- Joined
- Jul 31, 2019
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- 38
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(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)!
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)!
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