How do you feel about authors promoting their books on message boards?

boswellbaxter · Post by **boswellbaxter** » Thu November 6th, 2008, 7:19 pm

[quote=""Christina""]Oh dear...I might have got off to a bad start on my first day by mentioning my new book. Enthusiasm for the subject was my motive and if that has caused offense, I apologise. I did not come here with that motive in mind - and simply appreciate all the vast knowledge and interesting subjects on your lovely forum. (I don't intend to simply mention that one book and disappear - there's so much else to learn here). Sorry if I have made a mistake there![/quote]

No, Christina. We're always happy to get new authors here, and we enjoy hearing about their books.

Christina · Post by **Christina** » Thu November 6th, 2008, 11:25 pm

Thank you

. (And, yes, Xiaotien, (sorry if I have misspelt your name), I do live in Yorkshire - Bronte country and the 'wild and windy moors' and home of our still-loved Richard III

and home of the terrible northern accent (which I have!!) - and I would rather be 'cool' and live in America but such is life!! LOL)

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Fri November 7th, 2008, 1:18 am

[quote=""boswellbaxter""]No, Christina. We're always happy to get new authors here, and we enjoy hearing about their books.[/quote]

Very much so and I appreciate your thoughts on the Erickson book.

diamondlil · Post by **diamondlil** » Fri November 7th, 2008, 2:35 am

[quote=""Christina""]Thank you

. (And, yes, Xiaotien, (sorry if I have misspelt your name), I do live in Yorkshire - Bronte country and the 'wild and windy moors' and home of our still-loved Richard III

and home of the terrible northern accent (which I have!!) - and I would rather be 'cool' and live in America but such is life!! LOL)[/quote]

I used to live in Sheffield.

Christina · Post by **Christina** » Fri November 7th, 2008, 3:44 pm

[quote=""diamondlil""]I used to live in Sheffield.[/quote]

Did you pick up the Sean Bean accent?

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Fri November 7th, 2008, 6:24 pm

There's such a huge difference between (1) conversationally mentioning one's own book in the course of introducing oneself or responding to an appropriate thread and (2) breathlessly hyping one's book in an inflated and lengthy way that interrupts forum discussions. I have not seen a single example of the latter here at HFO, though I suppose a case of it is bound to show up sooner or later. I enthusiastically welcome the former (wasn't it fabulous, for example, when Sharon Kay Penman came by to talk about her work?). Hype is annoying, but undoubtedly does more harm to offending authors than to readers of the forums they post in. Without exception, posts I have seen in which an author hypes his/her own book at egregious length are also full of typos, grammar errors, purple prose and other badges of writerly shame that display just what to expect from the book they are hyping!

xiaotien · Post by **xiaotien** » Fri November 7th, 2008, 11:05 pm

christina, i dunno about being cool
for living in america. we do have lovely
weather and beautiful coast line views
here in southern cali, tho!

i will visit yorkshire some day. =)

i picked up my english pounds today
for our x'mas holiday, too, hurrah!

and margaret, very well said!