Just Books

My Survey of Indie Authors

I have done a small poll about indie book sales in 2021 around my author friends, and I would like to share the results with you.

Not all of the authors surveyed had books in all of the categories below, and I am not taking genres into account. Still, I think that the results are interesting. Let me know your opinion, please.

eBooks: ebook sales seemed to be at best flat, but several authors reported a definite dip in sales. Some said that this was probably due to the profligacy of 'lenders' like Scribt, Overdrive and the dozens of others, including local public libraries. Some reported a drop of as much as 66% on the previous year.

Indie book sales in 2021

Paperbacks: This has been a surprising, but very welcome sector for those who have made the effort to provide paperback copies for their readers. One author reported a 300% increase in paperback sales over 2021, which is quite a leap considering the extra cost. Perhaps, people are coming around to, or just remembering, the fact that paperbacks make better ornaments than ebooks.

Hardbacks: hardbacks are in the same class as paperbacks, but are hideously expensive, and no-one reported a significant swing in that direction.

Audiobooks: the audiobook sector has been the winner of the year by far! Many authors have brushed them aside as a fad, but how wrong they were. At least in as much as sales are still booming.

Never say never, though, eh? Perhaps, they will go the way of ebooks one day, but somehow, I don't think so.

An audiobook is like listening to a play on the radio, isn't it? So, you can listen while doing the ironing, driving the car or even falling asleep.

Several authors reported that audiobook ( will we ever call them abooks?) sales outstripped their sales of all other formats combined by ten to one!

Beat that!

Translations: some people are getting into having their books translated, but sales are sluggish. The problem seems to be that foreign translators are not used to having to promote their work. They are used to getting paid for the job and moving on to the next one. However, what would the average writer do with a book in, say, French? Does he/she have any French friends, or even speak French well enough to write promotional material?

Mostly not. Therefore, the translator is vital for successful sales revenue. Few of them seem to grasp this concept though, and seem to be waiting for the end of Covid so that everything can return to normal.

It's a shame, and a missed opportunity

Having said that, at least one author is seeing a slow but steady gentle rise in foreign sales.

Did Covid increase book sales? I think that most writers would say that it didn't much. People had a lot more free time, but then the children were home too. Perhaps, the TV and Netflix benefitted the most, although it seems that some people were listening to audiobooks too.

Best wishes,

Chalita.

Daddy's Hobby - The Story of Lek, A Bar Girl In Pattaya

Our sister blog: The Amiable Dragon

Blubrry Podcast Hosting

Blubrry Podcast Hosting

I had been wondering about podcasting for at least a year, and had noticed Blubrry Podcast Hosting. However, it had become a permanent feature at the back of my mind. I'm sure you know what I mean. I felt that there had to be something to it. After all, it had become so popular that even staid old Aunty, the BBC, was taking it seriously. After extensive research, I settled on the Blubrry free trial.

My first thought was why a company dedicated to communication would want a name that looks like a typo.

Anyway, I signed up for the free trial month of Blubrry hosting thinking 'What have I got to lose?'

I want to say right from the start, that this is not the correct approach, because, if you're like me, you will put a lot of effort into your new toy. So, after thirty days, you will not want to lose all that work. As it happened, I was very impressed with Blubrry Podcast Hosting and wanted to build on the foundation I had laid. So, I left my monthly subscription of $12 open and carried on.

Stress-free Global Reach

Blubrry Hosting will send your podcasts to another dimension - one which you would have found previously very difficult to access. For example, your podcast will appear on YouTube, Spotify, Spreaker, Soundcloud and RadioPublic among others without any further intervention from you! Blubrry will make your work instantly accessible to hundreds of millions of people. People, who probably otherwise never have even seen your stuff or heard of you! That is a lot of extra reach, global reach, in fact, for just $12 a month!

Blubrry Podcast Hosting can be wonderful, but it still requires work from you. This is what you need to factor in - your own commitment. I have spent years writing and posting 500-word articles - typically three or four times a week. Nowadays, I also convert them to speech and hand them over to Blubrry Podcast Hosting Services and my articles fly! But, you have to write the content first for the system to work. I would say that you need to write at least one a week, but the more you put in, the more you will get out!

Blubrry Podcasting

The Blubrry Podcast Hosting system is very easy to set up and use, especially for bloggers, so why not sign up for your free month of Blubrry Podcasting using the link on this page and take your promotions into another dimension?

In closing, I have often been asked why anyone with a blog host would want to pay for even more hosting. Well, audiofiles take up a fair bit of space, and if they are accessed often they could get you into trouble with your blog host. However, Blubrry was build for the job, so you will never have an issue.

Blubrry Podcast Hosting - free trial

This article is my own personal experience with the Dere V14 Air Notebook, which I bought a little while ago. I will not be going into all the specifications of this device, because you can find this information on the manufacturer's website. I will say that it comes with Windows 10 Pro and the Intel core i7 processor though.

Remote help...

Virtual Assistant by Polina Zimmerman from Pexels

I want to share a story about hiring a virtual assistant with you.

It is a true and very sad story concerning a friend of mine that happened yesterday.

He is a writer, a successful writer, I would say, since he earns enough to support himself and his family, although he is not 'well-known' and you won't find his books in the local supermarket.

Staff needed

Anyway, several years ago, he started having his books narrated through ACX, which is Audible, which is Amazon. They give authors two hundred coupon codes per book so that they can give reviewers a free book.

My friend had 10,000 of them in August of 2020 and had no idea what to do with them. He had used only 213 over two years by then.

I will allow him to continue the story.

Audiobooks

"One day, it dawned on me that Audible would pay me the price of the book for giving it away, so I thought about how to capitalise on that, while promoting myself at the same time.

"I started to promote my codes to Facebook groups dedicated to books, and found that there were dozens of groups for authors to promote their audiobooks to avid listeners.

"Within a short time, I was giving away 300-400 codes a month and making a decent extra income.

"I was very pleased with myself, as you can imagine.

"However, this extended marketing brought with it the attention of so-called virtual assistants. God knows why they have that title, because they are real people, not machines or algorithms.

Virtual Assistant

"I resisted their offers of help for months, but then accepted one. My idea was that I would load my codes into a site built for that purpose, and then promote the URL of that site, so that those interested could retrieve codes as they wanted them. ACX is happy with this system, and even recommends a site to use. I used it".

"The deal with the virtual assistant, VA, was that I would continue to promote the codes to Facebook Groups, while he sought blogs and the like to promote to. It worked, and my income tripled in a month!

"That happy state of affairs continued for three or four months and my income even rose every month until it reached $4,988 last June. I was as happy as a sandboy.

"Until yesterday, that is, when emails from narrators began to pour in asking why ACX had sent them an email notifying them that all their free codes for my books were henceforth invalid.

Authors Beware!

"I didn't get the $4,988 from ACX. I received $198.10. ACX has not contacted me, but they have told my narrators that they have detected 'fraudulent activity' on my account. All payments and all codes have been blocked.

"I don't know why, and maybe never will, since ACX is not talking to me. It is very sad, and I feel somewhat ashamed at losing $500 a week. However, what is worse is not knowing what I am being accused of, or what I did wrong.

VA - Virtual Assistant - "Very 'Andy"

"I can only assume that the VA was bending the rules.

"So, my fellow authors, beware of some sweet-talking virtual assistants because they can ruin your business and leave you with nothing, while they can always find another mug to milk".

I think that you will agree that it is a very sad story, but I put it here to give authors something to think about,

My dream last night

I dream a lot, but my dream last night was an unusual one...

There were people lining a sort of a street about twenty persons deep, and I was one of them.The atmosphere was fantastic - a bit like London's Notting Hill or New Orleans' Mardi Grascarnivals.

The stage was the gap - the roadway, if you like - between the crowds that faced one another.Performers were taking it in turns to do their thing over a stretch of about fifty metres.A tall, gangly, thin old black man, who vaguely reminded me of a bald Chuck Berry stopped infront of me as he was doing his act, and said, " It's your turn! The people want to hear yoursong!"

My Song

"I don't have a song", I replied, to which, he took me by the wrist, and said, "Everyone has asong".

He led me by the wrist up the gap between the two crowds dancing - walking as people do injoyous processions frequently glancing at me and all the while smiling at me and the crowds.I was very shy, not embarrassed, but I didn't know what to do

I began to hum, and then sing words that I thought only he could hear. He encouraged me, andthe onlookers seemed to do so too.

Slowly, I started to sing slightly louder. The spectators could not have heard me, but they smiledand moved rhythmically, swaying to and fro.

Singing My Song in My Dream Last Night

As I gained confidence, my song grew louder. I stumbled over some of the words and phrases,but it didn't seem to matter… people were on my side, and I loved them, and my old guide, for it.I woke up before I finished singing my song, but I still had the words running around my brain.

It was Bob Marley's Three Little Birds.

Daddy's Hobby - The Story of Lek, A Bar Girl In Pattaya

Our sister blog: The Amiable Dragon

Villfarelsen

Villfarelsen

En andlig guide, en spöktiger, och en skrämmande mamma!

av

Owen Jones

Översatt av

Charlotta Zaar Böll

Berättat av

Ida Berglöw Kenneway

"Villfarelsen" är den första delen i en serie av tjugotre noveller om den andliga utvecklingen hos en ung flicka som heter Megan. Hon har latenta övernaturliga krafter och hon är nyfiken på att utveckla dem, men ingen annan som hon känner verkar ha någon aning vad hon pratar om.

Eller gör dom det? Både hennes mormor och hennes mamma gör allt de kan för att stoppa Megan från att ta reda på mer. Historien visar Megans frustration med de levande, så när hjälp kommer från den andra sidan, tar hon emot den med öppna armar och utvecklar långsamt men säkert sina övernaturliga krafter.

Detta är berättelsen om Megans uppvaknande.

"Villfarelsen" handlar om de paranormala krafter som finns inom oss alla, vilket borde göra dem helt normala istället för paranormala, om människor inte var så rädda för det övernaturliga, vilket i sig självt också är helt naturligt.

Det här är en bok för alla som någonsin har funderat över det övernaturliga, paranormala eller metafysiska- Det handlar om den normala andliga utvecklingen som alla högre själar måste gå igenom för att nå sitt ultimata, oundvikliga öde, hur lång tid det än kan ta. Dessa berättelser bygger på faktum på flera sätt än en.

Amazon   Apple iTunes   GooglePlay Kobo Scribd   Audiobook 

2] Megans trettonde

Översatt av: Jenny Ulvestål

Amazon   Apple iTunes GooglePlay   Kobo   Scribd   Audiobook

3] Megans skolresa

Översatt av: Jenny Ulvestål

Amazon   Apple iTunes GooglePlay   Kobo   Scribd   Audiobook

4] Megans skolprov

Översatt av: Jenny Ulvestål

We decided to buy a new blog theme.

The previous one was seven years old and the designers had stopped keeping it up to date several years ago. Therefore, as WordPress developed, certain key features had ceased to work.

The result was that it was becoming tedious to update.

I, and my colleagues and friends chose the new blog theme that you see before you at this moment. The designers have produced it especially for authors and publishers just like me :-)

We set our new blog theme up quite quickly, although that is not to say that this new theme is without its problems, not the least of which is the slow response from the support desk and the lack of a clear, easily referenceable manual.

Blog Support

In these days of Covid-19, support must be difficult, since call centres are all closed, or should be, I imagine. Either that or they are running at one-third to a quarter capacity. Anyway, the support team does answer eventually, but it can take days, which seems like years, if you are anxious to get a new blog theme up and running!

If they had a comprehensive or even just a decent manual for the theme, I am sure that my friends and I could have sorted it out for ourselves much more quickly. However, the guide, such that it is, is on line and nothing more than a bunch of hyperlinks. After clicking on a few of them, I don't know where I am any more.

My biggest mistake with the new blog theme was to impose it directly on top of the old one. I advise you to open a fresh instance of WordPress somewhere, and practise there until perfect. That way, you won't lose your blog for a couple of days, like I did.

What a panic that was, I can tell you!

The new theme is huge though. My blog is quite large anyway for a one-man band, Owen Jones, the former owner, had created nearly three thousand entries. Two thousand of them were posts and pages! Still, I was stunned to find that the blog had swollen to 4.4 GB after applying the new theme!

Theme Features

To be honest, I have only set up the barest blog from the resources available in this theme. I am aware of what else it can do, but time has so far prevented me from learning how to implement more. Features, such as the direct sale of books (without paying Amazon, Apple or anyone else); the rental of blog space to advertisers such as authors, publishers or just about anyone; and so much more.

In fact, I have just decided that the next feature I want to implement is 'the shop'. I am going to call it 'Megan's Market', where I intend to sell readers' and writers' paraphernalia. It will also be able to handle the sale of ebooks, my own and those of others.

I hope that you will support me in these ventures, especially the direct sale of ebooks. If you are a regular visitor, you will notice me adding these extra features to our new blog theme over the coming month(s) :-)

On the other hand, if you would like to purchase your own copy of this theme, called 'Publisher', or one like it but geared in a different direction, the owners are currently, as I write, offering a discount of 45%!

Here is the link: New Blog Theme

Daddy’s Hobby – The Story of Lek, A Bar Girl In Pattaya

Our sister blog: The Amiable Dragon

Herbal Skin Care

The topic of herbal skin care is not one of only recent times. Indeed, people have been worrying about it since ancient times, when natural, herbal products were presumably the only means of taking care of the skin. However, skin care has been transformed in a big way. Herbal skin care routines have been largely replaced by synthetic, chemical-based products. The herbal skin care concoctions, which once used to be commonplace are not so popular today. One could even say unknown to a large proportion of the population).

Skin Care

This conversion from herbal to synthetic skin care, can probably be attributed to three things: 1] urbanisation, which makes herbs harder to find or grow; 2] laziness (or just the faster pace of lives); 3] the commercialisation of beauty treatments in general. It is funny, but even herbal skin care products have been commercialised! These commercial skin care products have to be mixed with preservatives in order to increase their shelf-life, although this makes them less effective than the fresh ones made at home.

However, things are changing fast; fashions change, there is now a movement of more and more people opting for natural skin care routines. We still haven't overcome the laziness aspect - or found more time - because still not that many adherents want to make the items themselves at home, and so, the commercial market for natural skin care products continues to rise.

Herbal Treatments

So what are these herb skin care remedies? We only have time to discuss a few, but some are:

Aloe vera, which is an extract from the common plant of the same name. It grows widely around the world, yet is one of the best examples of traditional skin care products. The freshly extracted juice from the leaves of the Aloe vera is a natural hydrant that helps to soothe the skin. It is also a potent aid for healing cuts and treating sun burns.

A number of common herbs are known to possess cleansing properties. Dandelion, chamomile, lime flowers and rosemary, are a few examples of such cleansers. Their natural skin care properties are usually activated when infused in hot water.

Herbal Skin Care

Antiseptics are another important part of natural skin care. Lavender, marigold, thyme and fennel are good examples of herbs that are known to possess antiseptic properties. Lavender water and rose water also form good toners.

Tea plays an important part in natural skin care. Tea extracts are used for the treatment of skin that has been damaged by UV radiation.

Medicinal Oils

Oils prepared from herbal extracts present another means of skin care. Tea tree oil, Lavender oil, borage oil and primrose oil are some popular ones used in great skin care. Some fruit oils (e.g. extracts from fruits like banana, apple and melon) find use in shower gels (as a hydrating mix)

Homeopathic treatments also come under the umbrella of herbal skin care remedies.

Herbal skin treatments are good not only for the routine nourishing of your skin, but also for the treatment of skin disorders like eczema and psoriasis. Most herbal skin products don’t have any side effects, which is a very important reason for preferring them over synthetic products, especially for those prone to allergies. Skin care products can be easily made at home, which can make a great hobby.

Traditional Remedies

This doesn't mean that you have to disregard synthetic products completely, especially if your doctor or dermatologist recommends them (although you could ask whether...

Internet Marketing

The Rôle of PLR in Internet Marketing

The Internet has been around for more than twenty-five years now, but there are still a lot of novice or would-be sales people who don't realise that Internet marketing is basically the same as any other type of marketing, except that you have more possibilities and that it can be cheaper.

Cheaper? Cheaper to reach more people who might be interested in whatever you have to sell – your potential customers - and on an industrial scale. Traditionally, a salesperson would be advertising to the inhabitants of his or her town. Television increased the scope to nationwide, but the Internet has made that global.

If you are a one-man band, this potential can be daunting, and you will soon come to understand that you are just not able to source your goods; create and maintain your website; write sales literature for it; take orders and dispatch them; deal with inquiries, complaints and returns; plus maintain records for tax purposes, stock, etc., etc., all on your own. You will soon decide that you need help.

There are two ways to go: taking on (more) staff, or outsourcing work.

Taking on staff will free you up to learn about corporation tax, sales taxes, payroll, income tax, workers' rights, health and safety, and other employment laws, whereas outsourcing will only mean a little more paperwork, It will actually create more time for you.

What you outsource is obviously up to you, but I am going to recommend that one of the things that you could outsource quickly and cheaply is the writing of your sales material and website content. By 'website' here, I am including the far more interactive and responsive blog. This is the easiest and cheapest way of getting your Internet-based business up and running quickly.

If you have gone down this route, like it or not, you are now an Internet Marketer with a mail order business. Congratulations!

There are five basic points that every Internet Marketer has to to learn about the mail order business in order to increase their profits:

*

that the Internet is just another (or perhaps the most superior) vehicle for direct response marketing, but it contains within itself the potential to make you rich! However, because the marketplace is so huge, and therefore has many participants in it, it evolves extremely quickly.

*

that there are hardly any markets where fashion or current trends do not play a rôle, and you will need to keep abreast of those fast-changing trends

*

that prices move quickly, some tend to rise, whereas those in older technology fall

*

international law changes – bans, embargoes, tariffs and trade wars are becoming more and more common

*

it has never been easier to reach so many people so quickly

When you have sorted these obstacles out, you may like to outsource your marketing as well as drop-shipping, but in the beginning, you will probably need to provide your own marketing material. This raises two questions: do you have the talent to write it, and, if so, do you have the time to write it?

If not, then again, you have two possible solutions: either hire someone to write bespoke articles for you, or find relevant off-the-peg articles and modify them to suit your needs.

The name given to these off-the-peg articles is PLR, which stands for Public Label Rights, and once again, there are two sorts: the first kind is usually free, but old articles that have been around for quite some time, and can be spotted on numerous sad-looking blogs; and the second, so-called fresh material, which has to be bought,

Massage

Massage

by

Owen Jones

narrated by

Jordan Moore

The information in this ebook on various aspects of massage techniques, styles and related subjects is organised into 15 chapters of about 500-600 words each.

I hope that it will interest those who enjoy a massage or would like to enter the booming massaging industry industry.

As an added bonus, I am granting you permission to use the content on your own website or in your own blogs and newsletter, although it is better if you rewrite them in your own words first.

You may also split the book up and resell the articles. In fact, the only right that you do not have is to resell or give away the book as it was delivered to you.

The manual is also available in s Dutch and Portuguese and Spanish. It also exists in most other formats, such as Kobo, and on all platforms including Apple's iTunes.

Amazon ebook     Audible audiobook

Daddy’s Hobby – The Story of Lek, A Bar Girl In Pattaya

Our sister blog: The Amiable Dragon