How to Successfully Build Links for Book
Marketing through Blogs, Forums, and Social Networks
Today the internet is a central part of many people’s
lives, and the number of people who access and utilize the World Wide
Web for information and entertainment grows every day. In turn, the
internet has also become a central part of every advertising or marketing
agenda, and this is even truer for successful independent writers, authors,
and book marketers. Why? Simply put, with diminishing margins in the
publishing industry and with the shift of information flow moving from
print to digital media, the internet has not only become the future
of writing and publishing, it has also become a key marketing resource
and advertising avenue.
To capitalize on the potential of the internet you
have to be on it, and the best way to have a presence on the World Wide
Web is through your own blog or website. Whether you try and make money
via these sites to recoup some costs is not the point of this article.
Rather, the need to have a blog or website is to showcase your writing
and to promote your book(s) to the millions of potential readers on
the internet. If you don’t have a blog or website, or you don’t
know how to get one, I suggest you do some more reading. Assuming you
do have a blog or website, the next step is to get readers. Unlike traditional
forms of media, the internet is an active medium where the writer or
author has to do some of their own marketing and promotion. Building
links to your blog or website is an essential part of this, and doing
so successfully requires following a few simple guidelines.
Read the Rules
*What are the rules of the site that you are thinking of leaving a link
on? Always check the rules of a site or the terms of service before
even trying to post links. Some places are against them altogether,
others have rules as to when and how you use them.
Links for Links
*Never post a link just for the link. Always make it part of the conversation
and make sure that it is relevant for the conversation. Adding a link
such as Read My Book to a discussion on world building for science fiction
writers or on a message board about blogging is a bad idea. But if the
discussion is asking questions about something that your book directly
addresses or article discusses, then suggesting it as a possible resource
or contribution to the conversation is perfectly fine.
Relevant Comments
*Always include a relevant comment. Never leave just a link to your
article or book. You want people to feel like you are a part of the
discussion and that you have something worth while to say. You also
want them to feel comfortable with your link. Never leave more then
one link per comment. Don’t get carried away, it only frustrates
readers and is likely to make it so that no one reads any of them.
Be Part of the Community
*Never start a discussion with a bit of information and then something
like "read my article" and then the link. This turns people
off and you are likely to get in trouble. It is ok to start a discussion
about your writing, articles, or books if you are asking for feedback,
critiques, resources, or the like. The key is to ask yourself whether
the discussion you are starting benefits the community or just you.
Think of Others
*If it annoys you how people do it, then it annoys other people as well.
Choose where and when you leave links carefully.
Knowing when and how to promote your writing, articles,
or book isn’t always easy to do. Often times it takes a little
trial and error when you find the time to work on it. Some opportunities
pop out at you such as finding the perfect blog or finding a great discussion
which fits your article or book perfectly. These are great times to
get out there and get your feet wet. Don’t make promotion the
most important part of your writing or life as a successful indie author,
after all the writing itself is much more important. But promoting can
help increase your traffic, your readers, and lead you to becoming a
successful independent writer or author. Some of the best
forums and social networks for finding other writers and readers
can be found here.
Happy promoting!
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