By Karen Clark, Online Presence Speaker-Trainer
Rohnert Park, CA USA

If you have a self-published book, or are thinking of writing or co-authoring one, establishing an online presence for yourself as an author is critical. I know it has helped me when marketing my two books, Direct Selling Power and Incredible Business.

Here are the strategies I would recommend:

1. Webify Your Book Sales. Be sure to have a static website that includes a “store” page where visitors can purchase the book through a shopping cart system such as Paypal “add to cart” buttons, or 1shoppingcart. If you don’t already have a site, I would recommend creating through WordPress, as it is almost free (just pay for domain and hosting) and highly indexed by the search engines.

2. Become a Blogger. Give away some of your writing for free – post articles, excerpts, samples from your book. You can also use it to share about topics not in your book – blog about your life, your travels, your hobbies. A blog will boost your website’s search engine rankings while also giving readers a chance to “try before they buy” – including potential publishers, magazines, or event planners. I would recommend a WordPress blog built in to your WordPress website, but if you have a regular HTML website, you can simply install WordPress in a /blog/ folder so it is attached to your main domain, then link to it.

3. Start a Facebook Business (aka Fan) Page. People love showing off what they like and are involved in, and they appreciate the interaction they can have with an author through a business Page. Customize your fan Page so you can send people to your website for more information on your book – or better yet, customize a shopping page right within your business Page with an added application.

4. Leverage Email Marketing. On your website and/or blog, and on your Facebook business Page, install some way to capture people’s email addresses. They want to hear from you – let them know once a month or so what you’ve been up to. Share an article related to your topic. Announce events or book signings or classes you’ll be conducting. Offer a free article, audio or video sample in exchange for entering their information and opting-in to receive emails.

5. Tweet on Twitter. Again, similar to Facebook, people want to be in touch with you. Be sure you have a Twitter account set up. Feed the business Page to the Twitter account, and check regularly for replies. Twitter is another doorway to your website and therefore your book!

6. Create Profiles on Other Social Media Sites. Be sure you are listing your position as Author on additional social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Biznik, Amazon, About.me, Yelp, and others. Post across the internet when you are doing anything around your book marketing.

7. Offer a Free Teleclass. With my 2nd book, Incredible Business, the co-authors and I conducted a Virtual Book Launch and this was a great way to showcase our expertise and give people a taste of what they can find in our book. You could also simply schedule a teleclass through freeconferencecall.com or a webinar through anymeeting.com and invite all your contacts to attend and share with their networks.

8. Offer a PDF, Kindle or Nook e-book version of your book, or even a chapter of it, that people can buy or download with purchase. More and more today, people are preferring this format and it satisfies their need for instant gratification!

For additional tips on building your online presence as a speaker, author or entrepreneur, be sure to join me on Facebook and on my blog which can be found on my website. Remember, people who are interested in the exact subject you are offering in your book are looking for you – and they’re looking online!

Karen Clark is an online presence speaker and trainer who uses her 12 years experience marketing a business online to develop fun and dynamic presentations for business owners. Karen teaches, inspires and empowers you to build an ethical online presence through social media, blogging and leveraging the search engines.