eBook Publishing: Using the Cloud to Market Your Work

Ed: An Ed Gein Story by D. T. Gray

Welcome to Indie Author Monday. Today we feature a guest post by author. D. T. Gray how how to use the Internet to market our work

*^*

Writing is a passion for most of us. It is a way of expressing ourselves and ideas as much as it is a way for us to entertain and inspire. So I’m sure that if you’re like me, a little piece of your soul breaks every time you receive that first rejection letter.

Big time publishers are having a hard time accepting new authors. It’s easy to understand; the uncertainty of whether a book will sell makes them feel anxious. However their expectations are a little unfair. They expect their authors to create their own marketing plan, which leads the author to ask, “if I’m creating the marketing plan, why don’t I just publish myself?”

Well, self-publishing costs a small fortune. Unless you’re able to throw down $500 at the drop of a hat, you’re out of luck; however with the creation of eBooks, self-publishing has changed drastically. Authors can publish eBooks for free and they don’t have to worry about physical copies filling up their homes.

Now the tricky part: marketing. There are actually more options than you may think, and they are very familiar to all cloud dwellers.

Blogs: Plenty of bloggers blog about reading. Often they are approached by publishers and authors in order to drum up some extra publicity for their books. The blogger gets a free copy of the book, and hopefully, gives your book an excellent review. Not every book review blog does this. You’ll want to read through the blog and determine if they would be interested in reviewing your material. Often they only accept and review certain genres. And also remember that not every blogger has a significant following, so be sure to assess their page rank and domain authority before you decide to give them a free eBook. Unfortunately, not all blogs are created equal; choosing the right blogger to review your work is very important if you want to increase traffic and possible sales.

Blogs are also a good place to post articles that can lead back to your book. Many bloggers are looking for guest bloggers and if you can write good content, they may allow you a link in the byline.

Youtube: If you have a popular Youtube channel, you may want to create a book trailer. For the trailer you could read the first chapter of your book so you can give viewers a feel for your book. Check out different book trailers to get an idea of what to do.

Youtube also has vloggers who review books on their channels (quite a few actually). If you contact them and ask, more than likely they would be happy to review your book on their channel. Once again evaluate their viewership to determine whether they reach enough people.

Social Network Sites: Facebook and Twitter are full of friends and tweeters who care about what you have to say. In Facebook you can post the first chapter of your book in a note and then tag your friends. Another post you’ll want to consider is a letter to all your friends telling them about what you are up to and asking them to help you spread the word of your newly published book. Making status updates about your book would be a good idea as well, but do them sparingly. Your friends may unfriend you.

On Twitter you can tweet to your followers about your book. Tell them where they can find it and also what it is about.

Online Classes: Another great opportunity for eBook publishing authors is to take some online degrees. There are many online universities that offer online degrees in marketing. These classes are helpful in giving authors more ideas on how to market their book more effectively.

eBooks are the future of publishing and the best way to market them is through the cloud. By using online resources, eBook authors and publishers will be able to reach their specific demographic. Once they have created a following for themselves, they can turn to more conventional methods of marketing. But as time goes on these tips will become the conventional so it’s a good idea to learn how to use them first.

Author D. T. Gray

D. T. Gray is an indie author and publisher who has just published his first work “Ed: An Ed Gein Story” on Smashwords.com. Check out “her” writing on WolfSalad.com.

^*^

If you’d like to write for or be interviewed by the Writer’s Fun Zone, check out the details here.