Craig McGinty

One for the authors amongst you

HERE is an interesting move by Hugh Fraser of Blog Relations who has launched a free to download version of spy novel Max, written by Juval Aviv a former employee of Mossad.

Hugh explains that the launch of the audio podcasts of each chapter and accompanying website is aimed to create interest in the books themselves as well as associated products.

He has already built a growing audience for the Storynory series of children's podcasts that can be listened to via any MP3 players.

The "giving it away" business plan in relation to digital products is something I highlighted a short time ago see Seeping into hidden corners.

On writing and publishing

TWO very interesting pieces by Suw Charman that look at the way writers can use the changing use of the internet to their advantage.

Her first piece looks at publishing books for free which neatly dovetails with a piece titled Open publishing - Writing in an age of pirates.

Both highlight the potential that a writer, or any other creative artist, could enjoy from turning their back on the old ways of publishing/marketing, and instead look to allow a piece of work or writing to thrive once free of a fee.

All writers, artists, musicians and creative individuals are yearning to be listened to and today the web allows many to be heard.

From blog to book

HERE is a very interesting read about how the editor of the Lifehacker website, Gina Trapani, went about turning her posts into a book.

It might surprise you that it started with an agent approaching her, although let's face it she had worked really hard to generate a growing audience on the site through her writing.

Seeping into hidden corners

USING blogs, photo sharing and video services can be a very simple method to get your work in front of an audience you would never have reached in the past.

This piece by Cory Doctorow, titled Giving It Away, neatly sums up how Cory gives away digital downloads of his books, knowing that those people who access his work this way wouldn't buy his books anyway.

But the reach and influence you would achieve with this method of marketing and promotion could promote the smallest of publishers into corners of the world they would never have touched with the old methods of promotion.

People would link to an author's website, have the option to watch the writer in an interview, even put the interview on their own site, maybe become involved in the writer's next project via comments and ultimately be part and parcel of the success of a book.