Writers and published authors need to take advantage of the number one method of book selling—the Internet. The Internet is the greatest selling and marketing tool available to an author. I wrote an e-book, Book Marketing in the Digital Age Online Promotion Made Easy, because so many of my clients are authors who do not have a clue about how to market books.
The material in my e-book is a combination of what I teach when I do seminars, speaking engagements, and one-on-one mentoring with authors needing assistance with book publicity. I want to use this article to offer a few online marketing tips for new authors.
One the simplest, most cost-effective ways to reach a broad online audience with your product and urge the reader into action is social networking. I’m referring to sites and online places where people share friendship and information. My favorite sites are Twitter, Facebook, Ning, and Plaxo, but there are many other places you can let others know about you book, blog tour, or other marketing events. When establishing a following on social networking sites such as face-book, Twitter, GoodReads, Ning, Yahoo groups, and other sites, search for people by reading their profiles. Look for keywords that describe or relate to the topic of your book. Look for people who read the types of books you write. Also, be sure to include your keywords in your profile or bio that you use on these sites. This helps others find you.
The biggest mistake authors make when attempting to market their books is going out unprepared or without having a marketing plan or the information necessary to successfully create the buzz. Many authors do not even have a Web site or blog with a point of purchase that gives the reader enough information about the book to actually make an informed purchase. My e-book teaches an author what components are necessary to have on a site in order to compete in today’s online marketplace. You can follow the steps in the e-book as a marketing plan.
It takes time and consistent effort to build your following and get people interested in your book before they will take action to buy it. It’s been said that someone must see or hear about a product seven times before they will buy it. Book marketing success may not happen overnight, but you will begin to see steady progress if you stay at it. It will take you about six months to complete everything in the e-book because some of it has to be set up such as Web sites, blog tours, and social networks.
If you would like to see samples of what is in Yvonne’s e-book, please visit http://onlinepromotionmadeeasy.blogspot.com/ .
Yvonne Perry, is the owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services—a team of highly qualified writers and editors with many years of experience in writing for articles, books, ad copy, media releases, PR kits, Web text, biographical sketches, and newsletters. Editing, proofreading, book review, and book evaluation services offered individually and as packages. Find us online at http://www.writersinthesky.com
Follow WITS on Twitter: http://twitter.com/writersinthesky
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