We’ve talked at length about the need for authors to create presences on Facebook, Twitter, etc… But there are some other, lesser-known sites out there which can provide a great service to authors who are looking to market their work.
Without further ado, here are three that I’ve heard authors raving about…
1. GoodReads. You’ve probably heard of it. What you might not understand is how it works and what its benefits are. Here’s how the site is described: “The Goodreads Author Program is a completely free feature designed to help authors reach their target audience — passionate readers. This is the perfect place for new and established authors to promote their books.” And some of the features that GoodReads offers authors includes the ability to promote upcoming events (like signings/speaking), a place to share book excerpts, the ability to post videos, and the ability to lead a discussion group or list a book giveaway. In other words, GoodReads is a great place to find your target audience and speak directly to them about why your book should be next on their reading list.
2. Novelrank.com. Have you ever wondered how many copies of your book have been sold on Amazon? Probably, because it’s nearly impossible to find out … or so you think. Somehow, the experts at Novelrank.com have solved the mystery. According to the site’s homepage: “NovelRank is a completely free website for tracking books or other product’s Amazon Sales Rank on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de (Germany), Amazon.co.jp (Japan), Amazon.cn (China),Amazon.it (Italy), and Amazon.es (Spain). NovelRank is the best free resource for self-promoting authors to track their print and ebook sales and Sales Rank on Amazon with charting, RSS feeds, and real-time data.”
3. ReadersCircle.org. Ah, book clubs. They’re the target of many authors’ marketing efforts, but to no avail. Thankfully, we now have Readers Circle, where book clubs around the world form and gather. “Each year Reader’s Circle serves 90,000 inquires for local book clubs in 5 countries,” according to the site’s homepage. And as some savvy authors have discovered, Readers Circle is a great place to find and target book clubs specific to their genres. Through Readers Circle, you can get the names and contact info of book club organizers, and send them emails offering a free copy of your book, a discussion guide, the opportunity to have you meet with the group via Skype, etc… It’s a win-win.
If you’re an author who is working to market your latest (or future!) book, all three of these sites are worth visiting. And if you know of any others that have been helpful to you, share them with us in the comments field below!