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

What's Working for You?

I'd like to start a new forum where people can talk about what's working for you right now in marketing your book.

I think this will help other authors to prioritize their activities if they can find out what's working for other people. This would be especially valuable to new authors.

I've share the hottest tool that I'm using right now. And that's Twitter. As you will note on the main page of this Book Marketing Network website, both my http://www.bookmarket.com website and this network have been rising in Alexa ranks (and visits) because of my use of Twitter.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by J. Steve Miller on April 6, 2011 at 7:51am

David,

Yes, I'd do it from the start. Every publisher has to start with a first book. But if you have only one or two, you just don't have a section on your site for "All Our Books."Hopefully, you'll publish other books in the future and you'll build your publishing reputation over time. You're not trying to trick people. The guy who wrote "The Shack" established his own publishing company to publish it through. Later, it was taken by a traditional publisher.

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Permalink Reply by David Beem on April 6, 2011 at 12:24pm

Steve,

Great -- I will follow your advice, it sounds sound! I understand it isn't about "tricking" so much as it is about working within people's perceptions, and new authors struggling to make a name for themselves. Besides, anyone who is really interested in knowing who is publishing my books can easily learn. Thanks for your help, Steve. By the way, is there a resource you recommend that I can use to learn about buying my own ISBN?

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Permalink Reply by Jeanne Webster on April 6, 2011 at 1:16pm

Steve,

Go through R.R. Bowkers for your ISBN's and your bar codes...don't forget the LOC number! Unless it's changed you will buy more than one ISBN...it was ten when I bought mine.

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Permalink Reply by David Beem on April 6, 2011 at 6:18pm

Thanks Jeanne -- I think you meant that one for me!

David

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Permalink Reply by Jeanne Webster on April 7, 2011 at 6:38am

lol... I did...I meant it for you....

Steve knows all this...and more!

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Permalink Reply by J. Steve Miller on April 7, 2011 at 4:52am

David, go to:

http://www.bowker.com/ and click on "Identifier Services".

And if you start your own publishing company, don't name it after yourself (a giveaway that you're publishing your own books.)

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Permalink Reply by David Beem on April 7, 2011 at 7:52am

Will do, and thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Patrick M Kennedy on April 6, 2011 at 1:16pm

Hi,

I just got off the phone with my small publisher who is going to work with me on my new book, Being a Senior Citizen, and he has used both but highly recommends Lightning Source:

http://www.lightningsource.com/

It seems like the best way to go for small publishers and independent authors.

Pat Kennedy

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Permalink Reply by David Beem on April 7, 2011 at 7:49am

Thanks Patrick, I'll look into this as well. I think I heard about lightningsource on NPR recently.

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Permalink Reply by J. Steve Miller on April 7, 2011 at 10:59am

Patrick,

I recommend LightningSource as well. For some authors, there are advantages of LightningSource over CreateSpace. Just remember that you do have to be a publisher (have a name for your company and purchase your own ISBN's) to be with LightningSource. Some especially like them because they can get a larger chunk from each Amazon sale if they offer only a 20% discount. Of course, no bookstores would carry your book for that discount, but they would perhaps take special orders. You can set your discount as you like (within parameters) at LightningSource.

But it's good to do a detailed comparison of LSI (Lightning Source International) and CreateSpace for your individual book. With mine being 7"x10", it would have put me in a different price category for Lightning Source and would have cost me a bit more for author copies than with CreateSpace. Had my book been smaller, I might have gone with LSI for this one.

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Permalink Reply by Scott M. Shafer on April 7, 2011 at 10:39am

On Tue. April 5, 2011 I launched an Amazon Best Seller campaign that involved Joint venture partners. For a 24 hr. period a special promotion was offered including free bonus gifts from the generous partners. Anyone who purchased the book could take advantage of the free bonus gifts if they were so inclined.

The results of the campaign: My book went to #2 position for the Amazon BestSeller List in Dreams.

I have included a screen shot of Amazon and the #2 BestSeller What Every Dream Means.

The link to the offer is still live: http://WhatEveryDreamMeans.com/Launch