The Internet has become an effective marketing tool for authors because it enables your audience members to find you, instead of you finding them. With online word of mouth, you gently reel your audience in, instead of blasting an advertisement to a crowd that isn't listening.
Let's face it, traditional advertising is dying, and it never worked with books anyway. More than ever, people are tuning out commercials, junk mail and spam.
There is no shortcut for getting word of mouth for your book. And as we'll see, not only are shortcuts ineffective, they can backfire.
One shortcut many new authors are trying these days is "Amazon Bestseller Campaigns." And who can blame them: What author doesn't want to have a No. 1 book and millions of loyal readers?
Amazon doesn't endorse these campaigns, but doesn't really discourage them either. Independent marketing consultants charge $2,700 for their Bestseller Campaign courses, and to a new author it might seem worth every penny. According to advertisements by these Bestseller consultants, one author racked up more than $35,000 in book sales during the first 48 hours of her campaign. Could it happen to you? You bet--you'll have a "guaranteed" bestseller within "38 days."
So go ahead, dream a little. Once your book tops the chart at Amazon, you'll be on the red carpet. Lunch with publishers. Bookstore tours. Agents calling. Movie deals, foreign rights sales. And next, you'll be on the real bestseller lists: New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal.
So what's wrong with all that? The bestseller consultants say they're simply applying good old-fashioned marketing to the digital age. But critics say these campaigns are just smoke and mirrors. These consultants don't discuss whether the book needs to be any good. Apparently anyone who coughs up $2,700 is guaranteed a bestseller.
Is it too good to be true? Are these programs worth it, or just a waste of time and money?
Let's boil it down to three essential questions:
Are Amazon Bestseller Campaigns profitable? Do they generate more income for the author or publisher than they cost?
Do these campaigns enhance the reputation of the author and the book?
Most importantly, does the bestseller promotion provide enduring word of mouth for the book, or do sales evaporate quickly?