Life's Mysteries

[Michael W. Sherer]

Okay, so here's what I really want to know. Daniel created this great place to meet, blog, swap stories, etc. I've recently been the benefactor of other generous acts. A fellow Five Star author has recently created pages on MySpace and HabitualReader for us. I even have my own page on MySpace as well as a web site for my mysteries. What I want to know is if it's so easy for us authors to find each other on these sites, how do we get readers to find us as well? When I look at all the "friends" I'm accumulating here and on sites like MySpace (and goodness knows I can use all the new friends I can get), 95 percent are other authors. How do we attract readers, dear friends? How do we encourage average consumers and web surfers to read, no, to BUY our books? I thought of making a clever video and posting it ojn YouTube. Like a time lapse video of me pasting all the rejections I've ever received from agents and editors up on (several) wall(s), interspersed with the various covers of my books (demonstrating, of course, that persistence, not crime, pays). But then how do you get people to view your clever video on YouTube? How do we start the viral marketing that will creae buzz for us and our work? Suggestions anyone? Mike Sherer

[Jeff Markowitz]

It's not that it's easy for us as as authors to find each other. It's just that we spend more time and effort looking than our readers do. I agree with the comment above that to attract readers we have to think like a reader. (And, as a fellow Five Star author, I wanted to stop by and say hello).

[Michael W. Sherer]

Like anything else, though -- toothpaste, corn flakes, or some other product -- you have to get them to your site. P&G has advertising dollars to spend. The rest of us have to figure out another way to attract attention and drive readers to our sites.

[Sean Lindsay]

(Just one guy's opinion.)

I think that the foremost question in a reader's mind, if they decide to visit an author's site, is "What else of theirs can I read?" -- and more subliminally, "What can I read that I'll like as much?"

Think like a reader. Why would a reader visit an author's site? What would they expect to find? What would they want? Why would they come back?