Google Book Search Settles Lawsuit with Publishers and Authors

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Google has settled the class action lawsuit filed by a group of authors and publishers concerning book access through its Google Book Search program. You can read the official statement or the more user-friendly agreement summary on the Google Book Search site itself. Once the agreement is approved, Google will establish a Book Rights Registry that enables readers to purchase online access to complete books and publishers to receive revenue for this access.

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October 29, 2008 | Filed Under Google | Leave a Comment 

Promoting Your Book When You Have No Time to Promote

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

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September 24, 2007 | Filed Under Book Promotion, Google | 1 Comment 

The Duplicate Content Penalty Myth

A reader recently wrote to me, concerned that my suggestion to recycle blog content would result in duplicate content penalties from search engines such as Google.

To clarify this myth and alleviate your concerns, read this excellent post by SEO (search enginge optimization) expert Jill Whalen: The Duplicate Content Penalty Myth.

In summary, don’t be afraid to syndicate your content and articles to selected sites. You’ll reach potential new readers who aren’t already part of your audience and get links back to your website. Google’s filtering mechanism should be able to determine the original source of the content (you) and even if the duplicate content appears in search results the link will take people back to your originating site.

August 2, 2007 | Filed Under Author Websites, Blogging, Google | 3 Comments 

What Are Others Saying About You and Your Book?

All authors want to know when other sites, blogs, or online stores mention them or their book. Keeping up with all your latest mentions can be time-consuming, however. To make this task easier, and automated, try Google Alerts. Set up an alert for a specific name or phrase and you’ll receive email notification when it appears on the web or in Google news. You can receive your alerts daily, weekly, or as they occur.

Currently I have several Google alerts set up, one for my name and one for each of my most recent books. Although some of the alerts are rather routine, I’ve found sites mentioning me that I otherwise wouldn’t have discovered so quickly.

A Google alert is also a great idea if you’ve just issued a press release about your book. Create an alert for a phrase in the title or text of your release that should be relatively unique online. This will give you a good idea of how effective your release is in terms of online visibility.

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February 19, 2007 | Filed Under Google | 1 Comment 

Update on Google Print

Today’s the day the Google Print Library Project is set to begin (see my previous Google Print post). The controversy continues:

November 3, 2005 | Filed Under Google | Leave a Comment 

Yet Another Google Print Lawsuit

It was a busy news day for the publishing world. Just weeks after the Authors Guild filed a lawsuit against the Google Print Library Project, the Association of American Publishers has now filed suit as well. The source of problem is that this project is opt-out, not opt-in. The Google Print Library Project aims to scan millions of books from major universities to make them searchable, but not entirely readable, on the internet. Publishers have the right to opt out by November 1st.

It’s important to note that the library project is a variation of the voluntary Google Print program, in which publishers can choose to make their books available for scanning and search online. To see how Google Print works, go to print.google.com, and enter my name (Patrice-Anne Rutledge). You’ll find my book Special Edition Using Microsoft Powerpoint 2002, which my publisher made available for limited search.

Here are some links to news stories on this important issue:

Opinions on all this? Does a program like Google Print help authors to find an audience for their books and drive sales? Is an opt-out program an infrigement of copyright law and fair use? Feel free to comment.

October 23, 2005 | Filed Under Google | Leave a Comment