Idea regarding extending awareness

[Soluna]

Regarding the idea in the following thread :

Creating Stickers and Placards to extend awarness of SOTT,EE,Psychopathy etc.
http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,26849.0.html

I'm not sure if creating a new thread is necessary, but it is a slightly different idea so thought I would go for it =)

I was reading SOTT - and saw that the book Riding the Wave: The Truth and Lies About 2012 and Global Transformation (The Wave Series) was available in a Kindle edition, so I went ahead and bought one =)

I often go through the list of free books on offer on Amazon kindle, when I run out of things to read; and I found that it's a great way for new authors to promote their books initially, giving people chance to read their material for free, get the word out, get reviews, which would subsequently perhaps encourage more purchases of their books.


I know so many people are in financial difficulties at the moment - and I know you're still fundraising. However, would perhaps making some of your books available for free, for a limited time (maybe a week or two?) - so people who perhaps would not usually buy and/or read the material may download a copy - and if they read and find the first one or two books interesting, they may subsequently purchase others?

[Iron]

I know so many people are in financial difficulties at the moment - and I know you're still fundraising. However, would perhaps making some of your books available for free, for a limited time (maybe a week or two?) - so people who perhaps would not usually buy and/or read the material may download a copy - and if they read and find the first one or two books interesting, they may subsequently purchase others?

The Wave is already online, Volumes one thru eight.
The Wave series, the Amazing grace, many things are already online and free at the Cassiopaea.org.
What stops people from reading as you see, its not the fact that they have to buy the books, since they were free since... ever.
Its the fact that people do not want to know those things. It makes for a rather rough sleep to know of those things.

[Soluna]

The Wave is already online, Volumes one thru eight.
The Wave series, the Amazing grace, many things are already online and free at the Cassiopaea.org.
What stops people from reading as you see, its not the fact that they have to buy the books, since they were free since... ever.
Its the fact that people do not want to know those things. It makes for a rather rough sleep to know of those things.

It's good to know that they are available.

However I don't think it's necessarily true in every case that people do not 'want' to know things. For some people, they have been blinkered even to the possibility of things not being the way they are shown.

Part of the idea - was that people who may be browsing for free books on promotion, may come across this material that they may not normally be exposed to. They aren't being coerced into reading something that they do not 'want' to, but perhaps they may find the material interesting enough to tickle their desire to read further and/or search deeper.

So not necessarily that the books were 'free' full-stop, but free in a place and format (for a limited time) with more exposure and accessibility for more people.

[Alejo]

well that is certainly an idea that Laura would have to consider, i do understand the idea, in order to get more exposure make it easier for people to get, but even if it was free.. how would they come across it? word of mouth seems to be the easiest way to spread, but ( and i speak from experience) even if you gave it to someone, even if you purchased the book and gave it to someone that wouldn't guarantee that they would read it.

even if you had a reading session with someone, that doesn't mean they would listen, or remember.. so there has to be an individual drive for a person to find interest or curiosity on a subject to pick up a book and read and have the understanding for the necessity of new knowledge.

so while making something free does mean that it will get more exposure, it doesn't mean that it will achieve anymore than if it wasn't free, moreover people tend to appreciate things far more if they have worked for them.

that is of course... my humble opinion

[Renaissance]

I think this could be something to consider. Having one free kindle book (or perhaps a $.99 kindle book) such as Riding the Wave could introduce many more Kindle readers to Laura's books. These readers likely do not know that The Wave Series is online, and besides that they are pretty loyal to their Kindle.  It's been the experience of most who participate here, that once you read one of Laura's books, you've got to read them all.  So, having one lower cost or free kindle book could lead to more exposure for all the books, which all could remain regularly priced.  I think this could be particularly effective using Riding The Wave since it is the first in a series. 

Also, one of the benefits of getting a large amount of downloads is getting in the bestseller lists. When Riding The Wave was first released I saw it's bestselling rank go as high as to be in the 5,000's. So out of the millions of Kindle books, it was in the top 5,000ish sold. When it achieves a rank that is high enough, it gets placed in various bestselling categories, which are a fairly popular ways for customers to find new and popular books on Amazon. The higher the placement in competitive lists, the more exposure it gets. So it can possibly turn into a bit of a self perpetuating cycle.

[Gonzo]

If people aren't actively seeking in specific ways, they may not come across Laura's writings ac ailable on the web.  However, if someone came across her writing in a an e-reader book list, they might have an opportunity to see somethey they otherwise might never have seen.

Since some books are already available for free, it might make more sense to repackage them in ebook (or whatever format Kindle uses) to broaden exposure.  I think anything that expands the audience base is a good thing but l think it has to be considered in ways of balancing energies and ensuring Laura gets her due.  I'm referring to the concept that consuming the fruit of Laura's efforts requires reciprocation of some sort to balance the energies (and avoid karmic debt, if such a thing exists).

However, I have been toying with an idea that if someone does take without returning something to Laura, but changes in some way that has a beneficial effect on humanity, perhaps that change and resulting actions create the balance.  If this is the case, this would follow the concept of paying it forward, as illustrated in the movie Pay it Forward (_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_It_Forward). And it is perhaps the work of this forum that is also a form of her paying it forward, since so many of us have become better humans to the benefit of humanity as a direct result of Laura's actions.  But I digress.

Gonzo

[Iron]

Don't take this the wrong way. But I still dont see what else can be done to reach even more people. There is a news site, lots of books, ebooks, most of it free... lots of people talk about it, its on facebook, youtube, there are podcasts and they lecture around the world.

There is just so much you can do to extend the awareness of others, people have to do some legwork of seeking to.
We cannot find a way to bulldoze our findings to people who do not want to know. If we do find a way to do so, we have lost our way, and became just like the psychopathic elite we oppose.

I think I understand the place from where you guys are speaking, for it is truly frustating to see how unaware people are of the manipulations, health hazards and other tricks of our reality. You want to help, to show as many as possible that there are more rewarding ways, that our reality is more complex than it appears.

But think about your own stories, how much obstacles and turns of life had to happen so you could be here, appreciating this work and being able to understand its significance?

Don Juan, of the Carlos Castañeda books, said a phrase that sums it up for me -
"Even if I told you the entire secret of the universe, you would not be able to contain it."

Of course, I could be wrong.

[maxim.m]

Iron,

Totally agree.
There are those, who is ready to extend awareness. They seek on its own, ask questions, and they way YOU answer them by explaining some concepts can change their mind, and they can ask more. If you see interest, the link can be provided.
Others are not ready yet.

[Patrick]

I agree with Iron and maxim.m, though I find your desire to help others admirable, Soluna.

Think about the average person in your community.  If she is not already investigating these matters, then she is happy with her reality as she finds it.  Sure, she may wish to improve her reality a bit with a new car or a better home and she will apply herself to the achievement of those goals; who am I to interfere?

Her focus will someday change and she will begin to seek.  Then, just as surely as you and I found the resources we need, so will she.
 

[Mrs. Peel]

I agree with Iron and maxim.m, though I find your desire to help others admirable, Soluna.

Think about the average person in your community.  If she is not already investigating these matters, then she is happy with her reality as she finds it.  Sure, she may wish to improve her reality a bit with a new car or a better home and she will apply herself to the achievement of those goals; who am I to interfere?

Her focus will someday change and she will begin to seek.  Then, just as surely as you and I found the resources we need, so will she.

Just out of curiosity, why did you pick "she" for the gender of the "average person"?   

[Soluna]

After reading your responses about people actively seeking knowledge, and then being rewarded in a sense by finding some genuine answers or clues - I can understand why the idea may not seem so great.

However 'happy' or 'content' people may seem with their reality, simply because they may think it easier to care for their family by having more money or a new car - I don't think that excludes them from totally having no niggling doubts or concerns that things may not be as they seem. Yet the every-day pressures and schedules and rituals may side-track them or blind them from seeking the possible answers to these doubtful or curious thoughts.
Perhaps the strength of the curiosity needs to be 'stronger' to make them take that next step in their search for truth.

I know it bothers me to imagine that some people just need to 'come across' something that triggers enough thirst for knowledge that they seek further for the source of the water. There is so much disinfo out there that again, it bothers me that those genuinely seeking, may find grains of truth and be sucked back into the blinding sand-storm.


But then again - I can see the resemblance of the idea to any other form of advertising. Offering people a chance to 'try' something, with the idea behind it being to hook them in. The only difference here being the intentions and motivations behind the offer.


Regardless - learning more every day and thoroughly enjoying reading 'Riding The Wave' on my kindle.

[Marcus Aurelius]

My thinking on this is that if the book is already avalable for free at cassiopaea.org and if Laura, who's the author, agrees to that, than Soluna's idea is not so bad. If it allows some people, as few as they can be, who never had the chance to come accross Laura's work and  who are still ready to receive it, to become interested to it and perhaps buy other Laura's books, than fine, the goal would have been reached. If not, than still fine, there will be no loss. Will there be?
And making a book available for free on Amazon Kindle is not actually forcing people to read it: the choice to read it or not will still be theirs.
Just my humble opinion.

[Carlise]

First of all, if the wave 1 ebook was promoted as available for free then it would be under the type of genre where there are people seeking truth. It's not like it ever appear on screen for people who just buy harry potter books or whatever.

Granted, even most people reading esoteric books may not not 'ready' for the wave and they may dismiss it completely. But still, it creates just one more avenue by which the genuine seeker can find the material that they need. Some of them will just be hooked by it, and will want to find out more about who wrote it, read more etc.

There may be a problem in giving it for free however, as I assume amazon take a cut on every book sold. If that is the case, then would you not have to pay a small fee to amazon for every free kindle book that you "sell"?

[Soluna]

There used to be a link to 'limited time offers' in the Free Kindle Book section - which is one of the specific links I would check when I ran out of stuff to read =)

However I can't seem to find it now - perhaps it has been moved or removed. There would be a wide range of topics from computer programming to self-help and fiction.

[Patrick]

I agree with Iron and maxim.m, though I find your desire to help others admirable, Soluna.

Think about the average person in your community.  If she is not already[...]

Just out of curiosity, why did you pick "she" for the gender of the "average person"?   ?

I must confess to failing to give it much thought beyond my propensity for "he" in an example and a wild, irrational desire to veer from the beaten path.  It did occur to me fleetingly that, as this example has "negative" connotations, my impulsive behavior might be viewed askance but I brushed this away as unwarranted paranoia and let it stand.

Not that you, Mrs. Peel, are engaging in any askanced (why is that not a real word?) viewing. 

Giving it more thought now and being cognizant of the fact that women are still treated shabbily in many places in all sorts of ways ($.77 on the dollar vs males in same job US, last I heard), I believe I'll use s/he, a personal pronoun or simply she for positive examples and he for the negative.

It's long been my view that the idea of treating men and women equally greatly devalues the worth of the average woman, and it would harm no one for my written words to reflect this.

Thanks for the question.