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Karen Pierce GonzalezCEO of Karen Pierce Gonzalez Public Relations, is author of Are You Ready to Generate the Media Visibility You Want (available on Amazon Kindle. She also offers e-newsletter subscribers a free Generating Media Visibility e-guide. For details: www.KarenPierceGonzalez.com

How to Promote Your E-Book

By Karen Pierce Gonzalez

Electronic books (e-books) written for literary, poetic, and/or professional purposes have become one of the fastest ways for authors and experts to get their material out to the public.

Riding cyberspace waves, these digital manuscripts, published via traditional or online publishing houses are capable of delivering your message around the globe. But first you have to reach readers and others who could benefit from your words and expertise. You are going to have to, in short, promote the work so that people will know it exists.

Book promotion has never been easy. In the past, publishing houses selected manuscripts and allotted promotional budgets that were based upon expected revenue. Over the years, even before the digital marketplace began to flourish, budgets were being scaled back and authors were expected to help absorb promotional expenses, such as book tour travel costs. In some cases they also had to purchase their own copies (at a discount, of course).

In today’s publishing world thousands of new books appear each year, many of them self-published, and consumers have more to choose from than they know what to do with. So, in order to reap the rewards you desire, you’ve got to create and execute a public relations campaign that will put your e-book right where you want it: in the public’s eye. How to do that? Promotion before, during and after the manuscript has been made available is key. Think sustainability and consistency and you’ve got the idea.

You’ll need to make a plan you can stick with. The best PR campaigns include these elements:

- A website or Facebook Page that includes a media kit (press release, book cover image, author image and bio, and a book trailer).

- A virtual blog tour. Schedule bloggers and reviewers to talk about your e-book to their audience.  Prepare Q/A, book trailers, etc.

- Activity in topic-related internet groups: authors, food, (if you’ve written a cookbook), etc. where you can share news of your e-book.

- Review copies to give to media when seeking interview opportunities. Blog talk radio and e-zines can be very welcoming if your pitch and talking points are both relevant and of quality.

- Book excerpts that can become meaningful articles posted in a variety of places.

- A book trailer or two (and/or sample pages) website, YouTube, etc.

- Promotion of secured interviews and virtual blog tours through a variety of social media outlets (Twitter and Facebook).

- Updated website/Facebook with links to latest interviews and reviews.

- Web marketing, where appropriate. Paid ads, website banners, book give-aways and sponsorship opportunities allow others to help promote your work, too.

Along with consistency and sustainability you must have professionalism. Tweets that beg others to buy an e-book are not effective. Insisting that media, book reviewers or bloggers purchase a copy of your book so they can write about it is another no-no. You want something from the media, remember?  Also learn how to show others that your e-book may have value to them as entertainment, assistance or both.

To help you along the way, be sure to visit free sites where you can list your e-book. For suggestions, visit our website, www.karenpiercegonzalez.com .