Effective E-books
by Alyice Edrich

Five Steps to Promoting Your E-book

Have you ever thought, "If it is God's will for this project to succeed, the doors will miraculously open and sales will flood in?" Or "If God wants me to get the word out about this e-book, He'll provide the leads, the sources, and the markets?" Have you ever found yourself praying for more sales, more media coverage, or more leads only to wonder why your prayers haven't been answered?

If so, know this: While it's important to trust in God to help us succeed with our writing, He never told us to sit idly by while He does all the work. As Benjamin Franklin once said, "God helps those who help themselves."

But how do you help your e-books succeed?

Since e-books cannot be browsed like traditional, print books readers cannot leisurely sit in a bookstore soaking up a few pages before thinking, "This is just what I need. I have to buy this book!" So we, as writers, must show potential buyers why our e-book is "the e-book" for them and that will take a little work.

Below are five steps designed to help you promote your e-book, build recognition, and increase sales:

Step One: Get Reviews

Just like a traditional book, people want to know what others think of your e-book and they want honest, unbiased testimonies and reviews.

When looking for reviews, start with experts on the topic of your e-book. If you've written an e-book titled, "How To Start A Stock Photography Business," seek photographers who earn more than half their income from selling stock photography. If you've written am e-book titled, "How To Help Babies With Asthma," seek doctors and specialists who treat asthmatic babies.

Once you have a few testimonies from industry experts move seek print and online publications willing to review your e-book. Since most e-books are self-published, this could prove to be a difficult task, but having a few testimonies from industry experts should add a bit of validity to your requests.

Next, request reviews from bloggers. Write a letter of introduction explaining the premise of your e-book and how your e-book would benefit that blogger's audience. Take the time to personalize the letter and even volunteer to be interviewed or become a guest blogger. Finally, seek out ordinary men and women interested in your e-book's theme. The best way to do this is to ask those who've purchased your e-book for an interview.

Step Two: Send Press Releases

Press releases equal free media coverage, but don't be surprised to find your traditional, "I have written a book on ___" to go unnoticed. If you want your press release to be published, you'll need to tie the idea behind your e-book into a current event or provide an angle that is truly newsworthy.

Start by sending one new press release out every week. Then as the word spreads about your e-book, drop down to once every two weeks, then once a month—but no less than once a month.

And don't just stick to press release distribution services. Take the time to tailor (or tweak) your press releases to meet the needs of specific publications, radio stations, and websites.

Step Three: Build Internet Buzz

Building buzz on the Internet is fairly easy if you're willing to put in the elbow grease. The first step is to build a name for yourself in online communities. Visit blogs, chat rooms and forums, comment on posts relevant to your e-book's theme and then leave the title of your e-book along with a link (when permitted) to your sales page in your tag line.

Once you've spent a little time building a name for yourself, start an article marketing campaign. There are two ways to work an article marketing campaign: write articles for paying publications and mention your e-book in your byline or give topic-related articles away in exchange for a small advertisement, for your e-book, in your byline. (To learn more about distributing free articles, read my article, Marketing With Articles.)

Step Four: Be A Guest

Being a guest isn't limited to Oprah or Jay Leno, line up a few guest spots on local television and radio shows. Ask the library to lend you their meeting room so you can hold a free seminar. Speak with your pastor about hosting a workshop and, if appropriate, visit local schools, clubs, and other organizations. Meeting people in person and sharing your experience in front of both small and large groups can really help build sales.

Wondering how you're going to sell an electronic book to a group of people? Pass out coupons with a 15% discount that expires two days from the event or put your e-book on disc and sell it at the end of the event.

Step Five: Build An E-zine

You've spent a lot of time marketing and advertising your e-book, building buzz, and driving people to your sales page. Don't blow it by letting them walk away without first giving up their email addresses. It can take seven times of seeing a product or service before consumers buy. Give them a reason to remember you.

Offer a free newsletter, distributed by email, on your e-book's topic. Then once a month offer a two paragraph excerpt from the book, interviews with industry experts, or tips related to your e-book's topic. (Side note: If you plan to write several books in different genres, or on unrelated topics, try to find a common ground between them so that you only have to produce one e-zine per month.)

Last, but definitely not least, pray. Seek God in all your decisions. Ask Him to tell you which opportunities to accept and which to pass up. Ask Him to help you locate the best places to advertise within your budget. And don't forget to thank Him for being your partner as you move forth sharing your talents and knowledge with the world.