Is blogging a good way of promoting books?

DON’T MISS THE SALE.

Kindle versions of COMING FLU & MURDER: A NEW WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT are only $2.99 at Amazon until Sept 30.

I know advertisements don’t make good blogs. But lets be honest most (I bet more than fifty percent of bloggers) wouldn’t write blogs if they weren’t trying to promote their books, art, or pet projects.

Publicizing pet projects is a driving force in our economy and political system. If you doubt me, think about what you read, listen to and watch on public media. Talk shows, much of most newscasts, whole sections of newspapers and magazines are just ways to publicize ideas and products. I could say some of the best dramas on TV (notably Law and Order) are attempts to comment on social issues. Some actors and actresses always seem to pick movies espousing causes they believe in.

On one sense, all of education is an attempt to promote a pet project – helping children and adults reach their full potential.

So I feel guilty, but I did it anyway and advertised the SALE on my medical mysteries.

Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight (http://www.amazon.com/Murder-New-Lose-Weight-ebook/dp/B00DFCC3IM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1372715439&sr=1-1&keywords=Murder%3A+A+New+Way+to+Lose+Weight)

Coming Flu (http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Flu-ebook/dp/B008WDL84O/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1372715303&sr=1-1&keywords=Coming+Flu ) 

What's the Best Price for a Book on Kindle?

I’ve heard of authors who posted their #Kindle books on Amazon as free and suddenly “sold” 400 copies in a day. Some authors claim sales of their books tripled when they reduced the cost of their books from $5.99 to $3,99 or $2.99.

What do you think? Are these anecdotes flukes?

Are there good statistics on the elasticity of the market for Kindle books? Where’s the break point at which sales increase? I suspect Amazon knows the answer because they control one of the databases in the world.

I’d love to hear your opinions or better yet get references that show actual sales figures. I bet other readers would too.

In any case, the Kindle versions of my #medical mysteries - Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight and Coming Flu are on sale on Amazon for $2.99 during September.

In #Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight, physician Linda Almquist is investigating an ambitious "diet doctor" who is endangering the lives of his #obese patients and perhaps eliminating anyone who thwarts his career plans. But Linda could be wrong. The murders might be related to something in the past – something involving her boss the Dean. While Linda fears for her job, the police fear for her life.

In #Coming Flu, epidemiologist Sara Almquist is trying to stop two killers:  the Philippine flu, which is rapidly wiping out everyone in a walled community in New Mexico, and a drug kingpin determined to break out of the quarantined enclave.