Cognitive Theory For Breakfast | Radio Litopia

These people just discovered me on Twitter, and I'm glad they did. You writers and readers (that must include anybody who ever looks at this blog) should also enjoy this.
Cognitive Theory For Breakfast | Radio Litopia

If you don't want to listen to the whole thing (a lot is pretty silly), here are the 4 rules for big e-sales of books, even by a completely unknown author (from Joe Konrath, who writes under various pseudonyms):

• Have a professionally done, eye-catching cover. This is extremely important on the internet and on eReading devices when it’s often reduced to the size of a posted stamp. It should pop. It should be colorful. You should be able to clearly read the author’s name and the book title on it. And it should draw your eye. It should be interesting.
• Have a well-done product description. And a product description is the same thing that’s on the back of paperbacks or the inner jacket copy of hardcovers.
• Have a well-written book. Well, that should go without saying. On all eReading devices, you could download a sample first. If your first chapter doesn’t hook, the reader instantly, why is anybody going to buy it?
• And the last, of course, is the most important of all: have it cheap.

He means under $5. He claims to be making $140,000 a year on sales of e-books priced at $1.99.