Eavesdrop like a pro.

I’ll admit I’m not very good at covertly listening in to other people conversations. Although there are times when it’s impossible not to hear. Sometimes it’s hard to talk to my dining companion because I’m transfixed by a loud couple at the next table. I want to whip out my tiny notebook and make notes. But, that would be a bit conspicuous. Don’t you think?

Why do I find eavesdropping awkward?

Because I grew up in a tiny house with lots of siblings and nosy parents. Privacy was a luxury. The only place to talk or read without others listening in was down by the creek. No mobile phones then so forget about a private conversation on the one kitchen phone. Even with a cord that reached all the way to the coat closet, someone was listening.

But if I want my characters to be real, to have…

Two Valuable Book Marketing Statistics

Consider the following two numbers:

• 1 out of 1000. That’s a rough estimate of how many strangers will click on a typical link to an Amazon product page.
• 1 out 40. That’s a rough estimate of how many strangers who visit a product page for a book will purchase the book.

First, we’ll discuss these rates, and then we’ll discuss them in relation to book marketing.

Click-through Rate

The first figure, 1 out of 1000, is called a click-through rate (ctr).

A ctr of 0.1% (which equates to 1 out of 1000) is typical of internet advertising.

I’ve placed over 100 ads for a variety of books under multiple pen names on Amazon itself using Amazon Marketing Services (AMS), and most of my ctr’s fall in the range 0.05% to 0.2% (varying from 1 in 2000 to 1 in 500).

Some books get better ctr’s…

This is a guest post by Adela Belin, a private educator and a writer at Writers Per Hour. She shares her teaching experience with colleagues, students, and writers. Feel free to contact her on G+.

I strongly believe that one of the things making the Expanse or Firefly such great series is the language: Chinese curses for the latter, the Belter lingo for the former. It’s these small things that make or break a story, and that’s why you gotta love linguistics!

Most Common Words That Are Used In Multiple Languages

Anyone who has tried to take a look at language and history knows that words are inherently arbitrary, merely symbolic, and are agreed upon by common demographic consensus. Language does not only change its shape and form according to the geography but also through the course of time; history. A word that holds any meaning today may…