Marketing your self-published book on eBay

The challenge for every self-publishing author is to get their book in front of as many eyeballs as possible without breaking the bank. I've found that one of the most effective ways for creating buzz for my self-published book was to auction copies on eBay.

Here's the drill: You list one copy of your book at auction on eBay. Browsers see your book and either bid on the book at eBay, or order a copy from Amazon or Barnes & Noble. I've noticed that in most cases, my eBay listings for my book not only sell for more than the list price of the book, but immediately after a listing closes, I get sales on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, bumping up my sales there. Then I start over again, listing another copy on eBay.

For the same $20 you might pay for a dozen click-throughs using Google Adwords, it's possible to get 200 to 400 pairs of eyeballs on eBay.

Here's some tips for getting the maximum number of lookers:

-- Start your auction at 1 cent. That will attract early and frequent bidding, which in turn generates more interest. Some eBay users scan listings only for those items with a certain number of bids, on the assumption that more bids means value. You could list your book at a fixed price instead, but an auction will get more looks.

-- Pay the extra 40-cent fee for a 10-day listing instead of the standard seven-day auction. You'll be getting an extra three days of lookers for chump change.

-- Mention the ISBN at least twice in your auction description so that losing bidders will be ready to snap up a copy on Amazon or B&N.

-- Try a "Featured Plus" listing. The total auction fee will be around $20. But again, think of the exposure you're getting -- your book will be sitting atop category lists and search results. Not only will more people reading your title, checking its price on Amazon and other sites, but some will also be e-mailing the auction to friends and family.

-- If you haven't designed your cover yet, be sure to add your Web site name somewhere on the front cover so browsers will see it on your eBay cover picture, and have ready access to your blog. (You do have a blog to support your book, don't you?)

-- Think of multiple categories on eBay to list your book under. For example, say your book is on making dolls. You can list it under "nonfiction books," "collectibles," "toys," "hobbies," and perhaps five other tangential categories. This will draw hundreds of more potential readers who would never have heard of your book or considered searching for something like it.

This strategy is particularly effective with a new book that isn't available in the used marketplace at bargain prices. eBay is populated primarily by bargain hunters, but if you can catch the attention of a sufficient number of them, you can convert some of them into retail buyers of your book too.