Readers Speak Out: Authors’ Online Marketing Techniques

DeatriThough I’m an author, I always try to view my actions in social media type groups from the perspective of a reader. To ensure I’m not allowing my author status to taint my view, I often ask readers for their opinion/habits on items. Last month I took it to the people (readers) and asked several questions I believe authors need to hear the answers to. My sample came from reading groups of romance, multicultural-romance, urban lit, chick lit, sci-fi, fantasy, mainstream fiction and general reading groups from social media sites such as Yahoo groups, Facebook, MySpace, Kindleboards…

Instead of placing all of the replies in this post, I will give you the strong themes I saw repeated in the replies of each question. I also asked if the respondents were authors and/or aspiring authors and threw out those responses if they were.

I started off easy:  For those of you who own an iPad, where do you purchase the majority of your eBooks?

  • Only 32 people answered this question. All of them said Amazon and quite a few purchase their eBooks from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Only two said they also purchase from the iBookstore.

Next came the tough questions:

What behaviors in groups (ie: Yahoo groups, Facebook) do authors have that turn you off from purchasing their book(s).  There were two common themes that just about all of the respondents had. I’ve picked two reader responses that capture the essence of the 200+ replies. (Note: I have done a little proofing of the replies and edited out group names.)

  • Turn-offs for me are when authors constantly post a link to their books saying “Buy my book” and pressure me to buy their books if I haven’t purchased them yet. So I’m supposed to buy your book because you’ve flooded my group with your cover and buy link? How about announcing your book once, then posting something more interesting like an interview or a review at later dates? I stress “a review” because I get tired of authors coming in with every review they get, and I also get tired of authors begging for reviews. I’ve had to leave many groups because they’ve been taken over by author promotions.
  • When authors network with your group “until” you purchase their book, and then afterwards they hardly have time to even say “hello.”

Here are additional strong sentiments from readers I polled. Again, I’ll pick a few of the responses that capture the essence of the reader’s feelings:

  • I hate it when an author adds me to groups and their email lists without my permission. I hate, hate, hate, hate this! Did I say I hate this?
  • Things that turn me off from purchasing an author’s book is when you are a fan of that particular author and you give them a compliment or a shout out on a book they’ve written. You take the time to buy the book, read it, rate it and express to them how much you love their work, and they basically ignore you. I’m not saying they need to bend over backwards or anything or you should be some kind of stalker, but just an expression of gratitude that someone is actually paying their money to support you in your endeavors to spin your craft would be nice.
  • Authors who have absolutely no clue what the group is about. I belong to a Nook reading group. We all own Nooks and Nook is in the name of the group. So why do authors post Amazon links to Kindle books that aren’t available on Nook? Because the authors don’t care, they just push their books.
  • Drive by promoters. Authors who ask to be my friend, then instead of even asking how my day was, they start posting “like my page,” or “buy my book,” all over my feed. I also don’t like it when authors join groups and the first thing I see from them is “buy my book.” That’s all they have to say. How about joining the conversation? How about getting to know us and letting us get to know you?
  • I’m in a group where I swear every comment this particular author has goes back to her book. I’m serious, it’s like every email is somehow related to her book.
  • I gave an author a negative review because I didn’t like her book. She was in one of the groups I belong to complaining about my review and how she’d gotten 25 great reviews and mine was the only negative one, so I must not know what I’m talking about. I don’t think she realized I was in the group and the one who wrote the review. I was so angry. A few others jumped into the conversation, but I remained quiet and decided not to purchase this author’s books again. I would have given the author a second chance, but not after this.

What motivates you to click an author’s purchase link? (Note: I only received around 50 responses to this question.) Here are two responses that capture the essence of the responses.

  • I’ve belonged to a group on Yahoo for three years now, and there are certain authors who actually participate in conversations, give and take. It’s about more than their book. I usually buy these authors’ books.
  • What motivates me to buy an author’s book is feedback, reviews, reading the synopsis and reading the samples. Also if they’re a new author overall promotion (friendly in groups) will help in making me more willing to give them a try.

Let’s say you read a novel. Now what about the novel makes you not want to read another book by this author?

  • Over 100 answered this and almost all of them said poor editing. I’m an editor so followed up with many of the respondents and asked what they meant by editing. The majority of them said the manuscript needed to be proof read. Many of them said the plots had holes or inconsistencies and such.
  • There were a few responses such as the back cover blurb didn’t match the book, but otherwise, the readers said they just didn’t like the author’s style.

What do you think about free and $ 0.99 eBooks? I received mixed reviews on this question. Of the 77 who answered, here are the replies that captured the main themes.

  • I like the cheap books to get to know an author. I find a lot of them are poorly edited. I’ve noticed a lot of free eBooks on Amazon lately that aren’t too bad. Much better than the $0.99 eBooks.
  • I will not purchase another $ 0.99 eBook or download a free eBook unless I know the author. I can’t stand another poorly edited book.

I’m sure none of the responses were a surprise, and this was by no means a scientific study, but many times we (authors) get so in the promote-promote-promote mode that we don’t realize we are turning off our readers. Learn from what’s been said by the readers.

Deatri King-Bey

Please help your fellow authors by sharing posts you find helpful.


Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for? Become A Successful Author will be used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author (eBook) for only $4.99 from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble  or print copies for only $7.99 by using the Contact page of this website and tell Dee know how many copies you’d like and shipping address. She’ll email the ordering information.

70 thoughts on “Readers Speak Out: Authors’ Online Marketing Techniques

    1. Deatri Post author

      Thanks Bettye. Quite a few of the responses were like a half page of readers ranting. I felt sorry for them. They want to see the promos because they are readers, but they don’t want to be swamped in them.

      Anywhoooo, have a great day.

      Dee

  1. Tiffany C. Lewis

    Yes, yes, yes. The 99 cent ebook comment was the one that touched my heart. lol.

    But the main concern (and I wish the Lord would touch some of these authors!) is the lack of editing! It is a serious epidemic in Urban lit and it makes me sad. I want to read more Urban Lit but authors rarely deal with professional editors and they run to self publishing. One thing about us African Americans, we always seem to be in a rush 🙂 Well, some of us.

    My thing is, Yes, your story idea is good, Yes you are a good writer, but every, EVERY good author has a GREAT editor by their side, making their writing better. It’s not a crime to pay for editing. It is a crime tho, to punish our readers with these unedited books. And it gives self publishers a bad name.

    1. Leonard D. Hilley II

      Well stated. I love the post, and it’s good to see what turns off potential readers. And the comments are also great!

  2. Shelia Goss

    Timely post because as authors we do need to know what’s effective or ineffective when it comes to marketing. As an avid reader myself and a person on Facebook, I also hate it when someone comes to my FB page and floods it with their book info, etc and then I ask, you do realize I’m an author too right–most don’t because they never took the time to go to my “about me” page, they just start posting their links.

    1. Deatri Post author

      I hear you, Shelia. I’m also a reader, so I don’t mind an author introducing themself and work to me, but to just come in and flood my page with promos is a good way to get unfriended and blocked if it starts up again.

  3. makenzi

    This article was very informative, even though I knew and have witnessed alot of what was said in the article. It still is an eye opener to read it again. Thank you for the information because even though I am an author I’m also a reader and I have the same complaints as other readers.

  4. Marc Vun Kannon

    With regard to this comment:”You take the time to buy the book, read it, rate it and express to them how much you love their work, and they basically ignore you”, I have often responded to comments left by the few readers of my books who leave any (on my blog, for example). I have been told by many other industry professionals not to respond to comments left in a group setting since the group members feel inhibited about discussing a book when the author is looking over their shoulders. In that setting I suppose a private message would be in order.

    1. Deatri Post author

      Hello Marc, thanks for commenting.

      I think it would depend on the relationship you’ve built with the group. Readers do not like it when authors participate in the group a bit before and during the release of his/her novel, but then after the readers in the group have made purchases, the author disappears until time for his her next book to come out. That’s the point most of the readers were making. Social media has changed and it is much more organic than the older, traditional ways of promoting and marketing. It’s something the professionals don’t have a true grip of. None of us do (since it is more organic).

      The best advice I can give is not to join a ton of social media groups. Instead join a few that you can actually participate in. Readers want to feel they know you. You do need to keep in mind you are an author and you represent your brand when you decide how much to allow the readers to get to know about you.
      Sorry I can’t give you exact “how tos” in navigating our new social media world. I say be selective. Each group has its own personality.
      Happy writing and feel free to come back and give us all some hints.

    2. L.M. Brown

      ^^ This ^^

      Some sites, such as Goodreads for example, specifically say in their rules that authors are not allowed to respond to reviews or contact anyone who has read and reviewed/rated your books or you risk being banned.

      I like to respond to people as it is, in my opinion, good manners, but I don’t want to get banned from the site altogether by responding to reviews.

      You are in a no win situation. If you don’t reply you are rude and if you do you are risking a ban.

      1. Deatri Post author

        Hello L. M.

        It would depend on the relationship you’ve built with the group and the rules of the site. From what I’ve found, readers get upset when authors have been participating in the group leading up to their release, during their release, then they disappear. The readers are left feeling used.

        So if you are not allowed to comment on your reviews according to a site, just state you’d like to reply, but you can’t or risk being banned.

        Dee

        1. L.M. Brown

          It isn’t a group per se, it is a site with a huge database of books that readers can leave reviews on. There are groups there too, but the reviewer isn’t necessarily going to be a part of the same ones.

          I have a note on my profile page that is basically a thank you to everyone and an explanation as to why I don’t reply. Whether any of the reviewers have read it is another matter entirely.

          Although I was a member of the site before becoming an author, I was unaware of that rule as you only see it when you go through the author set up. I suspect the readers who are not authors were as ignorant as I was about the rule.

  5. Toby K. Davis

    Dea,
    I am a new author and just getting my feet wet in the online world. I greatly appreciate your remarks and am sure they will help me as I begin this venture. Sometimes it seems you hit a button and your “link” goes places you never intended it to go. I want people to become familiar with my writing and provide valuable feedback as I work on a sequel to my Middle Grade/YA fantasy adventure, but I don’t want to be pushy or arrogant. I am an avid reader, and writing is a passion. I finally was able to take the time and get my book completed, edited and published. It is a totally incredible time for me and I hope I don’t make the mistakes you talk about in this post as people become aware of me…Advice is welcome, effective writing is the soul of imagination, and the real answer to change.

    1. Deatri Post author

      Hello Toby,

      I’m so glad you found the article helpful. Be sure to roam around the site, I’m sure you’ll find more that will interest you. I’m always around for questions.

      Have a great day
      Dee

  6. Linda Austin

    This is just spot on. I’ve seen a lot of this bad behavior in Yahoo groups and have quit them. Also on FB and LinkedIn – and it continues after someone else posts an article just like this! Blinded by their own light. Be sure I will pass this on.

    1. Deatri Post author

      Thank you Linda,

      I’m afraid many author will not listen though. I’m a big reader and have quit many groups because of the types of things the readers listed in the article.

      Have a great weekend.

      Dee

  7. Ross M Kitson

    This was a great article and made me pause and think several times about how I approach publicising my book. I’ve been guilty of blitzing Twitter the last month, but Twitter is such a transient media that I’m not sure how much a problem that is. Regards the forum/group bit, I do agree- I’m far likelier to give the author a chance once I’ve got a sense of his tastes, his style, his influences etc than an in your face ‘buy this’ usually in caps.
    A great read, thanks.
    Ross

    1. Deatri Post author

      Hello Ross, thank you for commenting and I was hoping the article would make us (authors) stop for a moment and look at what we are doing. Many times it takes others to point it out. And when I say others, I mean your everyday reader, not the “Pros.”

      Thanks again and I hope you come on back.
      Dee

  8. Chris Longmuir

    I really appreciated this post. As a writer it’s so difficult to know what to do to promote yourself without getting up the readers’ noses. I get so tired of the constant posts about books on a lot of groups that I’m reluctant to follow their lead. After all, if I don’t like being spammed it’s not a big jump to realize that there are lots of people who get turned off as well. So the dilemma is, how do you get your name out there if you don’t tell anyone you write books?

    1. Deatri Post author

      Thanks Chris,

      And I think authors should pick a group or two to actually participate in instead of joining numerous groups and spamming them all. In those few groups, you can get to know the readers and they get to know you. They will, hopefully, be more willing to read your books when they come out because they have that pseudo-personal relationship with the author and will be more inclined to spread the word (word of mouth is the best) and tell others what a great person you are and how classy you are unlike the authors who spam them to death. See what I’m getting at. GOOOOOD luck.

  9. James Guilford

    Thanks for sharing these tidbits, Deatri. For new authors, I think anxiety about sales drives this “marketing madness.” I try to keep in mind that members have joined a group to gain information and insight. If my book (and the many other comments I should be making) add value, then and only then do I post. I’ll keep your tips in mind for my future marketing efforts.

    – James Guilford

  10. L.M. Brown

    I commented above in relation to the not replying to reviews comment, so won’t repeat that here.

    I found the article interesting, though am sure that like many other new authors I am in the catch 22 situation when it comes to promotion.

    I have a calendar set up so that (with the exception of new releases) I only promote the books themselves to each group I am on once a month, more if there are special events (eg My publisher has a chat arranged for its authors or the loop is running a special theme day for excerpts only). Other posts are either blog updates (interviews with other authors or myself blogging with someone else), contests, free reads and general chit chat.

    I suspect some readers would probably say this is still too much unfortunately.

  11. Jan Hurst-Nicholson (@just4kixbooks)

    Thanks for this interesting survey, I’ve posted a link on Kindleboards.
    I think it’s a case of a few writers spoiling it for the rest. It’s disappointing to discover that some readers will no longer try ANY 99c books because of the many editing errors in the ones they have tried. It might be useful if readers mention in their reviews that they found no, or very few editing problems. This might reassure other prospective readers.

  12. Rex Jameson

    This survey seemed to focus on Yahoo Groups, which I’m not really all that knowledgeable about–I don’t even have a Yahoo account. But I do have a Twitter account, and one of the things that really irks me is when after you follow an author, they send you a promotional message to say “Buy my book!”

    If you’re going to immediately respond, I think it should feel less canned, and it should point to something interesting you have to say that is not for a paid novel. I think many authors don’t understand that people follow others on Twitter to see if they have something interesting to say–not just so they can receive yet another advertisement. If you have interesting things to say, people will search for your books.

    If you have a new book out, Tweet about it. Go nuts for a minute. But there’s no reason to post the same twitter messages about your book over and over again. People just ignore it.

    I certainly do. And I’ve seen a lot of complaints from readers about this behavior. Constant direct promotion on Twitter is more likely to produce “unfollow” events than purchases. You have to build trust with the reader, and acting like a salesman doesn’t put people at ease, imo.

    1. Deatri Post author

      Thank you, Rex, I see your points, especially the building trust. I just don’t think authors realize how much they are hurting their brand. Have a great weekend.

      Dee

  13. Anne R. Allen

    What a great survey. It confirms everything I’ve been observing in social media these days. Marketing madness is everywhere. I’m starting to unfollow anybody who responds to a follow with “buy my book; like my FB page, gimme gimme gimme.” Don’t follow a fellow author and assume they’ll be impressed that you wrote a book.

    Very, very interesting to read the responses to the 99 cent pricing. I’m going to pass that on to my publisher.

    Excellent post and excellent blog. I’ll be back.

    1. Deatri Post author

      Thank you Anne,

      I didn’t think there’d be any surprises either, but then when I reflect on how some authors act in these groups, I’m like, “Why don’t they know this?” That’s the million dollar question I guess.

      Have a great weekend.

      Dee

  14. Zrinka

    Well, what can I say that hasn’t been said already? It’s a very infomative post and I’m glad you did this research and post the results. As a new author I tend to not to follow the examples of others, especially if they annoyed me when I was just a mear reader. But, I see it worked for them so I kind of got on board. Though, I try to not to be “in-your-face” kind of thing. I do a few promos a giveaway here and there and try to spradi ti over some time. Not all at once. Not sure if paying for these reveiew sites’ anniversarie parties will be of much profit but it gets me out there and hopefully noticed.
    As for free and .99 cents books and poor editing, I’ve paid $5+ for a book from a good publisher that was poorly edited and I’ve got a great book for free. It just goes to say the price means nothing really.

    1. Deatri Post author

      Thankyou for coming by Zrinka. Please do not pay for reviews. There are too many places out there that do them for free and the free ones have more credibility.

      I know there are some poorly edited books from publishers, but in all honesty, self-published books have a lot more, a heck of a lot more poorly edited books. It doesn’t make the ones that slip through the publishing any better, but I think it’s best to keep things in perspective. I had this author who was using the excuse that because he’d read one of the poorly edited books from a publishing house that basicall traditional and self-published books are equal in quality over all so he didn’t need to have his book edited either. I know you aren’t saying that, but you’d be shocked at what I hear from people trying to get around editing.

      Have a great day,

      Dee

  15. Gerrie Ferris Finger

    Good article. As an author of six full length novels and a new novella, I am aware of the points in your post, but it’s always good to be reminded of what your readers or the general audience thinks. I would love it if I didn’t have to think up ways to introduce readers to my books, in fact I wish I didn’t have to promote at all. There are weeks when I’m writing a new project that I don’t promo at all and Kindle sales fall off dramatically. I can’t account for book store sales. When I start up, sales pick up. It’s a fact. My goal is to keep my name and titles in the minds of readers and the audience as a whole.

    I think it’s good to assess what lists/social sites you post to. Twitter people are a lot more forgiving than FB people, but then Twitter is more drive by, although I’ve established commentaries with many fellow teeters. I particularly like to converse with bookstore tweeters, either online and brick because they promote and review, too.

    Again, thanks for reminding writers to stop and think about over-doing what we must.

    Gerrie Ferris Finger

    1. Deatri Post author

      Thank you Gerrie. From what I’ve heard from the readers, they don’t mind authors promoting, I think it’s the over promoting. The question is what is over promoting? We need each other, readers and authors. Finding that happy medium is the hard part.

      Have a great week.

      Dee

  16. Yvonne Hertzberger

    Very informative. Thank you. One thing did strike a nerve, though. re. $0.99 e-books. Since mine were professionally edited, and I priced the first one at $0.99 to entice readers to try me out, how do I distinguish me work from those poorly edited ones? Their reputation is now colouring mine. Seems like a catch 22.

    1. Deatri Post author

      It sucks, doesn’t it Yvonne? I think of my $.99 as advertizement. They are short, edited and money I didn’t plan on getting back. I actually give them away on my website for free.

      I don’t suggest author release full length manuscripts for $.99. That’s too big of an expense to have edited properly to basically give away.

      Sorry some are ruining it for all. Hang in there.

      Dee

  17. JD Mader

    Thanks for the info. Very interesting. It’s a frustrating situation. I make every effort to reach out to my readers and relate to them as people. I do have to promote my book sometimes. Readers don’t want to pay more than $5 for a book. A professional editor costs at least $500. That is merely one of the costs in producing a book. I will continue to place personal connection above profit, but…author’s perspective here…I don’t like promoting novel. I hate to be a pest. But I am essentially writing to entertain. I am not getting rich. If you read Indie writers, you have to understand that promotion is an important part of the game. Granted, a lot of writers are relentless and tactless, but you can’t expect someone to spend a year or so writing a quality novel, spending money on design and editing, and then NOT push their novel sometimes. How else will it get out there? I don’t want to churn out crappy novels for .99, but the process is a long and involved one. As I said, I try not to spam, and I spend a lot of time writing to my fans. I wrote a 500 word letter to a reader that had a question about my novel today. I did it because I’m not in this for the money. I should be, but I’m not. But some readers seem to not get the process. TV has commercials. You can’t expect a writer who is barely breaking even, who tries to get to know you as a human, who addresses your questions, not to promote their book.

  18. Diane Stephenson

    There is a lot of wisdom here, both in your post, Dee, and in the comments. I have Tweeted it, and I will subscribe to your blog.

    As a writer who has not yet published a book, and as an avid reader, I agree that spamming people with “Buy my book” or “This is what my book is about” is most inappropriate. I prefer to find a less heavy-handed method to promote once I have a book published. As someone said, it should be more about relationship-building. And I hope I’m doing this before I have a book to offer. When I get to know an author in a group as they post valuable information about writing and publishing in general and as I get to know little things about them personally, I am more inclined to want to read what they write.

    1. Deatri Post author

      Thank you for dropping by Diane. The more I listen to readers, I think there are two types of promoting they don’t mind. 1. Authors who come in post their information then leave. 2. Authors who actually participate in the group and promote also (as long as it isn’t overkill).

      I’m finding that readers are feeling used. They don’t want “fake” relationships with authors. If you are in there to just promote your book, then do that and move on. They will either like the book or not. If you are there to build relationships and promote, that’s good to. The readers are more likely to buy your book. If you are there to build relationships to get the reader to buy your book then abandon (one of the readers said “abandon”) the readers once you’ve taken what you want (their money for purchasing your book), then that’s a turn off because they feel deceived.

      Good luck in your journey. I don’t know it all, but I can tell my experiences. I’m always around for questions,

      Dee

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  20. Linda Adams

    Five star reviews turn me off. A lot of writers seem completely enamored by them and spend copious time bragging about the latest one, as if collecting them will give good sales. An author asked me to review his SP anthology of short stories, which I did. The book itself was typo free, which was good, but he noted in the author’s notes that all of them had been rejected by magazines — and evidently, he’d never asked why! He had a bunch of talking heads and no description, bad for fantasy stories that require world building. When I went into to give him a review, he already had a handful of five star reviews. Those made me wonder if the people reading it had just given a checkmark on a list or were inexperienced with basic fantasy! It didn’t help that the author had given himself a 5-star review. Tacky, at best.

  21. Thomas Sullivan

    Thanks for putting this up. I am an author and have noticed on Twitter (where I do occasional promo)that I’m really bugged by an author whose every tweet is about their book or a new review. Having read this, I now know it’s not just me. Could I put this post up in a tweet? — I think it’d help those serial promoter/authors out there.

    1. Deatri Post author

      Thanks Thomas. When I went into asking the questions, I wondered if it was just me, and quickly found out, it wasn’t.

      And please do share the post. There are share buttons on the bottom of the post.

      Dee

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  23. Kevin Michaels

    Sorry – I’m a little late to the party but I thoroughly enjoyed this post. I think too many writers have jumped on the bandwagon when it comes to self-promotion and not really thought through some kind of strategy….too many “experts” have touted social media as the best way to attract readers and I don’t think that’s a worthwhile way to go about promoting your book. I use FB to rant and rave about things that piss me off as well as keep in touch with friends (many of whom are writers), but I’ve limited my FB posts about my book to note-worthy events and occasional updates….I’m more interested in finding READERS not other writers for my work.

    BTW- I disagree with those who claim they won’t buy .99 books because they are worried about poor quality or editing. Lowering the price to .99 can be part of a strategic plan to increase volume and drive sales – if you can get more people to take a chance at .99 you can hopefully create more reviews that spark interest from others who haven’t yet bought the book. There are many poorly written and poorly edited books at .99, but I’d guess there are quite a few with the same kind of problems at much higher prices.

    All in all, a great and worthwhile post! Sorry it took so long to find my way here.

  24. J. R. Nova

    Ah, thanks so much for the information. It’s always good to have a clearer idea of how to operate, and when it comes from actual readers, it’s even better!

  25. James W. Lewis

    Thanks for the in-depth survey. I agree with a lot of the comments on the things that are annoying, especially constant “buy my book” or “like my page” comments. Whenever someone gives me feedback on my book on FB, good or bad, I always thank them for reading. I make it a priority to respond.

  26. Baird

    I like how this review comments about authors pushing their books being annoying…then at the bottom it has a rather pushing paragraph for a book on how to publish your book (sorry, just love the irony lol)

    1. Deatri Post author

      No need to be sorry. I don’t think it ironic to go onto a site owned by Become A Successful Author to see the book promoted there. That’s expected, not ironic. Now if someone who didn’t own or moderate the site came in and posted their promo in the comments of each of the post, that would be pushing, annoying, and wrong. IJS

  27. Krystol Diggs

    I feel that online marketing can be VERY tough. There always need to be a plan with being an successful author. I have a hard time with marketing in general but this blog entry has helped me a lot. Thanks a lot, Deatri!

  28. www.rhondajacksonjoseph.com

    Great post, Dee! I agree with all the respondents indicated, and I have to admit that my agreeing is a big part of what keeps me from even attempting to promote my books effectively in these venues, unless specifically invited. I can’t wrap my head around how it can be okay to do these things and annoy and turn people off with self-centered agendas.

    But I also know there is a way to do it where it works and doesn’t push any buttons. Writers who I interact with frequently and know the quality of their work always get a free pass from me on this, because they aren’t behaving like this, anyway.

    Admittedly, examples of writers outside my inner circles who are “doing it right” are few and far between. I may even miss quite a few of them because I tend to ignore these types of repeated messages from the onset.

    It’s a fine line I don’t want to walk right now.

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  32. Pingback: The Weekend Roundup – 20th May | Jack Lusted

  33. Raynetta Manees

    A very interesting and informative article. I’ve been thinking about offering a .99 cent book, and this certainly gave me something to think about there. I’m feeling the reader who said the author she contacted didn’t reply or comment. I always try to respond to my readers because I’m a reader, too, and I appreciate it when another author responds to my comment, review, etc.

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