Dark Desire and Readers I need your help!
Today’s blog touches on a couple different topics. But before I start, this Thursday’s author interview, is with Penelope Marshall. You don’t want to miss it. Penelope is a great writer in the military/thriller category.
Let’s get started! I want to make the formal announcement that book two in the Dark Desire series, Facade’s Retribution, has been released. It’s on promo price for $1.99 through May 15th. Also, Unveiling Facade, the first in the series, will remain on promo price of 99 cents.
I want to thank all the readers and fans, for your continued support. I want to mention that I finished book three and it’s in revisions. An early June release is planned. Book four is being written now, and expect a July release. I had intended to end the series at the end of book four, but in discussing the series with some readers, I may keep it going.
Where the series goes I am uncertain, but I may write the books after #4 in the POV of one of the other characters. I have included a readers poll at the end of this entry. The question will be which characters POV would you like future books written in. So please vote!
The next topic is a more serious one. It’s a subject that has becoming more problematic for Indie writers and readers alike. I want to say something first before the rant commences. We author’s love our readers and fans. We are readers ourselves and love our authors. We are a community and without each other there is nothing. What follows concerns a small group of readers, but it’s a disturbing trend.
That trend is the expectation of many readers that books should be for free. That paying for our creative efforts has no merit. In fact, in one email I have seen, a beta reader stated that readers shouldn’t have to pay for “stories in our heads.” Others have emailed authors saying. 99 cents/$2.99 was too costly even though the books were excellent.
To further this trend, is Amazon’s policy of allowing ebook returns if it has been read less than 15% of total pages. Writer’s friends of mine have told me they get emails in FB and GoodReads from people asking for free books. Not a word that I’m a huge fan, I will leave you a honest review or anything. Just I want it free. (It has happened to me recently too.)
Where I’m going with this is that, no one in life works for free (unless it’s for a cause, charity or a special needs situation). I blame social media marketing experts for this dilemma that is increasing. In the early going of self-publishing it was espoused that the best way to build a following was to give your books away. That is ludicrous!
For me, that smacks of lazy promotion. It shows lack of respect for the creative effort and develops a mindset that our efforts have no value. I’ve always felt, the best way to promote your work was to be a reader first. Listen to the readers, engage them like one. We writers read as much as write. In effect, I’m a reader and would never, ever ask for a free book.
The problem is, unsuspecting author’s drank this “free” Kool-Aid and now a monster has been hatched. The following link is from an interview in 2007, it is still timely and speaks volumes to what we all face today, as author’s.
When I started this diatribe, I said most or the majority of readers support us, and from the bottom of my heart I thank you all for that. I want to ask the readers to participate in telling those that feel entitled for free books, to inform them what it means to not only the writers but to the readers too. Readers have an incredible voice in all of this. Without readers we have nothing.
The bottom line if free is the culture that determines if a writer is read, in time wonderfully creative author’s will stop writing. Is that what we want to happen?
Thank you for reading, comments agreeing or disagreeing are always welcome. Don’t forget to vote!!
Take Our Poll
