Book Promotion through the Worldwide Web - Dissertation Example

Running head: Book Promotion Book Promotion s Book Promotion through the Worldwide Web to Target Specific Consumers The Internet has largely changed the way in which we live. Not only has it enabled us to establish communication with people millions of miles away, it has also become a platform for the exchange of views, opinions and news on recent developments. Nowadays, the trophy for the main and quickest source of information is no longer held by television news channels or newspapers but rather the Internet which definitely has the upper hand in this regard. More recently, the Internet has become an important tool for advertising purposes for a variety of products; from apparel to accessories and from food to television shows. A new entrant in this vast world of marketing and promotion through the web is everybody’s literary companion; books. Aspiring writers can now easily post excerpts of their work on to certain social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace or certain blog sites; this way it is ensured that it reaches a widespread audience and that too at virtually no cost. This paper aims to outline the different methods highlighted by Rick Frishman’s and Neely Tucker’s research through which books can be promoted online. Emphasis is made with the help of various real-life examples and in-depth analysis of whether this method bears fruit in terms of successful marketing and lucrative results. Case 1 - Kate and Brett McKay: “The Art of Manliness; Classic skills and Manners for the Modern Man.” Kate and Brett McKay began marketing their product at least two years before it was actually published. Their strategy was to build a fan base for their book using a variety of online tools such that once the book would be published, the impact would be received by the public almost immediately and they would flock to the stands to purchase their first copy of the novel. The McKays used the following tactics as part of their promotional campaign: The development of a blog describing the main crux of the novel which the readers could view and comment on. The creation of ‘The Art of Manliness’ Community encouraging fans to join and ultimately discuss their viewpoints through interaction with other readers. Use social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace as a platform to promote the novel and develop a strong Internet presence. An online photograph competition title “Where in the World is the Art of Manliness?” in which readers were required to submit pictures of themselves in locations that were considered strange, yet interesting and which had a link to masculinity. Participants were promised one of many popular Saddleback Leather bags. The offer of a free 72 page online book called “Man’s Guide to Holidays” to each customer who bought a book in the first week. All the above-mentioned tactics made their book an overnight success – “The Art of Manliness” novel reached the rank of 33 on the Amazon.com list and developed a following of 100,000 people. The McKays had managed to create an impact with their readers in the most effective way possible, and that too at virtually no cost. Case 2 - Jerry White, Co-Founder of the Landmine Survivor Network: “I Will Not Be Broken”. Landmine Survivor Network (LSN), now known as Survivor Corps, is a non-governmental organization (NGO) whose objective is to re-habilitate landmine survivors and help them live a better, more fulfilled life. Recently, the Survivor Corps organization sought to rebrand itself by expanding its focus further to include all kinds of survivors (war veterans, natural disaster victims, etc.). The people at Survivor Corps decided to coordinate the implementation of this strategy with the launch of a book by one of the original founders of LSN, Jerry White, titled “I Will Not Be Broken”. The book mainly revolved his experiences and included guidance on how to become a survivor. For the purpose of publicizing the book, Survivor Corps and Jerry White used the following tactics: A mass message to thousands of bloggers disseminating information about the launch of the book, its subject; Offering a free copy of “I Will Not Be Broken” to every blogger who wanted one. Using social media or social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to get further word out about their novel. This was done by creating profiles, fan pages and communities designed specifically for the promotion of the novel “I Will Not Be Broken”. This resulted in massive positive response. It even convinced online experts in digital PR and social media, Abraham & Harrison to extend their current contract with Survivor Corps for a much longer period of time. Case 3 – Kelly Corrigan: “The Middle Place” Kelly Corrigan, a mother living in California, was a first-time author who had written a book about cancer, family and recovery. Due to a lack of finances to pay for a book tour and no network of agents or publishers to arrange for a book festival or a newspapers review, Kelly took an alternate, albeit unconventional, route towards promoting her book. She recorded a video which revolved around the theme of her book and put it on her Web site. Another person recorded a video of her reading an essay at one of the many book parties hosted by her friends to help her promote the book which she posted on YouTube when the novel was released. The book became an instant hit amongst a wide variety of segments of the population as it struck a chord in many hearts through the most effective medium which was bound to reach a mass audience. The above-mentioned examples provided valuable insight into the different online tactics used by upcoming and aspiring authors to promote and market their books. As these techniques/methods were unconventional and unprecedented, the risk was apparent. However, as more and more people use the Internet on a regular basis, therefore taking the plunge in this aspect ensured these writers with instant success. Yet, there is no single way towards guaranteeing that a maximum audience views and eventually reads your book. Different methods appeal to different people. Still, for many others, the problem of feasibility comes into play; are there enough resources to pull off a professional video trailer? Or should a blog suffice? So what tools are available and how is a new and aspiring writer able to judge the effectiveness between them? Discussion Nowadays, if there is a need to exhibit a recent development, express certain views and opinions or relate some experiences, then YouTube is the platform to do so. It is the world’s largest video-sharing website with millions of people uploading videos everyday - videos they have recorded for others to see and comment on. Uploading a video on YouTube is simple and due to its large viewership base, it may also be the most beneficial. Therefore making a video that revolves around the subject of the novel or of oneself reading an excerpt from the book could leave an impact with its viewers and compel them to find out more about the author and the book that he/she has written. Thus if I wanted my book to reach a vast audience, I would choose YouTube as the medium through which I would promote my work. Once people hear or get to know about my book, the first step they would take is to search the Internet to get more information. According to Rick Frishman, President of Planned Television Arts (PTA) and contributor to the website, BeneathTheCover.com, it is very important for the author to have a strong Internet presence. This can be done by creating an Internet Marketing Plan. The first step in your Internet marketing plan is to put up a memorable website, a site that people love to visit and will tell others about. Your website must be great-looking and reflective of the impression you want to convey. For example, you may want it to appear authoritative, lighthearted, elegant, colorful, hip, scholarly, or goofy. Or it could have a theme related to your book or your area of expertise. Your site must also be up-to-date and easy and intuitive to use, and all links must work. Register your site with all the major search engines under your name, your book’s name, and every conceivable variation of them. That way, when people misspell your name and don’t get your book’s title exactly right, they will still get to your site. Include in your website everything that’s in your media kit. Your site should allow visitors to read a sample chapter, order your book, enter into exchanges with you, and view your upcoming events and appearances. It should link to other complementary sites and to your strategic partners. Your site must have a press room with the latest articles on you and your book. In addition to your site, you can start your own blog, newsletter, or e-zine. By applying the above-mentioned tools, I can make certain that not only will my prospective readers be able to know more about myself and my book; they may also be able to correspond with me, thus enabling the establishment of a rapport between the author and the reader. Normally, if one has enough funds then it is best to employ firms such as FSBAssociates.com or PromoteABookmedia.com as these are invaluable when it comes to developing an effective campaign to market one’s book. The ways in which these websites can professionally create and manage a marketing plan so that one’s book reaches a wider audience is as follows: Creating a website which revolves around the book; an aspect that has been discussed earlier; Use their widespread network and relevant connections with important websites to market the book across segments; Use social media such as chats and social networking sites to encourage readers to talk about the book, exchange view and simultaneously spread word about to it to other people; Provide online facilities to readers so that they may be able to download certain excerpts or reviews of the book; Create discussion forums on newsgroups or news platforms so that more awareness is created for the book. However, this is only feasible if one has the finances to pay for the fees that these firms will inevitably charge. Therefore in such scenarios it is best to stick to methods that require very little funds or no funds at all such as blogs and websites. According to Rick Frishman, ‘podcasting’ is considered to be the next stage in the development of the ever changing and dynamic world of Internet marketing. ‘Podcasting’ involves allowing certain material from your book to be downloaded onto Ipods. ‘Audiobooks’ are the latest in this technologically efficient offering; an ‘audiobook’ is a recording of a narrative of certain material from a book. Experts predict that readers will be able to download podcasts, audiobooks and even articles and reviews of a book easily onto their Ipod. Readers will be able to enjoy the ease of having to choose which books they want invest in by downloading a chapter of a book and then, if they like it, purchasing the rest. In the meantime, you can record their information such as their name or e-mail address in a database so that it can be used in the future. But as these tools have not been developed, they are not that common and thus not that readily available. Another branch of Internet marketing is known as the ‘Internet blast’. This is when you send an e-mail outlining the fact that you have written a book revolving around a certain subject and at the same time encouraging them to purchase it at the time when it is due to be released. Certain benefits can also be offered with every purchase the recipient of the email makes so that there is more motivation on the part of the person to buy the book. We already send e-mails on a regular basis. Certain forwarded e-mails appeal to us so much that we wish to share them with our friends, family members and associates. Why not use the same technique for the promotion of a book? Friends and family would generally be more receptive towards the offer of reading a piece of literature created by a budding author whom they happen to know and if they like it, luckily, they may send it to people they know. Thus, with one action, at least a hundred other people have gotten to know of the existence of one’s book and have also begun to exchange views with each other about it. Thus to summarize if I were required to create a consumer web diffusion plan to maximize the promotional impact of my book, I would choose the following tools: Create a website devoted entirely to the promotion of my book; information regarding my background, my experiences while writing the book and what inspired me to draft such a piece shall be posted along with certain excerpts from the book. Record a video revolving around the subject of my book so that viewers can get a glimpse of what the book is about and see whether it connects with them in some way. Send an e-mail to everybody on my contact list encouraging them to purchase my book, read it and, if they like it, recommend it to other people if possible. In order to create more awareness for my book and to also offer an incentive to my prospective readers, I could also hold a contest online on many of the social networking sites such as Facebook and encourage people to participate by asking them to either devise a sequel to the current novel or to relate the novel to their life’s experiences in the best way possible. Winners of such a competition would get a special prize as an incentive. To create a strong network of readers, I could create a fan page on Facebook and ask readers to join, allowing them to exchange views on the storyline of the book and discuss its various aspects. The Internet has definitely changed the face of how promotion is done in the marketing world, even when the products happen to be books. According to Liate Stehlik, publisher of William Morrow and Avon Books, “Being an author has become much more of an ongoing relationship with your audience through the Web, rather than just writing a book and disappearing while you write the next one - you have to be out there in the online world, talking and participating”. This statement highlights the importance of maintaining a presence in the consumer’s mind as otherwise it may lead to a loss of interest on the reader’s part, which may be quite difficult to get back. The Internet has also provided numerous opportunities to new authors with limited budgets and a lack of resources to market and promote their literature. The ease with which marketing can be done through the Internet with the help of a variety of available tools has enabled first-time writers to keep up with the competition without having to spend too much money. All in all, relative to the cost of a tour, such activities are very inexpensive and very effective in getting the message across at the right time and to the right audience. Yet no one can say for sure whether these activities successfully translate into greater sales and profits. Do they help a book sell more copies or merely keep pace with others in the marketplace? There is no definite answer to this question as it is rather difficult to create a link between website traffic and a book’s sales. It is for this reason many experts warn new authors not to go overboard for fear of not being able to create an impact with the readers despite all the efforts made to connect with them on a personal level. The reason for the uncertainty associated with the success and impact of books written by first-time authors is because of the intense clutter in cyberspace. There is so much one can do for free in web promotion that it is very easy to get confused and overwhelmed by all the options available. Unless one has the time and money to invest in the site and continuously update it with new content, it will not lead anywhere as the Internet is a vast library for readers to review and eventually choose from. The key then is to draft a very good book that will definitely stand out from the rest of the clutter and will pull prospective readers towards it. Conclusion The research provided gives us a fair impression of how greatly the landscape of marketing and promotion has changed and also of how vast it has become as it now includes promotional tactics through the use of the worldwide web. Initially, to spread word about the release of a book was mostly limited to just the author’s friends, family and acquaintances. A fair amount of time would pass before the news would reach certain book critics or newspaper editors and even then it would take many reviews and articles before it eventually reached the awareness of the general public. Yet now, the Internet has made life for the author so easy and simple as not only has it allowed the writer to spread awareness of his/her book through a variety of online tools (email, social networking, blogs, etc.) mostly from the comfort of his/her own home; it has also eliminated the worry of having to meet the expenses of paying for book tours, newspaper reviews and space for book fairs. It is now apparent that the worldwide web has become extremely multi-faceted and versatile as it now not only enables people living millions of miles separate from each other to keep in touch but it also facilitates businesses operate more effectively and efficiently. References Abrahan & Harrison. (n.d.). True Experts in Online Digital Public Relations. Retrieved 23 November 2009, from http://www.ahllc.us/ Frishman, R. (n.d.). publicity and publishing for entrepreneurs and businesses. Retrieved 23 November 2009, from http://www.rickfrishman.com/ Tribal Author. (n.d.). Welcome to the Tribe. Retrieved 23 November 2009, from http://tribalauthor.com/ Tucker, N. (2009). On Web, a Most Novel Approach. Retrieved 23 November 2009, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/23/AR2009092304603.html Read More