Friends of The Write Agenda, this is certainly a strong indicator of all of your efforts. Ann “A.C.” Crispin is giving away 6 -7 chapters of Pirates of the Carribbean ? Certainly a sign of marketing stress and very poor sales. Keep up the pressure on Ann “A.C.” Crispin titles. How much will Disney Books sustain on this one?
” . . . [I]if any prospective reader wants to read a longer excerpt, I am willing to send them the first six or seven chapters via email. Anyone wishing to take me up on this offer, email me via the email address on my website . . . . “
Ann “A.C.” Crispin
Authors take note. As Writer’s Digest said:
“There’s a danger that if you give away too many samples, you’ll actually compete with yourself. Warner doesn’t want Seal Press authors to give away more than a chapter (at most, two) from their books. And if you’re writing nonfiction, you kill the incentive for people to read your book if you give away the same information in articles, posts, blog entries and so on.
You also need to be aware of overkill. The danger is that if your site is so information packed, filled with articles, links, stories, message boards and so on, readers will lose focus. They’ll get caught up following your links around and never bother buying your book, which they forgot about after the third click.” (Emphasis Added).
References
Crispin, Ann. Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Aug. 2011. <http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=841845439&sk=wall>.
Genre, Writing. “Giving It Away | WritersDigest.com.” Write Better, Get Published, Be Creative | WritersDigest.com. Web. 12 Aug. 2011. <http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/by-writing-goal/business-legal-matters/giving_it_away>.
