Comments | stacia_kane: On sales, promo, pressure and lists

stacia_kane

On sales, promo, pressure and lists

Mar 02, 2010 19:44

I’m in a release day frame of mind lately, what with DEMON POSSESSED being released last week. See, it’s not just that that book was released, it’s also that it means UNHOLY GHOSTS will be out soon. Well, soonish, lol; three months.

And like any other writer with a book coming out, I’m thinking about promo. See, I want you to buy the book(s). I ( Read more... )

please please please buy my book, readers are neither pets nor slaves, i love readers, in which i open up in an afterschool spe, my opinion for what it's worth, i am serious, i am sad, rantypants, things that make me sick, shut the hell up, we should be in this together, look how philosophical and stuff i am

Comments 8

tinachristopher March 3 2010, 03:46:06 UTC

You made me tear up a little! It's so nice to hear you say you have a symbiotic relationship with your reader and you work for them as well as yourself. I really hope things work out and we can help you make those lists!

And find a way to hurt all those pirates out there, to make them feel the same pain you feel!

stacia_kane March 5 2010, 08:02:58 UTC

Oh, thank you! I'm glad. But it's true; we both have kind of an equal standing in this relationship, you know? And I get tired of people who insist one party is or should be so much more important than the other. I don't think there's any need for that. Sigh.

ex_naomi_ja March 3 2010, 09:13:34 UTC

I love you, Stacia. You always make me think and re-evaluate my opinions on writing and readers.

I was going to wait til payday to buy Demon Possessed since money is tight everywhere right now, but I was lucky enough to win a copy from Juno Books, so yay! Looking forward to Unholy Ghosts :)

stacia_kane March 5 2010, 08:04:44 UTC

Oh, thanks! I love you too, Naomi!! {{hug}} And you know, I spend most of my time thinking about this stuff, so...I certainly try to offer some interesting/different opinions on it.

Lol, I'm looking forward to the release as well! :-)

ex_naomi_ja March 5 2010, 08:43:36 UTC

I think from my POV, now I'm in a position to think seriously about my own writing career, it's great to read this stuff from people who are already where I want to be. I soak up your collective wisdom!

(The comment has been removed)

stacia_kane March 5 2010, 08:10:02 UTC

Exactly. I don't like being classed solely as a writer because I'm not; I've always been a huge reader and still am. It's not an either-or situation. (But at the same time I'm aware that there are some reader activities that I am unable to participate in any longer, like ubersnarky reviews and such.)

And yeah, that's it, isn't it? It's not the money, it's just the sense that you've had something taken from you without your permission, and it sucks.

And I'll never get used to knowing people actually read my books! It's just amazing.

Or... anonymous March 4 2010, 16:48:00 UTC

Another way to look at it, though, Stacia, is that those filesharing pirates would never have bought a copy in the first place. I'm not condoning piracy, but I also don't think those places actually lose sales for a fiction author. (I think they do affect some nonfiction titles.)

As for hitting lists -- again, another perspective: As nice as it is to make a list (and I hope you do!) one of the bestselling SF books year in and year out is Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I don't think it hit any lists when it first came out. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was not a bestseller when first published 1954-55. Interview With a Vampire made no lists when first published...

Re: Or... stacia_kane March 5 2010, 08:18:29 UTC

Oh, I know they probably wouldn't have. That's why my objection isn't so much financial. It's not about money (although anyone who tells you that piracy isn't at least partly the cause for the trouble the publishing industry on the whole has been having is incorrect). It's about the fact that someone has taken a piece of my work, my soul, my imagination, my mind. They feel entitled to have those parts of me and don't think I deserve even a thank-you in return. They feel that I owe it to them to share those parts of me with them, and that's painful on a personal level.

And oh, believe me, I'm not worried about or focusing on lists. I just want to sell well enough to get to write more books and entertain more people. :-) That's why I don't really understand people who are so obsessed with lists. And certainly if given a choice between hitting a list because I was abusive toward my readers, and not hitting the list, I'd rather not hit and still be able to look at myself in the mirror. :-)

Thanks for the comment!