Is this a horrible time for sales/page reads or is it just me?

[fleurina]

Hello, everyone, I hope you're having a good day.

I have been in and out of KU like a yo-yo, but psychologically feel better published wide -- I get a sort of KU claustrophobia. Probably wouldn't say that if I got zillions of page reads!

Despite some recent traction wide, I pulled my books and put them into KU a few days ago. So far -- deader than a graveyard -- minimal sales & page reads. Now, I feel trapped for another 90 days. When I'm in, I want to be out, and when I'm out I want to be in.

I need help. 

Admittedly I need to run more/better ads. However, I started three tiny UK AMS auto yesterday and will tackle also-boughts tomorrow. Keyword research is my least fave part of indie publishing.  I'll also run a few promotions but is it usual for this pre-Xmas run to be extra-low on sales, page reads etc.?

Thoughts?
 
Cheers!

[Bill Hiatt]

That's been my (limited experience). People are out Christmas shopping, and that means tangible goods you can stick under the tree, not ebooks. Possibly, the holiday busyness also leaves less time for reading--hence a drop in pages read. Mine were OK at the beginning of December and then have fallen over the last few days. Usually, January is very good--new Kindles and gift certificates to spend!

[fleurina]

Thanks for your reply, Bill,

I wish you masses of page reads and sales over Christmas and into the new year.

[Shoe]

My sales and reads have been low-normal for about a week. I wouldn't look any further than the holidays for the cause.

I have no idea what percent of today's reads result from today's downloads. It could be those won't show up until January. Some people who've left KU report they're still getting reads six months later, so if you've just restarted KU it may take a while before you see significant activity. Of course, rank improvements without sales showing will mean your books are being downloaded.

[fleurina]

Thanks, Shoe, that's very helpful.

 I'll stop looking at reports for a few days!

[JRTomlin]

Things should pick up a few days after Christmas, or that's my experience anyway.

ETA: I have been out of KU for more than a year and still get a handful of page reads almost every day.

[fleurina]

Good to know, JRTomlin.

Wow -- a year later!

[JRTomlin]

Last month I made $9.66 in KU reads which is kind of funny. Apparently some people keep KU borrows in their Kindle forever. lol

[fleurina]

It is so funny - my KDP turnover is so fast -- I doubt any book sits on my Paperwhite for over a month.
And I could retire on $9.66!

[TimothyEllis]

KU isn't a promo service.

So putting them in gives you no boost at all.

What you need is a new release to attract attention, or a performing ad.

[lea_owens]

My KU reads have been good these past two weeks ('good' in a small time author way, not 'good' in a major author way :D ) with most days around the 3,000 page mark, so I hope to have an 80,000+ page month (having written that, they'll probably go back under the 2k mark from now on). I've had a few 80k page months this past year since I started writing again, but haven't had a 100k page month yet - I'm aiming for that in February. Sales were sh*t earlier this week with a couple of zero sales days for the first time in ages. They're back at the 5 - 10 mark yesterday and today.

Hopefully, when I get these next three books out that will continue to grow - stupid me for writing 'what I wanted to write' rather than doing the financially smart thing and starting with sci-fi/fantasy or romance series.

Mind you, when dealing with small numbers like mine, noticeable fluctuations might mean nothing. A 100% decline in my sales is less likely to mean something than a 10% decline in sales for an author used to selling hundreds of books a day.

[dgcasey]

My sales are way down and I attribute that to the holiday season. One thing I did see a couple of weeks ago was a slight bump in paperback sales and I attribute those to the silly season, too. Probably people giving the paperbacks as gifts.

Oh well, here's to having a smashing 2020!   

[Simon Haynes]

Instead of Keyword AMS ads, you can always try targeting by category. (On the UK site you can pick Kindle categories. On the US site, only paperback categories.)

Or you can target a batch of ASINs. Or you can set up an auto ad and let that run.

I generally do three out of four at the same time, for each series. (And now, across six marketplaces.)

Keywords are my least favourite type of ads. I picture my stuff running on ads for board games, or coffee mugs, or whatever. At least with the others I know they're relevant.

[Gerri Attrick]

In the past, sales usually start well in December and then plummet from about the 10th of the month onwards. They pick up again (though not by much) from the 27th. For a couple of years after I first published (2011) there were new Kindles about after Christmas and that led to an uptick in sales. Now that Kindles and tablets are everywhere, that doesn't happen so much.

However, I published a new series mid-August and put it in KU (I'm wide with everything else). Now two books in and with a third on pre-order, I'm seeing sales and d/l's holding steady. I'm selling 25 books a day on average this month (though I shifted 40 on the 18th) and page reads are about 15K a day. I keep expecting things to slow down, but it ain't happened yet.

Wishing you lots of sales and page reads in 2020, Fleurina.

[fleurina]

Thanks for all the helpful replies, everyone  Tihs is a fab forum! Thankus very muchus, Timothy.

I'm off to brave the bright lights of Glasgow and will reply properly later.

Have a great day!

Fleurina (Janet)

[fleurina]

Hello, again. 

I didn't go to Glasgow after all but waited in for a parcel -- which hasn't arrived.

Timothy -- I wish KU was a promo service, but I'm about to do some keyword research and ads.  Sigh. Not my fave thing.  This 90-day-stretch is my last-ditch attempt with KU -- if my promotions are ineffective, it's back to wide. And perhaps I'll do what many suggested from the word go -- write a series to market and pop that into KU while the rest are wide. Most of my also-reads are mainly for cosy mysteries despite not having written one -- but my style is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, so maybe a cosy mystery series beckons.

lea_owens, you're a runaway success compared to me -- and I don't write to market either. TBH, I am permanently genre confused as, being a lifelong eclectic reader, I never considered categories (much) until I was uploading my first book and encountered the scary labyrinth. Entire libraries and bookshops were my oysters. Sections? Bah!

dgcasey, I'm glad I'm not alone. May your sales sparkle over Christmas and beyond.

Simon -- I'm so going to do the category thing on UK Amazon. Click,  click, click, done.  Perfect.  Thanks!  I started three auto ads for the UK site yesterday, but my bids and daily budget are so low the staff are probably rolling on the floor with laughter. I am worse than Scrooge regarding this stuff -- hate intangibles. I have an eBay shop and use their ads, but they only charge when a click results in a sale.
BTW, today I did also-bought research for The Last of the Family Diamonds and A Robot Called Clunk and No Free Lunch came up (top of the list) in 'sponsored products related to this item'.

Gerri, well done with the new series -- I love the covers -- so elegant.

Again, thanks to everyone. Much appreciated.