I just finished recording a two-part podcast series with the OnPodcasts Network, in which fellow author Deirdre Breakenridge (PR 2.0, The New PR Toolkit) interviews me about the latest trends in social networking.
Although this series doesn’t focus specifically on social networking for authors, it does contain a lot of useful tips for anyone who wants to make the most of their social networking experience. And if you’re an author, that should include you!
Here are the links:
Episode 1: Creating a Strategic Marketing Plan for Your Social Networking Campaign
how social networking can fit into your overall marketing mix
the role of audience in social networking success
a crucial success step that many people overlook
the three most important components of a social networking campaign
Episode 2: Profiting from Future Trends in Social Networking
where social networking is headed
why niche social networking is so crucial
mobile social networking trends
how to ensure a big payoff with social network advertising
how to stand out from the crowd and generate results
CollegeDegrees.com recently listed The Web-Savvy Writer as one of 100 useful web tools for writers. Check out the entire list for more ideas on developing your writing career.
According to a recent Publishers Weekly article, commercial publishers released 276,649 new titles in 2007. In addition, on-demand publishers released 134,773 titles, an increase of 39 percent from 2006.
If, like me, you were among the authors of one of those 411,422 books, you face stiff competition in getting your book noticed. All the more reason to launch a solid online book promotion campaign to help you stand out from the crowd.
Endorsed by numerous industry leaders, The Truth About Profiting from Social Networking offers both practical advice and real world scenarios to help you make the most of sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and MySpace for business purposes.
If you participate on a social networking site, don’t forget to promote your book to your network. Just looking at the industry statistics should tell you why social networking book promotion is a smart idea:
In November 2007, MySpace had 105 million unique visitors worldwide; Facebook had 93 million.
In December 2007, YouTube had 77.6 million viewers who watched 3.2 billion videos.
Worldwide online social network ad spending is predicted to increase from $1.2 billion in 2007 to $2.2 billion in 2008.
Mobile social networking is predicted to rise from 50 million to 174 million users by 2011.
The top search term for all of 2006 was MySpace.
Social networking isn’t just for teens. The largest audience segment is between 35 and 54, comprising 40 percent of total users.
Looking for a way to get started? Connect with me on LinkedIn, Facebook, XING, and MySpace. Also look for niche sites that fit your target reader profile. There are social networking sites for dog lovers, moms, skiers, surfers, mystery lovers, romance readers, and dozens more. To find them, just Google “social networking.”
Remember to follow the required etiquette of each site in terms of promotion. In general, you’ll get better results as an active participant than you will as a mere promoter.
This is a question that I’m asked quite often. As a busy author, you want to focus your promotional efforts where they count most. But it’s often difficult to determine what’s working and what’s not unless a very specific, isolated promotion generates a huge volume of sales. I love analyzing things and have a very detailed system for tracking my sales success. Here are some basic tips:
Keep a detailed log of all your book promotion efforts. Track rticles published online, posts on your blog and other blogs, press releases, ezine promotions, and anything else you do to promote your books.
Track your sales statistics. Amazon and B&N sales ranks, royalty statements from publishers, and your own sales data (if you’re self-published) are all important.
Track your web statistics. Use the web analytics tool your web host provides or a third-party tool such as the free Google Analytics to see where your traffic is coming from and when.
Using these three pieces of information, you should be able to get a clear idea of which promotional efforts are paying off in terms of sales, web traffic, or both.
As an author, your main focus is most likely on your book. By developing additional income streams related to your book, however, you can increase your total revenue as well as increase your book sales with the publicity created through these income streams.
Using your book as the centerpiece of your platform, consider the following:
Seek out lucrative public speaking assignments that are often available to published authors
Create passive streams of revenue by selling related reports, CDs, DVDs, and other products
Host a radio, podcast, or TV talk show
Develop subscription websites or newsletters
Become a spokesperson
Host teleseminars related to your book
Teach, coach, and consult–both online and offline
This list is just a small sampling of opportunities you can pursue as an author. Get creative and start generating both active and passive income streams that boost your bottom line and promote your book.
Last year Amazon introduced its new AmazonConnect program, which enabled authors to communicate directly with their readers and provide profile information and blog-like posts on their books’ detail page. If you’re like many other authors, you signed up and entered a few blog posts.
But if you haven’t participated much recently, you could be missing out on some good sales opportunities. I recently checked my web stats and discovered a new surge in traffic from Amazon to my site, all based on my AmazonConnect participation. So take a look at what’s on your Amazon detail pages and add some new content to maintain the spark of interest in your own books as well.
Not having enough time to promote is one of the most common complaints I hear from authors. Yes, book promotion takes time, but you won’t sell many books without it. Here’s a trio of tips to make the process easier:
Focus your time on the publicity efforts that generate the best results. You’ll soon know whether a mention on a blog or published article results in a surge in book sales. In addition, track your web statistics to see where your traffic is coming from and when. Google Analytics is a good tool for this. Drop the publicity efforts that aren’t paying off in favor of those that are.
Create a calendar of book promotion activities. For example, you may want to publish one article a month, create a press release every quarter, update your blog twice a week, and comment on other blogs and discussion boards weekly. Factor time in your schedule for the promotional efforts that are working and it starts to become a habit.
Outsource the tasks you don’t have time for. If you can afford it, consider hiring a virtual assistant or intern to handle some of the more routine promotional tasks. If your budget is tight, try the family approach. Skilled teens, retirees, or stay-at-home moms may have the time to help out the author in their family.
Multiple Streams of Author Income (2008 Edition) is a 36-page downloadable PDF available for $12.95, which offers shows you how to “think beyond the book” and develop lucrative income streams from your expertise.
It’s widely known that many of today’s most successful authors make most of their money from additional products and services—not from their book royalties. Isn’t it time you joined them?
Multiple Streams of Author Income will teach you how to:
Focus on the income streams that best match your skills and expertise
Generate passive income that enables you to profit even when you’re not working
Create a funnel system to develop a loyal audience and higher profits
Package your expertise in ways that earn the most money
Easily set up an ecommerce system that requires little technical skill
Position yourself for lucrative speaking, hosting, and spokesperson assignments
Generate profitable income streams even if you hate public speaking and live in a remote area
Save time and money by using proven resources and methods
The Web-Savvy Writer blog provides content on this blog for general information and educational purposes only; it does not warrant and shall have no liability for this information.
I just finished recording a two-part podcast series with the OnPodcasts Network, in which fellow author Deirdre Breakenridge (PR 2.0, The New PR Toolkit) interviews me about the latest trends in social networking.
My 25th book, 
I’m happy to announce the release of my latest special report: 
