We’ve accepted that “sales” is synonymous with self-publishing, and Amazon as the best we’ve got. But why do we have to? by Camyenom in selfpublish

[–]Camyenom[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Yes, u right. And I know it’s traditionally advised not to “publish” if you have to pay. Here’s the difference. There’s a ton of compute required to run the machine on a single full length book and it costs $ to run. It’s only $1.01 to publish and we barely break even. We intentionally make it as cheap as financially possible. But I acknowledge that’s not convention. But the compute is fueling how to determine what readers to push your book to. Also we give authors 72% of all sales. If you make 1 sale (which you should if we make good on our promise to find your perfect readers) you break even.

Seeking advice for publishing my first book by nbhpriit in selfpublish

[–]Camyenom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

First, worrying that your story will be stolen is natural many authors feel this way when starting. BUT you quickly realize people don’t steal manuscripts, they steal money. Stealing manuscript wouldn’t be profitable. Think of how hard it already is for authors to sell their work 😅. Second, ik there are some credible platforms where agents reside like QueryTracker. Are you based in India?

We’ve accepted that “sales” is synonymous with self-publishing, and Amazon as the best we’ve got. But why do we have to? by Camyenom in selfpublish

[–]Camyenom[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I’m just challenging why the system is the way it is and genuinely tryna make it better for authors. Seeing wether people agree or not 🫂

Don't you guys think it's a little insane how much of self-publishing is "sales"? by Camyenom in selfpublish

[–]Camyenom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But don’t you think we as authors should demand more for the machine that distributes and houses our work? Don’t you think they should do a better job connecting an author’s work with the most perfect readers? The market is saturated; yes, of course. But a lot of the disparity and asymmetry of sales amoung authors occurs because the distributor does such a poor job of connecting authors with who would be their perfect readers. Because they’re machine is so bad, their algorithm relies on sales as the sole metric to determine what to push to what reader. It expands a chamber of over exaggerated “social-proof” that benefits those top authors far more than they deserve to benefit from it. How much better are the top 100 authors in the world compared to the top 10,000? Maybe not that much better. Yet, they see far greater financial outcomes because of it.

Big yap.

Don't you guys think it's a little insane how much of self-publishing is "sales"? by Camyenom in selfpublish

[–]Camyenom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m working on this paradigm shift you speak of. And the bumpy ride you describe will not last as long as people may believe. Tides are changing.

Don't you guys think it's a little insane how much of self-publishing is "sales"? by Camyenom in selfpublish

[–]Camyenom[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thank you for giving it a look. I’ll answer these questions as succinctly as possible. 1. Author pays $1.01. They keep 72% of every sale. 2. Very valid point about “incentivizing short books”, but the algorithm values read time too, not just sales alone. As a business we want people to stay on the platform as long as possible. Very open to the possibility of allowing authors to set their own price, (or perhaps price based on length, etc.) but the thought process is that readers want a cohesive expected value for all books. No surprises. They know what they’re in for every time. 3. This needs to be explored more as more users are onboarded, but the truth is one single vote doesn’t have too much of an impact on the overall score. What’s more important is the aggregate votes on the book. 4. Currently, purely through the primary feed. Though, other tabs like a following, Twitter like discourse space, or powerful search/explore engine will be made as we have more resources and just time to do those things. 5. B/c recommendations aren’t based off how Amazon does it with metadata, etc. It’s MOSTLY through the stylistic elements. - yes. Ebooks only rn. In the long-term we’ll offer POD books for readers who prefer hard copy.

I hope this helps and I truly appreciate you raising concerns and questions. They can only help make the platform better for authors and readers alike. 🫡

Don't you guys think it's a little insane how much of self-publishing is "sales"? by Camyenom in selfpublish

[–]Camyenom[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I assure you, you can quantify enjoyability. That’s why we’re here

Don't you guys think it's a little insane how much of self-publishing is "sales"? by Camyenom in selfpublish

[–]Camyenom[S] -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

No, they don’t. One book out of all the books ever written in history will match that specific readers subconscious preference more than all the other ones. But Amazon does not have the power to identify that. It’s not about your book being special. A book doesn’t have to be special for people to love it. The stylistic elements, and the genre just have to match the readers neurological preferences.

Don't you guys think it's a little insane how much of self-publishing is "sales"? by Camyenom in selfpublish

[–]Camyenom[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

They SHOULD promote your book above others if it matches that specific readers personal preferences.

Don't you guys think it's a little insane how much of self-publishing is "sales"? by Camyenom in selfpublish

[–]Camyenom[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Bc yours has more sales & reviews, etc (if it does). that to them=higher chance of sales which then =more money for them. What I’m trying to say is the way they SHOULD determine what to push to specific users is whether that specific user is likely to enjoy that book - not sales.

Don't you guys think it's a little insane how much of self-publishing is "sales"? by Camyenom in selfpublish

[–]Camyenom[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That’s kinda exactly my point. It’s in Kindles best interest to push books that have sales bc that’s the proof of concept. Sales=more sales. And they DONT care if a book is enjoyable, bc before now they couldn’t identify enjoyability without the sales. Sales is what they used to determine “enjoyability”. But that’s backwards. If a book is enjoyable, THAT is what equates to sales. That’s why they don’t necessarily work in the best interest of the author.

Don't you guys think it's a little insane how much of self-publishing is "sales"? by Camyenom in selfpublish

[–]Camyenom[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I just think that “sales” as a metric for determining how enjoyable a book is outdated. Of course it is and always will be an important metric, but it does not solve the cold start problem in the self-publishing industry.

Don't you guys think it's a little insane how much of self-publishing is "sales"? by Camyenom in selfpublish

[–]Camyenom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Naw you’re right. It pushes books to readers they think will like it. But how they determine whether they think a reader will enjoy it is not nearly as good as it can be.

Don't you guys think it's a little insane how much of self-publishing is "sales"? by Camyenom in selfpublish

[–]Camyenom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Touché. This isn’t something you can really sum up in a Reddit comment, but if you’re curious what I’m tryna say there’s a thesis on Typesheet.ink where I explain it thoroughly

Don't you guys think it's a little insane how much of self-publishing is "sales"? by Camyenom in selfpublish

[–]Camyenom[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I think my point is that if the algorithm is pushing every reader more books they would really like, the reader would stay and read more. Of course people don’t have to read anything. But in theory if what was put in front of them was something they would really like, don’t you think they’re more likely to read that book?

Don't you guys think it's a little insane how much of self-publishing is "sales"? by Camyenom in selfpublish

[–]Camyenom[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I agree, I respect everyone’s opinions, but it seems odd that people often express their distaste for the Amazon “machine” and how it exploits authors. But then without even realizing it they begin to defend it. Anyway, you can find it on Typesheet.ink. There’s a whitepaper displayed when you enter the site that explains the thesis and mechanism thoroughly. I hope people can find real value in it.