by John Weaver
Booksandauthors.net
It doesn't matter if you are promoting an electronic book, a print-on-demand book, a book you've printed yourself, or a commercial title from a mainstream/traditional publisher. There are things you can do to help sell more copies of your book online and in the bookstore.
First, you need to build some name visibility. Name visibility differs from name recognition - Stephen King has name recognition because people know who he is. He is a household name. Author Bob Mayer only has name visibility because his name is mentioned in this essay. After you leave here, you'll forget his name unless you encounter it over and over again elsewhere.
For example, there was a time when no one had heard of Stephen King - believe it or not. King achieved name recognition through building name visibility. Of course, he is a good writer and has written some modern day classic stories. Good writing will get more word-of-mouth referrals than bad or mediocre writing. You are at the mercy of the cold and impartial marketplace.
Building name visibility on the Internet is not easy. You have to really work at it, and it may require more time and effort (though less money) than building name visibility through the traditional means available to authors. You can begin by participating in news groups, mailing lists, and Web-based forums.
Name visibility also comes from providing content to Web sites. Write essays for FREE just like the one I'm writing now -- You would be providing a service and promoting your books.
You have to sort your priorities. If you're just going to write for paying markets, then there are some on the Web but they come and go. And the competition for their money is fierce. By excluding free content from your list of marketing tools, you virtually sign off on 99% of potential marketing opportunities. You stack the odds against building name visibility for yourself.
And yet, a desire to build name visibility doesn't mean you should answer the call for free fiction every time someone announces a new Web site. Free content doesn't have to consist of stories or long How-to articles. Consider writing letters to editors of popular Web sites, where mentioning your book is relevant to the topic. Consider writing book reviews for popular online stores. Think about contributing lists and tidbits to newsletters or other services.
Do you need a Web site to market your book? Absolutely. It's a necessary part of the process. The Internet may help the author of a low-selling book move more copies, but only if the author builds name visibility.
Always remember what P. T. Barnum said, " Without publicity a terrible
thing happens, nothing! " -- Good luck and Write ON!!