my 2 cents
Ok, I did only join so I could reply to the MODAS thread, but since I was quoted, I figure I should show up in person.
Reading this thread, I boil it down to a few basic concerns:
Is Modas a legitimate company? - Yes.
What kind of services do they offer? - In my case I said, "I don't know what I need, here's my situation, what do you suggest?" Jennifer suggested and quoted and I made up my mind whether to proceed. At no time did I feel I was under pressure to work with her. She has since made another suggestion at my request, I said blog tours give me hives, she said we could work out something else, I said I wasn't sure if I was ready, she said No Prob, give me a call when you are. Again, no pressure. I give her the highest marks for professionalism and merely being there, available, without trying to hard sell.
Can you quantify the results in terms of sales? - I think that's a tough one whether it's facebook likes or radio spots or posting on an author thread. In my case, I had just sold and knew I needed a marketing plan and asked, "Where do I start?" I wasn't trying to increase sales per se - no books to sell yet. I wanted advice and guidance, a service, and I got it. I'm satisfied.
Are MODAS prices unreasonably high? - To be very blunt, they can charge whatever they think they're worth (and the market will bear if they want to stay alive). If I pretend I'm Jennifer for a minute and I get paid 'x' for my dayjob, and on the side I'm writing books and as a third gig I market other writers, well I want the marketing stuff to pay because we all know the writing thing is not a sure thing. What do you think Nora pays for her publicity team? I'm gonna guess they ain't workin' for peanuts. Given Jennifer's smarts, I'd think she did a competitor analysis of her own and figured out where she wanted to position herself and knows her prices will attract writers willing (and yes, able) to invest in their career.
Can't we do a lot of this stuff ourselves? - Hell ya, but I also have a day job so to carve out writing time, I look at paying for things I can delegate.
I get that we all have to be a little skeptical of ads offering services to writers. Absolutely people get taken advantage of and it's fair to ask if someone is legit. Here's my question: When a company like MODAS starts up, how else can they get the word out that they exist if not by putting an ad in a trade mag like RWR?
This thread has raised a lot of good questions and will hopefully educate the newer writers to do their homework, get feedback from other customers, and be realistic about return on investment.