A reader of this blog wrote a very nice comment in which she suggested I be more aggressive about promoting and marketing myself. It’s a reasonable and intelligent suggestion, but…
Self-promotion and aggression were both unheard of my family. If I had won the Pulitzer or the Nobel or an Oscar, my parents’ reaction would have been, “That’s very nice and we’re proud of you, but let’s put the award away in the closet so people don’t think we’re too taken with ourselves.” As for aggression, when I first started studying karate, the first time I dropped a man while sparring, I immediately said, “Oh, I beg your pardon. Are you alright?” I thought the sensei would come unglued; most what he said was in Japanese, but I didn’t need an interpreter.
So, with that in mind, it is with great diffidence that I take computer in hand and, in the words of my advisor, “…beg all my blog readers to review my books on Amazon, or wherever one can submit reviews for eBooks.”
Word of mouth sells books—and just about everything else—better than any advertising campaign ever devised. No one has ever accurately determined what causes something—a book, a blog, a movie, a video, a toy, whatever—to catch the public’s imagination, but for those things that don’t “go viral,” and start selling themselves, word of mouth is what most people rely on. If my friend, the screenwriter Dan Bronson, whose taste in fiction is very like mine, tells me about a book he likes, I am far more likely to buy that book than I am because some critic from the New York Times likes it.
So, if you like my books, positive reviews would be greatly appreciated. If you don’t like them, a diplomatic silence would be equally appreciated; perhaps even more so.
J’ai l’impression que l’on a été élevé à peu près de la même façon…… lorsque je dois me mettre en valeur, je n’y arrive pas et ce n’est pas maintenant que je vais y arriver……j’ai toujours un peu peur de déranger.
Je n’ai pas encore lu vos livres, mais dès que j’aurai ma tablette numérique (en juin), ça sera l’une des premières choses que je vais faire. Ne sachant pas comment la traduction sera faite, je ne peux, pour le moment, en faire la promotion auprès des mes amis !!!!! Vous serez le premier à qui j’en parlerai……. très certainement en bien…..
Il y a une chose dont je suis sûre, c’est que vous me redonnez l’envie de lire……..
Anita
To add to what Mr. Parker has said, I would also suggest to everybody who follows his blog to take a moment and use the social media tags at the bottom of each of his posts.
Share on facebook, add to pintrest – especially when there are pictures in his post. It all helps to spread the word.
TD Bauer
Wisconsin
I do love the way you write!
That’s it – as simple as that!
andrea
I’m glad you took this reader’s suggestion, thank you for asking for reviews. I posted reviews for two of your books on Amazon and on Goodreads.
Isn’t it curious that the attitudes with which we are raised linger with us well past our prime? I can relate to the humility in your household. It was the same in our family. My grandfather was a world renowned medical research scientist, who made significant discoveries and advancements in medicine. He received many awards for his work; some of the awards were quite impressive. I remember sometimes asking him about the recognitions and he brushed the subject off, preferring to tell us about his current work or more likely, impatient to relate a humorous story as he had a wry and well developed sense of humor and loved to laugh. He died when I was in my late twenties, and only after his death did his grandchildren truly learn of all of his achievements. You see, his son, my father, wouldn’t speak of them either.
I do wish that the Return to Laughter book was available in a hard back book because I don’t have a kindle.
I first found your blog about two weeks ago, I then tried immediatley to contact you through your contact e-mail, I have been a fan for years. After reading some of your blog I then realised my attempt at contact was poor, it did not read with the passion that I wanted it to. I was quiet overwhelmed at the thought of trying to tell you how much watching simon and simon when I was 8 had made me want to visit San Diego and how I fell instantly in love with you. For years I used to tell my mum (Im going to go to San Diego and see where this programme was filmed and when I have my first son he ‘ll have blonde hair and blue eyes and I m going to call him Jameson.) My mum uesd to laugh t me and say (of course you will). Well I did all those things, managed to get to San Diego last year and was lucky enough to go to Sea Port, and when I had my first son 22yrs ago now I stuck to my word and Jameson he was called. I tell him and everyone who will listen about how I had a crush on this actor when I was eight and how I am still a dedicated fan today. I recently found and read your book Accidental Cowboy, it was funny, sad and made me realise that there was a man behind the hero image I had held for all those years. An amazing story which I would recommend to any off your fan’s. So without that programme in the 80′s I would have never have experienced Amereica and god knows what my son would have been called. Now after all these years you are still my hero and crush but for many diffrent reasons I still have my crush!!!! but i
I admire all you write about, its so intresting and refreshing. So I’m sorry for the Dear Mr. Parker e-mail its sooooo hard to explain when you finally get the chance that you have dreamed off for nearly 34yrs and tell your hero you still think he’s amazing. Ruby Lee, England.
I think that parents from that generation never gave their children any compliments. I know my parents certainly didn’t give us any praise.
They said they didn’t want any of us to get a “big head”. If I got some As and BS on report card. They would say “Why didn’t you get all As?” The problem was that anything my sisters and I did was never good enough.
JP that was put in a very elegant way! I enjoy your writing it brings out the best in me and everyday speech rather than what I said in haste on Facebook about a situation non related! I addressed the situation by crudely suggesting if the person didn’t have her doctors degree to keep their mouth shut when gossiping. Thank you for this response in your blog a it does inspire me not to speak in haste!
Tena French Halifax NS Canada
I don’t think you should sell yourself sort (pun intended). I enjoy your writing and find it witty and humorous. I do think that other people would enjoy reading your books and your blog.
If you don’t promote yourself who will?
I do also wish Return to Laughter was available in Hard back
Then I am sure I would be giving the best review
I will give one for An Accidental Cowboy though as I love that book
It made me laugh and cry
The bist kind of story
Every couple of weeks, I look at the website Goodreads. This month there is an interesting interview with mystery author Harlan Coban. I haven’t read any of this author’s novels, but after reading his interview and the synopsis for his latest book “Six Years” I’m putting it on my to-read list.
I think author interviews are a fantastic way to market books.
Of all the menial, low paying jobs I’ve taken to put dogfood on the table, I SUCKED the WORST at being a salesman of any stripe. It is a real skill to successfully sell anything. But not only am I rotten at selling anything, I’m about impossible to sell to, as well. Yet, I have found the Amazon reviews(for books, DVD’s, even my authentic Zulu Assegai I purchased from Amazon recently) an EXCELLENT source to help me make up my mind about whether to click, or not to click. I think such positive reviews can make a big difference–they do for me. But, JP, you DO realize, alas, that artistes of many kinds rarely become successful until they have died……L.B.
Earlier today my husband told me about a retired postal worker and union leader who wrote a book and had it published at Hardball Press.
I never heard of this publisher, however there was on the website a section on how to self-publish a book. Some of this information might be helpful.
The website is http://www.timsheard.com/self-publishing.html. The article is entitled “Ten steps to Self-publishing.”