READ MY BOOK (This is a rant about advertising online.)

Sorry OP :(

Thanks. Don't worry, I'm mainly ranting because everything isn't instantly perfect all the time. Really things are going well, but there should be a huge ground swell of support for reading when times get tough.

It will work out in the end, probably faster than I think.

(Fingers crossed.)

Blessings and I hope things come together quickly and even better than dreamed for you...


I love books, don't feel comfortable without having them around :)


I'm even against the eReader movement...


I like to hold that paper in my hands and smell it.

Hey OP,

I've been giving consideration to writing something and giving it away as well. Here are the things that I'm curious about...

What methods of delivery did you use?

How did you market the book?

What feedback did you get?

Was the book targeted to a specific group/segment, or was this something that anyone could relate to?

Is there a chance that people simply don't know about it?

Cheers.

This will sound strange, because people should still get my book (eReader, ebook, all that jazz) but I relly lament the dying off of the paper book industry.

No doubt, it;s going down, probably not all the way, but in twenty years books will be on data pads and computers, or downloaded into our brains, probably via the "mark of the beast".

Still, right now, an ebook doesn't do a lot in a power outage.

There's really something to be said for having things in print.

Still and all, people should be reading. Theirs a level of learning and mental processing that you get from longer works, both fiction and non, that's lacking in very short works, television and even radio, though I think some of the old radio plays were a bit better that way than T.V.

Times change, but I really feel that we lose something as a culture if we give up on reading books.

You learn so much more from them than most other sources.

I kind of just posted my ebook philosophy above, so I won't repeat it in depth (reading is the key for me, but what do you read when the power goes out...) as to the article, I'm reading it now.

Thanks.

I agree with you! I read about 2 books a week (they average 200 pgs) and there is just something about having the copy in your hands. Also, yes, you learn so much more from them than most other sources.

Why yes, I have! (Grinning as if it was just finished of course...)

There's a lot in that article that I find myself in agreement with.

The main point though, for my personal world view on this, is that the length, depth of character and developmental breadth, are often lacking in the things we see hear and read now.

There is an immerse quality that long spells of reading provides, where you live the story, you analyze deeply whats being said and you stop to think and consider at times without losing the common plot, that we can't replace yet.

The medium probably doesn't matter that much (until the power goes out) but book length material is more powerful and mentally lasting than very short works.

That doesn't mean bits of data here and there aren't useful or that we should have to live in an old library card catalog in order to have any information at all. That would be silly. But there's no harm in doing both, is there?

What method of delivery was used?

PDF and eReader format, online, downloadable for free. I'm ranting right now, not advertising, but look in my signature below to see for yourself if you like. That part seems to work well enough.


How was it marketed?

The marketing was scant and mainly done by word of mouth online. Don't let yourself be fooled however, in any start up, unless you have money or a "following" already, it;s going to be a fight to get interest, no matter what your giving away free. I've done most (OK all) of the things you are supposed to do and the results are... medium at best for the first month.

Time is also a factor and books running times are measured in years, not weeks or months. I know that.

(Grumble)

What feedback did you get?

The reviews have been all excellent so far. So it doesn't seem to be the quality of the work itself. It's a fiction novel so people can be a lot pickier than with non-fiction, but so far, so good!

Targeting for the book.

Slightly. It's written to have a strong female lead, but the men that have read it all find it easy to accept since it's written in third person omniscient not first person. It's a general audience book, if you like slightly "magical steam punk" fantasy.

Is there a chance people simply don't know about it?

No. There's no chance of that at all, because it is a virtual certainty.

Honestly, that's why I'm ranting today. The internet seems like a giant endless cavern of screaming people sometimes, all clambering for attention. The best place to see this is Twitter, the only place I know where even people with millions of followers are largely ignored and they definitely will ignore you.

It's not impossible to get ahead, but I do have an odd feeling that if I was putting out a video of a chimpanzee masturbating to a picture of the pope, it would be far more popular than a book about... anything really.

More ranting:

OK, so, anyone, do you ever feel like, no matter how talented you might (or might not) be, that unless you know someone, you just aren't going to get ahead in life?

Yes, I'm in a bad mood.

No, it's not that time of the month.

I'll be back to normal later I hope.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I saw the link, I've bookmarked it and will download tomorrow.

I share the same frustrations that you do... *sigh*

I just got a kindle and I love it. Mostly as a way to read all the .pdfs clogging my computer.

But I also buy physical paper books that are worth owning. And collectible, limited release books that go up in value exponentially [take a look at Creation Books or out of print Feral House, and you'll know what I mean]

What's your niche? What do you write?

So far I only have the one out, thought the second one is coming next year. (Yay)

It's a sociological fantasy novel about a woman that is forced to experience a different reality.

You can get it for free from the link in my signature if you like.

Um, if you like it, please tell your friends?

Yes, reduced to begging people to spread the word... sigh. Still, it's a good point, I think. If we want to keep orange cat publishing going, and trust me we do, it;s a great idea, then the word will have to spread!

Thanks.

I'm goin through the same thing OP I spent yrs on my book and it is finally done, and not even my friends or family will read it. It only sold 1 copy.

Hey, I will read it, thanks.

I am going to jump on the vampire bandwagon before it's done. The gripping memoir of a bulimic teenage vampire or something. Shit will go viral for sure.

What's the title of your book and what's it about? (I don't think it counts as spam if someone else asks you about it.)

Thanks.

Um...

You have no idea how tempting that idea has been. I've got a great book idea about Vampire hunters that I've just sat on because I really don't want to be like everyone else.

The tale of a bulimic teen vampire sounds funny, but I bet you could get it turned into a movie. Especially if it weighs in at less than eighty typed pages.

Nothing more cinematic than vomiting blood.
I want it to be the first book ever published in comic sans.