Most of us don't enjoy the promotional aspect of publishing, but it's very necessary if you want to find readers for your book. There's NO way around it. The book(s) won't sell themselves. So here are some ideas . . .
Added 5/14/12: eBookSwag - A new venture by author Scott Nicholson who has become a master promoter. (Paid ads.)
THE KINDLE BOARDS:
Main Page
You must become a member before you can join in on the discussions here. Make sure you set up your profile and put book links in your signature. Here is the link for instructions to post links in your sig:
Creating Signatures
(this thread is also found at the top of the main page for Writer's Cafe.)
Writer's Cafe
A great place to join in on discussions with other writers published on Kindle. You will find people here looking to promote other authors on their blogs, as well as gain valuable leads in other directions as well. When you first publish on Kindle, we recommend coming here at least once a day for a few minutes and perusing the topics being discussed. You will learn a lot and if you participate in discussions, you might find some readers as well.
Book Bazaar
You can announce your book ONLY ONCE on this thread. Once you do so, the Kindle Board moderators will step in with a reply, posting rules for participating in the Book Bazaar - they don't want the threads being overused by authors promoting their books, so make sure you follow their instructions CAREFULLY or they will remove your post. This is a great way to find readers initially, so definitely announce your book here. You may then only post to it once every seven days - you can HOWEVER reply to anyone who replies to your own post or reply (as in having a conversation).
PROMOTING VIA BOOK BLOGS:
This takes a lot of leg work, but it gets your name and your book out there for people to see. Some book bloggers will do an interview with your, others may post excerpts from your book, others may want to do reviews. ALL are great ways to gain exposure and when you are starting out we recommend you take advantage of any and all blogs that will feature you.
Red Adept Reviews is a very popular site for reviewing Indie authors. Lynn O'Dell, the owner of the blog, has a staff of reviewers. Because they are popular, if they review your book, it could take a while so submit as soon as you are ready. Follow their submission guidelines to the T. The reviews are HONEST!
Big Al's Books and Pals
Another great site that reviews Indie authors.
Book Blog Directory
This is a GREAT resource of book bloggers.
AMAZON MEET THE AUTHORS FORUM
(more to come)
Other Social Network Marketing:
Facebook Kindle
If you are on Facebook, you can "Like" this page, then post on their wall no more than ONCE EVERY SEVEN DAYS (per title). You can post your cover art then add a short blurb along with the tiny url for your book page - both US and UK. We also highly recommend posting for fun and replying to other people's post for fun - become a part of the community and "make friends." That's what social networking is all about - developing online relationships. If people feel they know you, they're more likely to try your books.
Facebook Nook
Same rules as above.
PAID PROMOTIONS:
If you are willing to spend money on promotion, here are some good sites that get you some return on your investment.
Kindle Nation Daily (click on SPONSORSHIPS for ad info)
This is expensive, but gets a LOT of sales! Considered one of the best advertising sites on the web for promoting your book.
Pixel of Ink.com
A site with a LOT of traffic. Expensive ads, but so popular they aren't accepting requests until June (as of May 14th, 2011). Click on top bar "About Us" then click on "Author's Corner" for more information on sponsorship ads.
EReaderIQ.com
Good return on your investment. They book up fast. Scroll to the VERY bottom of the page and click on "Book of the day" to learn about advertising. You need to register as an author (free to register) before purchasing your ad.
EReaderNewsToday.com
Another good return on investment. Also books up fast. On the right side bar, click on "Authors click here for Book of the Day info"
The Frugal eReader.com
Elizabeth, who runs this site, is a GEM! Click on Contact Us for information on how to advertise with them.
Red Adept Reviews
Red Adept Reviews offers ads at reasonable rates.
