With 2014 finished, I have taken a close look at how the books I have published on Kindle have fared. In doing so, I was interested in trying to discern why some books did well, and others, not so good. My thoughts on this are my opinion only and quite unscientific.
Not surprisingly, those that come closest to adhering to the traditional TG formulas and contain a fair number of cross dressing tropes did well. This is evident by the fact Tips, A Different Kind of Courage, and Inconvenient Truths were the tops sellers despite being the first books I put on starting in 2012. Books that did not belabor the ‘dress up’ or dwell on the ‘To be or not to be’ sturm und drang aspects of transgender behavior such as By Any Other Name and The Gambit were the worse performers.
Grace did surprisingly well, though this is no great surprise. It was written by me on something of a whim, for I wanted to do write a story that was set in the Downton Abby period that also included a trip aboard the Titanic since I’m something of a Bolt Counter. I attribute the success of this work not to the era I set it in, or prevalence of Poseidon junkies, but rather because it hit upon a theme that is quite popular with many folks who visit Top Shelf / Big Closet; that of a little boy being talked into or forced into girls clothing, known as Pinaforing or Petticoating. Perhaps someone whose tastes in reading material include this aspect of TG literature can better explain than I. All I know is there are quite a few stories that belong in this particular category.
My war stories centered on World War Two, the Sequel, are in two groups. No Greater Love and A Lion in Waiting are in the middle of the popularity list and sold an equal number of books. Both took place in France, though I do not think that had anything to do with it. I rather think there was just enough traditional TG stuff in it that kept people interested in the story line. On the other hand, The Other Side of the Wire and While the Band Played Waltzing Matilda, were at the bottom of the popularity list. Though each had more than their fair share of TG tropes, they were not ‘Happy Stories.’ (Trying writing about Nazi Germany in an upbeat fashion sometime. Not even Springtime for Hitler was able to overcome this burden). I would venture to say the moral of this story is if you want people to love your works, make sure you sprinkle happy faces throughout your writing.
Then there are my outliers, one off stories that did ‘okay’. Both have in common the fact that they can be classified as being more traditional with the exception that the protagonist just happens to be transgender as opposed to a story about someone discovering they were TG or being encouraged by a loving Mom to dress up like a little girl. The first, The Legend of Alfhildr, is a Viking era adventure story inspired by Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Chronicles. It was also my first collaboration by Persephone. The second is Dance of the Baccha, which was meant to be a mystery, spy thriller. Both are in the lower half of the popularity scale. (Oh well!)
I left out The World Turned Upside Down and Caitlin since both were published after the start of 2014 and did as well as they did simply because they were new to those who follow my works, those few, those happy few, those band of….
Sorry, I got a little side tracked. Any who, for what it’s worth, that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.
HW Coyle
a.k.a. Nancy Cole
P.S. The titanic was built with something like 3,000,000,000 bolts.
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=lego+titanic&qpvt=lego+t...
Comments
Hmmm?
that of a little boy being talked into or forced into girls clothing, known as Pinaforing or Petticoating.
If I see that in a story, 99% of the time, I just stop reading there. IMHO, this has been done to death over the years.
As for 3billion bolts on the Titanic? Don't you mean rivetts? The Hull was rivetted. There is even speculation that poor quality rivets hastened its demise.
tomatoes and tomatoes :)
rivet
ˈrɪvɪt/
noun
1. a short metal pin or bolt for holding together two plates of metal, its headless end being beaten out or pressed down when in place.
:)
Persephone
Non sum qualis eram
rivetts or rivets
My mistake. Rivetts was a motorcycle Clothing shop. I've used them many times but sadly they are now defunct.
I've only ever seen 'hot riveting' used on ship hulls. To me a bolt is a threaded device and is far weaker than a forged rivet. Remember that the thread has to be cut. This weakens the structure of the item.
If I'm wrong then it will be my item for 'Learn Something Every Day' today.
And here I thought...
a rivet was a mating call female frogs used to attracted eligible male frogs.
Nancy Cole
"You may be what you resolve to be."
T.J. Jackson
Agree with Sam
I prefer stories set in current times, say around the start of WW2 up to the present and beyond. I will pass on a story, even if it is by a fav author, if there are tags for forced fem, dom/sub, petticoating or some such, any story that is preachy (Scott Ramsey's stories are an exception), in short any story that contains the use of force to compel the protagonist to flip gender. Also any story with diapering and such humilation, as well as any story with the tag "infant".
As well, I always have my doubts about any story tagged "autobiographical", especially when it goes on to present things that are simply not possible, like the morphic whatever boxes that fall from the sky. I don't much care what any websites' rules say, I take a pretty narrow defination of the term, far more narrow than most writers of those kind of stories.
As an example of what I like, most any canon Whateley stories fit my expections. With some excursions off the path most all Whateley stories come from a recognizable alternate timeline. They avoid the "Transporter Effect" (you Startrek-TOS fans should be familiar with that), tech/mutations/etc are consistant from story to story, writer to writer.
And that brings me back to the third rail of writing - religion. I don't like religious-themed stories. I am nominally a christian (lower case c) but flexable. I don't want or need somebody preaching their religious viewpoint to me, I live in Southern Baptist territory, I get more than enough in RL. As always, there are a few authors who can write such stories, Scott Ramsey is one of the best examples. His "The Prodigal" and "The Road To Jericho" take stories from the bible and redress them in modern clothes. However, his stories move past the religious premise and become stories in their own right without the need to preach.
And that brings me to a pet peeve of mine: when an author arrogantly proclaims 'I am the best author on the site" or a friend proclaims 'X is in the top few writers on BC', then the liklyhood is that they are not. The truly best authors don't have to proclaim it, it is awarded to them by their readers. JulieO is one of the best authors on BC, but I challenge you to find her saying that. The aformentioned Scott Ramsey would rank right up there, he could pull you right in with solid, believable characters and plots that any need for suspension of disbelief flys out the window.
And of course we can't forget Nancy Cole, whose works are top notch. The Newly Chronicals are but one example.
So that's all from me!
I went outside once. The graphics weren' that great.
I myself don't try to push
I myself don't try to push religion in the stories that I write (unless there is a very specific reason for it), but that being said...I do tend to show religion in some of my current works (which hopefully I can get published soon). Not to convert people or anything like that...but let's be fair. I'm a Muslim girl in the middle of Southern Baptist territory and I try to show the good of my religion, while not bashing others. Of course, I know some people will respond hatefully towards me whenever I speak well of Islam...so I go into things knowing that.
But religion is never the primary thing for me, story is. If the story calls for a dose of religion in it, then by all means I will put it in. It is also just as likely that it doesn't need it so it gets skipped over.
As for Nancy's works, I like all the ones I have read...though I haven't read through all of them. I tend to devour JulieO's works, Tanya Allan's, Bailey's and others. But since I am so into history...I love stories set in those areas. :)
Samirah M. Johnstone
For JulieO's stuff
I only like her 'Defender' stuff and the Anasasi girl stuff too. The rest ...
What Readers Want
It's interesting because many readers at this site are drawn to stories that I would think would draw young adult males. Being TG is not what I thought it was. And that is why I will publish in the General Public section of Amazon when I get to it.
My stories have never included lots of TG content because I believe that most of life is about things other than clothing. This bore out in "Katia". Though I published that story when the Kudo system was just coming on line.
Dear Nancy, After I had read
Dear Nancy, After I had read The Legend of Alfhidr I think you have not done the masterpiece again even if other entries have been good. Compared to the action in other pieces here on BCTS I have done less of fact-collection that has not been in front of me during my travels. Been to the hometown of Tuck, but did not have sufiscient of material with me to seek out the house where he lived. Have also visited some of the places Where GABI has been living. and a couple of places where DeWinter's stories have taken place. But not as much as in your story about/with Alfhidr.
In real world /?/ I have read the Cave-bear series and there also found that while much is well written the stories really grip me is when there is no real facts to hang up the stories on but it has to be the thoughts of the author that really sets the mind of the reader in full "spin" that really stand in the memory even after several years.
Could it be that Alfhildr was removed so soon from BCTS that it had not captured it's reader enough to inspire them to teell others where to find it. Many thanks for your stories here on BCTS and in dead tree format.
Ginnie
GinnieG
What do I like?
What kind of stories do I like the most?
Technically well written:
Okay, this is a pet peeve. If a story is grammatically flawed (ie: spelling errors, obvious usage errors) it is almost always consigned to the trash heap. If there are a number of errors in the first paragraph, I find myself wondering why even continue?
Tells a story:
That sounds trite. Obviously if it's fiction, it's a story, right? Au contraire. A disjointed stroke fantasy might be titillating without really telling a story. There should be substance, introduce believable characters who develop over the course of the story.
Engages the imagination:
Again, this seems to be a no-brainer. A narrative recitation of facts just doesn't engage my imagination. I provide a nearly comprehensive comparison between this and story telling in "Always Honor" in the scene Where Beth compares report writing in a police setting with telling a story.
Believable:
Think about it. In Ghostbusters, there is a tagline in a TV commercial for "The Ghostbusters:" "We're ready to believe you."
I'm ready to believe almost anything in the context of a story, but I have to have to believe the facts that apply to one character apply to all other characters . Consistent. If A=B and B=C then A=C. I think this is one of the things that has made WolfJess' "Death" stories good storytelling.
I think I'll shut up now. I realized I've slipped into lecture mode. - Again.
(deep heartfelt sigh...)
Rivets and riveting.
Rivets were steel pins that were heated up to red heat or hotter then hammered into place on one end, whilst the other end was held in place by another member of the team. Thus one head remained well shaped and strong while the other head was hammered and spread out to cover the pre-prepared rivet-hole and clamp the shank into place. This was done with a hydraulic hammer in later ship construction and this ensured a more uniform head with a stronger joint.
Rivets were mostly 'round-head' for plate assembly and 'pan-head' for boiler construction where a much stronger construction was required to withstand the boiler pressures. Other rivets could be flat head or countersunk depending on need. Once in place, the hot rivets shrank and pulled the plates tight together making a watertight seal.
The rivets on the Titanic were no stronger or weaker than any other rivets of the day. It must be remembered that a line of rivets is tantamount to a line of weakness exactly the same as the perforations on a lavatory roll. The riveted joint is weaker than the plates it fastens together. Sometimes rivets are still used even today where a weld might not endure or suffice - usually where heavy deep section plates or castings have to be joined. Some Engine beds for example.
In passing, a welded joint in steel is much stronger than a riveted joint. Often the weld is stronger than the metal it joins and the joint often fails away from the welded parts. Welding is also cheaper and faster, hence modern ships are welded. The welded ship's skin is thus much smoother and presents far less resistance to the water than rivets.
Bev. (Master Mariner).
Welded Joints
One of the problems with early welded ships was brittle fracture, which sent many 'Liberty Ships' to the bottom. I could go on about tank construction and bolted versus welded armour, but I won't.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_ship
Steph, aero engineering graduate, LOL
My sort of stories? Many of my requirements have been touched on here already. My single forced fem story was written as a backlash against the genre, which I find difficult to take. There are exceptions, but they need to have a rationale for their premise that goes deeper than the trite reasons so often found. Similarly, I have a toilet. Nappies ('diapers') are not something I ever want to experience, and anything involving that, or adult babies, drives me away.
There is a difference between typos and systematic error, between failures in literacy and being fat-fingered. I actually find it very hard to read stories where the usual suspects of its/it's, who's/whose, their/there/they're and your/you're are mishandled. I recently read a commercially published book where waiters served deserts and people had spouses rather than siblings as their brothers and sisters. It grated.
My sort of story? Reasonably modern, realistic and character-driven. Well away from magic and superheroes, and with characters who behave and speak as people, persons, human beings rather than as mouthpieces for their writer. There must be some sort of narrative tension, rather than simple wish fulfilment; I don't go for stories in which boy puts on dress and becomes gorgeous straight girl as a result.
Which brings me to religion. I include it in my stories, in the form of characters who are religious, because that is the real world. As soon as that religion takes centre stage, I usually drop out. There is a big difference between a story that uses a trope such as purgatory to set the scene and a story that is written with the explicit assumption that a particular supernatural belief is True. That belief should extend no farther than the character's thoughts, words and actions, and not drive the tale.
So, in essence, what I want in a tale are real people doing real things in a real world, written in prose that doesn't jar.
I need a story
I've read most of your works and love them. They don't dwell on changing clothes or makeup to the detriment of a story. There are storie that are quite long written by others that could be condenced to a short story if all the unnecessary costume changes were eliminated.
Yes there is a change of clothing in your stories but only to promote the story line. Keep writing and I'll keep reading, I love your novels, Arecee
Depends
I am far more flexible for stories posted here. An interesting story line sans: needless sexual interludes (done to death and beyond into the afterlife already), silky fetish clothing, 12 inch heels, femdom, golden showers etc. I would prefer it to have strong spelling and grammar integrity and a nice long plot line to sink ones teeth into.
However, for paid versions of stories like on Kindle or Lulu I consider it mandatory for Grammar and Spelling to be excellent as yes, I am now a Customer, and not a crash test dummy. Sadly there are published authors here that do not spend enough time on their Kindle output and I find pretty egregious spelling and grammar problems that never wind up being fixed. Remember, spellcheck does not mean all errors are gone folks.
Those authors know who they are and should be ashamed of themselves.
There are lots of universes
There are lots of universes that haven't had a new story in some time. Care Givers, Erinyes, Heaven & Hell to name a few. Some take more effort than others to write in.
I liked the Center and Dark Realms because although they could have tragic beginnings, they didn't let the bastards grind them down and most of them had fun with it eventually.
Nancy, what ever happened to The Miss-Adventures of Wendy Pilgrim after the young colonel was hit with mortar shrapnel?
I like complicated, twisty, crazy, mysterious, bizarre, I didn't see that coming but it was funny. A story you have to almost take notes as you go along, look up references and then still reread a few times to get all the nuance. Like one of Bek's stories.
I think a well written story that doesn't stray too far from believable would be a winner but I'll agree that some categories are a bit trite.
Other things that affect sales
There are a myriad of things that can contribute to one book selling better than the other. Something as simple as a cover that catches the eye and give a promise of what the book is about. Another would be what you wrote for the synopsis. Then of course if we're talking about sequels, did the original sell well?
From The Smashwords Book Marketing Guide"
Tip #32 – Upgrade your cover image
Your cover image is the first impression you make on a prospective reader. A great cover image makes a promise to the reader. It tells the reader, “I’m the book you’re looking for.” Click over to Barnes & Noble, the Apple iBookstore or Amazon, and study the bestseller lists for your genre or topic. Does your cover stand toe to toe with these covers? Does your cover look as good or better than the cover images produced by large NY publishers? If the answer is “no,” then consider upgrading your cover image. I’ve seen multiple examples where an upgraded cover doubled or tripled book sales. In one case, Smashwords author R.L. Mathewson upgraded her cover image and it helped catapult her all the way to the New York Times bestseller list. Read her fascinating story here:http://blog.smashwords.com/2012/07/author-r-l-mathewson-on-some-of-secrets.html in the Smashwords blog. Great covers need not be expensive. There are hundreds of great cover designers on the web, and most cost under $300. If they can create a cover that looks as good or better than what’s put out by a big NY publisher, the small cost is one of the best investments you can make in your book (other than professional editing, which is much more expensive). I maintain a list of low-cost cover designers (all fellow Smashwords authors) who provide covers for between $35 and $100. All have online portfolios so you can review the quality of their work before you hire them. Get the list via instant autoresponder simply by sending an email to [email protected]. These are all independent freelancers, and I don’t receive a commission or referral fee if you hire them. They’re on the list because they’ve done great work for other Smashwords authors. After you receive your new cover, click to your Smashwords Dashboard, click Settings, then upload it.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin eine Mann
Dance of the Baccha
Hi Nancy,
I recently finished "Dance of the Baccha" and LOVED it -- so much so that I started looking around for your website and eventually found your blog on here. I saw one posting where you referred to Jordan Wallace as one of your favorite characters, but another one where you suggested that she was a character who didn't lend herself very well to a sequel.
May I wholeheartedly disagree???
The whole story was deeply erotic, despite the lack of sex scenes (which, yes, I wish had been included!). As Jordan comes to terms with her femininity and how others treat her, she is embroiled in a conflict within herself. She hates her Afghan professor, and yet, at the same time, he is the one that recognises and treasures her for what she truly is. Is he the bad guy? She thinks so, but, as the story unfolds, she is not so sure. Even at the end, we aren't sure. The Fed's can't pin anything on him, and she goes to him. When he says he "needs" her, it triggers a strong emotional reaction in her and she reads to him.......but what happens then??? Personally, I would LOVE a story that continues on from there, picking up on all of the themes that brought Jordan that far.
Okay, so there's my two cents.......and a beg: Will you please, please, PLEASE write a sequel????
Thanks,
MN guy