Ebook Promotion 100

I decided I had to make this Ebook Promotion 100 and not 101 because I'm still learning myself how to promote an ebook! And since my ebook hasn't even been out for two weeks, I know I've got a long way to go before I really figure out how to do the promotion gig right. So this is definitely the zero level in the series :)!

That said, the fact that ebooks are sold entirely via the Internet gives an author a leg up in the promotion game because she (and her publisher) can focus on promotion via a single channel: the Internet itself.

This isn't to say that the Internet is the only place one should consider promoting an ebook. In fact, I swore to myself that I was going to get together a media kit by now and send out media releases about my ebook in the hopes of getting some publicity in other media. And not just in the hopes of bolstering sales of my book, but in the hopes of getting more people interested in and aware of the ebook phenomenon. Remembering that I wasn't even plugged into the concept of ebooks until quite recently myself, I am willing to bet that there are loads of potential readers out there who would be interested in purchasing ebooks if they knew they existed and where to find them.

Unfortunately, life intervened, and I haven't gotten around to that media kit yet. Maybe next book (I'm currently working on the sequel to Carnally Ever After and, given that Deanna at Cobblestone tells me she has been poking around on my Jackie Barbosa website and can't wait to see that story, I have pretty high hopes of Carnally Yours being picked up by Cobblestone).

So, what have I been doing to promote my book?

Well, first off, I've been posting about it like crazy here and on my Jacqueline Barbour blog. Maybe you noticed ;)?

I've also been lucky enough to have great publisher support. Cobblestone Press publishes a newsletter and in the last issue, Deanna excerpted the first chapter of my book. That led to some nice buzz on the Romance Divas forum leading up to the release. Emma Petersen, a fellow Cobblestone author, really loved the excerpt and without any prodding from me or from Cobblestone, she has waxed enthusiastic about my story several times. My friend Ericka Scott, another fellow Cobblestone author and former FanLitter, also made Carnally Ever After a recommended read on her blog (and no, I didn't ask her to!).

Cobblestone also has an author blog, where we are encouraged to post announcements about our releases and excerpts, especially on the day of a release.

Finally, Cobblestone hosts a chat room every Friday night from 7-9pm central time. During the chat, authors who have releases that week usually give away a copy of their books to one lucky winner. This chat also gives authors a chance to talk about their books with other Cobblestone authors and readers.

The other promotional effort I made was to score a guest author slot over at Romantic Inks from yesterday through tomorrow. If you're not familiar with this blog, you should be. Not only are Mavens Lacey and Erica regular RI posters, but it's a fabulous spot to read craft advice and industry insider dish from the many high-profile published authors they line up as guest posters.

YOUR TURN: Do you/have you read ebooks? If you have, how did you learn about those books? Through blogs/websites or word of mouth recommendation from people you know? If you don't read ebooks, why not? Is there any promotional effort that could get your attention and make you take a chance on one?