Royal Wedding Cover-up!

[neilmarr]

The UK's royal wedding on April 29 is a ploy by the House of Windsor to draw attention from the international ebook release on that date of 'Slip-Up' by Anthony Delano -- a blow-by-blow account of the biggest blunder ever by Her Majesty's Police.

Should we re-schedule release for the previous Firday now that news of the 'Marriage of the Century' has been so quietly leaked to press and public?

Just so our enthusiastic and diligent mods don't misunderstant my clumsy headline lure and shift this to 'Shameless Self-Promotion', the point I've tried to illustrate here (I could have dreamed up others) is twofold ...

*Does the timing of an ebook title's initial 'release' promo hold any significance?

*Can an ebook's success be negatively influenced by a current event or can a current event be turned to its promotional advantage (as I've hinted at through my off-the-top headline on this thread)?

Also a bit of encouraging local news that might be of general interest to ebook-reading types and ebook authors:

My own wee house got into the major ebook stores only in November 2010 after its official US registration as a publisher kicked in and we could deal direct with retail.

Our US-based book-keeper and my partner, MR member Tony Szmuk in Canada, have just completed the six-monthly royalties run: The first that factors in ebook sales through new third-party retail.

Paperback is holding its own, but ebooks, which for a decade until this year never accounted for more than 5% of our sales, now account for over 90%.

Bear in mind, of course, that even our paperbacks are mainly sold online, and online print-v-ebook sales statistics are very different from those numbers bandied around by the big houses that still have a firm grip on the (massive but dying) brick-and-mortar trade. Amazon -- the biggest book-seller in history -- let's remember saw ebook sales outstrip combined paperback and hardback sales last year ... even on blockbuster new releases by brand-name authors backed by massive publishing houses.

We have you folks (and Harry T especially) to thank for our apparent recent successes. When I signed up with MobileRead exactly two years ago this month, the messaqge was soon hammered home and acted upon: "A PDF IS NOT AN EBOOK!" We listened, Harry and others, and spent over a year carefully creating ePub, Mobi and new PDFs from Word source material on a title-by-title basis. No automation of conversion.

I guess these amazing figures (amazing to us, at least) mean that all our pals at MobileRead had it right and saw the present and the future coming. You lads and lassies opened our eyes in the nick of time. For that, we'll be forever grateful to MR and its generous, astute members. Also most grateful for anti-DRM, anti-geographical restriction, anti-Agency Five advice, etc, etc, etc, that's shaped the ebook side of our house policy.

Cheers. Neil

[TGS]

If you bring the release forward by a week you could target your marketing at those millions of people making good use of the additional holiday afforded by the wedding by planning to have nothing to do with the wedding itself, but instead are heading off for an unexpected long weekend.

[neilmarr]

Thanks, TGS. As I say, though, this was to illustrate a point ... it ain't necessarily so.

Just wanted to test the water on whether folks here felt a current event could conflict with or enhance an ebook's initial 'release' promo.

In a negative way, for instance, I might have spoken of the sad timing of the movie 'Hereafter' that made its debut just ahead of the Japan earthquake and tsunami and was over-shadowed by real life to the extent that some countries refused to release it into the cinemas. Accidentally, 'Hereafter' became overnight bad-taste.

On the other hand, the first moon landing worked wonders for Sci-fi books and movies by massively increasing their credibility and justifying the taste and judgement of SF readers.

Cheers. Neil

[JeremyR]

I dunno, do the people interested in this wedding even read books? Tabloids, obviously, as I can't go into a supermarket without seeing that gigantic forehead of his. (Looks likes one of the aliens from This Island Earth...)

[Dulin's Books]

I'm certain the Queen is interested in the wedding and I know she is an avid reader.

I also happen to know that someone quite close to the Queen owns a PB 360 I'm sure they're going to the wedding

[amward]

Wedding? What wedding? "our" Princess Mary hasn't been invited apparently. How do I know? Been to the hair salon.

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by JeremyR

I dunno, do the people interested in this wedding even read books? Tabloids, obviously, as I can't go into a supermarket without seeing that gigantic forehead of his. (Looks likes one of the aliens from This Island Earth...)

Yes, we do.

[neilmarr]

***I dunno, do the people interested in this wedding even read books?***

Dunno Jeremy, but they'll certainly glance at the headline. And that's promo for ya. Been at it for over forty-five years now. Neil

[Yolina]

Oh, there's a wedding? It's like the 'limpix next year really... I shall stay home with a good (e)book and ignore it!

[Poppaea]

I didn't know when it was until your post, Neill. Is this still such a big thing? I thought this Royal business is finished since everybody knows with whom and how Diana screwed. BTW, looks like it was half of England, have you had your share or were Scots excluded?

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

I didn't know when it was until your post, Neill. Is this still such a big thing? I thought this Royal business is finished since everybody knows with whom and how Diana screwed. BTW, looks like it was half of England, have you had your share or were Scots excluded?

That's very insulting. She clearly only screwed very wealthy men.

Personally, I'm looking forward to Harry's wedding; it'll be interesting to see who/how many people turn up as father of the groom.

[TGS]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

I'm certain the Queen is interested in the wedding and I know she is an avid reader.

I also happen to know that someone quite close to the Queen owns a PB 360 I'm sure they're going to the wedding

Don't be a tease, name names!

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

That's very insulting. She clearly only screwed very wealthy men.

Personally, I'm looking forward to Harry's wedding; it'll be interesting to see who/how many people turn up as father of the groom.

You made my day! Thank you

But it is not true. She made it with the stable-lad/groom, too.

[pilotbob]

Are we discussing ebook release dates here or Royal Weddings. Let me know so I can put this thread in the correct forum.

BOb

[TGS]

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

Personally, I'm looking forward to Harry's wedding; it'll be interesting to see who/how many people turn up as father of the groom.

Perhaps no one will claim him - James Hewitt says he's not his, (and who can blame him), and he clearly has no genetic link with Charlie Windsor, so maybe he's an orphan. It's so sad...