March is National Small Press Month, which celebrates small publishers and showcases the unique voices of the authors who choose them. This makes March the perfect time to promote your self-published book! To help you take advantage of this, I am offering promotion advice and ideas on the blog every Monday this month. Be sure to check out the previous posts: Why March is the Best Time to Promote Your Self-Published Book, 10 Ways to Promote Your Self-Published Book in March, and Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Self-Publishing.
This week I’ll share an easy way to connect with others and promote yourself and your work — blog comments.
1. Find blogs.
Find blogs by fellow small press author, other people in the publishing industry, and people interested in the topic of your book.
2. Read the blog.
Read several posts to get a feel for the author and his or her readers. Never comment on a post without reading the entire post! You can’t contribute to the conversation if you don’t fully understand what the conversation is about.
3. Position yourself as an expert.
This gives people a reason to take interest in your comment. Just be careful not to act like a know-it-all. No one likes that person.
4. Be professional at all times.
Disagreeing is okay, but always be respectful about it. It’s okay for other people to have a different opinion.
5. Add value.
Make sure your comment adds value to the conversation. Simply commenting things like “Thank you” or “Nice post” don’t add value.
6. Be brief.
Now is not the time to write a novel. Keep your comments short and to the point.
7. Include a link.
This is key! Always include a link to your website or blog. If you don’t, you are wasting your time. The link is how you will promote yourself and your work and allows people who were interested in your comment to contact you.
8. Fill in all fields appropriately.
Each blog will most likely have an area where you can enter your name, email (most likely not published), URL, text of your comment, etc. Don’t change up the order on this. For instance, you shouldn’t add your website address to the comment box; it should only be placed in the URL field.
9. Share the love.
Mention someone else’s book/blog/website where appropriate. All of your comments should not be “pushing” your book. Vary your comments. Others will have more respect for you and know that when you mention your book or website, you are making an appropriate reference.
10. Never SPAM!
Write your own comments, keep them relevant, and stay away from any questionable “blog commenting” services. A good rule of thumb is — if you would be ashamed to call the blog owner and let them know what you’ve done, you shouldn’t do it.
Check back next week for more promotion ideas.
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ABOUT JODEE THAYER: With over 25 years of experience in sales and management, Jodee Thayer works as the Director of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order to help them publish the book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Jodee Thayer can put you on the right path. |
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