YOUR BOOK AND YOUR FRIENDS also an article by David Biddle
A tale of woe...
Your friends won't buy your book. I have hundreds of friends that, if the truth be known, would constitute a perfect market for my novels. Musicians, artists, expats, travelers, Francophiles, San Franciscans, loving folk, family.
Here's a tip... remember the novel you always meant to write? DO IT. But do it for the love of doing it. I am saddened when I read on author's pages asking for advice, "I need to make money. What's the best way to do it by writing a book?" or "I can sell it to my friends!" You can't eat your liver because your friends want little to do with your book. They are not your literary fans... and it is fans who buy books. Instead they wish you well. They never say no... wait a minute , yes they do! They say it like this...
Hate to admit it I don't read!
Hate to say it, I hate thrillers.
I hate novels about France because I once got sick on undercooked chicken in Paris.
I cannot support Amazon politically.
I don't have time.
I need new glasses.
I had a concussion,.
I was in an accident.
Root canal.
I don't understand this clicking stuff.
I have 300 books to read before I get to yours.
More....
But what they are really saying is perhaps one of these.
I know you, Larry, and I feel funny thinking about you as this lover author guy... I think it's autobiographical and I don't want to see it.
Maybe you wrote about me and that would be embarrassing probably.
If it's really good and is successful then I will be jealous.
If it stinks then I don't want to hurt your feelings.
Somewhere in there. Maybe, HEY It's by YOU! How good could it be? is in there too.
So you explain how important reviews are to gaining any sort of traction with book sellers, with book clubs, with distribution agencies. And surely MY friends can give me a review... they are literate and can easily spend $2.99 to help me out and look, I'm giving them away FREE next weekend! uhhh... doesn't work. You write blog articles. Make You Tube promo videos. Design and maintain a pretty website, post promos to pages your friends read. NOTHING helps.
Nope it takes money... ads with major social media, Amazon, Twitter, print ads, etc etc etc ...to make money. And then, seeing that my book is now #932,456 on the amazon book list by sales, you wonder. So you do it for fun and because you have to.
.................................................................
ANOTHER SAD STORY//// http://talkingwriting.com/sorry-your-buddies-wont-buy-your-book by DAVID BIDDLE
A tale of woe...
Your friends won't buy your book. I have hundreds of friends that, if the truth be known, would constitute a perfect market for my novels. Musicians, artists, expats, travelers, Francophiles, San Franciscans, loving folk, family.
Here's a tip... remember the novel you always meant to write? DO IT. But do it for the love of doing it. I am saddened when I read on author's pages asking for advice, "I need to make money. What's the best way to do it by writing a book?" or "I can sell it to my friends!" You can't eat your liver because your friends want little to do with your book. They are not your literary fans... and it is fans who buy books. Instead they wish you well. They never say no... wait a minute , yes they do! They say it like this...
Hate to admit it I don't read!
Hate to say it, I hate thrillers.
I hate novels about France because I once got sick on undercooked chicken in Paris.
I cannot support Amazon politically.
I don't have time.
I need new glasses.
I had a concussion,.
I was in an accident.
Root canal.
I don't understand this clicking stuff.
I have 300 books to read before I get to yours.
More....
But what they are really saying is perhaps one of these.
I know you, Larry, and I feel funny thinking about you as this lover author guy... I think it's autobiographical and I don't want to see it.
Maybe you wrote about me and that would be embarrassing probably.
If it's really good and is successful then I will be jealous.
If it stinks then I don't want to hurt your feelings.
Somewhere in there. Maybe, HEY It's by YOU! How good could it be? is in there too.
So you explain how important reviews are to gaining any sort of traction with book sellers, with book clubs, with distribution agencies. And surely MY friends can give me a review... they are literate and can easily spend $2.99 to help me out and look, I'm giving them away FREE next weekend! uhhh... doesn't work. You write blog articles. Make You Tube promo videos. Design and maintain a pretty website, post promos to pages your friends read. NOTHING helps.
Nope it takes money... ads with major social media, Amazon, Twitter, print ads, etc etc etc ...to make money. And then, seeing that my book is now #932,456 on the amazon book list by sales, you wonder. So you do it for fun and because you have to.
.................................................................
ANOTHER SAD STORY//// http://talkingwriting.com/sorry-your-buddies-wont-buy-your-book by DAVID BIDDLE
