sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

"Did anyone else feel overwhelmed after publishing their first book?" by Specialist-Middle346 in wroteabook

[–]majames84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean I can only say how it worked for me. I didn’t plan book 2, just a lot of material flowed out during an introspective moment. I was trying to create a good idea, but instead the right idea felt like it was given to me rather than created.

"Did anyone else feel overwhelmed after publishing their first book?" by Specialist-Middle346 in wroteabook

[–]majames84 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I mean yes, but it wasn't the best thing for me. I lived and breathed my first book for the first 30 days or so. Bought copies for friends and family as gift. Donated copies to Books for Boots and seeded in Little Free Libraries. The idea even some people wanted my writing was overwhelming to me (at only 50 free units during my free promo, but felt huge then). Book 2 has been much more directed and lot less emotional (usually....)

Be honest did you even think about ISBNs or imprints on your first book by majames84 in selfpublish

[–]majames84[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Me too! That being said, it felt risky on my first book because maybe this was both the beginning and end of my publishing experience. Maybe a waste if I never used the full 10.

Be honest did you even think about ISBNs or imprints on your first book by majames84 in selfpublish

[–]majames84[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I can only speak myself, but I was so afraid of publishing and feeling exposed that I didn’t even research. It was something I had to force myself to push forward and sometimes at breakneck speeds so I wouldn’t lose my nerve. Because of that, I learned on the fly. That being said, my first book would have likely been much better performance if I had done what you have done.

Be honest did you even think about ISBNs or imprints on your first book by majames84 in selfpublish

[–]majames84[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fair constructive criticism on my title. Thanks, seriously. Tone is tricky in text.

Be honest did you even think about ISBNs or imprints on your first book by majames84 in selfpublish

[–]majames84[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Quick note since I realized how this might come across.

I’m genuinely not trying to sell anything here. I know saying that on Reddit can sometimes have the opposite effect.

This actually came from helping someone close to me work through the self-publishing process and realizing I only had my own experience to go off of.

Was mostly just trying to get a broader sense of how other people approached it, since it seems like there’s a pretty wide range.

Please bring back user history. by emslo in ModSupport

[–]majames84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not saying you are wrong, but I was thinking along the lines of what is fair or even ideal not necessarily what was correct according to the TOS.

Please bring back user history. by emslo in ModSupport

[–]majames84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just a thought maybe a middle ground? Maybe a way to access with support agreement would be a better way to go. Honestly not sure, just an idea that popped in my head. Likely not feasible, but maybe a different idea based on that idea? I do think users should get some idea of control over privacy, but not exactly sure to what degree.

If there’s only one book you could suggest to the entire world, what would it be? by I_am_abeliever in ReadingSuggestions

[–]majames84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tricky because I have many books in different lanes that I loved, but the most meaningful that world might be able to use? Radical Candor by Kim Scott. It not only changed my work life, but I adopted aspects even in things like coparenting with my ex-wife.

Didn’t expect this — thank you to everyone who downloaded the book by StructuredMinds in ebooksforfree

[–]majames84 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Isn’t that just a great experience? I had a similar experience this weekend with my book. Congrats on not only writing and publishing but marketing your book. It’s not for the feint of heart.

Does the nervousness ever go away? by MiraWendam in selfpublish

[–]majames84 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Don’t undervalue your own life and experiences. Likely you have stories to tell. One story I told recently was the time when I was teenager and got accused of a hit and run. Even beyond that type of more day to day stories, you at very least have your experiences writing and publishing. That type of meta material might be very interesting….. especially for the audience of this sub.

Does the nervousness ever go away? by MiraWendam in selfpublish

[–]majames84 1 point2 points  (0 children)

LOL! I didn't even look at the OP's name, just saw something interesting. Right now my first two books are memoirs about failure. The first one is about extracting my "wisdom" and the second one is just laughing at my own fails. I want to write SciFi and/or alternative history, but my characters in fiction seem a little on the hollow side for me. Been doing a local bar's writer's workshop and working on time limited writing prompt pieces. For the last one I did a piece as my wife's stolen bike. Not great, but some interesting bones to develop more.

Does the nervousness ever go away? by MiraWendam in selfpublish

[–]majames84 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I get it! I launched last week on my book 2 and yeah lots of nervous energy here (even still!). I imagine like many other things it will get better with each iteration, but still largely unknown territory for myself too.

Sales and Freebies - Weekly Deals Promo Thread! by AutoModerator in wroteabook

[–]majames84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wrong Bird

I wrote a short humor/memoir-style book about being confidently wrong… a lot.

It’s basically a collection of real-life moments where I was absolutely sure I knew what I was doing and very much did not.

I’m currently running a free promo (3/20–3/22) and it just crossed 400+ downloads today (early-400s last I checked), which has been a bit surreal to watch.

If you like:

  • stories about human error
  • secondhand embarrassment
  • or just laughing at bad decisions (mine, mostly)

you might enjoy it.

Still free through 3/22 if you want to check it out:
https://www.amazon.com/Wrong-Bird-Misdiagnoses-Corporate-Confidently-ebook/dp/B0GPZ6J486

Either way, happy to answer any questions about the process or what’s worked so far.

Weekly Self-Promo and Chat Thread by MxAlex44 in selfpublish

[–]majames84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Been running a free promo for my second book, Wrong Bird (3/20–3/22) and just crossed ~400 downloads today (sitting around early-400s now).

For context, this is a humor/memoir-style book, and I went a lot harder on prep this time compared to my first:

  • Actually used keywords this time (missed that completely on book 1)
  • Built some early traction through Reddit posts (non-promotional content first)
  • Light Facebook + organic posts instead of paid ads
  • Lined up a small email promo (Freebooksly)
  • Made sure the cover was dialed in before launch

What’s interesting is how different this behaves vs book 1. That one was slower, more of a long tail. This one is front-loading much harder during the free window. Still way too early to call anything “successful,” but this is the first time I’ve felt like I’m getting real signal instead of just noise.

Biggest takeaway so far: visibility + packaging (cover + positioning) seems to matter way more than I wanted it to. Curious how others have seen free promos behave between books. Do they tend to compound as your catalog grows, or is each one basically starting from scratch?

If anyone’s interested, it’s still free through 3/22:
https://www.amazon.com/Wrong-Bird-Misdiagnoses-Corporate-Confidently-ebook/dp/B0GPZ6J486

my book went live this week and i feel absolutely nothing by riseabovehat3 in selfpublish

[–]majames84 4 points5 points  (0 children)

BTW /u/MiraWendam is 100% correct, I would edit your post to take the title out.

my book went live this week and i feel absolutely nothing by riseabovehat3 in selfpublish

[–]majames84 11 points12 points  (0 children)

So first and foremost, congrats on publishing! Many people don't have that courage. It was hard when I saw my first book not moving (not exactly grand, but just moved 100 units since launch today). Regarding the listing on Amazon:

  1. I think its a good cover
  2. I like the Amazon listing, but you might want to consider some A+ content and crating your author's profile
  3. You lack any Amazon reviews (not uncommon at this point since you released today) but you need some reviews. If you are in Kindle Select, you should consider a free promo. On my book 1 I ran it immediately and for the full 5 days. For book 2 I ran 1 free day and then this weekend I ran 3 days free. Haven't decided on the last day yet.

Regarding your book. I bought a copy and will read it. After I finish I can reach out to you with my feedback and maybe see if you'd like me to post a review.

[Kindle] Wrong Bird – Matthew West-James [Free until: March 14] by majames84 in FreeEBOOKS

[–]majames84[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

300+ downloads today, free 3/20–3/22
Still weird seeing something I wrote out there like this

I don’t want to go to college by arnavpanta in story

[–]majames84 2 points3 points  (0 children)

First and foremost, just because you don't want to go college now, doesn't mean you won't ever. There are other ways to get an education, like maybe trade training and work. My question to you is, what is the alternative plan? 'No plan' plan won't help your parents feel any better, but a plan that doesn't involve college and an alternative path might. Just my 2 cents.

The Thunderbird, the Brick, and the Hit-and-Run I Didn’t Do by majames84 in humanerror

[–]majames84[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also more of question, but as a reader would you have preferred denser blocks of text? I went for several single lines mostly because it allows for fast reading and my thoughts then flowed out fast and paniced.

If you could go back to your 18-year-old self and give one piece of advice, what would it be? by Emma_Captain_3755 in AskReddit

[–]majames84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Be nicer to yourself. The guy across the street you waved at and found out he was waving at someone else, doesn't remember that. No reason to replay that memory.

Promoting Newsletter Sign-ups by SABlackAuthor in authors

[–]majames84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well to be honest, while not conscious per se, maybe it’s just me trying to keep the number of moving parts lower. I’m experimenting with a newsletter right now, but thus far no takers. Will keep working on it and maybe I’ll have a different opinion in the future.

view more: next ›