We have a winner on our giveaway of Fiona Robyn's new novel, Thaw!

Last week we presented Fiona Robyn's new novel, Thaw, and the unique offer of the author for readers to read it online for free. In celebration of the new novel we had a giveaway of a signed copy of Thaw, courtesy of the author, and we have a winner!

We asked you to share with us what do you think about enabling readers to read a book for free online? Will it benefit the authors eventually? We got very interesting replies referring to e-publishing and its potential. And our winner is Jeannette who wrote the following:

I think that opening up a novel for readers to read online is basically a good thing, in that yes, I think it will attract new readers, and some of them will buy the book and other books by the same author. I worry though, that if people don't have to pay for things, they may not value them as much, or the work that goes into creating them. Time will tell... All of this is changing rapidly with the development of ebooks. It's a very exciting time to be writing and publishing.

Congrats, Jeannette! You will receive a copy signed by the author and one tree will be planted for it as well! Thank you also to all the other participants. We also like to remind you that we have now another giveaway going on - this time it's the new audiobook 'Story of Stuff'. You can read more details here.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

An interview with Fiona Robyn, an author with a new novel offered to read for free online!

Fiona Robin is not only a supporter of Eco-Libris, but also a gifted author who has released lately her latest novel, 'Thaw' with an offer you can't refuse: you can read it online for free!

This is definitely a bold move (although there's a growing evidence that such steps actually help to boost sales of printed titles), and we thought it's an opportunity to speak with Fiona about her books and her innovative marketing strategies. We also have a signed copy of the book we're giving away, so check the details at the end of the post.

Hello Fiona and congrats on your new novel. Can you tell us what it is about?

Thank you. ‘Thaw’ follows 32 year old microbiologist, Ruth, as she thinks about whether or not to carry on living. She gives herself three months to decide, and the novel is her journal over these three months.

What was your inspiration for this novel? for the characters?
My characters always appear ‘out of nowhere’, and it was the same with Ruth. As I got to know her, the story emerged. I knew she was a troubled character, and that she used photographs as a way of staying sane, and then I realised she would want to have her portrait painted, and so the Russian painter Red came into being…

This is the fifth novel you publish within only 3 years. How do you it?
I had a head start! I’d been writing for six years when I found my publisher, Snowbooks, and they wanted to publish all three of my novels. There will be more of a gap before the next!

\You decided to do something quite radical and enable readers to read it online for free - why?
It is radical. It’s an experiment, really – my hope is that some people will read it online and then want to buy my previous novels, or that some people will want to read to the end before waiting for it all to appear online. We’ll see if it helps or hinders my sales in the long run!

You're not just a fruitful and talented writer, but also an innovative marketer - can you share with us couple of the strategies you used so far to market your books? what do you find the most effective?
Thank you. I’ve always tried to find marketing strategies that will feel like fun, whether or not they help me to sell more books. I’ve always enjoyed writing my blogs, and I’ve had great fun on my virtual book tour and with the Thaw project. It’s difficult to know what is most effective, but it does seem to be a cumulative thing, and patience is essential. There is a very fine line between asking people to help and becoming annoying, and maybe it’s inevitable that you cross it with some people, so a thick skin is also helpful!

What do you find more challenging - writing a book or marketing it later on?
Both are very challenging, and both are great fun. It takes a very different kind of energy to write a book – a reflective, introspective kind of energy – whereas marketing is all about putting my energy out there. Both activities can be very tiring in different ways, and I need to have a recharge after finishing a book and after a marketing campaign.

Do you think social media is really working? Is it just a better way to communicate with your readers or also a marketing tool?
I do find new readers for my books on Facebook and Twitter, and so I think it does work as a marketing tool, but you have to be even more careful about putting people off – nobody wants adverts for books on their Facebook page all the time. I try to use these tools more as building a profile for myself, by writing about the things that interest me, and then hopefully if people like my writing style they’ll also check out my novels.

How many hours a day do you spend on facebook, twitter and other similar social media platforms?
Hmm, a good question! Maybe an hour or two (or sometimes three). I COULD spend an hour or less if I was focused and I didn’t end up going off on random tangents.

You are an ongoing supporter of Eco-Libris and I know the environmental issue is very important to you. Do you find similar awareness and concerns among readers?
I don’t think people tend to think about the environment when they’re reading a novel. Balancing out our paper consumption by paying for Eco-Libris to plant trees is such a brilliant idea – everyone should be doing it!

Finally, what is your next project and when we can expect your next novel?
My next novel, ‘The Most Beautiful Thing’, is on the horizon, and follows 14 year old Joe as he spends the summer in Amsterdam with his aunt Nel. I already have the NEXT novel queued up in my head, but I’m hoping to take a break yet. I’m looking forward to a quiet summer!

Thanks Fiona!

You can read more about 'Thaw' and the other novels written by Fiona Robyn on her websites - www.fionarobyn.com and www.plantingwords.com

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!

We're giving away a signed copy of Thaw, courtesy of the author, and of course a tree will be planted for the copy!

How you can win? Please add a comment below with an answer the following question: What do you think about enabling readers to read a book for free online? Will it benefit the authors eventually? Submissions are accepted until next Tuesday, March 16, 12PM EST. The winner will be announced the following day.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

Our Facebook campaign is ending today and we're 5 members short of our 1000 members goal!

Today is the last day to our April green campaign on our Facebook group and we're almost meeting our goal of having 1,000 members by the end of April!

Right now we have 995 members and a little bit more than 10 hours until the end of the day (EST), so we can definitely do it!!

Here's what we had so far this month:

- We added so far 414 new members to the group (We started with 581 members on April 1)
- We're planting a new tree for each new member until we reach the 1000th member, so we're having so far 414 new trees that will be planted with our planting partners on behalf of the new members.
- We had giveaways of 26 books of authors and publishers we work with , including Green Beginning by Avrim and Vicki Topel, Sammy and Sue Go Green Too! by Suzanne Corso, Little Green Books (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing), The Barefoot Book of Earth Tales by Dawn Casey and Gardening Eden by Michael Abbaté

So we're now on the last day and we hope to finish this green celebration with at least 5 more new members and 5 new trees that will be planted on their behalf.

And in celebration of the successful ending of this campaign, we're giving away today a very special gift - a new book by author Fiona Robyn that is only due to be published (by Snowbooks) on August 2009!

The author, who is collaborating with Eco-Libris, donated one copy of "The Blue Handbag", which will also be signed by her!

Here are some more details on the book:

After forty years of happy marriage, Leonard thought he knew his wife Rose as well as he knew himself. It's only after her sudden death that he finds her old handbag, which contains a mystery he can't ignore. Accompanied by Lily, his wife's childhood friend, Leonard becomes a reluctant detective as his whole life starts to unravel... 'The Blue Handbag' is steeped in a quiet poetry which reminds us to take pleasure from the ordinary details of life - reading stories to our children, sharing silence with our friend over a beer, enjoying the plants Leonard tends for a living - and never to take anything for granted.

You can read more about it at www.fionarobyn.com/thebluehandbag.htm.

Thanks again to all the participants in our campaign and all of our supporters and fans that helped us running this campaign.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

And the winner in a copy of "The Letters" is...

As promised we had a raffle between all the new subscribers to our newsletter. The prize is a copy of Fiona Robyn's new book "The Letters" and we have a winner!

Congrats to the new subscriber Nicki!! You have just won a great book.

The book will be balanced out by Eco-Libris and a new tree will be planted for it. Nicki will also receive our sticker saying "One tree planted for this book".

Here's a little more about this book:

A short description of the books from its website:

Violet Ackerman has drifted through a career, four children and a divorce without ever knowing who she is or what she wants. After moving to the coast, she starts receiving a series of mysterious letters sent from a mother and baby home in 1959, written by a pregnant twenty-year-old Elizabeth to her best friend. These letters intersperse Violet's turbulent relationships with her lover, her infuriating son and the eccentric fellow members of the Village Committee. Who is sending Violet these letters, and why? 'The Letters' invites us see what happens when we don't run away. Will love be enough to encourage Violet to stay?

What people say about the book:

"Finely observed, intense and eminently readable."
Jacqui Lofthouse, author of Bluethroat Morning

"Violet lives on in your imagination long after you've finished reading her story."
Susan Utting, author of Houses Without Walls

"An entirely entrancing tale, with visuals that leap and spin from every page."
Caroline Smailes, author of In Search of Adam

You can read more about the book at www.fionarobyn.com/theletters.htm

Thanks again to the author Fiona Robin, who is a supporter of Eco-Libris, for the copy donated! The book, published by Snowbooks and will be available as of the beginning of next month.

Yours,

Raz @ Eco-Libris

www.ecolibris.net

Sign up to Eco-Libris newsletter and you can win a copy of the new book 'The Letters'

Our first newsletter for 2009 is planned to be sent next Tuesday, and we have a great offer for new subscribers:

Sign up this month to our newsletter and you can win a copy of Fiona Robyn's new book "The Letters". (If you're already subscribed, please keep reading - you can participate in the raffle as well!)

Eco-Libris' newsletter is a monthly newsletter, so you can expect to hear from us only once a month. On the newsletter we will offer you updates about our work and our latest collaborations in the book industry. We also include articles on the book and paper industry from our unique green perspective, as well as special offers and discounts, which are presented exclusively on our newsletter!

And as mentioned above, if you sign up until January 31, you will have the chance of winning a copy of "The Letters" by Fiona Robin.

All you have to do is just to sign up, using the box on the right side of the page saying 'Join Our Email List' and that's it.

If you're already subscribed to the newsletter, we want to give you a chance to win the copy as well. Just add a comment telling us when was the last time you actually wrote someone a letter (and if you have an interesting story to tell about it, please feel free to do so), and you're in the raffle!

What this book is about? here's a short description of its website:

Violet Ackerman has drifted through a career, four children and a divorce without ever knowing who she is or what she wants. After moving to the coast, she starts receiving a series of mysterious letters sent from a mother and baby home in 1959, written by a pregnant twenty-year-old Elizabeth to her best friend. These letters intersperse Violet's turbulent relationships with her lover, her infuriating son and the eccentric fellow members of the Village Committee. Who is sending Violet these letters, and why? 'The Letters' invites us see what happens when we don't run away. Will love be enough to encourage Violet to stay?

What people say:

"Finely observed, intense and eminently readable."
Jacqui Lofthouse, author of Bluethroat Morning

"Violet lives on in your imagination long after you've finished reading her story."
Susan Utting, author of Houses Without Walls

"An entirely entrancing tale, with visuals that leap and spin from every page."
Caroline Smailes, author of In Search of Adam

You can read more about the book at www.fionarobyn.com/theletters.htm

We want to thank author Fiona Robin, who is a supporter of Eco-Libris, for the copy donated! The book, published by Snowbooks, won't be out until the beginning of March, so this is a great opportunity to get a copy before everyone else does! So what are you waiting for?

Yours,

Raz @ Eco-Libris

www.ecolibris.net