How
to Self-Syndicate to Create a Buzz for Your Books
By Dorothy Thompson
With the release of my latest book, I searched for ways
to promote just like the rest of you. I
maintained a sharp website with links to where readers can buy my book, obtained
almost fifty endorsements before the book was even released, sought out
publications that would review my book or give me an interview and even
hobnobbed with authors whose books are similar to mine to exchange book ads for
free. While these are excellent
promotional tactics to take, there’s another marketing strategy that will not
only sell your books, but will make you an expert in the media field:
self-syndication.
What
is self-syndication and how does it work to sell my books?
Self-syndication
is merely writing articles in your field of expertise and sending them out to
the millions of e-zines and newspapers out there looking for content.
I
discovered this promotional tactic by following the path of those authors who
write in the same genre as I did, which is romance. In my research, I found that relationship websites are
booming and the editors need columnists or even articles related to finding the
one you love and keeping them. This
can work for other genres, as well!
Now,
almost none of these online magazines pay, but that is not your goal for doing
this. You want to put your book or
website up at every available place there is without having to pay to do so.
You might not be getting richer with your articles, but the sales from
someone reading your article and clicking on your website link, will boost sales
incredibly. Instead of paying to
place your book (or website) on sites, this is free and free is good!
In
my case, since my book deals with romance and relationships, I wrote articles
dealing with this subject. Next, I
put the words “online relationship magazines” in a search engine and found
an incredible wealth of information. One
of the best sites to find what you are looking for is http://www.dmoz.com.
Put whatever kind of publication you are looking for in their search box
and you have conquered the first step.
Once
you find a publication that publishes the kind of content you can provide, look
for a link on their site that tells you how to submit.
Can’t find it? Look for the link that says, “contact us.”
I found that I had to use the latter link in many of my inquiries.
What
to say?
My
pitch is short and sweet. I used to
send lots more information, but that’s not needed. If they reply back, they will ask for more information.
I will use my pitch letter below to show you how I did it:
Hi,
I
write a “soul mate” relationship column that is distributed on the web
called “Romancing the Soul” and was wondering how to go about submitting a
column idea [or article] to you for your e-zine, “Name of E-zine.”
I
am also the compiler/editor [or author, in your case] of Romancing the
Soul—True Soul Mate Stories from around the World and Beyond which was
just released this month. [I give
this little tidbit of information so that the editor can see I’m a published
author.]
I look forward to hearing from you,
Dorothy
Thompson
http://www.dorothythompson.net
[I give my URL for the simple reason that the editor might click on it to see
what I’ve written.]
See?
Short and sweet.
I
don’t know if this strategy will work for you, but it’s worked for me.
I am syndicating my column to more than twenty romance websites with that
one simple pitch letter. I’ve even been asked to be a featured columnist on some of
them. Not only will my article
appear, but my photo and book information will go up, too.
The
benefits?
The
benefits of writing and syndicating your articles can only spell success for you
and your book. In order to sell
your book, you have to sell yourself, too, and what better way for people to get
to know how you write than by reading your columns at these various websites?
The
main point I’m stressing is that you are also creating yourself as an
“expert” in your field. The
media (print, radio and television) is on the constant lookout for experts to
appear on their shows or in their magazines and you could be the one they seek!
It’s
a win-win situation. Once you
establish yourself as an expert, the media will be at your feet.
After all, they need well-informed guests to fill their slots and your
experience is just might be what they’re looking for.
So,
start creating articles related to your book or any subject that you are well
informed about. The bio at the end
of each article will send potential buyers to your website to buy your books (or
services) and by doing this, you’ll also be creating a buzz about your books.
All it takes is a little time to get your list of websites looking for
content and you’re on your way to becoming not only a syndicated columnist,
but as a vehicle to sell your books, too!
Dorothy
Thompson is a self-syndicated “soul mate” relationship columnist and
compiler/editor of Romancing the Soul—True Stories of Soul Mates from
around the World and Beyond. You
can view her website at http://www.dorothythompson.net.
