Here's are some quick basics to use the web for promoting your book:
1. Create a blog specifically for your book.
You'll want to create a blog rather than a static website that acts as an ad. A blog has changing content (supposing you write in it) and because of this becomes relevant to search engines and supporting traffic. Creating a blog can be extremely simple or difficult depending how visible, how much unique you want the site to be, and how 'writer' friendly you want it to be.
There are many choices to setting up a blog depending on your abilities in setting up a site. Here are my favorite top contenders all with the most support out available:
Blogger.com
I've been designing sites for about 12 years now and I still use blogger for my personal blog even today. It is no nonsense and just plain easy and at no cost. You have to love it but if you're doing a huge promotion with some complexity in layout or site structure, you may want to look elsewhere.
Pros:
- Cost nothing to set up or maintain.
- Search Engine Optimized (friendly).
- It's simple, very simple.
Cons:
- Small number of themes and not so easy to alter existing themes so the look of your site will not be unique.
- Although it creates an optimized site for search engines it doesn't apply additional tools to get traffic like other services.
- RSS feeds are limited to the main blog only. Limiting the ability to promote a single feed with user comments to an RSS.
Wordpress - Requires hosting - visit TOPSweb's Web Services for more details
If all you want to do is a blog and nothing else (one changing page with archives) then Wordpress is the best. There is nothing out there that beats it's ability to be search engine friendly and I mean nothing. It will literally dynamically build keywords based on the content so it can be found.
Pros:
- Cost is very low, hosting is about $4 a month.
- Probably a trillion themes to choose from, tons for free.
- Very easy to use and very customizable.
- Extremely optimized for search engines. Nothing out there better, hands down!
Cons:
- You have to maintain it. Often upgrades are as simple as clicking a button, or with the addition of a plugin you would have to click a button to back up a database, but still you are the one responsible for the site.
- Very easy to transfer from another system into wordpress, but like hotel California, check out any time you like, but can never leave - without killing your stats.
- Tons of available support online.
Joomla (Content Management System) - Requires hosting also.
Joomla isn't just a blog, it is a SYSTEM. In other words it's not just a starship, it's the Enterprise. This system isn't for the person who has no computer skills, it requires some reading and some training all available for free online. It's not that its hard, it's that it's so inclusive. I highly recommend Joomla if you are technical by nature.
Pros:
- By far the most flexible system for layout and the most attractive themes available.
- Cost is low for hosting, same as wordpress about $4 a month.
- Most features available and can easily juggle multiple pages within the site.
- Tons of available support online.
- Search Engine Friendly - also see cons.
Cons:
- Not simple to use. Takes time to get to know the interface but worth it if you do.
- Requires a bit of manual effort to induce your keywords to make your pages more SEO friendly.
2. Yesterday's leftovers are today's delicious blog
When a book goes through the editing process, typically a ton of great stuff is just cut out. Maybe it didn't flow right, timing issues, too long, whatever the reason it got chucked from the book. There is often tons of valuable research, side stories, and so on that can be used as content for your blog. These are often teasers and wets the appetite of the reader for your writing style and promotes a following for your book and your ability to interact with the reader.
3. A little birdie told me to tweet, facebook, myspace, and tweet some more.
The power of social media is the engine behind today's Internet Marketplace. Take advantage of the tools out there and when you post a new blog, send out an update on your facebook fanpage, your twitter account, and any other services that people follow you or have common interests as you.
4. Feedback - adapt and overcome!
All of the blog systems I've suggested and tons more have the ability to have users comment on your blog posts. Get it, read it, use it, love it, or just ignore it. Getting feedback is crucial on what you need to adapt to meet a niche reader market and effectively promote your book. You may discover from this feedback from either user comments on your blog, facebook comments, direct tweets, that maybe you are attracting a different fan base than you had expected. This may require you to adapt your writing to either shift your fan base, or embrace them and adapt your style to attract more of that niche market.
5. Subscriptions - Keeping in touch
All of the blog systems I suggested have RSS feeds. These feeds can be used by Internet users to subscribe to your feed and read your blogposts in readers and never have to actually visit your site. There are tons of reader sites from yahoo to google reader to rss owl. But mostly, other sites can post your content into their sites creating a powerful backlink 'web' or 'net' if you will to gain followers.
Another method is the old newsletter method by catching email addresses by subscribing to premium content, Joomla handles this method famously. A newsletter can inform the subscibers not only of content being posted in the blog, but can announce books signings, when the next books is coming out, additional thoughts, etc.
6. Don't be anti-social
When it comes to content, more is better but not so much in the same place. As I mentioned earlier you want to build a proverbial 'net' to catch users. So write fresh content to your facebook fan page, interface on with others on twitter, talk on groups, write ezine articles. Within all of this, delicately place a link back to your book's website where you have your master content and promotions to you the sale of your book.
7. One for one, more for many - One site per book more sites for other stuff.
Again to the play off more is better. If you have multiple publications, then create an individual site for each book. Create an author site that ties your muliple sites together and promotes each of them. I'm happy to contribute to this blog owned by John Kurt because it is about a common passion between the both of us, technology. This blog is a good example in that it will continue to talk about these things as well as provide links to promote John's books as they come available. No opportunities lost.
In conclusion, an ebook or any book for that matter to a new author does not gain instant momentum by making it available for the ipad or the kindle. There has to be a promotion tied behind that book just as if it were any other commodity or product. It has to be marketed and nurtured to an intended audience in order to sell.
Happy writing,
Michael D. Donahoe
TOPSweb, LLC
