How to promote a free e-book website?

[Deskisamess]

Originally Posted by doubleshuffle

Oh, that was what someone objected to... I totally didn't get that and thought they were referring to the cover of that [Edited - MODERATOR], which I found rather cheesy myself... But how anyone could have problems with that sketch - the mind boggles.

That is a little stronger than my intent. I think the sketch I referred to is cheesy. Something about it puts me off. But it doesn’t matter one bit.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

That is a little stronger than my intent. I think the sketch I referred to is cheesy. Something about it puts me off. But it doesn’t matter one bit.

I know what you mean. I can't say exactly why, but it is a bit off-putting.
Oh wait maybe I can. That sketch is totally out of context.

[Dazrin]

I haven't downloaded anything but since you are making this free the $ sign on the "Get a Library Card" link is misleading and off putting. A non-currency icon would be better.

And I agree on the sketch.

[Dr. Drib]

Sorry, but Mobileread does not allow links to erotica or erotic content on our site.

Don
(Moderator)

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Sorry, but Mobileread does not allow links to erotica or erotic content on our site.

Don
(Moderator)

Then why are you allowing his avatar to stay? Aphrodite.
Ok I just figured out my problem with it. Or to be precise my problem with it here.
I know it is a sketch of an old (I think Greek) statue. I also know this is a family friendly site.
She is still topless.

[doubleshuffle]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Then why are you allowing his avatar to stay? Aphrodite.

You're joking, right?

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by doubleshuffle

You're joking, right?

No, because unless one knows what that is a sketch of, it looks erotic.
Not everyone has a good art background.
Even I had to look twice to see it wasn't just a half-naked lady.

[doubleshuffle]

Yeah, right. Porn for folks with a marble fetish, innit.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by doubleshuffle

Yeah, right. Porn for folks with a marble fetish, innit.

There's a rule about that somewhere, #34 I believe.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by doubleshuffle

Yeah, right. Porn for folks with a marble fetish, innit.

Twilight fans?

[Dr. Drib]

Let me write as a Mobileread member and not as a Moderator:

I don't see this as erotic or as erotic content at all.

As RobertDDL says in one of his posts,

"It is...a photograph of a small statue, which is either a copy of a classic statue or pretends to be one. It is meant to grace a garden or a balcony, but it stands in my room, and I rather like it."

[gmw]

Originally Posted by RobertDDL

Thank you! I am beginning to doubt that anyone else is doing something similar. I'm aware of the sites you've mentioned, but I'm afraid it would be hubris to hope they might link to my little site, which has little to do with what they are doing (Roy Glashan obviously cooperates with PGA, that's a different thing). [...]

I think I'm missing something. How is it that these have little to do with what you're doing?

You're both producing publicly accessible editions of public domain works. Their sites seem to be concentrating on on-line readable (HTML) versions, some with epub thrown in for good measure. Your site appears to be concentrating on PDF versions* with epub thrown in for good measure.

Neither your site nor the ones in my previous post seem to be targeting special/illustrated/annotated editions, nor following some particular author, or period, or genre, or anything else that might make the libraries really stand out as having some particular purpose or objective that is different to the larger libraries at Gutenberg or here on MR. (Being carefully proof-read doesn't count, I expect that.)

Here on MR you find that some people have taken great care to reproduce epub/mobi versions of illustrated or other special editions - which demonstrates particular care and a lot of work, making them well worth grabbing over editions I have found elsewhere. In combination with the volume of books you can find here, this makes MR well worth visiting before resorting to Gutenberg. But I have trouble working out why I would extend my search beyond these two sites unless there is some particular title I can't find.

Until you can define your library as having some good purpose or distinction - give some reason why anyone would direct people there rather than to Gutenberg or MR - then, of course, you are going to have some trouble marketing it.

So you might start by working out exactly what it is you're doing, and how it is different. If that difference is PDF (as it seems, to me, to be) then work out why PDF is important. What do you expect people to do with the PDF?*


* PDF not ideal reading on diverse devices. It's not ideal for supporting searchable content. (It can be used for either, but it's not the best match.) It's great as an electronic representation of paper. It's ideal as a print-on-demand source. Is that your target here? Just add a cover and print?

[RobertDDL]

Originally Posted by gmw

(...) What do you expect people to do with the PDF? (...)

That they read them on devices with 8" screens or larger. For about 3000 years, text has been written in pages (yes, that includes scrolls). I still prefer it that way, and so may a few others. Also, PDF makes it possible to pay attention to a number of typographical details which, to some, may make reading more pleasant. But it's not important, I do not want to convince anyone here, and, though your question what makes my site different in my opinion (different, not better) is a good and legitimate question, I cannot properly answer it here. It is a place that I have created for myself (and for a friend, but she has died now), to which visitors are welcome - that's all. The very small number of books may help you discover some that you like, which you may not have noticed among the many thousands in larger collections - Aucassin and Nicolette, for instance, or After London, or Robert E. Howard's poems, or any of the other ones that aren't that well known. And, I do not reproduce existing editions, but create my own, which can be significantly different - I've already talked about this above. OK, so now I have tried to give an answer ... but, really, I'm not selling anything, I'm happy if people have a look and then decide if they want to stay, or not.

[RobertDDL]

Originally Posted by doubleshuffle

Oh, that was what someone objected to... I totally didn't get that and thought they were referring to the cover of that [Link to erotic content deleted - MODERATOR] which I found rather cheesy myself... But how anyone could have problems with that sketch - the mind boggles.

About this particular cover, you are totally right. I hadn't thought about it in years, but it is neither consistent with the other books in the Library, nor, to be honest, is it good. I will soon replace it with a regular bland Dunyazad cover (I wish I could create better ones, but if there's two things I can't do it's singing and graphic design, and at least they serve the purpose of being readable in thumbnail size.) Thanks!

[RobertDDL]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

I haven't downloaded anything but since you are making this free the $ sign on the "Get a Library Card" link is misleading and off putting. A non-currency icon would be better.

And I agree on the sketch.

You are right about the $ sign, I'll try to think of something else (though I'll have to be able to do it with my very limited graphic skills).

It's not a sketch, it's a photo - the same one that I use for my avatar here, a photo of a statue that stands on my desk (a present from my wife), showing her (the statue) reading an e-book. Since some of the books do have erotic content ("1001 Nights" was considered scandalous when it was published, and could only appear in a private edition - as even a well-meaning contemporary critic wrote, "… not for every-day readers; and above all things, and inevitably, it is not for woman-kind. No woman could read, was ever meant to read Sir Richard Burton’s Arabian Nights"), the image may also be taken as a fair warning. Visitors to my site are welcome independent of gender, though.