Do not settle for an old school “under construction” page, or for the domain parking page that your registrar puts up there to make money off of you while you get your site underway!  The page you create should have some basic, but critical information on it.

Here’s what I mean…  lets say you’re an author creating a book website:  You’ve been focused on getting the cover design just right, and the final touches to the content… the galleys are about to go out with your web address printed on them, and there’s no way your website will be finished in time.  But there are some basic things that you already have:

1. You have your cover design. So even if you don’t know what the overall look & feel of your website will/should be, you can work with the aesthetic that’s been established by the cover art.  And you don’t need design too much at this point — just keep it super clean and simple and it won’t matter if after you launch the site it looks quite different.
2. You have your contact information. You want to make it super easy for people to get in touch with you about your project.  Include at least an email address here.  If you’re already using social media for self promotion, include a link to your Twitter and Facebook pages, or widgets that show the latest content from your feed and allow people to friend you.   If you have a blog, you can place a small feed of your blog’s content right there on the page, and a link to subscribe.
3. You know what your project is about. A short synopsis to help people know they’re in the right place and to leave them intrigued is very helpful.  After all, you want them to come back after the site fully launches – so leave them wanting more.  Some people have an email signup so that interested parties can be notified when things change, or they can receive a newsletter with updates — this is a great way to stay in touch with people who you can then encourage to come back and see the site after the launch.

If you plan to build your site in Wordpress (my CMS platform of choice), there are even free themes or plugins that make having a “Coming Soon” page super easy:

• http://changingroom.wordprezzie.com/ — super basic theme that allows people to subscribe to the feed which will let them know when the blog has been updated in the future.
• http://wparchive.com/ice-breaker-wordpress-theme/ — has slightly more functionality than Changing Room (above).
• http://themeshaper.com/wordpress-domain-parking-theme/ — sells itself as an alternative to Domain Parking by your registrar.
• http://sw-guide.de/wordpress/plugins/maintenance-mode/ — this is a plugin that allows you to create a custom page to display while you’re working on your site.  It’s great because site admins (if logged in) can see the site-in-progress, but regular site visitors see the holding page.  Also, should you ever need to work on your site in the future, going back to it is just the flip of a switch.  I like this best because you can customize the page completely.

If you don’t plan to use Wordpress, you or your web designer can easily (and quickly) create a holding page for your website that has exactly what you want on it.

Related posts:

1. What’s in a name? Pretty much everything!
2. Ask a Reviewer: Irene Watson of Reader Views and Inside Scoop Live
3. Finding your online identity.

1. Present information to your users in a clear and concise way.
2. Remove any ambiguity regarding the consequences of an action e.g. clicking on delete/remove/purchase.
3. Organize your content so that it’s obvious how to use the site.

…there are also specific usability & user experience guidelines for each web niche, including author and book websites.  Having designed many author and book websites, and tracked analytics to determine design success, here are some guidelines I’ve come up with that help create a great user experience for author and book website: 

• Be sure the site visitor knows who you are.  Even if your website is designed to mimic the universe created by your story, people still want to know about the person behind it.  It’s a way of building trust with your audience, and a way for them to further invest in what you’re doing.  For example, Chelsea Cain’s website does a GREAT job reinforcing her genre through the design of her site, while also celebrating her as the author:
  
• Write the text for the site in a similar tone to your book.   Did you write a self-help book that offers advice in the first person?   Or, a romance novel filled with beautiful, lengthy descriptions?   Website text should follow some specific guidelines itself, but you want a continuity of experience between your presence on the web, and your presence within your book(s).  Jacqueline Mallorca, The Gluten Free Cook, does a great job writing her website content in the same friendly, approachable manner as her cookbooks:
  
• Design the site as an extension of the brand you have built through your cover art.  You don’t need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to your site navigation or layout, but make sure the design of your website enhances your book cover(s) without overtaking it, and has the same attention to detail.  Whether your cover design is clean and modern, or moody and painterly – you want the experience with your site to envelop the user with that same feeling.  It’ll help the experience on the web *and* brand recognition.  Here’s a great example:
  
• Say what you mean & make your links explicit.  This is not a time to be vague and mysterious – if you’re offering a top-ten tips list based on advice in your book, say something like “Discover my Top Ten Tips for ________” and make the entire thing a link.  If users know what to expect, they’re more likely to click the link – as opposed to a link that says, “What are you doing to help _______?”  This idea can be used in lists, on buttons, within the text, etc…    Don’t hide high-value things away on other pages of the site without clearly telling your user about them on the Home page.  Here’s an example that highlights the excerpt, an interactive timeline, and the author’s social media links in an unambiguous way:
  
• Give people an easy way to get in touch and/or participate, including (and especially) the press.  Everyone hates a website where you have to hunt around for a way to get in contact (hello cell phone companies!), but when you’re marketing something it’s even more important that people find it easy to ask questions and get more information.  You don’t have to give our your personal email address – maybe you have a publicist, or you create a web form, or an 800 number people can use to leave a voicemail…  there are many options, but you don’t want to cut yourself off when opportunity comes knocking.  In addition, you want to provide the press with the majority of what they need right on the site – this includes a press release for the book launch, whether you’re available for interviews, some see interview questions, and an author bio.  Make it as easy as possible for people to promote you!  Malcolm Gladwell’s site doesn’t do the best job of titling the page, but once you’re there it provides all the info people might need:
  
• Offer more than just the basics.  Whether you wrote a novel, a how-to guide, or a cookbook, there will be something else you can add to bring your book to life.  How about a free recipe?  Or a worksheet for getting something accomplished?  Or a snippet of extra content?   Just like everyone loves the Special Features on a DVD, your website is an opportunity to enrich the experience for your audience, and keep them wanting more.  Your value add doesn’t have to be a huge investment, but you can be quite creative with it.  Dr. John Telford’s site about his memoir offers images of the events covered in the book, an interactive timeline of major events in his life, and a video of him talking about his experiences:

Related posts:

1. Client Spotlight: Diana Raab, author of Regina’s Closet
2. Getting your book reviewed
3. Client Spotlight: Bill Trimble, author of Screw It! I’ll Be My Own Contractor

My biggest “do” is to keep the pitch concise. It’s good for authors to remember that we reviewers usually have day jobs! If I get a query that goes on and on, I begin to wonder whether the book will have a tendency to ramble incoherently as well. Basically, I’d like a sentence or two that tells me what the book is about and why I might like it. If that brief description of the book intrigues me, then I’ll ask to read a copy.

My biggest “don’t” is to avoid asking a reviewer to read a PDF copy of the book. I spend so much time in front of a computer all day that when I read for fun, I prefer to do it the old fashioned way–with an actual book, words on a page.

In addition to the books he reviews on his blog, Marc’s first novel is The Singular Exploits of Wonder Mom and Party Girl. You can learn more about Marc Schuster at his website: http://www.marcschuster.com.

Related posts:

1. Ask a Reviewer: Irene Watson of Reader Views and Inside Scoop Live
2. Ask a Reviewer: Do’s and Don’ts from Professional Book Reviewers
3. Ask a Reviewer: Douglas Wolk, Freelance Journalist and Critic

What do you wish you’d known about creating an online presence before you started?

I wish I’d understood the importance of branding. I started in 2004 with a free template website that looked TERRIBLE. I spent a lot of time teaching myself everything and thought that because I had a lot of credible information on my site that the site itself should appear credible. A year later I upgraded to a basic web design and paid about $700 for it – which felt like a lot at the time. It looked better, but was really still a template. It did the trick but didn’t brand me because it was fairly generic. Only when I (literally) sat down with someone who understood my brand and what my online presence needed to project did I feel like I was projecting credibility and deserving of charging higher prices to my clients as a result.

What’s the most important thing you learned about online marketing along the way?

To employ experts. People hire me to have an expert at their side through the law school application process, and I hire others because I don’t have time to become an expert on web marketing, SEO, PPC, etc. So, I hired people to help me who already know this stuff better than I ever could learning it on my own. It’s not as expensive as you might imagine, but it only works if you work with people who “get” what you’re all about. I flailed using big companies that I found online and only thrived once I found that one person who understood what I meant in a sentence long email or 2 second phone call and didn’t need me to coach her to get what I wanted.

What’s the best advice you have for someone just getting started now?

Use a blog to provide quality information and form relationships with others in your field and related fields. If you are good with people, Twitter and Facebook. Network constantly, and help others in their quests because good acts come back around.

Related posts:

1. Client Spotlight: Book Shepherd & Marketing Specialist
2. Client Spotlight: Linda Allan, author of I Quit!
3. Client Spotlight: Bill Trimble, author of Screw It! I’ll Be My Own Contractor

This isn’t the time to be shy or lack confidence as there’s little-to-no downside to entering (especially the ones with no entrance fee). And the benefit of being nominated as a finalist or winner is huge.

Since I often work on websites for authors/books, I have collected a list of awards that you may not yet know about as an author.

• CYBILS (Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards) – The Cybils are a series of book awards given in nine categories (Fiction Picture Books, Nonfiction Picture Books, Easy Readers, Middle Grade Fiction, Nonfiction: Middle Grade and Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction, Poetry, Graphic Novels, and Fantasy and Science Fiction). The Cybils were started by Anne Boles Levy and Kelly Herold, and now involve over 100 bloggers. The goal of the Cybils team is to highlight books that, in addition to being well-written, are kid-friendly and engaging.
• Annual Writer’s Digest International Self-Published Book Awards – Writer’s Digest searches for the best self-published books for their award which covers the genres of Mainstream/Literary Fiction, Genre Fiction, Nonfiction, Inspirational (Spiritual, New Age), Life Stories (Biographies, Autobiographies, Family Histories, Memoirs), Children’s Picture books, Middle-Grade/Young Adult books, Reference Books (Directories, Encyclopedias, Guide Books), Poetry, & Humor. You can be a professional writer, a part-time freelancer, or a self-starting student, as long as you are self-published.
• EVVY Awards – The Colorado Independent Publishers Association & CIPA Education and Literacy Foundation offer an award in the following categories: Autobiography, Biography, Business/Finance, Children’s (1), Cookbooks, Diet/Health/Fitness, Fiction (6), History, How To, Humor, Inspirational, Juvenile, Legacy (3), Memoirs, Miscellaneous (5), Non-Fiction/Experiences, Parenting/Family, Poetry, Political/Social, Self-Help, Spirituality, Travel (2) & Workbooks (4).
• TheNextBigWriter.com – if you’re relatively unknown, this website offers a series of awards in various categories.
• Writers of the Future – The Writers & Illustrators of the Future contests are international in scope and creative writing talents from around the world are judged quarterly. The winners are published in the annual Writers of the Future anthology. Each anthology contains the best new science fiction and fantasy short stories as well as award-winning illustrations by budding new artists.
• Indie Book Awards – The Indie Book Awards are open to independent authors and publishers worldwide in 60 categories. They offer cash prizes and other awards, including exposure to leading New York literary agents.
• Reader Views Award – These annual literary awards were established to honor writers who self-published or had their books published by a subsidy publisher, small press, university press, or independent book publisher geared for the North American reading audience.
• Mom’s Choice Awards – The Mom’s Choice Awards® program recognizes authors, inventors, companies, parents and others for their efforts in creating quality family-friendly media, products and services.
• USA Book News Best Books Awards – The National Best Books Awards are specifically designed to garner media coverage and book sales for the winners & finalists throughout the holiday retail season and the following year.
• ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award – ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Awards were established to bring increased attention to librarians and booksellers of the literary and graphic achievements of independent publishers and their authors. ForeWord is the only review trade journal devoted exclusively to books from independent houses.
• New York Book Festival – The New York Book Festival is an annual program celebrating books that deserve greater recognition from the world’s publishing capital.

And if you don’t happen to live in Colorado or New York, research your own local literary and book festival award programs.

Related posts:

1. 8 Communities for Book Lovers
2. Getting your book reviewed
3. Social Networks for Authors

What do you wish you’d known about creating an online presence before you started?

I wish I’d had a better understanding of how search engines work to drive people to your site, and how to develop language and content based on that. I still don’t know enough about it and it’s not what I want to spend my time thinking about. My instincts were to just write good content without regard to how it shows up in search engines.

What’s the most important thing you learned about online marketing along the way?

The most important thing I’ve learned is that if you want to be successful at selling something on the web, FIRST you need to build a relationship with people who come to your site and you need to provide them with something real whether it’s content, product or something else. You need to give a little before you can take. I’ve also learned that it’s a constant process of fine tuning – your site is always a work in progress.

What’s the best advice you have for someone just getting started now?

Try to look at your site from the point of view of someone coming to it and what their needs are – vs. just focusing on what you want to get out there and say about yourself and your product or service. If you misjudge what people need and want because you’re focused on you and not them, your site won’t be relevant.

Related posts:

1. Client Spotlight: Linda Allan, author of I Quit!
2. Client Spotlight: Diana Raab, author of Regina’s Closet
3. Client Spotlight: Bill Trimble, author of Screw It! I’ll Be My Own Contractor

Do’s:

1. Look for and read the guidelines thoroughly provided by the review site. Each one is different.

2. Autograph the book. Reviewers appreciate it.

3. Send the book with a postal tracking number so you know the book arrived safely. (See #3 in Don’t.)

4. Thank the reviewer for the review. They have given you a service and an acknowledgement would be very appropriate.

5. Check the site to see if they review the specific genre your book is in.

6. Indicate what genre/category your book is in if it’s not indicated on the book. We often have no idea where to place the book if it has no BASIC code.

7. Include your contact information with the book. Yes, there are people that just send in the book – no contact info, no supporting documents. We automatically put those in the “donate” pile.

8. Check the site for other reviews. Does it look like the book was read or a review written just from the supporting documents that were sent with it? You decide whether or not you want to send your book for a potential review based on what you see.

Don’ts :

1. Deface the book by stamping “review copy” on it. Reviewers love to keep the books in their personal libraries.

2. Stamp “requested material” on the envelope in hopes your package will get opened and the book reviewed. This is a turn off. We do keep a list of books we say we will review.

3. Ask the review service if they received the book. We get hundreds of books and do not have the time to hunt for your book. Get a postal tracking number to confirm your book has been received.

4. Publish a book without the BASIC code on the back. Don’t have the reviewers guess the genre of your book.

5. Ask the reviewer to contact your publisher or publicist to have the book sent. It is your responsibility to get the book to the reviewer.

6. Send in your sell sheets, press releases, and “stuff” to the reviewer without knowing whether or not they will even read it. Most reviewers don’t ask for books basic on the “stuff” they receive because we get hundreds of books sent into us on a weekly basis.

7. Think that your book is the best book on the market and get upset with the reviewer if they didn’t like it.

8. Expect a raving review because you think you have the best book on the market or your friends/family said it was. No, no, no. Consider the reviewer as your reading audience. Not everyone will like your book, not will everyone not like your book. Every person has a different preference and you have to accept that. Sending a nasty note to the reviewer is totally unacceptable. If you can’t accept another person’s opinion, then don’t send the books out for review or even attempt to sell them. You can’t control your audience.

You can find out more information about Irene Watson online at the following online locations:

• http://readerviews.com
• http://www.insidescooplive.com
• http://www.irenewatson.com

Related posts:

1. Ask a Reviewer: Do’s and Don’ts from Professional Book Reviewers
2. Ask a Reviewer: Marc Schuster of Small Press Reviews
3. Ask a Reviewer: Douglas Wolk, Freelance Journalist and Critic

There is a saying: “The reason the world is round is so people will not be able to see what is coming or lies ahead.” Well, I can really relate to that. For a long time I have had a passion to write a book. And I did write a book. But my belief was that writing the book was the majority of the work; that everything would just fall into place and everybody would want to buy my book. Wow, was I in for a HUGE RUDE awakening. Writing the the book was just a tip of the iceburg! The work truly starts after the book is written – that is my lesson learned! So the advice I have for anyone wishing to follow your dreams – be sure you also are EXTREMELY passionate and tenacious about fulfilling your dreams. And that you have the positive mindset to travel the journey and weather the storms to accomplish your dreams and goals. Also, you must have the unbending commitment, belief, and faith to enjoy the ride (up and down), learn the lessons (many) and tackle the challenges (also, many) that present themselves along the way. Most important: Come from a place of what you have to offer to the universe – not what you expect (or hope) the universe is going to give you (i.e. notoreity, money). These lovely gifts will naturally come when you properly align your forces with what you have to give – not with your expectations of what you want to get! And when you are committed this special place – from your heart and soul – you naturally open up to the universe and the right people come to help you.

Related posts:

1. Client Spotlight: Linda Allan, author of I Quit!
2. Client Spotlight: Laurie Richter, author of Put Me In, Coach!
3. Client Spotlight: Bill Trimble, author of Screw It! I’ll Be My Own Contractor

What I need to consider a book for review:

1) A physical copy of the book. PDFs are only for last-minute emergencies, and ONLY if they’re requested. They are a hassle to read, and life is short. A bound galley is fine. An unbound set of pages is sometimes borderline acceptable in a pinch (and again if they’re requested), but a bound one is much better. It must be the ENTIRE book–it’s acceptable to leave out the index, if you must, but otherwise forget it.

2) The release date for the book. It must be when the book is actually coming out. If you can’t publish things when you say you’re going to publish them, give up on publishing and go do some other job. Also, that date should be at least three months in the future, and ideally more like four or five months. This allows the book to be pitched to magazines and newspapers that require a long lead time. If I get something really, really, REALLY cool in the mail the week it comes out, I might be able to manage a blog post, but it’s going to be awfully hard to place with any print publication.

3) The following information: the book’s ISBN number, price, page count, and the phone number and email address of the publicity contact. Ideally, that should all be on the galley, but if you want to stick in a piece of paper with that information that’s fine too.

Also, be aware that many outlets don’t allow their reviewers to discuss what they’re reviewing with anyone before it runs. As a general rule, if a publicist asks me if I’m going to be able to review their book somewhere, I don’t answer (or say no), even if I’m already writing about it for a major newspaper.

You can find out more information about Douglas and his work at http://www.lacunae.com.

Related posts:

1. Ask a Reviewer: Irene Watson of Reader Views and Inside Scoop Live
2. Ask a Reviewer: Do’s and Don’ts from Professional Book Reviewers
3. Ask a Reviewer: Marc Schuster of Small Press Reviews

Something to consider for the digitization of book cover design is that it must coexist with the interfaces used to read — be it the Kindle or the iPhone or a web page. This means that it cannot be just about aesthetics and message, but also about functionality. Your website may be stunning, but if it’s unusable that doesn’t matter.

As someone interested in how design evolution parallels technological evolution, I look forward to seeing how book design changes given new technologies, but in the meantime, we can all revel in the following sites that catalog beautiful book cover design.

• http://thebookdesigners.blogspot.com
• http://www.casualoptimist.com
• http://nytimesbooks.blogspot.com
• http://bookcoversanonymous.blogspot.com
• http://blog.bookcoverarchive.com

There’s little better than visiting my local Powells to revel in the rows and rows of featured titles just to see the cover designs and textures. Hats off to those who invest smartly in their book cover design as no quick-and-dirty, cheap-as-chips cover design job ever leaves you with something that beckons from the shelf.

Related posts:

1. Harnessing modern media: audio & video promotion for books and authors
2. Don’t let your book’s promotion momentum wane
3. 8 Communities for Book Lovers

What do you wish you’d known about creating an online presence before you started?

Honestly – that it was relatively simple. I anticipated much more time and effort than it actually took to get up and running.

What’s the most important thing you learned about online marketing along the way?

I have discovered that having an on-line presence means very little until you can create traffic to your site. There are hundreds of millions of people on the internet every day, but they have to know how to find you.

What’s the best advice you have for someone just getting started now?

Have a concept in mind before you go to a professional. Think about what you want the home page to look like and what you want to say there. How many pages or tabs are essential? What are the color schemes you want to use? Keep it simple, you can add on after you’re live and see what kind of feedback you get. Then give it to Kate. She will have you on the internet before you can say Kate McMillan. I’ve received many positive comments on my website, so I am really proud of it.

Related posts:

1. Client Spotlight: Linda Allan, author of I Quit!
2. Client Spotlight: Laurie Richter, author of Put Me In, Coach!
3. Client Spotlight: Diana Raab, author of Regina’s Closet

In this post Magdalena Ball of The Compulsive Reader (on Twitter at compulsivereade) gives advice on how to present your book so that it has the best chance at being reviewed.

Magdalena: “I’d say the biggest don’t, and I don’t know that all reviewers will agree with me, is to send the book without querying first. Not all books fit The Compulsive Reader and there aren’t always hard and fast rules about what does, and doesn’t get accepted for review, so sending a book could be a waste if we don’t have a reviewer able to take the book on. A good, well written query is the best way of judging a book’s suitability for review and enticing our team of 20 or so reviewers, so it’s critical to start with that, rather than send the book on spec. My email address is on the website, as are guidelines (always read the guidelines!), and email is the best and easiest way to query.

“That brings me to my second ‘don’t', which is, don’t rush the query. Write a good one, and proofread it. I know that mistakes happen, but if your query is full of errors and incomprehensible (and I get an awful lot of those), then it’s probably a reasonable assumption that the book will be too. A good query contains a book synopsis of a paragraph or two, which gives a sense of what the book is about and above all, its style and target market. A couple of review blurbs (or puffs as they call them in the industry) are also very helpful. Just sending a link and no introduction or a review request with no synopsis or a full ebook or attachment, is asking an awful lot for a cold query. So do, please, take care over your query, and customize it just a little bit by using the editor’s name (most are available and current at websites), and maybe referencing the site and showing that you understand what the site does.

“One third ‘do’ is to follow up, courteously and professionally please. E-mail isn’t always perfect and queries go astray, or reviewers get sidetracked. I’m keeping track of 100 or so books in the pipeline right now, and tend not to nag my reviewers much, so if it has been a while since you’ve sent your book for review, don’t hesitate to check in to see how it’s coming along. If you can offer something like an interview or a piece of information (eg an award won or an interview/review that has been published), that’s even better. Don’t be too demanding though in the follow up, as all of our reviewers work amidst many other priorities, and sometimes have big stacks of books awaiting their turn. Our book reviews are detailed and pithy (a piece of good writing in themselves) and always involve at least one close, full reading, so can take time. That said, a courteous reminder is absolutely fine and not a bad idea if it has been over a month. A demanding reminder a day or so after you’ve posted the book is probably not a good idea!”

Not only does Magdalena run the show as Editor in Chief at The Compulsive Reader, but she is also the author of Sleep Before Evening, The Art of Assessment, and Quark Soup. She also hosts the Compulsive Reader podcast at Blog Talk Radio.

Related posts:

1. Ask a Reviewer: Marc Schuster of Small Press Reviews
2. Ask a Reviewer: Irene Watson of Reader Views and Inside Scoop Live
3. Ask a Reviewer: Douglas Wolk, Freelance Journalist and Critic

Luckily, there are lots of great websites out there dedicated to reviewing books (and occasionally author interviews) & you’re just an email away from submitting your book for their consideration.

NOTE: I’ve started a new regular feature on the blog called “Ask a Reviewer” where some of the editors of the blogs/journals/podcasts mentioned here tell us what their biggest do’s and don’ts are when it comes to getting your book reviewed.

• Arm Chair Interviews – book reviews, author interviews & awards
• Best Books Reviewed – book reviews & online book club
• Blog Critics – book reviews, reader comments & news
• Blogging Authors – book synopsis fed to news sites
• Book Ideas – book reviews
• Book Reporter – book reviews, awards, news, contests, blog, book clubs & featured authors
• Book Slut – book reviews, author interviews & related articles
• Compulsive Reader – book reviews, news, & author interviews
• Dear Reader – book reviews, book clubs, blog, library services, forum
• Front Street Reviews – book reviews, contests, author & publisher interviews
• Meta Psychology – book reviews & blog
• Midwest Book Review -book reviews & resources
• Mostly Fiction – fiction book reviews & author interviews
• My Shelf – book reviews & author interviews
• New Pages – book reviews, blog, news, information & guides for publishers, booksellers & literary journalists
• Once Written – book reviews, author interviews, contests, & discussion forum
• Reader Views – book reviews, author interviews & book previews
• Small Press Reviews – book reviews of books from small and independent presses

I’ve also another list of review blogs in my post about long term book promotion.

Be sure to follow their submission guidelines, and target the ones that you think will benefit you the most (eg: it’s your niche audience).

If you are interviewed or featured on a blog, be sure to offer a free book as a giveaway to their visitors! Then blog/tweet/facebook a link to it with a thank you – that way both you and the blog owner get a benefit.

And don’t confine yourself to the written word, often your book can be featured in a podcast – here are a series of podcasts related to book reviews & here’s another one! And here’s a site that is a compilation of podcast directories you can search through, or, use to find places to list your own podcast for free!  If you’re not finding what you want in the aggregators, here’s a list of specific book review podcasts:

• Fascinating Authors
• ABC Book Reviews
• Book Log
• Foreward Thinking (business & motivational)
• Just One More Book (kids)
• KUOW Puget Sound
• Science Fiction Book Review Podcast

If you are interviewed on a podcast, be sure to offer a free book as a giveaway to listeners!

And don’t forget about your local public radio station(s) – they love to support local talent, so get in touch and ask about book reviews!

In addition to the above-mentioned websites/blogs, both libraries and bookstore buyers also base ordering decisions on the following journals:

• American Library Association
• Book Page
• Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
• Choice – academic libraries
• ForeWord Magazine – independently published
• The Horn Book – children’s and young adult titles
• Kirkus Reviews
• Library Journal
• Publisher’s Weekly – must be in book stores
• School Library Journal – children’s and young adult titles
• Science Books & Films – science-based books

Libdex – Check this comprehensive list for even more available journals.

Related posts:

1. Ask a Reviewer: Irene Watson of Reader Views and Inside Scoop Live
2. Ask a Reviewer: Do’s and Don’ts from Professional Book Reviewers
3. 8 Communities for Book Lovers

You must think of all the ways you can to drive traffic to your site.

What’s the most important thing you learned about online marketing along the way?

I learned that whenever possible you need to link back to your website, whether you are answering emails or responding on someone’s blog or sending snail mail. It also helps to join as many social organizations as possible.

What’s the best advice you have for someone just getting started now?

Keep your website up-to-date. Instead of bombarding Kate with one or two updates more frequently, what I do is keeping a running list and wait until I have at least 5-10 items which need updating before sending to her.

Related posts:

1. Client Spotlight: Laurie Richter, author of Put Me In, Coach!
2. Client Spotlight: Linda Allan, author of I Quit!
3. Client Spotlight: Book Shepherd & Marketing Specialist

In hindsight, my clients have said that the easiest part of the process is creating their book.  The hardest part, and the part they didn’t necessarily count on, was the marketing effort to make sure people know about it so that it actually sells.

To keep the momentum alive well after the initial release, you can take yourself on a “virtual book tour” without leaving your chair. Of course you can always pay other people to do this for you, but the internet makes it relatively simple to do it yourself if you know where to spend the time.

To keep your book in the news long after its launch, here are a few guidelines…

1. Make sure people know you’re an expert. Offer yourself as a journalistic source:

• Journalist Source
• Response Source
• Help a Reporter

1. Leverage your book content into multiple subsequent offerings. I wrote about how to be sure you’re not leaving money on the table when it comes to your book’s content, but you can also create new content as a regularly scheduled article that you release as a press release. Be sure to include an introduction to the topic, why you’re an expert, and link back to your website. Put it on your website, but also send it to media outlets. Don’t rely on traditional media outlets only, make sure you release it to blogs that review your genre or talk about your topic, here’s a sampling:

• Corinne’s Book Reviews
• Book Review
• Midwest Book Review
• Arm Chair Interviews
• Novel Journey
• Front Street Reviews
• The New Book Review
• Literate Housewife
• Devourer of Books
• Reader Views
• Peeking Between the Pages
• Or, check out this blog search for “book reviews” and see what you find!

3. If you get a mention in a publication, follow up!. Leave a comment, email the author & link back to your website. Even if the mention is about your topic, but not about you or your book, get in touch with the author to give your perspective. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small-reach blog or a national newspaper, it’s worth it!

4. Provide a way to keep in touch with your readership and the media. Build a mailing list (I recommend yourmailinglistprovider.com) for a newsletter, or a tip-of-the-week, or whatever else you dream up, but be sure you’re offering something interesting.

5. Write articles or whitepapers. There are lots of online article aggregators – they take content written as articles and categorize it and make it searchable to the public. Expand on an idea in your book or come up with a new one to write about – no one wants stale content. Be sure to link back to your website and mention your book in the attribution. You can also target journals or magazines that cover your genre. If you make it timely (namely, around a holiday) information, you’re likely to gain some additional buzz.

• Articles Base
• Essortment
• Questia
• Find Articles
• Ezine Articles

6. Get interviewed. This can sound much more daunting than it actually is, but there are lots of podcasts and radio shows that are actively looking for experts to interview. If you can’t find a podcast that would be right for you, then you can always create your own!: Blog Talk Radio – all it requires is a computer and a microphone. Or, search for existing podcasts: Podcast Alley or in the iTunes Store.

7. Get local. Local media outlets love to support local talent, this means that your hometown newspaper, NPR station, or TV station are great places to let know about your expertise. And if you’re travelling, do the same for your destination location! Put any information about where people can find you via these outlets on your website.

You don’t have to do *all* of these to benefit from them, just pick a handful that you think you can dedicate yourself to and then get out there and get marketing!

Related posts:

1. Getting your book reviewed
2. Ask a Reviewer: Douglas Wolk, Freelance Journalist and Critic
3. 8 Communities for Book Lovers

What do you wish you’d known about creating an online presence before you started?

How easy it actually is to write a blog both for yourself and on other sites, and to write articles. Also, how important it is to dialogue with people who share your interest. And these things are all free!

What’s the most important thing you learned about online marketing along the way?

How important it is to spend the time to get your name “out there” for search engine recognition. The more you write, the more the search engines will keep your name right up top.

What’s the best advice you have for someone just getting started now?

It can be overwhelming in the beginning to try and figure out the best way to get your name and business known. So start slow & get help – with your own blog, then maybe articles, then internet radio shows… There is so much out there to do!

Related posts:

1. Client Spotlight: Laurie Richter, author of Put Me In, Coach!
2. Client Spotlight: Bill Trimble, author of Screw It! I’ll Be My Own Contractor
3. Client Spotlight: Book Shepherd & Marketing Specialist

1. Shelfari.  This site (owned by Amazon) allows you to connect with other authors and readers over what each of you is reading.  By creating a virtual bookshelf online, participants can easily see what you’re reading and they make it easy to start up a discussion.
2. GoodReads.  “Imagine it as a large library that you can wander through and see everyone’s bookshelves, their reviews, and their ratings. You can also post your own reviews and catalog what you have read, are currently reading, and plan to read in the future. Don’t stop there – join a discussion group, start a book club, contact an author, and even post your own writing.”
3. LibraryThing.  “LibraryThing helps you create a library-quality catalog of your books. You can do all of them or just what you’re reading now.  And because everyone catalogs online, they also catalog together.  LibraryThing connects people based on the books they share.”
4. AuthorsDen.com.  “The largest most vibrant free online literary community of authors and readers!  Visited by 1,400,000+ readers/mo.”
5. Nothing Binding.  “The Leading Global Social Networking Site for writers, authors, readers and book buyers, Nothing Binding unites these groups everywhere around the world. When you join, You can promote your books; connect with fellow writers and authors, hungry readers and book buyers; and discover great new writing.”
6. FiledBy.  “Any author with a book published in the U.S. or Canada can join for free, manage and enhance their pages, promote their books, check for accuracy, provide corrections and much more.”
7. Readers Place & Authors Place.  Created by Random House as an online book club community and place to find out more about authors and their books.
8. Red Room.  “For years, writers have joined the Red Room Writers Society to get their writing done in a supportive environment. Most people don’t need more instruction; they need to write. The Red Room Writers Society is the only writers society or school focused on writing rather than focused on reading and talking.”

Each of these sites has a slightly different angle on a similar model, so create a profile wherever you can and try them out!  See which one you like the best and get out there and participate!

Related posts:

1. Social Networks for Authors
2. Don’t be modest, submit yourself to win online awards!
3. Harnessing modern media: audio & video promotion for books and authors

If you’ve written a nonfiction book, chances are you could easily leverage your existing work to create offerings besides your book to enhance your overall profit. For example, if you wrote a book on the wonders of bananas, why not create an audio program with information from you and other banana experts? Or a banana notebook to catalog experiences with bananas? Or seminars/webinars on bananas? You’ve already done the research, you already have the seed material – make sure it’s working for you!

You can sell these items individually, or in packages that make sense together, especially ones that include your book as a feature. These can be marketed as gift options, or, depending on the price point, a low-value way for someone to test the waters before jumping in. And these are not only effective for online sales, but can be brought along to speaking engagements, or offered as a promotional give-away.

But what if you’re a fiction author? Don’t despair – if you’ve authored a series of books, you have the opportunity to sell a pack of multiples with free shipping or a discount to entice additional sales. Or, what if a character in the book is obsessed with coffee, what about a coffee mug? Even a temporary tattoo similar to a character in your book – it doesn’t have to be a huge effort.

If you authored a children’s book, you can bring your characters to life in the form of toys or wall hangings. Get creative! The more you can bring your book to life, the more likely you are to capture your audience’s imagination.

Related posts:

1. Finding your online identity.
2. What’s in a name? Pretty much everything!
3. Social Networks for Authors

If you’ve authored a book, for example, the book title is a good place to start, but why not also buy up a domain name related to the genre or topic? Domain names come cheap these days, so there’s no reason not to buy a bunch of them when launching a new site. The one that returns the most amount of traffic should be the primary one, and all the others should be permanently redirected to the primary one. The company through which you buy your domains can easily take care of that for you.

Also, if you don’t already own your name as a domain name, whether you’re an author or a small business owner, go out and purchase it right now.  And if you’re selling yourself as a service professional (eg: a consultant, a designer, a copywriter, etc…) it’s even more important.  You may not want your name as the primary domain name for your offering, but it’s a great thing to have in your back pocket as a redirect.  And in the future, if you begin to have multiple locations on the web for new projects, you can use your name as a one-stop-shop that links to all your locations on the web, including your social networking sites (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc..).

If the name you really want isn’t available, get creative!  For example, my design business is called Outbox Online, operated under my name, Kate McMillan…  and the primary domain name is outboxonline.com.  But I also own katemcmillan.com, katherinemcmillan.com and iamkatemcmillan.com.  As long as the name you go by is in there, you’ve achieved your goal.

By choosing a domain name that doesn’t have to do with your offering, you may be leaving site traffic on the table and making it difficult for people to find you.  In certain cases it may not be important or appropriate to drive traffic to your site based on what you offer, but that’s seldom the case… so make sure you’re making an informed decision!  I, for example, will be taking my own advice as soon as I finish this blog post!

Finally, be sure you’re linking to your calling card site wherever you have a profile online, and if you don’t already have one, be *sure* to set yourself up with a Google Profile.

Now, get out there and make yourself internet friendly!

Related posts:

1. Getting your domain name(s) and web hosting organized
2. Social Networks for Authors
3. 8 Communities for Book Lovers

• Podcast Promotions.  Whether you’re creating the podcast yourself, being interviewed by a podcaster, or offering your book as an award for a podcast promotional contest, you’re bringing a huge targeted market to your book.
  • If your book is about something practical, creating a podcast to accompany the book is a huge way to connect with your audience.  Many times podcasters go on to be authors, but authors can also move into podcasting!  For example, if your book is a how-to guide to training puppies, a podcast that offers tips and tricks is a great way to spread your message around.  It will bring a new audience to your book, and sustain/enhance your relationship with your readers until your next project is ready.  Just like Rachael Ray started with a cooking show, moved into cook books, then into affiliate marketing, then into her own TV show, magazine and cooking-related products… you too can span the venue boundaries to make yourself an expert!
  • There are existing podcasts, some hugely popular, and cover just about every subject.  So, send some emails to podcast hosts that target your niche (also works for blogs)…
    1. Write a quick introduction
    2. Offer a free copy of your book
    3. Offer up yourself to talk about it/set up an interview
    4. Then offer to help them setup a promotion for free copies to give away to their audience.
    5. Don’t get disheartened if it doesn’t work right away, they likely get lots of similar emails, but will jump at the ones that make sense for their audience. It’s still worth it to make the offer to gain exposure to the right people.
• Book Trailers.  It’s less expensive than you think to create a simple book trailer.  Some people go all out and create hollywood-quality shorts, but even an animated slideshow set to music, or a video of you being interviewed about the book is a step in the right direction.  Help your readership understand the tone of the book in a new way, and bring some life to what would otherwise be left to the imagination. (Note: there’s nothing wrong with leaving a book’s content to the imagination, in some cases that may even be the desired outcome.)
• Television (?!).  Did you know there is a new, dedicated TV show for authors?  Open Book TV, in their own words, “focuses on the writers and other storytellers living and working in a different spot on the planet each week.”  Their episodes are even embeddable in websites (just like YouTube).

Related posts:

1. Social Networks for Authors
2. 8 Communities for Book Lovers
3. Getting your book reviewed

This week I’ve asked three questions of Gail Kearns (Book Shepherd, Project Editor & Production Coordinator) and Lucy Levenson (Online & Offline Marketing Specialist) at To Press & Beyond, a full service book shepherding agency.

1. What do you wish you’d known about creating an online presence before you started?

You must be prepared to work on your website regularly each week. You need to be constantly finding new content to keep it fresh and interesting. Blogging, posting articles, keeping up to date with endorsements, finding opportunities to link to other sites in your niche, it is much more of a commitment that I had understood.

Visitors will stay on a website for only a few seconds if they cannot immediately find what they want. Make sure critical content and information is quickly available at the top of the page and it loads quickly.

2. What’s the most important thing you learned about online marketing along the way?

What is “IN” is constantly changing. When we started it was Google ad words and per click sales – now it is all about social media, like Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin. You have to be constantly educating yourself.

3. What’s the best advice you have for someone just getting started now?

For authors with one book and no other products, it is best to direct visitors to Amazon to purchase a title, rather than setting up e-commerce on the author’s site. A large percentage of buyers will go to Amazon anyway. As Amazon provides free exposure worldwide, authors need to optimize their Amazon author page. Having a title properly listed on Amazon can create demand for it everywhere. It doesn’t matter if you’re a famous author or an unknown.

Related posts:

1. Social Networks for Authors
2. Client Spotlight: Linda Allan, author of I Quit!
3. Client Spotlight: Ann Levine, Law School Expert

But what if you want to sell your book yourself? You don’t need to make a big investment in a shopping cart service, or even spend your days waiting in line at the USPS -  you can easily set yourself up with a PayPal Merchant account, create a quick button for purchasing your book to put on your website, set your shipping preferences, and off you go!  100% of the sales of books sold on your website is profit to you (minus any printing costs of course) — so even if you can’t compete with Amazon.com on convenience, you can beat them on price.  If you sell your book yourself, offer a discount (say, 10%) off of Amazon’s cost & offer free shipping, you’re providing a huge incentive to your audience while still making much more money per sale than books sold through Amazon.com.  You can setup a channel for shipping through your distributor, or, if you’re willing to do the shipping yourself, you can also offer the incentive of a signed copy.

So, how do you bring people to this page where you’re offering your book for sale? You tell as many people as you can about it!  You can provide a link as part of a promotion for a social organization, a club, a team, an event…  you can participate in affiliate marketing (especially with those who enjoy great success), or buy ad-space on popular blogs that target your readership. Additionally, you can offer your book as a give-away in a contest for a popular podcast related to your genre, or as part of a blog-promotion.   Each of these gives you the chance to link back to your book purchase page.

So get out there and get selling!

Related posts:

1. Are you leaving money on the table?
2. Social Networks for Authors
3. Harnessing modern media: audio & video promotion for books and authors

“Shelfari introduces readers to our global community of book lovers and encourages them to share their literary inclinations and passions with peers, friends, and total strangers (for now). Shelfari is a gathering place for authors, aspiring authors, publishers, and readers, and has many tools and features to help these groups connect with each other in a fun and engaging way. Our mission is to enhance the experience of reading by connecting readers in meaningful conversations about the published word.

Shelfari’s members:

• Build virtual bookshelves to express themselves to their friends and to the world
• Discover books that are popular in their trusted circles of friends
• Influence peers by rating and discussing books online
• Discover and learn from people with similar reading tastes
• Participate in online book groups to further explore literature and share ideas
• Interact with and learn from authors”

In combination with participating in the readership community at Amazon.com via AmazonConnect and Profile pages, Shelfari allows you to jump right into your niche without first wading through the rest of everything else!

Related posts:

1. 8 Communities for Book Lovers
2. Harnessing modern media: audio & video promotion for books and authors
3. Ask a Reviewer: Irene Watson of Reader Views and Inside Scoop Live

1. Keep it focused. Think about the person you want visiting your website, and consider why they’re there.  What do they want to know?  The mantra for solid content design is, “who we are, what we do, let us help you” – so make sure your intro text provides that in elevator pitch format.  Remember, people aren’t *reading* websites, they’re scanning them.  You want both the design and the text to convey what your website is for and what your website does IMMEDIATELY.
2. Keep it fresh. Websites aren’t something that’s done once and then forgotten about.  They need to be optimized based on traffic/visitor data, new technologies that will help your users, your evolving business, or even just keeping the design from looking stale.  The content for your site should be working for you!  To find out if it is, make sure you’re regularly checking your site stats.  If some text you poured your heart into isn’t driving traffic to the page that offers your product/service, change it!  Check out your successful competition — how have they crafted their message?
3. Don’t limit it to just your website.  Your blog, or, even better, other people’s blogs are a great way to feature your content.  And not just blogs, but article websites (like ezinearticles.com) allow you to provide meaningful content for your area of expertise…  you can do this by creating unique articles, leaving helpful comments, and also by becoming a guest blogger.  This method allows you to add value outside of the boundaries of your own website, create some authority and legitimacy on the web, and link back to your website.
4. Keep it interesting. If you’re just reiterating exactly what people can find elsewhere about your book or about you, there’s no reason for them to stay on your site.  You want to add value by offering up content that will make your readership feel like they’re connecting with you.  This might mean photos of your book signings, videos or podcasts of you doing an interview, some info about your current (but-not-yet-released) project, or a little behind-the-scenes text about your book(s) or process.

So, get out there and let your content shine!

Related posts:

1. What’s in a name? Pretty much everything!
2. Are you leaving money on the table?
3. Client Spotlight: Diana Raab, author of Regina’s Closet