You've worked hard to write a book. You're ready to sell your book in bookstores, on the web, and wherever else folks will buy your book. But you've got to promote your book yourself. It doesn't matter whether you have a traditionally published book, a self-published book, or an ebook, you're the one responsible for promoting it. The book publisher will put resources into your book if it takes off, but not until. So this is your job regardless of the efforts of anyone else.



The strategy? Use your time as effectively as possible. Work on the techniques that have proven effective time and time again for book promotion.

The biggest one? Radio talk shows. They're simple, they're straightforward, they're not difficult and, because of the logistics of the medium, you can literally be on radio, promoting your book, from the comfort of your own home, dressed in your underwear if that's what you want.

Countless numbers of successful book authors have made their success, from a standing start, by using the radio waves of the world relentlessly.

So here's a quick tip sheet on how you can do the same and start creating big sales for your book, almost instantly! Create a time budget. You can easily promote your book without money, but not without time. Think about one hour or so each day and then increase that as success accumulates.

Write a press release (a sales letter, really) selling your value as a talk-show guest. After you've finished, read it and ask yourself if this release would compel you, really compel you (if you were a radio producer) to have you on the show as a guest.

Send your press release to radio talk show producers in your area and right around the country. Remember, promoting your book on radio doesn't require you to be in the studio of the radio station. Interviews can be done from your living room, or your office. They can be done while sitting in your underwear at the kitchen table. Just as long as you've got a telephone, you're in business.

When the producer calls, (and she will if your press release is powerful enough) your audition begins immediately. So turn on your enthusiasm, your charm and your suitability as a talk-show guest. The decision is being made on the telephone even as you speak.

Make sure your press release has several outstanding questions the radio host could ask you and that you could answer profoundly.

By the way, the producer will be asking you for a couple of these answers while she has you on the telephone. So don't hold back when you talk to that radio producer.

Prepare for that radio talk show. Know the name and proper pronunciation for the host. Also, know some of the surrounding geography, so you can say something like, "hey, we haven't heard from anyone in the Braewood area" if it's a phone-in show.

Try to get on phone-in shows if possible. They're a lot easier because the people who call in will have basic questions you can knock out of the park. To encourage people calling in, tell the producer ahead of time that you'll give away a couple of copies of your book to callers picked at random.

Make sure you know ahead of time where people can buy your book in that area. Then, tell the listeners that information.