Isn't this Author Self-Promotions forum a total waste of time?

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Just4kix

As an author I'd like to 'offer a bit of myself' by directing you [links and promotional material deleted.]
If you're a writer you might identify with it. If you're a reader you might enjoy an insight into a writer's life.

This is not a self-promotional thread and your links and references have been deleted.

This is not the purpose of this thread. Self-Promotional posts and threads are allowed only in the Self-Promotion Forum.


Don
(Moderator)

[jaxx6166]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

This is not a self-promotional thread and your links and references have been deleted.

This is not the purpose of this thread. Self-Promotional posts and threads are allowed only in the Self-Promotion Forum.


Don
(Moderator)

Are you sure? I has good book! It haz relevent to topic!

....And by that, it also may very well be a "total waste of time" as per our thread title

[Just4kix]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

This is not a self-promotional thread and your links and references have been deleted.

This is not the purpose of this thread. Self-Promotional posts and threads are allowed only in the Self-Promotion Forum.


Don
(Moderator)

Sorry. Wasn't intended as self promotion. Just thought I might give other writers a laugh if they identified with it.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by HighRoadToTibet

Like most ebook authors, I posted details of my own book on this forum but afterwards came to think, isn't it a total waste of time? In all fairness, who's going to believe any comments I have about my own books? I can say "Hey, my book High Road To Tibet is available on the Kindle at $2.99 and is a great read" but what else would I say???

There are a lot of things you can say: Explain the basic premise and flavor of the book; describe the settings and characters; give a hint about the tension and conflict that make this an interesting story; mention a few choice moments, and maybe something interesting about the climax ("...careening through the historic streets of Lhasa..."), to whet the readers' appetite.

All of those things are factual tidbits, as opposed to "this book is great, you gotta read it!" comments... but they can still be compellingly written (hey, you just wrote a novel... you should be able to handle this), and they serve even better to get people thinking about your book, and why they should read it.

[sportourer1]

All self promotion of an eBook becomes a waste of time after the f
irst few months when the book becomes buried under the avalanche of new work

[OneandonlyDoc]

Originally Posted by sportourer1

All self promotion of an eBook becomes a waste of time after the f
irst few months when the book becomes buried under the avalanche of new work

How do you figure? The more you promote your work...the more likely it is to be noticed.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by OneandonlyDoc

How do you figure? The more you promote your work...the more likely it is to be noticed.

It depends what form the promotion takes. Unfortunately sometimes authors do cross the line from legitimate promotion into spamming.

[OneandonlyDoc]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It depends what form the promotion takes. Unfortunately sometimes authors do cross the line from legitimate promotion into spamming.

This is very true. But passive promotion (in sigs and suchnot) and by trying to get reviews, ect., you would think would help a book continue to find new audiences even as it ages.

There may not be physical bookshelves for ebooks, but there are thousands upon thousands more virtual bookshelves to try to get your book onto.

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by sportourer1

All self promotion of an eBook becomes a waste of time after the first few months when the book becomes buried under the avalanche of new work

I'd think that after the first few months is exactly when self-promotion helps most--it can entice new readers who wouldn't otherwise notice the book.

If a book is "buried under the avalanche of new work," then its early readers must not have cared enough to promote it. Maybe they didn't know how, or got distracted, or are waiting a while to read it. But certainly, after the initial rush of "hey, this is new! Looks cool!" sales have died off, it's a good time for authors to visit promo-friendly sites and say, "Here's my newest; let me tell you what's interesting about it."

In the case of ebooks, readers sometimes aren't sure how to promote them to friends; the methods we use for print books don't translate well to ebooks. For print, I can say, "I loved this--here, you borrow it for a week and see if you like it." Even if they don't buy a new copy, they'll consider that author's next work if they liked it. But for ebooks, it's just "I loved this--download a short excerpt to see if you have any interest at all, then pay $3-16 and see if you like it."

[OneandonlyDoc]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

I'd think that after the first few months is exactly when self-promotion helps most--it can entice new readers who wouldn't otherwise notice the book.

If a book is "buried under the avalanche of new work," then its early readers must not have cared enough to promote it. Maybe they didn't know how, or got distracted, or are waiting a while to read it. But certainly, after the initial rush of "hey, this is new! Looks cool!" sales have died off, it's a good time for authors to visit promo-friendly sites and say, "Here's my newest; let me tell you what's interesting about it."

In the case of ebooks, readers sometimes aren't sure how to promote them to friends; the methods we use for print books don't translate well to ebooks. For print, I can say, "I loved this--here, you borrow it for a week and see if you like it." Even if they don't buy a new copy, they'll consider that author's next work if they liked it. But for ebooks, it's just "I loved this--download a short excerpt to see if you have any interest at all, then pay $3-16 and see if you like it."

That was exactly what I was trying to get at.