If you write it, they will come?
It's the rare author whose books just sell themselves. A lot of work happens behind the scenes to get books into the hands of the reader. And it's the smart publicist, literary agent or author who tests and uses a variety of book promotion tools to make their book stand out among the many choices with which readers are faced.
Squidoo is an ideal platform for use in your overall book promotion plan thanks to its ease of use, authority with Google and variety of formats. If you are looking for a new way to promote your books and authors, let me show you a general strategy to get you started.
Begin with the End in Mind
Just what are you promoting anyway?
The obvious answer to "what's your goal?" when talking about book promotion is book sales. But it's not always the right one.
For some authors, the right answer might be that they are really promoting themselves. The book is just a way to introduce themselves to the reader. Or they might be trying to establish and maintain themselves as the person in a specific niche. Or perhaps they want to spread an idea and get it into the hands of as many people as possible.
Whatever your end goal, there's a tool at Squidoo for you to use. But getting the most out of them means understanding exactly what you want to get out of it in the first place.
Welcome to Squidoo!!!
An introduction to the ways in which you can promote your book here
Squidoo is a simple website system made up of one-page sites called "lenses". (You're looking at one right now!) The pages use building blocks called "modules" to help you create a page with different kinds of information and formats. Much like a salad bar, build it however you please.One of the great things is that you can build as many pages as you like to talk about whatever you want. And thanks to some of the different areas Squidoo promotes, there are several different types of pages you can create to help you with book promotion.
SquidWho
Talk about yourself or your characters
SquidWho was designed to be a "Who's Who" of the internet. If Wikipedia thinks you're not important enough to merit a page there, create your own here. Put whatever you think would best share who you are - background information, why you write, how you write, videos of your interviews, links to your website, an RSS feed of your blog. If you write fiction, you could create them on your characters as well!
Great examples of SquidWho author pages
SquidLit
Books, books and more book!!
SquidLit is the home of book reviews on every type of book you could imagine. And don't let the "lit" part of the name throw you. There are reviews of graphic novels, children's board books and classics found here. This would be the place to highlight your book, share enough about it to whet someone's appetite and why it's important to you. Or maybe one of your passionate fans could come and review the book instead of you?
Great examples of SquidLit book reviews
More Squidoo Ideas
Videos, concepts, geography ... let your mind go wild!
Here are just a few other ideas for how you could use Squidoo's pages to promote your book:Squidoo general
The main Squidoo page type (like this one) is perfect for exploring concepts. Wrote a book about trading cards? Do a lens on the top 10 trading cards or tips for getting into collecting. Have a sci-fi book that explores mining the Ort? Do a lens explaining asteroid mining or what and where the Ort is.
SquidVids
I know - what do videos have to do with books? The tie-ins are kind of obvious if you have a book about a TV show or that was made into a movie. But that's not the limit! Start a contest to get your fans to help you pick your next book trailer. Have them vote on your worst interview ever. Share a little of yourself with clips from your favorite movies.
MonkeyBrain
This is Squidoo's home for great debates. Get your fans arguing over whether you really should have killed off that character. Explore the nature of good vs. evil. Let someone else pick the book cover when the paperback releases.
TwitterStorm
Start a debate via Twitter by asking a simple question. Ask where you should do a book signing in Dallas. Maybe you need help figuring out which book has meant the most to people. Or maybe you just wonder what you should have for lunch.
SquidZippers
Create a Zipper page telling people all about the locations your books are set in. Or get brave and tell them about your town.
A Sample Series
Just to show you how the concept could be executed. There's a lens on the main book - The Apron Book - one on the author and two others based on concepts in the book or the author.-
The Apron Book
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It's easy to overlook the simple things in life. And in an age when housework is (relatively) easy and few people cook, it's hard to remember that the apron ever had a glory day. Author EllynAnne Geisel shares her passion for aprons, which she start...
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EllynAnne Geisel
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EllynAnne Geisel first tied on domestic armor in 1999 while writing an article about aprons and was struck by the history she knew must be woven into the fabric of that vintage icon. Since then she has gathered more than 400 aprons and apron memories...
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National Tie One On Day
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National Tie One On Day celebrates the humble apron and the spirit of women of earlier generations who donned the universal symbol of home, family and mothering as the uniform of their daily wardrobe and helped make America the great country it is to...
Love Books? Give the Gift to Someone Else!!
Room to Read partner with local communities throughout the developing world to provide quality educational opportunities by establishing libraries, creating local language children's literature, constructing schools, providing education to girls and estab
Got a Question about Promoting Your Book with Squidoo?
I hope I covered everything you need to get started, but in case I didn't, leave me a question. I'll get back to you with the best answer I can. And thanks for stopping by!
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Reply
- BFuniv.com BFuniv.com May 8, 2009 @ 6:18 pm
- Seth had mentioned in his blog that you should optimally start your book promotions three years before publication. I've built an online book proposal lens for a proposed novel; an unusual action for fiction. The Squidoo tools for a standard lens offer many ways to organize and present your ideas.
Thank you for this lens Susan, now I will have company.
All My Lenses
Like this lens? Want to see what else I've done? Here's my lensography!-
SusanVillasLewis
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Well, probably for my mom and my husband. But I guess the rest of you won't love me just for existing. So here's more about me, links to my various lenses, thoughts on future lenses and just the general randomness that is Susan. This will forever be...
by SusanVillasLewis
Basic gal from the Dallas area who has a lot to say!! I'm working on lens related to my odd-ball interests, as well as some tying back to my husband'...
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