Sales are coming in through All Mouse Media‘s website, but painfully slowly. It is slightly annoying that it seems so many of the people who were so supportive when its publication was announced and promised they would support it, quietly decided not to.

We’re also beset by the plague of people who promise to get back to you, then don’t. Retailers, newspapers, co-ordinatoers, advertisers, banks, you name it they all do it. It isn’t that I’m just the unpopular kid that smells and no-one likes (though sometimes I feel like it) because so many people I know say much the same. If some-one says “I’ll call you back” it is, nine times out of ten, not true because they never do.

We knew from the outset that just having the greatest sci-fi/horror book wasn’t enough. No-one will buy your product, no matter how great, if they don’t know it exists. So AMM put a lot of money into printing up and sending out advance information sheets. So far to over 100 retailers or branches of chains. How many people responded? Three. I wouldn’t mind so much, but we learnt today in one shop that the manager had not seen either this information, or the follow up left in person. It would seem that their staff are just binning advance information. How frustrating is that?

There’s advertising too. Another chunk went live today, to add to a swathe of advertising that started a couple of weeks before the launch. It’s an expensive business, and in truth I have a fear that so much advertising is wasted. Smooth-talking ad reps will feed the BS about how great their outlet is. But if it doesn’t generate sales, then they were just taking the money and running.