Promoting Ebooks

Mystery1 · Feb 6, 2010

I'm curious how writers who are epublished promote their books.

Sharon
http://sharonaustin.blogspot.com

Shelley Stout · Feb 6, 2010

Any and every way possible-- message boards, Facebook, website, even handing out bookmarks.

Topaz044 · Feb 6, 2010

Also well as blog interviews, sending your books out to review sites, radio shows, etc.

Brad · Feb 6, 2010

A high-traffic website that relates to the book is probably best. Another way would be to set up an automated commission program and send a free copy to a few webmasters you know.

KMTolan · Feb 6, 2010

Conventions.

Currently typing this at "Aggie Con" - SF convention here in Texas. Fifteen books sold and plenty extra swag (sample CDs, post cards, and such).

Kerry

Mystery1 · Feb 7, 2010

Thanks for the great ideas, everyone. I don't have an ebook yet. Just gathering information.

Sharon

FOTSGreg · Feb 7, 2010

I've already started a Google Adwords campaign for a book I'll be epublishing somewhere near July, 2010. As the release date gets nearer, I'll be hyping the buzz on my website, my Facebook page, my forums, and really juicing the Adwords campaigns up a few notches. I'll be snagging a block of ISBNs as well.

I'll also be hyping the book at this year's Conestoga XIV any way I can get away with, schmoozing with other authors and giving away free advance copies, and basically, in every way possible making sure that anyone who wants to know knows that my book is coming out.

Preparatory work included buying a copy of John Kremer's book 1001 Ways To Market Your Books not to mention the fact I've been in epublishing on a small scale since 1995.

veinglory · Feb 7, 2010

There are a lot of free way to promote ebooks. If you are going to pay for promotion I would suggest having a realistic estimate of what it will earn and setting a budget. I don't beleive is promoting to the point of losing more money than you make, and it is easy to do. A lot of the fee-charging methods are actually less effective than the free ones.

FOTSGreg · Feb 8, 2010

veinglory, I have a paying job, so I figure I can afford to pay for a little promotional effort for my writing (though I do definitely have a limited budget for it).

veinglory · Feb 8, 2010

I think it is great to have the money--but there is a small industry of promotional products simply don't work. So authors should ensure they are getting their money's worth to avoid supporting companies that are almost scams (they probably know their methods don't sell books, or at least they don't know that they do...)

triceretops · Feb 8, 2010

Boy did you ask a loaded question. Well, I belong to all of the display sites, forums, news services, and writing groups listed below. And that's not all of them either. The trick is to stay active on each one, as much as time allows, and that can be maddening. Writing articles, answering questions, and participating is important. You do not want to spam the world. Oh, yeah, hit up all your book review sites--I just got a five-star review from Aurora. Cost for all = $0.

MYSPACE
CHRONICLES
WRITERS NET
BOOKSIE
AUTHORS DEN
GATHER.COM
WRITERS FORUMS
BEBO
WRITESITE
AMAZON
BOOKPLACE
LINKED IN
FACEBOOK
REDROOM
SHELFARI
ABSOLUTEWRITE
NEWS BOX
WRITING.COM
ETERNAL WRITING GROUP
WEBWIRE
GOODREADS
BLOG.COM
FANBIZZ CLUB
WORD PRESS
YAHOO
NOTCHUP
ADVERTISE ANYTHING
FANBIZZ CLUB
PUBLISHED.COM
TRAFFIC SWARM
CLICK PRESS
CHARTEOU
E-FICTION
LIVE JOURNAL
EONS BOOK WINDOWS
LINKED IN=MASTODON

Good Word · Feb 8, 2010

Triceratops, that is amazing. You're a man on the move.

Carlene · Feb 9, 2010

Oy, I guess I'd better start typing! Thanks for all the great sites.

Carlene

Call Sign: Love
The Colors of Death
An Extra Pair of Eyes
www.writewordsinc.com

Mind Echoes
Stormy Love
The Worst Evil
www.whiskycreekpress.com

Finder
www.wildchildpublishing.com

Mysterious Gift - out 2/19/2010
www.cobblestone_press.com

wyntermoon · Feb 9, 2010

Great list, Chris!

Windowpane · Feb 9, 2010

Is there any place on this site to share your work?

wyntermoon · Feb 9, 2010

Windowpane, you may add your books (ebooks, print, etc) to the AW Library. Welcome to the Cooler!

annetookeen · Mar 7, 2010

Hey everyone! I want to know how the review sites work. Are those for free, like they just make a review for you?

Lainey Bancroft · Mar 12, 2010

annetookeen said:
Hey everyone! I want to know how the review sites work. Are those for free, like they just make a review for you?

Reputable review sites have a 'request a review' link. It isn't generally advisable to pay for a review.

Most of the established e-publishers have a list of sites they auto-send all new releases to. Provided the book hooks a reviewers attention, it gets reviewed.

Carlene · Mar 12, 2010

Are you a member of EPIC, Anne? If so, go to their website. On the left side of the home pages, scroll down and click resources and you'll find a ton of review sites - and they are free. It takes a while but...they're FREE! Also, I have four blogs that I try to update every couple of days. And I do try to read others' blogs and comment on them. I'll try anything to get my name out. I currently have eight books available for sale so....whatever it takes.

Carlene

www.carlenedater.com
www.themysterystartshere.com
www.manicreaders.com/CarleneRaeDater
www.thebookplace.com

nkkingston · Mar 14, 2010

Bear in mind, of course, you can't be guarenteed a positive review! I'd recommend reading a random selection of reviews on each site you consider subbing to, looking for books like yours and seeing how the reviewers responded - if they don't like your genre there's not a lot of point sending your book to them. Check out reviews at both ends of the scale too; see what kind of reaction positive reviews get, and what you might have to face if you get a negative one.

(I'd love to be reviewed by DearAuthor some day, but equally the prospect terrifies me as well. Personally, I'd send ARCs to review blogs I don't read on a daily basis, just to save a little of my sanity!)

annetookeen · Mar 18, 2010

Carlene said:
Are you a member of EPIC, Anne? If so, go to their website. On the left side of the home pages, scroll down and click resources and you'll find a ton of review sites - and they are free. It takes a while but...they're FREE! Also, I have four blogs that I try to update every couple of days. And I do try to read others' blogs and comment on them. I'll try anything to get my name out. I currently have eight books available for sale so....whatever it takes.

Hi, Carlene. Read this just now. My first book's coming out this june (at least the ebook version), from eTreasures Publishing, they're pretty new. I'm not a member of EPIC. I'll go google them first. I'm getting all crazy thinking about how I can promote my work when the time comes. I think getting reviews would be great...and daunting at the same time...:O

Darklite · Mar 18, 2010

I'd never heard of EPIC until a few weeks ago, and since I have a e-book coming out soon, should I consider joining up? Is there anyone here who is a member and can advise me on whether it's worth the fee? Do they accept foreigners (non-americans, I mean

) And what are the advantags of joining? Thanks to anyone who can answer

Snivscriv · Mar 18, 2010

I also have questions about EPIC. I looked at their webpage, but I couldn't figure out what they really do. Is this a site for authors to promote their ebooks already published somewhere else, or are they an ebook publisher themselves? I looked at the standard contract, and it seemed to wants exclusive publication rights. I couldn't find a link that briefly described the purpose of the group, so any information would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

Anon76 · Mar 18, 2010

EPIC = Electronically Published Internet Connection

It is a writers organization for epublishing (much like RWA is for romance publishing.) I'm not a member, so I can't really advise as to the advantages of being a member. EPIC is NOT a publishing house, though they do have houses that are listed as EPIC members. Read through the entire site to get a feel for what they do and what they advocate.

ETA: Make sure when you are looking for the EPIC site, you go here: http://www.epicauthors.com/joinepic.html This is not the home page, but a google search of EPIC may lead you to other sites. This exact page states membership requirements and you can navigate through the rest of the site from there.

Edited again to add: Snivscriv, the contract you are looking at is a sample. It contains items you may encounter when signing with an epublisher, and I believe it represents items EPIC deems standard for the industry. If you receive a contract that exceeds these boundaries, then you should be questioning the contract. At least that is my take on it.

veinglory · Mar 18, 2010

I was a member and didn't really find it to have any advantages.

Promoting Ebooks

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