More Eric Flint on DRM - salvos 7 excerpt

[RWood]

And a good title. I have looked at a lot of books over time just based on a good title. Since most books at my old fav bookstore were displayed spine out I saw the title before I saw the cover. If title and cover clicked I explored more. A bad cover could send the book back to the shelves without delay.

As for Steve Jordan's books, I went there by a reference in his signature line and picked up "Lambs Hide, Tigers Seek". Perhaps because it was not a SciFi book. It was a good read and the prices are very reasonable. He has a good style and a good flow to the writing.

[Azayzel]

Originally Posted by nekokami

... an example, Amazon kept recommending The Amulet of Samarkand and I kept ignoring it as some lame HP knockoff-- for a while. I eventually read some reviews, tentatively put it on a wishlist...

Nekokami - I totally agree about online picks, many times they are pretty good if you can look into them w/o investing too much initially. I totally love the Bartimaeus Trilogy and had a great time reading all of them. Like you, I thought there were a few HP knock-offs, but when you think about it you can say that Rowling just capitalized on what teens/young adults like to read, so all of these apparent knock-offs aren't really following HP so much as they are all following the basic recipe for enticing readers of a specific group.

One other series that was similar to the two is the "His Dark Materials" trilogy, I read this one first and it was pretty fun too.

[nekokami]

I really liked The Golden Compass and I also liked The Subtle Knife, but I found The Amber Spyglass disappointing.

Certainly, Rowling is not the first or last to write good fiction in this genre. (I'd argue that Diana Wynne Jones has done better, and certainly for longer.) But I've noticed a lot of books on the shelves that might never have seen print before the HP phenomenon. Sometimes these books are great. Some of them are pretty lame, though. These days, time is a more critical factor than money when it comes to reading -- I could afford to buy more books than I'd have time to read, and I'd like all the books I spend any amount of time on to be enjoyable.

Steve, you're on my "to try" list, don't worry! I can't promise to like what you write, since (like anyone) I have my style and theme preferences, but I do plan to pick up one to see what you're up to.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

I appreciate the good sentiments! And don't worry, I understand very well that not everyone gets into sci-fi, or will automatically like my writing style. That's why my plan is to get as many people as I can to be aware of my work, beating down the "opaqueness" of the market, instead of browbeating a few people to read my stuff or else.

That's why I mentioned viral marketing. It may be morally or tastefully questionable, but Gods, does it work. And it seems like these dys, the only sure way to market yourself is to make a big enough noise to get everyone's attention, and let things roll from there.

[Azayzel]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

I appreciate the good sentiments! And don't worry, I understand very well that not everyone gets into sci-fi, or will automatically like my writing style. That's why my plan is to get as many people as I can to be aware of my work, beating down the "opaqueness" of the market, instead of browbeating a few people to read my stuff or else.

That's why I mentioned viral marketing. It may be morally or tastefully questionable, but Gods, does it work. And it seems like these dys, the only sure way to market yourself is to make a big enough noise to get everyone's attention, and let things roll from there.

Here, here! I totally agree about your idea of viral marketing being the best tool in your arsenal. That's exactly what we see almost everyday and in many ways when someone recommends a good read to others, or music/DVD/movies/etc. This forum is just a slight speck in the machine, or a simple vector, to suggest what others have previously enjoyed or heard of. I love it! I think the hardest part about picking up a new author is having to deal with not knowing what to expect and wondering if you would have been better off with that banana split. It's good to have people who can recommend what they've previously enjoyed; even if their tastes are not the same as yours, it gives you a little insight into what they enjoy themselves for future recommendations. This provides what no amount of shelf-space can even provide, an unbiased opinion and one that can be built upon. Thanks for speaking with your readers, Mr. Jordan!

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

[viral marketing] may be morally or tastefully questionable....

Hmm, I don't see what would be questionable about it. Frankly, it's the easiest form of advertising to ignore if I'm not interested in the product, yet still effective in getting my attention if I am.

That's a win-win in my ... er ... book.

Unless I'm missing something somewhere....

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by NatCh

Hmm, I don't see what would be questionable about it.

Then I guess you never saw the viral Volkswagen commercial that showed a car's moonroof very realistically decapitate a cat, for example. (Sorry, I don't have a link.)

Many of the viral campaigns draw attention to a product by pretending to be made by some nutjob filmmaker or animator, designed to freak people out. In reality, they are made by the manufacturer, and their intention is to get people talking about the brand (VW did okay the online commercial described above, and others just as "iffy"), even if in connection to a negative ad. That's the stuff that gives viral campaigns negative press, and what makes them morally questionable.

Although I'd like to come up with a good viral campaign, doing something like the VW campaign would not be my cuppa.

[NatCh]

Okay, well, that approach would be objectionable.