Is It Possible to Be "Too Nice" to the Public?

RCRichardson · Aug 4, 2019

(Mods, please move this thread to the appropriate place if this isn't it. Thanks!)

Friends (Romans and countrymen), I've looked around the board for a discussion about this, but it might just be a little too weird to have been addressed before. In fact, it's kind of embarrassing, but if my writing hasn't embarrassed me enough by now, then this probably won't, either (ha, ha!). But I've been writing and rewriting this post for almost an hour, trying to say it the right way without coming across as . . . well, I'll let you be the judge.

To get straight to the point, I've been told by a number of people that, when promoting a book, I shouldn't be "too nice" to potential customers.

For example, on the site that sells my book, I threw in this line in the book's description: "Thank you for your interest in '[title of the book].'"

I've had other authors tell me that is a "big mistake," and that I sound as if I'm "begging" people to buy the book. Some of them have even told me, "Thank people ONLY after they've BOUGHT the book--NEVER before."

But I ask, since when is being nice such a big no-no? When I go to a restaurant, I like it when the owner greets me with, "Thanks for coming!" Why should promoting a book be any different?

And yes, I understand that there are some celebrities who have made a name for themselves via a "bad boy" or "bad girl" image. But for every story I've heard about rudeness "paying off," I can tell you ten more stories where the opposite was true.

So (and I still can't believe I'm even asking this), is it wrong to thank customers before they buy the book? Is thanking people a sign of desperation? Does it hurt book sales? Does the public prefer authors with "nose-in-the-air" egos? If I don't thank people, will Santa leave coal in my stocking? (Oops! You can skip that last one, ha, ha!)

Thanks (if that's not a bad thing for me to say)!

mccardey · Aug 4, 2019

RCRichardson said:
But I ask, since when is being nice such a big no-no? When I go to a restaurant, I like it when the owner greets me with, "Thanks for coming!" Why should promoting a book be any different?

Yes, but by arriving at the resto, you've already really signalled that you're buying a meal - so that's different. It's also different because it's more of a welcome than anything.

RCRichardson said:
And yes, I understand that there are some celebrities who have made a name for themselves via a "bad boy" or "bad girl" image. But for every story I've heard about rudeness "paying off," I can tell you ten more stories where the opposite was true.

So (and I still can't believe I'm even asking this), is it wrong to thank customers before they buy the book? Is thanking people a sign of desperation? Does it hurt book sales? Does the public prefer authors with "nose-in-the-air" egos?

Well, those aren't the only two options, of course.

Thank them after they buy would be my advice, or at least separate the thanks from the browsing in some way. But the best advice would be to check out what all the other sellers are doing - that will be what most people expect.

Ellis Clover · Aug 4, 2019

Hey there

I don't think it's as black and white as you make it sound - that is, declining to thank potential buyers in your advertising isn't my idea of 'rude'. Mingling with potential buyers in person is a different kettle of fish.

I guess I would ask, have you had a look at how other books are advertised - the formatting and wording etc? If you're wanting to present a professional authorial face - and especially if yours is a new face - I'd personally be looking to follow standard conventions. I'm pretty sure that in most online sales blurbs the author is referred to only in the third person (eg 'Another heartwarming story by Larry Lovelylocks' or 'The queen of aquatic horror, Freida Fishbones plumbs new depths of depravity with the latest installment in her Carp Diem series').

Of course, I might be completely off base or misunderstanding you. Would it be possible to share a link to the site/page you've referenced so we can take a look?

Helix · Aug 4, 2019

I think there's a lot of misdirection in this post.

Thanking someone for considering your book is not the same as welcoming someone to the restaurant. There's no interaction.

Not saying 'thank you for considering my book' is fine. It's not rude. Being rude is rude. You get labelled a 'bad boy' of literature if you behave like an absolute arsehole. For the purposes of this discussion, fawning and/or being unctuous are not arseholeish. They can be annoying, but I doubt they make the 'bad boy' threshold.

And, yes, actually thanking someone for buying your book when they haven't bought it does come across as bit desperate.

mccardey · Aug 4, 2019

All of which is not to say that if I did have a public, I wouldn't be nice to them.

Ari Meermans · Aug 4, 2019

Your questions go from the general to the specific and back again. So. In general, a well-placed and sincere "thank you" never goes amiss; we could all stand to show a little more gratitude and kindness, imho.

A nicely written thank you to your readers is entirely appropriate to your acknowledgments page. (So, that's the where.)

Your book blurb is a sales tool—make the most of it as such. There's nothing wrong with adding a simple thank you at the end if you want to, but it adds nothing and can, in fact, detract from the sales copy which is what you want your potential readers to remember. It certainly should not be the first thing they see. They're there to find out what your book is about and whether it would interest them.

Helix · Aug 4, 2019

Ellis Clover said:
'The queen of aquatic horror, Freida Fishbones plumbs new depths of depravity with the latest installment in her Carp Diem series'

If you adopt this nom de plume and write this, I will read the hell out of it.

mccardey · Aug 4, 2019

Helix said:
If you adopt this nom de plume and write this, I will read the hell out of it.

Loan me your copy?

Helix · Aug 4, 2019

mccardey said:
Loan me your copy?

I'll buy you one for your birthday. And I'll ask Ellis to sign it.

AW Admin · Aug 4, 2019

Ari Meermans said:
Your questions go from the general to the specific and back again. So. In general, a well-placed and sincere "thank you" never goes amiss; we could all stand to show a little more gratitude and kindness, imho.

A nicely written thank you to your readers is entirely appropriate to your acknowledgments page. (So, that's the where.)

Your book blurb is a sales tool—make the most of it as such. There's nothing wrong with adding a simple thank you at the end if you want to, but it adds nothing and can, in fact, detract from the sales copy which is what you want your potential readers to remember. It certainly should not be the first thing they see. They're there to find out what your book is about and whether it would interest them.

Ari nailed it.

You're not going about this in the right way; it's not a question of being "too nice"; it's about being professional.

You aren't employed by the public. You are a professional who has created a unique object.

You know from the start that some readers will love your book, and some will hate it.

So yes, sure, say thank you on your acknowledgements page, but not in your sales copy, marketing copy, blurbs, etc.

And I'm moving this to Book Promotion Ideas and Advice.

Chris P · Aug 4, 2019

Others have already said most of what I thought of when reading your post, re professionalism and seeing what others do (industry practice). I would add another way of looking at is that, unless I already know the author, I'm considering buying the book and supporting the author come way down the list. Therefore knowing too much or the author being chummy is irrelevant to whether or not I buy the book. Sell me the book, don't sell me you.

shadowsminder · Aug 4, 2019

I understand your urge to show gratitude for attention (having also been called out for doing this). The problem is how the tone works against purchase psychology.

"Thank you" often signals the end of an exchange. In this situation, the signal is that considering the book is the last action expected before leaving. Your post sounds as if you believe sending potential buyers away before buying your book is "nice", when it's not actually polite.

Visitors want a welcoming (as in, a fully fuctional and attractice) site that offers the information they were looking for (possibly, blurbs and buy links). Reassurance that the book is worth buying is nice.

Auteur · Aug 4, 2019

How about something like:

If you don't buy this book, you're going to hell.

or

<my book title>: It's what smart people are reading

You're welcome.

lizmonster · Aug 4, 2019

As a general rule, you don't want to insert yourself between your book and your reader. You don't actually want them to care about you beyond "hey I liked that I wonder what else they've written?"

As a reader, I don't want to feel any sort of social obligation to the author when I open a book. Heaven forbid I dislike it - or worse, DNF it. I'd feel guilty for days.

Please don't thank me. If I like the book, I'll thank you by reading the next one.

Clairels · Aug 4, 2019

Does J.K. Rowling begin her blurbs with “Thank you for considering Harry Potter for your reading needs! Have a nice day!”

No, she doesn’t, because that would be ridiculous, and she doesn’t have to. If the book description is enticing enough, it will sell itself. If it’s not enticing, then you need to rewrite it so it is. It has nothing to do with being “nice” or “rude.” If you want to be a professional writer, then present your product the way the professionals do.

Polenth · Aug 4, 2019

To expand on what others are saying, imagine writing your original post as though it was a formal letter. Including address and correct greeting at the beginning and a formal sign off and signature at the end. There's nothing wrong with formal letters, but it would come across as not really understanding forums if you did that.

The last thing you want to signal is that you know nothing about how anything works, so you're filling the book description with personal notes instead of telling people what the book is about.

That doesn't mean that you have to be rude to people and that you can't thank them, but there's a time and a place. There are a lot of shades between thanking people any moment you can regardless of whether it's appropriate and being a jerk.

I'll note that you shouldn't seek out readers and reviewers to thank them for reading, because that's the opposite of polite. It'll just come across as creepy. You can thank people in general for buying on social media, you can thank people who contact you, and you can thank people in a note in the book... but don't turn up on their doorstep uninvited.

RCRichardson · Aug 4, 2019

Thanks, mccardey, Ellis Clover, Helix, Ari Meermans,,AW Admin, Chris P, aspirit, Auteur, lizmonster, Clairels and Polenth!

As per your advice, I will move the offending line.

When I added it a while back, sales did, in fact, take a dip, but I would have never thought it was because of that line. Maybe moving it will cause a corresponding boost.

Thanks again for you help with this matter!

(Ellis, the link to the book I was talking about is below. It will probably be later today before I can move the line, and it might take a while for the change to take effect. Thanks again!)

EDIT--I made an error in my initial post, but I don't think it matters. The actual line in my book description is, "Thank you for your interest in '[title of the book]'" (not, "Thank for considering '[title of the book]'"). But again, I'm sure the same advice would apply, so I thank you for that.

Is It Possible to Be "Too Nice" to the Public?

RCRichardson

mccardey

Ellis Clover

watching The Office again

Helix

socially distancing

mccardey

Ari Meermans

MacAllister's Official Minion & Greeter

Helix

socially distancing

mccardey

Helix

socially distancing

AW Admin

Chris P

Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred

shadowsminder

writing in the shadows

Auteur

Redacted

lizmonster

Possibly A Mermaid Queen

Clairels

Born at sea

Polenth

Mushroom

RCRichardson