Also my mind changed to me wishing to write about something that came up yesterday in a conversation with a reader of my stuffs. That person of conversation wasn't the first one to bring this subject up, I get a lot of emails from people when I release a free project to my Smashwords store saying they do't like that they have to create a account with Smashwords, which is free, to download said free projects.
Let me talk for a bit here and hopefully I can address this subject.
The whole having to create an account thing happens because I'm not releasing as free per say but as a You Set The Price! method of payment; which can be free or however much you wish to pay. You can always read the thing for free first and then if you liked and want to pay something by download again and this time pay. A lot of people choice to do it this way and many for the second download were they pay they choose to send that copy as a gift to a friend which you can do now on Smaswords.
The reason this whole thing is better for a writer to do is it gives the creator information on downloads/sales. I need this to know what people like and might like more of from me or others I work with. Raw numbers are still a very valuable tool because so many people don't comment or send emails or anything outside of the download/purchase.
This is especially important when doing ongoing series. Lets say I'm writing two series, which I've been doing, with one I get a lot of responses from readers and the other nothing. You would think the one I get responses for would be the most popular? Not always the case. Take for example Chaos Read and Tin Universe, my two ongoing story series. Tin Universe gets way more emails than Chaos Read which gets hardly any but Chaos Read is downloaded three times more. Now you also have to factor in that one is You Set The Price! and the other is $0.99usd but you get the point in that example which I admit isn't very adapt at all.
Moving on.
The point I'm trying to make is that I factor in all of these things when deciding if people would like to see more of one character or groups of characters or types of stories over another. The best thing to happen would be for every reader to email or leave a comment or post a review but that's not going to happen. Some people might hate it so much they don't even want to talk about it but there are also others who just don't do the whole comment or email thing. I view tons of web shows daily but have only commented twice but I make sure to Like, Tweet, Share, or Dislike things.... though to be honest I never dislike something. If I don't like it I just don't hit Like or anything after viewing.
I know signing up for yet another site sucks. I know if you're purchasing something that means giving another site your credit card information and that sucks, but all of these things help the artists. The process and information gathered through the process is something all independent artist need to learn and use.
With that said I also know this can drive away readers. I know this was a big issue when I left LuLu and I'm still trying to built back that readership.
Things like Smashwords, Kickstarter, LuLu and such are attempts to put more control and money in the hands of the artists who do the work. These systems are nowhere near perfect but they are building to something truly special if we all keep working hard to get it there.
I thought I should mention this since it's come up quite a bit lately. I know when I left LuLu I lost readers but that was a choice because Smashwords offered more to creators in many ways. It's my home right now and I'm working to build that catalog into something that is worth setting up a new account there for.
Check Out my Smashwords store here.
COOL LINKS TO CHECK OUT:
Found this the other day on the sidebar watching John Green videos. "I Just Need A Mate" a Ballad to Doctor Who The artist had other songs I liked also. Hope to see more from her in the future. I love the internet. Put your work out there. The internet is a reason why we should never forget to be awesome. DFTBA
Speaking of someone who never forgets to be awesome. Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra - Want It Back (Uncensored)
Ivy's Journal has been one of my favorite blogs to follow for years. Check it out.
Check out the below Kickstarter. I'm a big fan of Moon Freight 3. One of my favorite webcomics.
Today is Nikola Tesla's 156th Birthday. Celebrate by sharing this song for him by 8in8 (Ben Folds, Neil Gaiman, Damian Kulash, and Amanda Palmer)
Probably the worst thing that could happen for one team and totally be awesome to the other. Google Autofill - Can I...?: The Miracle of Swindon Town #139
Who are you sir or madam? Chordates - CrashCourse Biology #24
RANTS AND SCREAMS:
Florida ignores reality and reasoning when it comes to most things. Reasoning, intelligence, and independent thought are sure to be illegal here soon. They are already hardly used in the state so people probably wont miss them much. Florida Ignores FBI Database When Granting Gun Carry Permits
Only one rant today but if you check out my Facebook there might be more but I need to get off the computer now. I hear the thunders outside.
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