To expect people I know to read my book?

Prob chick lit. Not my type of reading anyway and I buy from Amazon. Much cheaper. Why would I want anyone's signature? (rolls eyes)

I would read a friend's book but I wouldn't expect all.your friends will.

I agree with the poster who talked about her other friends' businesses. I've got friends who are actors on TV. I don'y watch all their work. I know musicians whose gigs I don't go to because it's not a genre I like. I'm friends with a playwright and I've never seen one of her plays. I know 3 writers and I've only bought one of their books because it was something I wanted to read about. I am friends with artists and bakers and dentists and massage therapists and solicitors and gardeners and cleaners and music teachers and god knows who else. I'm not their customer just because I am their friend.

I make and sell jewellery. I'm really proud of it. I don't expect my friends to buy it as an obligation to me unless it was something they particularly wanted. That would be weird and entitled. Why is your book any different? We're all proud of our work and our achievements. It doesn't compel our friends to support us financially.

I have mixed views. I've published two books with a third in the pipeline, and both have been well received critically. I would never expect people I know to read them - perhaps they aren't big readers, perhaps my books aren't their cup of tea, whatever. But I do expect people to respect the fact that my writing is a real job and it takes skill and hard work. I've had a few dismissive and patronising responses over the years, the most incredible one coming when my book was shortlisted for a major prize. The man I was dating at the time didn't even congratulate me. Instead he told me all about the time he'd got an A* in his GCSE creative writing coursework and emailed it to me on the spot for my feedback. Then he was aggrieved when I didn't wax enthusiastic about this school essay he'd produced ten years earlier. As a previous poster said, I think it's partly envy, coupled with lack of insight into what writing for publication actually involves. I just bite my tongue and say nothing. When you get annoyed it helps to think of all the strangers who will have enjoyed and been touched by your book.

*A business which requires your friends to do this isnt a viable business.

I'm a small business owner (day job) and writer.

I manage both without involving my friends.*

So you don't think it's nice if your friends give at least a little bit of a shit about things that are important to you? Wow. Weird.

If I was your friend I'd buy it, get my friends to buy it and shamelessly plug it and tell you how brilliant you are. That what we do for people we care for. Even if it is the dietary whatevers of monks. It's just the friendly thing to do.

Congratulations on your book. I hope I get to read it

I really feel for you as I know how hard it is to get that book over the line. I was and remain incredibly surprised that my book has not been bought by any of my immediate family. I’m in a walking group and was telling the walk leader about the book and he went out and bought it and gave me a 5 star review. I’ve no idea if he read it or not, but it made me even sadder that my family hadn’t bothered.

YABU. It's amazing you've got a book published but it's unreasonable to expect friends and family to buy something just because you were in involved. I don't buy much unless I have a genuine need/desire/interest- I've not got unlimited money. I absolutely hate the expectation friends have to buy things they wouldn't otherwise buy to show 'support'. Make and market a product so good people want to buy it, don't guilt trip others into buying something just because! If you really want their feedback /admiration give them a free copy!
A relative produced a product and I did end up buying it as a gift. It's not really my thing so I wouldn't buy it otherwise.

Why didn't you give them a free signed copy. Thats what I would expect from a friend.
As has been explained multiple times on the thread, authors get very few free copies• and they’re there for marketing purposes. The free copies are a contractual obligation and form part of the benefits – beyond the advance – of the deal. Asking for a free book is like asking someone for a bit of their cycle to work scheme, or a go in their subsidised canteen.

•Except my Spanish deal, weirdly, which gave me 80 copies. All my friends and everyone on this thread can have a free Spanish edition

My friend is about to publish and I already know that I won't read it. I might buy it and flick through few pages but the genre is something that doesn't take my interest. I will be very proud of her of course but that's just how it is.

I would, and have, bought books written by a friend. It's harder to read them than to buy them though. I have a subscription to Scribd and one friend has audio books on there, so sometimes I start one running on my computer and let it go the whole way through without listening to it (I think she gets some revenue for that).

YANBU. I bought about a dozen copies of my friend's first book and I'm flying to another country for the launch of her second!

I think that’s really sad, and poor on the friends.

I mean unless your book is some ££££ tech book or the likes it’s just not really on.

One of our friends has written three fiction books. None really my taste but we’ve bought them.

Another wrote a children’s book quite a few years ago. We got one for each of our kids that was signed. We always joked it was in case it took off like Harry Potter or the Gruffalo then we had multiple to flog (obviously we never would).

[quote Itsalmostanaccessory]@womaninatightspot

What if 15 of your friends started a small business/wrote a book/performed in a play.

At what point is it ok to say that you dont have the time or money to be involved in, read, buy, go and see whatever it is they are doing?[/quote]
Luckily I'm fairly antisocial; it'd never happen :)

I wouldn’t expect anyone to read my book if it’s clear they wouldn’t enjoy it, because they’re not readers, or don’t like that sort of book, or aren’t interested in the subject matter. But I’d hope that some of my friends and family might share enough of my interests and tastes to give it a whirl.

YABU to expect everyone to read it. Yanbu to expect some people to read it.

For a close friend I would love to be involved, certainly buy the book and mention it to others, presuming I liked it. It is a huge deal and something to be very proud of!

I do however have a friend who has (self) published books and the books are awful. Children's books, seemingly pitched at 3-4 age but no pictures, kindle only, and not engaging anyway. She doesn't have kids or really any contact with any. I did buy the first one but couldn't bring myself to write a dishonest review and just left it at 'Congratulations!'.

Congratulations . I would be thrilled for you if you were my friend. I would take a picture if you with your book in Waterstones and take you out to lunch to celebrate 🍾. I would also come to your signing. I think you need new friends. I would like to nominate myself .Well done.x

Does it say something about you?

Three of my good friends have written books, and I have bought books by all of them - two I was genuinely interested in, and the third because it was a very good friend and I love him, even though I had no interest in his book. It's sci fi, so a genre I really am not interested in. I must admit I only bought his first though, none of the sequels.

Surely you have one or two close friends who might buy it?

What genre is it?

@Viviennemary

That's really out of order. It is hard to make money from a book. The free copies are for them to have one ans the rest are usually promotion.

How many copies would you expect your friend to buy herself and then give out?

Either dont be involved or buy it yourself. Either is fine. You do not need to run around buying anything any friend makes. But you also should not expect anything for free.

If you're not a good enough friend to buy their book, then you're not a good enough friend to be given a free copy. And that's fine.

Not sure about this really. What you've achieved is really impressive, but essentially you are wanting your friends to applaud you for your work, and most of us get by without that. I do something that occasionally means I pop in the media when they want a quick quote, but I don't tell my friends and am just pleasantly surprised if they comment that they've seen me. If they say something nice about it I must admit I tend to assume they're probably just being polite, but then I hate seeing myself on TV.

@womaninatightspot

What if 15 of your friends started a small business/wrote a book/performed in a play.

At what point is it ok to say that you dont have the time or money to be involved in, read, buy, go and see whatever it is they are doing?

Why didn't you give them a free signed copy. Thats what I would expect from a friend.

I'd be worried in case I didn't like it and then would be in an awkward situation of either hurting your feelings or having to lie.