Publishing for Kindle: Review of Kindling Course Part 6
June 30th, 2012
|
Author: Hi everyone! I am now on part 6 of my review of Geoff Shaw’s Kindling course (which teaches you how to publish both fiction and non fiction – and even write the stuff for Amazon Kindle) and I just got off the phone with my Mother and had a sort of breakthrough! I wanted to share that with you before we get started.
You guys know I’ve had the marketing mindset for 12 years ago or more. Well you start to write and think a certain way and I had long since abandoned fiction over the years since I was good at (and made money at) non fiction. Well I was talking to my Mom about my fiction story that’s finally unfolding thanks to Shaw’s course and we realized that previously, I had always gotten stuck in the very beginning stages.
I didn’t know:
- What to write about.
- How it should end.
- How they would get from beginning to the end (what came between).
So I would always have one or more of the above problems – sometimes even all 3. It was frustrating. I just needed those three basic elements so that I could get creative and do the writing part.
Well what I told my Mom, after she got all excited about my progress was, “It’s so weird – I’m finally succeeding with fiction and this isn’t even a fiction course per se – it’s a marketing course!”
Mom said, “I know! You’ve read all those writing courses for ages and here this one does it for you.”
I said, “Maybe I just needed it laid out for me in a marketing mindset because that’s how my mind works!” And we had that sort of AHA moment – that was it. I now view content creation from a marketing standpoint, so the way Geoff teaches it and POUNDS into us the money factor and the letting go of our fear factor, it just resonates with me!
Don’t worry – he stresses quality and story and catering to readers JUST as much as money, if not more.
Maybe that’s why so many of us finally feel empowered with publishing? I don’t know. I only know I’m indebted to him and I am still so excited it’s unbelievable.
Okay on to the review – part 6!
Romance/Erotica
Okay I hope my blog doesn’t start showing nasty AdSense ads with this post. LOL! Holy crap – he added a lot since I was in yesterday, didn’t he? Or was it always there? I only saw one thing there yesterday and today there’s a list. I remember thinking this would be a short review day. Maybe not!
First off we get a warning – if you get offended, click away and move along in the training. Well this honey badger isn’t offended! Now neither of these is my niche. Once upon a time I thought I might be able to do romance but erotica is definitely not my gig. It’s not a moral issue – what I’m saying is, it doesn’t curl my toes at all.
We find out the two categories have extremely different audiences. I agree with his assessment. It has a flow chart to show us how the money flow works for these niches.
Erotica Writing
This is a neat interview between Geoff and a colleague making bank in this niche. I love that they cover the marketing and money aspect and problems in this niche right away. They cover three sub-niches in this niche. Now just an FYI as I’m reading this and they’re discussing genders, I’m reminded of the extreme success of the Fifty Shades of Grey – billed as “Mommy porn.”
I like the sound advice – I didn’t expect it. They make a GREAT point about why eBooks are so in demand in this niche as opposed to print books.
Oh gosh I’m having to Google some terms and I have to literally make a note to myself to tell husband about this review portion so he doesn’t accidentally see me searching BDSM online and wonder what I’m up to. LOL!
Okay I go onto Amazon to glance at this category. You have to go to Fiction first and then it’s listed. I thought it would be under romance, but it’s not. Huh – Anne Rice has books here.
As I search through some of the books, I notice a tip he says he employs in there – might be one of his pen names. Reading comments too – people want a combination of good story and erotica, not just sex scenes.
Great tip about what he does with his bundles! They give a website you can go to where you can read free stories and get inspiration and see how things are done, see what sub niches are out there.
The guy he’s interviewing admits a mistake he made that he’ll never make again. But I still don’t like the ethics of what he does to get his initial reviews. I didn’t do that for my book. I announced it – that’s normal promotion. But everything I did was above the board 100%.
There’s a video at the bottom of the page for us. I watch it and pause during it to go check out the sample of Fifty Shades of Grey. Yikes. That writing isn’t good to me. And she’s wildly popular? I can do this!
Wow he does show us the #100 book in its category is ranked actually kind of high in overall paid Kindle. There’s money in them thar hills!
Okay this was a really good section – nothing racy in my opinion – I highly suggest you watch/read this section EVEN IF you’re not going into this niche. This is one of those things where you NEED to see the marketing mindset of Kindle overall.
Erotica Extra
This is by Geoff himself. LOL He gives a warning to the guys here. Okay I had to snicker here – where he says “there needs to be more meat in the storyline.” I am having a Beavis and Butthead moment – ignore me.
He shows us an example of someone with a series and how to dominate this genre.
Romance Writing
More my style, but still not something I even read. Some of the contemporary fiction novels I read happen to have romance in them, but no bulges or throbby stuff. I’m not a prude – I just like my own mind to imagine what comes next, rather than someone force it on me.
He has a good tip about crossover genres here. Highly suggested you read this section regardless of what you’re writing about – science fiction, etc. He links out to a page on Continuity but it’s in a later section and just being mentioned here so I won’t leave.
He tells us what perspective to write from. He talks about collaborations. Good idea!
This part of the Kindling training is making me think someday I might dip my toes into the water here. But don’t ever expect to know my pen name. LOL! I’m not sharing.
Basic Romantic Plot
Yea for the big red bulleted numbers again! These always rev me up. Hmm confusion though. #1 is what he just told me the opposite of in the previous section. The perspective issue previously and #1 are opposite. I think that needs to be switched (#1 and #2 gender-wise).
VERY good outline. I could DO this! This is what I was talking about wayyyy up at the top of this blog post.
Basic Romantic Plot 2
More bullet numbers. I like the one with the smiley face – cute reference to what’s happening in our TV and genre culture right now.
Great advice here and I love how he injects his sense of humor – read the Fantasy list at the bottom. Cute!
Okay VERY good lessons here. I don’t know why anyone would be even remotely offended by this section. He doesn’t talk about vulgar stuff, so go read it. It’s good stuff about marketing on Kindle in general, character development, crossovers, etc.
This might be an area where I outsource the draft like he was talking about before. Who knows?
Tiff 
Share and Enjoy
Posted in Career
I just finished Fifty Shades last week, and it is by far the worst book I’ve ever read. It is so poorly written that I know even I could do better. The writing seems like it was done by a teenager.
I’ve been thinking lately of doing my own writing, and seeing your reviews is giving more reason to dive in & get started.
I know! I don’t get it!?
I read it too – and only to see what all the fuss was about. The writing was HORRIBLE and the storyline was very repetitive. Like, seriously? How many times in a row within the hour can this man do this stuff? Can you say unrealistic? LOL
However, it did give me more confidence as a fiction writer (since, like you Tiffany, I have always written non-fiction except when I was a kid). I mean, if that book can do well, then I should be Ernest Hemingway!
Charity
Well Tiffany I gotta thank you because I’ve read all your reviews on Kindling (# 6 now!) and not only did your enthusiasm put me over the edge to buy, but also your detailed reviews make me look at the course like YOU are looking at it, and I’m finding it so much more valuable to me that way – so THANK YOU! I put out my first book in 2003 and converted it into a download a few years later but see now that all of this is now coming into the golden age of implementation and so am really revved on this, especially with someone like you so excited too!
That’s great Matthew! It’s exciting and the fact that we get help w/writing AND promo of it is crucial!
Beavis and Butthead moment. LMAO
To offer an update. Yes, he answers emails as quickly when your name isn’t Tiffany Dow and you’re reviewing him as when you’re not.
We had a small mix-up with contact email vs. Paypal email and he fixed it as fast as is humanly possible. THANKS Geoff! I also shot him another email and he responded within 10 minutes. Great customer service!
I’m loving this course and this is my first internet course because I’ve sincerely tried to resist the “shiny object” syndrome.I have however, I’ve attempted lotsa stuff on my own.
I’m liking the fact that Geoff Shaw is a touch crusty and therefore seemingly real. I really like his teaching methods and honest approach.
Thanks to you Tiffany and Geoff Shaw, I’ll have my first book on amazon by the end of the week. Without you guys, it would have taken me months to figure out.
YEA Kate! Feels wonderful I’ll bet!
It should have read “I have however, attempted lotsa stuff on my own.” FAIL!
Tiffany, thank you so much for this very extensive and entertaining blog review of Geoff’s course. I have had the course for a while now, and you are finally giving me the kick in the butt to just get going with it. I’m tired of procrastinating. You are truly an inspiration!
Phil
P.S. I just love Geoff’s “beaver” video that I just watched. Let’s go Phil!
Awesome Phil! I’ve heard that from a few people and it’s nice
What’s BDSM?
LOL
LMAO! You’re bad. You either KNOW or you’re trying to make me say it. Google. I had to tell my hubby I googled that one. I have no idea if he looks at history or whatever but how weird if he did and saw me looking up all that kind of stuff. ha ha!
Just make sure you delete all your history at the end of each day!! Clearing the cache is like throwing away the trash!!!
A great one-stop tool for cleaning everything is C-Cleaner!! There’s a paid version, but I’m using the Free version (past 6 years).
If you don’t know about it you can get all the info and free download here
http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner (not an affiliate link)
Hey there Tiff,
I read the preview chapter for Shades of Grey and you’re right. I don’t read the genre any more but I read a lot of Harlequin’s way back and it’s not even close to THAT standard. Or maybe I’ve forgotten?
But Kate Saunders made a recommendation the other day in your posts to check out Holly Lisle. So I went to her page (if your readers make recommendations I usually at least glance cause I already know they have high standards!). But even though I don’t plan to do fiction books, I read a page that caught my attention called that if you read nothing else on her site, definitely check this out. It made an impact that I remembered and as I was reading that chapter, I was thinking this one page alone could have improved her Grey series TENFOLD!!
http://hollylisle.com/how-to-start-a-novel/
Love the figuring out how your mind works. Gives you a whole new way to approach other things too! (My son says he sees things as puzzles…so when I want him to understand better what I’m saying I give it to him as pieces!)
I know Debi! It’s not at all what I was taught or would even enjoy. I will go check it out right now!