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I Have an Offer For You

Mystics on the Road to Vanishing Point book cover art
Magnificent Desolation cover art

Howdy, friends. I have a proposition for you.

As you are probably aware (or maybe not, because I frankly suck at self-promotion), I have two books in print. I’m working on some other things to bring back into print even as I type this. But for now: two books. One, a novel of regular straight dramatic fiction–that’s Mystics on the Road to Vanishing Point. The other is a short story anthology–that’s Magnificent Desolation.

They’re available from Amazon right now. People continue to buy them, for which I’m grateful. I can see the purchases come through our Amazon affiliation. I’ve released them under a Creative Commons license as well, so you can download them for free. I realize my One Tusk site is dormant at the moment so here’s some direct links here for Mystics and here for Desolation.


Anyway, here’s the proposition: throw me the idea, I give you the book.

What idea? An idea for how to promote the books. Do you know somebody in whose hands it would be in any author’s best interest to have their book land? Do you know somebody who’s looking for short stories to turn into movies (I’m looking at you, indie maniacs with an HD camera and lots of coffee)? Do you know somebody who needs to hire a writer? Hell, are you one of these people?

Or even something not quite as flashy: do you run an arts festival and need somebody to show up and tell stories (and sell books)? (I went down and did a festival thing for Rox, and it was fun. Because Rox rocks.) Do you run a website where you recommend books? Are you a mad reviewer on Amazon?

I hope you see where I’m going with this. I would like for something to start happening, and I figure out of this crowd of folks (and you are one big international crowd—I’ve got the stats right here), there’s got to be somebody who can help me kick this thing in the ass.

What am I offering in return? A free book. Yes, if you think you can do something to help either book, I’ll send you a copy for you to do your thing with. Hell, if you need to hand off the book to somebody else, and things go well and I get some sweet promotion out of the deal, I’ll send you another free book to replace the one you gave away.

(I know it might not sound exciting, but yes, a free book. Help me get to where we’re a huge publishing company and then I promise at that point the swag I offer will get better.)

Here’s what you have to do: e-mail me with your idea (widgett at need coffee dot com), whatever it is and no matter how insane. Well, okay, maybe there is an insanity ceiling. Don’t offer to strip out the pages and use them as papier mache to create a life-size elephant attacking a horde of spear-carrying dental hygenists. Hmm. I dunno, though, that might be cool.

Ahem. But you know what I mean. If I dig the idea, then bang, I’ll send you the book of your choice, whichever one you think you can give the most help to.

Now. There are some limits. The rule on this website holds: Don’t be a dick. Please don’t send me e-mails with some wild story just to get a free book. I’m already giving away the books themselves for free download, so if you just want to read it, go that route. I mean, I really like my stuff to be read, as I’ve said on many occasions, but do understand: books ain’t cheap. I mean, they’re not gold, but if I wind up giving away twenty of these things or something, then understand that’s some serious gas money. Even at today’s gas prices.

Also, if you propose something you’re going to do: all I ask is you give it your best shot. If you actually try it and nothing comes of it, no worries. Just please don’t say you’re going to do something, honestly intend to do it, and then find the copy of the book five years later propping up that slightly shorter leg on your kitchen table when you move house.

I realize you’re all cool froods and I probably don’t even need to have those last two paragraphs, but when you’re sitting in the exit aisle on a plane, they make you at least touch the safety instructions. So.

What say you?

7 comments

  • Go to Fantasy Book Spot as they run an ezine with short stories in and also review books. Speak with Brian or Damon or Jay (though he’s harder to reach). Best of luck!

    Oh, also an author friend of mine self published his own books and went ’round to the bookstores and got their permission to sit in their stores and hawk his own stuff. He did it so well he is now publishing his stuff with Simon and Schuster. (Edited the URL to keep it from blowing up the comment frame on the front page–Widge)

  • I’m a librarian, and we will buy a book if it has reviews in any of the main industry rags. I highly recommend sending a review copy to Publisher’s Weekly on the off chance they review it– instant gold. Otherwise, review copies to major papers, big media blurbs are good.

  • sponser a contest or sweep and giveaway a few copies -lots of avid readers do sweeps myself included andn possibly add some coffee/ chocolates /gift cardor something lke that

  • G.L., thanks I shall do that.

    April, we chatted via e-mail. Thanks again for your help.

    Sarah, I appreciate that comment, but I hesitate to just launch copies of books at people on the off chance they review it. Especially someplace like PW where they probably get that by the thousands each day. If somebody knows somebody at PW, that works for me, though. :)

    Sue: As to a contest, I’ll think on it. It’s a bit outside the scope of what I’m trying to do here, since I’m trying to do some promotional surgical strikes here. :) But if I thought people would be interested in trying to win a copy, I might do that with my next book or something.

    Thanks to everyone. If I haven’t responded to your e-mails yet, it’s because I’m still digging through them! But keep em coming!

  • Widge-
    You might look at oncewritten.com ,they promote all types of books and maaybe you could give a few away in their contests.
    Also Rebeccareads.com is back up and running under new ownership,you might want to check that out.Authorsden.com might be a place (not too famlilar with it).

  • Hello there,

    I have just discovered that when I posted to a major talk show hosts web site that there are many people that actually read them.
    My suggestion would be for you or someone that knows the books to go onto one of these sites, ie; Oprah, Ellen, Dr. Phil ect and strategically place a post where it will get noticed.
    All books carry some kind of message for the reader be it positive or negative and this can be realized by the postie and used.
    It would also broaden your target audience.
    I have not read your books so unfortunately I can not do this for you but I hope I helped in some way.
    Thanks for reading!
    Beth