Favorite Books on Book Marketing and Promotion
Scott Lorenz, book publicist and president of Westwind Communications, recently wrote the article My Favorite Books on Book Marketing and Promotion Every Author Must Read. In this article, Lorenz discusses The Web-Savvy Writer plus ten other books that can help with your book promotion efforts.
“The Web-Savvy Writer” is a MUST read if you want to utilize the most cost-effective and viral methods in promoting your book like blogs, pay per click advertising, online reviews, ezines and more. — Scott Lorenz
Online Media Kits: Get More Mileage from Your Promotional Efforts
Have an online media kit on your website? If not, get one … now!
Creating an online media kit is essential for any author looking to get the attention of the media. Your online media kit can contain special content just for the media as well as links to content that’s appropriate for multiple audiences, including:
- Basic book information
- Book excerpt
- Table of contents (for non-fiction books)
- Author bio
- Press releases
- Sample questions for the author
- Media clips
- Author interview
- Reviews
- Story ideas for journalists
- Multimedia book brochure
- Video book trailers
- Author audio and video
Let Your Readers Try Before They Buy
Here’s the third in my series of favorite tips for fiction authors (again, also a great option for many nonfiction authors).
Many people love to try before they buy and fiction readers are no exception. Providing an excerpt of your novel is particularly important if you’re a new author and don’t have a solid track record or fan base from previous books. Publish your first chapter to your website and promote this free excerpt heavily. You should be able to get an excerpt from your publisher, or if you self-published, create your own excerpt as a PDF (for free at Adobe CreatePDF). Also consider posting your excerpt on other sites, such as 1chapterfree.com.
Want to Get More Reviews on Amazon.com? Just Ask …
Getting good reviews on Amazon.com can definitely help you sell more books. Here are some tips for increasing the number of reviews:
- Whenever readers email you with positive comments on your book, ask them to submit a review on Amazon.
- Ask anyone who has provided a testimonial or foreward for your book to post it on Amazon. Alternatively, include these comments in your Reviews section.
- If you teach or provide seminars, ask your students to post a review if they liked your book.
- Include a request for reviews on your website or blog. Â
- Make it easy. Include a direct link to your book’s Write Your Own Review page. You can find this by clicking on the Write an Online Review link on your book’s detail page.
 And now for two “don’ts”:
- Â Don’t bribe your readers to write good reviews. It’s acceptable to offer a small thank you for taking the time to write a review (such as a free report, bookmark, etc.), but don’t offer anything of any significant monetary value in exchange for a good review.
- Don’t create fake reviews. It’s often easy to spot these and they damage your professional reputation.
 So now I’m going to take my own advice. If you’ve enjoyed reading The Web-Savvy Writer, I’d love for you to let other Amazon customers know about it. Just go to The Web-Savvy Writer Write Your Own Review page and enter your review.
Good Read: For Authors, Writing’s Just Half the Job
Are you relying on your publisher’s in-house publicist to do most of your marketing for you? Take a look at this article The Miami Herald published recently: For Authors, Writing’s Just Half the Job. It highlights the importance of actively participating in the marketing and promotion of your book, even if you published with a big-name publisher.
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The book called "brilliant ... indispensable ... and a must read" by publishing and publicity experts!
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About the Author
Patrice-Anne Rutledge is a freelance writer and author specializing in business technology.
