Claude Forthomme's Blog, page 43

Why Free Book Giveaways No Longer Work

Going free is no longer a viable marketing ploy, full stop. Times have changed. Two years ago, it worked, it jumpstarted "word of mouth" and book sales took off on Amazon.

No more. Readers suffer from "free fatigue".

Too much is too much. The evidence free giveaways no longer work is piling in.

That's the gist of a recent discussion between authors on Linked In. I mentioned my own recent experience with a 5-day free giveaway on KDP Select for Part One of my new sci-fi serial novel FOREVER YOUNG.

How did it go? I blogged about it before: it got lots of free downloads but much less than when I went free 2 years ago with another book. More to the point: the resulting bump in sales was small and short-lived. Even Part Two of the same book barely budged. Hard to say why, considering I have a pretty strong presence on Internet, with this blog (for a writer it has an exceptionally high Alexa ranking), a good following on Twitter, on Google+, Pinterest, Goodreads etc etc 

Is there a problem with my book? I don't think so (shy grin). My book cover is (I believe) good. The writing is (I believe) excellent (another grin). It got good reviews as soon as it was published. Yesterday I even got one enthusiatic fan who wrote an email to me saying this: 



"Really got to know what happens next in the Forever Young series. Thoroughly enjoyed the first two. Left 5-star reviews for each on Goodreads. Both volumes moved at a breathtaking pace. Your characters were so vivid I felt like I could take their pulses. Your narrative flows so smooth it's like dipping each bite of pancake in warm maple syrup before popping it in your mouth. Terrific accomplishment, my friend. Can't wait for the third volume."

I love that: a narrative so smooth it's like dipping each bite of pancake in warm maple syrup, the best compliment I ever got!

Now when a book can elicit this kind of response from someone who's never met me, look, that book must have something going for it! Yet the free downloads got the book exactly nowhere.

The problem is not the book: it's reader fatigue. Too many books going free...So yes, I'm totally against free. Possibly 99 cents is the "new free"...

Speaking as an economist (which I happen to be - a Columbia U. graduate), "free" in economic parlance is a sign that something is worth...nothing! That's the logic of it and that's also the danger. I believe we authors should be very careful about how we play around with free books. They make us look...cheap!

To read the full discussion on Linked In, click here 

Please let me have your opinion!

Dream Publicity Propels Book to Number One on Amazon

A book about Jesus, "Zealot", hit number one on Amazon.com on Sunday and drew 5,000 new Twitter followers to the author, Mr. Reza Aslan after a provocative interview on Fox News. Sales were increased by 35 percent.



Why all the hullabaloo? Lauren Gren, the host of "Spirited Debate" a weekly Fox News webcast, asked the author how come he, a Muslim, had written about Jesus, the founder of Christianity. 



A loaded question that made the video clip with, as the NYT put it in an article about this, "the irresistibly clickable headline, 'Is This the Most Embarrassing Interview Fox News Has Ever Done?'" an instant success in spite of its length (10 minutes). But here's a shorter version put together by the Huff Post ( under 3 minutes) and you get the idea:









Yes, definitely the dream publicity any author would wish to have! But Mr. Aslan got several other things right on his book as well: 



(a) the research  - as he defines himself, he's a "scholar of religion with four degrees, including one in the New Testament, and fluency in biblical Greek, who has been studying the origins of Christianity for two decades, who also just happens to be a Muslim."



(b) the writing - Mr. Aslan also happens to be an associate professor of creative writing at the University of California, Riverside.



(c) traditional publishing - his book is published by Random House and started out quite well in the world of traditional printed non-fiction books: since its publication on July 16, it has been praised by many respected reviewers, including Adam Kirsch in Tablet magazine,  Mr. Aslan has hit the publicity circuit with many book debates on TV and the book is happily sitting on the New York Times print hardcover best seller list at No.4.



Yes, no doubt that's the perfect recipe for a bestseller. Not a recipe available to many authors...



Is there anyone around who's a Christian professor and also a Muslim scholar? Quick, write a book about Mohammed! 



In any case, this is a book I'm putting on my TBR list. How about you? What do you think of this controversy? 

An Amazing Female 'Superman' in Pakistan: Burqa Avenger. The Rise of Islamic Women Heroes?

By day she's a schoolteacher, by night, clad in a burqa, a traditional Islamic cloak, she beats up the Taliban. She's an Islamic Wonder Woman and her weapons are school supplies. 



This is a new cartoon series like no other, based on a totally original concept: a female teacher fighting on behalf of girls education. 



Makes sense considering that only 25% of the women in Pakistan can read and write. 



Here's the trailer:









Okay, this doesn't look like a Pixar movie. But it's an awsome Indie job, produced with a team of only 22 people. Compare that with the hundreds of people involved in producing any cartoon series in the West...I would say congrats to the show's maker Aaron Haroon Rashid.



The show has been an immediate success in Pakistan but it has raised some criticisms too, mostly centered on the question whether the heroine's use of the all-covering burqa is, as the NYT puts it, "subverting a traditional symbol of segregation and oppression or reinforcing it". For more on that, read the article here.



What's your opinion? I think the irony is palpable, there's no reinforcement of segregation here. It does point though to what is probably the single aspect of burqa-wearing that is most disturbing to non-Muslims: the hiding of the wearer's identity - and as we all know, that is what brought France to banish it from public places for security reasons...

Abenomics is In, Merkel's Austerity is Out!

About time too! We are all fed up with German austerity over here in Europe and hopeful that Abenomics will work for Japan (it already looks like it is, Japan is perking up)...



You want additional proof that the world of finance has finally understood that austerity is NOT a cure for debt? Look at Standard & Poor's latest downgrading of Italy to BBB, just two grades above junk status. S&P's reasoning? Italy suffers from a growth problem - over the last decade, real growth has been...negative, -0,04% ! So it's not the debt that's the problem, it's lack of growth!



Good-bye austerity!  Ms. Merkel is poised to win re-election on 22 September. But will she have learned her lesson?



What do you think?

How Close are We to Controlling "Biological Age"?

Chronological age is not the same as biological age and white hair and wrinkles are not reliable biological age markers even if  intuitively we associate wrinkles with codgers. Scientists are still hunting for them but the good news is that they are finally getting close (see NYT article here) 



For example, we now have strong evidence based on studies of the "molecular clock" that men age 4 percent faster than women, which probably explains why women's life expectancy exceeds men's, and that tumor cells age, on average, 40 percent faster than normal cells, thus shedding light on cancer.



Such news reinforce me in my view that the basic premise on which my FOREVER YOUNG novel is based is not, after all, that far off. On the contrary, it is very possible that 200 years from now, we will indeed be able to genetically control the process of aging so that you'll look young every day of your life till you drop dead, i.e. at the end of your "natural" life span - which is likely to be in the neighborhood of 130 to 140 years. 



The catch? Only the ultra rich will be able to afford the expensive age-prevention procedure. Thus is created a profoundly divided world with the ultra rich benefiting from technical advances while the rest of humanity is left behind...



That's the world my "hard" sci-fi novel FOREVER YOUNG seeks to explore ("hard" sci-fi is based on facts and projections into the future, it's not pure fantasy)...And if you believe that those who belong to the Age-Prevention Programme, aka the APP, are happy, you'd be wrong. Things don't work for them either. Take a look at two of the book's main characters, Lizzie, a golf champion and Jamie, an investigative reporter. They are in love with each other, young, rich, good-looking and successful in their respective careers, yet they fight, they're not happy. Here's a sample conversation over breakfast:



“Well?” She said, watching Jamie pouring syrup over his pancakes.
“Well what?”
“Well, why don’t you come to Evian, I’m off Tuesday. I’ve got to be there two days early so I can study the golf course.”
“And what would I do while you study the course?”
“I don’t know. You could keep me company. It’s a beautiful course, it winds its way along the lake. Lovely views on the mountains.”
“I like the sea. Besides, I need to do something. Darling, I’d be bored silly!”
“You’d be bored silly with me?” Her voice grew harsh.
“Of course not. But I like to work, you know that. And now that I’ve got a dream job, I’m not about to give it up.”
“I’m not asking you to give it up. I’m just asking you to be a little more often with me. Why don’t you ever follow me? You haven’t seen me play in a single tournament!”
“Oh, but I have. At the Canadian Women's Open last year…”
“That was last year, before I joined the APP. But now, since we’ve both become APP members, nothing. You’ve never found the time to follow me!”
“I’m not a sports writer, you know that.”
“No, you certainly are not. You’re busy writing so-called investigative pieces for the WUS News. God, you have time for nothing else!”
“They keep me busy, that’s true but I’m glad they do. It means there’s someone up there who likes me…”
“Come one, you know that being an APP member has helped you. That someone up there is no doubt another APP member. You guys are a mafia!”
Jamie felt anger welling inside him. Lizzie just couldn’t see the world in any other way than through her golf goggles. “What about you?” he rejoined. “Hasn’t the APP made a difference for you?” 



Today is our Boomer Lit Friday Blog Hop and I urge you to check the excerpts from my fellow Boomer Lit author, click here to start hopping!



Note: FOREVER YOUNG is a serial novel, each episode is self-standing. Part One is available on Amazon, click here, Part Two is here and Part Three, The Immortality Trip is coming soon.

How Close are We to Calculating "Biological Age"?

Chronological age is not the same as biological age and white hair and wrinkles are not reliable biological age markers even if  intuitively we associate wrinkles with codgers. Scientists are still hunting for them but the good news is that they are finally getting close (see NYT article here) 



For example, we now have strong evidence based on studies of the "molecular clock" that men age 4 percent faster than women, which probably explains why women's life expectancy exceeds men's, and that tumor cells age, on average, 40 percent faster than normal cells, thus shedding light on cancer.



Such news reinforce me in my view that the basic premise on which my FOREVER YOUNG novel is based is not, after all, that far off. On the contrary, it is very possible that 200 years from now, we will indeed be able to genetically control the process of aging so that you'll look young every day of your life till you drop dead, i.e. at the end of your "natural" life span - which is likely to be in the neighborhood of 130 to 140 years. 



The catch? Only the ultra rich will be able to afford the expensive age-prevention procedure. Thus is created a profoundly divided world with the ultra rich benefiting from technical advances while the rest of humanity is left behind...



That's the world my "hard" sci-fi novel FOREVER YOUNG seeks to explore ("hard" sci-fi is based on facts and projections into the future, it's not pure fantasy)...And if you believe that those who belong to the Age-Prevention Programme, aka the APP, are happy, you'd be wrong. Things don't work for them either. Take a look at two of the book's main characters, Lizzie, a golf champion and Jamie, an investigative reporter. They are in love with each other, young, rich, good-looking and successful in their respective careers, yet they fight, they're not happy. Here's a sample conversation over breakfast:



“Well?” She said, watching Jamie pouring syrup over his pancakes.
“Well what?”
“Well, why don’t you come to Evian, I’m off Tuesday. I’ve got to be there two days early so I can study the golf course.”
“And what would I do while you study the course?”
“I don’t know. You could keep me company. It’s a beautiful course, it winds its way along the lake. Lovely views on the mountains.”
“I like the sea. Besides, I need to do something. Darling, I’d be bored silly!”
“You’d be bored silly with me?” Her voice grew harsh.
“Of course not. But I like to work, you know that. And now that I’ve got a dream job, I’m not about to give it up.”
“I’m not asking you to give it up. I’m just asking you to be a little more often with me. Why don’t you ever follow me? You haven’t seen me play in a single tournament!”
“Oh, but I have. At the Canadian Women's Open last year…”
“That was last year, before I joined the APP. But now, since we’ve both become APP members, nothing. You’ve never found the time to follow me!”
“I’m not a sports writer, you know that.”
“No, you certainly are not. You’re busy writing so-called investigative pieces for the WUS News. God, you have time for nothing else!”
“They keep me busy, that’s true but I’m glad they do. It means there’s someone up there who likes me…”
“Come one, you know that being an APP member has helped you. That someone up there is no doubt another APP member. You guys are a mafia!”
Jamie felt anger welling inside him. Lizzie just couldn’t see the world in any other way than through her golf goggles. “What about you?” he rejoined. “Hasn’t the APP made a difference for you?” 



Today is our Boomer Lit Friday Blog Hop and I urge you to check the excerpts from my fellow Boomer Lit author, click here to start hopping!



Note: FOREVER YOUNG is a serial novel, each episode is self-standing. Part One is available on Amazon, click here, Part Two is here and Part Three, The Immortality Trip is coming soon.

Violence in Egypt: Christians are Taking the Brunt

Three weeks after the military forcefully removed President Morsi, Egypt is sinking into violence as the Muslim Brotherhood tries to regain power. We all know that. What is less visible is that Christians are taking the brunt: when they are attacked, the police (or military) do not seem to hurry to come to their help, on the contrary. Within a longer New York Times article on the situation in Egypt, there is a small telling paragraph, and I quote:



On July 5, the authorities stood by as an angry crowd set upon Christian families near Luxor, killing four, after the body of a Muslim was found near Christian homes. Amnesty International said in a report issued Tuesday 'Security forces on the scene made only halfhearted attemtps to end violence' (highlighting added)



To read the whole NYT article, click here.  The article is in the right-hand column.



Of course, there have been terrible episodes of violence between Sunni and Shiite Muslims leaving four dead last month in a village near Cairo (see here). It is only a sad coincidence that four were killed in each case. But there's no question that both episodes are a tragedy.



Oh, why is Religion allowed to interfere in politics?

Is it Right to Lock Up Wild Animals in a Zoo or a Marine Park? The Blackfish Scandal

When 'Blackfish' became a 2103 Sundance Festival selection and was premiered there in January, the highly controversial documentary made by investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite about Sea World, a marine park exhibiting orcas (killer whales), began to made waves. Now it is about to be released and more and more people talk about it, the New York Times has reported on it five days ago, it is all over the blogosphere.



Here's the movie trailer:



 



It is indeed a horrifying film about one orca, Tilikum who was so severely affected by her captivity that she reportedly killed her trainer. Whether it is inaccurate and misleading, I don't know but what I do know is that the locking up of wild animals for the pleasure of humans is not humane behavior.  



Not unsurprisingly Sea World has issued a statement saying the film is "shamefully dishonest, deliberately misleading, and scientifically inaccurate." (see here Thelma Adams' report on Yahoo movies)



And what has the filmmaker to say about this? Plenty and click here to find out what her co-writer Tim Zimmermann has to say. Personally, I think it's very clear, the evidence is in and the case is closed. What do you think?

How to Overcome Discouragement

Today I came across a wonderful post that I'd like to share with you, written by C.S.Lakin, a talented writer who became a success the hard way, trying and trying again. She describes herself on her website as a "a novelist, a copyeditor, a writing coach, a mom, a backpacker, and a whole bunch of other things". And above all, she is a warm human being. She knows what it means to hurt, to face failure time and again...and then to come out a winner!



In this particular post she tells you how to overcome discouragement and points to the key: persistence. Of course, we all know that's the key to success, but the way she puts it is particularly striking.



She starts off by noting that discouragement is "a plague among writers, and I keep witnessing this
discouragement popping its ugly head up among my clients and writer
friends." Wow, I couldn't agree more...



Hey, writer friend, she tells you, think of yourself as Sysiphus, rolling the boulder uphill. "Sometimes we work so hard at writing our books, rolling them up the hill
to be noticed by an agent or editor, excited to share our boulder with
the world, only to have the thing roll back down as we watch in
dismay—or, worse yet, as we get crushed underneath as it careens down
the hill."



Some of course have it easy and make it at the first try. But for others, it's not so easy...C.S. Lakin tells us: "As someone who had to wait over twenty years for that first publishing
contract, I consider myself an expert in discouragement. The flip side
of that coin is persistence. Years ago, my agent told me she felt “the
author with the most persistence wins.” 



Yeah, dear author, keep at it, you'll win! As C.S. Lakin puts it, keep pushing it, one day it will erode to the size of a pebble!



Click here to read the whole post.

Is 'Blue Jasmine', Woody Allen's latest, a Boomer Movie?

I haven't seen the movie (it's not yet out in Europe - it's supposed to come to Italy in December) so I can't tell whether it's a movie that will particularly appeal to baby boomers or not, but it's definitely NOT Young Adult - we're far away from 'Hunger Games'!



The trailer suggests we are witnessing the breakdown of a mature woman (Cate Blanchett), a "fallen New York socialite" who's lost  all her money along with her husband who's "a philanderer and a financial huckster", as Dave Itzkoff of the New York Times  put it (see his interesting article here and it's graced by a great cartoon from Thomas Fluharty). She flees New York and stays with her married sister in San Francisco whose husband doesn't look like he appreciates the unexpected house guest...



What do you think? Is this another Boomer movie destined for great success even though it features a woman who's clearly no longer under 30, the kind Hollywood is supposed to prefer. But does Hollywood really still like only young nymphets?