The Web-Savvy Writer

Authors Need to Get Social to Get Book Sales

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 02:54:54 +0000

Recently I read a forum post in which an author said that she didn’t want anyone she didn’t know to see her Facebook page. This reminded me of a similar experience I had several months ago, when a new author declined my Facebook connection request because she didn’t personally know me.

Now, I understand the concern for privacy, and make sure that I don’t reveal too much personal information on the web myself. But authors who don’t make the most of everything the social web has to offer are really missing out on one of the best free promotional tools around. As an author, you need to connect with readers, develop your platform and audience, and get the word out about your books.

Social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and the many other book and niche sites offer a great opportunity for doing just that. Think of your online profiles as extensions of your public website. If you want to connect only with people you know, do so in a private group. But make your public profiles as open and accessible as possible to develop those increasingly important connections with readers and peers.

And if you’re a fellow author wanting to connect with me on Facebook, go ahead and send a request. I won’t say no

Second Edition of The Web-Savvy Writer Now Available

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:21:07 +0000

The second edition of The Web-Savvy Writer: Book Promotion with a High-Tech Twist is now available on Amazon.com. I anticipate availability at Barnes & Noble, Chapters, Amazon UK, and others within the next few days. Hopefully my AmazonConnect posts, reviews, and more detailed description will appear on Amazon by then too

This edition contains extensive updates plus lots of new content about the ever-changing world of online book promotion. I cover the basics, such as author websites and Amazon promotion, and then delve into blogging, podcasting, social media, virtual book tours, book trailers, and more.

Book Promotion 2.0 Video

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:42:49 +0000

To celebrate the release of my latest book, The Web-Savvy Writer: Book Promotion with a High-Tech Twist, Second Edition, I created the following trailer. Hope that you enjoy watching it, and that it inspires you to create a trailer for your own book!

Google Book Search Settles Lawsuit with Publishers and Authors

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:48:32 +0000

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.

Promote Your Book on Social Networking Sites

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 04:37:32 +0000

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 June 2008, MySpace had 118 million unique visitors worldwide; Facebook had 132 million (an increase of 153 percent from the previous year).
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.

Your Online Book Promotion Campaign: Is It Working for You?

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 01:03:32 +0000

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 articles 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.

Number of Published Books Increases in 2007

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 02:00:24 +0000

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.

The Truth About Profiting from Social Networking Is Now Available

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 01:27:50 +0000

My 25th book, The Truth About Profiting from Social Networking, is now available!

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.

Purchase on Amazon
Purchase on Barnes & Noble

Increase Your Revenue and Book Sales

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 04:34:55 +0000

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.

Are You Still Connecting with Amazon Connect?

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 04:34:21 +0000

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.