Print PDF
Favorite
Email
Step 3Market the virtual version of the book
Now, here's where you start getting hands-on with that magic moment that makes the modern world go around: The transformation of a mere object into the radiant thing of wonder we call a commodity.
If you've never done this before, don't worry. It's actually pretty easy. There's only one simple ingredient you have to add to any object to turn it into a commodity: marketing. Yep: multimillion-dollar product launch or one-day eBay auction, all you really need to do is stick a price on your object, wave it around in front of some potential buyers (a/k/a "the market"), and you're done. Turning a virtual object into a virtual commodity isn't any different, except for one detail: The price you put on your object will be in a virtual currency -- like Second Life's Linden dollars -- rather than real-world money like U.S. dollars or euros.
The catch here, of course, is that "your object" isn't actually, as you'll recall, your object. No one but your publisher is authorized to distribute your book, so before you start trying to sell it in Second Life, you will once again need to get their permission.
Don't sweat this part either, though. Second Life may not be the publicity magnet it was for a while there, but free exposure is free exposure, and as long as the publisher is looking to promote your book about virtual commodities, they're not going to pass up a chance to claim it's been transformed into a virtual commodity itself.
If you really want to hook them, don't even suggest that this is purely a promotional stunt -- let them assume that themselves. Be businesslike about how much you expect to generate in virtual sales, and inquire earnestly about how to remit them their virtual revenues. You can even offer to convert their Linden dollars into "real" money for them (don't forget the quote marks). They'll love it. They will love how authentically immersed in this whole crazy scene you are. They will chuckle and give you a big fat green light and, in all likelihood, tell you to keep the Linden dollars too. Believe me.
From there it just gets easier. Second Life is lousy with retail outlets. Pick one or pick a few. Do an in-world search on Second Life bookstore owners and partner with them to sell your book. Or buy some Second Life land and build a bookstore of your own. Or register at a Second Life commerce site like SLExchange and sell straight to the Web.
Then push your chair back, roll your sleeves up, and clear yourself a nice big workspace on your kitchen table. It's time to leave the virtual world behind and move on to step 4!
If you've never done this before, don't worry. It's actually pretty easy. There's only one simple ingredient you have to add to any object to turn it into a commodity: marketing. Yep: multimillion-dollar product launch or one-day eBay auction, all you really need to do is stick a price on your object, wave it around in front of some potential buyers (a/k/a "the market"), and you're done. Turning a virtual object into a virtual commodity isn't any different, except for one detail: The price you put on your object will be in a virtual currency -- like Second Life's Linden dollars -- rather than real-world money like U.S. dollars or euros.
The catch here, of course, is that "your object" isn't actually, as you'll recall, your object. No one but your publisher is authorized to distribute your book, so before you start trying to sell it in Second Life, you will once again need to get their permission.
Don't sweat this part either, though. Second Life may not be the publicity magnet it was for a while there, but free exposure is free exposure, and as long as the publisher is looking to promote your book about virtual commodities, they're not going to pass up a chance to claim it's been transformed into a virtual commodity itself.
If you really want to hook them, don't even suggest that this is purely a promotional stunt -- let them assume that themselves. Be businesslike about how much you expect to generate in virtual sales, and inquire earnestly about how to remit them their virtual revenues. You can even offer to convert their Linden dollars into "real" money for them (don't forget the quote marks). They'll love it. They will love how authentically immersed in this whole crazy scene you are. They will chuckle and give you a big fat green light and, in all likelihood, tell you to keep the Linden dollars too. Believe me.
From there it just gets easier. Second Life is lousy with retail outlets. Pick one or pick a few. Do an in-world search on Second Life bookstore owners and partner with them to sell your book. Or buy some Second Life land and build a bookstore of your own. Or register at a Second Life commerce site like SLExchange and sell straight to the Web.
Then push your chair back, roll your sleeves up, and clear yourself a nice big workspace on your kitchen table. It's time to leave the virtual world behind and move on to step 4!
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
 |
Add Comment
|
