You’ve just got to love technology…

Very recently The Power that’s Ours was loaded onto MXit  which is  a mobile instant messenger and social networking software application that allows you to chat anywhere on earth from your mobile or PC for free. Among other things  they also have books on their site that one can download a chapter a time. There is a minimal charge per chapter downloaded.

MXit is one of the fastest growing forums within the teenage market-especially via the mobile phone so to have a book marketed via this forum is a bonus as even though the printed book isn’t being sold, the youth are reading and once the book is accepted by and loaded onto MXit, there is no cost to me the author and I receive a royalty for every chapter sold.

In 2009 I was invited to speak at the Cape Town book Fair. While I was there I heard about this self published author-Karen Brooks- who was creating waves with the amount of sales she had generated via MXit. She’d sold 1000’s of chapters  of her book via this new technological phenomenon that was affordable and exciting to the younger generation.

Earlier this year myself and a heavily pregnant Karen met up to discuss our marketing strategies. As I was doing talks and she had access and knowledge to MXit, a lot was spoken about. By the end of the meeting- with plenty of knowledge gained from both sides, we agreed that Karen would try and get The Power that’s Ours onto the MXit site. She would  in essence become my agent for this specific medium.As she’d already dealt with and experienced all the pitfalls of dealing with a new medium, it seemed the logical choice.

Some people are against this type of medium as they feel that it takes away from conventional reading and that it promotes the youth to spend to much time on they mobile phones. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but I’m just happy if the youth are reading-especially my books.

If one is serious about marketing one’s treasured literature then every avenue has to be explored. As new mediums materialise so do new opportunities. The older generations might be very wary of developments like the Ipad, MXit and the likes, but these are the tools that the next generation are growing up with. We might as well embrace them as they’re here to stay…and it also saves trees 🙂

Below are details on how to download Mixit onto your mobile phones  or computer with directions to The Power that’s Ours

Log on to MXit

  • Register with Mxit.
  • Login.
  • Go to TRADEPOST, MXIT MIX, ENTERTAINMENT, Mbooks – follow menu instructions to download it as a CONTACT – Mbooks will then appear on their first/front screen
  • Go into MBooks and you’ll see The Power that’s Ours
  • Follow the menu to read each chapter… (you will need Moola – MXit money – to do this but can do it online too.

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