How to promote your book passively through emails?

How to promote your book passively through emails

 Are you comfortable writing in the confines of your home but develop cold feet when it comes to marketing your books, too happy to dump the entire responsibility on the publishers? Do remember your book is only one among the dozens of books released by the publisher. It is impossible for the publisher to keep the spotlight on your book for a long time as new books keep emerging from their stable and clamour for their attention.

 The uneasy truth remains that all authors wish they are backed by an aggressive marketing glitz.  Tight budgets and shrinking profits prevent publishers from splurging on a Even if authors are supported by a bit of marketing jazz and have a full house book launch, it does not translate into sales. This is the sad reality that nobody wants to talk about.  Nobody has control over the buyer’s minds. So, it’s necessary to cast the net wider to make more potential buyers aware of your books and get them to buy.

As the dynamics of book marketing are changing, it is the responsibility of the author to use every opportunity to promote their books. What is the use of writing wonderful books if nobody is ever going to read it?  How will people buy your book if they don’t know about it?

 Here’s one of the ways to promote your book without being labeled aggressive.

 Add a hyperlink under your signature at the end of the email.

People are always curious to know where the hyperlink leads to and want to know more details. Mails get forwarded too.

Here’s how to add a hyperlink:       Choose an online bookstore where your book is being sold.

b)      Copy the link address of your book from the browser.

c)       Open the MS Word file where you want to insert the link.

d)      Type out the name of the book and place the cursor after the last letter.

e)      Click the left button of your mouse and drag it till the end of the title.

f)       Release your finger and click the right button of the mouse. A drop down box will appear.

g)      Select the hyperlink button(fourth column in the drop down box)

h)      An Insert hyperlink box will appear. In the address box at the end of the dialog box, paste the link copied from the browser and press OK.

i)       The selected text will be underlined and turn blue. Click on the link to check if it leads to your book page on the online bookstore.

j)        Your hyperlink is ready for use. Save the file in your computer. Cut and paste it into your email whenever you need.

Remember, not all clicks on your hyperlink will translate into sales. But it will help build your author brand. People will know what you have been up to and keep you in mind when they are planning a lit event, recommend your name for writing projects or need a quote for an article which will help you promote your books.

 Don’t just read this article!  Take the extra effort to practice what you have read.  Someone once told me every book comes with its own destiny.  Authors can only change what’s in their control.  Let’s take one step towards fulfilling our book’s destiny.

PS: If this article is zipping over your head, it’s a good idea to watch an You tube video on “How to insert a hyperlink.”

Check out our latest book of picture prompts for children authors, Spark Creativity and vocabulary with picture prompts 

(Shyamala Shanmugasundaram is a children's author, freelance writer and Chief ideator of Kahani Takbak(Kataba).)
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