Many people seem to think that marketing a book has to be really expensive. They worry that you have to travel across the country peddling the book at boring book signings and craft fairs.
That may have been true in the past, but I can report I’ve never done a bookstore book signing, and after reading about their success rate, I have no interest in ever wasting my time standing next to a table full of books, hoping that someone will be bored enough to stop by and talk to me.
Thanks to the Internet, you can market a book extremely inexpensively. In fact, here are two ultra-simple things you can do right now that cost you exactly nothing. In fact, you can do the first one even before your book is published. Both techniques capitalize on the power of linking.
1. Use a signature in your emails and include it every time you post anywhere online. It never ceases to amaze me how few people actually take the time to figure out how to set up a signature in their email program. Netiquette dictates that you shouldn’t overdo it, but a simple signature that includes your Web site, book title, or both is certainly okay. For example, if you send an email to me, you will usually get a reply with this signature at the end:
Susan Daffron
Logical Expressions, Inc.
http://www.logicalexpressions.com
Author – Web Business Success, Happy Hound, Happy Tabby and Vegan Success
If you include the http:// part, the link will be live and clickable in almost any email program. And even if your book isn’t available yet, simply include”Author of the forthcoming book…” in your signature instead. As an aside, if you don’t include a link to the book site directly, make sure your books come up high when someone searches on the title. (You’ll notice our books do!)
2. Add content to your Web site or blog that includes links to your books. This tip so easy people sometimes don’t think about it. If you have more than one Web site, such as a blog and a corporate site for example, make sure to link to your book’s Web site any time you can. Write articles that relate to your books. In our case, we often use our books as examples in these Publishize articles.
For example, a while ago I wrote an article on how to use a”memory hook” or”book hook” to make your book more memorable. I used our Vegan Success tagline as an example. I also included a link to the Vegan Success site. (And look I just did that again!) When I discover that a blogger has written a nice review of one of our books, I usually post about it on my blog, but I also include a link to our book Web site at the same time. I did this for a review we just got about Happy Hound for example. On the Internet, links are important. Think of legitimate reasons to link. Even if you don’t have a dedicated book site set up, you can link to your book’s page on sites like Barnes and Noble or Amazon.
Links are the currency of the Internet. Don’t be obnoxious about posting links where they aren’t relevant. We all hate blog comments that are nothing but an excuse for a link, for example. But think about how you can include links to your books in a subtle and helpful way. It’s a simple and powerful way to get more visitors to your site, which in turn can result in more book sales.