What do YOU do to promote Trek book?

[Ktrek]

After reading this quote by Trent Roman I thought about this new subject for discussion.

Then again, with some careful positioning in the store, we might be able to 'inadvertently' draw in the jigsaw puzzle crowd...

I was wondering how other members help to promote Trek books?

One of the ways I help promote Trek books is by making sure that covers are faced forward for the latest books at the two Barnes and Nobles bookstores I shop.

Another thing I do is at my local Walmart I try and place any Star Trek books they have in their meager Sci-fi section into prominent places.

I also post at various message boards that are Trek related about new books to encourage other Trek fans to buy.

So what do YOU do?

Kevin

 

[KRAD]

^ Well, I keep showing up in this dump................





(Really, I am kidding. I like it here. Bonzie, put down the honor blade.............)

 

[Ktrek]

^ Well, I keep showing up in this dump................

And I for one am glad you do you DenIb Qatlh!

Kevin

 

[Jim Johnson]

I still practice the largely forgotten trick of hand-selling. If I know someone thinking about reading a Trek book, I either hand them my own copy of the book, drag them to the bookstore and stick the book in their hands, or link them to the book on Amazon or BN.com or whatever.

 

[The Grim Ghost]

Absolutely nothing. Kudos for going out of your way to do things like that, but I feel that spending LOTS of my money on the books and buying them new as they come out is all the support I should be required to give.

 

[GodThingFormerly]

So what do YOU do?

Nothing whatsoever, although that may change in the exceedingly unlikely event Simon & Schuster's marketing department ever starts paying me a (very handsome) salary to do their advertising dirty work.

TGT

 

[Ktrek]

So what do YOU do?

Nothing whatsoever, although that may change in the exceedingly unlikely event Simon & Schuster's marketing department ever starts paying me a (very handsome) salary to do their advertising dirty work.

TGT

Absolutely nothing. Kudos for going out of your way to do things like that, but I feel that spending LOTS of my money on the books and buying them new as they come out is all the support I should be required to give.

I don't know why but this kind of makes me sad to read how selfish your personal interest in Star Trek books is. I always am trying to find ways to help other Trek fans discover and get into the books. I guess it never occurred to me that other fans are only interested in their own enjoyment and could care less if others discover the joy of Trek books. I guess it's kind of like fans who feel they hold something so special that they don't want it to be too well known because if too many know their precious object of affection it becomes too common and not so special anymore? Some kind of secret club like the Illuminati?

Kevin

 

[Geoff Thorne]

i recommend, though there is sometimes resistance. I find myself saying, "They're not what you think" or "they're not like that anymore" while facing a lot of bemused shaking heads.

Those that listen to me become fans as a rule.

Those that don't?

Well, the world needs its morons.

IDIC

 

[William Leisner]

I don't know why but this kind of makes me sad to read how selfish your personal interest in Star Trek books is.

Is that really necessary? Insulting other people, calling them "selfish" because they don't think or behave the way you do? Honestly.

 

[Therin of Andor]

So what do YOU do?

For all of the 80s and most of the 90s I wrote a regular column on the current and upcoming book and comic titles, to a distribution of up to 3000 people. I was also a regular writer to the comic lettercols. These days I promote ST publishing on my blog and websites.

The totally unexpected by-products of this work has directly led to me spending several days touring around LA with Bjo Trimble and being invited to morning tea at George Takei's house, interviewing Bob Greenberger in his then-office at DC, an advance copy of "Worlds of DS9 Book 1: Cardassia, Andor" arriving in my letterbox, having a park named after my fanfic character ("Andor: Paradigm"), an Andorian character named for me ("Ex Machina"), and acknowledgments in two books ("Ex Machina" and "Myriad Universes 2").

 

[8of5]

I plug my blog (link), to which I post every scrap of news I ever find about Trek books, comic, toys and other stuffs (which makes me feel like I have more of excuse for the far to much time I spend finding said info :P)

 

[Baerbel Haddrell]

I have been writing my reviews for more than 10 years and distribute them on two websites and on usenet. One of the reason why I keep writing them is in order to promote Star Trek books and sometimes also other books.

When New Frontier was still quite new I wrote articles for German fanzines. I was approached by a German Babylon 5 fanzine as well who wanted to reprint one of them and I got a lot of positive feedback afterwards. I am still promoting New Frontier when there is a good opportunity.

The nickname "New Frontier ambassador" was given to me many years ago in a German Star Trek usenet group and it stuck.

 

[donners22]

I read them on trains, and always stand so people can see the cover (I don't stand for that reason, but it's a by-product of standing!).

I also did book reviews on them throughout secondary school, a couple in front of a class.

 

[Steve Roby]

What do I do to promote Trek books? The Complete Starfleet Library website, now approaching its tenth anniversary as the first website to cover the entire world of Star Trek books in English -- fiction and nonfiction, authorized and unauthorized, from 1967 to 2010 (for now). This is the home of the God Thing page (on Gene Roddenberry's unfinished and unpublished Star Trek novel; latest major update, an interview with Susan Sackett, in July 2008) and the Lost Books page (on dozens of unpublished Trek books, updated and somewhat revamped last month). Latest new feature: a schedule of upcoming books, with an alternate page that uses GoogleDocs and Exhibit 2.0 for more user control over the information displayed.

There's also the Starfleet Library blog, which is generally more oriented towards commentary and reviews.

It's a start.

 

[PaulSimpson]

Yes, but apart from the...

Complete Starfleet Library website...
the Lost Books page...
and the Starfleet Library blog,

what have the Robys ever done for Trek literature?

 

[elaithin]

I read them. That's all. And I don't think that makes me selfish in the slightest.

 

[OmahaStar]

I still practice the largely forgotten trick of hand-selling. If I know someone thinking about reading a Trek book, I either hand them my own copy of the book, drag them to the bookstore and stick the book in their hands, or link them to the book on Amazon or BN.com or whatever.

You told me that rash would clear up in a couple days. I don't think it's just a book you gave me.

 

[Christopher]

To promote a Trek book? Let's see... hold a ceremony on a sailing ship in the holodeck... pin another pip to its collar...

 

[JoeZhang]

I don't know why but this kind of makes me sad to read how selfish your personal interest in Star Trek books is.

Kevin

When S&S execs come and work for my business for nothing, I'll be happy to return the favour. I don't work for free and it's not "selfish" to do otherwise. There is an time-based opportunity cost to such activites and if I was really so inclined, I'd spend it on something worthwhile like human rights, the environment.

 

[Smiley]

I will sometimes mention in other parts of TrekBBS if a novel has answered somebody's question or filled in a plot hole. Other than that, I just support the books financially by buying them.