Best Seller Authors

Book Marketing, Publishing, Author Resources

Why You Want to Comment on Blog Posts

I’ve written a few times about the power of blog cross promotion.

Still, some authors ask if it’s worth the time and if will really work for them.

Yes! There is nothing more powerful in online promotion than the simple comments you post. In the past 48 hours, I posted a book marketing tip and encouraged comments. Then I went to the blogs or web sties of the commenters and posted comments or signed up for the newsletters.

Results, I strengthen two joint venture relationships and privately discussed making more money together. Plus, I found a new partner to cross promote with, and recommended another to a friend I work with.

These releatoinships will be worth thousands of dollars in commission.

But what about the time commitment.

The time to post an honest comment on a blog is a little as a few seconds, and certainly less than five minutes. If you weren’t reading blogs, it could be a major change in behavior, a learning curve and then maybe some time each day… but I know you are reading blogs, because you are reading this!

To leave a comment, just scroll down to the bottom of the blog post and click on the comment link. (sometimes a form is already on the page you are reading). The first time you leave a comment on a blog, you will need to type in your name, email address (always kept private) and your URL (you want to do this, it gets you the link you want).

Then put in a couple of lines about what you think of the article you just read.

That’s all it takes. You get a qualified link back to your web site, a new relationship, and a chance to show your expertise online.

Here’s some of the blog articles I found from recent comments on this blog:

Dreams Become Reality

The love tank

Making Money With Your Blog

Much Ado About Nothing Exegesis

Take a moment now and click on any of these links. Then tell the author what you thought of his/her posts. It’s okay to mention your book title or business in the comments.

Don’t be surprised if you see some new business from this.

Marketing Book Review: “The New Rules of Marketing & PR”

I was prepping for a class teaching online book marketing and came across David Meerman Scott’s “The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to use news releases, blogs, podcasting, viral marketing * online media to reach buyers directly”… and since I haven’t posted a review, thought it would be appropriate to share it here.

The book came out last year, and uses numbers from 2006, but there isn’t anything in the book that wouldn’t be appropriate for authors to put into action right now. As Scott admits at the end of the book “I don’t expect you to implement all of this as I haven’t myself.” I admit the same. There is a lot to keep up with to market today.

The key point Scott makes in “The New Rules of Marketing & PR” is that we should not be pitching media for coverage. There are millions of bloggers, social networking leaders, and other who are already having discussions on your topic. All of them need content, and once you start getting a reputation online, the traditional media will find you in search engines.

The recommend actions for an authors wanting to become a best seller online are much like I talk about here.  I’ve summed these up in terms of author promotion, but companies are advised to do the same things.

  1. Get a blog and post quality content
  2. Comment on other blogs
  3. Issue press releases designed to be read by your readers
  4. Make sure you are present on social networking sites.

If you have a background in PR or marketing, you’ll especially like the Scott’s frame of reference. The book is written in a style that anyone can follow. The examples show how many authors, bloggers and companies have found new readers, launched products, increased sales and made best sellers.

Do these an you will see more traffic, readers and sales of your book.  Post a comment here and let me know how you are planning on getting more web presence, or ask a quesition about book marketing so I can answer

The Secret to Selling Books Online

Selling books online is faster, easier and more profitable than traditional book store sales, yet most authors are missing out on most of these sales because they haven’t learned the secret to online book promotion.

I am going to tell you the secret, and give you a quick action plan to start using the secret right now.

The secret is simple. It comes from my marketing mantra “Find out what they want and get it for them.” In online book marketing, you know where the market is. Your readers are on the Internet, in social networking groups, web sites, blogs and media sites. They want to find meaningful discussions on topic that interest them.

You have to be there to be seen.

That the secret — To sell more books online, you and your book have to BE ONLINE.

I said it was simple.

Now, ask yourself.. have you put off:

  1. Building an online mail list
  2. Writing a blog about your topic.
  3. Making comments on other blogs
  4. Creating a profile on social network sites
  5. Tracking your online reputation.

I know the answers for most of us.. “I’m going to get to that when…” No more excuses. Let do something today.

Today’s reader starts by reading about you on the Internet. If they know you, they may be searching for you on Amazon.com, but more likely, they search for word or phrases that they are interested in.

So let’s find out where you are.. right now. Open a browser search and type in the key words or subject of your book. Look at the top page or two of results.

You and your book should be at the top of this list. Let’s talk about what best seller authors do to get to the top and stay there.

While you have the list in front of you, take a look at what does come up. I’ll be there are other books, blogs and videos. Find one that is interesting and see if they have a community, comment section or area to join. Get on the list, post a comment and find a way to participate.

Don’t SPAM the site. Add value to the discussion and put one link back to you and your book website. This is not a place for a promotional message.

There are millions of blog sites out there. Do a search by adding the word “blog” and you’ll see plenty of places to join a discussion. All these writers and readers are interested in YOUR topic.

Get involved in the conversations that are already happening online.

There are forums, social networking sites, photo sharing sites, video sites, podcasts and more.

The secret to this is to get started. Then make it a habit to spend a few minutes each day (or a few times a week) to check in with sites where your potential readers hang out.

You are already online surfing the web, checking email. You are reading a blog right now. The next step is to network online and build relationships that will promote you and your book.

Does it work?

Timothy Ferriss, author of the New York Times Bestseller “The Four Hour Work Week” told me that networking with blogs and bloggers was a primary marketing tool for his rise to the top.

High tech “social marketing” authors are turning out books in this new field. Many are instant best sellers because they have a following they have build up on their blogs. In the tech world, online relationships and networking are everywhere. If you don’t have a high tech topic, you are at an advantage.. you still can be at the start of this revolution.

Don’t just “go online” .. today you have to “be online”

By now, you’ve left at least one comment on a relevant blog. (if not, what are you waiting for?) Post another comment here and tell me what you think of this article. As long as it’s relevant to the topic, it’s okay to add a link out to your own book site.

Is It Okay To Sell Your Books?

I just received an email message from a PR person that wanted to drag me into an online discussion on the validity of best seller book marketing campaign.

I responded here

So typical of PR people. They want to follow some sort of rule in a marketplace that they can no longer control (not that they ever really could).

Do leads and subscribers you get from best seller campaigns work? Well, I get most of my new client that way, so I suppose I have some valid opinion on the subject.

Many of the authors (including some big names) do a lousy jog of taking care of new subscribers. You buy a book, give up your name see a bunch of offers and get tired really quick. Why type in your email address over and over?

In fact, most people don’t fill out all the registrations.. they just don’t want every gift. This is a good thing! It means that they readers that have just invested in a book on a subject, now are choosing you if they sign up for your mailing list.

This is your chance to shine. To give real value, and follow up with your new reader/prospect. They chose you, raised there hand, and said they were interested.

Should you mail a cross promotion on every book you get. NO WAY!

Be selective. Build strong relationships by telling your readers what you think is a good find for them. They will respect you for it and keep reading.

Book launch best seller campaigns should be one part of your marketing plans. Build reciprocity with the good authors you meet by telling your list about their books. (the Kevin Eikenberry post here is a example of this… I don’t post it to shill.. he’s an author I worked with last year, he called last week and I love what he’s doing.. will I make money from working with him?  I sure hope so, I want to hang out with this genius.)