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Age of Conversation Bum Rush is today.

As you might know, I'm one of the 275 authors contributing to the new Age of Conversation book.

Today, all authors are asking their readers to buy a copy of the book.

So, this is my ask, go ahead and buy a copy.

Thanks!</hardSell>

UPDATE (March 30, 2008): I should have mentioned this in my original post, and feel completely foolish that I did not: 100% of proceeds from sales of the book goes to Variety the Children's Charity.

Labels: ageofconversation, blogging, social media

posted on Saturday, March 29, 2008

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9 comments
< / hardsell > = :D
comment from  Jeffry Pilcher on March 29, 2008  
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So let me get this straight, this guy has all these people writing for him, then he has all these people marketing his book for him, then he sells a book.

Brilliant.
comment from  The New MBA on March 29, 2008  
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but don't get me wrong, i'm totally buying a copy.
comment from  The New MBA on March 29, 2008  
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Hey, that's a good point!
comment from  wazaroff on March 29, 2008  
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Hi, William -- your PA+CC colleague Alison here. I'm very interested to check the book out. The new MBA does have a point, though, and I am going to ask a question which you can feel free to answer or not: do the contributors get paid, or share in the profits of the book somehow.

The reason this is of interest to me is b/c of my experience as a freelance writer outside of my day job. I get paid for my work, but many, many publications, both online and print, do not pay writers for their content. This strikes me as more than a little ironic. The writers are most likely the only ones who do not get paid for their work (it's not as if the printer wouldn't get paid, or the typesetter, or the folks that create/update the website). And yet the content is, ultimately, the raison d'etre -- without content, there is nothing. So why should they work for free?

Of course, when you're starting out as a freelancer, you need to build clips, a body of published work with your byline that you can then use to convince other editors you're worth taking a risk on. But as long as there are writers willing to work without pay, it will be very difficult to break that cycle.

I don't do freelance writing b/c I'm looking for a big payoff, I do it b/c I enjoy it. At the same time, I am a professional, and if my work is good enough to publish, it should be good enough to pay for -- even if it is a small amount. It's the principle.

Forgive me for getting off on a tangent! :)
comment from  Anonymous on March 30, 2008  
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Hi Alison, thanks for the comment.

I added an update to my post, which was a silly oversight on my part: 100% of the proceeds from sales of the book goes to Variety the Children's Charity.

In the end, it's a completely opt-in process, where people who want to contribute can and do. Each person writes a page. If I was a professional writer or had immediate aspirations in that direction, I might not choose to take part. But for me, I am interested in sharing my ideas and collaborating with others, and this book represents a great vehicle for me to do so. I have a day job and plan on sticking with it for a while (which is good, because we can keep working together).

I don't disagree with you, but I think it is a case-by-case and person-by-person situation. In this case and for me, I don't mind at all.
comment from  wazaroff on March 30, 2008  
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Another thing that I'm excited about is that the Technorati authority ranking for my blog has risen very sharply and steadily since signing up for this book.

When I started this, I was at about 55 or 60 and I'm now, because people keep linking to all the authors, I'm at 107 and continuing to climb. That means more people may discover my blog, and get involved with the conversation.

And that's a good thing.
comment from  wazaroff on March 30, 2008  
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The charitable aspect of this project is a very worthwhile one. And re: the "writing for free" vs. "for pay" is an issue with many valid perspectives.

I guess you could count me as one of those people who are starting to join the conversation, and I think I'd have to credit the ME blog for getting me started. I really like the credit union movement, I enjoy blogs, I don't know why it took me so long to put the two together. I'm really a newbie -- but this past weekend, I've been hopping all over the CU blogosphere. And I'm feeling a renewed excitement about work. Now THAT is worth its weight in gold (or multiple copies of the Age of Conversation).

Ciao for now,
AA
comment from  Anonymous on March 30, 2008  
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@Alison - So happy to be a small part of your journey. The CU community gives me tremendous inspiration, focus and purpose for my work. It is a primary source of my motivation and energy. Great people!
comment from  wazaroff on March 30, 2008  
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