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Internet Marketing for Self-Published Authors

By Geoff Simon | March 20, 2008

authors self promote their books through social media, myspace, facebook, etc.

With the advent of digital printing technology, there is a staggering increase in the number of authors who have chosen to self-publish their own books. The only downfall to self-publishing, however, is that the author is required to perform all of the marketing tasks as well. A beginning self-publisher must be aware of the opportunities to market such a project while trying not to get bogged down by the sheer number of places to advertise. Statistics show the most effective way to market self-published works is through the Internet, where there are as many marketing opportunities as there are books. How can one effectively use the Internet to capture a prospective reader’s attention?

There are many ways to market books on the Internet, from posting them on Amazon.com to creating a website to showcase the work. Amazon works very well since it already has an established and loyal customer base. Owning a website is also a great advantage, particularly if people are able to buy books directly from the site. However, website exposure is a huge issue since there are literally millions of sites out there, many promoting the same type of product.

One traditional way to promote your site is through the use of advertisements and search engines. Search engines are a powerful tool if utilized properly, which means the author must be persistent about submitting the proper information to the various sites. Also, an author must make sure that his site comes up in the first one or two pages or else not many people will see it.

Undoubtedly the most effective tool for self-published authors is the social networking arena. It’s true that many social networks, such as MySpace or Facebook, are primarily used for social interaction yet an increasing number of authors are using the sites to promote their work. The exposure to the self-published work may not be as target-specific as other methods of advertising but sheer volume prevails. People are much more likely to see the work simply by arriving at your individualized page than if they were forced to go looking for it. An even greater advantage lies in the actual networking. After all, word of mouth still ranks number one as the best way to get the attention of the public.

Consider this: If an author has a lot of friends in his network, including specialized groups tailor-made to his interests or genre, there is a greater chance that his work will be noticed by prospective buyers. Those friends also have friends who may like the book and as the commercial goes: ”They tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and so on and so on…”

With the continued use of these methods to market work, the face of publishing as a whole will change. What once was a no more than a pipe dream for a small author can now become a solid reality.

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One Response to “Internet Marketing for Self-Published Authors”

  1. NO Bull » Blog Archive » Internet Marketing for Self-Published Authors Says:
    March 20th, 2008 at 9:39 pm

    […] admin wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptStatistics show the most effective way to market self-published works is through the Internet, where there are as many marketing opportunities as there are books. How can one effectively use the Internet to capture a prospective … […]

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