Now that I have a few books under my belt, I can speak from experience about using my blog to promote my book.

At least, I think I can.

Before you read on, here are a couple of possible caveats:

1. I have an existing audience. I’ve been blogging since May 2006. The people who read my blog and are my fans have been around for a while. They know me. Other people in the blogosphere know me. This making friends has taken time and commitment.
2. I have a traditional publisher. I think my ideas would work for self-published works, but I can’t say for sure.
3. I write nonfiction. Those of you who write fiction have my eyes, but I know your marketing work is far harder than mine.

My first feature-length book, Catholic Family Fun: A Guide for the Adventurous, Overwhelmed, Creative, or Clueless is fresh out on the streets.

The publisher, Pauline Books & Media, has a whole arsenal of marketing tools they use. They have actual brick-and-mortar stores, an online store, and promotional material sent to Catholic retailers and a large email distribution list.

I’m using my online presence to help build on what they are already doing. Here’s how I have been using my blog to promote my book.

Build excitement.

I’ve been sharing my book-writing journey on my blog from the beginning. When I first saw the cover art, I couldn’t help but gush to the world.

And then, when I heard that the book was at the publishing house, I asked them to send me a picture of it so I could share it on my blog. When I got my copies, I promptly took a picture of my girls with the book.

Having a book released is exciting, but it can be a lot of work. The work can be a burden that makes us forget the excitement.

People want excitement! They want to cheer for you! We all want to have fun!

So even if you feel like you’re lying, share the excitement!

Share the love.

I’m doing a book tour on a variety of different blogs. I invited people to participate, if they wanted, through a personal email. I also offered it to readers who were interested.

Though not many took me up on it, it was a chance to give some small bloggers a hook into the tour.

I’m also making sure I tell people what’s going on, when, and how. On the one hand, I feel like maybe I’m giving out too much information. On the other hand, the communications major in me wants to make sure that people who are interested have a way to find out what they want to know.

I’m also planning to liberally link to and cross-promote people who mention and promote my book.

Giveaways are another way to share the love. I am hoping that this generosity plants seeds in the buying sector. I’m promoting the giveaways through my blog and networks.

Ask for support.

This is, without a doubt, the hardest thing for me to do. Asking for support–whether it’s for prayers or for people to buy my book–does not come naturally to me.

When Welcome Baby Jesus was new, I gave people five reasons to buy it.

I’ve also asked people for their ideas…and I plan to keep doing this. What ideas work for them as it relates to the topic of my book? With Catholic Family Fun, that means asking people what they do for fun. It also means acknowledging that I’m not perfect (which has gotten easier to do with time), because I don’t have all the answers.

YOUR TURN:

How do you use your blog or online presence to promote your book(s)?