In the continuing effort to further support self-published authors, here are four recommended book marketing strategies:
1. Add an Amazon Kindle Edition
No matter where you publish, or in what genre you write, you must have a Kindle edition of your book. This is especially true if you write and publish fiction. Finally, the Kindle has resolved the age-old concern that non-fiction is easier to sell.
Want proof? Right now, the top 2 best-selling books published by Outskirts Press are fiction books:
New: Now with a Kindle edition, your book can be available on the iPhone! Is the iPhone the “killer-app” the e-book market needs? Perhaps, and in the 4th quarter of 2009, Amazon took a big step in that direction by providing the free Kindle App through the iTunes store. With your Kindle Edition, your book is immediately available for sale on the #1 best-selling product on Amazon (the Kindle) and on the #1 best-selling mobile phone (the iPhone). How valuable is that?
Bonus for published Outskirts Press authors: You keep 100% of your profits from Amazon for your Kindle edition, even if you have us create and submit your Kindle edition for you. You can add the Kindle edition (with iPhone availability) conveniently by clicking here (and save 10% with the Promotion Code: RELAUNCH10).
2. Create a Book Video Trailer
Enter the 21st Century with Book Video Trailers, which are like Hollywood-movie trailers for your book. Depending upon where you publish, a book video can cost anywhere from a few hundred to many thousands of dollars, so do your research when you are picking your publisher.
Equally important is the level of online social networking and video distribution that comes with your video package. Yes, having a book video trailer is important, and uploading it to your author webpage is nice. But to really leverage the power of the Internet, your book video needs to be linked and viewable from all the major social and video networking sites, like:
- YouTube
- MySpace
- …to name just a few…
It doesn’t matter how you go about getting a book video trailer made, and how you go about distributing it, just as long as you make it a part of your overall book marketing strategy. The Outskirts Press Book Video Trailer & Distribution option for our authors includes the creation of a Hollywood-style book video along with distribution to all those video venues listed above, plus others. Here’s an example of a book video trailer for a full-color, fully-illustrated book from Outskirts Press:
Bonus for published Outskirts Press authors: You can save 10% on the Book Video Trailer option by clicking here and entering the Promotion Code: RELAUNCH10 in your shopping cart.
3. Add an Audio Excerpt to iTunes
Speaking of the iPhone and iTunes, it is equally important that you have an audio file distributed through iTunes that either discusses your book or features an audio sample of someone reading from your book. By submitting the audio file through RSS distribution and iTunes with keywords, you increase the chances of potential customers learning about your book (or even stumbling accidentally upon it) in a wide variety of venues and platforms.
For example, select Outskirts Press authors have the option of adding the Enhanced Audio Excerpt with iTunes Distribution. This optional marketing service offers a two to three minute audio recording of a section from the author’s book, recorded by book marketing guru and Blog Talk Radio host Sally Shields. Not only is this option ideal for authors who may not like the sound of their own voice, but the Enhanced Audio Excerpt is distributed and syndicated just like a Podcast, which includes availability on multiple content sites, including iTunes.
Published Outskirts Press authors can save 10% on the Enhanced Audio Excerpt option right now and receive a free 30-minute telephone marketing consultation with Sally Shields. Order from your Author’s Center by clicking here and enter the the Promotion Code: RELAUNCH10 in your shopping cart.
4. Complete a media kit, marketing plan, and promotional schedule – Put it all on a CD that you can mail to the press
Recognizing the value and necessity of live, 1-on-1 marketing consultation, Outskirts Press has also added the free 30-minute marketing call to its CD Media/Press Kit option. The Outskirts Press Personal Marketing Assistant can now help published Outskirts Press authors complete their personalized marketing plans and promotional calendars to be included in the customized CD Media/Press Kits.
Included on the CD are a professionally written press release, an author biography and book summary, a marketing plan and promotional calendar, a high-resolution author image (if provided by the author), and a secure e-book edition of the book.
Even if you have published elsewhere, a media/press kit is an important component to an overall book marketing strategy. If you cannot produce a professional, customized CD like the one available for Outskirts Press authors, at least put the necessary elements on your author webpage.
Published Outskirts Press authors can save 10% on their custom CD Media/Press Kit and receive a free 30-minute telephone consultation with a Personal Marketing Assistant when they enter Promotion Code:RELAUNCH10 at the time of ordering the CD Media/Press Kit.
The 10% discount code for these options will expire in February, so now is the time to order from your secure Author’s Center
by clicking here.
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“The CD/Media Kit arrived today. All I can say is WOW! It is by far a very professional layout. I would highly recommend anyone who publishes through Outskirts to purchase the CD/Media Kit. It is money well-worth as far as marketing is concerned.”
