Internet Marketing: the future, or Just Plain Eeeeevil? - CrimeSpace2024-03-29T06:57:48Zhttp://crimespace.ning.com/forum/topics/537324:Topic:24797?commentId=537324%3AComment%3A24964&feed=yes&xn_auth=noFolks--
Apologies for the va…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-05-23:537324:Comment:432002007-05-23T13:42:38.658ZSimon Spurrierhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/sispurrier
Folks--<br />
<br />
Apologies for the vanishing act: I've been hideously busy following-up on the scheme outlined above, and doing promotional stuff in all sorts of peculiar places.<br />
<br />
I just thought I'd update interested parties in the scheme outlined above. As I said before, this is a big experiment we're trying, and early signs are that a looot of UK publishers are keeping an eye peeled to see how it goes.<br />
<br />
Well, the website goes live tomorrow -- the 24th of May - and it's already allowing people to…
Folks--<br />
<br />
Apologies for the vanishing act: I've been hideously busy following-up on the scheme outlined above, and doing promotional stuff in all sorts of peculiar places.<br />
<br />
I just thought I'd update interested parties in the scheme outlined above. As I said before, this is a big experiment we're trying, and early signs are that a looot of UK publishers are keeping an eye peeled to see how it goes.<br />
<br />
Well, the website goes live tomorrow -- the 24th of May - and it's already allowing people to sign-up for the free copy of the novel. So the fun starts here!<br />
<br />
I'll keep you posted! Hodder Headline (the imprint…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-29:537324:Comment:294322007-04-29T14:41:41.090ZSimon Spurrierhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/sispurrier
Hodder Headline (the imprint is "Headline Review" - they do James Patterson and Neil Gaiman's stuff, amongst others). There's no reference to them on the MySpace page just yet because - for better or worse - we're keeping things a little mysterious: maintaining the conceit that Michael Point is a real person and irritating the hell out of everyone on the "friends" list with How-To-Dispose-Of-A-Corpse stylee bulletins. Most people have guessed the truth, obviously, but it's entertaining to…
Hodder Headline (the imprint is "Headline Review" - they do James Patterson and Neil Gaiman's stuff, amongst others). There's no reference to them on the MySpace page just yet because - for better or worse - we're keeping things a little mysterious: maintaining the conceit that Michael Point is a real person and irritating the hell out of everyone on the "friends" list with How-To-Dispose-Of-A-Corpse stylee bulletins. Most people have guessed the truth, obviously, but it's entertaining to receive worried emails from those who haven't. I've already been booted off Gumtree.com (a London-based advertising website) for essentially soliciting the services of a paid killer. It's all good fun. ;)<br />
<br />
The latest bit of subversive guerilla-style advertising is to leave postcards and flyers in the toilets of all the grottiest pubs in Camden, Hoxton and Soho, bearing the legend: "Everyone needs someone Dealt With once in a while. Contact Michael Point for all your Troubleshooting Needs..." with the myspace URL and the holding page.<br />
<br />
There's always the chance we'll get in trouble for this sort of bad-taste stuff, but in a morbid sort of way, I kind of hope we will. "No such thing as bad publicity", and all that. ;) Simon, who is this outside-th…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-29:537324:Comment:294112007-04-29T13:00:15.388ZJoy Calderwoodhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Dragonlily
Simon, who is this outside-the-box-thinking publisher of yours? I couldn't find them on your MySpace.
Simon, who is this outside-the-box-thinking publisher of yours? I couldn't find them on your MySpace. As a long time "publisher" of…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-22:537324:Comment:274592007-04-22T22:06:12.278ZRobert K. Fosterhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/RKFoster
As a long time "publisher" of an online webzine I have to agree with the above sentiment, "you still have to get people to your site and that's the buggery bit." Your plan sounds good but you may end up doing more to publicize the website than you would the book. Don't get me wrong, I think the "internet" is becoming a major media in its own right and it is good to have *something* about your book online. Again, your current plan sounds good and I hope you'll keep people aware of how it's going…
As a long time "publisher" of an online webzine I have to agree with the above sentiment, "you still have to get people to your site and that's the buggery bit." Your plan sounds good but you may end up doing more to publicize the website than you would the book. Don't get me wrong, I think the "internet" is becoming a major media in its own right and it is good to have *something* about your book online. Again, your current plan sounds good and I hope you'll keep people aware of how it's going but I would focus on the real reader of your book. What kind of a person are they? Where would they hang out? What book stores or other places would they go? Would your prospective Reader even use the Internet very much? Great site, very offbeat! As…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-17:537324:Comment:257052007-04-17T17:59:36.070ZLaura Roothttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/mallard
Great site, very offbeat! As a reader, I agree with other posters that it's preferable to offer just one sample chapter online; that way people feel more inclined to make the decision to buy there and then, based on what they have read, whereas if they wait for more chapters to be available, chances are people are more likely to forget the book/site/title.
Great site, very offbeat! As a reader, I agree with other posters that it's preferable to offer just one sample chapter online; that way people feel more inclined to make the decision to buy there and then, based on what they have read, whereas if they wait for more chapters to be available, chances are people are more likely to forget the book/site/title. Promotion on line via video b…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-16:537324:Comment:254132007-04-16T20:13:09.593ZBrian Kavanaghhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/beekay123
Promotion on line via video book trailers and through book sites for readers etc., would seem to me to be ideal for an independent author denied exposure in the media. It's just a variation of what an author with a large publishing firm would be expected to do. If you don't promote you die no matter how 'big name' an author you may be. This applies outside the world of books as well. I have found the use of videos to be most effective although I admit that there are many out there that are…
Promotion on line via video book trailers and through book sites for readers etc., would seem to me to be ideal for an independent author denied exposure in the media. It's just a variation of what an author with a large publishing firm would be expected to do. If you don't promote you die no matter how 'big name' an author you may be. This applies outside the world of books as well. I have found the use of videos to be most effective although I admit that there are many out there that are dire. The technical facilities for producing them are a breeze. They just need imagination. <br />
Cheers, <br />
Brian GALLEY CAT has some recent re…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-16:537324:Comment:253262007-04-16T17:44:57.647ZI. J. Parkerhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
GALLEY CAT has some recent reports on reactions among SF writers to the idea of giving books away free on the internet in order to promote them. The word "scabs" appears, though the rationale isn't entirely clear to me. Apparently SF writers believe that they compete against each other. You might find their take interesting.<br />
I also don't like to do much reading on the computer. Let's face it, I spend most of my day there already. I prefer to take a book to bed with me.<br />
I think Sandra implied…
GALLEY CAT has some recent reports on reactions among SF writers to the idea of giving books away free on the internet in order to promote them. The word "scabs" appears, though the rationale isn't entirely clear to me. Apparently SF writers believe that they compete against each other. You might find their take interesting. <br />
I also don't like to do much reading on the computer. Let's face it, I spend most of my day there already. I prefer to take a book to bed with me. <br />
I think Sandra implied a gentle warning about DorothyL. You must be pleasant and complimentary there at all times and to everyone or bad things happen. But it is a large list so maybe the advertising is useful. Cory Doctorow (Canadian journ…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-15:537324:Comment:249882007-04-15T20:47:53.406ZBarbara Fisterhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Bfister
Cory Doctorow (Canadian journalist, SF author, and charter member of BoingBoing) generally releases his books online as they are published in print. (See the books section of his blog for details: <a href="http://www.craphound.com/index.php?cat=5">http://www.craphound.com/index.php?cat=5</a>) He has found it not only doesn't hurt sales, it helps them. He doesn't dribble chapters out, though, nor does he remove them. His publisher is Tor, an imprint (or is it a house?) belonging to St. Martin's,…
Cory Doctorow (Canadian journalist, SF author, and charter member of BoingBoing) generally releases his books online as they are published in print. (See the books section of his blog for details: <a href="http://www.craphound.com/index.php?cat=5">http://www.craphound.com/index.php?cat=5</a>) He has found it not only doesn't hurt sales, it helps them. He doesn't dribble chapters out, though, nor does he remove them. His publisher is Tor, an imprint (or is it a house?) belonging to St. Martin's, so hardly an off-the-wall small press full of wildly unconventional ideas.<br />
<br />
I have to say, I can't read serialized fiction. I want it all, NOW! And trying to send a friend a link to content that meanwhile disappears would frustrate me. Hard to share the word when the stuff disappears.<br />
<br />
So far as I have been able to determine, every time a publisher has let people read books online for free, <br />
sales have gone up. I'm not sure of individual titles, but that appears to be true in aggregate. Amazon "search inside," Google Book Search, the National Academies Press, and individuals like Lawrence Lessig have all reported it works. Discovery is the hard part - the sale, once someone is interested, is not nearly so hard. <br />
<br />
Then again, for all the angst in the RIAA about criminal behavior, and their relentless pursuit of college students (they are now collecting large "settlements" from students in exchange for not suing them, a practice that is pretty close to blackmail) the evidence seems to point not to illegal file sharing as the perpetrator so much as the music industry itself. Too bad the publishing industry doesn't respond differently. The real threat (if you want to call it that) facing publishers isn't that people might pirate online books, but that they can buy used books so cheaply and efficiently, thanks to Internet listing and sales. Oooo--I followed the link. Gr…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-15:537324:Comment:249642007-04-15T19:57:42.019ZLaura Benedicthttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/lpbenedict
Oooo--I followed the link. Great page! I want more!
Oooo--I followed the link. Great page! I want more! I wasn't really worried about…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-04-15:537324:Comment:249622007-04-15T19:55:38.345ZSteven Torreshttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/StevenT
I wasn't really worried about the people in the store - but that reading a sample chapter on your site would be like reading one in the store except that I'd have the distraction of knowing I could come back in a couple of weeks and then a couple weeks after that or just time my visit for the last installment... See, it's silly, but something as trivial as that might keep me from ordering the book. Still, that's just me. It is good that your publisher is interested in doing SOMETHING to support…
I wasn't really worried about the people in the store - but that reading a sample chapter on your site would be like reading one in the store except that I'd have the distraction of knowing I could come back in a couple of weeks and then a couple weeks after that or just time my visit for the last installment... See, it's silly, but something as trivial as that might keep me from ordering the book. Still, that's just me. It is good that your publisher is interested in doing SOMETHING to support your book. <br />
<br />
I do wonder who the target audience would be, however. I mean, who reads books online? I'm sure people do, but what's the demographic? Younger people are more likely to be online, but older people are more likely to buy books, no?