Difficulty of selling books by unknown authors

Don,

I started this disagreement.

Abe is a friend and I spoke highly of his book. What is the problem here? People have been stating opinions all over the place and no one has been imprisoned, banned, or had duct tape put over their mouths or posts. We have disagreed and those who disagreed have spoken.

I don't like to start fights that cause people to leave. I thought the joke was in poor taste. Period. But Don, you came on with big bold letters right after my post with your complaints about people not being able to disagree and I think I had been sufficiently disagreed with.

My husband would have flown airplanes if he had not gotten paid to do so. I never said Brenda didn't have pride. It had nothing to do with Brenda and LC's writing ability. It had to do with a joke I didn't like.

Now if I couldn't say I didn't like the joke, than whose free speech is being silenced?

I just thought this was a good discussion with opinions all over the place. Sometimes posts hit soft places in people's hearts no matter how tough they are. When that happens we should be able to try to explain what was going on.

I hate when people leave, and especially for something I started, where I spoke my opinion. Good bad indifferent, it was my opinion. If you side with Brenda that is your decision and no one has stopped you from doing so.

Carol

D. J. (Don) Stephens wrote:

Shelagh,

You’re right, in the past I have complained about some of the arguments that have taken place on this forum. I apologize for being so presumptive as to voice my thoughts. I forgot that I’m not among the “CHOSEN” allowed to state an opinion. Trust me, it will not happen again!

Don,

Everyone is allowed to voice their thoughts and opinions here. Just as you have complained about the arguments, the person you are defending strongly opposed any moderation on the forum. This opposition to moderation led to the new forum being set up by you, Merri and Mel.

As far as this thread is concerned, it was Carol who expressed an opinion about the post made by LC. Not a single post has been deleted. Everyone hes been allowed his/her say. You were allowed to shout at everyone without censor. Not many forums would allow that. You seen determined to find fault and there really is nothing I can do.

Dear Don,
I cannot count the time that people have told me to shove it into places that I felt no inclination to do so. I have had my feeling hurt, people gang up on me(Pier) and email the message board participants telling them I was a nut. I hope to tell you right now, I am a nut and am proud of it.

I have gone through every strong, forcefull woman there is on these message board who told me that I was not up to their standards of literary excellence.

But!!!

I am still here. I am still here because they are no better than I. Their words mean no more than mine. Their books sell no more than mine, they have nothing more important to say than I do. That includes all these authors on this forum, too.

You would think that language could be used better.

Brenda has not one thing to hide here. She is an excellent writer. I have read her books. I wonder how many people here who would like to cast aspersions on her talent have read her books. It is one thing to contend with the personality conflict that they feel and yet another to have read her work and demean it with out cause.

I am with you on the little group that circles. It is not necessary. It is so highschool crap.

Love,
Betty

It must be the full moon. I stopped by my friend's empty house to pick up her mail. I saw it included a bill she needed to pay. I put it in my car to call her on my cell phone. I forgot. I picked up my mail. I mistakenly took both hers & mine into my house. I went to the store. I called my friend from the car to tell her the amount of the bill. I couldn't find it in the car. She gave me a lecture on responsibility - that I "should have" called from her house instead of taking the bill with me. I told her I didn't need a lesson in responsibility when I was doing her a big favor as her extended trips got longer and longer and my house check and mail pickup likewise increased. Our tone in both cases was not friendly. As it turned out, I had taken her ***** bill into my house as I took in my own mail from my mailbox. I called her with the amount of the bill. We spoke friendly, but I'm still "ticked" that she was angry with me when I am the one put out and doing the favor............It's just quite easy to let little things get out of proportion.

Betty,

I didn't mean in any way to demean Brenda's work. That was not an intention. I just didn't like the joke. I don't think anyone's work was put down.

All our words are important no matter what.

Carol

Hang on Betty; I'm no better than you? Well, darn, here's me thinking I was a better writer than anyone on the forum. That's my bubble burst.

We don't have cliques. I have a bubble burster for circles.

DK,

Sorry you were ticked off. You are right, tomorrow is another day and today's aggravation will be in the past. Friendship is worth more than winning an argument.

Why do these arguments on the forum always flare up at 12.45 am (UK)?

Night all.

Dear DK,
I wish that we lived closer to each other. I imagine that we would be very good friends.

I wish I could walk that boardwalk with you once every little once in a while.

Yesterday, some people were hanging around the little bridge down the way. I drove by, thinking that something was not quite right there, but went on.
They had dumped a large bag of hog guts by the road.

Once, on another message board, someone called me white trash. They did not know what the expression meant.

To me, no civilized person would do such a thing. they would did a hole and put it down. The people who put that bag of guts by the bridge, no matter what race they were, are the trash of humanity.

Your gentle heart, you do not know how lovely you are.

Love,
Betty

Don,

Just perhaps I was defending my friends also. Come on don't let me scare you off.

If you allow me freedom of speech then why do you have to leave because I exercise it?

This makes no sense. You will fight and die for my right to speak, but leave the moment I do?

Where were you when Carol's free speech was stifled. She had a valid point.

Nonsense. Rubbish, Silliness!

Stay and say what you wish and I don't have to agree with you either.

I don't like being threatened like this.

I mistook you for a gentleman, please quit acting like a bully.

Why run out on your friends? Take them with you, How will you defend them if you leave?

I did not mean...

Dear Shelagh,
Everyone is really better at writing than I am.

What I was trying to say, and said it very badly, is that on message boards, strong personalities show up loud and sometimes have more of an expressed opinion than the people who just read and once in a while feel courage enough to post their own opinion.

Often, quiet people are ignored altogether.

They make a post, and then the regular posters are blabbing along and never see them at all. That is the circle that I speak of.

It becomes a little circle where we all express ourselves to each other, stroke each others back, and there we are, a little circle.

A lot of posturing. Like a buch of roosters and chickens afraid they are not cock of the walk.

Love,
Betty

This is one chicken hearted soul, who is going to think before stating any opinion in the future.

I think Brenda and I resolved any issues regarding this. Why do people feel compelled to continue to support Brenda when others were here as well stating opinions. Alice took down her posts. What more can we do? What is wanted here?

I have been told I was unprofessional and given the chance to explain myself. Brenda did so.

Carol

Don, thank you, but please don’t leave. This board needs you. You, along with Abe and some others as well, and yeah, I guess I suppose I could include ol’ stodgy, are such gentlemen. You’d be missed.

And Betty, if ever a woman could be called a sweetheart, it’s you. Thank you for your kind words.

Please reconsider, Don, and don't leave.

LOL! Betty, you are just as accomplished a writer as anyone! I didn't come close to selling 500 books! You are in a very exclusive circle (although you didn't know it!). Most PA books sell no more than a few copies.

If Brenda and Carol are still friends (and I would be surprised if they are not) then why all the fuss and bother?

Where's E. Don? I expected a real dressing down from him! I guess that's still to come!

Shelagh wrote:

LOL! Betty, you are just as accomplished a writer as anyone! I didn't come close to selling 500 books! You are in a very exclusive circle (although you didn't know it!). Most PA books sell no more than a few copies.

If Brenda and Carol are still friends (and I would be surprised if they are not) then why all the fuss and bother?

Where's E. Don? I expected a real dressing down from him! I guess that's still to come!

Shelagh,

E.Don is very smart. Too smart to jump into this one. I would wager he's watched it and stayed clear.

The last row with Carol and E.Don I took E.Don's side.

Don't underestimate E.Don --he has a very admirable amount of patience and forgiveness. Lane said of E.Don, "He often disagrees with me, but his reasons are sound.."

E,Don is very passionate and I admire his gumption. I wish there were more Lane's and E.Don's.

We are out of Lane --let's cherish E. Don and Don and Brenda and Carol and Shelagh and Ann and Betty and everyone else not in this fight. We could all use some love.

Aw, Alice. I've already used all my tissues.

She is right about taking E. Don's side!!!

(I can't decide which icon to use.)



But after all that, this group has been a lifeline to the world.

Alice,

We have disagreements, sadness and love.

Life with all its elements that we write about are right here on this messaageboard.

Love, Carol

Back to difficulty of selling books. My ideas die hard. I am still of the persuasion that collective action works.

I wish we could get behind one book at a time , get everyone who could afford it to buy it from Amazon.

I still think the first book should be Normandy--my reasons are that it has appeal on both sides of the pond, it is a well-written, first-hand account of a significant historical event.

Give it three months, then choose another book. I think we would see progress and maybe even have a best-seller.

Without opposition, I think this plan could work.

Anyone agree with me or disagree. We have how many authors here?

We could even back Brenda's book and help her in her dream.

AW sends missionaries we could promote writers and writing.

I feel that our energy fighting could be rechanneled into helping.

We could promote Don's book too. Our site would be more attractive if we did something --try the carrot approach.

If we got busy doing something worthwhile, we wouldn't have so much time and energy to fight.

I am tired of fighting--time for something else. Carol wants to do something--we all do why don't we spend our remaining moments, years, doing something beneficial?

Who wants to argue with me?

Too funny--if I had only said something incendiary, we would have had everyone marching forth to war.

Since I offered a constructive idea--no takers.

Obviousy the problem with book sales is promotion.
The publishers are doing less of it, the authors don't want to touch it with a ten-foot pole.

Times are a changing, why can't we support each other?

Alice wrote:

Obviousy the problem with book sales is promotion.
The publishers are doing less of it, the authors don't want to touch it with a ten-foot pole.

Are you talking about commercially published books or subsidy ones? Either way, the problem (IMO) is that too many people are writing on subjects that too few care about, or that they have no credentials to write. With the former, editors make bad calls, and with the latter, there's no editor to advise the author of this.

LC wrote:

Alice wrote:

Obviousy the problem with book sales is promotion.
The publishers are doing less of it, the authors don't want to touch it with a ten-foot pole.

Are you talking about commercially published books or subsidy ones? Either way, the problem (IMO) is that too many people are writing on subjects that too few care about, or that they have no credentials to write. With the former, editors make bad calls, and with the latter, there's no editor to advise the author of this.

LC-- I am talking all books. I agree with you--too much slop to wade through.

Funny case in point. I got Dave a stocking stuffer, a book!

He couldn't read it. Lane had helped me write a magazine article. I wished to pay him for his time. He would accept nothing.

I said to Dave," Can you part with this book?"

"Gladly", Dave answered.

I sent the book to Lane and his reaction was memorable.

He sat down to read the book--after the first paragraph he threw it accross the room, one of his dogs retreived it and returned it to him.

After the second paragraph same thing. He said the teeth marks of the dog were far more remarkable than the prose.

All right 360 users here. Two books a piece would come to 720 books sold.

Anyone who participated would automatically have their book considered for the next promotion.

How about it?