Online Content Sharing

10 Ways to Share Free Content Online to Improve Your Book’s Sale Opportunities

By Phyllis Zimbler Miller

While as an author, your main goal is ultimately to sell your book -- the fruits of your writing labor, one effective way to improve your book sales opportunities is to give away content online.  Sounds counterintuitive, right? Hear me out:

On the Internet people are usually looking to build relationships and connections before buying something. Even if the author has an effective website -- one that makes it immediately clear what's on offer and provides an easily visible BUY button -- this effective website is often not enough by itself to motivate buying the author's book.

How does free content sharing help you build these connections online?

Perhaps most importantly, sharing your content demonstrates that you can indeed write well and that your book is probably well-written, too. It also demonstrates that you’re not just out to sell your books.  You’re interested in engaging with readers.  In fact, readers can contact you directly through your blog at social media sites, such as Twitter.

Finally, giving away content online at different places around the web helps you and your book stay in the forefront of people’s minds.  How many times have you decided you wanted to buy something and then forgotten to actually make the purchase?  With your name and writing examples all over cyberspace you’ve provided potential fans with subtle reminders about your book.

Let's look at 10 ways that authors can share free content to build relationships and connections online:

1. Offer a free sample chapter on your website and on other sites around the Internet.
2. Write a blog with information based on your book or on another interest.
3. Provide book group discussion questions.
4. Leave thoughtful comments on other people's blog posts.
5. Participate in conversations on Twitter.
6. Write articles and upload these to article directories such as Ezinearticles.com.
7. Participate in groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.
8. Write book reviews on Amazon. 
9. Write brief book review comments on Glue.com.
10. Upload several chapters or the entire book to fReado.com.

Some writers are concerned that others will “steal” their material if that material is so easily accessible.  I believe you have to be willing to take this slight risk in order to reap the greater probability of having people become interested in your writing.

Although some writers are happy to write only for themselves, most writers would like as large a reading public as possible.  Being willing to share free content on the Web can help book authors attract a wider fan base.

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is a National Internet Business Examiner at www.InternetBizBlogger.com  as well as a book author, and her company www.MillerMosaicLLC.com provides internet marketing information with easy-to-implement solutions to promote your brand, book or business.