Finding E-Books

As a corollary to my last post on finding digital products, I thought I'd talk about the problems of finding e-books. It's a related issue that's of concern to many authors, especially new ones. How will readers find my books? Fortunately, the tools for finding books have been refined much more than for finding games. Amazon has developed some great software behind the scenes that helps you find books you might be interested in, knowing what you've already purchased.

The problem with Amazon's tools, for instance, from the author's standpoint is that this is a black box. You don't know how Amazon figures this out, and there's no clear way to influence it. You don't know who will find out about your book, or how many of them. So it's not really something you should worry about. It just is, and hopefully it will be of some help.

Authors do face something of a conundrum. For the most part, they don't want to be marketers, or to become marketers. It's hard enough being a writer, and the time you spend marketing your book is time you could be spending writing another book. Yet you see books become bestsellers that you know aren't particularly well-written... so you figure it must be marketing, and if only you could add some of that magic pixie dust maybe your book would be touted by Oprah, too.

If only it was that easy... but there is a middle ground. Setting up a Facebook page for yourself as Author is pretty simple, and an easy way to get started. You'll have to spend some regular time adding to it, though, to make it work for you. Social media like Facebook and Twitter only help if you (or someone working for you) is using them to be social. (Authors may want to enlist a friend or big fan to help... but you have to monitor that to be sure you're getting the kind of help you want.)

Authors who make friends with other authors can cross-promote, if their fan bases are at all similar. The experiment that Draculas conducted was interesting and worked well on a number of levels.

I'm making notes towards a book to help authors market themselves. I think it's most important for authors to know how to get maximum marketing impact for the minimum time and effort. Authors should be spending time writing more books, and making sure they are the best they can be. A good series of quality books is a terrific marketing tool all by itself. Besides, they make money. Dean Wesley Smith, an author who blogs about such things, believes writers should write and spend a minimal amount of time marketing. I agree; if you don't enjoy marketing, don't really understand what it is you should be doing with it, then do enough to cover the basics and get back to writing. You might try to buy some marketing services and see if it brings in enough extra revenue to pay for itself. Otherwise, get back to turning out some books you can sell, and hone your craft.

Finding Digital Games

This is what happens when a game loses Facebook communications.

The biggest problem for game makers and gamers today is the same: How do you find good games? At least recognition of this issue is spreading. GameStop's head of digital business seems to be pretty clear on where the problems lie in digital distribution. Here's the money quote:

"One of the key points that can't be underestimated is the increasing challenge of discovery. If you start off with presumptions on the percentage of consoles that are connected, are they as high as everybody would want them to be? No. The percentage of people that have purchased for their console games downloadable content for XBLA or PSN games is very low. It's barely above ten per cent,” GI.biz reports Petrovic as saying. "Discovery, much like in the Apple App Store, is as bad - if not worse - in the console environment because you've got such a limited form factor to work with."

Amen to that, brother. If you are annoyed at the iTunes store for its poor interface and weak search tools and almost non-existent help in finding apps you care about, you will become apoplectic when you look at the Android market or the console's lame excuse for a digital product marketplace.

Unfortunately, though GameStop would like to do something about this problem, they haven't mentioned exactly what they can do to help thousands of games find their way to gamers who would like them.  As a marketer I can come up with strategies to help an individual game break out of the sea of similar titles. But how you can do that for everything in the sea? Yet I see some companies making vague promises about ways to get your app in the top 100... of course, you have to pay them a big pile of money first. I guess that's right after you take care of that little bank transfer your new Nigerian friend wants you to help with.

Oprah can take an unknown novel and propel it to the top of the bestseller list... but she can't do that for every good novel, because if she promoted a thousand books the impact would be far less. A blanket solution to promoting all games is inherently flawed. I think the only logical solution for all games is for the service provider to do a better job, with a better interface design and better tools. I suppose Apple's gaming network is a step in this direction.

It's also possible a third-party like GameStop could step in and create something that would help customers find games they like. Or something already popular could help with this... Facebook continues to be the key factor in social media games and their popularity. (Notice how Monthly Average Users took a hit when Facebook started making it a little harder to get a zillion updates posted to your friends.) Check out here what happened to one social game company's users when Facebook cut off its communication channels. You can probably guess... the word "plummet" comes to mind.

It does come back ultimately to making sure you have a great game. Going viral is really only possible when that's true; you can throw all the marketing you like at it, but unless the quality's there in the first place you won't achieve orbit. Honestly, I'm glad we have gone behind the days of "We can sell dog crap in a box!". Now you have to have a good game... and then your marketing better not be the equivalent of dog crap if you want to get the most sales out of that game.


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E-Book Pricing Excites Discussion

E-book pricing is a hot issue among authors and publishers, because prices are all over the map. New York publishers would like you to pay somewhere between $7.99 and $15.99 for an e-book, the difference being in how new it is or how much in demand it is. Joe Konrath, a midlist mystery/horror writer, prices his e-books at $2.99. Who's right?

Many discussion revolve around "value", as in the proper value of an e-book should reflect the author's time and skill level. I think the more practical way to look at it is "How much will a customer pay for it?" Some publishers (and authors) think the pricing should be related to the length of an e-book. That certainly seems reasonable; the price I pay for a short story should be less than I pay for a long novel. But what should those prices be?

I don't think there is an easy answer. Some of the authors weighing in on the question feel the same way. Some take issue with the idea that their books should be $2.99, and argue for a higher price point. Author Dean Wesley Smith lays out a price structure that puts long novels at a higher price point of $4.99 to $5.99. One thing they all seem to agree on is that there isn't enough hard data to really answer the question of pricing.

A few things seem pretty obvious to me. New York publishers have their offices in Manhattan to pay for, an extensive staff, all sorts of expenses... while authors putting their own e-books online don't have to worry about those things. So prices those New York publishers choose for their e-books are rooted in their past, and their current situations... and should not be taken as gospel for an independent author.

Another good point is that a low price won't rescue a bad novel. The first thing an author has to do is make sure their work is good, because pricing and marketing won't transform it into a hit. Especially since, as barriers to entry lower, we're going to be seeing a lot more writing coming onto the market.

I think the most important thing about e-book (and other digital product) pricing is that you can easily experiment with pricing. There's no need to price-protect retailers, somehow notify all retail channels about the price change, make stickers to put over the price that's printed on the covers... you just change the price online. And change it back after a week and see if the sales have changed. Then see if it's made a difference after a month, or two. If you only sold 10 more copies by lowering the price $1, and you normally sell 100 copies, lowering the price doesn't help you enough. If you suddenly sold 500 more copies by lowering the price $1, then you should probably stick to the lower price point.

You can hold sales for any reason, and make the time period brief or long. The data you get will be invaluable. Especially because your data may not transfer to some other author. I would guess that Stephen King could charge more for a novel than I could because of his enormous brand value. But even King might want to have at least one book at a low price point in order to attract new readers.

The e-book market is still developing and changing, so don't look for a hard and fast answer on pricing. Look at the data; look at the deal you can land; take your best guess. Then, if you have control over pricing, experiment. See what works best for you. Don't just pick a price and never change it, because then you'll never know whether you were right or wrong.

Social Games Adding Gambling

The fast-moving world of social gaming is heading to some interesting places. First off, a survey done by looking at Facebook ratings shows that users feel the games are becoming higher in quality. Or, perhaps, more adept at delivering what the users want, which is not necessarily the same thing. The survey looked at 5 games with at least a thousand ratings from users, and found that the ratings are generally rising, from 3.82 to as much as 4.5 or so. It's not clear what this can mean for developers, though it's certainly something you can tout in your marketing. There does seem to be a correlation between higher ratings from users and games that grow faster and have larger user bases.

While social games may be getting better, they are also changing their nature. One of the interesting new trends is adding gambling. Yes, games of skill tucked into social games, or just explicit games of skill, where you can wager your virtual dollars and hope to bring in more virtual dollars or prizes. The games, of course, always win... not only through a house edge, but from the fact that the user is spending more time on their site. And, of course, spending more virtual dollars.

The more explicit use of gambling is in the game shows, like Wheel of Fortune. The Game Show Network is at the forefront of this trend. It's yet another way to make money from games that are free to play, though of course you have to worry about fraud, and cheating, and a host of other issues which are not simple to solve. Which is why this technology is being offered as back-end support to social game companies, which you can expect to start signing up for as the revenue possibilities become clear.

The whole thing points up the absurdity of trying to ban Internet gambling. Not only is it difficult to control Internet access for your whole country (look at the effort the Chinese put into the Great Firewall, and that's still pretty porous), but even defining gambling gets much trickier in an age of virtual currency. Why not simply tax it and let it grow? Yes, gambling addiction (like other addictions) can ruin lives, but that's why you take some of the revenues and put it into treatment programs and education.

Anyway, the take-home message is that social gaming is evolving rapidly, monetization options are increasing, and this category will continue to grow faster than traditional gaming. Marketers take note.

Microsoft Vs. Indies

Microsoft has rolled out a new Xbox 360 dashboard, mostly to support Kinect and to look spiffier. But they've also made changes beyond the cosmetic, and in the process have ignited a firestorm among indie game developers. It seems Microsoft has moved the indie games out of the game store (where they have been, and you'd logically expect to find games). Now indie games are stuffed into the Specialty Shops, right next to the Avatar Clothing store. Seems eminently logical, doesn't it? But for some reason indie game developers aren't feeling the love.

Some developers feel that Microsoft was just stringing them along, allowing indie games as a way to get major publishers to support digital distribution. Now that they've got the major publishers trying it out, there's no need to clutter things up by allowing little tiny developers to use up space. Microsoft points out that hey, now they're showing the top 50 titles and not just the top 20 titles. Yeah, counter indie game developers, if anyone can even find the Indie Game store when it's not even with the rest of the games.

Developers who have been working on games for Xbox Live  and were getting near to release are especially angry, now that it looks like their games won't get much exposure. Many were hoping that they could move their games to Windows Phone 7, hoping for some strong connection between the two platforms. That may still happen, but Microsoft hasn't really said much about that.

I think Microsoft is making a mistake by sidelining the independent games. While the new dashboard is a little spiffier, it still makes it hard to find games. Much like iTunes and the Android Market and PSN and WiiWare... they all try different interfaces, and nobody's found a really good one yet. So it's up to the developer/publisher to try and get customers to come to the game. Not optimal, especially when you have tens of thousands of games to compete with on some platforms.

This incident also illustrates the dangers of dealing with a distribution channel. Sometimes the big dog scratches (like Apple or Microsoft) and the fleas get thrown off. Then again, if you didn't deal with a big distributor, you'd be left in the trackless wilderness of the Internet hoping for customers to stumble across your little game. Which brings us right back to marketing...

5 Keys To Naming Your Game

He's got a game company name.

Sometimes coming up with a name for a game is easy, but sometimes it's a long painful process. Often you'll have a name you used when you were developing the game, and that becomes the name almost by default. However you come by it, the name is an important part of your marketing effort, and there are some key factors to consider before finalizing the name of a game.

The name is a marketing tool. Don't choose a name just because you like it; make it work for you. The name may be the only point of contact a potential buyer has for your game, so the name may have to be memorable and sell the game all by its lonesome. That's a heavy burden for a name, and most won't be able to handle it by themselves. Choose a name that can work hard and it will make your marketing efforts easier.

Choose a memorable name. Since your name may be the only thing a buyer sees or hears, if they can remember it they can use Google to find it (hopefully). Only if they remember it, though. A bland, generic name is easily forgotten.  A game called "Word Hunt" may be descriptive, but it's not very memorable. "Scrabble" or "Hexalex" is a lot more memorable. (Hexalex is one of my favorite iPhone games.) A name that's both memorable and trademarkable is best.

Choose a trademarkable name. Unless you enjoy getting a cease-and-desist letter, you need to make sure your game name doesn't infringe on someone's existing trademark. And unless you like the idea of someone else using your game name as their game's name, you'd be well advised to get your own trademark. (If you're unfamiliar with trademark law, Nolo Press's web site is a good place to start; I highly recommend this book: Trademark: Legal Care for Your Business & Product Name). If you ever wondered why some product names have funky spelling, the reason is trademark law. An unusual spelling can transform a common word into a trademarkable term, and it also helps make it more memorable. If you want to see if your name is already in use, check out the US Patent Office web site. You can search for the name you have in mind. Remember, though, if your name is trademarked in a category other than games, you may still be able to use it. Nothing's completely cut and dried, though. If you have a lot of money at stake, consulting a trademark attorney is a very good idea.

Choose a descriptive name. Or at least one that has some relation to what your game is about, or what it's like, or the emotion you want to generate. A random sequence of consonants may be trademarkable, but it's probably not too memorable and certainly not descriptive. (Rules can be broken, though... XKCD is a great web comic, with the name specifically chosen to be unpronounceable, and the quality of the comic has made it memorable.)

Think about the future. Will you be creating more games in a series? Is there an overall title and a subtitle that you want to use? How about your company name? (All of this discussion should apply to your company name as well as any game name.) Check out this post on Kotaku about naming game companies... it will sound familiar to those who have looked for names.

Really, choosing a name for a game is easy. Just stare at a screen until drops of blood form on your forehead, and press the keys they fall upon.

3DS Online Shop

Nintendo has figured out that their online shopping for the Wii and the DS might be less than optimal, so they're planning to improve the experience for the 3DS. They're changing the interface, adding videos and more information, and even allowing (gasp!) user ratings. Software you buy will be downloaded onto a 2 GB SD card (apparently included with the 3DS). You can (somehow) transfer previously purchased downloaded titles from the DSi to your 3DS.

Iwata-san even mentioned that there will be 3DS software for download... though I'm not sure he meant titles that would also be available on cartridges in stores. The real revolution will be when you can buy all software from your 3DS and never have to go into a retail store, and when all your games can be stored digitally in your 3DS so you never have to worry about which game you have with you.

Though Nintendo has even bigger plans for shopping: shopping for real stuff from your Wii, according to this post. Pretty neat, you can actually shop for goods on your TV screen. Imagine if you could do that from your computer, or even somehow hook your computer up to a TV and do that! Oh, wait a minute... something tells me this may not be an entirely new idea.

Here's what their press release says the selling points are:

• Ease of use through the Wiimote
•  Customers can enjoy shopping 24 hours through their television.
• The service will offer over 10,000 items, from including food, fashion and furniture.
• The service will offer exclusive items that will not be sold elsewhere.
• Buyers will be able to make payments via credit card, cash on delivery and payment at nearby convenience stores.
• The service will also allow orders to be placed via the phone.

No word on whether they'll try something like this outside of Japan. I don't think the Home Shopping Network needs to be worried though. Or Amazon. I guess for Japan it's revolutionary, though.

I'm not sure that Nintendo is inventing the future any more; seems more like they're inventing 1997.