tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142930702674170471.post2920651448945147627..comments2023-02-21T00:26:51.051-08:00Comments on Why Isn't My Book Selling?: One Insular Tahiti (a novel of reincarnation)Victorinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06052077366367623323noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142930702674170471.post-34147940303330942242012-05-01T13:54:55.693-07:002012-05-01T13:54:55.693-07:00Also, I want to add that Victorine I think your an...Also, I want to add that Victorine I think your analysis was good. And besides tweaking the cover, and deciding on genre niches and whatever, I almost wonder if the big problem here is not a 'problem' with Thea's work or marketing at all, but is more a problem with indie publishing right now: that is, literary fiction is such a tiny niche of the indie world that it doesn't really exist.<br /><br />All the bestsellers so far have been genre books. I think one exception can be made for Darcie Chan. But by and large, the really 'literary' type book, where the plot/action is not emphasized but the writing is, does not seem to be part of the indie craze. Can it? I hope so. Should it? Yes. But how? Genre readers will find literary books boring, hard to read, and so on. Literary readers, are they buying Kindle books? Are they avoiding indies? Surely not many indie sites promote literary books. So Thea I think your path will be different from most of the indies. Good luck.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142930702674170471.post-45198009387696228532012-05-01T12:55:20.077-07:002012-05-01T12:55:20.077-07:00One tip, and this applies not only to Thea but to ...One tip, and this applies not only to Thea but to a lot of writers, is that if you start following somebody on twitter and they follow you back, don't just unfollow them because you want to build up your follow numbers. It offends people. The person you unfollowed might have retweeted something of yours or helped you in some other way. But unfollowing without a comment usually leaves the person wondering "What did I do?"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142930702674170471.post-83369256353297604222012-04-18T18:17:40.160-07:002012-04-18T18:17:40.160-07:00Thea, you write beautifully.
My only criticism o...Thea, you write beautifully. <br /><br />My only criticism of the blurb is that you repeat part of it in the first 300. It probably wouldn't have bothered me if I hadn't read one right after the other. I normally don't care for blurbs as long as this one, but it is so well-written, that I didn't mind reading the whole thing.<br /><br />My first big problem is the title. I kept staring at it, trying to figure out what it meant. And I couldn't relate the title to the cover or the blurb or the opening. <br /><br />I do like the subtitle but I barely noticed it under that huge word (Tahiti). Also, the subtitle is different on the cover. I like that you added "and redemption." It reads very well.<br /><br /><br />The second problem is the cover itself. I got nothing from it. A boy on the beach and Tahiti. Just looking at the cover, this could very well be about a young boy coming of age through surfing.<br /><br />I think you have something here, Thea. I would drop the "literary" and stick with paranormal. Let the blurb and the sample sell the book.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04832055618604176686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142930702674170471.post-21159949458655557702012-04-18T15:55:20.389-07:002012-04-18T15:55:20.389-07:00hmmm. great great comments everyone. So glad I fou...hmmm. great great comments everyone. So glad I found this on twitter! Off for yet another cover alteration; eventually, I'll get it right and these comments will definitely help.<br /><br />thanks for posting!Thea Atkinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16192013320797924624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142930702674170471.post-89357459607277964702012-04-18T12:00:50.301-07:002012-04-18T12:00:50.301-07:00Look at everything the publishers did for The Love...Look at everything the publishers did for The Lovely Bones.<br /><br />Do those things.<br /><br />This current cover is not "pretty." I think it might sell like hotcakes if it had a pretty cover that didn't feel so masculine. I know it's about a guy, but it can still be pretty. Sorry I keep using that word, but I feel strongly about it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142930702674170471.post-81945137783123776632012-04-18T09:34:28.535-07:002012-04-18T09:34:28.535-07:00I have an issue with "literary fiction."...I have an issue with "literary fiction." All fiction is literature. But I'll just leave it at that.<br /><br />The cover is a big problem. The title is lost with the differing fonts and alignment, and the image doesn't tell me anything at all that relates to the story. I don't MIND he blurb, but the repetition of dead/death/died makes my mind wander. When we start getting the slang, I wander further.<br /><br />Victorine is correct about the confusion in the genre. I'd list it as fiction and sub-genre paranormal.Chrissyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17825661131803547197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142930702674170471.post-9224323340815918852012-04-18T09:27:43.341-07:002012-04-18T09:27:43.341-07:00I think Vicki is on the right track. Your marketin...I think Vicki is on the right track. Your marketing approach is a bit scattered. You should pick one genre (even if it's not a perfect fit) and run with it. Literary, paranormal, mystery, thriller, contemporary, historical, whatever.<br /><br />(1) The title is totally confusing. It doesn't convey a genre, or even a coherent image. I don't know what "One Insular Tahiti" means, but it does not grab my attention or imagination.<br /><br />(2) The cover image of the boy on the beach could work for a literary novel about childhood or something, but it does not convey anything about death, afterlife, suffering, or redemption that might appeal to a paranormal fan.<br /><br />(3) The description is pretty good. A little long. If anything, I would take out some of the "setup" information and insert some "plot" information. What actually happens in this story?<br /><br />(4) The writing itself is pretty good. No real comments there.<br /><br />Best of luck!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com