Marketing Oz style

This is going to be an unusual post.

If you listened to the last podcast, Meg and Isabelle and I talked about how there doesn't need to be competition when it comes to web content. Unlike deciding where to buy a copy of a book or DVD from, web content is free to access, meaning that all it costs the user is the time used to enjoy it.

That's logic for web content, but what about Oz?

In The Road to Oz, the Tin Woodman tells us that money is not used in the Land of Oz. Everything that a person wants is given to them.

However, that sadly doesn't work in our civilized countries. When it comes to online Oz fandom, us bloggers are very open to promoting each other. When David Maxine started the Hungry Tiger Press blog, he included a sidebar with links to many blogs. I've always linked to other blogs (ever since I started putting links on the side, that is), and I recently added a similar side bar.

However, I must speak of business. Having just published a book and a little imprint of Lulu called Saladin Press (you won't get it unless you've read Sky Island), I've put myself into the position of marketing Oz.

However, I do have one little advantage that prevents me from feeling pure evil: I'm not selling an item that anyone else is. Thus, I am not competing with anyone for this particular product. Of course, to buy Outsiders from Oz may mean you're doing it instead of buying another item you want, but if you really want that other item, you'll probably just be putting it off for a bit. I hope so, anyway.

That being said, although I have a book out (and more to follow, I hope), I will continue to help promote other works. Even if it means that potential customers will be buying a record on eBay or a book from Tails of the Cowardly Lion and Friends instead of my book. As long as a standard of quality is aimed for, there should be no real competition at all. Just what gets bought first.

To me, it feels Ozzy to help others out instead of just trying to be in it for yourself.


I wonder if other marketers of Oz feel the same way.