Charles Dickens is one of the few writers that made a very good living writing and selling books before they were done. He did this with 100% integrity. He had quite a following, probably because his work was go darn good.
Technology has advanced tremendously since Dickens’ time, and I’m sure that if he were alive today, he would embrace it. For several reasons, I’ve decided to take a few tips from Dickens, who by the way was an Unitarian Universal-ist, like myself. (We question everything, and we’re always trying to improve the world through our writing.)
There are two things that I’m doing that I find think may interest you. The first is that I’m writing a novel that mimics the style of Janet Evanovich in the Stephanie Plum series. I’m a big fan of Janet’s, and I’ve been thinking for a year or two that I could introduce a new characters that are somewhat like her Stephanie and Lulu. My characters are Beverly and Zularita. Unlike Janet’s characters, they are women who are doing quite well financially. Like Janet’s characters, they are filled with quirks and will run into many unusual situations, such as kangaroos running lose in Yosemite Park and San Francisco. Like Dickens, I’m concerned with social change and these books (while they never say it) do promote social issues.
Like Dickens, I’m making the book available as it is written. Unlike him, I’m doing it through the Internet. It’s very simple. Pay $1 to read the book as it’s written. At the end of a year, you pay $15 to get a hard copy, plus access to .mp3 files that read the book. Plus,you also get a chance to get the follow-up book for $15. This is a win-win-win deal in my opinion. The reader wins because they get an opportunity to read the book, and possibly contribute to its development. I win because it shows that people are interested in my work. Students and teachers win because they can use the development of the book to teach writing classes. Click the picture of this link, Read One for the Road by Alan H. Jordan to get started. The first three chapters are absolutely free.
The other thing that I’m doing is I’m taking books that I’ve written and independently published and making the available to help organizations raise money. It’s possible to raise between $20,000 and $1 million dollars pretty easily. Details may be found at http://max-opp.com/enjoyable-fundraising/
This marketing strategy is still used today. To be on the top and successful in your field, you must follow those who are already successful in that are. Try to mimic them because what they did is already a way to success. This is a fool-proof strategy that gives you a sure way to be successful in business.
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Kathy Baka Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 8:06 am
Rose…GREAT comment!! Very true with everything you have stated.Thanks for stopping by.
Kathy
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Good post Mr. Jordan. =)
I have full respect for people who have passion for writing, making the world better using words to make people understand and then believe. =)
I also do know that this world can be better through the help of writers from around the globe and I’m sure they will inspire others by writing books that promote social issues and awareness.
Thank you for sharing your post.
Maria P recently posted..Dont Walk Away
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Hi Rose,
Thanks for your comments. You might be interested in knowing that I’ve decided to structure the novel as a series of entwined stories, askin the Walter Mosley’s Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned.
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