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13 years ago
I flew up to Sofawolf HQ this past weekend—in Saturday, out Sunday—to sign about three hundred books that you guys pre-ordered. Last time I signed pre-orders, with the Isolation Play hardcover, we just signed and numbered a bunch of books, and it was kind of abstract. This time, Sofawolf organized it such that every order for a hardcover got assigned a number when it came in (we numbered 160 books, kept the single-digit ones and #57 for special purposes, and had about five left over), so the way I signed them was to look at the order sheet and write in the number, then sign the book.
A side effect of this was that for that entire stack of hardcovers, I saw the names I was signing the books for. That made it much more personal than just scribbling my signature in a stack of books. So I started thinking, because you have a lot of time when you’re signing for a couple hours, about each one of those books going through the mail to that particular person. I imagined each person opening the package and holding the book, flipping through it the way I flipped through some of them, looking at the very numbers and signature I was writing. And I imagined all of those people lined up at Sofawolf watching me somehow sign the books.
It was a little overwhelming. I know you guys love Dev and Lee, and I know that the numbers tell me that there are a few thousand of you out there who have got their books. But sitting there this weekend was like sitting at a convention, only it went on and on and on (speaking of: yes, I will be at a convention in five days sitting behind a table waiting to sign your books, and if you did not pre-order then I hope to see you there, and actually even if you did pre-order then I hope to see you there).
I am really so deeply grateful to all of you for enabling me to do crazy things like this weekend that just saying “thank you” doesn’t seem enough. But the only other thing I can do is keep writing more books, more Dev and Lee, more Sol and Alexei, more new characters and new worlds and new stories, and that doesn’t really help because then if those do well I have to thank you all over again. But really: you guys are awesome. I hope everyone who ordered a book, hardcover or soft, loves it when you get it. And I hope that you think, when you open it up and see those lines in gold, of an author holding that book in his hands and placing it in yours and saying, “thanks.”
[The e-book of “Divisions” will not be out until later in the year. Watch http://www.kyellgold.com/pubdates.html and this journal and subscribe to the mailing list to hear about the release date! I’m just including this because anytime I mention “Divisions” someone asks me about the e-book.]
A side effect of this was that for that entire stack of hardcovers, I saw the names I was signing the books for. That made it much more personal than just scribbling my signature in a stack of books. So I started thinking, because you have a lot of time when you’re signing for a couple hours, about each one of those books going through the mail to that particular person. I imagined each person opening the package and holding the book, flipping through it the way I flipped through some of them, looking at the very numbers and signature I was writing. And I imagined all of those people lined up at Sofawolf watching me somehow sign the books.
It was a little overwhelming. I know you guys love Dev and Lee, and I know that the numbers tell me that there are a few thousand of you out there who have got their books. But sitting there this weekend was like sitting at a convention, only it went on and on and on (speaking of: yes, I will be at a convention in five days sitting behind a table waiting to sign your books, and if you did not pre-order then I hope to see you there, and actually even if you did pre-order then I hope to see you there).
I am really so deeply grateful to all of you for enabling me to do crazy things like this weekend that just saying “thank you” doesn’t seem enough. But the only other thing I can do is keep writing more books, more Dev and Lee, more Sol and Alexei, more new characters and new worlds and new stories, and that doesn’t really help because then if those do well I have to thank you all over again. But really: you guys are awesome. I hope everyone who ordered a book, hardcover or soft, loves it when you get it. And I hope that you think, when you open it up and see those lines in gold, of an author holding that book in his hands and placing it in yours and saying, “thanks.”
[The e-book of “Divisions” will not be out until later in the year. Watch http://www.kyellgold.com/pubdates.html and this journal and subscribe to the mailing list to hear about the release date! I’m just including this because anytime I mention “Divisions” someone asks me about the e-book.]
i so much want to read the rest of their adventures and i loved the small part of a chapter you posted
i just can't wait for it and SINCERELY for the book number 4 that you already pretty much announced since you had to "cut the book in half" hehe
although i really wouldn't mind to get a whole library of "Dev and Lee adventure" hehe
Also another venture into the world of Volle could be nice. Perhaps some stories of the advetures of him and Streak after Pendant of Furtune (e.g.: As King Baris already knows that he is a Ferenian spy he could help better the relationship between both kingdoms by acting from the shadows and advising the king).
When I curl up on the couch this weekend with "Divisions" and ignore my genetics text, it's because Dev and Lee are more than just characters in a story. They are the hopes and fears and sacrifices and loves of many people. Their tale is both inspirational and enduring. And you gave them life, a voice, so that we could know them too.
Thanks!
Congratulation on the book!!!!
XD
Im calling ACMEPayPAL Today... 8-P
*whistles surreptitiously*
The best to you Kyell, you created something special here.
We'll see you guys in New Orleans... hell of a season will end in a hell of a game.
But honestly, the best thing you guys can do is tell other people about the books. Word of mouth means so much, and is better for my career than anything I can buy. I know they're not exactly the kind of books you show your parents (though some people do), but there are also a lot of furries who haven't seen them. I talk to lots of people who have told me "a friend made me read [insert book title] and I loved it" as they're buying the latest book. So you can make a difference, and for all of you who do that, I thank you for it.
I'm currently on Chapter 13 of "Divisions", and I'm intentionally pacing myself because I don't want it to end! I love painting the imagery of it all in my mind.
I write you, because I would advise against drastically reducing your ebook prices. I say this not only because I feel you deserve a ba-jillion dollars for your work, but because the "price slash" effect these people have touted is largely ineffective in small markets. Whether or not a price reduction will result in increased net profits depends upon the price elasticity of demand. Although people typically act like frenzied cattle for major retail "slash" events, niche products respond much less favorably, with the slight increase in sales being negated by the reduced price. The horde of consumers must already be monitoring your product, and compelled to purchase it by the price reduction. There must exist a "price slash" anticipation.
So you're correct, the name of the game is exposure, exposure, exposure! My friend's sister just wrapped a sci-fi trilogy, and as a self-published author she struggles to build a reader base. She attends Cons when time allows, but her main weapon is "little lost lambs". She maintains a healthy science blog that inexorably links back to her works, pulling in unsuspecting Googlers searching out current science events. All nefarious plot devices aside, the right linked keywords and search ratings can open up a whole new world of readership.
What you really need is a professional, mainstream team athlete to come out. With the amout of feverish Googling that would ensue, you'd be sure to snag countless, shall we say, "less-than-straight" curios. Alas, I'm not dating any heterosexually-challenged QBs at present, so I'm unable to expedite the process. But fear not, I have a strong feeling that the day is not too far off the horizon.
Sincerely,
JT
P.S. Wouldn't it be something if the first one out was a #57? But to tell you the truth, my money is on #34.
Thanks very much for the well-thought-out comment! I agree that just hacking prices is not the way to go, but I do think there's value in letting people get the first book of a series at a lower price to try it out. My original Argaea trilogy is old now and selling less than the OOP books, and so dropping the first book to $4.99 wouldn't be a big hit financially even if the sales numbers stay exactly the same. At $4.99 it might be more attractive to people going "oh, I've heard of this guy...hey, let me try this out."
But yes, exposure! That is why I am SO appreciative when you guys recommend my books to friends or family. I usually figure that the best thing I can do is write books that you want to recommend. You guys may not remember that old commercial for some shampoo that has the line, "I told two friends...and they told two friends...and so on...and so on..." as the screen fills with people in powers of two. But I think of that and I know that the audience is growing. At some point I think there'll be a tipping point where people will start hearing about the books from two or more places, and then stuff will start growing faster. That might be years away, but as long as sales keep inching up, I feel like it'll happen. :)