Plug Your Book!, Steve Weber [the unexpected everything TXT] 📗

marks should turn up any sites that have copied your content.

A stern message to the owner of the site--or, failing that, the company that hosts the site--usually results in deletion of the stolen material. Here's an example of a cease-and-desist notice you can send via e-mail:

Dear John Doe,

It's come to my attention that you are republishing my original content from MySite.com on your Web site, YourSite.com. For example, page [ADDRESS] on your site includes the following paragraphs: [TEXT].

Your unauthorized use of my original material violates U.S. and international copyright laws. If the offending material remains available on your site 72 hours from now, I will have no choice but to pursue legal action against you.

Please comply with my request, so that we can remedy this situation without unnecessary difficulty.

Sincerely,

Jane Doe

MySite.com

If no contact information appears on the offending Web site, enter the site's domain name in the search box at:

#www.Register.com/retail/ whois.rcmx#

This will return the name and contact information of the person or company who registered the domain or the site's hosting company. Also try sending your message to webmaster@[domain name] and abuse@[domain name].

Another source of contact information for Web sites is:

www.DomainTools.com Beyond the blogosphere

Because of their interactive features and visibility on the Web, blogs have largely replaced other book-publicity vehicles. Just a few years ago, "chat" sessions on proprietary services like America Online were a prime target of book publicists. Although the audiences for many of those proprietary services are now splintered across the Web, a whole world of opportunity remains outside the blogosphere.

Popular Web sites devoted to a certain topic or book genre often have a lively discussion board. The best way to find these discussion groups is to search Google for the types of questions your audience tends to ask most frequently. Once you've found them, contribute to the conversation, but don't blatantly advertise your book. Include a discreet signature at the bottom of your posts, three or four lines of text listing your Web site, contact information, and buy-the-book links.

BookCrossing

Book clubs and discussion groups have always been a great word-of-mouth generator, and the Internet has given them global reach. BookCrossing.com is a virtual book club whose members pass along books they've enjoyed. Members can recommend books at the Web site and ask to receive books via postal mail. Another pass-along technique is for members to "accidentally" leave books at bus stops, dentist offices and other places, along with a sticker inviting whoever finds the book to join BookCrossing--a practice members call "releasing books into the wild."

Launched in 2001, BookCrossing now has about 520,000 members circulating 3.5 million books. Membership is free, and the group has grown primarily from word of mouth, not advertising. At first, founder Ron Hornbaker feared authors would oppose BookCrossing and brand it the book world's "Napster," referring to the online music-sharing service accused of copyright infringement. But hundreds of authors have discovered that BookCrossing can generate strong word of mouth for their book, Hornbaker says. Active members discover many new authors and purchase lots of books based on member recommendations.

BookCrossing remains unpopular with some authors, who argue that access to free copies of books deprives them of income. Perhaps these are the same authors who would rather not see their work on the shelves of public libraries--another strong word-of-mouth generator, in the opinion of many successful authors.

Many authors say exposure through BookCrossing generates more buzz and sales than mailing review copies to magazines and newspapers. Although there is nothing wrong with authors donating their own books to BookCrossing, Hornbaker cautions that authors should be transparent about their activities, and identify themselves as a book's author. In no circumstance should authors post a message on BookCrossing's discussion boards or send a private message promoting the author's book.

Usenet, Google groups

There are nearly 40,000 Usenet newsgroups, which are bulletin-board style forums about every conceivable topic. Usage of newsgroups has declined in recent years as blogs and niche Web sites have gained readers. Although some Usenet groups have become riddled with spam and irrelevant messages, some useful, widely read groups remain.

A few years ago, special software was required to view or post to Usenet discussions. This is no longer necessary; Google now hosts these groups on an easy-to-use Web interface, calling them Google Groups, at:

#www.Groups.Google.com#

To find groups in your topic, type some terms into the search box at the top of the Google Groups page. You can also browse the list of group categories.

Most newsgroups are unmoderated, and you can post messages immediately. Other newsgroups are moderated, and require posters to e-mail their message to a moderator for approval. Moderated newsgroups have charters outlining prescribed conduct and whether any commercial-related messages are permitted.

When you submit a post to a moderated group, the moderator must first approve your message before it appears on Google Groups and the rest of Usenet. If you post the same message in multiple groups and one of the groups is moderated, the message will be sent only to the moderator of the moderated group. Then the moderator will decide if your post should be approved to appear on all the groups.

Yahoo, AOL Groups

Yahoo hosts thousands of active discussion groups. You can browse by category at #http://Groups.Yahoo.com#, or search with keywords. After joining the group, you can view messages on the Web or subscribe via e-mail.

America Online hosts many special-interest groups, but use has been declining as the network's membership has sagged in recent years. AOL no longer requires a paid membership for users of groups. See:

#http://Groups.AOL.com#

Getting buzz on eBay

Another place where authors can expose their book to millions more potential buyers is eBay, the auction Web site. eBay has millions of book buyers constantly browsing the site for new, interesting items.

One of eBay's weaknesses in bookselling relative to Amazon is that it provides few product recommendations or reviews. Still, eBay can be a useful tool for raising awareness of your title, even if it doesn't result in a substantial amount of sales on eBay itself.

One particularly effective tactic is to periodically auction a single copy of your book for sale in one or more relevant subject categories. Buyers who are interested in your book but don't want to wait until the end of the auction will look for a copy elsewhere for immediate purchase.

Here are some tips for getting the maximum number of lookers on eBay:

Start your auction at 1 cent. That will attract early and frequent bidding, which creates more interest. Some eBay users scan for only those items with several bids already, on the theory that frequent bidding is a sign of an interesting or unique find. You can also sell your book at a fixed price on eBay, but auctions attract more eyeballs.

Extend your auction to 10 days, instead of the usual seven-day auction. You'll get more lookers and bids for a nominal fee. The extra three days allows bidding to rise and gives impatient buyers an incentive to purchase immediately somewhere else.

Mention the ISBN at least twice in your auction description so impatient browsers and losing bidders can buy elsewhere. Use every possible keyword in your description. A small excerpt from the introduction can drive visitors to your listing. It's not necessary to limit your description to the back cover copy.

Try a #Featured Plus# listing to get more exposure. The extra fee is $20, but can be offset by the final bidding price, increased sales outside eBay, and word of mouth.

Include a link from your auction listing to a page on your Web site where readers can download your table of contents, introduction and sample pages.

List your book under multiple categories on eBay, not just "books." Let's imagine your book is about doll making. You could list under #nonfiction books#, # collectibles#, #toys#, #hobbies#, and perhaps five other related categories. You'll pay additional listing fees, but gain exposure among people interested in your topic, but not necessarily searching for a book about it.

Another tactic for eBay selling is to differentiate the book listing from what's available from Amazon and other retailers. You could sell autographed copies of your book, in eBay's "collectible" book category or in the book's subject area. You could also develop a package deal, selling your book with a bonus pamphlet or report.

eBay Stores#

An eBay Store can be worth the basic fee of $15.95 even if you're a self-publisher with a single title. Having a store allows you to sell copies of your book at a fixed price, and you can offer discounts on slightly damaged or shopworn books.

Your eBay Store listing will also be indexed by Google and other search engines, giving your title more visibility on the Web.

Another benefit of having an eBay Store is you can link from your Store to your Web site or blog. This not only provides extra traffic to your site, but the link from eBay enhances your site's ranking with search engines.

Revenue from your Web site

A steady audience on your Web site provides additional income opportunities through affiliate programs and advertising. If your site becomes extremely popular, the revenue could rival your income from book sales.

Some bloggers report that a combination of affiliate and advertising revenue can result in about 1.5 cents of income for each unique daily visitor to your site. At that rate, a site averaging 1,500 unique daily visitors can generate about $8,200 in annual revenue--not bad for something that requires no ongoing work on your part. Depending on your audience and the type of products related to your book, you might do better or worse.

New sites usually generate negligible revenue, but advertising or affiliate programs can still be worthwhile. Your audience may appreciate niche advertising, and these programs can boost your visibility with search engines. One option is to donate your affiliate and ad revenues to charities admired by your audience, which sometimes can be handled automatically. The public-relations benefit of donating could outweigh the monetary value, and you won't have to account for it as income and pay tax on it.

In any case, advertising shouldn't overly distract visitors from the main purpose of your site--generating awareness of your book.

Here are some of the leading advertising and affiliate programs authors can use on their Web sites:

Amazon Associates program#

Amazon's affiliate program is called Amazon Associates. You can display links for your book and related books and products on Amazon, and when your visitors click through to Amazon and make a purchase, you're paid a commission. Typically you'll receive about 6 percent, so the sale of a $20 book yields a $1.20 referral fee.

Amazon Associates is one of the most familiar and successful programs on the Internet, with more than 1 million member sites. After joining you receive an Associates ID code, which you insert into your links to Amazon products.

Under Amazon Associates' performance-based compensation plan, affiliates earn referral fees ranging from 4 percent to 8.5 percent, depending on volume. For a site referring 21 or more affiliate sales during a quarterly period, Amazon awards 6 percent, payable at the end of the quarter. You can collect your fees in the form of a check, direct deposit, or an Amazon gift certificate.

Besides providing Amazon Associates links to specific books, you can display Amazon banner ads or search boxes on your site, and you'll earn referral fees on sales resulting from those clicks.

After your visitors click on your Associates link, you'll receive commissions not only on book purchases, but most other purchases those customers make during the following 24 hours. For example, if your visitor buys a plasma TV, you'll get a commission on that.

In 2006