Saturday, January 23, 2010

"Trust Me" Isn't a Good Sales Pitch (for a Lover or a Book)
Editorial by Kevin Smokler - Publishing Perspectives

"Move along!" That's what my meaner self tells me to say when I meet publishers, event producers and literary magazine editors whose mission/passion is "bold new fiction." Move along. I've no room for you in this life and probably not the next one.

I feel terrible about this. I write about and discuss books for fun, and run a small business for authors and readers for a living. I also haven't gone a day without reading in nearly 20 years and give only one gift to newborn babies: a hardcover copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

(read on ...)

Is Giving Too Much Away A Good Idea?
By Edward Nawotka

For a long while now publishers have released sample chapters online to give readers a sense of what a book might be like. You can have them e-mailed to you, download them, or browse for them on the Web. Then there's Amazon's "Look Inside" feature and others that allow you to "browse" the flaps and opening of a book, much like you might do at a bookstore. Unfortunately, argues Kevin Smokler in today's lead story, it isn't working.

(read on ...)

1 comment:

TK Roxborogh said...

Not sure if I agree with Smokler or Nawotka regarding the 'tasters'. I purchased Lush and Access Road BECAUSE I read and enjoyed the online chapter (Lush) and the sampler publication (Access Road) and did not purchase Trowenna Sea (before the controversy) because I did not enjoy the sampler.

As an aside, page 53 Access Road is so wonderful. I recommend to your readers that, when are next in a book store to grab Gee's book and read that page. Wonderful, wonderful stuff