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Plug Your Book!
163
Beyond the blogosphere
Because of their interactive features and visibility on the Web, blogs
have largely replaced other book-publicity vehicles. Just a few years ago,
“chat” sessions on proprietary services like America Online were a prime
target of book publicists. Although the audiences for many of those
proprietary services are now splintered across the Web, a whole world
of opportunity remains outside the blogosphere.
Popular Web sites devoted to a certain topic or book genre often
have a lively discussion board. The best way to find these discussion
groups is to search Google for the types of questions your audience tends
to ask most frequently. Once you’ve found them, contribute to the
conversation, but don’t blatantly advertise your book. Include a discreet
signature at the bottom of your posts, three or four lines of text listing
your Web site, contact information, and buy-the-book links.
BookCrossing
Book clubs and discussion groups have always been a great word-of-
mouth generator, and the Internet has given them global reach.
BookCrossing.com is a virtual book club whose members pass along
books they’ve enjoyed. Members can recommend books at the Web site
and ask to receive books via postal mail. Another pass-along technique
is for members to “accidentally” leave books at bus stops, dentist offices
and other places, along with a sticker inviting whoever finds the book to
join BookCrossing—a practice members call “releasing books into the
wild.”
Launched in 2001, BookCrossing now has about 520,000 members
circulating 3.5 million books. Membership is free, and the group has
grown primarily from word of mouth, not advertising. At first, founder
Ron Hornbaker feared authors would oppose BookCrossing and brand
it the book world’s “Napster,” referring to the online music-sharing
service accused of copyright infringement. But hundreds of authors have
discovered that BookCrossing can generate strong word of mouth for
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