Sunday, July 06, 2014

The Demise of Sample Sunday

For about a year now I have been posting samples from my work as well as the quality work of others whom I could vouch for each Sunday. Marketing is supposed to be the end all be all in this new age of publishing and one does what one can. I can't speak for the other authors I have featured on here, but in my case the marketing efforts have pretty much been an epic failure.

I knew pushing an anthology I was involved in and a collection of my stories were not going to make me rich. I also knew that plenty of folks would be quite willing to grab a free read during a promotion and never read it, let alone write a review. I also knew that there would be some folks who would read it, not like everything, and thus feel that since they could not give a five star review on Amazon or elsewhere they just wouldn't review it at all. It didn't matter that I repeatedly begged and pleaded for reviews as I truly never cared if the reviews were one star or five star--I just wanted the books reviewed.

Beyond all that, one promotes on Sample Sunday to sell books. I don't know how the other authors did on their various dates and the days after, but sales of my books have been between damn near zero month in and month out. Quite frankly, I hate marketing my stuff and begging for sales. Heck, I hate begging for anything, but, in the case of Sandi and the monies to pay her doctor bills I gag down my pride and do it because I have to.

But, in the case of my books, I don't have to do it. Nobody will live or die because somebody did or did not buy my book.Would I like the Carpathian Shadows Volume II Anthology and Mind Slices to sell? Heck, yes. But, nobody is going to die over it if they don't. I am absolutely sick and tired of flogging my own work. If you have not bought either one by now then in all likelihood you won't.

So, why keep pushing?

I don't see any reason at all to do it, so I won't be. Yes, I may mention something briefly here or there, but the organized effort on a lot of Sundays is  gone the way of the dodo bird. By the way, if you would like your own dodo bird you can get one here

You may be asking---What is in store  for Sundays if you won't be beating us over the head with your stuff?

Heck if I know. Most likely Sundays will  probably be another day of reviews, market news, and the like as I do most any other day of the week. You just won't get begged to buy my stuff. Your long nightmare is over.

And I promise to not rant/cheer for the Cowboys too much.


5 comments:

Polly Iyer said...

It's a slippery slope, Kevin. I've been turned off by people who do nothing but pimp their books, with no other interaction. Yet people won't know you exist if you don't do some of it. Like everything else, moderation is the key. The way to combat all the downsides of being a writer is to write good books.

Kevin R. Tipple said...

Very true. And if I had been working on something new and had it coming I might have kept things on Sunday going. But, I have not been doing my own stuff for a very long time now and have nothing new to pitch.

Polly Iyer said...

Nothing is ever written in stone. You can always start up Sample Sunday again when you want to. It's your blog. I think anthologies are a hard sell, so I wouldn't get down about any of this. Do your life, what's important. Write when you have something to say. Keep a journal, then turn it into a book.

Kevin R. Tipple said...

A journal of mine turned into a book would be one very seriously depressing deal. I am living a noir life with out the alcohol, meaningless sex, and partners to rob banks.

Polly Iyer said...

That's what imagination is for. I live a very different life in my books. So I write a lot. :-)