posted
Even though I don't post often, I feel like I was cut off from my family. So glad to see Hatrack back up and running.
Posts: 1320 | Registered: May 2008
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posted
I've missed everyone. Also, need moral support because I have been tilting at the great windmill of Amazon. They have written 2 emails and basically forced me to take my "free" book (book one in my sci fi series) and put a price on it, along with making sure my prices for all my other books at all my other sites are the same --- or else! So, decided that to stay on the big "A" I would do as they asked. Well sure enough, page hits of book one plummeted to zero, sales of book two --- zero (where I was getting 12-16 hits a day and hit over 267 free downloads. Now zero at Smashwords and at Amazon. I just sent Amazon the graphs from Smashwords showing how all the stats zero'd out after I made their forced changes in my pricing. Hate to leave Amazon, as I was making some nice sales with "free" on book one, but if I drop to zero, why should I stay with them? Smashwords lets you price your books any way you like and for as long as you like. So, this Don Quihote-ette is sharpening her lance and poking at the big guy. Won't make any difference, but had to try. Okay, done gumbling, thanks for listening. KT
Posts: 96 | Registered: Dec 2012
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posted
There really ought to be some more creative way to announce the site is being resuscitated than putting up an announcement it is "down for maintenance". Perhaps the announcement could state that Hatrack was "on sabbatical", and leave the occasional "wish you were here" from Bali, or Paducah.
Posts: 1459 | Registered: Dec 2010
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posted
The lack of Hatrack was more like a personality test for me. First day: Hmmm, the site is down, wonder what's wrong with them? Last day: Oh my gosh, did they kick me out? What have I done?
Posts: 60 | Registered: Jul 2013
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quote:Originally posted by KellyTharp: I've missed everyone. Also, need moral support because I have been tilting at the great windmill of Amazon. They have written 2 emails and basically forced me to take my "free" book (book one in my sci fi series) and put a price on it, along with making sure my prices for all my other books at all my other sites are the same --- or else! So, decided that to stay on the big "A" I would do as they asked. Well sure enough, page hits of book one plummeted to zero, sales of book two --- zero (where I was getting 12-16 hits a day and hit over 267 free downloads. Now zero at Smashwords and at Amazon. I just sent Amazon the graphs from Smashwords showing how all the stats zero'd out after I made their forced changes in my pricing. Hate to leave Amazon, as I was making some nice sales with "free" on book one, but if I drop to zero, why should I stay with them? Smashwords lets you price your books any way you like and for as long as you like. So, this Don Quihote-ette is sharpening her lance and poking at the big guy. Won't make any difference, but had to try. Okay, done gumbling, thanks for listening. KT
I know that there is some approved way to go perma free on Amazon, but I don't know what it is. Maybe ask on the KDP forums?
Posts: 4633 | Registered: Dec 2008
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posted
Being extremely busy yesterday kept me from anything more than a look-see on my Nook Color...which prevented me from saying something along the lines of, "Hey, great, the site's back up, gee I've missed it, what happened?" But probably more personal.
Just before it went out on maintenance mode, I had a couple of glitches in getting to it...but forgot to mention it at the time...
Posts: 8809 | Registered: Aug 2005
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Meredith - KDP was nice about getting back to me in a short time. Their stated promotion is that every 90 days they allow you to put your book at "free" for 5 days only. It's been interesting to watch my rankings drop, though I am still selling --- mostly book two, which is to be expected for the amount of 'free' one's that were downloaded. I figure it may take a while for the tide to go out, so to speak. Once people are no longer downloading book one for free, the sales of book two will drop accordingly. Learning about the big business end of things is a really bummer in some respects. But, perhaps this short time at 'free' will be enough for the reviews that are still coming in to help actually sell book one down the road. I keep telling myself I'm not in it for the money, but it is nice to make something so I can perhaps hire a copy editor for book three! HA. KT
Posts: 96 | Registered: Dec 2012
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quote:Originally posted by KellyTharp: Meredith - KDP was nice about getting back to me in a short time. Their stated promotion is that every 90 days they allow you to put your book at "free" for 5 days only. It's been interesting to watch my rankings drop, though I am still selling --- mostly book two, which is to be expected for the amount of 'free' one's that were downloaded. I figure it may take a while for the tide to go out, so to speak. Once people are no longer downloading book one for free, the sales of book two will drop accordingly. Learning about the big business end of things is a really bummer in some respects. But, perhaps this short time at 'free' will be enough for the reviews that are still coming in to help actually sell book one down the road. I keep telling myself I'm not in it for the money, but it is nice to make something so I can perhaps hire a copy editor for book three! HA. KT
No, I mean I know from indie-author's blogs that there is a way to get your book free permanently even on Amazon. I've never done it, but I have heard of it being done. Try the forum for information. If that doesn't work, look around some other indie-author blogs. Ink Spells might be a good start.
ETA: Sorry. She's changed her website (I get her posts by email). Try http://susankayequinn.com/ . She's currently blogging a book on indie publishing, but she hasn't gotten to the good stuff (what I'm waiting for, anyway) yet.
posted
I'll check it out. Thanks Meredith. I did check my stats at Amazon and I'm still coasting along, most likely due to the number of free downloads that have already gone out. I expect in a month or so to see things start slipping. But in 90 days I can relist my book one for free, for 5 days. KT
Posts: 96 | Registered: Dec 2012
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quote:Originally posted by Robert Nowall: By the way, what did happen to the site?
I don't know for certain, but a couple of days before it "went down" I received an email saying that the servers had crashed and they weren't sure how long it would take to get things back and running. Since I could still access the Hatrack River Writers Workshop forum, I wasn't sure it applied to us.
And then it was gone.
I'm just glad they were able to fix things so we could get back together again.
Posts: 8826 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!
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quote:Originally posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury:
quote:Originally posted by Robert Nowall: By the way, what did happen to the site?
I don't know for certain, but a couple of days before it "went down" I received an email saying that the servers had crashed and they weren't sure how long it would take to get things back and running. Since I could still access the Hatrack River Writers Workshop forum, I wasn't sure it applied to us.
And then it was gone.
I'm just glad they were able to fix things so we could get back together again.
Amen to that,
But I think last time was even longer. Well, not counting the two times in the last couple of months, those were just for a day or less.
Posts: 5289 | Registered: Jun 2010
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