OK, this is me reaching out to all my wonderful readers and asking for a bit of help! Fifty Shades is breaking all publication records while my books merely have quiet and unremarkable sales. Am I jealous, of course I am particularly as from what I have read so far I like to think my books are better, but then I would say that wouldn’t I?
Well maybe just maybe you could help even things out a bit. I have no wish to be famous, in fact I revel in my anonymity, but I would enjoy my writing being read and appreciated more than it is, and of course I quite like the idea of being a bit better off.
If and only if you have the time and the inclination could do something to help young Elizabeth pay the mortgage and keep her of the streets? For example you could make some prints of the flyer above, and every time you are in a café or a wine bar or even a changing room in a dress shop, leave a few where they will be picked up and passed round. Stick one or two up in prominent places or even leave them on car windscreens. If you feel adventurous, dress up in a short skirt and suspenders (girls only!) and hand them out in your local high street. Provided you can avoid getting arrested you could well end up making a lot of new friends!
If that’s not your scene, then simply e mail it to every one in your address book with a note encouraging them to pass it on again. Make it viral, send it to any club or business where it could be of interest, or even send it to your local paper. Maybe you’ve ideas that I’ve not even thought of, but then I’m a writer not a business woman so I’m excused from not knowing how marketing works!
If you can do anything at all, then my appreciation would be off the scale. How would I show it though? I don’t actually know, but no doubt some of you might have a few thoughts on the subject!
You know, if we all knew how "E. L. James" got a major publisher to promote a work that turns out to be a rather bland, run-of-the-mill piece of erotic fiction, not really different from thousands of others published over the years in paperback, on LULU, on Amazon with the exact same theme, well, we'd be rich. For this publisher to think that 50 Shades was "different" or "daring" is laughable. Are people really that ignorant that there are hundreds of really good erotic novels with a BDSM slant right under their noses?
ReplyDeleteYou ask an interesting question. What makes a successful product. Whatever that product be. Why are The Beatles, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson in music. McDonalds. Oreo cookies, Starbucks coffee in food. I Pod, in computers. or Viagara in Erectical function medicine. The answer to all of them, is psychological. All of us want that someone else wants.
ReplyDeleteL
ReplyDeleteno, no this is pathetic, one does not make direct reference in rebuttal
OMG - however, i understand you are not a business lady, you are an 'author'
you are just not suited to this type of battle
oh, if only i had the time . . .
one must approach this in a completely different and inspired tangent
where is your support team, come on L you have spun gold here by comparison to the dross of oops, i nearly used the '50 Shades' soubriquet
it's late and i'm tired so if i'm fired i may pen a tutorial but gawd there is no need for you to be involved in such tawdy aspects - just keep writing but it is no good without a truly dedicated promotion machine - your publishers, well ugh
as i say, i'm tired - so 'good night and good luck' as Ed used to put it
J