocean strategy. Or maybe I read some article somewhere at some point, or copied the prices of other books. I can't remember exactly. I even wrote this post about pricing books recently, but today something shifted in my brain. Not sure why.

I'm sitting here reading Fablehaven by Brandon Mull—which I recommend to all of you—and the similarity to Rosehead struck me like a hammer. Not so much the story as the elements like an arrival at a mysterious house surrounded by a mysterious property, a mysterious grandfather, a sister and a brother (like Lilith and Panther) discovering hidden magical things about the place and those living in it. It was eerie. Then I glanced at the back of the book. $7.99. And the writing is superb, so much cleaner and better than mine.

July 3, 2015

Happy Birthday, sis! And...should I offer editing services?

by Ksenia Anske

Happy Birthday, Nastenka, my little sis! С Днем Рождения, моя дорогая сестричка!

I was so happy to hear your voice yesterday. Sorry I woke you up. I called mom right after you. I remember the day she came home with you from the hospital. You were all wrapped up in a blanket. Everyone went to eat in the kitchen, and I stood over you lying on the table, marveling at your little toes. They were so small! I couldn't conceive how they could possibly be that tiny. And they wiggled so much. Wish I could come visit you. Soon, I hope.

I called mom right after you.

CONVERSATION WITH MOM:

June 18, 2015

Why writers shouldn't leave the house

by Ksenia Anske

Since I'm between books and waiting for final revisions on The Badlings from darling Sarah Liu, my editor, I have decided to go on a little adventure. In other words, I took my sorry ass out of the house. I didn't have to, but I thought it would be nice. I had it all planned. I thought I would read House of Leaves while on the bus (enjoying the fuck out of it, by the way) while on my way to the bank to deposit a check, the treasure of $11 I got from some company for some settlement for something. I also thought I would swing by a consignment store where I sell my clothes and collect yet another treasure of $7 there. By the evening I'd be rich!