Even though books are available in new formats (audio books, downloads, portable for the Kindle…), they’re still made up of words – so how do you make that sexy by leveraging modern media formats?  There are lots of ways!:

• 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. Are you leaving money on the table?
3. Don’t be modest, submit yourself to win online awards!
4. 8 Communities for Book Lovers
5. Don’t let your book’s promotion momentum wane