Selling your book through the power of the internet

Imagine you're a writer. You have 90 seconds to sell your book to the entire world, through the power of the internet. Your publisher has paid £400 for this privilege. What do you say?

What a powerful concept!

Sacked from Oxford for beiing too intellectual

The website is the brainchild of David Freeman, a former DJ at BBC Radio Oxford. Freeman specialised in interviewing authors, something he "got away with" for nine years. "Eventually, I was sacked," he tells me. "For being too intellectual! In Oxford!"

The authenticity of presentation - Cutting out the interviewer

He [David Freeman] cut the clips down to 90 seconds. He filmed against a black background, so as not to waste "precious digital space". Now Meet the Author has almost 1,200 writers, and publishers pay - £400 a shot - to get their authors on there.

Something interesting happens when you look at writers talking about their work. Sometimes the writer is what you expect; sometimes he or she is not. Of the recent posts, here's Rhea Coombs, author of My Name Is Angel, about being a crack-addicted prostitute. And yes, she seems genuine. She's unpolished in the right way, and seeing her has made me more likely to pick up her book.

Gripping stuff

James Siegel's pitch for Derailed is one of the best I've seen - great fireside manner. He gets you to imagine a happily married man who sees a woman, "the woman of his dreams", on a train. He wonders what it would be like to have an affair with her. He talks to her. "They go to a seedy hotel room," says Siegel, "and the worst possible thing that could ever happen, happens to them in that hotel room." Now I really want to know what happens in that hotel room.

Why do blogs work? Because they are unfiltered, clearly biased and opinionated. But at least you have transparency... so

Perhaps the new world of book publicity, in which authors are becoming much more accessible, will end up being a bad thing, favouring people who look young and sexy, with spray-on tans and white teeth. Yet part of me is optimistic. When I read a book, I don't want the author to look and sound like a telly-person. I want to see someone who has thought deeply about something and written it down; somebody who has not had their teeth done. Of course, the question is: do others feel like this? And will the feeling persist?

Via the Guardian

This in my mind is also about context, search, engagement marketing, and a new distribution/marketing platform.

For example I personally love Garrison Kellor his voice hypnotic and when I read his books I always hear the metronomic swing of his voice. I am a fan - but would I have sought out his ouvre if I had not been exposed to such an authentic beautiful speaking voice. Probably not.

Great story telling rules all

So lets say you are marketeer, how do I take what I do, my assets to create something that is longer form and far more engaging?

Comments

[David Cushman]

I love this.
imagine if we had CEOs of companies having to do the same - no slick ad campaign behind them, no graphics and image and sound overload - just straight talking head?
How might that work at something like U-switch. Users would get to post directly below their video clip - exposing any bullshit the moment it's uttered. That would encourage them to go back and do it again (and again) - until they tell the truth.
Is this how elections 2010 works? :D

[alan moore]

Yeah, what an interesting take on this.

Hilary Clinton announced her candidature for the Presidency via the internet. Not via CNN or CBS.

So of course we don't stand still - the next step is a the immediate views of the public.

So again, we are midwives at the birth of a new type of politics, more participatory democracy?

Thanks for posting

Alan

[Call of Duty ghost multiplayer crack]

Good post. I will be going through some of these issues as well..