Word of Mouth vs Elaborate Websites

Today's Sunday New York Times Book Review has an interesting essay on the power of book websites, Essay: See the Web Site, Buy the Book that poses the question: Do elaborate Web sites and videos really sell books? As in so much of publishing, no one really knows. But, no, there's no verdict in on how they translate to book sales.

I sold 3 copies of my book yesterday to the owner of a tiny bookstore in San Francisco that has been around for quite awhile; the owner told me he would return the books to me in one year if they don't sell. What else could I say but, "Sure." He also said you can never tell what book someone will take off the shelf and buy, unless he individually promotes the book to each person coming into the store.

In my 2 month experience as a promoter of Sundagger.net, I would say I've learned that, while no one really knows why some books sell and some don't, word of mouth from readers makes all the difference. Oh, elaborate websites are cool, but that's all.