Marketing Books Case Study: Mary Higgins Clark

When it comes to selling and promoting books, Mary Higgins Clark obviously knows what she is doing.  She has written 42 bestselling novels, and she sells 3.7 million copies of her books each year.  She has become such a consistent seller that her publisher figures the sales of her books into their annual budget.

But, you may say, this is Mary Higgins Clark we are talking about.  Just having her name on the cover of the book ensures that her book will be a bestseller.  There is truth to that statement, now.  However, Mary doesn't just write her books and then hand them to her publisher and expect them to sell with no further work on her part.  Far from it.

At the age of 83, Mary Higgins Clark is a marketing powerhouse.  She knows what works when it comes to moving her books.  They are also things that any author can do when it comes to marketing and promoting their own books.

1.  Clark knows her audience.  The marketing of a Mary Higgins Clark novel actually begins when she is writing her books.  She doesn't include an graphic sex or violence in her novels.   She doesn't switch genres and she continues to write the type of novels her readers have come to expect.  Her books usually launch on Mother's Day, so she caters to mothers and their daughters who like to read the same books.

2.  She doesn't completely rely on bookstores.  One of Clark's favorite book signing locations isn't a bookstore at all.  It's the Wegman's supermarket stores.  That's right, this multi-millionaire, bestselling author can be found signing her new releases at grocery stores.  Why?  That is where her readers (woman) are.  Clark knows book signings are not a vanity event for the author.  They are sales and promotional events for the reader.  Always put the reader first.

3.  She still works to sell books.  Could Mary Higgins Clark sell books without doing book signing events?  Probably, but she still wants to remain relevant for her readers, and attract new readers.  At the age of 83, she will still do book signings, even at a supermarket.  She even tried to sell a book to the reporter interviewing her for this recent article. 

4.  She is involved in the marketing of her book.  Even with 42 bestsellers to her credit, Clark takes an active role in marketing her books.  She does signings, meets with fans at every opportunity, and even approves ad copy for her books.

5.  She writes for her readers, not the critics.  Clark doesn't rely on book reviewers to spread the word about the release of her new book.  In fact, she says critics typically ignore her books or give them bad reviews.  Out of the 42 novels she has written, Clark recalls getting a positive review for just one of them.

What can you learn from Mary Higgins Clark?  Know the niche audience for your book, do book signing events at the locations where you would find them, write the kind of books your audience has come to expect from you and be involved in the marketing and promotion of your books.  It has worked well for Clark, and should benefit you as well.

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Guest Post: What Do I Deserve As An Author? by Tony Eldridge

Note from Terry:  From time to time I like to feature guest posts from authors and other book marketing professionals so my readers can get some perspective on the publishing industry from someone other than myself.  Today, our guest post comes courtesy of Tony Eldridge.

Tony Eldridge is the author of the award winning action/adventure novel, The Samson Effect, which Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the creator of Marketing Tips for Authors, a site that publishes free tips and videos to help authors learn marketing techniques for their books. You can read the serial release of The Samson Effect at http://samsoneffect.marketingtipsforauthors.com/



So, you have written a book. Congratulations! No matter how you did it, that is truly a feat worthy of praise. You have beaten the odds and did what few others have done. You now have a piece of your legacy that will always set you apart from others.

I'm not going to tell you that now the hard work begins. By now, I am sure you have done your homework and you realize that you have a responsibility to market your book. Unless you are among the elite best-selling authors, your publisher will probably not have much of a marketing plan for you. If you rely on that, your three months to make a splash will come and go before your publisher moves to the next book.

The question I do want to consider is one that may make you feel a little uncomfortable, but it's one we really need to ask if we want to move past the hurdle that many authors never get past. The question is:

What Do I Deserve As An Author?

1. You don't deserve book sales- Just because you've written a book doesn't man that people have to buy it. Ultimately, books are written for readers, not the authors. It is up to the reader to decide whether it's worthy of purchase. If they vote "no", then that's the way it is.
   
   
2. You don't deserve stellar reviews- While reviewers often give opinions that you may disagree with, they are not a service to help you promote your book. Once in their hands, they are ethically bound to give their honest appraisal of your book. That's all that you deserve to expect from them. And on matters of opinion, the benefit of the doubt rests with them.
   
   
3. You don't deserve a hot word-of-mouth network- Of course you want to enlists everyone you know to help you spread the word of your book, but few authors experience a 100% mobilization of their personal network. I hate to break it to you, but you will have family and close friends that will never tell anyone about your book, even though they make promises that they fully intend to keep. Success or failure of your book does not rest with them, but with you.
   
   
4. You don't deserve freebies- As an author, you don't deserve to have people offer free advertising or marketing for your book. People have businesses to run, and if that business involves marketing and advertising, you are another client just like every other client. If you want their business, you need to be willing to pay (or barter) for it. Freebies are a gift that we need to be thankful for, not ones that we need to expect, or deserve.
   

So, what do you deserve as an author? In my humble opinion, you deserve something far more valuable that the things mentioned above. You deserve:

• Self Respect- This is huge. No matter what is going on in your life, you did what few others have done. That is something to be proud of and something no one can take away. Like earning a diploma, it's something you will always have.
  
  
• Proof that you can overcome great obstacles- If you can write a book, then you deserve to know that you can overcome any obstacles set in your path. The skill of overcoming obstacles is one that's worth gold when you have tangible evidence you can do it.
  
  
• A legacy to leave to your descendants- 100 years after people leave this earth, there is little left as a legacy. A book is a way to live eternally to those who come after us. What a wonderful thought that your great-great grandchildren will read your words with pride.
  

To me, it all boils down to this: As an author, you deserve to be proud of your great accomplishment. You don't deserve anything from anyone else. What others may choose to give you is a gift to be grateful for, but nothing to expect.

So, get out there and do your best to persuade people to read your book and to help share it with others. If they don't, that's okay. Just move on to someone else. The passion and knowledge you have about your book will help find those people just waiting to discover your book and the joy you have created between the covers.

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Best Book Recommendation Services

The folks over at Lifehacker polled their thousands of readers, and came up with a list of the Top Five preferred book recommendation services.  If you're an author looking to get more exposure for your book, it's worth checking out one of these services.  Better yet:  most of them are totally free!

Top Five, by order of popularity:

1.  GoodReads
2.  Amazon
3.  Shelfari
4.  LibraryThing
5.  GetGlue

Honorable mention:  Word-of-mouth from friend, bookstore clerk or librarian.


This poll is by no means scientific, but it's worth noting that bookstores and libraries didn't even make the Top Five.  If you have ever had any doubt about how important it is to have an online presence, this poll should be a good reminder!

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Are You Sabotaging Your Book?

Who would sabotage their own book? Authors don't do it intentionally, of course. But, when it comes to marketing their books, authors sometimes do things that could impede their sales, and take what could have been a successful title and relegate it to the bargain table of the local bookstore. Here are a handful of things I have seen authors do that get in the way of sales and success:

1. They give up too early. Authors sometimes spend years writing their books, only to throw in the towel on marketing and promotion after a few months. There is a lot of competition in the marketplace. In fact, last year there were more than a million book titles released in the U.S. Most books don't fly off the shelves of bookstores. It takes patience and persistence (and a lot of hard work) to promote a book, and the author must be involved. No publisher can guarantee book sales, but if the author quits too early I can guarantee the kind of results they will experience. My recommendation is don't quit at all.

2. They expect the book-buying public to beat a path to their door. This isn't true of any author, not even the famous authors. They had to start somewhere, too. Almost every successful author has a rags-to-riches story. They didn't start their writing career being famous, and many slaved away at it for years before they started to reap the fruits of their labor. Too often, authors show up for their book signing events and just sit at their table, waiting for a line of people to form, eager to buy the book and get the author's signature. More often than not, there is no line of people at the table, only customers walking into the store and avoiding eye contact. It is up to the author to engage them.

3. They get "Ernest Hemingway Syndrome." Getting a book published is great, but it doesn't mean the author automatically has the key to fame and fortune. Some authors adopt the attitude that now that they have a book in print the world owes them something. They get angry with bookstore managers who don't schedule them to come in for a book signing event, they get angry with the publisher if they feel their royalty checks are too small, they get angry with media outlets who pass on publishing a story or review about their book. There are NO guarantees in the publishing industry. Rejection is part of the business, and every author has experienced it at some point. The old saying "you'll get more flies with honey than vinegar" is especially true in the publishing industry. Nobody wants to help an author who is too demanding.

4. They don't have a plan. Too many authors expect other people to sell their books for them. Ironically, these are also the same authors who don't sell many books. Even the large publishing houses expect authors to come to the table with something in terms of marketing their book, whether it be a large fan base, a platform from which they can successfully launch their book (such as a popular blog or radio program) or a plan for reaching their target audience. Expecting your book to be stocked in every bookstore in the country is not a marketing plan. If an author doesn't have an idea for who the target audience is for their book, they are going to struggle to find an audience. Authors who know who they have written their book for and how they are going to reach that audience are always a step ahead in the game.

5. They don't listen to professional advice. On the other hand, some authors feel their plan is the ONLY plan which will work at all. They hire a publicist, only to micromanage everything the publicist does to the point of making their efforts ineffective. I once worked with an author who hired an outside publicist, and then proceeded to argue with the publicist every step of the way through marketing. The publicist resigned after a month. Publicists and publishers are the experts and the professionals in the publishing business. Many of them are very good and know what they are doing. Try following their advice now and then and you may be surprised at the positive results. You wouldn't hire a doctor to perform open-heart surgery and then proceed to disagree with him about how he planned to perform the operation, would you? Yet, some authors with no prior experience in publishing will vehemently oppose a publisher's or publicist's marketing plan without first giving it a chance. The professionals who are good at their job will explain what they are doing, and why, each step of the way through the marketing process, and work as the author's partner. If they don't, ask.

These are just a few examples of how an author can sabotage the marketing of their book. Writing a book is a labor of love, but selling a book is business. Approach it as a professional, surround yourself with good people, work hard and treat it as a job (it is) and you'll be giving your book the fair shake it deserves.

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Guest Post: Being a First Time Author and Selling Books - A Dose of Reality

Being a First Time Author and Selling Books - A Dose of Reality

By Lynn Baber

It seems that almost every person I meet has either written a book, is thinking of writing a book, or has been told by someone that they should write a book. While I am not technically a first time author, it's been so long since the last one that I don't think it should count against me. Certainly very few people can remember that business book published way back in 1989.

Authorship is Glamorous, Right?

The news reports of book events by authors Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity, and Karl Rove have been making headlines in recent weeks. Their books were published, hit Amazon, and these authors garnered even more fame, money, and celebrity as each scheduled book event drew to a successful close.

"If only I could get my novel published, I could buy that house in the country," one would-be author laments. "Once my work is out there I can quit my office job and stay at home and write," dreams another. All I need is a break, and it's New York Times Bestseller List here I come!

Well, they're right, aren't they?

Nope. That is, of course, unless you already have a built-in audience numbering in the millions just waiting to part with $24.95 for a chance to meet you and get your autograph. If that doesn't describe you, then let me share the facts - just the facts, ma'am.

Publishing a Book is Like Buying a Horse

Not everyone who wants a horse will be able to buy one. Not everyone who has a story will get published. What is common in both the horse and book scenarios is that the upfront cost is the easy part. Once you bring your dream horse home the serious bills begin to mount and the real work begins.

Ditto publishing a book in today's market. Last year there were nearly a million book titles published if you add up the numbers from traditional publishers, self-published books, and e-books. I've seen reports that a successful book in the marketplace today is one that sells 5,000 copies.

Do you know how hard it is to sell 5,000 copies? We'll get back to that in a moment, first let's talk about the fun stuff - the money.

Authors who are published by traditional means are usually paid by royalties. Contracts differ among publishers and authors, but for the sake of argument let's assume you will receive a royalty of 15% of the price the publisher receives for books sold into the marketplace. Please note, your royalty is not 15% of the cover price, but calculated on the amount the publisher receives per copy.

Authors Make Millions

I suppose some do, just as there are folks who win the Lottery. Writing a book and buying a lottery ticket are both bad bets upon which to budget. Just for fun, let's assume your book is one of the few that actually sells 5,000 copies. If your publisher puts a cover price of $19.95 on your book it is entirely possible that the amount received per book will average around eight bucks, more or less. Don't get caught up in details until we wade through the concept part. So, if all 5,000 books are sold and not returned (did I mention that sold isn't always really sold...) the gross amount to your publisher is about $40,000. Congratulations, you are a successful author. Now let's look at your paycheck.

Don't call the realtor yet, your gross royalties amount to $6,000. I won't speculate on what it might cost you to write your book, but I know my office supply store clerk grins every time I come in for more paper and printer ink.

If you're still hankering to get your story or message out, maybe it's time to move on to the issue of marketing; actually selling books.

Selling Books Is Personal

The only way to sell books is to tell your story to the people who are interested enough in the details to write a check, hand over cash, or hover their computer cursor over the BUY NOW button and left-click their mouse.

How do you reach these folks? How will they find your book? The answers are the same. You need to bring it to their attention in any way possible. Creativity is good, but persistence is even better.

First time authors don't usually get promotional tours paid for by publishers. First time authors usually get a listing on the major book sites and distribution channels that will supply books ordered by book stores. Please note, I did not write, "Stocked in book stores."

The most important thing to successfully marketing your book is great content. Your book must be good! The words you write must somehow fill a need in reader's lives: for entertainment, for inspiration, or as a source of needed information.

What comes next is work. Then more work. Just like the horse example, the real effort begins when your book is released. Finishing the final edit on your manuscript barely achieves a beginning if your goal is a successful book.

Is This Where it Gets Glamorous?

Uh, sure, if you think toting boxes of books, tables, chairs, and all the accoutrements necessary to set up an inviting display for book fair patrons is glamorous. Then, there's the matter of initiating conversation with anyone who comes within earshot of your booth. You have to be a people-person to sell books. Did I mention that selling books is personal? Unless you're well known, you are really lucky to have the opportunity to tell each person who approaches your table about your book and why it might matter to them.

The actual value of book signing events is debatable. Book fairs can be long, tiring days. Each author needs to take a critical look at their book and decide if it appeals to a broad enough market to make such events good choices.

How Else Can I Reach Potential Readers?

The article you are reading I wrote for free. Why? I wrote it both as a service to fellow authors, and to let you know I exist. This is one example of book marketing. My usual topics have something to do with horses or faith, but writing and selling books is something I'm getting to know more about each day.

The Internet is a wonderful tool. Each book has a specific market. Your challenge is to reach into your market and speak to the individuals who make up that market. My true goal is to share a message of faith. I use the written word as well as personal appearances and video to get the message out. Once your book is out, and you fully understand that selling copies is a marathon race and not a sprint - then it is time to let your creativity go wild.

The Reality of Authorship

Here's where I share my reality as an author with you. I am passionate about the message I share with my readers. There was never an option of NOT sharing it. I'm in this for the long haul. I hope that when folks close the back cover of Amazing Grays - Amazing Grace, their lives will be forever changed for the better.

Is your message great? Are you passionate about sharing it with others? If you answered both these questions with a loud, emphatic, "YES!", then you just may need to keep after the goal of being published.

Don't plan on paying any big bills with your royalties, but you may just have a message that will make a material difference in the lives of others. What better goal is there?

When that first email arrives telling you that your words 'changed my life', your heart will grow about two sizes and you will head back to the computer to do it all again.

Read excerpts from Lynn's newly released book, "AMAZING GRAYS-AMAZING GRACE: Pursuing relationship with God, horses, and one another" at http://www.AmazingGrays.us or on Amazon.com. Written in a conversational tone, author Lynn Baber uses a variety of literary styles including allegory, analogy, and story-telling to share principles of leadership and faith. Seek freedom with a band of wild horses. Stand beside Lynn as she judges a Western Pleasure class, when she makes the very first connection with an untrained horse in the round pen, and as she shares God's amazing grace that ultimately leads us to heaven. Learn the answers to questions like, "Why won't my horse (child) do what I ask?" or "Why does God let bad things happen."

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lynn_Baber


http://EzineArticles.com/?Being-a-First-Time-Author-and-Selling-Books---A-Dose-of-Reality&id=4140254

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Guest Post - Your Author Photo: How to Project the Right Image

Some authors write for personal fulfillment or to share with friends and family, but if you want to make money from your book you need to treat it like a business. That means (among other things) that you need to project a professional image.

Your author photo is part of your image and brand. A fuzzy shot of you cropped out of a group photo, with someone's arm draped over your shoulder, just isn't the right image if you want people to take you seriously as a professional author.

An author photo doesn't necessarily have to be shot by a professional photographer in a studio. In fact, some studio portraits tend to look overly formal. In deciding on the setting, pose and clothing for your author photo, think about your personality, the type of books you write, and the brand or image that you're trying to project.

If you write gardening books, an outdoor shot with plants in the background is appropriate. If you write about business topics, you might want a studio portrait in business attire. Some authors take a photo in front of a bookshelf or holding their book, while others just use a plain white background. You can get ideas by looking at photos on author websites or on book covers in the bookstore. See what others who write the same type of books you write are doing.
If you hire a photographer, explain that you are using the photos for business and you will need to receive digital files. If you would rather do it yourself, find a good location and ask a friend to shoot photos with a digital camera. Take lots of shots so you can choose the best one. Just make sure the photo is in focus and free of distracting things in the background. Solid colored clothing usually looks best.

You will need several versions of your photo for promotional purposes. For printed materials like book covers, sell sheets, and magazine features, you need a high-resolution image (300dpi). For online use, it's best to use a low-resolution image (usually 72dpi). Low resolution files are much smaller, so they are faster to upload, open faster as pages load, and take up less space on servers. In your online media room, I recommend offering both high-res and low-res versions of your photo and your book cover.

It's a good idea to use the same photo everywhere – people will begin to recognize you. You may need to experiment a bit to get the best version of your photo for use on social networks. For example, on Twitter it's best to upload a square headshot, cropped fairly tightly around your face. On Facebook, you want to upload a photo that's not cropped so tightly. Facebook will display your original photo on your profile, but reduce it to a square thumbnail to display in other places on the site. See this example:

Most computers come with simple photo editing software. To crop a photo in Windows, open your standard author photo with Windows Photo Viewer, then open Microsoft Office Picture Manager, click on Edit Pictures, click on the Crop tool, then drag the black lines inward until you've captured the portion of the photo you want. Try the Auto Correct button to improve the color and lighting. Click on the Compress tool to create a low-resolution file for use online. Be sure to save each version with a new file name.

Some authors use their book cover or logo as their image on social networks, but people are there to network with people, not with a book. I recommend using your author photo most of the time, but you might want to use your book cover on certain occasions, such as during your book launch.

You may want to update your look every couple of years to keep it fresh. I introduced a new photo in January with the redesign of my website, and it took me several hours to change out the photo on every website where I'm listed online! My photographer took several studio poses, but I liked the outdoor shots better because they were less formal and more colorful. I even wore a blue blouse to coordinate with the blue on my website.

Whatever setting or look you choose, just make sure it projects the right image of you as a professional author.

Dana Lynn Smith is a book marketing coach and author of the Savvy Book Marketer Guides. For more tips, follow @BookMarketer on Twitter, visit Dana's blog at www.TheSavvyBookMarketer.com, and get a copy of the Top Book Marketing Tips ebook when you sign up for her free newsletter at www.BookMarketingNewsletter.com.

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Marketing Your Book With Articles

There are literally millions of web sites on the Internet, and many of them are looking for fresh content every single day. Many web site operators write their own content, but others get their content from services which provide articles. Most of these services are advertiser supported, but others charge a subscription to the web site operators that use the content. These content provider services actually present a good opportunity for authors to showcase their talents as writers, and to promote their books.

For the past few months, I have been experimenting with a service called Ezine Articles. I post some of my blog posts to the site as articles, and these articles include links back to this blog. Each article includes a short bio about me, and the fact that I am writing a book for authors about marketing and promoting books. Not only does this drive more traffic to this blog, but it also helps me build credibility. In turn, these articles have been picked up and used by other web sites and blogs, each providing links back to this blog. If an article is picked up by a large number of web sites and blogs, that provides more exposure for me, this blog, and my upcoming book.

These content provider services cover a wide range of topics, not just book marketing. Of course, these services work best for authors who write non-fiction and can write with authority about their chosen topic, but some authors write and post book reviews of other books, all while linking to their blog or web site which promotes their own book. I'm sure you can see the benefit of "getting your name out there" on the Internet by providing articles featuring your writing skills and promoting your own web site, blog and book.

Other content providers include:

Suite101
Associated Content
Examiner
About.com (competitive, you must go through a trial period before they will hire you to be a "guide")
eHow (featuring "how to" articles

Some of these sites even pay you to provide articles for them. Granted, the pay is usually based upon page views, and the pay is small, but since you would be writing to promote yourself the pay is just an added bonus. The pay at About.com can be good, but unlike the other sites you can't just open an account and start writing. They must hire you after a trial period of writing, and a small percentage of writers are hired.

I haven't submitted many articles to Ezine Articles, but my articles have been picked up by several other blogs and web sites, driven traffic to this blog and have routinely been among the most-viewed and most-published articles in the "book marketing" category at Ezine. If I dedicated more time to it, I'm sure the results would be even better.

If you are looking for a way of creating a larger presence for yourself online, article marketing could be a good option for you.

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Five Things You Need on Your Web Site

These days, it is essential that authors have a web presence to promote themselves and their books. I have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of author web sites over the years. Some were built by professionals, while others were built by the authors themselves. There are some very good author web sites online. There are also some very bad ones.

This post isn't going to deal with the aesthetics of an author web site, but it should look good and like it was built by a professional, even if it wasn't. Instead, I'm going to cover the five things that every author should make sure they have on their web site from a marketing point of view.

1. Contact information. I'm surprised by the number of web sites I see that have no means of contacting the author. What if a member of the media, a book reviewer or a movie producer wanted to get in touch with the author? Without some kind of contact info, such as an email address or a contact form, authors could be missing out on some great opportunities.

2. Schedule of Events. Authors have a prime platform to promote their upcoming speaking engagements and book signing events: their own web site. Yet, many fail to have a schedule of upcoming events, or they don't keep it updated. How will your readers find your events?

3. Author Bio. Readers want to know something about the author. Every author web site should have an "About the Author" page which describes the author's background, their other writings, their education, etc. This page should include a photo of the author.

4. Excerpt. Give your readers a taste of the latest book you are promoting. Include a sample chapter or two. If readers like that, they will buy the rest of the book.

5. A Way to Purchase the Book! After all that promoting, you want your readers to be able to buy your book. You can either sell signed copies directly and accept payments via an online payment site such as Paypal, or you could just link to your book's listing on Amazon. However you decide to do it, give your web site readers a way to purchase the book, and make it easy to find.

There are plenty of other things you can put on your web site, of course, but make sure that you at least include these five things. Your readers will thank you!

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When the World Doesn't Beat a Path to Your Door...

...make your own path!

At least twice in the past week, I have received a couple of emails from authors which read something like this:

"I'm really concerned because we have sent out all of these press releases to my local newspapers, and nobody has printed anything about my book. What's going on? Why aren't they helping me promote my book?"

"I have called my local bookstores several times, and they keep telling me they can't schedule a signing with me because ________. What's going on? Why aren't they helping me promote my book?"

I have received emails like this before, and in fact some authors have copied me on emails they have sent to their local newspapers and bookstores which basically browbeat them, asking why they aren't doing more to help a local author promote their book. Yikes.

Let's take a closer look at these two comments, and then discuss them in greater depth:

"I'm really concerned because we have sent out all of these press releases to my local newspapers and nobody has printed anything about my book. What's going on?"

The answer is: I don't know. The decision to run a press release is strictly up to the newspaper or media outlet you (or I) sent it to. They are under no obligation to use it just because you sent it to them. I used to work as a reporter, and I received dozens of press releases every single day. Some made the cut, but many others did not.

Here is a dirty little secret about book publicity: the simple act of releasing a book is not as much of a newsworthy event as it used to be. There were more than 560,000 books released in the U.S. last year, or more than 1,500 titles per day. Newspapers are not going to necessarily trip over themselves printing an article about the release of a title, unless they consider something about the book to be newsworthy. If you can somehow convince a media outlet that YOUR book is newsworthy, and give them a good reason why their readers would be interested in it, they may very well interview you and run a story. Media outlets are in the business of attracting readers, viewers or listeners, and if they think a story about you or your book will do that, they will contact you. You have to have a newsworthy angle, or something unique about you or your book that would warrant a story. Having an upcoming book signing event in the area does help.

"I have called my local bookstores several times, and they keep telling me they can't schedule a signing with me because ________."

Here is another dirty little secret about book publicity: bookstores don't like to say "no" to authors requesting book signing events, so they will sometimes come up with other reasons why they "can't" host an event for you: the book isn't in their ordering system, they are booked solid for the next six months, they have temporarily stopped doing events or the publisher hasn't done "something" that would allow the author to have a signing. Perhaps these are valid and honest reasons, but often it's just a "no." They may not want to be seen as the "bad guy" who turned down an author for an event, but basically that's what they are doing.

Repeatedly contacting a store after they have declined to host an event for you will not only not work, but it might actually affect your ability to get an event at other stores in the area. Bookstore employees and mangers do talk to each other, especially to other stores in their chain, so becoming known as a "difficult" author is not something you want to do. Not every bookstore is going to agree to host you for an event. Bookstore managers will agree to host an event if they think they can sell your book. Some bookstore managers dislike doing book signing events. Rejection is part of the business. I hear "no" from bookstores and other venues every day. It's not personal. If the answer is "no" just move on to another venue until you find one that says "yes." If you happen to have an article or story about your book coming out in the local media soon, that can very quickly change the mind of a bookstore manager. They want to get in on some of that free publicity. However, continuing to hound them for an event will not work, and will actually hurt you in the long run.

Remember, it's not the job of a media outlet or a bookstore to help you promote your book. They will do so if there is something in it for them, but not because they owe you anything, because really...they don't. They are doing you and your publisher a favor when they agree to run an article about your book, or when they agree to host you for a book signing event. This is why I always thank both profusely when they agree to do something for one of my authors.

Take rejection in stride and continue to reach out to your book's niche audience, and great things can happen, with or without the help of your local papers or bookstores.

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Book Marketing is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Just out of curiosity, I checked Amazon recently to see which titles were the current bestselling titles offered by Tate Publishing (where I work as associate director of marketing). The Top 5 (at the time) were:

1. A Daughter's Worth: A Bible Study for Teenaged Girls
by Ava Sturgeon
2. What All Little Girls Need & What Most Women Never Had: Healthy, Loving Relationships with Their Fathers
by Joe Cucchiara
3. The Manufactured Identity
by Heath Sommer
4. Eden: The Knowledge of Good and Evil 666
by Dr. Joye Jeffries Pugh
5. How to Survive (and Perhaps Thrive) on a Teacher's Salary
by Danny Kofke

If you peruse these titles on Amazon, you'll notice that with one exception, they were released 3 to 5 years ago. That's right, 3 to 5 years ago. They aren't new releases which have raced up the Amazon sales rankings. The authors all have one thing in common: they have consistently and persistently worked to market and promote their titles.

As I have mentioned here before, too many authors give up on promoting their titles way too soon. In many cases, I have spoken to authors who are ready to throw in the towel 3-6 months after their book's release because the aren't seeing the kind of results or reception they thought they would get with their title. It has always amazed me that authors are so willing to give up on something in which they have invested so much time and effort.

Publishing is a competitive business. Last year, more than 560,000 titles were released in the U.S. That's more than 1,500 titles per day! What are you doing to make your title stand out?

I help market two of the titles in the Top 5, and I am somewhat familiar with a third title on the list. I know that these authors have done the following to raise the profile of their books:

They have made a number of media appearances. In the case of Dr. Pugh, she has scheduled numerous Internet radio programs for herself through BlogTalkRadio. This led to an appearance on the syndicated radio program Coast to Coast AM, and that led to her being invited to appear in a series on The History Channel called The Nostradamus Effect. She continues to do Internet radio interviews.

They are actively participating in author appearances and book signing events. These include speaking engagements and any other events where they might have an opportunity to discuss their book.

They have their own web site or blog. Most, if not all, of these authors have raised their online profile with their own web site, writing on their own blogs and participating on social media sites like Facebook or LinkedIn.

They didn't quit. Even three to five years after their books have been released, these authors continue to seek new opportunities to talk about and promote their books.

A couple of years ago, I remember seeing an ad in a publishing trade magazine in which the publisher was congratulating one of their children's book authors for selling 100,000 copies of their book. Wow, I thought, that's pretty good! Out of curiosity, I checked to see when the book had been released. I was shocked to discover it had been released almost 20 years ago. It had taken two decades for the author to sell 100,000 copies of their book, but they were still promoting it, and they were still selling copies of their book every year.

It is good to set goals for yourself each year about what you would like to accomplish with your book, but remember, it all doesn't have to happen within a couple of months of your book being released. Marketing a book is a marathon, not a sprint. Your book has no expiration date. It will have a shelf life for as long as you are willing to stand behind it.

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Publicity is FREE: 15 Commandments for Getting in on the Ride

Publicity is FREE: 15 Commandments for Getting In on the Ride

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

A huge retailer once said that advertising works, we just don’t know how, why, or where it works best.

What we do know is that advertising’s less mysterious cousin, publicity, works even better. It is the more reliable relative because it is judged on its merit alone and carries the cachet of an editor’s approval. It also is surrounded by the ever-magic word “free.” The two are easily identified as kin.

These two often walk hand-in-hand and yet they can be incompatible. The editors of good media outlets will not allow the advertising department to influence them. Still, in an effort to be completely impartial they reserve the right to use advertiser’s stories editorially if they deem them newsworthy. That is why it is helpful to use advertising in a vehicle that plays to the audience you would like to see standing in line for your book. This paid-for exposure then becomes an entrée to the decision-makers. A contact in the advertising department may be willing to put a news release on the desk of one of his editors, maybe even encourage her to look at it. There are no contracts, but it does sometimes work. If you’re going to try this route, choose a “little pond”, a bookish brochure or an “arty” weekly so that the dollars you spend will be noticed.

Sometimes a magazine or newspaper will run a special promotion called advertorial. These are sections where you pay for an ad and then the newspaper assigns a reporter to cover the story you want told. The article carries some of the prestige of editorial copy—that is the general reader may assume the article has been chosen only on its merits because of its copycat character. The writer or editor you meet will can be approached when your have something exceptional.

Still, advertorial isn’t exactly FREE. If FREE sounds more like the fare that will serve your needs, carve out some time to do it yourself and follow these 15 commandments:

Educate yourself: Study other press releases. Read a book like Publicity Advice & How-To Handbook, by UCLA Marketing Instructor, Rolf Gompertz, a SPAN member. Order it by calling 818-980-3576. Join publicity oriented e-groups.

Read, read, read: Your newspaper. Your e-zines. Even your junk mail, a wonderful newsletter put out by the Small Publishers of North America (www.spannet.org) and one called The Publicity Hound (www.publicityhound.com.) My daughter found a flier from the local library in the Sunday paper stuffed between grocery coupons. It mentioned a display done by a local merchant in the library window. My second book, HARKENING: A COLLECTION OF STORIES REMEMBERED, became a super model in their lobby and I became a seminar speaker for their author series. Rubbish (and that includes SPAM) can be the goose that laid the golden egg.

Keep an open mind for promotion ideas: Look at the different themes in your book. There are angles there you can exploit when you’re talking to editors. My first book, THIS IS THE PLACE is sort of romantic (a romance website will like it) but it is also set in Salt Lake City, the site where the winter games were played in 2002 and, though that’s a reach, I found sports desks and feature editors open to it as Olympics © fervor grew and even as it waned because they were desperate for material as the zeal for the games wound down.

Cull contacts: Develop your Rolodex by adding quality recipients from media directories. The website http://www.gebbieinc.com/ has an All-in-One Directory that gives links to others such as Editor, Publisher Year Book, and Burrell’s. Some partial directories on the web are free and so are your yellow pages. Ask for help from your librarian—a good research librarian is like a shark; she’ll keep biting until she’s got exactly what she wants.

Etiquette counts: Send thank-you notes to contacts after they’ve featured you or your book. This happens so rarely they are sure to be impressed and to pay attention to the next idea you have, even if it’s just a listing in a calendar for your next book signing.

Partner with your publicist and publisher: Ask for help from their promotion department—even if it’s just for a sample press release.

Publicize who you are, what you do: Reviews aren’t the only way to go. E-books are important promotion tools and Twitter is big news right now (find me at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo). Katy Walls, author of “The Last Step,” coordinated an “anthology” of recipes from authors who mention food in their books (yes, some my family’s ancient recipes from polygamist times are in it). It is a free e-book, a promotional CD, and great fodder for the local newspapers. If you’d like a copy, e-mail me at HoJoNews@aol.com. Use it as a cookbook and as a sample for your own e-book promotion.

Think of angles for human interest stories, not only about your book but about you as its author. Are you very young? Is writing a book a new endeavor for you? Several editors have liked the idea that I wrote my first book at an age when most are thinking of retiring, that I think of myself as an example of the fact that it is never too late to follow a dream.

Develop new activities to publicize: Don’t do just book signings. Use your imagination for a spectacular launch. Start an award. I give the Noble (Not Nobel!) for literary work each January at www.MyShelf.com. Get charities involved. Think in terms of ways to help your community.

Send professional photos with your release: Request guidelines from your target media. Local editors won’t mind if you send homey Kodak moment--properly labeled--along with your release. Some will use it; it may pique the interest of others and they’ll send out their own photographers. It’s best, however, to send only professional photos to the big guys.

Frequency is important: The editor who ignores your first release may pay more attention to your second or twenty-fifth. She will come to view you as a source and call you when she needs to quote an expert. This can work for novels as well as nonfiction. I received a nice referral in my local newspaper because I am now an “expert” on prejudice, even though my book is a novel and not a how-to or self-help piece.

Follow Up: Shel Horowitz, author of Marketing Without Megabucks (http://www.frugalfun.com), reports that follow-up calls boost the chances of a press release being published. Voice contact builds relationships better than any other means of communication.

Keep clippings: Professional publicists like Debra Gold of Gold & Company do this for their clients; you do it so you’ll know what’s working and what isn’t.

Evaluate: One year after your first release, add up the column inches. Measure the number of inches any paper gave you free including headlines and pictures. If the piece is three columns wide and each column of your story is six inches long, that is 18 column inches. How much does that newspaper charge per inch for their ads? Multiply the column inches by that rate to know what the piece is worth in advertising dollars. Now add 20% for the additional trust the reader puts in editorial material.

Set goals: You now have a total of what your year’s efforts have reaped. New publicist-authors should set a goal to increase that amount by 100% in the next year. If you already have a track record, aim for 20%.

Observe progress: Publicity is like planting bulbs. It proliferates even when you aren’t trying very hard. By watching for unintended results, you learn how to make them happen in the future.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON’T (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo ). For a little over 2 cents a day THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER assures your book the best possible start in life. Full of nitty gritty how-to's for getting nearly free publicity, Carolyn Howard-Johnson shares her professional experience as well as practical tips gleaned from the successes of her own book campaigns. She is a former publicist for a New York PR firm and a marketing instructor for UCLA's Writers' Program.. Learn more about the author at http://carolynhoward-johnson.com or http://HowToDoItFrugally.com

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The 10 Terrible Truths of Book Marketing

During the time I have worked in the publishing industry, I have heard a lot of different ideas and statements about how to market books. Some of them are pretty good. Others might seem like a good idea to someone new to the industry, but in actuality they don't work at all. Those are the ideas I'm going to address in this post, but only because they come up so often. I probably hear these ideas or comments on a weekly basis. So, here they are, in no particular order: The 10 Terrible Truths of Book Marketing, along with the marketing requests or comments which generally accompany them.

1. My book will sell itself. No book sells itself. Selling books happens to be a lot of work, but it can also be a lot of fun. But no, books do not sell themselves. If they did, I wouldn't have a job.

2. Celebrities will help me sell my book. I have had requests to send review copies to President Obama, Joel Osteen, Sean Hannity and Larry the Cable Guy, among other celebrities. I'm not sure what authors think these people are going to do with their books, and I think President Obama has his hands full without taking on a book marketing project (other than his own book). Besides, most celebrities are more concerned with selling THEIR books than that of another author.

3. I'm an author, not a book salesman (or salesperson). Well, of course you're an author first, but along with that title comes a certain responsibility to help promote and sell your book. For some authors, this means doing book tours and making media appearances. For others, it means speaking to Rotary Clubs and eating rubber chicken dinners at speaking engagements. But make no mistake, authors must be involved in promoting their book, or it will collect dust on the shelf.

4. (From children's book authors) Let's sell my books through Scholastic Book Fairs. They sell a lot of books. Yes, Scholastic Book Fairs do sell lots of children's books...millions of dollars worth each year, in fact.  But, if you and your book aren't known and already have some kind of track record of sales, your book is less likely to be picked up by Scholastic. 

5. If I could just get on Oprah (or some other national TV show) my book will be a bestseller. I have worked with authors who have been on numerous national TV shows. There is no denying it is fantastic exposure, and it's the kind of exposure I work toward for my authors every day. However, making one appearance on a TV show does not guarantee bestseller status.

6. If we buy an ad on (Facebook, YouTube, Drudge Report or some other web site) my book will sell thousands of copies. Millions of people use these sites. It is true that these are high-traffic sites, attracting millions and millions of users. But hits on a web site don't necessarily transfer into sales. Think about it: when is the last time you purchased something as a result of seeing an ad for it on one of these sites? If you're like most people, the answer is probably "never." If you do sell a few copies, it is unlikely you would make back the amount of money spent on the ad. Even after I tell people this, they still insist on spending the money, only to later call and tell me they shouldn't have done it.

7. I'm just going to set up a web site and sell all of my books online. Having a web site should certainly be a part of any author's marketing strategy, but it's only one part of an overall strategy. Authors should also use other social media sites, do book signing events, niche marketing, media appearances, etc. One web site alone won't help an author sell a lot of books.

8. My book appeals to everybody. Unfortunately, no book appeals to everybody. Take a look at the New York Times bestsellers list. I'll bet there are books on that list you have no interest in reading. This is why it is crucial to specifically target your book's niche market.

9. Once my book is released, I'll be able to quit my day job and work at writing full time. This is every author's dream, but unfortunately few writers are able to make a full time living from doing nothing but writing. Many of them have day jobs, teach writing courses, teach book marketing courses, take freelance writing jobs, write for newspapers or magazines, etc. Most authors make $1-$2 in royalties for every book that is sold. If they received an advance, they don't receive those royalties until the publishing company sells enough books to recoup the advance. In those cases, it could take years for an author to see their first actual royalty check, if they get one at all. If a book isn't a success, the advance may be the only cash an author receives for their book. If authors can't purchase books from their publisher at a steep discount for resale, they may be waiting a long time to see any real money from their book.

10. If my publisher believed in my book, they would spend a lot of money to market it. The fact is, your publisher has already taken a chance on your book by agreeing to publish it. They have already paid for editing, layout, cover design, printing, distribution, shipping, and marketing. However, not every title gets a big ad budget. In fact, few books get ad budgets, period. These are usually reserved for authors who already have a reputation for producing books that sell. These are authors who have a platform, a fan base that wants to read the books that they write. Now more than ever, publishers are depending upon authors to deliver the fans that will buy their books.

In most of these instances, there is a belief or a misconception that if the author or publisher "just did this ONE thing, the book would REALLY take off!" What I'm trying to convey with this list is there is no magic bullet when it comes to book sales. There is no "one thing" that will deliver the sales the author wants. It takes a lot of things: hard work, persistence, patience, and of course, writing great books, to achieve success in the publishing industry. So tell everyone about your book, consistently promote it, work hard, don't give up, and great things CAN happen!

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What's Your Elevator Pitch?

So, what's your book about?

It is one of the most common questions asked of an author, yet I have watched as many authors hem and haw and stumble their way through an explanation of their book...and these are the people who wrote it. It's not that they don't know what their book is about. Of course they do. My theory is that they don't want to brag about themselves, or their book, so they just give a very vague description. Others go completely the other way, taking an extremely long amount of time to describe all of the best plot twists in their book.

These authors don't have an "elevator pitch."

An elevator pitch refers to a very brief overview of a product (in this case your book) which can be described in 30 seconds or less...about the length of an average elevator ride. If you have ever seen the show "Shark Tank" (I prefer the British version, "Dragons Den" on BBC America), you have seen an elevator pitch in action.

Why should authors have an elevator pitch for their book? Think of all the times you might be asked to describe your book: book signing events, book fairs, radio interviews, meetings with bookstore managers, and you'll quickly come to realize it is a question you will get a lot. Your answer could determine if you get a sale or not.

The pitch for your book doesn't need to be long, involved or difficult. It does need to be able to pique the interest of people in a very short period of time. These pitches don't need to be (and shouldn't be) any longer than 2-3 sentences. Here are a few sample book descriptions taken right from the backmatter of a few well-known books:

"The Green Mile tells the story of two men, a prison guard and his new death row inmate, and their suddenly intertwined lives. What would it be like to walk those last 40 yards to the electric chair, knowing you were going to die there? What would it be like to be the man who had to strap the condemned man in or pull the switch?
The Green Mile by Stephen King

"A kidnapped daughter is presumed dead, and when her grieving father receives a letter, apparently from God, inviting him to the scene of the crime, he can't help but go. What he finds there will change his world forever. "
The Shack by William P. Young

After years of disagreeing about what true happiness, success, and love really are, Dave and Clarice Johnson finally face the breaking point of their marriage. When Clarice's leg is crushed in a car wreck, the obvious truth that more than just her injuries need immediate attention is finally exposed. Clarice and Dave struggle to find restoration as they learn the importance of promises made and kept - and the truth that help sometimes comes from unlikely places.
Not Easily Broken by T.D. Jakes

Each of these are wildly successful books, and in the case of The Green Mile, lengthy. However, these descriptions are brief, but capture your attention. Of course, you're not going to spout your book's backmatter when someone asks what it's about, but these types of descriptions give you a starting point.

In no more than three sentences, write down what your book is about. Imagine your book is a movie. If you were reading a TV Guide description of that movie, what would it say? Focus on the central idea of the book, but make sure you "tease" the reader. You want them to be just interested enough that they will say "I have to read that book and find out more!"

Now, re-write this description and make it conversational, like something that could come up in casual conversation. After you have done this, practice reciting it a few times. You want it to sound natural, not like something you have memorized.

You aren't going to commit this to memory word-for-word, but now you have a good general description of your book...your "elevator pitch." When someone asks you what your book is about, you will be able to describe it in a couple of sentences and in such a way that it will make that person want to know more. If they ask you more questions about your book, that's great! They're interested. I have been to some trade shows where I saw a couple of authors spend half an hour telling someone what their book was about. Not only did they not sell their book, but it's highly unlikely that poor soul whose time they wasted will ever bother to read it. Why should they? The authors already recited it to them.

Your book pitch will serve you well when you get out in public, do book signings and media interviews and when you get the inevitable question: "What's your book about?"

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How to Market Your Book When You Don't Have Time to Market Your Book

I had a conversation with an author yesterday that went something like this:

"Ugh! Terry, I am just too busy to do anything to help market my book. There is just too much to do. How can I possibly do it all?"

First of all, I think they were overlooking the fact that they are not in this alone. As their marketing representative, I'm here to help authors create sales and promotional opportunities for their book. But, I get their point. Marketing and promoting a book IS a lot of work, and authors MUST be involved in the marketing and promoting of their book.

This was my response:

"You don't have to do everything all at once. Just do it in baby steps. Pick one thing to do each day to help spread the word about your book. It could be anything. Write a blog post. Post a message on your Twitter or Facebook profile. Call a bookstore and see if you can do a signing. Just do one thing each day. By the end of a year, you will have done 365 things to help market your book."

That's a lot of marketing and promoting, and the cumulative effects of those tasks do add up, in a positive way.

When an author's book is first released, they are excited. They should be. They authored a book! But, all too often, they feel like everything has to happen NOW. Unfortunately, publishing isn't an immediate-results type of business. Just like it takes time to build traffic to a new web site, or bring customers into a new business, it takes time to develop a loyal readership. It doesn't happen from the simple act of a book being released. That's just the first step.

So, market and promote your book in baby steps, but remember: there is no expiration date for your book. Many of these "baby step" activities can be done in just a few minutes. Everybody can find 10-15 minutes in their day.

A sample marketing schedule could look something like this (assuming you're only going to work on your marketing Monday-Friday and do book signing events on Saturdays):

Monday - Call a bookstore and schedule an event.
Tuesday - Update your Facebook and Twitter pages.
Wednesday - Send out press releases and invitations for your upcoming events (at least a week before the event)
Thursday - Identify at least one new niche marketing venue for your book and try to schedule an event there (not a bookstore). These could be speaking engagements, book fairs and festivals, trade shows, etc.
Friday - Send an email to at least five new bloggers, book reviewers or publications introducing yourself and telling them about your book. Spread the word!

This isn't a carved-in-stone schedule, of course. It's just a sample of what can be accomplished over the course of a week in just a few minutes a day. Over time, these efforts add up and begin to pay off. Try it. You may be pleasantly surprised by the results!

How much time do you dedicate to marketing and promoting yourself and your book each week?

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How to Run a Successful Book Signing Event

"I had a great book signing. I talked to a lot of people and I sold 5 books!" the author states enthusiastically.

Well, that's good. I'm always glad to hear the author had a great time at their book signing event. Is five copies sold a good result for a book signing event? Probably not. If the bookstore ordered 20 copies of the book for the event and only five were sold, chances are the other 15 books are going to be returned to the distributor. The author is actually in the hole after their "great" book signing. Other times, an author will tell me this was a "lousy" signing, and the bookstore "didn't advertise my event at all!"

The good news is it doesn't have to be this way. There are things that authors can do to ensure successful book signing events in which they not only sell all of the books the bookstore ordered, but have to dip into their own supply as well. These tips will presume that the author is doing a regular book signing, as opposed to a consignment sale (which we'll cover later.)

1. Get 'em in the door. Don't just expect the bookstore to advertise your event and bring in throngs of people eagerly awaiting to sign your book. Stack the deck in your favor. Send out invitations to your family, friends, co-workers...anybody you can think of. Don't just assume they won't come to your event. The more people you invite, the better. Bookstores schedule events because they want authors to bring people into their store. When I schedule book signing events for authors, the first question bookstore managers ask me is "how many people can they invite and get into the store?" The bookstore is looking for more customers, and they expect the authors to bring them.

2. Get the word out. Don't just rely on emails. Post a notice on your Facebook or MySpace page, on Craig's List for your community, and on any free events calendar listings in your local area. Send out press releases to the local media. You might get a small two line notice in their events calendar section, or a reporter might event want to interview you prior to your event. Some authors want to purchase ads in the local paper. In my experience, these really aren't very effective and can be very expensive. If they actually worked, your publisher or the bookstore would place the ads themselves. There is a reason why they don't.

3. Work with the bookstore. Ask the bookstore manager where you will be seated in the store (ideally, you'll be near the entrance), if they need posters or bookmarks to promote the event and if they know of any media contacts that have promoted their events in the past.

4. Dress up your table. Don't expect the bookstore to do it for you. At the very least, have a tabletop poster announcing who you are, or have a large one mounted on posterboard at the local Kinko's and place it on an easel near your table. If you have props that are applicable to your book, display them. I have an author who wrote a book about WWII who displays his Army gear at his book signing events. He even wanted to bring his old military rifle to events, but I told him it was probably best that he not bring firearms to the mall. Anything that will attract people to your table is great, but make sure the bookstore manager is fine with it first.

5. Have a pre-written announcement ready for the store to read over their intercom system. Not all stores have these, but the larger ones do. They will appreciate the fact that it is one less thing they have to prepare for the event, and this will let people in the store know who you are and where you are located.

6. Be outgoing. Don't just sit at your table and wait for people to approach you. Engage the customers in conversation. Tell them who you are and about the book you have written. Many bookstore customers love to meet authors, but they may not be the first ones to make a move. Sell yourself, and the merits of your book (without being pushy, of course). I have heard of authors who have spent the entire 2-3 hours of their signing just sitting at their table hoping people will line up for a book, or worse...reading a magazine or newspaper during their event. Have you ever seen those people handing out free food samples at the supermarket? They talk to everyone that walks by them, with a big smile on their face. They talk about the product, and how great it is. Authors could learn a lot from these people. Remember, you are "on the job" when you are at a book signing event. Treat it like one.

7. Thank the bookstore manager or events coordinator. Let them know you appreciate their support. Send them a thank-you card after the event. They will be more likely to recommend your book, have you back for future events and recommend you to their sister stores, if they have any. A great attitude goes a long way.

Remember, nobody is more passionate or believes in your book more than you!

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Why Do I Need an Online Presence?

At least once a week, I speak with a new author who tells me "I don't really use a computer. I don't see the need for a (fill in the blank) web site, Facebook/MySpace page, blog, etc."

Ten years ago, it probably didn't matter if an author had an online presence. That certainly isn't the case anymore. Think about the number of books sold on Amazon.com, BN.com or Borders.com, and you'll quickly realize that if you are an author, you should definitely have some kind of online presence.

What kind of online presence do you have now? To find out, just Google your name, or the name of your book. If you only have 2-3 pages of search results which pertain to you or your book (or worse yet, none at all) you don't have enough of an online presence.

Your name is your brand. It is the thing that readers look for when readers want more information about an author or their books. If your name or the name of your book isn't the first thing that appears in the search results when you Google them, you've got some work to do.

So how do you build an online presence? Fortunately, the fixes are simple, and in many cases, free.

1. Get a web site. As an author, this should probably be one of the first things you get to build your online presence. It doesn't have to be a huge web site with a bunch of bells and whistles, as long as what you have looks professional. At a minimum, it should have an author biography, information about the author's books, a way of contacting the author, a schedule of author appearances and a way of purchasing the books. If you can't build your own web site, you can hire someone to build one for you, and it doesn't have to be expensive.

2. Get a Facebook/MySpace page. This is a fast, free and simple way of developing an online presence and staying in touch with your readers. Setting up an account is free, although if you don't know what you're doing there are services which will customize a page for you. The key here is to post to your pages frequently, and to build a list of "friends." You can start with your family and friends, and encourage people to join your page through your web site. The more friends you have connected to your Facebook page, the more effective it will be. Even better, your friends can recommend your page to other people.

3. Get a Twitter page. This is kind of like having a Facebook or MySpace page, but your updates are limited to 140 characters or less. I use Twitter to pass along marketing tips and links to articles I think authors will find helpful. Authors can use it to notify people about their book signing events and the latest news about their book. Getting a Twitter account is free.

4. Get a blog. If you are reading this, then you already have a pretty good idea of what a blog is. It's like having a web site, but you can update it often...even daily if you want to . Posting to a blog frequently is most effective, and the posts should be concise and informative. If you are working on a new book, tell your blog readers. If you have a book signing event coming up, tell your blog readers. The idea is to build as much traffic to your site as possible, and I'll tell you how to do that in an upcoming post.

5. Comment on posts on other blogs and message boards, and sign them using your name. This is another fast way of building an online presence. The key here is to leave short, informative feedback on other blogs and message boards, and include a link to your blog or web site so people can click on it and connect with your directly. The more incoming traffic you have on your web site or blog, the more your name or the name of your book will come up in search engine results.

Of course, you don't want to spend every waking moment of the day managing your online presence, but it only take me about ten minutes to write a blog post and post updates on Facebook and Twitter. These few extra steps will help you build an online presence and help spread the word about your and your book. Authors can't afford to be shy. If you aren't connecting with readers, readers will be connecting with another author.

What methods have you used to build an online presence?

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