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 by: Michael LaRocca

The first thing you must do is quit thinking like a writer and start thinking like a reader. That shouldnt be a problem, because you are one. If you dont enjoy reading, you cant write something that someone else enjoys reading. So, when you read, how do you choose what to read?

My wife can walk into a bookstore, look at the cover blurb of a book, conclude "Ill like this," and buy it. Then shell read it and be correct. Every time.

I almost never do this. For me, its word of mouth. Its book reviews. A good reviewer tells me enough to decide if I want to buy the book. Ive rarely been led astray by a reviewer.

I suspect that, if you look at your own reading habits, youre like me. You find new authors to read through word of mouth. Once you find one you really like, you buy everything else he/she has written and snatch up every new one as it comes out.

So there are your goals. Number one, write well enough to keep those readers coming back. Number two, get those reviewers to say "Hey, this author writes very well." Meaning, contact those reviewers.

You want to be reviewed as much as possible. Walk into any bookstore, log onto any e-publisher site, or visit Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Guess what youll see? A whole lot of books. If one of them happens to be yours, how will people notice it?

Your publisher will market your book, of course, but they market all their titles equally. What you want is for a potential reader to walk into that shop or log onto that site with your name and title already in his or her head.

Your publisher will submit your book to reviewers. Reviews (even negative ones) will generate sales. Work with your publisher to ensure everyone is covered. Also make sure you dont both send the same book to the same place because thats just plain embarrassing.

If you swing by http://freereads.topcities.com/bookreview.html youll find a list of book review and author interview sites. Mostly electronic but a good print selection as well. At this writing there are 111 of them. When your book hits the shelves, if not sooner, visit every dang one of them. Write to everybody and see what happens. Itll take you about ten hours.

Next, work the local media. Newspapers, radio, and signings at local bookstores. Once thats generated enough interest -- and again I assume your novel delivers the goods -- you can take a shot at national coverage.

My next suggestion involves writing contests. I dont know about you, but I usually buy every book on the Booker Prize Short List. Likewise, the first ebook I ever read was an EPPIE winner. I dont know how many people do the same, but certainly more than enough to justify the effort. Some contests even offer cash prizes.

It stands to reason that some awards are more prestigious than` others. Winning "Bubbas Book Award" probably wont help sales.

Entering contests is something that you should coordinate with your publisher. Some contests dont allow author entries, and certainly you dont both want to enter the same book. If theres an entry fee, be realistic about your chances of winning, and consider how many sales you must generate to pay that entry fee.

I keep a small but growing list of book contests at http://freereads.topcities.com/bookcontests.html

I also believe that anyone selling anything should have, at the very least, a free website. As I started with ebooks, I consider it mandatory. As an author, of course I also write a newsletter.

To read my article on the strategy involved in setting up your website, visit http://freereads.topcities.com/websitenewsletter.html

To read my article on the mechanics of it, visit http://freereads.topcities.com/bookpromo.html

To read my newsletter, visit http://freereads.topcities.com/archive.html

About The Author

Michael LaRoccas website at http://freereads.topcities.com was chosen by WRITERS DIGEST as one of The 101 Best Websites For Writers in 2001 and 2002. He published two novels in 2002 and has two more scheduled for publication in 2004. He also works as an editor for an e-publisher. He teaches English at a university in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China, and publishes the free weekly newsletter Mad About Books.

michaellarocca@yawweb.org