World, Writing, Wealth discussion
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A possible way to connect with goodreads readers?
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Well, Miss Tara...I realize it looks like I'm creepily following you around, but this is how much I care >< (those aren't my Asian eyes; just trying to show a very, very small amount *smirks*). So pfft to appearances! XD
There are totally GR groups that do this already. Shut up and Read is a fantastic example! They promote a new indie book for RnR every week. A message is sent out to all the members, and whoever's interested can just reply to request the book.
Is this kinda sorta what you had in mind?
Hugs,
Ann
EDIT: Or did you mean on the larger GR scale?
Exactly! I wouldn't mind an approach that was centered around more titles as opposed to a weekly spotlight or featured book. That way anyone with a free book could have a shot at gaining readers. A reader could literally grab a free book a day, every single day!Maybe we could create an inventory of groups here who currently allow this and we could actively recruit more reader sites to participate. It would be sort of a homemade Bookbub
Also, creepy followers doesn't bother me nearly as much as it should ha ha. Follow away, dear Annie, as your comments, though insightful, always make me laugh ;)
(an aside: i'm not stalking you either, but it's just so hard to ignore that bright green background in my notifications drop-down. that's on purpose, right? good marketing takeaway.)Tara wrote: "A reader could literally grab a free book a day, every single day!
Maybe we could create an inventory of groups here who currently allow this and we could actively recruit more reader sites to participate. It would be sort of a homemade Bookbub "
"reader sites"? you mean external to GR?
inventory of groups - do you mean a locked discussion thread?
ah, an "indie bookbub." is this a loose metaphor or do you actually mean advertising indie books in our group, which would involve some vetting? are we resurrecting the group awards discussion?
btw, there are "indie" lists:
https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8...
Bookbub from the reader end, not the author end. Readers would be able to see books in their genre that they can grab for free on a daily basis. Also by inventory I mean a collection of gr reader groups whose mods have given indies permission to promote their free books. An indie mystery writer would promote his free book run to mystery reader groups, within a designated folder in that group. Yes, the thread with the inventory would def be locked to non-members. The sites would be internal to gr - just willing readers' groups.
Alex G wrote: "(an aside: i'm not stalking you either, but it's just so hard to ignore that bright green background in my notifications drop-down. that's on purpose, right? good marketing takeaway.)"Haven't encountered this phenomenon yet. What is it? I heard about green, friendly people without insignia, being undercover Russian soldiers occupying Crimea a couple of years ago, but bright green background? -:)
Tara wrote: "there seems to be an unspannable void on gr between readers and writers...."That's very true and unfortunately, I think it's because of a despicable reputation of the indies in the eyes of many readers.
Imagine Rowling or Dan Brown highjacking a thread in any group here on GR. The readers would be happy, thousands would join the discussion and tell their friends about it.
But if some less known author says, 'hey guys, I've written an excellent romance/thriller/whatever', the excitement might not be the same, to put it mildly.
And I'm not blaming the readers, although with this approach they may miss some good stuff occasionally, what with some authors complaining that their own families weren't excited about their book -:)
Good idea about the inventory!, because many groups indeed provide an opportunity to mention your books and it's good to have it handy which and where.
Tara wrote: "Also by inventory I mean a collection of gr reader groups whose mods have given indies permission to promote their free books. An indie mystery writer would promote his free book run to mystery reader groups, within a designated folder in that group. Yes, the thread with the inventory would def be locked to non-members."Nik wrote: "Good idea about the inventory!, because many groups indeed provide an opportunity to mention your books and it's good to have it handy which and where."
cool. if you create the discussion thread, i'll add the ones i know. SF&F ones.
Great idea Tara! This could definitely work!!And love the analogy about the sixth grade dance...*sigh* memories lol
But what if there was middle ground? Is there any way for indies to reach potential readers on gr without infiltrating their communities? What if we approached the moderators of some of these groups and asked permission to create a single, genre specific promo folder within their groups... For example, romance. Romance Addicts of GR (fictitious) would allow us to place a 'Free Romance!' folder in their group. Subscribers would be alerted to any free or giveaway promos being run by authors. It doesn't interfere with the group dynamic, the author gets to promote to a targeted demographic and readers literally get hand-delivered freebies. It's even possible that the group could gain new members once readers realize they will have access to a constant stream of free ebooks. It seems to be a win-win. We would just need to assure the moderator that we will police ourselves - no spamming, no double dipping, no books that aren't free etc. Eventually we could approach the mod about the possibility of adding a $0.99 folder.
Is this workable?