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Home » The Famous Blog » How to Promote Your eBook Online?

How to Promote Your eBook Online?

February 3, 2011 - Last Modified: February 4, 2011 by Contel Bradford 14,764

Promote eBooks Online

When it comes to promoting your eBook, we have good news and bad news. The bad news is that while the internet provides access to a global audience for your work, the electronic publishing sector is difficult to conquer, and it is ultimately a game that produces more losers than winners.

The good news is that when an eBook fails, it is usually not a case of the content itself being poorly written, but rather poorly marketed. As an eBook author, doing a great job marketing is something entirely under your control, and if you’ve been struggling to get exposure, take note of these five tips to turn things around.

1. Gather Reviews

A brief description piques the interest of potential readers, while a full synopsis tells them what your eBook is all about. As an author, you can easily boast about how intriguing and valuable your work is, but those claims have very little substance without feedback from consumers.

To combat this, you must round up reviews. There are a number of websites and services that specialize solely in eBook reviews, so reach out to these channels for some kind words. You can also encourage customers, friends, colleagues, and even family members to submit reviews, as long as they don’t share your last name.

Once you have a nice collection of reviews, publish them on your Website to show how others are speaking positively about your content. The larger the collection of good reviews you have, the better chance others will buy and download your eBook.

2. Publish a Blog

A blog is the ideal vehicle for promoting just about anything, from products to ideas to opinions, and eBooks are no exception. Most blog platforms are designed to attract the attention of search engines, a factor that can deliver far more potential readers.

Blogs also give you a variety of ways to promote your eBook from within. For example, you can tease your audience with juicy excerpts or post reviews. Don’t forget to chronicle your journeys in book publishing and marketing. An interesting back-story can easily sell readers on the finished product.

The key here is publishing quality, relevant eBook-related content on a consistent basis. Fall off track just a bit, and your target audience will forget about your eBook and move on to the next author’s blog.

3. Start an Affiliate Program

Promoting your eBook through an affiliate program is a great way to generate more exposure and sales for your published work. Target your program at content publishers in your niche who can expose your eBook to a brand new audience.

Creating your own service is easy with an advanced shopping cart program, or a trusted third-party service like ClickBank. Since publishing an eBook is a relatively inexpensive endeavor, you can share generous commissions with your affiliates and still see healthy profits.

4. Get Social

More authors are flocking to the social networks to publicize their work. This is for good reason, because Facebook and Twitter are excellent promotional platforms for your work. Chances are, a decent portion of your reading audience is plugged into the social networking space, so it is up to you to find a way to connect and engage with them.

Use an approach that consists of building a following first, rather than one geared to driving instant sales. Social networking can be a great marketing tool, but your audience will quickly tune you out if you lay it on too thick with the promotional tactics. Don’t be a used car salesman – build reader interest over time and they’ll be more likely to download your eBook.

5. Promote Yourself

The most effective way to publicize your eBook is promote yourself as the author of the title. So how do you promote yourself? There are many ways, but they all require being proactive and taking initiative.

Start by making a few guest appearances on related blogs, and then move on to submitting quality articles to ezines and directories. Next, chime in with advice on popular Q&A sites, but be sure to include a link back to where your eBook can be purchased or downloaded.

The market for eBooks is not only thriving, it’s exploding. Electronic publishing has taken the power out of the hands of traditional publishers, and many authors are having more success with the electronic format than they could have ever imagined with traditional print.

Thanks to this great shift in power, you can promote yourself, promote your work, and make some nice cash for all of your efforts.

Contel Bradford is the author of several eBooks, and is a frequent contributor to a blog run by Benchmark Email, one of the world’s global email marketing solutions.

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Filed Under: Books, Marketing

About Contel Bradford

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Contel Bradford is an experienced freelance writer, the author of several books, and a frequent contributor to an email marketing blog hosted by Benchmark Email.

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{ 39 Responses }

  1. Mary says:
    I stumbled on your site and I'm glad I did. I think what you suggested are great ideas. I wasn't sure how to go about to promote an ebook, but now I know what to do. Another suggestion though, join groups and comment on them. The more you get your name out there, the better. That is what I think anyways.
  2. Tony Schumacher says:
    Interesting post thanks! I've found it tougher and tougher to come up with new ideas for promotion as time goes on, it seems everyone is following the same rules as you prescribe and now we are all shouting from the same mountain top. Time to think creatively! Thanks again, Tony
  3. Kenneth says:
    Thanks for the really wonderful round-up of ebook promoting ideas. I just wanted to add that in case it's a free ebook, you can also contact some bloggers in the same niche and just let them know that you've put together an ebook that is related to their target audience. Odds are, they'll at least twit about it or even mention in their blog with a backlink to your site where the book can be downloaded.
  4. Robbie Gee says:
    Hey you have some great tips here but you seem to be missing my favourite one... ONLINE GIVEAWAYS! These are my Nummero Uno traffic source at the moment! Now obviously if you've created an eBook and value it at $97 you don't really want to be giving it away but you could create a mini report and give that away instead. -Robbie Gee
  5. Kimi says:
    Great tips for e-book publisher like me! Though i am in doubt in affiliate marketing, since people distribute ebooks illegally nowadays.. I have seen lots of ebook writers complain they have 0 sales since their ebooks are in file sharing websites..sigh I am thinking to sell ebook, but since i notice this fact, i plan to distribute for free full with affiliate links LOL Thanks!
  6. Jeevan Jacob John says:
    Hi Contel, Great post ! Your post is especially useful in the sense that I haven't actually thought about some of the ways your listed. I will try my best ! Anyway, Thanks, Jeevan Jacob John
  7. Chadrack says:
    This is definitely an eye opener. And must also thank Darren for his comments. I'm right now working on a book which I hope to market first as an ebook and later publish offline. This post has given me ideas on what to work on even while still working on finishing the book. Thanks.
  8. Val says:
    Nice post, I believe you covered all the essentials. What I can suggest is maybe in addition to the blog start an email newsletter or mini-course. It provides an additional opportunity for repeat exposure to some of your visitors. Also, you can offer other related deals there, as well. One delicate thing about creating a blog on your ebook subject is that you also need to share some quality, valuable information there for free, but keep people interested in buying your book, too. What are your thoughts on this? How do you find the balance?
  9. ZK says:
    In this case I will recommend to get recognised author and request them to promote your ebook. Like in internet world whenever we launch our new product we request or paid to big guns to add their review. Similar is the case with ebook as well.
  10. Murlu says:
    This is really great, giving me all kinds of inspiration to get down and finally finish my projects tonight haha. I've got everything else pretty much lined up but now I need the product, gah! That's the hardest part but it's coming along - the good thing is that you could always blog about your struggles with it in the meantime which does a bit for getting people on board.
  11. Julie Weishaar says:
    Hi Contel, Great suggestions on how to promote an e-book - especially the little teasers and getting social. I would like to share something with you that I was involved with. I didn't write an e-book but two gals I met on a SOCIAL network did - they produced a collaborative e-book (plug for social networking). We all chatted about it and I suggested using a series of little videos as "teasers" to the valuable content of the book. The end result was a video I created with their content that all three of us could use but for different reasons. A win-win! You can see the result here: http://blog.newhorizons123.com/elevator-pitches-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly/. Thanks for sharing your insights :)
  12. Dennis Edell says:
    "The good news is that when an eBook fails, it is usually not a case of the content itself being poorly written, but rather poorly marketed." I must disagree here Contel, albeit not too too strongly. Ebooks are frowned upon more and more because the jaded are tired of years and years of pure garbage being marketed as the next best thing.
    • Darren Scott Monroe says:
      Now Dennis that DEPENDS. Are you assuming it is a money making niche? In that case YES YES YES in fact it is rough to GIVE away free books in FEAR of the same-ism. BUT as I wrote further down non money making niches are still very open. Read my comment further down about a boating guy who sold his ebook in 72 hours and made thousands. Yes the marketing was involved but more importantly he was tied to building his relationships with his niche without directly marketing them.
      • Dennis Edell says:
        On the nose again, it is said more and more daily...non-MMO is THE place to be nowadays for almost anything.
        • Darren Scott Monroe says:
          It really is the sad thing I see are the people who are naturally NON MMO. Yet they try to be "internet marketers" where as if they take the IM knowledge they could train people in their niche while marketing them. Especially the creative people (poets, artists etc.)
          • Dennis Edell says:
            Excellent point...I think there's a post in there somewhere. ;-)
  13. Alex says:
    Hey Contel, You are right, I sometimes find some great ebooks by accident, hidden somewhere in the dark corners of the internet but I also find some utterly disgusting ebooks that sell really good although the content it's crap. Marketing, when it comes to ebooks or any kind of other services that you can only experiment after you bought it, is the most important factor in deciding the success or failure. But using your tips in promoting the eBook is a first step in getting exposure and making your product known.
  14. Moosa Hemani says:
    Thanks for the wonderful ideas... i am about to write an email its in the initial stages but once it will gonna be done i ll keep these points in mind to market that ebook. Thanks again.
  15. Mike says:
    Great tips for promoting an ebook online, Contel. However, be sure when you give your ebook for reviews, give it to someone you know and trust that they won't turn your ebook online to share for free. That will hurt your sales a lot :)
  16. Fran Aslam From Onlinewriter says:
    Hi Contel Nice post about ebook promotion. You have added all the great tips. Each one will work to raise your credibility on the Internet which in result help you sell the book. and reviews are direct promotion to the ebook. all the best Fran A
  17. anish says:
    Thanks for the tips.It will really help others.I have bookmarked the page
  18. Lennart Heleander says:
    Hi Contel, Build up your client stock by guest blogging and write little about what your ebook is about and give away 5 -10 of your ebook for free to the reader who have the best comments or idée’s regarding the ebook. Also give a big discount to the rest of the reader of the blog. The first or second ebook maybe you don’t do any money on, but you get clients for the future.
  19. Wasim Ismail says:
    Thanks for the tips, affiliate marketing is good, as your book can potentially be listed on various other websites, giving you more exposure. You can also use PPC to promote your e-book, it works well with Facebook PPC campaigns, as you can target your audience whom would be interested in your e-book
  20. Ileane says:
    Hi Contel, this is the first time I've seen you around the blogosphere and I'm happy to see you join the team of Famous Bloggers! This post is very well written and so many of us find it relevant. Here's why - every blogger has an ebook already - or they are in the process of writing one. :) I see several ebooks being offered as contest prizes and give-aways. That's another point you could add to your list. I won two ebooks in a contest and I'm in the process of reading them and visiting the author's blogs to read the reference materials. That keeps me engaged with them and it keeps me constantly promoting their content. Thanks Contel!
  21. Vijayraj Reddy says:
    most of the bloggers use Affiliate Program to promote their ebook and it works ....
  22. Melanie Kissell says:
    You've definitely hit the highlights here, Contel -- awesome post! Like Patricia, I'm in the process of producing an e-book right now so your tips and words of marketing wisdom are much appreciated. And as far as marketing through social media ... blogging can't be beat! :)
  23. Mani Viswanathan says:
    With so much of buzz in the Social Media today, it's not much of a job to promote Ebooks if you know the right way to go about :)
  24. Patricia says:
    Hi Contel I am just starting to get it together with my ebook so this is such a helpful post for me. Especially the tip about getting reviews. I will do that for sure :-) Already got a few people in mind who are so keen for me to get it finished! Thanks for sharing such helpful hints Contel. Much appreciated. Patricia Perth Australia
  25. Devesh says:
    Great post. These are awesome tips. Affiliate marketing and social sites are great way to promote your ebook. Thanks for sharing this great post Contel. Have a great day. ~Dev
  26. DiTesco says:
    Great tips. although I have yet to remove the dust off my never ending to be published eBook, I'll make a point that once it is, to follow your advices :) Thanks
  27. TJ McDowell says:
    If someone does a good job promoting an e-book, what would you say is an average take-home pay for writing an e-book?
    • Darren Scott Monroe says:
      Hey TJ I did a ebook back in 2009 I took off the market. In fact I have done several. There are a few factors. In Social Media how close is your target audience listening? And how well do they identify with your ebook as being their solution? Also what niche are you in? a photography or high end niche an ave book is $40 up and YOU BETTER have some good material or else in those type of niches LOL But if it is the "making money niche" and your new. On ave if you sold 50-100 your first time around within 90-120 days your doing WELL. But there are some other factors like your list are they responsive and connected? On the flip side I seen some newbies do $1000 in 72 hours! Here is how he did it... he is a boating guy and turned his book into a ebook and sold it for a 72 hour sale to a few hundred. Another I know sold in the niche of fashion to grad student and made $8,000. In both of these cases they had particular niches they were authorities in and loved what they do. There tribe followed them and bought the book. Good post Contel you gave me an idea for a article.
      • TJ McDowell says:
        I think I'm really still building loyalty to my blog. It's still relatively new. Is there a good way you can tell how loyal your following is? Would you use the number of comments as a yardstick? If so, I think I've still got a ways to go.
        • Darren Scott Monroe says:
          Interaction is a BIG thing. But I have sold with very few comments. However I have a massive Social Media following. Another way to tell would be your activity on your email list say 20-30% open rate or higher. Also talking it up over the coming weeks before your book launch.
  28. Ryan Biddulph says:
    Hi Contel, Simple and powerful tips here. Promoting others seems to be the best way to go for it leverages your presence like no other practice. Thanks for sharing with us. RB

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