Games We Must Play

I’ve been trying to grasp the marketing madness that surrounds publishing/self-publishing and working with online resellers like Amazon, B&N, Kobo, etc. I’ve just set aside a book that explained, in painful detail, how Amazon’s algorithms work. The online book retailer has algorithms which instantaneously discern a book’s Sales Rank and place within their Bestseller Lists, Popularity Lists, Top Rated Charts, Hot New Releases, and Best Sellers by Genre which recalculate and adjust endlessly based on daily market activities.
 
Each list is a sliding scale that authors try to surmount to place their novels on top or at least somewhere within eyesight of the first few online pages containing book thumbnails that readers browse through when seeking a new read. Movement on those lists is made complex with reviews, perma-free debut novels, price pulsing, borrows, exclusivity policies, and promos run by associates like Ereader News Today, Pixel of Ink, and Bookbub.

​Then there are paid ads…
 
Oh, the games we must play to get our work before the eyes of readers. With thousands of books being self-published globally, we really can’t ignore these marketing algorithms. Authors must scramble to keep their books from falling to the bottom of these lists, buried under other book thumbnails. So, we jump through the marketing hoops, build our email lists, post often on social media, and blog, blog, blog.
 
When do we get to write? I’ve four solid books for my series and desperately want to begin book five. I’m torn between the desire to write and the need to market. Finding a healthy balance eludes me. The irony is that I don’t expect to make money off my novels. I just want them read. Enjoyed. Shared. Sigh. I guess I’ll have to start playing some games soon.