| Author |
Message |
    
Claudia Turner VanLydegraf
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2002 - 02:02 pm: |   |
You all know the thing that we were wondering about a while back with the Amazon site having all of our books listed as "Collectible Editions", well there is another site out there that is even bolder than that one on Amazon and it has books, most likely, by all of us in its listings. My "Notes from Nobody" is listed at a whopping $43.95 (orignially sells for $16.95 at PA) and Dennis, your book lists out at $50.95.... I don't know whether to be elated or furious at the audacity of this company. The company is listed as http://www.alibris.com - check it out... 
Claudia |
Barbie Perkins Cooper
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2002 - 02:42 pm: | |
Condition of Limbo is available -- suppose it could be considered a collector's item now. Heck it is selling for $62.95, and to think I gave the American Cancer Society a special deal -- autographed too!
$62.95! Anybody wanna copy at that price? I still have some, and for that price, I'll autograph it for ya! |
Donna Sussums
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2002 - 02:59 pm: | |
Yikes!
Mine is a bargain at $75.95 but hey, spend fifty bucks and the shipping's on them. Maybe I will run down to the local dry-goods store (yes, we've got one here in our little town) and grab the one and only available copy of A Friendly Smile. Sold thirteen of fifteen copies at a book reading/signing on Saturday. Sold the last two copies on Sunday. Have a reading on the 17th for a writing group, and on the 23rd at a tiny library. Found out A Friendly Smile enjoyed a lovely winter holiday in Mexico and in Hawaii. Just received an e-mail from a woman in Germany who wants to read it. Been researching the publishing field with a whole lot of help from a whole lot of people. Spoke with the local vet who self-published his first book and then had it picked up by a Canadian publisher. His second book is the #1 best seller in BC; his first is hanging in at #7 on the list. Right now he's busy doing audio books, and in September his work hits the USA.
Check him out... Dave Perrin (Never Turn Your Back in the Barn) and (Dr. Dave's Stallside Manner)
Hmmm... Gotta go, guys.
Donna |
Kevin P. Grover
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2002 - 03:16 pm: | |
$55.95 here! Get your copy of my book today as it "Strikes Hard" against your wallet!
I wrote them and asked them how they could justify selling it for that price. I mean, I know that it's their right to re-sell it for whatever they want, but geesh! More to follow.... |
Kevin P. Grover
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2002 - 03:17 pm: | |
I guess my paying Amazon $107 for 7 copies was literally a steal....anyone want to call the cops? |
C. E. Winterland
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2002 - 08:04 pm: | |
Oh you are so BUSTED, Kevin!
I got curious and checked the alibris site, and I must be of low distinction amongst giants, for "Awareness" lists there at a pidley $34.99 - just imagine my disappointment. To think I'm selling it for only $24.00 here at the MindsightSeries site. Don't tell my work, they'll think I'm a failure at business!
CEW |
Dennis Collins
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2002 - 08:15 pm: | |
HHHmmmmmmmmmmm
Wonder what my royalties will be on these babies......... |
LaurieAnne Cruea
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2002 - 08:26 pm: | |
Talk about timing...
I keyed into my search engine "blue murder magazine" (this site has been down since 9-11, and I've been hoping for it to return so I can submit THE SAILOR'S VOICE). Lo and behold, this site is still down. Browsing through the kajillion (sp) other matches, I find an entry labeled www.bastardgenres.com
Don't wipe your eyes, you read that right.
Couldn't resist. I went to check it out. There in the bottom corner of the main page (lame site, btw) was an advertisement "Books you thought you'd never find" with the link to ... www.alibiris.com
this was right after reading this message. I gotta say one thing. They (alibris) have ALL of the Mary Stewart books I have been looking for, for as low as $4.95 in good condition, hardcover. And since the main ONE I've had so much trouble finding is available (287 copies), I can relax and take a breather, and know that I'll be able to find it later. Granted, some of the copies were labeled in worse condition than those priced at $4.95, and these worse ones were priced up to $55. But, I know that I'm not crazy enough to purchase anything that high priced.
Just thought I would chime in on that.
LA |
Kevin P. Grover
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 13, 2002 - 11:30 am: | |
I wrote Albris yesterday, asking them about the price and "hard-to-find" claim. Here was their response:
Hello
The practice in the out-of-print and rare book trade is that, because these are secondary market goods, the owners decide what to charge for them. As in other similar markets, there is no "right" price for any one book, yet the diverse knowledge of a particular title by booksellers is why prices tend to vary. Prices differ because of all kinds of factors, including the condition of the book and the dustjacket. Also the availability of a particular title is a factor in pricing a book. Many of the booksellers on our site also operate stores where the prices may be determined by the seller's familiarity with the local market and/or the global market. Alibris is not, however, in the new and in-print market so our prices are not meant to be competitive with other similar venues.
Alibris has thousands of booksellers with more than 15 million books, many of which do not appear anywhere else on the Internet. As with all sites, prices are controlled by the sellers. You may find the same book on Alibris and elsewhere on the Internet at different prices. I hope you will consider using us when you are looking for books. If you don't, you may never know what you are missing.
Best Regards,
Jolene
Alibris Customer Service
Alibris--Books You Thought You'd Never Find
I wrote them back and asked simply this: if they are not in the "new" or "in-print" business, then why are they marketing my book, and at 4 times the average price?
More to follow.... |
Claudia Turner VanLydegraf
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 13, 2002 - 11:45 am: | |
Kevin,
GOod questions. I thought that my book was "New" and "in print" seeing as how it only came out in mid-August and is printed by a publisher currently. The book is neither old nor rare nor unobtainable from regular sources on-line. So, the criteria they stated make absolutely no sense whatsoever. They failed the test on three counts..... and they are OUT!! I think that they are a rip off company that is trying to prey on the unsuspecting. Also, what do they call a secondary market good, something that was just released and has not gotten the market publicity?? I did note that there were about all the books that I am familiar with from PA writers listed as available, for a huge price increase.
Claudia |
Dennis Collins
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 13, 2002 - 01:52 pm: | |
Website..........
Does anybody know a foolproof way to get hundreds of daily visitors to your website? |
Kevin P. Grover
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 13, 2002 - 03:16 pm: | |
Dennis....
Ever since the UAA joined the internet author's webring...we've averaged between 50-70 hits per day...more on weekends.
All....
Just got this back from Albris. Sounds like a brush-off to me. Perhaps a call to the California consumer council is in order....
Hello,
We do sell some new and used books. We do not control the prices set by are dealers
I'm sorry I could not be of help to your questions.
Have a nice day.
Best Regards,
Jolene
Alibris Customer Service
Alibris--Books You Thought You'd Never Find |
Claudia Turner VanLydegraf
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 13, 2002 - 03:33 pm: | |
Dennis,
No, do you have something you could share with us about how to get that many visitors per day?? I would sure be willing to do something, if it didn't cost much...
Kevin,
Some, I would say that they take their list right off of Amazon or AddAll and up the price. I will look at the site again and see if I can find a phone ## and call them...
Claudia |
C. E. Winterland
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 13, 2002 - 07:21 pm: | |
Dennis,
Do you have your site registered with the free search engines? Be sure to have meta tags in your HTML description header so that when the sites check on the accuracy of what you send them, your site will be high on the list of the search results.
This site averages about 500 to 700 visitors per day... or about 9000 to 12000 hits.
Remember the "Tag Line" theory... put something in your header and reference it on your site that people want to see and search about in their web searches.
Indicating popular writer's sites will bring in writers who are searching the web... like... erm... "writing" "Editing" "publishing" "Author", etc... The Keyword "Writers Forum" brings websearches to this site pretty well. I don't often look at the stats there... but so far this month MSN is topping out Google (which, trust me, is a little different than the norm) for search engine hits. I periodically (maybe once every 2-3 months) go to all the search engines and plug in a few different keywords to see if MindsightSeries.com is still coming up. Google and MSN are often the top search engines, and you'd be surprised to learn what brings up the site... had a search for "four-wheeler crashes" turn up Mindsight... I know why... do you? hehehe
www.dogpile.com is a great source for finding search engines, and they will let you register there for free. Some of the big guy search engines charge you a fee, and I don't use them at all.
Another trick is if you get a blurb on someone's site about your book or you who has good search engine coverage (for example, www.sffworld.com is searchable even in the pay engines) then YOUR site is automatically linked as well, or at least your information is - nifty the way that works.
Good linking can really pay off, and networking (in the traditional sense of the term) is always a great tool for exposure.
This has been "Web-tips" from C.E. Winterland (Is that the sound of a new web-page being thought up by CE? Or just the rusty ol' cogs in his head that are in need of a good oiling?)
CEW |
laurelj
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 05:30 am: | |
You are so darn smart it's almost scary, C.E. I don't have a website, but if I did you just gave out some nifty info.
LaurelJ |
Nancy Mehl
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 07:31 am: | |
C.E,
You scare me too - but for much different reasons...
Nancy |
Jan
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 07:36 am: | |
Another important tip is to put your url on the bottom of every email (and every post on every message board). Also, think about the kinds of boards that are frequented by the folks you want to visit you...then go to those boards and take part when you can (including your sig file at the bottom of each post). Mailing lists frequented by readers of your type of book would be another great place to draw more hits. When I was aggressively looking for sales for my ebook, I subscribed to a dozen mailing lists and visited children's writers boards. I NEVER posted a direct ad to my book, but I took active part and always included my URL. As a result, sales were brisk and my site got a lot of hits. Since I am revising the book for print publication, I don't actively seek hits (though lots of folks link to me so I have pretty good search engine placement) but get a steady stream on my site. My husband also puts little stickers with our website URLS on every piece of mail that leaves our house (actually, I draw the line at manuscripts and student files for my work but he does put it on bills, letters, all kinds of things). Sure, most folks won't look at the site, but maybe some will...and it cost next to nothing so why not? He even put our daughter's URL on her Cozy Coupe -- now that is a tad over the top :-)
Interactivity will also bring in more hits. I have a writing quiz on my site so I get a lot of repeat visitors who enjoy trying the new quiz every month. I also have a poll, which encouraged interactivity. Contests with prizes folks want will bring in people. Also, monthly newsletters are a great way to increase visitors (maybe even the BEST way). If you want to draw readers of your genre -- a newsletter of reviews would be one option (sure, you are seeing some conflict of interest, but folks don't really seem to care when they sign up). You wouldn't review your own book, of course, but you WOULD mention it every month and include a link to where to learn more.
Consistant updating on your site with content that will draw visitors is essential. Otherwise, sure you can get lots of folks to visit ONCE...but are you giving them something to come back for? Are you giving them something that will stick in their heads so they tell their friends. I saw one fantasy writer who put a Hobbit name generator and he gets many many hits because people pass his URL on to others as a fun place to visit. I don't have anything that whimsical, but I do have a monthly writing column and a quick checklist of writing tips (this month it is writing contests), and I get return hits every month.
Jan
http://www.janfields.com
http://www.webdesignforwriters.com <-- the husband's site |
C. E. Winterland
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 07:38 am: | |
LOL! And Happy Valentine's day to y'all too!
I don't know if you have seen my picture, Nancy, but I'm not real scary to look at - everyone always seems to think I'm a teenager. I had a meeting with vendor yesterday who thought I was fresh outta college and like 22 or something. I wear a little facial scruff to disuade that notion, but it doesn't seem to work.
Back when my ex-wife first introduced me to her friends, they honestly thought she was robbing the cradle, and would ask her in hushed, excited whispers, "How old is he?!"
They were just as surprised as every liquor store clerk who actuall IS still in college when they see my drivers license. Heh.
Well, off to work, have a great day everyone!
CEW |
Barbie Perkins Cooper
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 10:17 am: | |
C.E.:
Happy Valentines Day to you too, and to everyone. I've seen your picture although if I'm correct, the one I saw was at Halloween in costume, if my memory is correct. You hold your age well!
You failed to say, was your wife robbing the cradle? That's what I plan to do next time -- and believe me, there will NOT be a next time! Raising one man (actually, including my son this would be raising two) in a lifetime is more than enough, for any woman. I still have my hands full of work to do when hubby is here!
Happy Valentines Day, all. Back to writing! |
Vickie Adkins
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 08:30 pm: | |
Found this neat site. Check it out!
http://Linkstoyou.com
Vickie |
C. E. Winterland
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 14, 2002 - 09:51 pm: | |
Maybe I'm just really skeptical, Vickie, but something about allowing an unknown party access to your root directory on your site unnerves me. I checked out the site. It seems harmless enough, but I'm not going to try it. If anyone does, I'd be very interested to know to see how it works. I'm also very curious to see if their code ads pop ups and such to your site.
CEW |
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