Writer Sanctum
Writer's Haven => Marketing Loft [Public] => Topic started by: Jan Hurst-Nicholson on October 27, 2018, 02:47:06 AM
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Beginning to get depressed about yet another dud submission :icon_sad:
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Fourteen submissions. No acceptances.
:catrun
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I got a US & International for a first in series on my fourth try, and an International only for another first in series on my fifth.
:cheers
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I've had nine on one book and five on another. I recall someone saying they'd done 40 submissions :icon_cry:
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I've submitted maybe three or four times, each time with different titles. I think I want to get a cash back credit card before I try again. It's a huge amount of money for the categories I'm in.
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I submitted my thirty-third request for a BB promo today. So far I'm 0 for 32.
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Probably about 20. I don't track them specifically.
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I've submitted 127 times across two pen names since Bookbub set up their current submission tracking system. Acceptances during that time? 8.
But I was subbing to Bookbub before they ever set up that system and didn't keep track of those older submission numbers. I think I got around 4 acceptances back then.
Edited: Correction, it was across three pen names.
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0-48
They used to take almost the full week to reject me. Now it's usually under 24 hours. I really should take the hint already.
Editing to say, based on Simon's post I checked and my rejections only go back to 2016. So 0-48+?. Yikes.
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There was someone on kboards--can't remember who--who had dozens of rejections before getting that first acceptance. So I guess the moral of the story is to never give up.
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I was rejected over 40 times before they finally accepted my submission. I've had 2 Bookbubs this year, but they aren't the holy grail anymore (at least not for me) and the tail wore off quickly both times.
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I'm going wide at Christmas....we'll see.
:catrun
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I was 1 for 1 before this year, but that was back in 2013.
This year I've applied 8 times, with six different books across three genres, and I was accepted once (seventh attempt, first with that title.)
If anyone's curious, just go to the Featured Deals tab on your BB partner profile and you'll see a list of previous applications with dates and book titles. Not sure how far back it goes - they definitely don't have my 2013 FD there.
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I was 1 for 1 before this year, but that was back in 2013.
This year I've applied 8 times, with six different books across three genres, and I was accepted once (seventh attempt, first with that title.)
If anyone's curious, just go to the Featured Deals tab on your BB partner profile and you'll see a list of previous applications with dates and book titles. Not sure how far back it goes - they definitely don't have my 2013 FD there.
My featured deals go back about two pages. I've only asked for free 'international' as that is the only one I can afford. I suppose it is getting more difficult as the number of applications increase to match the increased number of books on Amazon. It must be about 4 million now.
ETA My books are only available on Amazon, so I don't know how big a difference that makes :shrug
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0-48
They used to take almost the full week to reject me. Now it's usually under 24 hours. I really should take the hint already.
Yes, the under 24 hrs is a bit of a bummer. I remember in the 'old' days submitting manuscripts to publishers and agents. Had to send the whole thing by sea as air was too expensive. It could take 3 - 4 months before you heard and in that time you could dream and think positive thoughts about your 'baby'. Then email submissions took over. I had a rejection from one agent that took about 3 hours!! :eek:
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ETA My books are only available on Amazon, so I don't know how big a difference that makes :shrug
On their info page they definitely say that wide has a better chance of success.
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I had 60 submissions before I finally got a featured deal. So never give up! They like wide, and they also like box sets and other really good deals, and there's also more chance in the smaller categories. But don't ever feel that your book was rejected because it wasn't good enough, because honestly, they're not looking for the best books, only the ones they think their readers will want.
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I had 60 submissions before I finally got a featured deal. So never give up! They like wide, and they also like box sets and other really good deals, and there's also more chance in the smaller categories. But don't ever feel that your book was rejected because it wasn't good enough, because honestly, they're not looking for the best books, only the ones they think their readers will want.
Well, that gives me hope Grin. I've been trying in the children's category and the humour category.
Anyone know if there's a sort of best time of the week/month to submit?
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Bookbub used to love me. Sigh. Those days are sadly long gone. They accepted me the first four times (!) I applied, though this was back in 2013. I thought it would continue forever. But since then, I've applied 43 times and...nothing! (Actually, I've probably applied more times than that, because I think their author dashboards only go back to 2015. So let's say I've been rejected 60 or 70 times, or even more). It's all the more painful because, as I said, they used to always accept me.
The problem is one of two things. The last promo they did for me, they somehow didn't list the book on Barnes & Noble, and I wrote (politely) and told them this. But I think somehow they didn't want to hear from an author that they made a mistake. Because, since that email, I've never gotten a promo again.
Or!! It might be this: I see they've recently added 'readers' ratings,' and I was shocked when I first saw this a few weeks ago...because my first book (which they featured three times) has 58 ratings...with a 2.81 average! Ugh! I know why, though. Some of their readers are VERY vocal about books with bad language, and mine are, I admit, littered with expletives. After those Bookbubs, the book was inundated with one star reviews--'vulgar!' 'disgusting!'--(and I am still struggling to raise the rating on Amazon from that ancient flurry of post-Bookbub one stars, but as we know reviews are far and few between these days). I guess they think I'm not a good fit for their readers (and, hmm, I guess it's true. But how large of a percentage of their subscribers can really have a thing against bad language? It seems strange to me, in 2018. I think most books I read tend to have some.)
I'll say this, though. Someone wrote on here that a Bookbub today isn't as successful as it used to be, and the tail isn't so long anymore. Without Bookbub, and through different promo sites, this year has been my best year ever, in copies sold and money made. So there's hope without Bookbub, Jan. And...I will keep applying, but I'm happy I found a way through the depressing scenario of being rejected again and again and again. It's so much worse, maybe, to have continually been accepted, and then never again, as opposed to never having been accepted in the first place. I feel, all these years later, and with each rejection, ss if a friend suddenly betrayed me. (Or...as if I had offended a friend somehow and didn't know why, and they refuse to tell me why...)
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On the flip side: shocking, fastest BookBub ever.
Applied at 12:28 p.m.
Approved at 2:15 p.m.
Yikes!
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On the flip side: shocking, fastest BookBub ever.
Applied at 12:28 p.m.
Approved at 2:15 p.m.
Yikes!
Lucky you :banana: Congrats
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Yeah, I wish I knew what that secret sauce was.
It's for a wide, permafree series with a new release. I'm also a SFWA member and I always list everything that might make it attractive to run. But, sometimes it's years between BBs for any particular book. For this one, it's been over a year.
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Yeah, I wish I knew what that secret sauce was.
It's for a wide, permafree series with a new release. I'm also a SFWA member and I always list everything that might make it attractive to run. But, sometimes it's years between BBs for any particular book. For this one, it's been over a year.
Just in case it's something to do with timing, I've submitted a middle grade book to see what happens. :icon_mrgreen:
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I'm sure it has a lot to do with timing. Maybe they had a mystery drop out at the last minute and I just happened to slip in at the right time. Or maybe the decider liked the look of it.
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Grats David! I'm only on my fourth submission for this series so there's still plenty of room to be rejected, lol.
Quick question. Does anyone ever submit anything beyond book 1? Say you're somehow approved for book 3, would you then drop prices on the first two books/set them to free?
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I've gotten a Book 2 accepted, but it was for a series where the books are functionally standalones, with only a small amount of progression from book to book.
I also deliberately set up one series with a Book 0 and a Book 1, so each was an entry point and could be submitted without making anyone skeptical.
I've seen (in my daily BB email) later books, such as a Book 6 I think recently, so BB is not averse to running later books, as long as there's a case for it.
The most likely thing to get a BB is, in my opinion, a trilogy box set of books 1-3 in a series.
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The most likely thing to get a BB is, in my opinion, a trilogy box set of books 1-3 in a series.
That makes a lot of sense, I need to get around to packaging my first three into a box set. Thanks for the detailed response. My main hesitation about submitting past book 2 is not knowing how to deal if that gets accepted. Would someone with an accepted book 6, for example, immediately set all preceding books to 99c, or only apply it to the first book?
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I think I had 10ish submissions since my BB last year and my BB this year.
I apply on occasion, when the idea strikes me, and about a month before a new release in a series. I haven't been super impressed by my .99 BBs, but I haven't been able to get a free one in awhile.
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Well, I've just had my third rejection from BB. Not sure if it's a good or bad sign that the rejection this time was within 24 hours, whereas before it's taken them several days.
It seems as though I'm in excellent company, and will diary ahead for another few weeks to try again.
Meantime, off to try some other promo sites. Always more things to try.
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Well, I've just had my third rejection from BB. Not sure if it's a good or bad sign that the rejection this time was within 24 hours, whereas before it's taken them several days.
It seems as though I'm in excellent company, and will diary ahead for another few weeks to try again.
Meantime, off to try some other promo sites. Always more things to try.
This last rejection took them 6 days, so I took it as a good sign :icon_rolleyes: It's a bit much when you are paying to give something away for free and you get rejected :icon_cry: