Hey folks! Join us again this week on the Self Publishing Roundtable at the usual time of Thursday at 7pm PST/10pm EST as we discuss the state of the game that is self publishing.
Wade is away again this week (something about about rum running or drug smuggling, I’m not sure which), and as such, I (Xavier) have the enjoyment and soul sucking responsibility to return as moderator.
So join myself and Michelle Read as we attempt to tackle Liam Kingman’s GIANT LIST of TOPICS!
Seriously folks, it’s massive. Hopefully we can get through them all! We shall see!
Ohai!
Ready to party! 😀
We walk among you. We have hidden in plain sight for centuries. Perhaps tonight is the night we unsheathe our swords and, at the moment you begin to dream, you shall finally taste our steel wrath. This is all you deserve, you disgusting wretch.
(This is the sweet Irish lullaby my mother sang to me each night as she tucked me into bed. Luckily, I got her first, when she began to dream.)
RChazzChute Oh how I have missed you…
Hello, all!
ChrishaunKellerHanna Greetings 🙂
I have pocky!
BatmanErica strawberry or chocolate?
ChrishaunKellerHanna BatmanErica cookies and cream. It’s panda pockey!
ChrishaunKellerHanna Ohai!
RChazzChute Rolls of the tongue, it does lad…
*skids in*
Did I miss anything?
CateMorgan not yet. You’re early 🙂
CateMorgan Heh heh.
BatmanErica ChrishaunKellerHanna yummy!!
ChrishaunKellerHanna yes and well priced too 🙂
RChazzChute Erica says jump into the conversation. I sent you an invite.
xgranville RChazzChute Heh. I hadn’t read it out loud until you said that. With my Irish accent, it is pretty. 🙂
CateMorgan Hola!
And here I thought being ten minutes early meant I’d be the first. Then I see BatmanErica has already been here for forty minutes.
PerryConstantine ners, too slow 😛
xgranville RChazzChute Sent you a FB message X. (Because Dean Wormer put you on double secret probation, that’s why!)
RChazzChute it’s because I’m here that you don’t want to be on, right?
Yo Yo.
johnlmonk heeeeey!
Any questions about websites? Cause that’s gonna be the first topic in the list. Please post them here 🙂
RChazzChute
I’M HERE FOR THE STALKING.
BatmanErica Popup to join mailing list or no popup to join mailing list?
BatmanErica love the hair color, Erica…
matmorrisauthor me too!
matmorrisauthor you’re a little loud for that…
ChrishaunKellerHanna matmorrisauthor I stalk loudly.
BatmanErica Sell books off your website directly or don’t sell books off your website directly?
ChrishaunKellerHanna thanks, it was a brighter turquoise when it first was done. Going raspberry pink next 🙂
BatmanErica ChrishaunKellerHanna ooohhhh!
I DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU TO COME BACK LIAM!
ChrishaunKellerHanna Oh no she didn’t…
Pop up software as recommended by RChazzChute https://sumome.com/
I was resistant to using a pop-up but then I tried one and my subscription numbers through my website went up massively.
PerryConstantine people like Mark Dawson (i think that’s his name) totally recommends using them 🙂
CateMorgan ChrishaunKellerHanna http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1911eDqgH1rp4lezo1_400.gif
BatmanErica PerryConstantine So does Simon Whistler.
Offering porn is a great way to get sign-ups.
PerryConstantine it’s called erotica 😛
BatmanErica Erotica implies class. There’s nothing classy about what I do.
PerryConstantine you do have a shifter series, right?
BatmanErica PerryConstantine I read “shitter” series. Forgive me. It was the context.
RChazzChute that is a niche…
RChazzChute BatmanErica PerryConstantine I only write shitter series. It’s a lower class of readers, so my perfect target audience.
xgranville website: http://theideapool.org/
Bets on when Robert’s going to wind down like an android with a depleted power pack because of the tea he’s been drinking? I give it until 37.25 minutes.
CateMorgan didn’t he say it only take 30 minutes?
BatmanErica I figure he’s been drinking it long enough now he’s probably building immunity, like to iocane powder.
You’ll be happy to know that Mickey, the cat, is currently asleep on the floor beside me.
Dude, nice website. I didn’t know you did book covers — very cool.
1) Â You compress and optimize the images and use a CDN.Â
2) Â Make sure that your plugins are not pummeling the database
3) Â streamline your DNS
johnlmonk Just getting going. Thanks!
smush it (https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-smushit/) is a good plugin.
Also: make sure you delete all themes and plugins you aren’t using. Less is more.
SEO is old and Google is wise to that… your best bet is to push traffic- that is the best way to have the best ranking
Web Master? You mean like Spider Man? o_O
Wordfence https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordfence/
CateMorgan I was thinking Dungeon Master. And I don’t even play the game.
I’d recommend getting a nice premium theme–I’m a huge fan of the Genesis Framework and its themes–and create simple, but elegant, website and then leave it alone.
Keep it simple.
Focus on writing your books.
BatmanErica And don’t use Admin as a username >_<
xgranville I haven’t played in YEARS.
ChrishaunKellerHanna BatmanErica Is “password” still an acceptable password?
matmorrisauthor Pagelines is a great one two…
ChrishaunKellerHanna matmorrisauthor I’m using Divi. I like the Elegant Themes look.
PerryConstantine ChrishaunKellerHanna BatmanErica http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view3/4804536/face-push-jackie-chan-o.gif
CateMorgan xgranville I visited a friend the other day and in the years I hadn’t seen him he had written BINDERS worth of his D&D world.
Any other questions regarding websites?
I’ve got Gumroad on my site and at one point, even offered my books at a discount if they bought direct but no one who visits my site or subscribes to my list wanted to use it. They always would just click through to their favorite store.
xgranville Ah, yes. D&D–that unfailing gateway drug to writing epic fantasy.
CateMorgan xgranville Right? I looked at him all funny, wondering if he knew what he was really doing or not…
PerryConstantine I offer Gumroad, too. They just started offering Paypal.
CateMorgan PerryConstantine Have you had any luck? People don’t even download my free books through it, they still go to Amazon.
xgranville HA. The hubs and I once wrote our own hybrid system for Star Wars paper & dice back when they got glommed by Wizards.
RChazzChute it also uses a pop up, funny that 😛
PerryConstantine Not a whole lot…I’m basically 50/50 between Amazon and B&N.
CateMorgan still better than most!
xgranville ChrishaunKellerHanna matmorrisauthor I keep gravitating toward that one.
BatmanErica It’s just an option I offer. I figured why not?
CateMorgan BatmanErica Yeah, I still keep the option. It’s just another store to upload to.
xgranville ChrishaunKellerHanna matmorrisauthor Also I love Chuck Wendig’s website. I want to take it hostage and make it mineallmine.
Litreactor is the bomb. Everyone needs to check it out.
matmorrisauthor has a bomb!
xgranville it’s a clock
xgranville matmorrisauthor ::ducks and covers::
ChrishaunKellerHanna xgranville matmorrisauthor Oh, it’s a bong.
I’m really not that impressive. But I don’t walk around much because my cajones weigh me down.
matmorrisauthor you should see a doctor about that, make sure it’s not a tumor…
Actually, I read an article last night that my cajones apparently have taste buds… I’ll have to buy them a beer next time I’m out.
matmorrisauthor Hah. I read that, too. Imagine my shock when I saw your name in the article. Weird! LOL
I blog for fellow writers–readers get my newsletter, where I share behind-the-scenes, DVD-type content, like my research notes and such.
Mgon matmorrisauthor I’m a publicity whore. Can’t get me to shut up about myself.
RChazzChute that doesn’t work for Michael Bunker…lol
Speaking of… it’s close to “bed time”…
Cthulu?!?!
matmorrisauthor obey him!
BatmanErica matmorrisauthor And cuddle him.
Our lord and savior? You mean our great god Cthulhu? *dons fez*
matmorrisauthor HA! You beat me!
matmorrisauthor BatmanErica My husband has ALL the stuffed Cthulhus. And I do mean ALL. It’s a mite disturbing.
matmorrisauthor BatmanErica
PerryConstantine matmorrisauthor BatmanErica aaawwww!
PerryConstantine matmorrisauthor BatmanErica Hubs has Elvis Cthulhu, Scholar Cthulhu, Secret Agent Cthulhu, Fun in the Sun Cthulhu…he has more Cthulhus than Bubba gots shrimp.
My best ideas come when I’m hovering just before waking up. The man speaks truth.
johnlmonk for me that’s the shower. So it’s at least a half an hour long
johnlmonk And then I go “Son of a BITCH…not ANOTHER idea!”
johnlmonk for me it’s the car…
Everything has to do with John Monk!
Patreon and a street team are not the same.
How many people have a street team?
BatmanErica johnlmonk No joke, me too! Came up with one of my best plot twists while washing my hair.
BatmanErica I have a posse… does that count? They don’t hit the streets too often, unfortunately the internets happen on a computer.
matmorrisauthor online street team 🙂
matmorrisauthor I know this. I’m saying that nowadays the term isn’t as concrete as years back. Patreon is another example of how the digital world has changed the game.
johnlmonk I came up with two story ideas this morning. A not so cozy mystery and a contemporary fantasy menage. I do not have time for either >.<
BatmanErica We might need a SPRT street team. Just so we have an excuse to hang out together more. 😀
CateMorgan hell yeah. They can spam all the things 😛
BatmanErica Yesssss!
Robert — I like the approach you have with that, but I think that line of thinking will water down how people should both view and treat an actual street team. Actual street teams can be incredibly effective in what they provide (namely, sharing release information, buying on the hard launch, leaving timely reviews, etc) and should be rewarded appropriately (swag, exclusive content, exclusive items, etc).Â
Having a support network is important, and should be valued and appreciated, but a street team should definitely be segregated from the general populace.
CateMorgan I have her book 🙂
matmorrisauthor BatmanErica that and we haven’t read any of his books…
BatmanErica johnlmonk I come up with world ideas, but not plots. Ugh, I can’t plot my way out of a wet paperback.
Unless you’re Jim Butcher and can execute your main character at the end of your book…
“May those who love us, love us.
May those who don’t love us, may God turn their hearts.
And if He can’t turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles,
So we might know them by their limping.”
There’s some Irish poetry for ya. Goes lovely with my Irish vodka (and no, it’s not made from potatoes. The Irish know potatoes are for eating, not drinking).
matmorrisauthor yeah but he also came back
BatmanErica matmorrisauthor SPOILERS!
CateMorgan LOL. Excellent! 😀
johnlmonk tried this http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UKC0GHA ?
BatmanErica johnlmonk I use this for my plots…
The alternate ending was so much better than that crap ending in the theatrical release.
PerryConstantine There was an alternate ending for Terminator: Salvation, too, that (quite frankly) would have saved it. >.<
PerryConstantine which ending do you prefer for Army of Darkness?
BatmanErica PerryConstantine I like them both, actually. I think the Rip Van Winkle ending works better given how he screws things up earlier in the movie when reading from the book, but the S-Mart ending is the reason we’re getting Ash vs. Evil Dead.
Erica’s site: http://ericaconroy.com
The podcast has cloned Erica! Cthulhu IS with us!!
AFTER PARTY!!
https://hangouts.google.com/call/dlkjwmkxntm7r3ktnymjjjkbwea
PerryConstantine BatmanErica I love it when people bring up Rip Van Winkle
we have pocky!