Graham Storrs » self-promotion

Is Being Ignored Worse Than Rejection?

Graham Storrs — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:03:51 +0000

Lately, four of the self-published authors I follow (on their blogs and Twitter) have said that they are giving up. Some are giving up writing altogether, some are giving up their attempts to be successful. Four is quite a rash and I wonder if it is a sign of things to come. The three that gave reasons, said it was because they are tired of putting their books out there and working so hard at marketing their work, only to be ignored by the buying public. They weren’t actually “tired” you understand, they were heartsick, they were miserable, they were defeated and broken.

Those of us who write and submit our manuscripts to the judgement of agents and publishers know the pain of rejection. Some wear the terrible number of rejections they have accumulated as a badge of pride (although that happens mostly after they’ve been published). It is gruelling and it is soul-destroying. Most writers hate it and wish it could stop. Some writers make it stop by taking their hats out of the ring.

In recent times, self-publishing has been seen as a way around the dreadful and often arbitrary judgement of the “gatekeepers”. Why should a writer go on suffering the rejection of publishers and agents, they reason, when they can simply and cheaply publish their own work and “get it out there”? While some see subjecting themselves to the judgement of the gatekeepers as “paying their dues”, others see it as an artificial barrier, erected by an old and crumbling system that no longer has the respect of the people of whom it sits in judgement.

But when you self-publish, you offer yourself to the judgement of a higher court: The Market. And don’t think for a moment that The Market is the court of public opinion. It is not. The Market is a whore, a gigolo. It has favours to offer, but only at a price. And the price is this: you must woo it, thrill it, entertain it, seduce it, plead with it, and subjugate yourself to it. If you don’t catch its fickle eye, its gaze will pass over you and find another, more willing to please it.

There are many panders who will offer the self-published author advice on how to succeed in The Market, but most of them are charlatans or fools. And, besides, so few writers are prepared to make the deals that really work, the ones that are made over buried bones at a crossroads. So the average self-published author sells a book or two a month on Amazon and keeps on writing and hoping – because the panders say you need lots of “inventory”.

But for some the awful truth hits them; The Market is ignoring them. And then they know a pain worse than rejection. A pain that squeezes at their hearts every day of their lives, for every book they publish, twenty-four seven. The Amazon KDP report mocks them. The Smashwords dashboard laughs in their pathetic faces. Self-publishing, for so many, becomes a nightmare of disillusionment and self-torment. The world just isn’t interested. They’re not being rejected because nobody even knows they’re there. They’re being ignored. Their life’s work, their hopes and dreams, they themselves, are beneath notice.

Beneath notice.

How long before this trickle of surrenders becomes a stream? How long before the stream becomes a torrent? I don’t know, but I do know I will continue to face rejection until I can face it no more. The alternative may be far worse.

That's me, near the middle, waving.

TimeSplash Audiobook Giveaway: 7 Days Left

Graham Storrs — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 11:13:28 +0000

Just a quick note to mention that there are still seven days left to win one of 3 copies of the TimeSplash audiobook that are being given away at Martha’s Bookshelf. And it’s not just the book. A short story prequel I wrote and recorded myself will also be given away with each of the three audiobooks.

TimeSplash is a time travel thriller, a fast-paced story about two young people who devote their lives to hunting down the time-travelling terrorist, Sniper. Sandra, his former girlfriend, is driven by fear for her life after a time trip turns into a nightmare of destruction and murder. With no resources and no friends, she doggedly tracks the dangerous and powerful killer. But it is only when she teams up with Jay, an MI5 agent whose best friend was killed in the aftermath of Sniper’s worst and most deadly timesplash, that either of them stand any chance of bringing Sniper down. But time is their enemy. They must stop Sniper before his team pulls off its biggest timesplash ever and destroys a major European city in the process.

The audiobook is published by Iambik Audiobooks and read by the amazing Emma Newman.

The prequel is called Party Time and features the moment when time travel is first demonstrated by two unemployed physicists in a slum in the north of England, and their friend who realises the true potential of what is being demonstrated. I read it myself and Iambik Audiobooks have kindly hosted the recording for this giveaway.

Treat yourself to an extra Christmas present this year.

“Gaming” Amazon is Despicable

Graham Storrs — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 04:03:04 +0000

Please excuse me. I’m about to rant. It’s not a pretty sight and I wouldn’t blame you if you went somewhere else right now. (And, if you’re wondering where would be a good place to escape to, try the Hope anthology online book launch - it’s in a very good cause.)

I’ve just been followed on Twitter by another jerk with another book marketing scam. In this one, thousands of “independent” (self-published) authors, with books on Amazon, are signing up to “like”, “tag”, “rate” and “tweet” each other’s books in an orgy of deception and back scratching. They aren’t reading each other’s books, merely recommending them to others in return for their own book being recommended.

Arseholes like this seem to think there is no harm in “gaming” sites like Amazon to give their own work an advantage. For some reason, they don’t see it as lying to people and cheating people for pecuniary gain, they see it as “marketing” or “book promotion” or some other euphemism. Well it’s not, you tossers, it’s lying and cheating. It demeans you. It brings every book rating and recommendation system you touch into disrepute and makes the whole system worthless.

And if you think this is going to give you anything other than short-term gain, you are even bigger fools than you seem to be. Anyone who buys your books on the basis of these fraudulent recommendations, is going to be very annoyed if your books are a load of crap – and if they’re not a load of crap, why are you resorting to this kind of subterfuge to trick people into buying them? Frankly, I wish that each of you could be exposed to as many people as possible for the worms that you are. Public humiliation is the least you deserve.

As for the jerk who followed me and tried to get me to join his disgusting little scam, I blocked him and reported him as a spammer. I’d have liked to have done more but that was all that was in my power to do. If enough of us do the same, maybe some of these guys will lose their accounts.

OK, rant over. Normal service will be resumed shortly.

Is This Goodbye?

Graham Storrs — Fri, 20 May 2011 04:50:44 +0000

Ah well, better luck next time.

After all, it’s the Rapture tomorrow. This could be the last anyone hears from me. Which gives me such a cool idea. What if I just disappear tomorrow – take no luggage, no credit cards, leave no note, just vanish. I could then sit on a beach in Northern Queensland reading the religious nutcases speculating in the press as to why I was the only one in the world taken in the Rapture. They would probably find some good reason.

So, if I do disappear, either God’s got a really cool sense of humour, or I have.

Meanwhile, you might like to know that writer, Sonya Clark, turned her Digital Author Spotlight on me today, and hosted a guest post from me. Yes, I began life as a digital-only author, but one day… So a big thank you to Sonya and to all of you who just clicked the link and went to have a look.

See you tomorrow – or will I?

Nothing but Flowers: Post-Apocalyptic Love Stories – out now

Graham Storrs — Tue, 17 May 2011 07:36:12 +0000

Tales of Post-Apocalyptic Love

Remember me mentioning some upcoming anthologies with stories of mine in them? Well, one is out today. So shoot over to Amazon and grab your copy. All proceeds to to help Queensland flood victims. These guys lost a lot and are still suffering, so if you’re feeling charitable, this is definitely a good cause. There are 26 stories in all and mine is called “Two Fools in Love”. (In case you just want to jump straight there. Just a suggestion.)

Here is where to buy it: http://www.amazon.com/Nothing-But-Flowers-tales-post-apocalyptic/dp/098074461X/ref=cm_wl_cp_al_pt

The publisher, eMergent Press, wants you to buy it right now, this minute, to create an Amazon “chart rush”, which will help sales and mean more money for charity. But any time that suits you is just fine, really.

—

Footnote: Well, the “chart rush” worked! At one point, “Nothing but Flowers” hit the number 1 spot in the Amazon UK sci-fi anthologies chart, the fantasy anthologies chart, and the fantasy short stories chart! Another collection of short stories released on the same day by the same publisher and which was also out there to support Queensland flood victims, “100 Stories for Queensland”, also did spectacularly well, becoming the Amazon UK “top mover and shaker”. Many, many thanks to everyone who bought copies of these books. And, please, don’t stop now. I’m sure all your friends would like to know about this, and it is all in a good cause.

May the Fourth (3 GWC) Be With You

Graham Storrs — Wed, 04 May 2011 07:49:04 +0000

Yes, it’s that time of year again. For the many people who weren’t around on May 4th 2008 when I posted my first “hello world” from my brand new writing blog – that is, all of you – May 4th 2008 is the date from which I reckon my writing career began. So as 3 GWC (Graham’s Writing Career) draws to a close, it’s time to take stock once more and reflect on all that has happened since 2 GWC drew to a close.

Well, maybe not. Oh, alright, but just one paragraph. It was a busy and complicated year – essentially the first year of my first novel – and it ended (near enough) with me having found a wonderful literary agent (Ineke Prochazka) to call my own. There were a few story sales along the way and lots of other writerly stuff. In all, it was a year of good, solid progress. I started writing three novels in 3 GWC too – and finished one of them. I hope to finish the other two in the coming year. It was also the year that Jodi Cleghorn and eMergent Press came into my life and Big Bad Media came and went (literally – it has now wound up). I went to Worldcon. I went to Supanova. A couple of my friends did amazing (publishing-related) things (that’s you, Emma, Marianne, Joanna and Joanne) and I got two new computers!

And all the other things that I forgot to mention.

On the agenda for next year are another novel sale – or two – (which is now your department, Ineke), more shorts sales, finishing my comedy sci-fi novel “Cargo Cult” and possibly a couple of other books, maybe going to the Brisbane Writers Festival (haven’t quite decided yet), and seeing “TimeSplash” finally appear in print (and maybe audio – how’s that going, Em?) I think it will be another busy and complicated year. At least I hope so.

There are a couple of shorts of mine appearing soon in anthologies for you to look out for (please!)

In Situ – a spec fic anthology from Dagan Books, ed. Carrie Cuinn. It contains my story “Salvage”. Expected publication date is 15th May – pre-order it via Goodreads.

Hope – a spec fic anthology from Kayelle Press, ed. Sasha Beattie, with a great cast of Aussie writers. It contains my story “The God on the Mountain”. Expected publication date is “real soon now”! I am especially stoked that two of the other contributors are friends who shared the QWC/Hachette retreat with me in May 2008 – the event that I believe kicked off my professional writing career.

Nothing but Flowers: Tales of Post Apocalyptic Love from eMergent Press, ed. Jodi Cleghorn. It contains my story “Two Fools in Love” – the first time I ever sat down to write a love story and actually did it. This is already available as an ebook but should hit the streets as a paperback any second now.

You all have a good 4 now. Happy New Year.

Welcome, Curious Blog Lovers!

Graham Storrs — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 22:39:07 +0000

If you are reading this, the chances are about four to one that it is because I am a finalist in the Sydney Writers Centre, Best Australian Blogs, 2011, Competition. That’s what my site stats tell me, anyway. Believe me, I’m as amazed as you are to find my blog has made it so far. Apart from a general feeling of chuffedness and a bit of bragging to my wife and daughter, I hadn’t given much thought to what this means.

Then I noticed my site stats and the big spikes in the number of visitors on the days when announcements have been made. Now I feel vaguely guilty. I mean, all you nice people popping over to take a look at my blog! I should have done something nice for you all, put up a couple of deep and profound posts, changed the banner to a big “Welcome!” sign, tried to flog you a book, or something.

Ah well, another day, another blunder. Too late now, I suppose.

Unless…

Nyah! There’s no chance I could win. I mean, there are some truly exceptional blogs in my category (and I already follow them all, by the way) and anyone in their right mind would see that at a glance. Still, I didn’t expect to be a finalist, either. So, just in case, the following paragraph is for you, kind stranger. (Regular readers can go back to writing desperate pleas to publishers and agents.)

Hello, and welcome to the Graham Storrs blog. Don’t let this post fool you, I can be quite sensible, even interesting, sometimes. So, take a few minutes to skim through previous posts. The gold nuggets are in there somewhere. Probably. If not, well, at least you will go away inspired by the thought that, if my blog can be a Sydney Writers Centre, Best Australian Blogs, 2011, Competition finalist, then so could yours.

Thank you for dropping by.

Marketing Books on Goodreads

Graham Storrs — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 06:30:17 +0000

Of late I’ve been receiving friend requests on Goodreads from people who have (apparently) read 0 or 1 books and have a large and growing number of friends. Where they have 1 book listed, it is invariably their own.

Look, guys, I know all the marketeers tell you to use the power of social networking to plug your products, but, for heaven’s sake, if you’re going to do it, do it subtly, or don’t bother. And don’t pervert sites like Goodreads, which is there for readers to get together to talk about books, by using it as a platform for what amounts to spam.

I have loads of friends on social networks. I follow or friend them because they seem interesting and seem to share common interests, similar views, or a similar sense of humour. I’m not going to friend you just because you ask. And, yes, when a friend of mine, someone I’m interested in, says they’ve published a book, I do often go off and buy a copy – but that’s because it was someone I like, not just some stranger.

Twitter has a very useful “block and report for spam” button for people who are simply trying to sell me things. Sadly, Goodreads does not. So I’m developing a stock response to Goodreads spammers, which goes something like this:

Dear X,

You’ve sent me a friend request on Goodreads. It’s nice that you’re so keen, but I have to tell you, I deliberately “ignored” it. It’s nothing personal, I’m sure you’re a great guy and you’re nice to your kids and all that, but when I see a friend request from someone who has 1 book listed and 500+ friends, all I think is that you’re using Goodreads to market your book.

And that’s OK too, but if *all* you’re doing on Goodreads is marketing your book, I can’t see why I’d want to sign up for that.

The people I have friended on Goodreads have read, rated and reviewed many books, typically hundreds. They’re into this. They like sharing their views about books. Like me, they like reading. They’re not just trying to sell me something.

So, I’m sorry, but I’m more than just grist to your marketing mill. I know how hard it is to get people to notice one’s book, and I sympathise, God knows, but this is not the way.

Regards,

Graham.

Read an eBook Week Becomes a Feeding Frenzy

Graham Storrs — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 04:53:37 +0000

At least, if my own experience is anything to go by!

I mentioned the other day that the few books I’ve self-published have been available for free on Smashwords to celebrate Read an eBook Week. Well, the week is almost up and it has been an astonishing success. People picked up almost as many of my self-published books in this single week as they did in the whole of the past year! If this pattern is reflected across all participating authors, this is going to be an outstanding success for Read an eBook Week.

There are five books of mine involved in the celebration – only two of them under my own name – and it is just as fascinating as the overall numbers to note that the three written under a pseudonym have been flying off the virtual shelf at ten times the rate of the ones under my own name. I would dearly love to know why that is because,

The pseudonymous books are in a different genre to the one I normally write in. Is that genre ten times more popular than sci-fi? (Maybe I should be asking, are there any genres that are not ten times more popular than sci-fi?)
The general consensus among those I trust to read and comment on my books before I submit them anywhere, is that the pseudonymous books are nowhere near as good as my sci-fi books. They tell me I should stop dabbling in other genres and stick to the knitting. That’s why they’re self-published under a pseudonym in the first place – I have no intention of inflicting them on a publisher but I can’t bear the thought of them just sitting on my hard drive. Could my beta readers be wrong?
I made a couple of announcements about my books being available free for RaEW, here and on Twitter, but anybody who noticed would only be able to find the ones under my real name, not my pseudonym. That means the pseudonymous books got absolutely zero publicity and yet are going ten times faster than the ones that did! What does this tell me about book marketing? Does it mean some genres require a hard sell, while, for others, there are crowds of eager readers prowling the book sites, desperate for free books?
Since a week of free is roughly equivalent to a year at next-to-nothing (most of my books are normally for sale at $0.99) I’d like to be able to conclude something about the optimum price-point for self-published ebooks. It certainly looks as if I can. Basically, if a self-published ebook is not free, I can expect to ship about a fiftieth of the book’s potential numbers. So, do I want lots of readers, or a trickle of income? It does seem to be an either/or situation.

There are lots of questions a result like this raises, but I think those are the big ones for me. Is anyone else seeing this kind of thing with free vs sold books? Is the picture as depressing as it looks? I mean, it’s great that Read an eBook Week is looking like a huge success, but the sudden voracious consumption of my work, just because it’s free, leaves me with a slightly queasy feeling – like I’m watching a joint of meat being devoured by piranha fish.

Is this the face of today's ebook reader?

In Situ: Coming Soon

Graham Storrs — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 22:27:57 +0000

In preparation for their forthcoming sci-fi anthology, In Situ, Dagan Books has begun posting interviews with the contributing authors. And today, it’s my turn.

The idea behind In Situ is a good one. It is an anthology of science fiction tales about alien excavations, weird archaeology, and the unearthing of mysteries. As an avid Time Team viewer, I absolutely could not resist! And I can’t wait to see what the other writers have done with this ‘future archaeology’ theme. My own contribution is called “Salvage” and breaks new ground for me – a sci-fi story set so far into the future that everything we are now has been lost and forgotten. A very long way from the near future thrillers I have been writing lately.

Publication is planned for May 15, 2011, so grab an RSS feed and I’ll let you know when it’s out.