Safe Haven for Authors and the Readers Who Like Them [contest-post 2]

PhilipChen · 12-07-2010, 05:53 PM

I hope that you will check out The Independent Authors Forum that I have just started at http://pugetsoundspeaks.com. The purpose of the site is to provide a "safe haven" for authors to talk about their books, review other authors work, discuss the art of writing, and generally have a place that is designated for them to relax and be themselves. This forum is in response to the reader-centric forums that are proliferating all over the web where authors are corralled into tightly confined corners of those sites. Here authors can roam like the free range animals they aspire to be. Readers are definitely welcomed at this site as well, particularly if they like to engage authors in meaningful dialogue about their work and literature in general.

PhilipChen · 12-11-2010, 03:32 PM

Author Dana Taylor just posted about her Reader's Raffle on the Independent Authors Forum's Contest Board, http://pugetsoundspeaks.com:

Wouldn't you like to start the New Year with 20 bucks to blow on e-books? Enter my Reader's Raffle and enjoy my holiday short story SHINY GREEN SHOES.

Read the details here: http://bit.ly/eYPyD1

You can't win if you don't enter!

Dana Taylor

Join us

Worldwalker · 12-12-2010, 03:10 AM

A "safe haven", eh?

If an author can't handle feedback, protecting him won't help him. Not with what's really wrong.

jehane · 12-12-2010, 04:15 AM

There are plenty of writer-centric forums around. MobileRead is primarily a forum for discussing reading devices - there is only one forum dedicated to discussion of actual books, and two for writing - Author Self-promotions and Writers' Corner. So to imply that MobileRead is somehow unfriendly to writers is absurd. In fact Author Self-promotions only became a separate section a few months ago - when I first joined up earlier this year many authors, often first and only time posters, were cross-posting ads for their novels all over the place. The reason for having different sections of the forum is to give it structure - most forums that I've been on would be overwhelmed by off-topic threads very quickly otherwise.

simonroyle · 12-12-2010, 07:19 AM

I prefer hanging out where readers are. Then you can sidle up to them, "Hey wanna buy a book? Going cheap - 3 bucks - No? How about a watch? New. Never been wound up. You sure - OK, OK, 2 bucks. Final offer. No. OK 99 cents. We got a deal? No? OK, I hear you - free - OK but I want a review, deal? Now what about that watch..."

PhilipChen · 12-17-2010, 05:08 AM

Thank you for the comments, they are helpful.

Perhaps safe haven is the wrong turn of phrase. The purpose of IAF is to put both readers and writers on equal ground. If you go to the Amazon forums, you find the distinct feeling that writers are not welcomed (which seems to be contrary to a forum that purportedly is there to discuss books). To a large degree, that may be caused by over-enthusiastic authors barging in on conversations not meant for them, but for readers discussing whatever topic is at hand. Notwithstanding those intrusions, i sense that there is a general wariness of writers to venture onto those forums. I submit that limits the back and forth that some may want to have in a forum that discusses new books, art of writing, etc. IAF is meant to be a place for those people; it may not be the place where everyone wants to be.

JSWolf · 12-17-2010, 05:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilipChen

Author Dana Taylor just posted about her Reader's Raffle on the Independent Authors Forum's Contest Board:

Wouldn't you like to start the New Year with 20 bucks to blow on e-books? Enter my Reader's Raffle and enjoy my holiday short story SHINY GREEN SHOES.

Read the details here: http://bit.ly/eYPyD1

You can't win if you don't enter!

Dana Taylor

Join us

OK, two issues here.

One is that the contest URL is a hidden URL. Please edit it to be the full URL.

The second is that the prize is an Amazon gift card. Not everyone has a Kindle. So an Amazon gift card is not useful for everyone with a reader. Why not make it a gift card to the eBookstore of your choice (that has gift cards)?

PhilipChen · 12-17-2010, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

OK, two issues here.

One is that the contest URL is a hidden URL. Please edit it to be the full URL.

The second is that the prize is an Amazon gift card. Not everyone has a Kindle. So an Amazon gift card is not useful for everyone with a reader. Why not make it a gift card to the eBookstore of your choice (that has gift cards)?

Good point. I will pass it along to Dana. I was helping to get the word out about her contest. One thing that you could help me out with. I am interested in offering copies of my book in exchange for reviews, how would I go about it on Mobile Reads? I personally have coupons on Smashwords (in different formats).

Phil

12-07-2010, 05:53 PM	#1
PhilipChen Author - Falling Star Posts: 154 Karma: 300000 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New Jersey Device: Kindle Reader on PC	Safe Haven for Authors and the Readers Who Like Them [contest-post 2] I hope that you will check out The Independent Authors Forum that I have just started at http://pugetsoundspeaks.com. The purpose of the site is to provide a "safe haven" for authors to talk about their books, review other authors work, discuss the art of writing, and generally have a place that is designated for them to relax and be themselves. This forum is in response to the reader-centric forums that are proliferating all over the web where authors are corralled into tightly confined corners of those sites. Here authors can roam like the free range animals they aspire to be. Readers are definitely welcomed at this site as well, particularly if they like to engage authors in meaningful dialogue about their work and literature in general.

12-11-2010, 03:32 PM	#2
PhilipChen Author - Falling Star Posts: 154 Karma: 300000 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New Jersey Device: Kindle Reader on PC	First Contest Posted on the Independent Authors Forum Author Dana Taylor just posted about her Reader's Raffle on the Independent Authors Forum's Contest Board, http://pugetsoundspeaks.com: Wouldn't you like to start the New Year with 20 bucks to blow on e-books? Enter my Reader's Raffle and enjoy my holiday short story SHINY GREEN SHOES. Read the details here: http://bit.ly/eYPyD1 You can't win if you don't enter! Dana Taylor Join us Last edited by PhilipChen; 12-17-2010 at 12:13 PM.

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12-12-2010, 03:10 AM	#3
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	A "safe haven", eh? If an author can't handle feedback, protecting him won't help him. Not with what's really wrong.

12-12-2010, 04:15 AM	#4
jehane Book addict Posts: 441 Karma: 2650464 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Antarctica/Australia/Ohio Device: Sony PRS-300/T1/Asus TF101	There are plenty of writer-centric forums around. MobileRead is primarily a forum for discussing reading devices - there is only one forum dedicated to discussion of actual books, and two for writing - Author Self-promotions and Writers' Corner. So to imply that MobileRead is somehow unfriendly to writers is absurd. In fact Author Self-promotions only became a separate section a few months ago - when I first joined up earlier this year many authors, often first and only time posters, were cross-posting ads for their novels all over the place. The reason for having different sections of the forum is to give it structure - most forums that I've been on would be overwhelmed by off-topic threads very quickly otherwise.

12-12-2010, 07:19 AM	#5
simonroyle Addict Posts: 309 Karma: 500370 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Bangkok Device: kindle	I prefer hanging out where readers are. Then you can sidle up to them, "Hey wanna buy a book? Going cheap - 3 bucks - No? How about a watch? New. Never been wound up. You sure - OK, OK, 2 bucks. Final offer. No. OK 99 cents. We got a deal? No? OK, I hear you - free - OK but I want a review, deal? Now what about that watch..."

12-17-2010, 05:08 AM	#6
PhilipChen Author - Falling Star Posts: 154 Karma: 300000 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New Jersey Device: Kindle Reader on PC	Thank you for the comments, they are helpful. Perhaps safe haven is the wrong turn of phrase. The purpose of IAF is to put both readers and writers on equal ground. If you go to the Amazon forums, you find the distinct feeling that writers are not welcomed (which seems to be contrary to a forum that purportedly is there to discuss books). To a large degree, that may be caused by over-enthusiastic authors barging in on conversations not meant for them, but for readers discussing whatever topic is at hand. Notwithstanding those intrusions, i sense that there is a general wariness of writers to venture onto those forums. I submit that limits the back and forth that some may want to have in a forum that discusses new books, art of writing, etc. IAF is meant to be a place for those people; it may not be the place where everyone wants to be.