"The Shameless Promotion and Endless Plug-Your-Novel Thread" - Page 39

plumboz · 06-29-2010, 10:27 PM

Boomerang can now be had for just $0.99 at Smashwords, Amazon or Barnes and Noble. No coupon needed.

I'm done with promos since they can only be taken advantage of on Smashwords (although I do like the place). So the price went down and will stay there and no more coupons.

Thanks!

Groovy Writer · 06-30-2010, 01:03 PM

Plumboz: I have had some success at Smashwords with the "pay what you want" feature. Mark Coker (the owner of the site) must be sick of getting emails from me by now, but all of the work has been worth it: I woke up this morning and read notice that a few more people have bought my novel. That gives me incentive to continue creating really good fiction and offering it through Smashwords (I would say great fiction, but I'm thinking of what S. King said in his memoir: Some writers like himself are really really good, but to be a great is an honor only a few out of every generation can honestly claim.).

PS - I've read the first chapter of BOOMERANG and it is hilarious! Hope to see you around.

Best,
JMD

Link to Something Coming, a New Age thriller, at Smashwords. Be prepared: Something IS Coming....

plumboz · 07-01-2010, 01:05 AM

Hi Groovy,

I am definitely a big fan of Smashwords and I think what Mark Coker has set up there is a wonderful, forward looking venture. And so far the majority of my sales have come from there. But Amazon has brought me close to two hundred readers and B&N has been picking up steam and although I considered the choose your own price option ultimately I wanted to be able to make Boomerang available for the same price no matter where a reader was comfortable making their purchase.

I'm glad you liked what you read. Thanks for letting me know! Good luck with your own work.

Best,
Alan

neilmarr · 07-01-2010, 03:25 AM

Hi Groovy and Alan:

I used the pay-what-you like feature at Smashwords for about forty titles we put up for the last Read an Ebook week. Income to the Red Cross. Very few paid anything, some a few cents, some regular price and some generous souls -- beacause of the charitable intent -- paid over and above regular cover price. On average each download brought in about 20 cents.

So I was interested to read a play on the 'Pay What You Like' system mentioned in a non-book-related blog last week (actually, it was about rock concerts). The writer suggested simply changing the line from 'Pay What You LIKE' to 'Pay What You CAN'.

The subtle change of wording and meaning goes unnoticed by most users, but it registers subconsciously and implies -- rather than 'have this for nothing' -- 'pay for this, but only what you can honestly afford.' It doesn't mean 'Pay IF you like', it says 'Pay because this work has value. But pay according to your pocket and/or satisfaction'.

It seems the changed wording has already made a significant difference in revenue to concert organisers and musicians who leave the fiscal value of their work to the customer.

Cheers. Neil

Groovy Writer · 07-01-2010, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilmarr

Hi Groovy and Alan:

I used the pay-what-you like feature at Smashwords for about forty titles we put up for the last Read an Ebook week. Income to the Red Cross. Very few paid anything, some a few cents, some regular price and some generous souls -- beacause of the charitable intent -- paid over and above regular cover price. On average each download brought in about 20 cents.

So I was interested to read a play on the 'Pay What You Like' system mentioned in a non-book-related blog last week (actually, it was about rock concerts). The writer suggested simply changing the line from 'Pay What You LIKE' to 'Pay What You CAN'.

The subtle change of wording and meaning goes unnoticed by most users, but it registers subconsciously and implies -- rather than 'have this for nothing' -- 'pay for this, but only what you can honestly afford.' It doesn't mean 'Pay IF you like', it says 'Pay because this work has value. But pay according to your pocket and/or satisfaction'.

It seems the changed wording has already made a significant difference in revenue to concert organisers and musicians who leave the fiscal value of their work to the customer.

Cheers. Neil

Hi Neil,

I saw also saw a post (on Kindleboards.com, I think) a while back that mentioned the pay 'what you can' proposal, instead of pay what you want. Like you, I've found that some people pay about a quarter per download, some more (those generous souls). The 'pay what you want' feature has been a great way to introduce readers to my writing. Smashwords has been a God-send in that sense. At Amazon I'm getting a trickle, steady, but still just a trickle.

Best,
JMD

neilmarr · 07-01-2010, 02:09 PM

An aside:

I just got a wee kick in the teeth at Smashwords, Groovy, when I went in to post a 600-word rave of a Smashwords book I'd been sent by its author to review. I was not allowed to post my piece because I had not 'bought' my copy from Smashwords.

Now THAT is nonsense. Who cares where I bought Jan Strnad's *Risen* if I spent ten hours reading it, loved it and took another couple of hours of my time to write a recommendation? And Smashwords actively begs for reviews (I should know, I have over eighty of my own titles running with them).

I'm a professional writer and editor with forty years of review experience under my belt and I'm sparing with time and praise, so this stooopid rule smacked a little of peevishly telling Oprah she can't hype a book in public because she didn't buy her copy from Waterstone's.

What utter tripe! Neil

Groovy Writer · 07-01-2010, 03:22 PM

Hi Neil,

I think that like Amazon, Smashwords will only allow reviews from people who have made a purchase -- any purchase through the site. At Amazon I satisfied this requirement by downloading an mp3. If I might suggest, go to my profile on Smashwords and pay a quarter or whatever for one of my listings. Hell, pay a penny, the cost isn't the point. My hunch is you'll then be able to post the review for *Risen* or for any titles on Smashwords. And if that doesn't work, I'll email Mark Coker at Smashwords. Doesn't make sense to me to restrict who can review when so many titles on Smashwords are free (or pay you *want*). But I can understand that a certain level of integrity has to be maintained; otherwise, any troll could go in and blast authors without even reading their work. Best of luck! -JMD

Groovy Writer · 07-01-2010, 03:24 PM

Neil .... PS - I'm at the BeWrite Books site right now, reading the submission policy. I could use some distributing overseas and in Canada, and that seems to be BeWrite's specialty. I like what I'm reading about the company so far!

neilmarr · 07-02-2010, 05:22 AM

Hya, Groovy.

Yep, there are ways around the review policies imposed by the stores (I've used them simply by buying a book I'd already read or using a coupon code, as I did as Smashwords earlier).

But there shouldn't be such stumbling blocks in the way. Especially where reviews are lightly moderated, these shopkeepers (yup -- that's all they are, shopkeepers) are shooting themselves in the foot and spoiling chances for some authors and small publishers.

On the other thing, Groovy, drop me a line off-list. We can't run work that's been previously published in any form, but we might be able to point you in some useful directions.

Best wishes and good luck. Neil -- ntmarrATbewrite.net (use the @ sign, natch)

rhadin · 07-02-2010, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilmarr

An aside:

I just got a wee kick in the teeth at Smashwords, Groovy, when I went in to post a 600-word rave of a Smashwords book I'd been sent by its author to review. I was not allowed to post my piece because I had not 'bought' my copy from Smashwords.

Now THAT is nonsense.

Neil, in your specific case it might be nonsense, but in the overall scheme of things, I think it is a terrific requirement. It helps avoid those who axes to grind distorting the review process unless they want to ante up for the book. I think one of the things that really hurt Amazon's review system was all the 1 star reviews that were protests against the higher-than-$9.99 pricing even though many of the protestors hadn't bought the book.

I happen to be one of those people who thinks that before a review is posted there should be some method of verifying that the reviewer both bought the book and read it (or at least attempted to read it). I wrote about this on my blog: Finding the Needle in a Haystack of Needles (I): Reader Reviews. I've been so disgusted with the current review system that I rarely ever post a review of a book.

neilmarr · 07-02-2010, 09:49 AM

Sorry to disagree, Richard.

A malicious review can be published even if the book has been bought (or downloaded for free, which is often the case at SW). Of course, everything at Smashwords is automated. There is sometimes light moderation elsewhere that reduces the risk of obvious abuse (eg Amazon), but it doesn't work well, as you say, and reviews can still be used to nefarious ends.

When an author puts a piece out there (no matter how or where the copy used for assessment might have been obtained), he must face the cold fact that it is open to critique anywhere. Malicious intent can be dealt with almost instantly by any review resource worth its salt.

To bar genuine reviews (positive or negative) of a piece of work on the grounds of point-of-acquisition is throwing out the baby with the bathwater and is nothing less than a sneaky sales trick on the part of the retailer. I have no grouse against Smashwords, but they ARE retailers, remember.

Have you seen some of the scathing mainstream reviews in big newspapers, Richard? Sometimes -- as only this week -- one reviewer will rip apart a book by another reviewer, and the author will respond by ripping apart the review. It's nonsense. But nobody ever cares where a reviewer bought his copy, just that he actually read it.

Reviews, like all other forms of effective promotion should not be discouraged by silly red tape. "You didn't buy Joe Author's book from us, so we won't let you tell his potential readers and our potential customers how much you enjoyed it!" Now is that daft, or is that bloody daft?

Neil

treetotree · 07-02-2010, 11:22 AM

Neil
I wanted to put a review of a free read. I had read it on line. When I did that, I had not yet signed up with SW. It will not let post a review because I have not bought it from SW. I did read it from SW.

Donna Callea · 07-02-2010, 01:07 PM

Ooooh! Life is good. I just got a new animated avatar (see it blinking at left, I hope). Doesn't take much to make me happy... an animated avatar, a sale or two. I haven't posted here in a while. Been waiting for my animated avatar (made with love by someone who loves me, but isn't too quick on the draw). I know, I know. It's not a fancy shmansy avatar. But it's mine.

And here's the thing, if you like my avatar, I'm pretty sure you'll like my books. So give them a try.

New Coastal Times is a quirky, seriocomic novel about climate changing times. So far it's received 12 out of 12 great reviews from amazon reader/reviewers resulting in an overall FIVE STAR rating.

The Haircut, A New Year's Tale is a sensual, whimsical love story. Amazon reader/reviewers have described it as "charming," "delightful" and "heartwarming."

All that praise is making me blush, but, hey, this is a shameless self-promotion thread, isn't it?

Anyway, both have a list price of $2.99 everywhere.
But Smashwords is having a sale. You can get my novels for 50 percent off using the promotion code SW50.

As I mentioned, life is good.

DonnaFaz · 07-02-2010, 03:41 PM

Want to win Amazon gift cards? (Yes, you read that right. I said 'cards'...with an 's'!) Enter to win one of many gift cards being given away in the Indie-Author Reader Appreciation Contest that will be going on during the whole month of July!

Read details here: http://donnafaz.pnn.com/15963-the-front-page
Or here: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show...na_Fasano/blog

Happy reading,
~Donna~

neilmarr · 07-03-2010, 04:06 AM

Hya, Treetotree: If your review is a legitimate assessment -- and especially if that assessment is positive -- you can contact the author and ask for a coupon code to download the relevant book free. You shouldn't have to jump through such hoops, of course, but if you and the author are keen to see the piece carried rather than wasted, that's one way of going through the motions. Good luck. Neil

06-29-2010, 10:27 PM	#571
plumboz Novelist Posts: 591 Karma: 452032 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Arizona Device: Nook	Uniform Price (no Coupon) Boomerang can now be had for just $0.99 at Smashwords, Amazon or Barnes and Noble. No coupon needed. I'm done with promos since they can only be taken advantage of on Smashwords (although I do like the place). So the price went down and will stay there and no more coupons. Thanks!

07-01-2010, 01:05 AM	#573
plumboz Novelist Posts: 591 Karma: 452032 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Arizona Device: Nook	Hi Groovy Hi Groovy, I am definitely a big fan of Smashwords and I think what Mark Coker has set up there is a wonderful, forward looking venture. And so far the majority of my sales have come from there. But Amazon has brought me close to two hundred readers and B&N has been picking up steam and although I considered the choose your own price option ultimately I wanted to be able to make Boomerang available for the same price no matter where a reader was comfortable making their purchase. I'm glad you liked what you read. Thanks for letting me know! Good luck with your own work. Best, Alan

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06-30-2010, 01:03 PM	#572
Groovy Writer Scribe Posts: 23 Karma: 30000 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: San Francisco Device: Kindle	Plumboz: I have had some success at Smashwords with the "pay what you want" feature. Mark Coker (the owner of the site) must be sick of getting emails from me by now, but all of the work has been worth it: I woke up this morning and read notice that a few more people have bought my novel. That gives me incentive to continue creating really good fiction and offering it through Smashwords (I would say great fiction, but I'm thinking of what S. King said in his memoir: Some writers like himself are really really good, but to be a great is an honor only a few out of every generation can honestly claim.). PS - I've read the first chapter of BOOMERANG and it is hilarious! Hope to see you around. Best, JMD Link to Something Coming, a New Age thriller, at Smashwords. Be prepared: Something IS Coming....

07-01-2010, 03:25 AM	#574
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,215 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Hi Groovy and Alan: I used the pay-what-you like feature at Smashwords for about forty titles we put up for the last Read an Ebook week. Income to the Red Cross. Very few paid anything, some a few cents, some regular price and some generous souls -- beacause of the charitable intent -- paid over and above regular cover price. On average each download brought in about 20 cents. So I was interested to read a play on the 'Pay What You Like' system mentioned in a non-book-related blog last week (actually, it was about rock concerts). The writer suggested simply changing the line from 'Pay What You LIKE' to 'Pay What You CAN'. The subtle change of wording and meaning goes unnoticed by most users, but it registers subconsciously and implies -- rather than 'have this for nothing' -- 'pay for this, but only what you can honestly afford.' It doesn't mean 'Pay IF you like', it says 'Pay because this work has value. But pay according to your pocket and/or satisfaction'. It seems the changed wording has already made a significant difference in revenue to concert organisers and musicians who leave the fiscal value of their work to the customer. Cheers. Neil

07-01-2010, 02:09 PM	#576
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,215 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	An aside: I just got a wee kick in the teeth at Smashwords, Groovy, when I went in to post a 600-word rave of a Smashwords book I'd been sent by its author to review. I was not allowed to post my piece because I had not 'bought' my copy from Smashwords. Now THAT is nonsense. Who cares where I bought Jan Strnad's Risen if I spent ten hours reading it, loved it and took another couple of hours of my time to write a recommendation? And Smashwords actively begs for reviews (I should know, I have over eighty of my own titles running with them). I'm a professional writer and editor with forty years of review experience under my belt and I'm sparing with time and praise, so this stooopid rule smacked a little of peevishly telling Oprah she can't hype a book in public because she didn't buy her copy from Waterstone's. What utter tripe! Neil

07-01-2010, 03:22 PM	#577
Groovy Writer Scribe Posts: 23 Karma: 30000 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: San Francisco Device: Kindle	Hi Neil, I think that like Amazon, Smashwords will only allow reviews from people who have made a purchase -- any purchase through the site. At Amazon I satisfied this requirement by downloading an mp3. If I might suggest, go to my profile on Smashwords and pay a quarter or whatever for one of my listings. Hell, pay a penny, the cost isn't the point. My hunch is you'll then be able to post the review for Risen or for any titles on Smashwords. And if that doesn't work, I'll email Mark Coker at Smashwords. Doesn't make sense to me to restrict who can review when so many titles on Smashwords are free (or pay you want). But I can understand that a certain level of integrity has to be maintained; otherwise, any troll could go in and blast authors without even reading their work. Best of luck! -JMD

07-01-2010, 03:24 PM	#578
Groovy Writer Scribe Posts: 23 Karma: 30000 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: San Francisco Device: Kindle	Neil .... PS - I'm at the BeWrite Books site right now, reading the submission policy. I could use some distributing overseas and in Canada, and that seems to be BeWrite's specialty. I like what I'm reading about the company so far!

07-02-2010, 05:22 AM	#579
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,215 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Hya, Groovy. Yep, there are ways around the review policies imposed by the stores (I've used them simply by buying a book I'd already read or using a coupon code, as I did as Smashwords earlier). But there shouldn't be such stumbling blocks in the way. Especially where reviews are lightly moderated, these shopkeepers (yup -- that's all they are, shopkeepers) are shooting themselves in the foot and spoiling chances for some authors and small publishers. On the other thing, Groovy, drop me a line off-list. We can't run work that's been previously published in any form, but we might be able to point you in some useful directions. Best wishes and good luck. Neil -- ntmarrATbewrite.net (use the @ sign, natch)

07-02-2010, 09:49 AM	#581
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,215 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Sorry to disagree, Richard. A malicious review can be published even if the book has been bought (or downloaded for free, which is often the case at SW). Of course, everything at Smashwords is automated. There is sometimes light moderation elsewhere that reduces the risk of obvious abuse (eg Amazon), but it doesn't work well, as you say, and reviews can still be used to nefarious ends. When an author puts a piece out there (no matter how or where the copy used for assessment might have been obtained), he must face the cold fact that it is open to critique anywhere. Malicious intent can be dealt with almost instantly by any review resource worth its salt. To bar genuine reviews (positive or negative) of a piece of work on the grounds of point-of-acquisition is throwing out the baby with the bathwater and is nothing less than a sneaky sales trick on the part of the retailer. I have no grouse against Smashwords, but they ARE retailers, remember. Have you seen some of the scathing mainstream reviews in big newspapers, Richard? Sometimes -- as only this week -- one reviewer will rip apart a book by another reviewer, and the author will respond by ripping apart the review. It's nonsense. But nobody ever cares where a reviewer bought his copy, just that he actually read it. Reviews, like all other forms of effective promotion should not be discouraged by silly red tape. "You didn't buy Joe Author's book from us, so we won't let you tell his potential readers and our potential customers how much you enjoyed it!" Now is that daft, or is that bloody daft? Neil

07-02-2010, 11:22 AM	#582
treetotree Connoisseur Posts: 61 Karma: 346 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Florida Device: Jetbook Lite, Kindle DXG,prs-350, wife k3	Neil I wanted to put a review of a free read. I had read it on line. When I did that, I had not yet signed up with SW. It will not let post a review because I have not bought it from SW. I did read it from SW.

07-02-2010, 01:07 PM	#583
Donna Callea Author Posts: 47 Karma: 50000 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Florida Device: kindle	Ooooh! Life is good. I just got a new animated avatar (see it blinking at left, I hope). Doesn't take much to make me happy... an animated avatar, a sale or two. I haven't posted here in a while. Been waiting for my animated avatar (made with love by someone who loves me, but isn't too quick on the draw). I know, I know. It's not a fancy shmansy avatar. But it's mine. And here's the thing, if you like my avatar, I'm pretty sure you'll like my books. So give them a try. New Coastal Times is a quirky, seriocomic novel about climate changing times. So far it's received 12 out of 12 great reviews from amazon reader/reviewers resulting in an overall FIVE STAR rating. The Haircut, A New Year's Tale is a sensual, whimsical love story. Amazon reader/reviewers have described it as "charming," "delightful" and "heartwarming." All that praise is making me blush, but, hey, this is a shameless self-promotion thread, isn't it? Anyway, both have a list price of $2.99 everywhere. But Smashwords is having a sale. You can get my novels for 50 percent off using the promotion code SW50. As I mentioned, life is good.

07-02-2010, 03:41 PM	#584
DonnaFaz Connoisseur Posts: 68 Karma: 64624 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Dela-WHERE? Device: Kindle	Want to win Amazon gift cards? (Yes, you read that right. I said 'cards'...with an 's'!) Enter to win one of many gift cards being given away in the Indie-Author Reader Appreciation Contest that will be going on during the whole month of July! Read details here: http://donnafaz.pnn.com/15963-the-front-page Or here: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show...na_Fasano/blog Happy reading, ~Donna~

07-03-2010, 04:06 AM	#585
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,215 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Hya, Treetotree: If your review is a legitimate assessment -- and especially if that assessment is positive -- you can contact the author and ask for a coupon code to download the relevant book free. You shouldn't have to jump through such hoops, of course, but if you and the author are keen to see the piece carried rather than wasted, that's one way of going through the motions. Good luck. Neil