Goodreads Promotion Fail.

As an author I am a member of Goodreads. It's a fairly interesting site for readers and authors.

They have a promotions campaign where you can generate interest in your books by offering a sweepstakes where you give away a copy of one (or more) of your books. I figured it was a good way to get a copy of one of my novels into the hands of a reader who would--you know--actually READ the book and hopefully post a positive review, since the copy is, in essence, a gift. Quid pro quo, as they say.

I offered up my book WORKING CLASS HERO and, as chance would have it, a Charlotte resident won the copy. As the book is set in Charlotte, I thought that was cool and personalized and autographed the copy for the winner. I mailed it off.

A few days later I saw that there was a notice of sale of a copy of my book as "new" listed at Amazon.com. Not "like new", but "new". How could anyone undercut the publisher, since the print copies are POD? I need not have wondered, for the copy being offered as "new" was the personalized and autographed copy I had sent to the basta...I mean winner of the Goodreads contest. One Mr. Hall of Charlotte, NC who runs a bookstore on Amazon.com.

So, this wonderful jackass had me send him a copy of my book so that he could undercut my publisher. He never intended to read it. Of course the book that he is selling as "new" is not. It has been written on quite extensively in pen and ink (by me). And if he did actually read it, again...it's not new.

What a sack of shit.

I won't be doing any more of those giveaways.

WORKING CLASS HERO! By James Robert Smith.