Sale (2nd in one week)

Barbara Sheridan and me just received an offer for "Clean Slate" - now we have to read the contract.

The "hit" American Chris Gibson and British-born John Soong are ordered to carry out on Russian mob affiliate Andrei Voronin doesn't go exactly as planned. Voronin has already been shot when they arrive, but he's clinging to life. GORGON, the international intelligence and paramilitary agency John and Chris work for agree with John that Voronin may be more valuable alive than dead.

The failed assassination turns to an undercover intel operation as monogamous-minded John and manwhore Chris portray lovers who came to Monaco to meet with and form a personal triad with the now amnesiac Andrei. This operation takes its own unexpected turn as the men bond and clash and try to outwit the Russians who've realized Andrei is still alive.


That's the second sale in one week, after "Risky Maneuvers".

Now I want the publisher to get back to me about "Return on Investment", and I'll be happy and ask the Gods no more favours (at least for the moment).

Sales Experiment, 48 days later

Thanks for the commenters and visitors to my blog. I must have hit a nerve, my hits trebled, meaning there's an interest in my little story, so I feel obliged to follow up with it (good journo that I am).

At this point, there were 52 sample downloads (who downloaded 30% of the story). Out of these, 30 converted into sales (meaning, 30 people made the decision for how much to buy the story - which includes "free").

In the meantime, two people who downloaded the story for $0.99 were in touch and told me while that is the amount they usually pay for short stories, they felt "Spoils of War" was worth more and one paid another $3.99. The other person, presumably, did pay more, too, because she felt she had "ripped me off". I told her if she wants to pay more, she can buy another download and give the other oneaway to a friend - everybody wins.

These 30 people divide almost equally into "freeloaders" and "paying customers" - 14 took it for free, 16 paid. To be fair, one of the freeloaders told me she has no money, and would buy it when she had money. I told her to take it for free because I really wanted her to read it. In return, I received one of her stories, which I enjoyed. (Anmd when I told her I enjoyed it, she gave me another story, which I'm lookign forward to tonight).

Pricing:

I assume people have been reading my post about the pricing being either $0.99, $3 or $5 and decided to mess with my numbers. By now, the pricing is all over the place - a much wider range than before.

Below is the breakdown:

$0.99 - 2 people
$1.00 - 1 person
$2.75 - 1 person
$3.00 - 5 people
$3.99 - 1 person
$4.00 - 2 people
$5.00 - 3 people
$10.00 - 1 person

Note, again, the absence of any amount in the area of $1.29-$1.99. We are talking 5,500 words of short story here. SHORT story. The amount of words is clearly stated on site.

To the person who paid $10 - want to be my sugar mommy/daddy? I think I love you, but you are a little insane. Seriously, get in touch via email with proof of purchase and I'll send you a free story. Thanks!

In total, 14 people paid $57.73 for the story - averaging $3.36 per paying customer. If I add the 14 freeloaders (so 30 readers in total), I get to $1.90 per customer. (Which is at the top end of what the market in m/m ebooks currently charges for short stories).

Once Smashwords has taken its cut, that leaves us (my co-writer Raev and me) with $43.81 in the bank, pre-tax, 48 after launch of the story.

By now, first reviews are appearing both on Smashwords itself and on Goodreads, and the reviews are very favourable. I assume that will drive further sales. In terms of marketing, I tweeted about it a couple times, I told a few people who were in touch that my story is currently free, and nothing else (I was busy editing yesterday).

More updates when I get them.

Full disclosure: "Spoils of War", 24hr sales result (part two)

Okay, here are the results of my 24hrs experiment of giving away "Spoils of War" for free, if readers choose to take it for free.

Checking my "dashboard" at www.smashwords.com, in the last 24hrs:

- 37 people downloaded the free sample (30% of the story).
- out of these 17 people bought it

In this case, "buying" only means they downloaded the complete story and made the decision how much they are willing to pay for it, which includes "nothing".

So, 37 people were happy to check the stuff out, and 17 were interested enough to want the whole thing. Brilliant.

I think that's a roaring success for 24hrs in the e-book space, for authors whom hardly anybody knows yet. :)

Let's look at the 17 people who "bought" the story.

I have to admit I was a little nervous again here. The first several emails were people taking stuff for free. At email number 5 I thought "fuck this shit, I'm changing the option to fixed price and charge $0.99, that would have been $4.95, demnit!"). Then I had the first sale. Somebody paid $5.00 for the story. That's the price for an ebook novel. And that person paid enough that, had I charged $0.99 and HAD those "free downloaders" paid $0.99, I would have been $0.05 worse off. Now, that was weird.

I agreed with my skeptical voice (and my number-crunching partner) that 5 people is a tiny sample, so I let the sales roll and watched and did nothing.

End result after 24hrs: 17 people bought it; out of these, 10 people took it for free, 7 people paid.

I repeat: seven people choose to pay without being forced or controlled. Wow.

Let's look at what they were willing to pay. Interestingly, my seven paying customers chose one of three prices:

1) $0.99 (the absolute mininum, paid by 2)
2) $3.00 (hefty price for a short story, and WELL above what I thought I could charge for a short story, paid by 3)
3) $5.00 (that's about the price of a novel, and humbled me. Five dollars? To read a short story? Paid by 2)

Nothing in between. Interestingly, not ONE chose a price like $1.29 or $1.79 or even $1.99 that I had calculated with.

It tells me also I have at least five "fans" out there that pay well more than I would have expected, and those five people deserve my love and gratitude. Same with the $0.99 people. They paid even though they don't have to, out of an appreciation for writing, the hard work that went into the story and cover, and as a gesture of goodwill.

Thank you, guys. Thank you so much. You warmed my cynical little heart.

How does this translate into "profit"?

From this, we made $20.98 - in one day, mind you, by giving away 30 free samples and getting 7 paying customers. Now, minus what Smashwords takes as a cut, we have $15.52 in the pocket. Out of this, we'll have to split 50/50, and I have to pay 20% UK tax on royalties.

In the logic of "the free market forces", 17 people paid $21 dollars for it, which equals an average of $1.23. If I take out the "freeloaders", the price these supporters were willing to pay is $3.00. One is my "earnings per customer", the other is "earnings per sale".

Consequently, the "fair value" for my story is somewhere between $1.23 and $3.

(Now, this posits that people would have been willing to be charged that much - meaning, were they more generous out of generosity, like somebody buying an overpriced Christmas card because 20% of the sales go to Oxfam? But those factors make the whole calculation more difficult, and I have no way of veryfying this)

What do I learn from this?

That there are readers/fans who appreciate us/our work more than I thought. I can only explain those prices they paid with maybe them feeling they don't pay so much for goods but show their support to their writers and love for a good, quality story.

That there are people who are happy supporting their writers.

That a surprising amount of people are willing to pay even though nobody controlls them.

Why then will I introduce a "fixed price" for "Spoils of War" in the mid-term?

Because I firmly believe in global distribution. The story needs to be able to get out there and reach as many people as possible (yes, Kindle and Amazon and Apple and iTunes and iBook and whatever). But that distribution model doesn't support "choose your own price". In fact, were I not to charge a fixed amount on that distribution model, the system would set the price for "Spoils of War" to $4.95, which, we can agree, is pretty damn steep for a short story.

In the meantime, if you would like to read "Spoils of War", go ahead and download it. It's free. Unless you choose to make it not free, but I'm not controlling you or forcing you. I put it out there, that's my job done.

But a dollar in the hat would be very much appreciated.

Thank you.

Yours, truly,

Aleksandr Voinov

Full disclosure: "Spoils of War", 24hr sales result (part I).

I told you I was going to do an experiment. Well, the experiment is about "are people willing to pay for something if they can get it for free?" (This ties into the e-piracy debate). Below, I will state my findings, honestly and no punches pulled. This study cost me about a day.

Object of the study is "Spoils of War", a 5,500 story I co-wrote with Raev Gray. It's some of the finest writing we've done, and it has an attractive cover that makes people go "guh". It also has naked man flesh, but in marble and bronze, and both men have their heads attached.

I do feel somewhat possessive about my writing. "Spoils of War", however, is a donation to eXcessica for their anthology "Divine Matches". But since eXcessica doesn't do "exclusive rights", we can do with it whatever we like, so we decided to use it in this experiment. And I do try and make my writing available as soon as it's ready.

Since we knew we couldn't sell "Spoils of War" (we can't grant exclusivity, and publishers want that, always), we whipped it into shape; Raev made one of her stunning covers, and I uploaded it on Smashwords. Up to this point, "Spoils of War" represents roughly two days of work; the writing was fast, I think one day, but then comes the editing (plus beta-ing by Kate Cotoner) and th cover. I have no idea how long it takes Raev to make a cover like this, but I can guarantee that this wasn't a one-hour rush job that you get with so many e-publishers. We are visual creatures, we want things to look pretty, and that includes our reading, and I'm anal about my covers. If worst comes to worst, I might pull a publication or pay the cover artist out of my own pocket rather than let it go out with a shit cover, and yes, I'm serious. For as long as I write, I'll happily pay Raev whatever she asks for her skills. Covers are that important.

When you put books on www.smashwords.com, you get three options for the price:

1) Free
2) Reader decides price
3) Fixed Price

You also choose between two distribution models:

1) Smashwords-only
2) Premium Package (Amazon and all the e-tailers)


I was intrigued by "reader decides price" - how much are people willing to pay for a story that I know is really good, and that looks awesome? My guesstimate ranged between $0.50 and $2.00. I'm an arrogant bastard, I believe readers are happy to pay for quality, and this is one awesome story. I have a few "hardcore fans" that are happy to pay whatever. They know I can use the money and they love showing their appreciation. Inviting me for a coffee in Soulless Coffee Chain Outlet would be more expensive. And it's not like I'm publishing a story every day, so they can afford it, too. I was about to set the price at somewhere between $1.79 and $1.29 for starters (that's what e-publishers charge for their sips and single shots and short stories with generic, boring covers) and see where it goes.

But a "free market" finds its own price, right (at least that's what economists tell us)? As a finance journalist, the "free market forces" intrigue me. I have some ideas about what things are worth, but are they shared by everybody? I assume that if I let the market decide, I'd find a "fair" price. This is based on the assumption that some people will choose to pay. It's a choice. They can have it for free. You can set your price at "zero" and there's no punishment. No rabid foaming-at-the-mouth writer who tells you you killed their kittens. Take it. It's free. I would love a dollar for it, or maybe two, but if you want to take it, here it is. Now, one addition: if you do choose to pay, yopu have to pay at least $0.99 (Smashwords' limit, not mine).

I have to admit, it felt weird. Imagine going to a restaurant and people say "here's the meal, pay whatever you feel like". 30% of the story (about 2,000 words) is free. You can download the sample and check it out.

Then I went on what I call my "marketing drive". I posted about it on my private email list. On my blog. On my live journal, and my community. I added the book to my shelf on Goodreads. I told my friends about it. I tweeted about it, I told my online friends about it. I told them all "would love a dollar, but if you choose not to pay, don't." (not like I can force or control them).

And then I sat in front of my computer screen, and waited. Watched. Watched the marketing ripples move. Watched as each and every "sale" came through ("sale" at Smashwords doesn't mean you got paid).

(read the next entry for the results).

Stealth Release: "Spoils of War"

When Achilleus, the greatest warrior who ever lived, falls before Troy (or Ilion, as it was known), Ares, God of War, stands ready to take his spirit with him to his palace. There, Ares demands that Achilleus yield to him. But can the embrace of a god and the offer of immortality make Achilleus forget his one true love, Patroklos?

"Spoils of War" is a 5,500 word short story that features Ares, Greek God of War, and Achilleus, legendary Greek hero. After the death of Achilleus, Ares sweeps him up and makes him a tempting offer. "Spoils" is co-written with Raev Gray. Get an excerpt and a larger version of the cover here.


I spent a few hours fiddling with this and I think we're live (it's my first time, so be gentle). I just put "Spoils of War" up on Smashwords here.

The cool thing is, you can set your own price. That means, you can download it for free if you choose "zero" as the price, and if you choose to pay, it has to be $0.99 or more (out of which Smashwords and the US tax authorities take their cut, too). Another project done.

Have a great Sunday!

Risky Maneuvers: Contract and Blurb

I just updated my website - you can see the new page here.

And I went through the three print outs of the contract, signing and double-checking everything.

Without stuff signed, I can't really talk about this much more, but I can post the blurb:

Having been a mercenary for the past decade, Mikhail Volkov is a man without a country and that suits him just fine. Playing by his own rules, on his own terms, for the price he sets, is the way he likes it best.

But when a CIA contact dangles a carrot he can't resist to entice him into a clandestine search-and-rescue, Mikhail is brought face–to-face with the biggest foe he has yet to vanquish—his own loneliness.

Growing up, Devon ‘D’ Dearborn planned to follow in his father's footsteps as part of the Army's Delta Force. Once commissioned, D's own ambitions took root and he became a top-level tank commander, occasionally serving as a go-between for his CIA-employed brother and a sexy Russian mercenary.

When his doubts about his chosen career and his own desires impacted the perfection he demanded of himself, D resigned his commission and exchanged his Abrams tank for a 18-wheeler.

After six years, the last face D expects to see when he pulls his rig into a truck stop is that of Mikhail Volkov. D wants nothing to do with his brother's new cloak-and-dagger job, but the temptation of working alongside the Russian is too hard to resist.

Their complicated mission may prove to be their last, but neither of them will give in to their hearts nor their enemy without a fight.

Acceptance!

I just got the email that "Risky Maneuvers", which I co-wrote with Barbara Sheridan, has been accepted for publication. It'll need a slightly tweaked ending, but that's no big problem.

Whew. One is sold. Now I have to read through all the paperwork, update the website and calm down. :)