What do authors have to give?

Subject: What do authors have to give? Fri Jun 27, 2008 4:25 pm

This morning, I read an author's post about the use of social networking sites for the sale of books--or anything else.

The bottom line, at such places as Facebook and MySpace, she said, was that one had to give and give and give before people trusted them enough to buy their book--or whatever.

No doubt, a lot of what one has to give is oneself, and one can give that by reading other people's posts and leaving comments at the bottom of them. From a marketing standpoint, though, people on these sites are also expecting free information.

My question is: about what?

What kind of information to novelists have to give away?

Curiously,

Malcolm
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Malcolm R. Campbell

http://www.malcolmrcampbell.com

Admin Joined : 11 Jan 2008 Posts : 2069 Location : UK

Hi Malcolm,

If you check out my MySpace blog, you will see that I added all the comments I received from my friends about my video, poem and short story. I sent the responses they made to a newspaper that did an interview of me soon after Mr. Planemaker's Flying Machine was published. The newspaper published their comments and I posted all their comments on my blog.

Thanks to my friends voting for my book cover artwork, I was a top ten finisher in the P&E reader's poll.

I asked my friends to read my poem on Google book search and my short story on Gather. I posted all their comments on my blog.

I also gave a bookmark as an event for friends to download and print.

This is my blog (you will have to click on the older link to read the older posts):

http://blog.myspace.com/shelaghwatkins

older posts link:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.listAll&friendID=12994306&startID=272179035&StartPostedDate=2007-06-09%2017:06:00&next=1&page=1&Mytoken=974791E8-BBA5-477A-B13468656AEB49C42637655
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Shelagh Watkins
http://shelaghwatkins.co.uk/

One Star Member Joined : 25 Mar 2008 Posts : 35

Subject: Re: What do authors have to give? Sat Jun 28, 2008 3:25 pm

I like that, Shelagh. The value of the support an author receives from readers is greater than they all know. You took it a step further with great results.

Malcolm
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Malcolm R. Campbell

http://www.malcolmrcampbell.com

Subject: Re: What do authors have to give? Sat Jun 28, 2008 3:29 pm

I agree, ibookdb, if one gave away more copies of his/her POD and small-press-one books, it would probably be a great help.

On one hand, it's weird that getting bestsellers is so easy since people are lining up to pay for them. Meanwhile, the POD author is rather stuck because, while HarperCollins pays the costs of giving away a big name's books, the POD author is using the rent money to send out copies of his/her books.

After a while, an author's got to wonder if s/he is throwing good money after bad or if someday, all of that investment in the book will pay a dividend.

Malcolm

P.S. The kind of give and give the author of the blog I read was talking about was more in the line of information, not copies of books.

Nonfiction authors have an easier go of it in this regard, for they can create white papers, articles, and other free PDF files for people to download. The research has all been done, so it's not difficult looking at the book's subject and creating a dozen different spins on it.

In general, Internet surfers are looking for quick facts, tips, links and other freebies. I just wondered what, for a novelist with no credentials, might be examples of such things.
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Malcolm R. Campbell

http://www.malcolmrcampbell.com

Subject: Re: What do authors have to give? Sat Jun 28, 2008 4:01 pm

I would be happy to give away books to drive up sales but I just don't have the money to do that as each copy I give away I have to pay for. Being between job and when I am working in the lowest of pay brackets I have to put the needs of my wife and children first, my writing therefore is something I enjoy like a hobby though everything I write means a lot to me, my family means more. I think you all feel the same about your families, if it came to a choice you wouldn't put your own need to write before their well being. To get a ISBN for both my books I had to save and will do the same for any future releases unless I were to win the lottery that is. Cool

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Author of: Teddy the Bear www.lulu.com/content/1237349
A Winter Journey www.lulu.com/content/2289972
My Site: http://billyyoungsbooks.co.uk

Subject: Re: What do authors have to give? Sat Jun 28, 2008 7:09 pm

That's where I am, Mob, no money for freebies. I often wonder if I've foolishly spent too much trying to promote The Sun Singer over the years with too little to show for it except red ink.

Malcolm
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Malcolm R. Campbell

http://www.malcolmrcampbell.com

Subject: Re: What do authors have to give? Sun Jun 29, 2008 5:26 pm

I don't network as much as I should, but I can offer a few ideas. Pick a hobby and talk about it, giving tips. Make a "10 best/worst" tips list about the subject of your book. Create a short downloadable pdf with excerpts and short stories you've had published. Offer to do book reviews. Make a list of links to sites such as markets, organizations, free programs, ect.

Try a newsletter, or start a message board and post links to it.

Subject: Re: What do authors have to give? Sun Jun 29, 2008 7:28 pm

Good suggestions, ghost!
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Zada Connaway
Mother's Journals: parts 1, 2 and 3 ISBN # 1-4241-6969-0

http://www.zadaconnaway.com/

Subject: Re: What do authors have to give? Mon Jun 30, 2008 2:09 am

One Star Member Joined : 25 Mar 2008 Posts : 35