There’s an old cliché: One good turn deserves another.
A more recent one is like it: Pay it forward.
Among authors, I hear about “giving it away.”
The “it” being the writing itself. And why not? I’ve benefited greatly from folks giving their books away. I’ve gotten to enjoy them and learn from them all at the same time. Found some of my all-time favorite authors that way!
So now it’s my turn. I just finished a promotion. For its first five days of life, UNLIKELY MERGER was free. And the authors and publishing company worked to get the word out about the gift.
And yet, still, some contacts, face-to-face as well as online, knew nothing about the book.
Epic Fail! *Face-palm*
(The good news is, UNLIKELY MERGER is only 99¢ for the rest of July! Yea!)
Now I have a new book to give away. So how can I give away thousands of ebook copies of GRIME BEAT?
Tweets, Facebook, Pinterest, and all other social media are great helps, along with good reviews. But I think the key is breaking outside of singular reach.
Sort of like concentric circles get wider and thinner as they spread, fewer will share as it spreads from the center, so it’s key to have a strong initial push.
One author will know people both in person and online. But to really succeed in a strong reach, she will need to access past those awesome folks. Somehow she has to inspire her personal contacts to share the information with their connections in such a way that they will get spread even more.
How to do that is the intrigue. Sharing for others is a good practice that will encourage others to share for you. Finding niche groups within the social media will introduce you to other readers.
That doesn’t seem like enough, but I guess it’s a building process.
Still, I can’t help but feel like the hostess of a banquet begging people to come in. Only instead of shouting “Free food!” I’m shouting, “Free book! Come and get it!”
I hope you’ll get yours!
Your turn: What was the last free book you read? Did you like it?
Marji Laine 