Promoting Your Book in Online
Groups
Promoting your book online is possibly the most
cost-effective way to spread the word, but how do you actually do it?
Well, as with other forms of promotion the first two questions you must
ask are
 | who
would be interested in my book; and |
| where
do I find them |
Promoting online adds another dimension too:
| netiquette,
the rules of conduct that you must be familiar with before you
embark on an online promotional campaign. |
Newsgroups, message boards, email lists – all are
great places to promote your book. Each of these lists, boards or
groups, is targeted at people who have identified themselves as being
interested in a particular topic – a marketer’s dream come true. All
you have to do is figure out what topics are covered in your book, and
then go looking for online communities focused on those topics.
You can search through indices of newsgroups or
email lists for groups that target your subject matter. This is as true
for fiction as non-fiction – with a little creative thinking. You can
find newsgroups through your ISP, or through online news group archives
like Google Groups. You can find
email lists at sites in your subject area or through list hosts like Yahoo
Groups, Topica and others
These groups are great ways to become part of an
online community. And that is the key to promoting online: become part
of an online community. This is also the area most fraught with peril
for a newcomer. Newbies are likely to make the mistake of advertising
directly to these groups, not understanding that they are places for
people to gather, not be bombarded with commercials.
In the early days of the ‘Net users were very
strict about its non-commercial nature. Any commercials were strongly
resisted. Obviously this appealed to the majority of people online today
because the rules still hold.
In online groups, the modus operandi is to
become part of the community; use your expertise to answer questions;
develop friendships and build a reputation as someone with useful
information to impart. Once you have established yourself people may be
moved to buy the book you mention in the signature file of every message
(you do have a signature file mentioning your book, on every message,
don’t you?)
Technical Tips
- Many
groups have policies posted online or post them to the group
periodically. Read and obey.
- When
posting or replying to a post, ensure that the subject line is
relevant and not something like Re: Email List Digest Jan 25. Having
a proper subject line makes it easier for other people on the list
to scan and read the messages they are interested in. If your
subject line is blank or irrelevant, people may dismiss your post
without reading it.
- It
is acceptable to include the text of the message you are replying
to, so that people can follow the thread of the discussion. If you
do this, however, cut out everything except the relevant parts of
the original post. Cut the ‘hi there’ and the signature files
and only leave enough to clue in a reader who didn’t see the
original post. If you do not do this, each post becomes increasingly
long and complex and difficult to follow.
- Have
a signature file that advertises your book, and that goes under
every message you send. Try to keep it to 4-6 lines. Include your
name, the title, the ISBN or ‘available from’ information; and,
if you have space, a ten-word description of the book. Do not
otherwise promote your book unless it is extremely relevant to
someone’s question.
- Never
respond to a ‘flame’ (an inflammatory post insulting you or your
opinions, or someone else). You will only inflame things further and
spark a string of emails that interest no-one – plus you sound
like you are making excuses. No matter how tempting, NEVER, EVER
respond.
- Don’t
attach anything to emails. These represent virus risks and most
people will delete them, unread, if the list software doesn’t
delete it first.
But don’t let all these rules and regulations
scare you. Join a group, lurk for a while reading other people’s posts
and gauging the tenor of the group, and then plunge in. This is a great
way to build a reputation and spread the word about your book.
***
If there are other questions you need
answered about publishing and book selling, email me at jd@jdwrite.com.
If I don't know the answer, I'll try to find someone who does.
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|
Related items:
Promoting With Extras
Promoting With
Signature Files
What's In An Author's
Website?
Resources
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