promotion

From writer David Louis Edelman. Do: buy the author’s books at their preferred venue, if you have the choice, write a positive Amazon review, suggest the author’s work at your book club or reading circle. Don't: pester people to buy the author’s work. More can be found by clicking through, and you'll also be see some great photos (*cough*) of people promoting and protesting DLE's books.

In an attempt to increase book sales, HarperCollins Publishers will begin offering free electronic editions of some of its books on its Web site, including a novel by Paulo Coelho and a cookbook by the Food Network star Robert Irvine. The idea is to give readers the opportunity to sample the books online in the same way that prospective buyers can flip through books in a bookstore.

Someone deserves a raise; this is brilliant. The book may or may not be trash, but it’s going to sell to the millions who live vicariously through TV soap dramas. This isn’t just a tie-in, uh uh. Charm! is supposedly written by a character on the show and has been featured as an integral part of the storyline of All My Children since the end of November.

Book parties transform living rooms into bookstore cafes, and an appearance by the featured author is a promotional boon, helping push a volume to the forefront of reader consciousness. It’s seems to be working well for Kelly Corrigan, whose book The Middle Place is certainly benefiting from the book party rounds.

One side says it was wrong for self-published author Troy Tompkins to sign a fake name to a press release he wrote about his own book—a release that got the attention of a major publisher. The other side is saying Tompkins landed his deal with Simon & Schuster because he was a tireless promoter and his book was great. So, what do you think?

The John W. Campbell Award has open nominations (if you pay the $50 membership fee). Last year he missed the final ballot by 4 votes. This year he's not taking chances. For a nomination, he offers:
* A check for $20,000, plus 20% of all my future writing profits;
* Three nights of raunchy adventure with a pair of bisexual French runway models or David Beckham (your choice);
and more...

How long before you will no longer have the chance to meet your favourite author face to face? With the technology now available to them, more authors are opting out of book tours. Good news in regard to some less-than-engaging writers, and certainly more convenient for the authors, but will readers miss the human interaction?

Some of the runners-up:
* I HAVE to buy this book! My kidnappers had a copy but my dad foolishly paid the ransom an hour too soon.
* If my dog could read, this is definitely the one book that I would want her to read to me!
* I used to be a nobody, and now i have a comment on the back of a book!
Follow the link for even better book blurbs!

Scott Adams of Dilbert fame continues to innovate promotion for his new book Stick to Drawing Comics, Monkey Brain! He recently did an appearance on Second Life, the massive virtual world, where he answered questions about his new book. Afterward, each questioner could kick him in the nads! Funny one was when a Dilbert got to get in on it. This is the video highlights.

You know those personal endorsements you see on the back cover of books? Those are called “blurbs.” You can win valuable prizes, and maybe see your blurb on the back of my book after the next printing, by entering the STICK TO DRAWING COMICS, MONKEY-BRAIN! book blurb contest.