What's Working for You?

[John Kremer]

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.

[Dr.Mani - Internet Infopreneur]

Thanks, Steve.

This just happened out of the blue yesterday - and I notice there were 5 book sales, and my Amazon rank went up from around 130,000 to 23,000 this morning! I wrote an article about it - Integration Marketing, Amazon and Book Authors.

[Dr.Mani - Internet Infopreneur]

Quick update after 15 heady hours, watching Amazon.com book rank stats over and over, every half hour or so :)

Starting the day at #35,000~, my book's rank went up all the way to #513 (with a #91 position in the Books > Business & Investing category) at 3 a.m. my time. Right now, it has dipped a bit, and is ranked #602.

What's been fantastic about this launch is how many launch partners actually followed through and promoted to their audiences (even without my having to prod and cajole them over and over!) - and also how viral things got on social networks like Twitter and Facebook, with the message being spread from person to person.

It didn't hurt that some high profile blogs featured stories about the launch, too :-) (of course, that took a LOT of ground work putting in place - read 'relationships', and reminds me of what John Kremer said in one post about building contacts and relations with high profile resources in your niche - thanks, John)

So... it isn't over yet, about mid-way through, I'd guess. Thought you'd all enjoy hearing about this experience - and hopefully, soon it'll be yours (on a MUCH grander scale :-)

All success
Dr.Mani

[John Kremer]

Congrats on getting that high on Amazon. Do you know how many copies you sold?

Relationships are what it is all about.

[Dr.Mani - Internet Infopreneur]

Thanks, John. Yes, I'm keeping track of numbers VERY carefully, with screen shots, because I want to create a report with the data. The figures will certainly raise eyebrows, at least mine haven't been down for a long while ;-)

[Steve Miller]

Looking forward to following you on this!

[Skeeze Whitlow]

Allow me to state that I have had modest success as an author. And I should be grateful. I have over a thousand hits on the internet -- yet, I wish to do more. To be more.

When I settled down to write, I thought it would take a couple months, perhaps a year...

But I have been working at it, steady, for 25 years. Don't get me wrong, I love writing. But, we live in a world where the publishers and literary agents are members of an elitist club which refuses admittance to newcomers.

Yet, the state of optimism leads to one sure way to attain goals. A goal is a dream with a deadline. In my next 25 years, I shall attain my goals.

[ZLS Publishing, LLC]

Social networking is definitely working for me. I'm using places like Ning, Gather, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc. to promote business. Since ZLS works mainly with small businesses and authors and we do stuff like marketing, web design and graphic design for them, social networking works perfectly for us. That and word of mouth which we reward with discounts for service.
www.zlspublishing.com

[Steve Miller]

ZLZ,

Cool! Can you give us an example of a specific book that's getting large numbers of specific sales from these social networking avenues, or do you keep track of these specifics?

[Susan Klopfer]

Since I'm still writing my blog book, I'm working at relationship building when not writing. I've now met several people through twitter and facebook who have shown a strong interest in what I'm writing about (civil rights history in the Mississippi Delta) and who are being good shepherds through twittering and posting on facebook about my project. Both are media people and have interviewed me, as well, giving me some good pre-publicity.

Currently, I'm spending about 60 minutes daily on Facebook and 15-20 minutes on twitter, trying to pass on information where it can be helpful and showing interest in what others are doing. Of course, I announce each chapter post on the blog book. I also post to MySpace and Ning but am staying away from LinkedIn for now because it takes too much time, it seems.

I'm handing out book-oriented business cards and talking up the book as much as possible. But until the end of September, when the book is done, I can't really do much more. (That's when the big stuff kicks in!)

I would love to hear from anyone who has blogged a book -- what were your goals? My current plan is to turn this into an e-book and go from there.

[John Kremer]

Nice to see you here Susan. Thanks for the update on your activities.

[Milton Davis]

Face to face sales has been best for me. I released Meji Book One last May. So far I've sold a little over three hundred copies through local book signings, festivals and the internet. I released Meji Book Two last month and I've sold fifty copies so far by the same method. 90% of my sales have been face to face; 10% on the internet. Of the 10% internet sales, 95% have been from sites that I'm active on.

This year I'm printing through Lightning Source. The cost per book is slightly higher but I have much less money tied into inventory. I plan to take advantage of their distributor plan if I can offer the discounts required of stores and still see a reasonable profit. I know I have missed sales by not having my book available for order through B&N and Amazon. The Lightning Source plan also makes my books available through Baker and Taylor, which is good for me because I have had many requests from local libraries for my book.

[Steve Miller]

Milton,

Thanks for the specifics! Concerning the festivals and local book signings. Any hints there? Some authors sell hardly anything during book signings. Do you do it together with several other authors, or by yourself? Do you strike up conversations with people, or do you wait for them to talk to you?

And of your 10% internet sales, is that through simply responding on forums like this forum? (I certainly went to look at your book after reading your reply.)

J. Steve Miller
Author of Enjoy Your Money! How to Make It, Save It, Invest It and Give It
http://www.amazon.com/Enjoy-Your-Money-Make-Invest/dp/098187567X/re...