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Dennis Collins
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number: 1981
Registered: 06-2002

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Posted on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - 04:58 am:

Has anybody here had any experience with Amazon Connect? It's sort of a blog connected to your books at Amazon that allows readers to ask questions or discuss your work directly with you for all the world to see.

I gotta wonder if there are any filters or other types of troll protection. Amazon has been burned enough times.

Barry Eisler (probably the fastest rising star in the mystery world) has one going. I just reviewed his "The Last Assassin" for Myshelf.com. You can check out his page if you bring up any of his books.

Dennis Collins
Moderator
www.theunrealmccoy.com

Mike Manno
Wandering Member
Post Number: 117
Registered: 11-2004

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Posted on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - 08:36 pm:

Dennis,
I started one this past weekend. I figured that it wouldn't hurt, but so far I've received no feedback on it; I just watch my ranking numbers go up and down. When you are as far down as I am, the sale of one book can move you several thousand places.

Mike Manno
"Murder Most Holy"
Five Star -- June 2006
http://mikemanno.com

Fred Dungan
Unity Member
Post Number: 1814
Registered: 10-2002

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Posted on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - 10:01 pm:

When you are down as far as I am, it stays at zero. I have been consigned to oblivion by forces over which I have little or no control. So be it. I shall shout until my voice is heard.

http://www.fdungan.com/vigilantes.htm

Stephen Lodge
Wandering Member
Post Number: 174
Registered: 06-2004

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Posted on Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - 04:56 am:

I hear you Fred ~

Novels by Stephen Lodge:
"Shadows of Eagles"
"Charley Sunday's Texas Outfit!"
"Nickel-Plated Dream"

Fred Dungan
Unity Member
Post Number: 1815
Registered: 10-2002

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Posted on Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - 12:23 pm:

Add your voice, Stephen, and we will definitely be heard. What we really need is a local author's section on the book racks at our local Walmart.

http://www.fdungan.com/vigilantes.htm

Dennis Collins
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number: 1989
Registered: 06-2002

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Posted on Tuesday, July 04, 2006 - 07:50 am:

Fred... Terrific idea

I just went to the Wal-Mart website, clicked on the "contact us" link and sent that suggestion. Why don't we all do it. I'm going to post the idea at DorothyL (3000+ subscribers) and Murder Must Advertise (around 1000 subscribers) I'm sure that Romance, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi all have writer's forums who might like the idea as well.

Dennis Collins
Moderator
www.theunrealmccoy.com

Laurel Johnson
Unity Member
Post Number: 4311
Registered: 01-2002

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Posted on Tuesday, July 04, 2006 - 08:02 am:

Yes I use the amazon connect feature. Can't see that it helps me much but DID get one comment. Others have read my posts and contacted me privately, but did not comment there.

Laurel Johnson

Laurel Johnson
Unity Member
Post Number: 4312
Registered: 01-2002

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Posted on Tuesday, July 04, 2006 - 08:08 am:

I could not find any "Contact Us" space on the walmart website unless I just overlooked it.

Laurel Johnson

Dennis Collins
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number: 1990
Registered: 06-2002

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Posted on Tuesday, July 04, 2006 - 09:54 am:

The "contact us" link was on the upper right hand corner of the page.

I just sent out that message to DorothyL, Murder Must Advertise, All About Murder, and Motown writers. Probably about 5000 people in all.

Dennis Collins
Moderator
www.theunrealmccoy.com

Fred Dungan
Unity Member
Post Number: 1828
Registered: 10-2002

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Posted on Tuesday, July 04, 2006 - 01:33 pm:

Thanks, Dennis. Ideas aren't worth much unless they are acted upon. What we as writers need most is a reliable marketplace for our works.

http://www.fdungan.com/vigilantes.htm

Dennis Collins
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number: 1992
Registered: 06-2002

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Posted on Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 05:48 am:

I've actually had some feedback (several posted responses) on my mega-multiple postings. One man wrote me a letter saying that he had tried the same thing with the Kroger grocery chain and it was enthusiastically accepted on the local level but got muddied when corporate headquarters got hold of it and began adding restrictions and requirements. (Publisher needed at least a million dollars worth of insurance. Wonder why?)

Anyway, people are noticing it. I hope lots of them contact Wal-Mart.

I got confirmation from Wal-Mart saying that they received my suggestion and will consider it. (Yeah, right)

Dennis Collins
Moderator
www.theunrealmccoy.com

Fred Dungan
Unity Member
Post Number: 1831
Registered: 10-2002

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Posted on Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 12:56 pm:

I wrote Wal-Mart too. If enough of us do it, they might give us local authors some space on their book racks.

http://www.fdungan.com/vigilantes.htm

priceless1
Wisdom Member
Post Number: 648
Registered: 03-2004

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Posted on Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 03:02 pm:

Dennis asked:
"(Publisher needed at least a million dollars worth of insurance. Wonder why?)"

Stores like Target, Costco, Wal-Mart, etc. order books in huge quantities. This may look like a dream come true at first blush. Given the short shelf life of a book, most of these books will end up being returned to the publisher. Since they had to pay for the print run that ended up yielding few sales, this can put a small fry out of business with the blink of an eye. Hence the insurance. Wal-Mart simply wants to make sure the publisher's doors won't fold and sticking them with the books.

Dennis Collins
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number: 1993
Registered: 06-2002

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Posted on Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 05:02 pm:

The key word is Local authors. I'm not talking about chainwide distribution here. There's only one Wal-Mart in my county.

It could easily be a consignment shelf and the turnover time wouldn't be nearly so critical. It's more of a public service and Wal-Mart could use the positive publicity.

Dennis Collins
Moderator
www.theunrealmccoy.com

Claudia Turner VanLydegraf
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number: 2794
Registered: 06-2002

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Posted on Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 07:21 pm:

I went in and talked to WalMart when my book cam out, and ALMOST had the manager there able to stock it, until he got to corporate level and was trying to explain that I was a local author and he wanted to stock the book as a feature in our then, 3 stores, but WalMart finally bugged out an wouldn't let him do it. That was Nov 2001, and I don't think that they have changed their policy about the books yet, at least here, they haven't.

So much for hopes......

Claudia
MINDSIGHT MODERATOR

Bill Nelson
Unity Member
Post Number: 2160
Registered: 10-2002

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Posted on Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 09:40 pm:

I had the same story that Claudia just related, only with two different books.
Corporate is the killer in these chains. A similar, but not as conclusive a desire to stock at Target, also. I don't think that guy even went to corporate, although he said he did.

Dennis Collins
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number: 1995
Registered: 06-2002

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Posted on Thursday, July 06, 2006 - 04:17 am:

That's why I advocate an email blitz to CORPORATE headquarters. I'm getting lots of feedback on my postings and get the feeling that hundreds of authors have responded by contacting Wal-Mart. Hopefully at least some of them are using their creative writing skills to state their case.

It would have to be a local decision made with corporate sanction. Surely there must be some autonomy allowed at the local management level.

Dennis Collins
Moderator
www.theunrealmccoy.com

Fred Dungan
Unity Member
Post Number: 1833
Registered: 10-2002

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Posted on Thursday, July 06, 2006 - 12:20 pm:

I think that we can bring it about. In the past few years, Wal-Mart corporate management has learned some hard lessons about community involvement, i.e. many communities view Wal-Mart as a cultural calamity. What better way for Wal-Mart to correct that image than to feature the works of local writers?

http://www.fdungan.com/vigilantes.htm

Dennis Collins
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number: 2395
Registered: 06-2002

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Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 03:44 pm:

Over at one of the mystery writer's lists that I belong to, there has been some discussion by authors whose publishers refuse to list their books with Amazon because of "unscrupulous" (but unspecified) business practices.

Echelon Press is a small but rapidly growing publisher who covers the full spectrum; mainstream, POD, and Ebooks. Below are the comments of the owner.

I am not sure what people have to complain about with Amazon and their practices. There contract is as straightforward and comparable to any other distributor, we send them several orders a week, they ALWAYS pay on time and I get a detailed accounting of what is selling. Most places don't like that Amazon doesn't pay until they sell a product, but this simply means that there are no returns. I have not had a SINGLE return since we signed up with them. They keep the books until they sell or you ask for them back. What is the difference if they sit on their shelf or yours.

Amazon has been the easiest and most lucrative relationship Echelon has had. By far.

Karen Syed

Dennis Collins
Moderator
www.theunrealmccoy.com
http://theunrealmccoy.blogspot.com

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