Can’t figure it out

Although I’ve figured out what sites help most with sales, and what forums to post on, and what sponsorships work best, and I’ve documented all of this on my blog, there’s still one thing I cannot figure out. What prompts sales?

For example, last month I sold many copies of INSECTLAND, DROP OUT, DREAM TRAVELER, and FROSTPROOF in the U.K. Yet, I’ve done almost no marketing for the U.K. since March. In the U.S., I sold many copies of all my books, but the two best sellers for the month were DROP OUT and DEGENERATES. This month, my U.K. sales for SILENT INVASION are huge, with a few sales of INSECTLAND, but that’s it. No other sales.

In the U.S., I’m selling lots of my YA books but few of my adult. But last month, I sold mostly my adult books. It makes no sense. These are two different genres with two different age groups and audiences. Why the sudden boost in sales for a particular book? If I truly have a fan base, then the logic would be that my fans are gradually reading all of my books and that is why certain books sell a lot more than others on certain months. I’ve also learned from other forums that Amazon has an algorithm for their books and if your book somehow gets into the algorithm it gets more exposure, thus more sales for that certain book. And still other authors have said that it depends if Amazon starts randomly listing the book as a recommended read. I have also heard that liking a book means nothing except for the visual representation that people have bought it, and I still haven’t figured out if tags work that much when compared to the hundreds of thousands of books that are tagged with “thriller” for example. The Pandora’s Box of promotion and advertising still eludes me, but I’ll find it, I swear I’ll find it. Until then, I’ll keep plugging away at sponsorships, posting on sites, investigating rocket-sale promises, and falling for scams, until I find the yellow brick road to riches and fame. If/when I do, I’ll let you know.

http://www.neilostroff.blogspot.com