Does blogging sell books?

Does blogging sell books? This is the question every author who blogs wants an answer to. Well, I have my own opinion and I believe that the answer is yes, but not for the obvious reason of exposure.

 I believe authors who blog become better writers because unlike fiction, which requires the writer to immerse themselves into their imagination, blogging, which is mostly nonfiction, requires a different type of thought process. Blogging forces the fiction writer into another genre.

Blogging helps to sell books simply because it makes a better author of those books. If I stumble upon an author blog and I like the material the author blogs about I will take a look at the books they’ve written. I concede to the notion that the quality of blog posts indicates the quality of the manuscripts written.

Blogging allows the author to share daily updates of their works, engaging their readers into the process of writing the book itself. It allows reclusive writers the chance to interact with their fans without ever leaving the safety of their writer’s cave. Blogging sells books not because of exposure, but because it humanizes the author whose writing the books. It brings the writer’s soul into the mind of the reader and there is no better way of gaining a following than that.

I started my blog a few years ago and was delighted when I got my first follower. I remember when my page view counter hit one thousand and I nearly burst into tears of joy. I couldn’t believe that absolute strangers were interested in and reading my posts. Now, at well over a quarter million hits with an average page view of two hundred to five hundred hits per day, I find that I get as much pleasure out of interacting with my followers as I do writing my fiction. And at the end of the day it makes more people interested in the books that I’ve written.

Top selling author

It’s been said that a true writer will experience a multitude of dizzying highs and terrifying lows during the course of his or her lifetime. To make art, one must suffer whether mentally, spiritually, or monetarily to get the true juices-of-expression flowing.

I’ve been feeling a little down lately at the state of the publishing world and I know it’s shown in a few of my recent posts. I’ve been worried that the marketplace is over-saturated with hastily written books by amateur writers and that these writers are diluting the effectiveness of book sponsorships. That said; an amazing thing happened to me the other day.

Out of the blue, Ereader News Today contacted me to let me know that they were going to feature my book, DROP OUT on the site. That in itself would be amazing considering the millions of indie books that are vying for a spot on the website and you cannot pay for one. What’s even more amazing is this is the second time they’ve picked my book.

The first time went very well with sales in the hundreds and my Amazon ranking getting to @ 1,200 in the paid Kindle store and #75 in my genre. As an author, that was thrilling to see. But this second time was even better. My Amazon rank got below 800 in the entire paid Amazon store and to #23 in my genre. And as I write this, I’m still below #3,500 ranking in the entire paid store.

My point is, just when you think all the time you spend writing and promoting is useless in today’s flooded marketplace a little miracle happens to make it all worthwhile. If I never sell another book after today, I can at least say that for two whole days I was a top selling author. Thank you Ereader News Today and I thank whatever forces were at work to make this happen. My faith in writing as an art form has been renewed.

Thanks ereader news today

Here is my Amazon ranking this morning after my ereader news today promotion. I'm very lucky and thankful that ENT has picked DROP OUT not once, but twice to promote. There is no price you can pay to be chosen for the site, they have to choose you. Thanks again ENT.

Crazy

Selling 5 books a minute for the last 30 minutes is beautiful.

Hitting Ereader News Today

Just wanted to let everyone know that my award winning novella DROP OUT is on sale through Ereader News Today for just $0.99.

Read what Kindle Nation Daily called “the sleeper hit of the year” what Kindle Fire Department called, “riveting, touching, and deeply heartwarming, a book that will stay with you forever”, an Indie Book of the Day winner, 19 five star reviews from all over the world.

It will affect you.

http://ereadernewstoday.com/ent-deals-and-freebies-for-10-23-13/6735566/

Exciting news!

I just received notice that ereader news today will be featuring DROP OUT http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FX0K7U this Wednesday. Last time they featured this book (3 months ago) it shot to #32 on Amazon.com suspense best seller list and #455 on Amazon's worldwide best seller list. I'm psyched to see what happens!

 

I don’t want to be famous… anymore

I always loved stories. When I was a little kid my father asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. Without hesitation I happily replied, “A famous writer.” When I graduated high school and was applying to colleges my father asked me what I want to go to school for? I replied, “I want to be a famous writer.” To which he replied lovingly; “Better have a backup plan.” I spent four years majoring in psychology and philosophy.

When I graduated college my father gave me a book on how to succeed in a corporate interview. He thought it might come in handy when I went out looking for a job. I told him I appreciate all he’s done and his advice, but I wanted to be a famous writer. A week later, I moved to Seattle WA, to live out the hippie-writer life. That was in 1993.

I always dreamed of hitting it big with my books. Selling millions of copies and spending my days sitting on a dock in Key West living out the Hemingway dream while tourists and fans come up and asked for my autograph. All through the 1990’s and well into the new millennium I worked obsessively; writing, querying, making publishing connections, always with that dream of getting famous pushing at the back of my mind and driving me to sacrifice a normal, non-writing life.

For twenty years, I’ve penned novels, short stories, poetry, screenplays, and blog posts. I’ve been recognized by several prestigious writing groups and contests, been interviewed by television, newspaper, and magazines, had a top NY agent for five years, and sold enough books to say I’m mildly successful. But is that enough? I’m not famous.

As I sit here getting older, spending my days trying to get the world to notice my work, I’ve come to the realization that I no longer want to be famous. Getting famous is not so much about possessing raw talent anymore, it’s about interviews, and skyping, and tweeting, and twerking, and surrounding yourself with promoters and marketers who are only interested in you making them money. Ask Miley Cyrus what she went through to make her new album premier at #1 on the charts? A whole lot more than I’d want to do.

I no longer want to be famous because I’ve discovered that I enjoy my anonymity. Recently, I attended a social event in which several people there had read some of my books. I actually felt uncomfortable at the attention they gave me. I would have rather talked about something other than myself that night, but that’s just me.

I don’t write to inflate my ego or attract attention. I write because I have to. I’m hard-wired to do it. I don’t want to invest the tens of thousands of hours and dozens of people it takes to make me a super-star author. I just want to write my books and tell my stories. To all the authors out there spending thousands of hours and dollars trying to hit it big, I applaud your efforts and hope you all become famous. Personally, I prefer living in the shadows.