Tips for Self Promotion, Sales, and Advertising discussion

From my experience, any award contest worth its salt doesn't require an entry fee. Do a Google on these people and they don't even come up. Let's see, $85 x 100 entries = $8,500. As far as I can see it's a racket.

The IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards and the "IPPY"s both charge just about the same amount, and both are extremely reputable and prestigious, at least in the relatively prestige-free world of Indie Books. Great to have another opportunity to stand out from the crowd. Awards sell books. If that's a scam, well, all marketing is a scam. The Booker Prize is a scam, if you look at it that way. But to get an independent panel of judges choosing your book as a winner means something to readers. Should it? Who cares. It works. Roll with it.

OK, so let's see. Reader's Favorite does nothing but run a contest. It has no literary associations with museums, libraries, publishes no magazine, has no reputation for literary excellence, and even offers a commission program for people to pull suckers into its web. Guess I should look into starting a book awards program since authors are so hungry to have award-winning next to their title, even if it's meaningless.

Well Debra, this is a business for you isn't it?

A) My name isn't Rafe.
B) acceptation - the usual or accepted meaning of a word, phrase, etc.
C) Do you actually read 1200 books/year? That's over 3 books/day. Evelyn Wood would be proud.

You certainly have the right to start a business. USA Books is another of the same ilk. Aspiring authors are a great market as attested to by the number of publishers, editors, and how to books that are on the market. I don't happen to be one of those who thinks a meaningless award would further my sales.

I have my moderator hat on...

Debra, thank you for posting appropriately in the correct area of the group. Thank you for your professional and dignified response to Raff's comments.

On behalf of the group, I apologize for the incivility with which you have been treated here.

I wish you all the best with your contest. Have you Twittered about it? I should be glad to retweet.

www.readersfavorite.com

Rowena Cherry

As a writer/translator I want to thank Debra of Readers Favorite for the excellent services she provides for authors. I sent her a copy of my book, Wave of Terror, and within only a couple of months it was reviewed, rated, and posted in many places such as Amazon, Librarything, public libraries (Seattle library for one) and more. And all this for FREE! I do believe her only stipulation is a book has to be rated 3 stars or more. Thanks again, Debra!

I've just looked at Debra's website and it seems to me they are God's Gift to writers! Many people charge for reviewing books so this a great deal for authors. I have just submitted my book "Oom" for review.

As an aspiring author it is impossible to get an objective opinion on your book. My mum and sister did their best but we authors need to know the truth!

I am all with Raff. There is some kind of riffraff going on here. Trying to make money off writers! Off with you.

Writing is not a competition, like battle of the bands. but if you'd like to give me a review I'd appreciative it.

www.jguevaranovels.com

The Twain Shall Meet, by jguevara. "If you're a Mark Twain fan you'll love it; if not , you will be."

How much do you want to bet that Debra does not really have a library science degree? She was probably just a book duster who started her own get-rich-quick scheme.