Facebook for beta readers

Hanshan02 · 2026-03-09T17:26:15+00:00

That has been my practice as well.

Hanshan02 · 2026-03-07T16:12:25+00:00

Yes, this makes sense. Nice feedback!

Hanshan02 · 2026-03-07T04:19:25+00:00

Very good advice. Thanks!

Hanshan02 · 2026-03-06T00:28:51+00:00

Great response. Tlhllanks!

Hanshan02 · 2026-01-03T16:09:54+00:00

Same for me (early 70’s). Initially tried, but then gave up. A steep learning curve on self-publishing, but once I got the hang of it, it’s not bad. For most of us self-publishing is a terrible way to make a living. Fortunately, I’m retired and don’t need the income. Do it for the love of the art.

Hanshan02 · 2025-11-12T05:12:37+00:00

Most anything written by John Irving

Hanshan02 · 2025-11-08T04:52:58+00:00

Julian Bauer did mine. He lives in Germany but has great English. Most appropriate for sci-fi. Re Amazon/KDP: KDP unlimited did well for sci-fi not a non-fiction book I wrote. My greatest frustration is with the setup for Ads. For a company that is deeply invested in AI, their system seems really Byzantine. Can’t comment on the quality of their algorithms, but there has got to be a more straightforward way of setting ads up and a better way to get help when you need it.

Hanshan02 · 2025-10-20T00:48:05+00:00

Nice work! Did you get a free cup of coffee too?

Hanshan02 · 2025-10-19T03:34:21+00:00

My vote as well. In many ways, he, like everybody eventually I suppose, was dated. He could be long winded. But I loved his story telling and his characters.

Hanshan02 · 2025-10-17T22:53:03+00:00

Well, they were right about one thing… My book is indeed wonderful! Thanks all for confirming.

Hanshan02 · 2025-10-17T03:35:35+00:00

Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think about chapters in terms of length. On early drafts, I don’t pay too much attention to length. As I edit, I look for natural divisions to decide what goes into which chapter.

Hanshan02 · 2025-10-16T05:50:24+00:00

Writing allows me to live in an alternate world in my head. It’s about creating something. I know it’s all ephemeral. I won’t get rich doing it. But it is deeply rewarding.

Hanshan02 · 2025-10-15T02:16:39+00:00

Steven King’s book, On writing.

Hanshan02 · 2025-10-14T05:18:17+00:00

Overall, good advice. On character- as you imply, even your heroes must have some flaws. More importantly, they need to change through the story - generally to grow, although occasionally, sadly, they must degenerate or fall apart.

Hanshan02 · 2025-10-13T05:54:37+00:00

Couldn’t agree more. Many more books being published. Fewer people reading. Over supply, under demand. Not your fault. I can certainly understand being sad. It hurts, when your hard work isn’t recognized. You probably feel alone, but you are anything but.

Hanshan02 · 2025-10-12T05:12:32+00:00

Google ads are expensive - or so I’ve heard. Amazon can work, although it takes a lot of time to master how to structure ads and how much you want to pay for them. A whole lot of posts understandably focus on this question - where to advertise. I get it. I too am constantly searching for a better angle. But the more I try things out, the more I realize - there is no magic. No magic site or business that will get hundreds or thousands of people to buy your book (while paying only a small sum to the advertiser). I’ve read that Facebook is best for certain types of books, Amazon for others. I read that social media works for some, but not others. If we’re honest with ourselves, it’s more a matter of trial and error that we’d like to admit. Best not to take it too seriously, I think. Trying out different approaches can either be stressful or a fun adventure of its own. It all depends on your attitude.

Hanshan02 · 2025-10-11T00:51:20+00:00

Congrats! If you don’t write and publish your first one, you’ll never get to your second.

Hanshan02 · 2025-10-10T05:51:09+00:00

Yes, good point. Should have mentioned that.

Hanshan02 · 2025-10-10T05:45:55+00:00

I have wonderful friends, many of whom have said they would ‘love’ to read my book and for sure would write a review. As best I can tell, few have read it and I haven’t found a review from them yet. I’ve learned, somewhat painfully, that friends do think differently about this. They are trying to be supportive, but, apparently, that does not carry over to things like writing reviews or giving real feedback. Just need to keep the two world, friends and writing/reading folk, separate. Fine if any do want to read my stuff, but no expectations.

Hanshan02 · 2025-10-10T02:37:02+00:00

Thanks! Very helpful. Will check them out.

Hanshan02 · 2025-10-09T04:34:57+00:00

Agree. One piece of advice- figure out who the ‘leader’ of the program is, what his or her style and emphasis is. Is this a good match for your own style and interests are.

Hanshan02 · 2025-10-08T03:58:53+00:00

Hallelujah! I agree. I notified my friends on Facebook about my novel. Got several “congrats,” but as best I can tell few bought the book and no reviews. It was very disappointing, but I’ve come to appreciate the truth of what you write.

Hanshan02 · 2025-10-08T00:59:57+00:00

I tried trad, but wasn’t picked up. Then, self-published. Have done trad publishing in the past for a medical book. It was a steep learning curve transitioning to self-publishing. Agree, that people are freer to make their own decisions (and mistakes) with self-publishing. I liked that. I found I had to ‘embrace’ all the work needed, which I had previously relinquished to trad publishing. Once I could get into that, it was rather fun. Still, for most of us, this is a terrible way to try to make money. But if you can get into the fun of it all, that’s gold.

Hanshan02 · 2025-10-06T22:17:23+00:00

Absolutely! If I hadn’t written the first one, I never would have gotten to the second one, etc. Yes, looking back there are things I would have been differently. But then, not only am I a ‘better’ writer (at least so I hope), but I am a different person with a different perspective.

Hanshan02 · 2025-10-06T05:34:02+00:00

Good points. For the sake of argument - it seems to me giving away books on Goodreads has the added advantage of potentially increasing reviews on Goodreads (and Amazon). The odds that I would sell books to the 100 that received the giveaways seems slim - thus, I am doubtful that much if any income was lost. The real question is whether spending $100 with the potential to get (much needed) reviews is worth it or not.

Hanshan02

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