How to Promote Your Book LIke a Pro!

[caption id="attachment_36128" align="alignleft" width="210"] This is my book. I'll be using it as an example throughout this post to show you how to promote your own book.[/caption]

Congratulations on writing a book! Only a select few aspiring authors get started writing a book, much less finish it! You've undoubtedly invested enormous amounts of time, focus and love into your book. Now that it's done, the work of promoting it begins. Here are some ideas and resources to help you do that.
Before going any further, be sure to read my post, Here's Why Your Book Is Unpublished. If you'd like to know a little about me, click here.

HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR BOOK AND BUILD YOUR BRAND

The first thing you need to do is build a platform, which essentially means expanding your online presence in ways that help you reach people and make them aware of who you are and what you have to offer.
A platform is now a make-or-break factor for publishers considering a book proposal. Authors today are expected to perform the majority of the marketing and promotion for their books. As Jim Levine of Levine Greenberg Literary Agency noted in a Wall Street Journal article called The Death of the Slush Pile, "These days, you need to deliver not just the manuscript but the audience. More and more, the mantra in publishing is 'Ask not what your publisher can do for you, ask what you can do for your publisher.'" This is a challenge I heartily embrace. Promoting my books is a joy—it’s all about synergy, building awareness and building relationships.






For more information, check out the book Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, by Michael Hyatt, Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers.





The foundation of an effective platform is a blog. A blog is the linchpin around which every other component of your platform revolves. The more valuable the content on your blog, the more apt a reader will be to visit repeatedly and eventually become aware of and buy your books.
When you post something of great value on your blog, send out an e-mail alert to your list and watch the hits on your site jump. Some visitors will in turn feature your post on their sites and link back to you, which brings in their readers, who then see your other content and become your regular readers. Visitors may also notify their e-mail lists about a post that they particularly like. Every positive comment from a third party adds that much more value to your brand.

Liberally sprinkle your blog posts with links to other sites, which increases relevance, which in turn improves your positioning within search engines. Remember that BLOG is now considered an acronym for Better Listings On Google! Also, be sure to list relevant tags (key words that help describe the content of your post and help it to be found again by browsing or searching) in your posts to attract traffic from search engines.


This blog has garnered more than 2.1 million hits since its inception. My average number of views continues to rise as I create more content and build my online presence. Many people subscribe to my blog and tell me that it’s a destination site for them for positive thinking and inspiration.


[caption id="attachment_12950" align="alignright" width="225"] "Forlorn Adia" by Robert Harney[/caption] What does compelling blog content look like? The theme of my blog is "positive, feel-good, uplifting content," but that leaves plenty of room to get creative and offer a nice variety of material like:
• Inspiring, uplifting stories that I hear about, read about or experience myself on topics ranging from kindness, forgiveness and parenting to surviving WWII concentration camps and overcoming severe physical challenges
• Essays, many of which are my own thoughts on life and spirituality, but I also repost and comment on impressive essays by others
• Posts featuring the work and my interviews with people I admire like Caroline Myss, Wayne Dyer, Larry Dossey, Jim MacLaren and Charice Pempengco.
• My own life experiences that are either inspiring, instructive, informative or humorous
• Extraordinary artists and exceptional video performances by musicians and talented contestants on TV talent shows
• Feel-good stories about baseball (I'm a lifelong fan)
• Audio and video interviews with prominent and/or interesting people who can add value to people's lives. When possible, I like to conduct these interviews via Skype video and record them with Call Recorder). The folks I've interviewed include New York Times bestselling author Lisa Genova (Still Alice), Lori Schneider (the first person with MS to scale the highest mountain peak on all seven continents), Nathaniel Branden (author of twenty books on the psychology of self-esteem and romantic love) and Ibrahim Jaffe (founder of the University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism). These interviews attract new visitors to my blog who are then exposed to my books. I also post these interviews on YouTube, thus reaching an even greater audience.

HELPFUL HINT: Make it as easy as possible for readers to find your past posts. Using the Categories option to organize posts by topic just lumps all them all together in a big unwieldy mess. Instead, create Index Pages like this one, which allows you to elegantly present your past posts on a particular topic in an engaging, user-friendly way.





For tips on blogging, check out the Lorelle on WordPress blog.






Another essential component of your platform is building an e-mail list. For the purposes of this post, we're not going to go into exhaustive detail, but you'll find a few hints here to get you started. For instance, as you connect with people through your blog and on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites, you can ask, "May I add you to my e-mail list for occasional updates on my blog and books?" You can also automate your website to collect e-mails from people who are willing to give their e-mail address in exchange for viewing your site. One popular e-mail management option is AWeber.


Be sure to include information about your book (complete with links) at the bottom of every e-mail you send (see my "e-mail signature" below) and the bottom of every blog post. Look at the bottom of this blog post and you'll see information and videos about my books.

IMPORTANT: Never hard-sell your books. By driving traffic to my blog, people can’t help but notice that I have books for sale. Letting them discover this on their own is far more powerful than me hitting them over the head with it.

It's also helpful to comment on other blogs, making sure to list your own blog‘s URL at the bottom of each comment, thereby driving more traffic to your blog. However, these comments need to be relevant and add value to the blogs you're leaving them on; otherwise they will be ignored as spam-like efforts from self-centered promoters. You can find blogs in your genre through Google Blogs.


Get involved in FORUMS and DISCUSSION GROUPS too. The more interaction you have on these sites, the more exposure you get for your books and your brand. Get started by typing in "KEYWORDS + forum" into a search engine or go straight to:


Click here to search Google Groups.



Click here to search Yahoo Groups.




EMBARK ON A BLOG TOUR
If you've done any reading at all on how to market your book online, you've no doubt heard one marketer after another shout from their virtual rooftops that a blog tour is one of the best ways to promote your book. Personally, I'm not sold on it. A blog tour can consume vast amounts of time and effort and offer little in return.
What is a blog tour? There's no clear definition, although it typically involves asking other bloggers if you can "guest blog" on their site by submitting a post relevant to your book. Another popular component is asking other bloggers if they will consent to interviewing you via video or audio for their site.
These ideas are all well and good, but let me ask you this: If someone you didn't know asked if they could write a post on your blog or if you would interview them for your blog, how receptive would you be? Your response would depend on who was doing the asking, how they were asking and your impression of their book. Ah, and therein lies a potential rub. You'd probably want to see the book before you agreed to promote it. If you're okay with a digital copy, fine. But if you and other prospects request a hard copy, the author would be on the hook for considerable printing and mailing costs with no guarantee of positive responses.
My apologies for raining on your blog tour parade, but I just don't see it as the mystical, magical bonanza it's made out to be. Yes, any mentions on other blogs is a plus, and I have reached out to other bloggers myself and will continue to do so, but it doesn't strike me as the biggest bang for your promotional buck. For one thing, I don't know how many readers another blogger has. If I pour loads of time into an original blog post and interview with a blogger who averages eight daily views for new posts, is it worth it? Sure, it's great that search engines can find you and your content in as many places as possible, but unless you have unlimited time a blog tour may not be the best allocation of your resources.
Ultimately, a well-organized blog tour, complete with an accessible, easy-to-follow schedule with links for readers who wish to follow your blog-hopping exploits can certainly be worthwhile, but it's best to keep your expectations firmly grounded in reality.



BOOK YOURSELF ON INTERNET RADIO SHOWS
Google your genre and start sending e-mails to radio hosts asking if you can be interviewed on their show. For instance, if you’ve written a book on spirituality, Google “Spiritual Radio Shows” and start sending inquiries to shows listed on sites like:
• Sedona Talk Radio
• HayHouse Radio
• One World Puja Network
• New Age Spirituality Talk Radio
• Inside Personal Growth (podcasts)


Traditional radio stations are also in play, of course. Here's how to find the right stations across the country.

TIPS TO ENSURE A GOOD RADIO INTERVIEW
• Send the host a one-paragraph bio to enure that you will be introduced correctly
• Send the host the contact information you would like listeners to have (your e-mail address and website URLs)
• Ask the host if he or she would like you to provide sample interview questions, and if so, how many?
• Ask the host if you can offer a free gift to his or her listeners (eBook, podcast link, personal consultation)



CRANK OUT THE VIDEOS!
Video is perhaps the most effective medium for building awareness and driving web traffic. By being able to see and hear you, readers will feel a greater personal connection with you. You will be more trusted and familiar.
What sort of videos should you create? A book trailer is essential. Here's my book trailer for Sixty Seconds: One Moment Changes Everything. A creative friend of mine who enjoys video production work put it together for me and I think it turned out great!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bic0j4QqFbI]






If you're able to spend some serious coin on your book trailer, check out this beauty commissioned by my good friend Paul Streitz for the book I helped him write, Blue-Collar Buddha. (It's a great read, guaranteed!) This trailer by Tucker Capps blew me away. It's the best I've ever seen!




[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTL-m2VGeSM]

But wait, there's more! Ask a friend to videotape your next book reading or speaking engagement and throw it up on your blog, YouTube and everywhere else. People who weren't able to attend in person can then enjoy your brilliant performance! Here's one of my book readings for Through God's Eyes.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGfCOuELG48]

Obviously, some types of videos will be longer than others. Ideally, most of your videos should be thirty to ninety seconds long.
More ideas for videos:
• Read an excerpt or a chapter from your book, or tell a story from your book by memory, which is more personal and intimate. If you're posting the video on your blog, add the corresponding text underneath it.
• Provide an overview of your book and share why you wrote it
• Have a friend conduct a Q&A session with you
• Offer a video tutorial
• Vlog instead of blogging by occasionally posting a video on your blog instead of or in addition to text
• Post video testimonials from your readers
• Create a video bio for your website's Media Room so viewers can get a better sense of who you are and how you'll perform on camera
Post your videos on your blog, on YouTube and every other video-sharing site you can think of. Be sure to also post it on your Goodreads author profile and your Amazon Author Central author page. Populate your website's Media Room with a limited number of videos as well.



PROFESSIONAL BOOK PUBLICISTS
If you can afford to pay between $2,500 and $10,000 for a publicity campaign, here are some book publicists to choose from.
• Jill Mangino of Circle 3 Media, a boutique public relations and media consulting agency.
• Stacey Miller, founder of S.J. Miller Communications, a book promotion firm specializing in developing winning media strategies for authors.
• Penny Sansevieri, founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc.
• Lisa Dubbels of Catalyst Publicity, a boutique agency that provides mindful publicity for conscious change makers.


Here are two other publicity experts you can learn from. You will not be able to contact them personally (unless you're awfully resourceful!).
• Brendon Burchard, author of The Millionaire Messenger: Make a Difference and a Fortune Sharing Your Advice and the "father" of expert marketing.
• Steve Harrison, creator of Maximum Publicity and Million Dollar Author Program.


You can also tap into the fertile mind of marketing whiz Mike Koenigs. Here's an endorsement I wrote for his book, Author Expert Marketing Machines:
Author Expert Marketing Machines gives you the tools and training you need to leap out of your comfort zone and into the waiting arms of your greatest potential. After Koenigs takes you through the five P’s—position, publish, product, promote, profit—the only thing holding you back will be a sixth P—your own permission. Yep, all you have to do is say yes to plugging into Koenig’s “instant expert” marketing engines and you’re on your way to establishing credibility and authority in your given field faster and more effectively than you ever could have imagined.


[caption id="attachment_14907" align="alignright" width="241"] Arielle Ford[/caption]


Click here to download Arielle Ford's newsletters, which cover publishing, publicity, promotion and platform building. Arielle is one of America’s top book publicists. Click here to visit her website to sign up for her free e-mail newsletter and learn everything you should know about how to become a bestselling author.





ENDORSEMENTS AND TESTIMONIALS
Identify some prominent people in your field or genre and ask them to provide an endorsement for the back cover or inside pages of your book. If your book is already published, you can update it with new endorsements if you're using a POD (print on-demand) publisher like CreateSpace. Share these endorsements with your blog readers like this.
(While I was writing this post, a very nice endorsement came in from the CEO of INTA (International New Thought Alliance) with a note that Through God's Eyes would also be reviewed in the Autumn issue of New Thought magazine, their quarterly journal. Hooray for soliciting endorsements!)
Testimonials are unsolicited comments you get from readers. As they come in through e-mail or comments on sites like Amazon, assemble them into a blog post like this.




CONVERT YOUR BOOK TO AN eBOOK FOR EXTRA SALES
WIth the meteoric rise of eBook sales, you'd be shortsighted if all you're offering is a hard copy of your book. For smaller, simpler books, a book designer like Jay Monroe (see info about Jay below) can help you convert your book to an eBook format (Amazon uses the .mobi format; everyone else uses the .epub format).
Since Through God's Eyes was close to one hundred twenty-five thousand words and has a unique format—my narrative paragraphs alternate with inspirational quotes—I turned it over to BookBaby. Needless to say, I was concerned about what the final product would look like. When BookBaby sent the draft back to me, I took a deep breath, opened the file . . . and was thrilled with what I saw. It was perfect! What's more, they linked all the nearly two thousand items in the Index to the appropriate pages, which I was not expecting. The job that BookBaby did was A+ all the way and I cannot recommend them highly enough. FYI, BookBaby not only formats your book, they distribute it to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBookstore, Baker & Taylor and everyone else who matters.
HELPFUL HINT: When your designer or BookBaby uploads the eBook to Amazon, it will be on a separate sales page than the sales page of your hard-copy book. This should self-correct within a week but just to make sure, I called Amazon and they cheerfully told me they'd take care of merging them onto one sales page. A day later, it was good to go.



USE eBOOKS AS MARKETING TOOLS
The promotion possibilities are endless with eBooks! I promoted Through God's Eyes by writing a 5,600-word eBook called The Logic of Living a Spiritual Life: Supporting a Life of Faith Through Logic and Reason. I started with some excerpts from Through God’s Eyes, added some original content and organized it all from a slightly different perspective.
It’s available as an eBook on Amazon for 99 cents (at the special URL of GodIsLogical.com), but the primary goal is not to sell it. The eBook was designed as a vehicle to build awareness of and drive sales of Through God’s Eyes. That’s why the second half of the book is a forty-page sampler of excerpts from Through God’s Eyes that includes the Table of Contents, Foreword, Introduction, chapter excerpts, sample story, endorsements and testimonials.
I e-mailed a free PDF version of the eBook to more than 2,500 people and asked them to share it with anyone and everyone they think might like it. Hopefully, they’ll share it with other people who will share it with others, and so on. I will also continue to explore other avenues for delivering the eBook free to targeted audiences. For example, I will offer it to other authors who may want to send it to their lists as a valuable free gift. By offering high-quality content for free via an eBook, I’ll be able to introduce Through God’s Eyes to people who otherwise wouldn’t be exposed to it.
If you've published multiple books, you can put together an eBook that contains excerpts from all of your books plus links to buy them on Amazon. You can then post the eBook on Amazon as a free giveaway. This is a phenomenal way to introduce yourself and your work to scads of new people. Be sure to create a special URL that describes the book and makes it easy for you to relay it to people and for them to remember it. For instances, if your name is Bill Bakken, buy the URL BakkenExcerpts.com or BakkenBookAmazon.com.
Click on the link below to download my eBook so you can use it as a model (for format, linking, visuals, etc.) to create your own.
THE LOGIC OF LIVING A SPIRUTAL LIFE


CREATE SPECIAL URLS
There are more great reasons to create special URLs. For my book, Through God's Eyes, I created these URLs:
•GodsEyesBook.com—This is the main page on my blog for my book. (I'm in the process of creating a dedicated website for my book and will redirect the URL to that homepage.)
• GodsEyesAmazon.com—This is the sales page on Amazon.
GodsEyesOrder.com—This is the sales page on CreateSpace, the publisher of the book.
As you can see, these URLs are a great way to share links to your book in an easy-to-remember, engaging way.



BOOKMARKS





Bookmarks are a natural way to promote your books. Keep some on you like you would business cards so you can hand them out at any time. Ask bookstores if you can leave some on the counter. When you sell a book, slip a bookmark into it before sending or giving it to the purchaser.
Include the front cover image, an endorsement, your ordering information, other relevant website URLs and your contact info. On the back, include a brief description of the book or an appropriate excerpt. These bookmarks make great calling cards!








What's that you say? You say you need a designer for not only your book but for related items like bookmarks? You're in luck! I highly recommend Jay Monroe. He'll design your cover and the interior of the book (or eBook) and take care of all the publishing details. I've worked with Jay on five books and wouldn't think of working with anyone else. Jay also designed my PDF Sampler and PDF Press Kit (see below). No, I do not receive any commission from Jay for recommending him. I just like to put people in touch with skilled professionals who will treat them well. Click here to e-mail Jay.



ESTABLISH A PRESENCE ON GOODREADS
Goodreads, the number one site for book lovers, presents a tremendous opportunity for authors to connect with and promote their books to members. Goodreads has an extensive Author Program that offers promotional tools like:
• Sign up to advertise your book to up to the Goodreads Community—21,000,000 readers!
• List a book giveaway to generate pre-launch buzz.
• Lead a Q&A discussion group for readers.
• Participate in discussions on your profile, in groups and in the discussion forums for your books.

Here are more sites where authors can promote their books, interact with readers and gain visibility:

Red Room: A community founded around the idea that writing transforms individuals and sometimes whole societies—whether you’re a writer or a reader, you’re part of something special. It’s a platform built for the future of publishing, an ecosystem where you can have a home, find friends and colleagues, and participate in the marketplace. Red Room is a social hub, a place to discuss and buy books in every genre, and a destination for exclusive content that will entertain and inspire you.
AWESOME OPTION: The Red Room Authors Bookstore offers a revolutionary new retailing model. When your book is purchased on Red Room, they'll pay you 15 percent of your book sales in addition to what your publisher pays you. Check out the Red Room Authors Bookstore FAQ. Here's a sample scenario:

You received a 10 percent advance from your publisher long ago, against a 10 percent royalty. Your book is finally published and retails for $20. You sell 5,000 books the first year and 2,500 books the second year. Your shoppers all buy online and you’ve asked them to buy from Red Room. Red Room pays you 15 percent of your book sales.

In the above scenario, you'd earn $22,500 more on the same book with the same number of copies sold. In order to list your books in the Red Room Authors Bookstore, you'll need to become a Premium Member for $250 per year. You can cover the cost of this membership by selling 1.6 books per week (a total of 84 books in one year) at a cover price of $20 per book. Sign me up!


Shelfari: A site where book lovers can create a virtual bookshelf, discover new books, connect with friends and learn more about their favorite books.



AuthorsDen: An online literary community where authors and readers come together.



Nothing Binding: A place for emerging authors to promote their book, meet other writers and share their writing.




SUBSCRIBE TO BOOK MARKETING BLOGS
The more you study book promotion and expose yourself to fresh ideas, the better off you'll be. Here are some blogs to start with:
• The Creative Penn: Thoughts on Writing, Publishing and Book Marketing by Joanna Penn. A site for people interested in writing, publishing of all kinds and internet marketing/promotion for their books (in print/eBook or audio format). Click here for Joanna's list of helpful resources, including the free Author 2.0 Blueprint: 58 pages on writing, publishing and book marketing
• Book Promotion Blog by Stacey Miller, founder of S.J. Miller Communications, a book promotion firm specializing in developing winning media strategies for authors.
• The Book Designer by Joel Friedlander offers practical advice to help build better books.
• The Savvy Book Marketer. Through her years of publishing experience and degree in marketing, Dana Lynn Smith helps authors learn how to sell more books through her how-to guides, training programs, one-on-one coaching services, blog and newsletter.
• BookBuzzr provides practical advice on book promotion and marketing, and builds widgets, tools and technologies to help you market your book like a pro.
• Let's Get Visible: How to Get Noticed and Sell More Books by David Gaughran, an Irish writer living in London.
• BookMarketingBuzzBlog. A blog dedicated to covering the worlds of book publishing and the news media, revealing creative ideas, practical strategies, interesting stories and provocative opinions. Along the way, discover savvy but entertaining insights on book marketing, public relations, branding, and advertising from Brian Feinblum, a veteran of two decades in the industry of book publishing publicity and marketing.
• Independent Book Marketing Group (IBMG), a blog written by authors and marketing professionals who are dedicated to helping authors sell more books.
• The BookBaby Blog: How to Write, Self-Publish and Market Your Own Book.

NOTE: A few days after my post on book promotion was published, BookBaby featured it on their own blog. How cool is that?






For free weekly tips on sniffing out publicity opportunities, click here to sign up for Joan Stewart's ezine, "The Publicity Hound." Check out some of her archived tips here. Or click here to e-mail Joan about her consulting services.






HIT THE BOOKS!
Here are some books on book promotion that you may find helpful:

Red Hot Internet Publicity: An Insider's Guide to Marketing Online (Volume 1) by Penny Sansevieri

Discover:
• Six need-to-know rules of publicity for the Internet age
• The best way to design, write, and promote a website to sell your book
• Twelve blockbuster techniques to use blogs for book publicity
• Proven "live promotion" techniques you can use to reach a worldwide audience (2013)
BONUS: When you buy the book, you get access to helpful free downloads including:
• "Get Published Today" by Penny C. Sansevieri
• "The Twitter Ultimate Resource Guide" by Penny C. Sansevieri
• "The Ultimate Guide to Marketing on Twitter" by Penny C. Sansevieri
• "7 Mistakes Even Smart Authors Make When Marketing Their Books Online" by D'vorah Lansky
• "Convert Your Website Traffic and Sell More Books" by Susan Gilbert
• "Create a Book Marketing Plan That Sells Books" by Dana Lynn Smith
• "Social Media in 15 Minutes a Day" by Shelley Hitz
• Top 100 book reviewers by Author Marketing Experts, Inc.



How to Market a Book by Joanna Penn

This book is for authors who want to sell more books, but it's also for those writers who want to think more like an entrepreneur. It's for traditionally published authors who want to take control of their future, and for self-published authors who want to jump-start a career. There are some short-term tactics for those who want to kick up immediate sales, but the focus of the book is more about instilling values and marketing principles that will help your long-term career as a writer. It's also about going beyond just the book, because the methods in this guide can take you from being an author into professional speaking, making money from other products and creating opportunities that you can't even imagine yet. (2013)



Sell Your Book Like Wildfire: The Writer's Guide to Marketing and Publicity by Rob Eagar

Learn how to:
• Increase your book sales by driving readers to bookstores and online retailers
• Build a brand that makes your books stand out from the crowd
• Secure more media interviews and speaking engagements
• Connect with key influencers who spread word of mouth
• Create raving fans who buzz about your book on social media (2012)



Book Marketing Made Easy by D'vorah Lansky

Learn how to increase your credibility and be seen as an expert in your field; sell more books to people who will benefit from your message; create multiple sources of income; harness the power of multimedia marketing; and use social media to increase your influence and expand your market. (2011)






Premium Promotional Tips for Writers by Jo-Anne Vandermeulen

A "must-have" ­resource book filled with practical online marketing tips for those who have books to sell. You will learn how to target your audience, create massive exposure, and drive traffic back to the site where your books are sold. (2009)




JOIN A WRITER'S GROUP
If you're fortunate enough to have a professional writer's group in your area, by all means join it for support, inspiration, knowledge and networking. For instance, if you live in Southern California, check out Publishers & Writers of San Diego (PWSD). The group is comprised of members from all areas of publishing and writing—authors, self-publishers, independent publishers, editors, book packagers, designers, consultants, promotional professionals, students and more.



TWITTER
I have organically grown a large following on Twitter—more than 13,000 followers and counting. The power of Twitter cannot be overstated. By entering keywords in the "Search" box, Twitter allows me to target a specific audience and send related blog posts to people who would be most interested in receiving them. Posting links to content from my blog and other writings on Twitter enables me to drive ever more traffic to my blog and connect with larger numbers of people.

HELPFUL HOW-TO ARTICLES FOR PROMOTING YOUR BOOK ON TWITTER
• How to Use Twitter to Promote Your New Book by Michael Hyatt
• 12 Ways to Build Your Brand and Promote Your Book on Twitter by Fauzia Burke
• BookBuzzr Q&A: Using Twitter to Market Your Book
• 5 Top Tools for Promoting Your Book on Twitter by Steven Lewis by way of Joel Friedlander



SIGN UP WITH AMAZON ASSOCIATES
When you sign up with Amazon Associates, every time someone goes to Amazon through your blog, you get 4 to 6 percent of the purchase price in commission for every book or other product they buy there. That's right: free money! If someone buys a book priced at $15.95, you get about a dollar in commission! And, yes, that goes for ANY product, as long as they order it after going through your site. (One of my first commissions was from somebody buying Confessions of a Werewolf Supermodel. I was puzzled and called Amazon to ask what was going on!) You won't get commission if the product is already in their Amazon shopping cart and they go through your site only to check out.
This is a good reason to sprinkle links to other books throughout your blog posts. You can see on my blog that visitors can click through to Amazon simply by clicking on an image of one of my books. This also works if someone uses the special URL you give them like GodsEyesAmazon.com, as long as it's coded properly. Amazon will explain to you how to code your links properly.


CREATE A PDF SAMPLER
If you're wondering what to e-mail people to give them a good sense of what your book is about, wonder no more! I created a forty-page PDF Sampler that includes ordering information and excerpts from Through God’s Eyes that includes the Table of Contents, the Foreword by Caroline Myss, the Introduction, chapter excerpts, a sample story, celebrity endorsements and testimonials. Now whenever I solicit endorsements or radio interviews or just want to introduce myself and my book to someone, I simply drag the PDF into my e-mail and fire it off.
Click on the link below to download my PDF sampler so you can use it as a model to create your own.
THROUGH GOD'S EYES PDF SAMPLER
Remember, the more content and value you can give away for free, the better the chance that someone will become interested in your book and order it. I offer this free PDF at the bottom of every blog post for people to download. And as I mentioned above, it's also included in my free eBook, The Logic of Living a Spiritual Life: Supporting a Life of Faith Through Logic and Reason.


CREATE A PDF PRESS KIT
A press kit is a must have for soliciting media interviews. You won't be considered professional without it. My press kit for Through God's Eyes includes an overview of the book, my bio, the Foreword by Caroline Myss, FAQ and celebrity endorsements. Click on the link below to download my PDF Press Kit so you can use it as a model to create your own.
THROUGH GOD'S EYES PRESS KIT


NETWORK LIKE CRAZY!
Promotion is all about relationship building, of course, and I’ve established relationships with people all over the world, from India to England to Australia to the Philippines. They regularly leave comments on my blog, which I respond to immediately. Every comment and e-mail I receive from visitors to my blog or from readers of my books helps build my brand and my online presence. Consequently, I’ll have a larger built-in audience for every future book I write, which translates to larger initial sales and heightened word-of-mouth advertising.
Every blog post, e-mail and tweet I produce is yet another seed planted in rich cyber-soil, a seed which then takes on a life of its own. A popular post or comment can quickly go viral. I track all this by reviewing my blog’s analytical stats, which show me which blogs and websites have repurposed my content along with a link back to my blog.



CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE/READERS/FANS!
Here are three ways to connect with and interact with your readers. Remember, the more that people feel they have a personal connection with you, the more likely they are to want to read your books!

CAUTION: Go interactive only if you genuinely enjoy meeting people and building authentic relationships. If you try to force it, you'll come off as phony and your efforts will backfire.

• FreeConferenceCall.com. Schedule a call, then distribute the call-in number, access code, and date and time of the call to everyone in your network. You can record the call and then post it as an audio file on your blog. The format of the call is up to you, but a good plan to follow is to talk briefly about your book (origin of idea, process of bringing it into the world, content) and follow it up with a Q&A session.


• Google+ Hangouts. This no-cost option is new to me so I'm just learning about it myself, but it's very popular and growing more popular by the day. It appears similar to FreeConferenceCall.com, except with video. As I start hanging out and learning more, I'll update this description.



• Instant Teleseminar. This options strikes me as a sophisticated upgrade to Google+ Hangouts. However, after a twenty-one-day trial for just a dollar, prices begin at $47/month.




CREATE A FACEBOOK FAN PAGE
Here is my Facebook Fan Page for Through God's Eyes. A fan page (branded with images of you and your book) is a great way to interact with readers, share content and information, and announce and promote book-related events. I also post links there to some of my new blog posts. Building new relationships and strengthening existing ones through my fan page helps me create a growing and eager market for future books. Of course, I post links to new blog posts on my regular Facebook page as well.

HELPFUL HOW-TO ARTICLES FOR PROMOTING YOUR BOOK ON YOUR FACEBOOK FAN PAGE
• How To Create A Facebook Fan Page For Your Book by Joanna Penn (includes a ten-minute video)
• Promote Your Book on Facebook With a Fan Page by Dana Lynn Smith
• 20 Ways to Promote Your Facebook Page by Justin Wise



SOLICIT REVIEWS ON AMAZON
For my first book, Sixty Seconds: One Moment Changes Everything, I solicited reviews from Amazon's Top Customer Reviewers, as well as from four- and five-star reviewers of similar books on Amazon. I figured if they gave similar books four or five stars, they were more inclined to give me a great review too. The more great reviews I get, and the higher profile the reviewer, the more synergy I create on Amazon, which leads to more numerous and visible listings and recommendations. Unless your publisher is willing to mail books out to reviewers (mine was, thankfully), you'll have to run up some postage by sending them out yourself. You can also solicit reviews on blogs after confirming via e-mail that the blog owner is interested in reviewing it.



SOLICIT REVIEWS FROM INDUSTRY PUBLICATIONS
Exposure is everything. Here's where to send your book to get reviewed by the big boys:

Publishers Weekly (no fee) (galley should arrive three to four months prior to publication)
If you've self-published your book, follow these submission guidelines for Publishers Weekly's PW Select program (fee is $149 for published books or $199 for unpublished books)
CAVEAT: Click here to read about one starry-eyed author's experience with PW Select. Michel Sauret's conclusion: It was a complete waste of money.

BookList (no fee) (galley should arrive at least fifteen weeks prior to publication)
Library Journal Book Review (no fee) (galley should arrive three to four months prior to publication)
Kirkus (fee is $425 for a review of your published book within 7-9 weeks / $575 for a review within 4-6 weeks)
CAVEAT: Click here to read about one starry-eyed author's experience with Kirkus. Michel Sauret's conclusion: Kirkus is extremely fair and objective, but he paid a lot of money for very little exposure. Also keep in mind that libraries and book stores rely on Kirkus reviews for purchasing books, but neither of them purchase self-published books.



Midwest Book Review (no fee for printed books / $50 fee for pre-publication manuscripts)
Here are a number of helpful articles on submitting your book for review, courtesy of Midwest Book Review.


• Keep in mind that the two worst months to submit your book for review are October and November because everyone is trying to get reviewed before Christmas. The next two worst months to submit your book are April and May because that's the important Spring Season for the big publishers.
• The best months to submit your books are January and February (for the Spring Season) and July and August (for the Fall Season).
The next best months to submit are March and June, when things are fairly quiet. Your next best choices are September and December.
• Further, the two best days to have your book arrive on a reviewer's desk are Wednesday and Thursday because those are the days when you'll have less competition in terms of volume.



SOLICIT REVIEWS FROM FEE-FOR-REVIEW SERVICES
The more objective reviews you can accumulate, the better. You can post them on your own website, on your Amazon sales page and author page, and anywhere else that would give your book more exposure. These services will also post their review in a variety of places.

San Francisco Book Review and Sacramento Book Review—$125 for a turnaround time of six to ten weeks / $450 for a review plus a thirty-minute podcast interview with you published on AudibleAuthors.net.
(They also offer to review books that have been released in the last ninety days at no charge, but there is no guarantee that your book will be one they choose to review.)
ForeWord Reviews—$335 for a turnaround time of six to eight weeks.
(They also offer to review books three months prior to publication at no charge, but there is no guarantee that your book will be one they choose to review.)
Penn Book Review—$99 for a turnaround time of ten to fifteen days / $199 for a review plus lots of "extras."
Portland Book Review—$89 for a turnaround time of six to ten weeks / $250 for a review plus an interview with you.
(They also offer to review books that have been released in the last twelve months at no charge, but there is no guarantee that your book will be one they choose to review.)





SOLICIT FREE REVIEWS FROM BLOGS
The more reviews you can rack up on blogs, the better the chance that you can make your target audience aware of you and your book. Click here for a list of hundreds of bloggers who are willing to review your book, courtesy of StepByStepSelfPublishing.net.

NOTE: The online list above is abbreviated and does not include e-mail addresses, genre preferences, pet peeves, etc. You can find the full list in The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages: A Promotional Reference Guide for Authors and Small Publishers, Fourth Edition by Christine Pinheiro. In this 800-page book, each reviewer provides detailed submission guidelines.

Here are more listings of blogs and other sites (and publications) that offer free book reviews:
The Indie View
FabianSpace
Robin Mizell
The Complete Review
It's that easy to get the reviews rolling in! All it costs is the price of your book and the postage. So buy some envelopes and stamps and get busy!



SEND YOUR BOOKS TO INFLUENCERS
Be on the lookout for opportunities to send your book to prominent people who are in a position to influence others. Yes, this is a "long shot approach" but it's fun to connect with people in the public eye who may be able to give your promotion efforts a boost with just a few well-placed words.
For instance, as a sports fan, I sent my book Sixty Seconds to a handful of professional athletes and coaches in the hope that they would find inspiration in it and perhaps even spread the word a bit. One day, I picked up the phone and heard, "Hi, Phil. This is Clint Hurdle." I was momentarily stunned. At the time, Clint was manager of the Colorado Rockies (and is now manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates). Clint was very kind and said that if I was ever in Denver that I should let him know so he could get me free tickets to a Rockies game. Wow, what a great guy. That's all I remember him saying because when you get an unexpected phone call like that, your brain freezes up a bit and you tend to stammer out nonsense. Or maybe that's just me.
[caption id="attachment_39318" align="alignleft" width="222"] Tim Flannery[/caption]Now that Through God's Eyes is out, I look for opportunities to send it to well-known people who are quoted publicly about their interest in spirituality. I recently sent a copy to Tim Flannery, the former San Diego Padres infielder who is now the third-base coach for the San Francisco Giants, because I read that he lives in Encinitas (like I do), is a songwriter (an interest of mine too) and is a spiritual kind of guy. When I followed up some time later to make sure he received it, I was shocked to hear that he kept the book in his locker for inspiration before games. How cool is that? Tim was kind enough to provide an endorsement, which I included in the front of the book.
Yes, you can run up some postage trying to get your book in the hands of prominent folks, but you never know what kinds of reactions and experiences you'll get, which is half the fun!



CHECK OUT THESE LIBRARY RESOURCES
• Submit your recently published book to a library distributor and gain access to thousands of public, school, academic, corporate and special libraries. Two such distributors are Quality Books, Inc. and Unique Books, Inc.

Click on the link below to download information about Quality Books.
QUALITY BOOKS

• Once your book has been published, you can check to see which libraries are carrying your book by visiting WorldCat.org



SPEAK!

Schedule as many book signings, newspaper and magazine article interviews, radio and TV appearances, and local speaking engagements as you can. Every talk you give and interview you do increases your public speaking skills and grows your network, which you can then leverage to full effect to promote future books. If you're not confident about public speaking, I've got one word for you: ToastMasters.




A FINAL WORD
[caption id="attachment_40886" align="alignleft" width="300"] This is me at a book reading with the lovely and talented Marti and Windi White[/caption]Remember, book promotion is about building relationships. I have received countless e-mails from people all across the world who thank me for responding to them and making them “feel important.” Making a personal connection, as long as it’s genuine and heartfelt, greatly increases the odds that they will be interested in my book. After all, who wouldn’t want to order a book written by someone you have a personal connection with? The many comments I receive show this to be true. Again, this strategy will only work if I personally and authentically respond to every comment and genuinely enjoy making these connections, which I certainly do. Ultimately, it's all about touching people’s lives and leaving them—and you—better for it.

NOTE: This blog post is a work in progress. I will be updating it often. Click here to e-mail me with any suggestions. Thank you!

Click here to view all my posts related to writing.

ABOUT PHIL BOLSTA

Phil is the author of Through God’s Eyes: Finding Peace and Purpose in a Troubled World, a comprehensive guide to living a spiritual life. Who will benefit from reading it?

Anyone who is on a spiritual path, or wants to start one
Anyone who loves life, or wants to learn how to
Anyone who is happy, or wants to be happier

To order your copy of Through God's Eyes, go to GodsEyesOrder.com OR order from Amazon at GodsEyesAmazon.comOR for an inscribed copy, click here to e-mail Phil for information.
Click here for more information about Through God's Eyes.
Click here to ask Phil to add you to his e-mail list for updates on his blog and books.
Through God's Eyes won first place in the "Spirituality and Inspirational" category at the San Diego Book Awards on June 22, 2013.
Here is a two-minute video introduction to Through God's Eyes.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuSyTgWWolA]


Want to learn more about Through God's Eyes? Here is a free 40-page PDF sampler from the book that includes:
• an overview of the book
• the complete table of contents
• the Foreword by Caroline Myss
• my Introduction
• chapter excerpts
• a sample end-of-chapter story
• endorsements from authors and thought leaders
Just click on the link below to download your free PDF sampler!
THROUGH GOD'S EYES PDF SAMPLER




Phil's eBook, The Logic of Living a Spiritual Life: Supporting a Life of Faith Through Logic and Reason, is now available for 99 cents on Amazon.
Order it at GodIsLogical.com.
In this eBook, you’ll find answers to questions like:
• What is the cornerstone of a spiritual life, and why?
• What is the secret to liberating yourself from other people’s judgments and expectations?
• Why is there an exception to “Everything happens for a reason”?

Those who worship logic instead of God are only half right. Not only is it logical to believe in God and to live a faith-based life, the existence of a loving, benevolent God that governs all creation is perhaps the only systematic worldview that explains every aspect of life.


Schedule a Mastery Mentoring phone session with Phil to learn how to apply principles of spiritual living more effortlessly and effectively. Priced affordably! Click here to e-mail Phil for details.


Phil is also the author of Sixty Seconds: One Moment Changes Everything, a collection of 45 inspiring, life-changing stories from prominent people he interviewed, including Joan Borysenko, Deepak Chopra, geneticist Dr. Francis Collins, acclaimed sportswriter Frank Deford, Dr. Larry Dossey, Wayne Dyer, Dan Millman, Caroline Myss, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen, Dr. Bernie Siegel, James Van Praagh, singer Billy Vera, Doreen Virtue, Neale Donald Walsch, and bassist Victor Wooten.
Here is a three-minute video that introduces you to Phil and his book. Click here to order Sixty Seconds. Click here to ask Phil to add you to his e-mail list for updates on his blog and books.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bic0j4QqFbI]
Reading this book is like spending a few minutes face to face with each of the contributors and listening to their personal stories. Click here to read unsolicited testimonials from readers. Learn more by visiting the official Sixty Seconds website.
Sixty Seconds was one of three finalists in the General Interest/How-To category at the 12th annual Visionary Awards presented by COVR (Coalition of Visionary Resources) in Denver on June 27, 2009.