The Book Marketing Network

For book/ebook authors, publishers, & self-publishers

I will start by saying this; books don't sell themselves. I have to admit that I am new to this but I am very resourceful and thrifty, meaning I don't want to spend money on advertising. My book, The Adventures of Blackberry and Whiskers, is doing really well right now for being only released for two weeks. Here are some things I have done that are free and VERY helpful.

1) MySpace. With a network of more than 224 million people, this is by far the best way to begin a campaign. I began with a simple page and I keep it moderatley plain. I target my audience and send friend requests. It was time consuming but within 2 weeks I had a friend base of 680+ people. I then enlist a few "ringers" such as high profile celebrities. Why? Well, even though they dont have the time of day to respond to messages they still have thousands of fans. I post comments to thier pages with a link to my website, www.ferrerbooks.com, and to my profile. I have generated hundreds of responses this way. People that check on the actor / musician will see my profile and say "Wow, I should check this guy out" and they DO!!

So, MySpace has been a huge success for me. See my page and add me as a friend at;

www.myspace.com/reinaldoferrer

2) Set up a website. It does not cost much and with the right tags and key terms, your site will generate some good press. I was shocked but I am getting over 50-75 hits per day. Check it out as it is simple as well.

www.ferrerbooks.com

What I do then is submit it to all major search engines (free) and I use this site in any response or email signature or anything else that stays on the web. This is one of the best tactics.

3) Forums. These are free to join and they are already set up for your target audience. As a children's book writer, I target parenting forums. I am a parent so my existence on the site is genuine. At the same time, I plug my book and talk to all parents. This has been a key component for me thus far.

4) Direct sales. Most people make more money on thier books through direct sales. I pre-order many books at the rate we writers get them for and sell them, personalized for each customer, at the retail price. I now make 5 times the amount on the sale so I have more to give to charity and I make my money back. I give to charity most of the proceeds so this route is great for me and the groups I give to.

5) Schools. My daughter is in first grade so I mentioned the fact that I am published and the teachers loved it. They had me come in and read to the classes and now the books are selling themselves at the school and the proceeds benefit the school so this is a win-win fot hem and I.

6) Perserverance and optimism. Never doubt your product. Once this happens, you are defeating yourself!! If you dont have confidence in your book, you will not do so well. I recently learned that I could sell snow to an eskimo!!! LOL I truly believe that my book is a must have for children of all ages. My energy and enthusiasm is infectious and people enjoy that.


NOTE: Writing the book is only 10% of the work. Most publishers, big or small, don't promote for you. If you think the book will sell itself, than you are either John Grisham or naive. As with any aspect of life, you get out of it what you put into it.

P.S. I will gladly help promote your children's book in exchange for promoting mine. See, networking.... I already have a huge fan base so this is a great opportunity for all of us.

Have a great day and remember to check out my site and MySpace page for some more info.

Ray Ferrer
www.ferrerbooks.com
The Adventures of Blackberry and Whiskers

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Replies to This Discussion

Thaks for the tips. My book is a couple of weeks old too.

Just added you as a friend on myspace.com

What a ride!

Jane

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