Tips for Self Promotion, Sales, and Advertising discussion
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Michael wrote: "Because this is going to be as big as facebook soon,and Google is still the reigning leader of search engines, it only makes sense for authors and readers to join, promote, educate and share via th..."Hi Michael,
Great idea. I just plus 1 you. Would appreciate it if you did the same for me. My novel is "Once in Every Generation" by Lauren B. Grossman.
What don't either of you realize about the inherent problems of quid-pro-quo actions like that and the long term adverse impact on EBook publishing?
Larry - I agree that quid-pro-quo actions end up having no helpful effect over time. I don't agree that it has a long term adverse impact on EBook publishing in total, though. Too much noise will simply make curators and brands and trusted sources more important, just like in legacy publishing and bookselling. That can definitely make it harder for new authors in the eBook world. However, nowadays authors can connect with readers in a way they couldn't before and becoming a trusted source no longer requires a mainstream media platform. That means an author can still cut through the noise... but it'll be harder the more they need to cut through. That part is the same as it ever was, really, eBook or not.
Gregory K. wrote: "Larry - I agree that quid-pro-quo actions end up having no helpful effect over time. I don't agree that it has a long term adverse impact on EBook publishing in total, though. Too much noise will s..."The New York Times seems to feel otherwise. It recently did a business section story about quid-pro-quo reviews and how they're damaging the overall reliability of reviewer comments.
Yes, I saw that article. But damaging the reliability of reviewer comments isn't the same as damaging eBook publishing. That train has left the station. Damaged reliability of comments is an issue, but on Amazon, at least, pre-dates eBooks. In the end, it simply means that folks need to find trusted sources of reviews or accept gatekeepers' words on things... just like before. Or, of course, if the author is him/herself a trusted source, then that changes the game.
Larry wrote: "Gregory K. wrote: "Larry - I agree that quid-pro-quo actions end up having no helpful effect over time. I don't agree that it has a long term adverse impact on EBook publishing in total, though. To..."Marketing rules the day. I'm not asking for a review, I'm asking for a nod that my site is the best site for a chosen search term. And the more people that agree with that, the more visible I am on-line, thus, the more opportunity I have to sell my works.
Do you honestly think that traditionally published authors don't offer each other quid-pro-quo reviews and testimonials? I don't understand your argument, Larry.
Let me add my two cents. When Amazon first appeared on the scene I always read the reviews people posted for print books. It affected my buying decision a number of times, till I slowly realized that some books with glowing reviews were absolute trash, which made me wonder about the credibility of the reviewers. When I started publishing ebooks and learned that authors were doing this quid pro quo stuff, it made me even more wary of reviews. When I found out that you can hire people for a few bucks to review your ebook, my opinion of the online reviews sank lower. Now I hardly ever read reviews, because I don't trust them. Even the negative reviews could be just somebody who has a grudge against the author. The other thing I've found out is that reviews of my own ebooks seem to have a negligible effect on sales. I have some books that are selling despite having no reviews at all. I've decided not to go out of my way to solicit reviews, and to just concentrate on writing good books. In the end people will follow you if they like your books.
Michael wrote: "Larry wrote: "Gregory K. wrote: "Larry - I agree that quid-pro-quo actions end up having no helpful effect over time. I don't agree that it has a long term adverse impact on EBook publishing in tot..."There's no difference in trying to move your numbers up in search responses via a quid-pro-quo than by trading good reviews with other authors, traditional or EBook. Do I think both types do it-absolutely. Do I think most best-selling authors do it-no. I recently posted a link from the New York Times that addresses the problem. Was unable to quickly put my hands on it. But, John in Message 8 does an excellent job of outlining the many negative results of such practices.
For the record, here's the New York Times article Larry was referencing:http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/20/tec...
I'm doing a couple of things on Google+ people here might find interesting.I have a couple of "circling" strategies that are gaining me hundreds of new followers a week.
1.) I put all the people who follow me into circles, and when those circles get near 500 I share that circle. If anyone is looking to gain a lot of followers quickly, search G+ for "My Famous Circles" and add all those people to your circles, most will follow you. That should give you nearly 2000 followers. When I'm writing this I've published 5 of these circles. I'll have the 6th ready soon.
2.)My other circling strategy can be found by searching for "MBTI - Monday" those are circles based on the test by that name. There are a lot of people in those circles that will follow you back too, but being I'm the maintainer of the circles I get the most benefit from them.
All of this is in support of a novel that I am publishing in serial fashion on G+, The Quest for the Hobo King. I've posted 24 installments (14000 words) and received 73 +1's, 12 shares and dozens of comments. Even a mini-review from a fellow author on the first 14 installments.
Here's a post I did on G+ that gives a good rundown on how effective the serial novel has been so far http://goo.gl/Up5Bo (It's also a marketing strategy aimed at my followers. I'm trying to build consensus.)
I follow everyone who follows me, and automatically put them into a "Famous Circle", so if you're on G+ check me out.
I just set up a Google+ page specifically for my novel, since they're now allowing businesses and products to do that. Check it out here: https://plus.google.com/1169440199046...Don't have too many followers yet (just set it up yesterday) but I figure it can't hurt.
Anthony wrote: "I'm doing a couple of things on Google+ people here might find interesting.I have a couple of "circling" strategies that are gaining me hundreds of new followers a week.
1.) I put all the people..."
Anthony, I'm not sure I understand your first strategy. Wouldn't your followers get annoyed that you are sharing them with random other people and marketers? Isn't this like Facebook sending your contact information without explicit consent to American Express or some other company that wants to contact you with business deals?
I don't mean to be critical -- I think maybe I just don't understand.
Larry wrote: "Michael wrote: "Larry wrote: "Gregory K. wrote: "Larry - I agree that quid-pro-quo actions end up having no helpful effect over time. I don't agree that it has a long term adverse impact on EBook p..."All you have to do, Larry is check the inside jacket of any given book like, say; The Passage, and find that Stephen King has left a glowing review. Why? Because it sells The Passage to his audience. Did he get a kick-back for that? Of course he did. Whether he liked it or even read it or not, he's marketing it for the author. I'm not saying I'd give an author whose book I hated a glowing review, but I'd certainly entertain the thought if I liked the book. I rarely give reviews if I hated the book.
Marketing is not always a white hat practice no matter if you're an indy author looking for that ellusive in, or an author that actually recieves money from their publishing company to market themselves. It's all about getting your story to the reading public.
Adding a +1 to your website or blog will gain you further page ranking on the search engines and so if we join forces and +1 each others websites and/or blogs for your specific search terms, you will see better page ranks on the Google search for your own sites as well as alert others in your 'circles' tthat you recommend te site for those search terms.
Punch in The Judas Syndrome into your Google search bar for me and pick www.the-judas-syndrome as your +1 and I'll do the same for you.
Also join me on Google + at https://plus.google.com/1065581476759...