After writing about the subject of giving my work away for free I have decided to do that very thing this week. Have I changed my mind? No, not exactly. I have been dipping my toe into the choppy waters of marketing. It did not take me long to be reminded that you have to invest something to get something. I will admit that I have tried this tactic previously and it was not a roaring success. Reading some of the many guides out there I think one of the problems was that I was too naive. I actually expected that people who receive a gratuity, like a free book, would feel impelled to do something in return, like post a simple review and star rating, but only about 1% of them suffer from that condition.

It seems to be characteristic of the society that we live in now. People tell themselves that nothing is for free, unless they can avoid any semblance of reciprocation, then they can get it for free and feel no guilt whatsoever. I am not so cynical. Well, not about most things. I was reading about building an email list of potential customers. I have to admit that I have tried this previously but, with like most things in marketing, not with any success. Perseverance seems to be the key. That and offering something for free, apparently, but quietly taking something for yourself. It is not stealing, honest. It is a very simple arrangement. I will give you this book for free and the customer will give me their email address. That is it! Clean and simple.

I know, it is not marketing genius, but I am a newbie at this. Well, relatively.

The book I decided to use for my nefarious purposes is Mesozoic. It is a fun story about how the smartest and most beautiful woman in our future world finds herself trapped in the past, the age of the dinosaurs to be more precise, with a team of eclectic time traveling scientists, a murderer, and a traitor. Oh, and there’s a robot as well. And dinosaurs. Lots of dinosaurs. It is a fun read. There are some ideas about what our future society might be like, a good number of strong female characters, humorous banter, action, pace, tension and suspense. It is not a heavy read. Writing it was fun, I think reading it is even more enjoyable.

So, if you are interested in passing a few hours following the adventures of Dr Eva Kiesler as she plunges through a prehistoric time then please contact me at: petecwhit@gmail.com