Space-Craft

I read much about writing platforms eg Squidoo, Hubpages, Helium & etc, and I always hear about keywords, SEO and trending, and I also notice that such espousal is deemed crucial for making money from output.

I hear about the power of blogs, I read advice that an article should be linked to this and linked to that, and shared here and shared there, and that facebook and twitter are the conduits to get the stuff noticed.

I read advice about joining forums and making a presence. I hear words of wisdom about being part of a community, about making comments and seeking feedback, about linking articles to back-links, and so on and on.

I have to say that this very exercise is enough to dampen enthusiasm and enough to not even bother. Then there is the ebay and Amazon accounts, the Cafe Press, the Zazzle, the stock photo sites, the affiliates like Commission Junction and Tradedoubler and all the other multiple streams designed to make a bob or two.

How much time have you got? A whole industry revolves around giving advice about all of the above and much more. Then of course there is the e-book phenomena, and volumes of info about e-publishing.

Publish an e-book – its simple to do. But it won't get noticed unless you do all of the aforementioned.

So now there is keyword e-book publishing. See what's trending and write a book about it. The secret, according to those in the know, is to write no more than 100,000 words and keep it at 0.99 pence.

Amazon will pay you 0.30p per sale on that. Kindle readers are reluctant to pay more than a quid, and they don't want lengthy tomes. Additionally, don't publish an e-book until you have at least three other books up and running, because those who like what you write will be looking for more. Don't be a one-hit wonder.

Virality (even virility) and loyalty will ensure sales of those, and just hope that by the time they realise they have better things to do with their time, you will have made some money.

60% of all e-books are poorly written and riddled with grammatical mistakes. They don't get professionally proof-read unless the author employs a good proof-reader.

According to Amazon, the book cover is the unique selling point (USP), without one you will stand little chance, and many e-book authors set aside at least £150 – £250 for a professional digital cover design, as well as the £100 additional cost for the proof-reading.

Let's get real about this. You'll have to sell 800 e-books to recoup that outlay, and 1000 a month to make £300. You'll need at least one good book for that. So don't give up the day job just yet.

One author has just hit the million mark in sales, and made £330,000. He's 58 years old and spent thousands of pounds in the past in self-publishing. He admits that his books are fairly undemanding, but he knows the market, and e-book trends are crime thrillers with a supernatural bent.  It all began from a single blog post, and when he decided to go on twitter to find like minded people who were interested in his subject. He then began targeting those individuals with private messages, and they in turn re-tweeted them. Virality!

He is an exception, but his success will be a benchmark for the hopeful.

Well, I may have the time to write this little ditty, but I don't have the time to follow all the points which I have raised. And even if I did, it would be too much time wasted.

So this is the reality check. I have a little blog, I write what I want, when I want, and I'm my own pilot of a spacecraft in my own little quadrant of cyber-space. In fact, I would rather travel there than elsewhere. It's still a big place.

I am the captain, the navigator, the chief steward and the ground crew. I choose when to fly and I can park up whenever and wherever I choose. The fuel is free, but by choice I pay landing fees. I can choose my passengers and evict those who are undesirable. Everyone is welcome to fly with me, but some may need parachutes because I don't provide any if some decide to jump off in mid-flight.

I will write an e-book one day. I may write several. I will broadcast on you tube one day. One day I may even have an audio blog, which is great for people like me who like the sound of their own voice (although I do intend to have some background muzak in the lifts for the window shoppers).

I'm not a budget airline. I'm just a budget blogger!