tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post1947674098297089839..comments2023-10-03T11:41:21.191+01:00Comments on The Truth About Lies: Our Tragic UniverseJim Murdochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-15510865013476334392010-05-27T10:15:57.432+01:002010-05-27T10:15:57.432+01:00When I want to find out about a book I do one of t...When I want to find out about a book I do one of two things, <b>Conda</b>: type the name into Google or look for it on Amazon. More often than not I check Amazon first because there I have reviews and purchase options (including used which I always go for) all in the one interface. Web users are basically lazy. We want everything one click away and the more work you expect a potential customer to do the less chance there is that they’ll buy anything.<br /><br />And the above is fine when you know what you want. The Web is like a dictionary that way. As long as you know the word then a dictionary is a great thing but what happen if you only know the definition? That’s where it’s down to pure chance. When you check my site on a Monday you’re basically browsing. Marketing is hard because no one is looking for you. You need to find out where people are looking, stand there and do something interesting to catch their attention. Easily said.<br /><br />I really have to wonder whether the publishers who very kindly send me free books cover their costs let alone make a profit. <br /><br />And, <b>Rachel</b>, glad I managed to pique your interest. The big question, to carry on from what I’ve just been saying to Conda, is: what are the chances that you will actually buy the book? I’m not asking for a serious answer but the fact is that most of us need to make that purchase as soon as we’ve made the decision because if we don’t then other things start to distract us and we simply forget until the next time (if we’re lucky and there <i>is</i> a next time) we run across the book again.<br /><br>Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-17657291076805560482010-05-27T09:04:54.240+01:002010-05-27T09:04:54.240+01:00I am going to have to read the thing to see for my...I am going to have to read the thing to see for myself! Sounds like it is stuffed too full but then I like stuffed full sometimes.<br /><br />You are right in what you "said" to Conda, Jim, that this book would otherwise not have crossed my path but I like finding new and unexpected things here!Rachel Fentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10046917627054462214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-18608975368872210672010-05-26T19:09:08.657+01:002010-05-26T19:09:08.657+01:00Valid points, Jim, too much of too much. I'm h...Valid points, Jim, too much of too much. I'm hoping that there will be major review sites that people can trust soon--they're starting up for e-books, but struggling for virtual shelf space like everything else.Conda Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12972790965426924941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-49050803517510318702010-05-26T16:33:15.590+01:002010-05-26T16:33:15.590+01:00Well, let us know if you manage it, Dick. I get th...Well, let us know if you manage it, <b>Dick</b>. I get the feeling from other reviewers that <i>Our Tragic Universe</i> is not her best work. I can't say not having read anything else by her. But if that is true then I'd be more than happy to have another crack at her. Even if that's not the case I like her approach to writing. I just wish she could get where she's going in a few less pages but that's just me. I wish every novel was 100 pages long.<br /><br>Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-35713124434958305342010-05-26T08:48:40.440+01:002010-05-26T08:48:40.440+01:00I was really looking forward to reading 'The E...I was really looking forward to reading 'The End Of Mr Y', which looked so promising, and then so disappointed as I faltered to a halt around page 30. I wish I'd read your fanfare first! Well, on the strength of it I shall climb back into 'Y' and see if I can progress beyond p. 30!Dickhttp://patteran.typepad.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-48158558593690871792010-05-26T06:19:47.263+01:002010-05-26T06:19:47.263+01:00I know what you mean, Kass, and I like books and f...I know what you mean, <b>Kass</b>, and I like books and films where they don’t try to tie up <i>every</i> loose end. As long as the major thread is tied up neatly that’s fine. It’s like <i>Lost</i>, at the moment the Web is awash with people in various states of elation, deflation or frustration by how the writers decided to end the show and all of them have a point. Much has to do with expectation. The more you invest in something then greater the risk of disappointment.<br /><br /><i>Lost</i> is, of course, the perfect crucible drama, <i>x</i> number of people trapped together and yet the writers showed amazing creativity in providing escape and respite for them. All it took was thinking out of the box. You could argue that Daniel Defoe simply didn’t use his imagination. But all that’s done is leave the door open to others to revisit the scenario. Defoe was an 18th century man and limited in his views. Since then we are willing to accept so many more things. <br /><br />So things like marriage and jobs and where we live are no longer things that trap us the way they use to. They still can. A fear of open spaces can trap us if we let it. <br /><br>Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-225490289790437402010-05-25T11:33:11.614+01:002010-05-25T11:33:11.614+01:00Life doesn't have tidy plots, except the ones ...Life doesn't have tidy plots, except the ones we go into at the very end.<br /> <br />I like the bit about the little old tree man who told her fortune. I was once told by someone who did numerology, astrology and hand-writing analysis that ALL the men in my life would deceive me. Duh.<br /><br />I also like the idea of acknowledging the things that trap us and how we work our lives around that.Kasshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05233330248952156754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-18098464290267311962010-05-25T08:00:45.870+01:002010-05-25T08:00:45.870+01:00There is still the same problem of attracting read...There is still the same problem of attracting readers. I have my little band, <b>Conda</b>, including your good self, who I know will have a wee peek at whatever I post and so there’s a good chance that you’ll see something that otherwise would never have crossed your path but the real difficulty is getting new readers. I am constantly amazed to find new authors who have been on the go for years and I’ve never heard of them. Some of them are even dead by the time I get to hear about them. It’s like this girl. I had seen <i>The End of Mr Y</i> in a bookshop – it is a striking cover – but that was it. I’m not even sure I did any more than admire the cover. There is simply too much vying for our attentions.<br /><br>Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6327348657265652781.post-66267843029083496972010-05-24T17:53:39.287+01:002010-05-24T17:53:39.287+01:00Jim, your review of this book made me realize that...Jim, your review of this book made me realize that nowadays, with the advent of e-books, POD and reviewers like you, it's going to be possible to publish a book that can't be categorized and stuffed into a small genre hole. I like that.Conda Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12972790965426924941noreply@blogger.com