Promoting a Book through WOM

Monday, March 6th, 2006 at 9:02 AM | Category: Meryl's Notes Blog No comments

Free Books for Bloggers… is an example of how authors are taking advantage of the Internet to promote their books. Bloggers can access a diverse audience that authors and their publishers could never dream to reach on their own. Blogs create buzz (WOM: word of mouth) and many bloggers wrote about this book’s giveaway. Here’s what the email said:

“I’m responsible for the website of the book Living the Artist’s Life by Paul Dorrell, and this weekend Hillstead Publishing have announced that they are giving away 250 copies of the book free to bloggers – with no requirement to review, to link, to blog about, or to promote in any way. It’s a genuine gift to genuine bloggers.

“This is not an eBook, or a scam – it really is free, and it’s a way to foster conversation about the book that the author has experienced in his nationwide book tour. Currently the book is in its 2nd printing and its Sales Rank on Amazon tends to fluctuate weekly between #10,000 and 210,000#. The author is an art gallery owner and a writer.

From the sponsor: Wonder how many actors had cosmetic surgery in Los Angeles before the Academy Awards.

“Hillstead made the official announcement on the author’s blog.

“This is not a request to review the book (see Amazon or the book’s website – livingtheartistslife.com for reviews), rather it is a request to pass this information onto anybody you know who blogs – regardless of subject – whether it be your site’s visitors or your friends – if you think they’d be interested in a free copy (yes with free shipping also).”

Sending books to bloggers and reviewers makes a difference when it’s done right. I’ve received books on adopting a cat and other topics that I never write about. It’s wise to contact the blogger or reviewer prior to sending the book. While some publishers think they will review it just because they receive it, it’s not true. If the topic is off, the reviewer doesn’t want to waste his time. So make the most of review copies by researching and contacting reviewers.

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