How to promote a free e-book website?

[RobertDDL]

Originally Posted by arjaybe

(...) Take heart in the motto of The Vinyl Cafe: "We may not be big, but we're small." (...)

About your books, thank you, let's talk next week!

[sadowski]

I have not read all posts here, but in case nobody pointed it out: you could alternatively spend your time at Distributed Proofreaders (www.pgdp.net). More additional works could be digitized in this way for the public domain.

/Jens

[gmw]

Originally Posted by RobertDDL

[...] 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. [...]

And that's really the problem: without something easily identifiable to mark your site out, to make it memorable (in a good way), no one is going to bookmark it. But I'm guessing those other small libraries face the same difficulties, so...

For all that I might not agree with you about the usefulness of PDF as a format for online reading, I am sure you are not alone in your preference, hence my earlier suggestion that you try to hook up with other small libraries. You are all, if you'll pardon the oxymoron, doing the same different thing. You are all producing editions of public domain works that you think offer something not commonly found elsewhere. By forming a network of such resources you must surely have a better chance of coming to the attention of people interested in such specialisation. At the moment a person may be lucky to stumble over one or two such sites, but if those sites were linked then finding one would find them all.

You could start a forum somewhere for people running small libraries, perhaps even let in those that are interested in supporting small libraries, and together you can discuss the difficulties and possible solutions. Everyone gets to keep their differences, but everyone gets to benefit from the cumulative presence that networking provides.

Anyway, that's about the best suggestion I have.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by RobertDDL

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.

That is the best reason I have heard for starting a website. The for you and a friend.

I might disagree on the PDF being better for reading. Now if you mean for looking at the calligraphy and graphics, you are right.

I will say this about your book cover, it is better than anything I could have drawn.

[RobertDDL]

Originally Posted by gmw

(...) hence my earlier suggestion that you try to hook up with other small libraries. You are all, if you'll pardon the oxymoron, doing the same different thing. You are all producing editions of public domain works that you think offer something not commonly found elsewhere. By forming a network of such resources you must surely have a better chance of coming to the attention of people interested in such specialisation. At the moment a person may be lucky to stumble over one or two such sites, but if those sites were linked then finding one would find them all. (...)

It's good advice, but, seriously, I am not aware of a single one of them. I have links to Gutenberg, Gutenberg Australia, Wikisource and Librivox on my site, but I have not found one site that is built around a small collection of books, and makes their own editions. I would very much like to know about such sites, exchange links, talk with the people who run them, think of ways to cooperate. Maybe a few of them exist, maybe many of them, but so far they have eluded me (and yes, I've searched).

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

That is the best reason I have heard for starting a website. The for you and a friend. (...)

Thank you! She was blind, I scanned printed books for her, I proofread and formatted Gutenberg texts for her (OCR errors are much harder on the speech synth and the ear than they are on the eye), and then we thought, why not make the work available to others, as far as copyright allowed? I added my typesetting fetish to this project ... Several things need to be updated, things have changed within the past 8 years and I haven't always paid attention. I had only wanted to hear about websites that might offer links, but I am grateful for this discussion now, and all your comments.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by RobertDDL

It's good advice, but, seriously, I am not aware of a single one of them. I have links to Gutenberg, Gutenberg Australia, Wikisource and Librivox on my site, but I have not found one site that is built around a small collection of books, and makes their own editions. I would very much like to know about such sites, exchange links, talk with the people who run them, think of ways to cooperate. Maybe a few of them exist, maybe many of them, but so far they have eluded me (and yes, I've searched).



Thank you! She was blind, I scanned printed books for her, I proofread and formatted Gutenberg texts for her (OCR errors are much harder on the speech synth and the ear than they are on the eye), and then we thought, why not make the work available to others, as far as copyright allowed? I added my typesetting fetish to this project ... Several things need to be updated, things have changed within the past 8 years and I haven't always paid attention. I had only wanted to hear about websites that might offer links, but I am grateful for this discussion now, and all your comments.

I can only imagine especially on the very common "die" instead of "the". That would sound very awkward.

[arjaybe]

Originally Posted by RobertDDL

About your books, thank you, let's talk next week!

Sure. Use the contact form on my site when you're ready.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

As a personal preference, the sketch of the woman and her boobs puts me off.

Isn't that simply a sketch of his avatar? The one he uses here?

Hitch

[RobertDDL]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Isn't that simply a sketch of his avatar? The one he uses here?

Hitch

Not a sketch (I'm so untalented I couldn't sketch an egg), it's the same photo, just a bit photoshopped (using this as a generic term - actually, corelphotopainted).

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by RobertDDL

Not a sketch (I'm so untalented I couldn't sketch an egg), it's the same photo, just a bit photoshopped (using this as a generic term - actually, corelphotopainted).

That's what I meant. I didn't mean you'd drawn it, or corelphotopainted, or whatever. I just meant...same image, for all intents and purposes--not to be crude, but, b**bs and books, yeah?

Hitch

[Deskisamess]

I’m curious how folks would feel about a picture or photoshopped image of The David, with an ereader on his lap.

Kidding, but not totally. Maybe it’s the photo editing that makes it tacky to me.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

I’m curious how folks would feel about a picture or photoshopped image of The David, with an ereader on his lap.

Kidding, but not totally. Maybe it’s the photo editing that makes it tacky to me.

Really? It wouldn't even faze me. (Honestly, not sure I'd even notice it.) I truly don't get what's upsetting. Is it some type of religious overtone?

Tacky is one thing; offensive is another. You said offensive, so...???

Hitch

[Deskisamess]

Where did I say “offensive”? I said it put me off, and I found the sketch “tacky”

You’re all making too much of my comments. It was just that, a comment. I looked st the OP’s site, and made a comment.

[doubleshuffle]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Really? It wouldn't even faze me. (Honestly, not sure I'd even notice it.) I truly don't get what's upsetting. Is it some type of religious overtone?

Tacky is one thing; offensive is another. You said offensive, so...???

Hitch

Yep. This is getting weirder and weirder. If I hadn't such a nice christmassy dragon in place, I would get myself some lovely renaissance avatar right now.

[doubleshuffle]

And I'm still wondering where David would attach the e-reader on his lap...