Clicks and Winners

When a shopper clicks on a book link to read the description, I wonder what either discourages them or encourages them to buy. My BookRaid promotion, the one in which I paid twenty cents per click, resulted in 41 clicks in total. (I guess that was a deal for me ~ only $8.20!) Those 41 clicks may have resulted in two purchases, but that is impossible to discern, since I've been advertising in many places. All I know is that two people bought my book yesterday. Those are really bad numbers. I think my book description is fine. I'm not going to change it. There is only so much one can convey in two or three sentences, and it rarely pays to overthink these things. My curiosity should not be confused with disappointment. It's simply a sociological question. (Sociology was one of my favorite subjects in school.) Of course, I'll never know the answer. Though there are endless articles on selling, they don't focus on converting clicks to sales. Be empathetic. That's kind of impossible in a book description. "I know you're feeling down right now, but..." Be personable and likeable. Again, something hard to convey. "Hi there! I really like you! Can you please buy my book?"

From a personal perspective, if I happen to be browsing books, a big turnoff is a long expository. Halfway through the first paragraph, I'm already bored. Funny, I see this a lot with trade-published books ~ half a page of description. For a time I thought this was how I was supposed to do it, but it finally struck me as being completely wrong. People don't have time for this! I certainly don't. Give me a line or two about the setup and the stakes. That's it.

I do agree with the statement that people like to follow the crowd. One sees this everywhere. In my neighborhood, as soon as one person hangs their Christmas lights, four or five others follow in rapid succession. I've seen people line up for a free sample of something they don't even want, simply because there's a line. That's why reviews are so vital. That's why we need them so badly. Of course it's a catch-22 ~ that is the dilemma. If I keep trying, maybe one day I'll solve it.

 

I heard from my LibraryThing representative regarding the winners of my giveaway. Though I had 24 entrants in total, only 13 books were awarded. That's because if, for instance, you enter to win every book offered in a particular month, you can only win up to four, and that number is dependent on your review score. Not good from my perspective as an author looking for reviews, but I grant that this is the fair way to operate. I will shoot these thirteen people an email today and ask which format they prefer. Yes, I'm disappointed because my expectations were higher. But thirteen is better than zero. 

I don't like this kind of stuff. If I was Mister Swagger Guy I referenced in a previous post, I'd be righteously angry that only 24 people entered, when it should have been one zillion, but I have no confidence and I feel icky pushing my work onto people who may end up hating it.

All I like to do is write. I hate promoting. In an ideal world, people would magically find my stuff and rave over it, and I wouldn't have to do anything except produce more product. 

I keep telling myself, never again, and then, inevitably, there's always an "again". I really have to stop doing that.