1. Buy an up-to-date computer with a 56k modem and Internet capability.
2. Open an email account. Bypass the freebies, because you need an email account from which you can send an attachment. You want to look professional.
3. Educate yourself about email, the Internet, and your own computer program. Take a community college or adult school computer and Internet program at low cost or free. You’ll notice many others like yourself there, eager to learn. More advanced students will help you each step of the way.
4. Hire a one-on-one low-cost computer/internet coach, who can give you individual lessons if you don’t want to attend seminars. They can help you proceed successfully with your eBusiness. Call your local high schools, computer schools or colleges for computer-savvy students. Connect with teachers, career centers, or student centers to start the ball rolling. Tell them you want an assistant. Be sure to follow up because schools are less business oriented and may not call you back.
5. Hire a virtual assistant because you are not only an author, you are a business! These assistants can send out emails, create appropriate folders of important contacts and lists, send out appropriate email and keep everything up-to-date and organized. Make them part of your virtual marketing machine at a very low cost. Use them as much as you want to expand your success. You will look like a successful author and business by adding new part-time staff.
6. Offer more than just your book to your potential buyers. Part of the plan is to allow automatic, ongoing sells for your lifetime, either on your web site or other booksellers’ sites. Think of chapter excerpts, articles, tips, or how-to lists you can email free to prospective buyers of your books and special reports. Start a plan to sell other products that relate to your book. These could be eBooklets or eSpecial Reports. Keep your products virtual for easy sales management.
7. Include your four-to-six line signature at the end of each email you send with a benefit or special book you want to sell. Include your name, email address, Web site address and phone number. Separate your note’s end and signature with graphics such as ==== or #####.
8. Market your book through writing short articles to submit to opt-in ezines. Use a search engine to fine ezines in your category or genre. Some ezine editors prefer only 75 words, but others will accept longer ones. When you send a longer article to the eMag editor, she may edit it for you. These people want and need your information for their eMags. They will include a link to your site through your Signature Box at the bottom.
9. Submit your articles to top web sites to multiply sales. If you write business or how to books, use the search engines to find them. Top sites get over 25,000 daily visitors usually. These sites need your content, and they will pay you handsomely by including your signature box on the bottom with a link to where your book is sold.
10. Create your own inexpensive book Web site. While it’s possible to sell books on other publishers’ or book sellers’ sites, you need to look forward and eventually develop your own site. Authors without a site are like business people without email. You don’t need a fancy Web site. Make your home page sizzle with dazzling ad copy and headings, and you’ll sell books. One author put up a sales letter on his home page, “no divorce.” So compelling, it sold over 150,000 copies of his book.
Judy Cullins, 20-year Book and Internet Marketing Coach works with small business people who want to make a difference in people’s lives, build their credibility and clients, and make a consistent life-long income. Author of 10 eBooks including “Write your eBook Fast,” “How to Market your Business on the Internet,” and “Create your Web Site With Marketing Pizzazz,” she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, The Book Coach Says…and Business Tip of the Month at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml and over 145 free articles. Email her at Judy@bookcoaching.com.
