Book Promotion Tips

Goodreads vs. LibraryThing giveaways:

I am continuing my exploration of online book promotion opportunities, and I have now posted an ebook for giveaway on Library Thing. The experience is quite different than posting a giveaway for a physical book on Goodreads.

For one thing, Goodreads provides a widget to use on your website to promote your giveaway. Plus there is a URL that you can share through Twitter, etc. for people to click through to sign up to win your book.

To the best of my knowledge — and I searched! — there is no way to share the link to my giveaway on Library Thing. Yes, I could share the link to the entire list, but not to my own book. And definitely no widget.

Plus I had not noticed the statement that self-published books were not looked upon favorably for a LibraryThing giveaway. As I had submitted my nonfiction book HOW TO SUCCEED IN HIGH SCHOOL AND PREP FOR COLLEGE and it was accepted, I am assuming that the subject matter helped. (I have not noticed such a statement for Goodreads giveaways.)

Of course, a big advantage is that LibraryThing accepts ebooks as giveaways. I like this because I plan to gift the winners the ebook via Amazon, which should help my book in its popularity list ranking. (See David Gaughran’s book LET’S GET VISIBLE for explanation of the popularity list vs. the bestseller list.)

Fiverr gigs:

Then I have finally joined the ranks of people who appreciate the site Fiverr. I had resisted for a long time because the thought of only paying someone $5 for doing something bothered me. It turns out that the first $5 is just the base — and there are usually options to add on “extras” (including a rush fee) for additional $5 increments.

First, Bonnie B. Latino (author of award-winning novel YOUR GIFT TO ME) shared a Fiverr link with me to get a 14-second video, which I did for CIA FALL GUY. (Scroll down the sidebar to the right to see this video.)

Then, while I was in the midst of a three-day KDP Select free promotion for CIA FALL GUY, I read Jeff Bennington’s The Writing Bomb blog post about Fiverr. Knowing who Jeff is as I had read his ebook THE INDIE AUTHOR’S GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSE, I immediately hired him via Fiverr to promote CIA FALL GUY on Twitter.

At the same time I discovered Jeff has a second book that I also immediately bought — WINNING WITH KDP SELECT: 5 STEPS TO HIT #1 IN THE AMAZON FREE STORE — and am now reading.

Jeff over-delivered what I hired him to do via Fiverr and there are other services he offers that interest me. Click here to check out his Fiverr gig page. (Note: This is NOT an affiliate link.)

Bargain book campaigns:

Next week I start experimenting with bargain book campaigns in which a Kindle ebook of mine will be priced on Amazon at 99 cents for three days.

I am very pleased so far with my connection with sister sites Pixelscroll and Bargain eBook Hunter. By paying for a guaranteed listing for each of the three books via Bargain eBook Hunter, I could add the guaranteed listing at half-price on Pixelscroll. (Click here for Bargain eBook Hunter book listing info — also NOT an affiliate link.)

P.S. If you read dystopian fiction, I hope you will check out my work-in-progress — THE MOTHER SIEGE — on Wattpad. Click on the dropdown table of contents to read the short chapters published so far.

© 2013 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks, including TOP TIPS FOR HOW TO PUBLISH AND MARKET YOUR BOOK IN THE AGE OF AMAZON and the romantic suspense spy thriller CIA FALL GUY.