Wikipedia and Amazon

In honor of the recent Book Expo, here are some tips on publishing and book marketing drawn from my newest book: The Thrifty Author’s Guide to Launching Your Book Without Losing Your Mind…

Two sites that are important for you are Wikipedia and Amazon’s author profile page. Wikipedia is the user-created compendium of knowledge that allows readers to create, edit and update pages in the belief that the collective contribution will eventually get it right. Wikipedia takes a dim view of people putting up a page about themselves, but you can ask someone else to do it for you, whether that’s a friend or an assistant. Take a look at pages for other authors and then write something similar, being careful to avoid promotion and puffery.

If your book is available through Amazon, then you can create an Amazon author profile. Not only is the profile available for readers to view to learn more about you, but your page also gives you a blog that automatically sends your update to everyone who has bought your book through Amazon. Amazon’s page layout changes, but look for a navigation link for authors and follow the instructions.

Tags: DreamSpinner, Gail Martin, marketing, PR, small business, social media, solopreneur, start-up companies