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Sunday, June 1, 2008

Talk about a Cash Flow!

We've all seen posts on various loops about how to market ourselves as authors. Bookmarks, speaking engagements, book signings. Blogs *VBG*

Yesterday I think this author in Indonesia took the prize. What was his marketing ploy? Something straight out of the Simpsons - he dropped cash - yes, cash! - from an airplane over a soccer field. 100 million rupiah. Before you get too excited and want to head to Indonesia to see if there's anything left, that's worth just under $11K US. Considering that the average worker in Indonesia earns less than $2 a day, it got me wondering. Would it result in those people using that money to buy his book, do you think?

What would you do if you stumbled into a windfall? If someone literally dropped money from the sky. Would you go out and buy his book? Or someone else's? Would you use it to pay off a bill? Or be totally frivolous and self-indulgent?

7 comments:

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

Would I buy the book? Only if I'd wanted to beforehand.

I've been lucky enough to get a windfall. I know what I would/wouldn't do with it.

Julia Smith said...

If it was $20, I'd probably indulge in something over at Chapters. Probably not his book, though. So that seems a strange sort of marketing ploy.

If it was more than $20, I'd be thinking of so many other things that aren't books.

Christine d'Abo said...

That is a hilarious thing to do to get people to buy your book. But the publicity will be worth it.

Amy Ruttan said...

I would put the money to buying a car. I need a new car, correction, I need a minivan to lug my kids, myself, my hubby and my parents around (they don't drive).

So no, I wouldn't buy his book. I'd be squirreling it away.

Sue L said...

Ack! That's crazy! but I guess he's getting good publicity out of it.

Marley Delarose, Author said...

Well, if it was a bit windfall I'd buy a place near some good fishing for CFMan somewhere north out of this heat. With a private office for my writing.

THen I'd take a couple long awaited trips to Scotland, Bolivia, D.C. and Florida

Leah Braemel said...

I doubt I'd be buying his book. Depending on how much it was, I'd either a) pay off my credit cards, or b) put it towards something writing related - a conference or something.

And Marley - what? You mean you wouldn't come visit Canada? *Leah walks away grumbling*