You know, I read somewhere about authors not looking at their rating on Amazon because it will make them crazy. It only shows what has been sold through that arena, not actual sales. My publisher lets me know quarterly...sometimes good and sometimes not so good!

Sigrid, Congrats! I rejoice with you and join my boomer sisters wishing you continued success! It's great to see all the hardwork paying off.

I agree with you about your customers' mobility. Hey, whatever works for you, right?

Songbird,

Thanks so much for the encouragement. I really appreciate it!

Dianne,

I agree completely but I've developed a bad habit of checking my rating several times a day. I do find that my ratings correlate with my actual book sales. Also, when my rating falls low, it gives me the impetus to give myself a good kick in the butt and get out there and promote my books again. Different strokes for different folks.

I still find that my nonfiction book is responding well to my marketing techniques but my fiction book is not. Dilemma!

Sigrid

Hi Sigrid!!

Since I am a newbie when it comes to ratings and book publishing.......I suppose I had to learn by my own mistakes.

But I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised at all the wonderful feedback that I am receiving on Amazon.com thus far. My book just became live about 3 weeks ago, and my first order was almost 600 books that are just about all sold out.

Not sure how that "ranks" with Amazon but I am sure I have a ways to go.

It's kinda fun to see what the heck it will do.........

In the meanwhile......Hi Hooo Hi Hooo, it's off to work I go. (ha ha)

Keep up the great work Sigrid!

Teresa :-)

Teresa,

600 books? Holy smoke, I can't believe it! What's your secret? That's phenomenal since your book only went live three weeks ago. How have you been marketing it? Congratulations! Sounds like you have a real hit on your hand.

Sigrid

Hi Sigrid!

Well, I have a HUGE family to begin with......who then have a an even bigger extended family.......who then have friends and coworkers........who then knows of someone who lives near someone who is related to someone I know.

All of a sudden, I had hundreds of preorders before the book ever came out.

But since then, I have to say, I have the best PR person ever. My own mother! She is burning the wheels off of her car in promoting my book and placing them inside bookstores. Bless her heart!

My publisher once told me, my book can only go as far as I push it. I took those words to heart......and I am doing everything I can to "spread the word."

I haven't set up any book signings yet. I just opted for the 100% return policy at Authorhouse. (Authors have to actually BUY into that program.) It takes 3 weeks for Ingram to set the account up. Once that is done, then I am off to some bookstores to see what trouble I can get into.

This has been really interesting thus far. I will keep you posted as to the progress. I have no expectations........so I am thrilled with anything it does.

Have a good evening!

Teresa :-)

Teresa,

I've heard that word-of-mouth is one of the best forms of promotion and it certainly makes sense for you with your large extended family.

I published my first book with AuthorHouse, so I'll be really interested to see how you do with that book return policy. It sounded too expensive to me but of course, I wasn't selling 500 books in less than a month!

If you have money to spare, Amazon has a deal called Buy X, Get Y, or something like that. You can pair your book with a bestseller for one month. It's really expensive - somewhere around $500 a month - but based on your book's current sales, it could be profitable.

Best of luck :-)
Sigrid

P. S. Please let me know if you ever plan to add a link section to your web site. My book is all about a woman who takes up with an alcoholic and cocaine addict who is in recovery. She goes missing and no one is sure if she broke her own sobriety or if her partner harmed her. The themes of addiction and domestic abuse would fit in well with your book, which is why I put up a link to your site on my blog. It would be really great if you could link back.

This message also applies to Dianne, since I linked to your web site a long time ago. If you ever feel inclined, I would be very grateful if you would establish a link to D'Amour Road. Thanks.