Now that I have my first novel Tied published as a paperback and ebook, I can see sales statistics coming online. But is that a good thing?
From a marketing standpoint, it’s a great thing. I can time my promotions during special periods and see how sales numbers are affected. That is an invaluable tool for seeing what marketing works and what doesn’t. I can attain demographics information as well, so I not only know when my readers are buying my books, but where.
But here’s the not so great thing. I can see it getting addictive. I have easy access to these statistics, so I could end up checking multiple times per day. Then if things aren’t performing as I think they should be, I can see worry creeping in and pushing everything else out of my head. Trying to figure out how Amazon ranks things is crazy-making. I’m not even going to try. To avert that kind of disruption, I’m going to limit the checking to once a day, or even better, once per week.
The best way to sell more books is to write more books. I’ve started my next novel now, one that I think you’re going to like. The story is my wife’s favorite and it’s going to be fun to write. So, any distraction is an unwelcome one.
