I subscribe to Minotaur Book’s newsletter. This morning, I recevied an email offering a free electronic copy of John Hart‘s The King of Lies. It’s part of a promotion for Hart’s upcoming novel, The Last Child
Up until receiving this email, I had never heard of John Hart, but I immediately clicked on the link (click here to do so yourself). After submitting some basic information about myself, I got a PDF mailed to me almost immediately. From scanning the first few pages, I would say he’s probably in the same genre as John Grisham. I don’t read procedural type novels all that often, but I enjoy them when I do.
Personally, I think this is a wonderful way to promote authors and their upcoming work. I suppose that’s easy to say when a free book is involved. But think about it. I never even heard of this author before, but a well designed advertisement with a free download connected to it sold me right away. Now, I’m planning on reading one of his previous novels. It like a buy one get one free special without having to buy first. If I love it, guess what I’m going to buy? That’s just me, though. What about my friends and family who will also download this book when I forward the email to them? What about you?
Signing up for the free e-book allows Minotaur and its affiliates to send you additional offers. That might turn people off, but they aren’t the people Minotaur is targetting necessarily in the first place. This helps them get a focus on their audience. Personally, this didn’t bother me because I love bookish ads of any kind, I can mark as spam whatever senders I don’t like (by the way, over 12 hours later and not a single email has resulted from this), and junk mail goes straight to the recycling bin anyway. Regardless, I trust Minotaur Books, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillian to not provide my information to spammers.
What do you think of this promotion? Would something like this appeal to you? What ways have you seen publishers get creative to reach new readers?
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I downloaded this one, too!
I don’t read books I don’t already have on my list, so I’m just never interested in ARCs!
Rebecca Reid’s last blog post..How to Read and Why: Short Stories Retrospective
Kathy, I’m interested to see if we like it.
Rebecca, I know that you read more of the classics than anything else. How do you decide what goes on your lists?
Literate Housewife’s last blog post..A Great Promotion from Minotaur Books
Mostly, I search for books that have withstood the test of time: not just best sellers today only but those that are still around after a few years (or a few hundred years). Some of my lists are award winners (Nobel Prize, Pulitzer, Newbery), and some of them lists of books recommended by authors I “trust.” And those people I’m “trusting” aren’t always “right” in terms of my preferences either. For example, one list I had recommended Bridget Jones’ Diary and I started it and couldn’t stand it. I think everyone needs to take lists of “books you must read before you die” with a grain of salt because everyone has different preferences for what is truly great.
I don’t limit it to lists, though. Book blogging has opened my eyes to many books I would never have read. Just the other day I saw a audiobook that someone blogged about a month ago and I picked it up because I decided it was something I was in the mood for.
But I’m still don’t tend to randomly take a book I’ve never heard of and read it, even if the back cover is intriguing. There are too many highly recommended books I haven’t read yet! Maybe when I get through all of those, then I’ll give these currently new “best sellers” a try.
Rebecca Reid’s last blog post..How to Read and Why: Short Stories Retrospective
wow that was long, sorry.
Rebecca Reid’s last blog post..How to Read and Why: Short Stories Retrospective
That sounds interesting, I’ll have to check it out. I have enjoyed the Grisham novels I’ve read so I might very well like Hart, too. Thanks for passing along the information!!
BTW, don’t suppose you could add me to your list of Literate Housewife Approved? *grins sheepishly*
Melissa @ Melissa’s Bookshelf’s last blog post..Thursday Thunks (04.21.09)
i’ve never heard of this type of marketing before, but it seems to be working! the only bookish emails i get are from shelf awareness…but i haven’t received any books from them even after requesting a few.
mainly, publishers, authors, or agents contact me by email and offer what they have. interesting topic.
nat @ book, line, and sinker’s last blog post..They say it’s your birthday…
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