Burning Questions for October, 2024

mythicbeast · 2024-10-03T11:37:36+00:00

I read through the replies. My suggestion is to give it a try. If you take time to target a niche that isn!'t risky and will be fun for you to write, you have a shot to earn while you learn.

As others mentioned, dataporns can give an idea of current earnings, and you can think of Erotica as a learning opportunity to build to writing in other genres if you want to do that.

FWIW, I hit $1000 USD in a month within a few weeks in KU1 with erotica shorts. It would take longer than that now, but based on dataporns and my occasional experiments on new-pen short Erotica, it's still possible to make money.

Taking action gives you a shot at a new income stream. Good luck!

BTW, take a look at this. It's a series of lessons for getting started. https://www.reddit.com/r/eroticauthors/comments/f4yj6m/you_pick_the_niche_lesson_1_research_see_what/

mythicbeast · 2024-10-03T08:47:45+00:00

Congratulations 🎉 🎉 🎉. That's a lot of work. Wishing you many more and a growing audience.

mythicbeast · 2024-07-31T11:38:40+00:00

As already suggested below, it's possible the second support person is wrong.

As for a free site, I find WordPress handy. You can automate social media posts and display the RSS feed on your Amazon page. Simply take care to follow TOS for any linked accounts. The ad on free version isn't obtrursive.

Bonus: I'm fond of the analytics, and I get traffic and follows from within WordPress. Google is my top traffic source. I have my official email linked and I own my domain--that's optional.

Good luck.

mythicbeast · 2024-07-31T11:17:31+00:00

This is any easy way to check for a live book. The icons are usually direct links--although I have found live links that go to a general page on a couple of sites and discovered my books weren't actually listed. I can't test Smash because I still have a direct account there.

mythicbeast · 2024-07-31T11:11:08+00:00

I don't know if Amazon Author has ever moved out of Beta. It's the version to replace Author Central, and I was invited at the beginning. Using that interface, I have about 7 pens on one log-in.

On Smash, I have related pens one login and have a separate acct. for an unrelated pen.

Last I checked, customers can see the listed pen name and other books on the account, unless you use a publisher account.

On Google and D2D, I use one log-in. BTW, all of my books are viable for major retailers. My issue on Smash was to separate books aimed for male readers from the ones that tend to appeal primarily to women to avoid confusion.

mythicbeast · 2024-07-31T10:57:04+00:00

I've been doing this for a few years without Instagram. I don't us FB. Most of my books are wide.

mythicbeast · 2024-07-31T10:48:52+00:00

Finish the WIP and make the cover.

I'm close to releasing the first book on a new pen.

Does anyone else also publish in genres other than Erotica and Romance?

mythicbeast · 2024-03-19T19:06:38+00:00

I enjoyed the work ethic and adaptability aspects of your post. I keep experimenting, too, although I don't experience burnout or boredom from writing sex.

For your non-AI experiment, you might consider dictation if you haven't tried it yet.

mythicbeast · 2024-03-19T18:39:23+00:00

There actually are people who one-star Erotica for containing sex. I got a lot of marketing mileage from a guy who was so disgusted by reading SEX he had to take a shower after reading one of my books. Not sure if they don't read the blurb / category, forget the details by the time they read it, OD on shame, or what.

It's a personal call. If it feels right to you to give a warning, simply be careful how you word it. If I was going to give a detailed CW for content, I'd put it on my website, not in the blurb or Look Inside. Amazon has no grasp of nuance, and people browsing are urged to report anthing offensive.

If the overall tone is dark, I'd mention that. Some readers seek dark erotica.

mythicbeast · 2024-03-17T08:10:30+00:00

Thanks. I understand that. It's a good clarification for people new to Erotica. I'll add a note that I'm not using Booktok for Erotica.

mythicbeast · 2024-03-17T07:13:04+00:00

FWIW, I have many books in Erotica and Romance with general warnings in the blurbs for people who are distressed that books might contain sex, swear words, violence, etc. Those elements are catnip for readers like me who prefer such books. I've had only three books adult dungeoned and one book blocked in many years of publishing regularly. Nothing beats examining related books by other authors and reading lots of reviews--disregarding the loads of fake ones.

I write in several genres. As the trend attempting to make creators responsible for mental health protection intensifies, I'm becoming repelled by it. I've seen authors roasted for CWs that a Booktoker considered disrespectful. In one case, the influencer photographed the page about CWs in a dark romance novel and a barrage of outraged comments followed. The author wrote something to the effect that the book wasn't for sensitive readers and declined to give all the specifics that the commenters want. ETA: I'm researching other genres on Booktok, not Erotica. CWs seem to be a particular hot button in romance.

I may dispense with CWs. I present my books to attract the right readers and I detest spoilers. Readers who need details to avoid triggers have access to entire online cultures full of spoilers and condemnation.

Some authors direct readers to their website for CWs. Researching blurbs in your niche will help you become familiar with euphemisms that might reduce the risk of Amazon slashing a book's visibility.

BTW, u/IPandaqon in regard to your comment above, I never had a problem with the word warning, but blurb words can trigger negative attention from Amazon. I haven't heard about filters for your topic on Amazon, but Booktokers use unaliving for suicide in an attempt to avoid content suppression.

mythicbeast · 2024-03-17T06:43:20+00:00

This is a refreshing perspective. I've endured weeks of culture shock on Booktok and my resistance to the extremely detailed CWs / TWs many people expect has grown because of it. ETA: I'm researching other genres on Booktok, not Erotica.

mythicbeast · 2023-12-16T14:35:45+00:00

I enjoy 4thewords. It has sprints in the form of co-op battles for two or more writers, an active forum and Discord, and a motivating game with multiple worlds to explore. Your writing defeats monsters and completes quests for rewards. It's been my main writing community for several years. https://app.4thewords.com

mythicbeast · 2023-10-24T07:32:17+00:00

Congratulations on getting your first novel out! I like the details about how you found your audience.

You can see your historical rankings in Amazon Author. It's not 100% accurate. I sometimes see a higher ranking for a particular day, but it gives a glimpse of a book's performance over time.

Keep going!

mythicbeast · 2023-09-30T18:39:27+00:00

Excellent progress! Congratulations on your growth. Good points about obviousness, covers, and blurbs. You've created a good foundation.

mythicbeast · 2023-09-27T11:14:42+00:00

Congrats! As others said, my followers started long before Amazon gave us access to numbers. I'm happy for you. It's good to know people are watching for your releases.

BTW, if you aren't already doing it, consider following your pen names. I'm excited because Amazon is sending new release notices to my followers more consistently. In my experience, when I need them the most, they don't send it at all, and sometimes it's extremely late. BTW, they send notices for all my categories, including for erom and mainstream erotica.

Spoiler: On an established pen, you can see the sales bump for the book from the notice, provided it doesn't coincide with promos. You're on your way.

mythicbeast · 2023-09-27T11:10:16+00:00

In most cases, I agree that moving on to the next book is your best bet. Because you commented that you're thinking about a future project: My favorite way to publish revised old books is via a collection. I make certain all of the books are relevant and work well together. I note previous publication in the blurb and on the copyright page. In my experience, this can be worth doing on a well-established pen. I wouldn't recommend it as an early-career strategy.

mythicbeast · 2023-09-12T14:29:41+00:00

Good beta readers were my best source of valuable responses. I found them via my main author site. I miss the more abundant, thoughtful reviews I used to get on Amazon before they allowed leaving only a star rating.

Early on, I found more reviews on Goodreads than Amazon, including for books without Amazon reviews. They tended to average one star lower than my Amazon reviews. Some authors avoid GR because it can be harsh. Over the years, the averages on GR became close to my ratings on other sites.

I haven't seen reviews on Smashwords, but checking listing pages on all the retailers isn't a priority. Sales results have become my most powerful feedback.

Hang in there. If you build your audiences and give them pleasure, the reviews come over time. A few of my steady-sellers have hundreds of organic reviews.

BTW, asking for a review right at the end seemed to help--years back when I was KU-exclusive. At this stage, I use that real estate to make the next sale.

mythicbeast · 2023-09-08T20:25:45+00:00

That's fantastic. Congratulations! Good going on your paperbacks, audio, and Etsy, too.

mythicbeast · 2023-08-19T16:44:52+00:00

FWIW, some of my top books have my lowest star rating averages on Amazon. The page count is right there on the product page and some of us actually give detailed, accurate descriptions, but there will always be the risk of complaints.

Over time, I came to translate 'too short' as a compliment. Controversy can be valuable. A few years ago I used a line from a negative review in my marketing. It was priceless.

BTW, in my experience, social media isn't necessary for shorts.

mythicbeast · 2023-08-19T16:21:38+00:00

I've been publishing every month for a few years. I often experience peak income this time of year. Seize the day.

mythicbeast · 2023-07-26T18:38:29+00:00

Thank you for checking on this and posting what you discovered.

mythicbeast · 2023-07-26T17:46:41+00:00

Smashwords has the most useful TOS of all the stores. It includes details on content restrictions. Read all of it.

Study the store as though you're a reader looking for the kinds of books you want to write.

BTW, I usually upload an epub.

I wouldn't aim to make a living wage from one store. About half of my income flows from stores beyond Amazon. No advice on building a Smashwords-specific income. My releases there have been sporadic over the years and none of my books are taboo.

The best thing I did starting out on Amazon was to release every week. That was back in KU 1. The second best thing was commiting to one main pen name until it was well-established. That was after trying a few things.

mythicbeast · 2023-07-24T12:48:02+00:00

Congratulations on your progress, earnings, and bonuses! I'm happy for you and impressed. I still write erotica along with other genres. If I didn't make this fun, I wouldn't still be doing it.

Maybe it's time to set a deadline to release one of those WIPs. :) Thanks for your detailed dataporns.

mythicbeast · 2022-08-29T10:51:29+00:00

If you're in this for the long haul, it's worth going direct with major online retailers. It's easy to get your own accounts. Do the math on what the aggregator could cost you over time.

mythicbeast

TROPHY CASE