What is Ebook Marketing?
The ebook industry today has been given a huge boost in distribution, thanks in part to the popularity of mobile devices currently. Since many people nowadays are using any kind of mobile device for all their information needs, it makes sense for authors to use the ebook format to distribute their works to a wider audience.
Thus, to facilitate strong sales and to make their presence known, it makes sense that the author should boost their Ebook Marketing strategy significantly.
Popular Ebook Formats
Before creating the eBook, it’s important to know the two types of ebooks are common in circulation today. They are…
- PDF (Portable Document Format) – The PDF format was first introduced by Adobe in 1993. PDF files can be created by Adobe Acrobat Reader and other similar applications (even some Office applications). Initially, it’s one of the more popular formats for the creation of ebooks, mainly because the PDF format can be viewed in any computer, as well as any mobile device. PDFs are also preferable for ebooks which have rich graphic content, and since they’re relatively easy to make and share to others, it’s the best format to use for any who has never made an eBook before.
- EPUB (Electronic Publication) – The EPUB format is an open format counterpart to PDF, and virtually works the same way. The main difference is that EPUB files is optimized for use on mobile devices, so the author must take advantage of the flowing layout feature that EPUB has in order to make their text optimized and more viewable on mobile devices. Due to this, the EPUB format steadily becomes the de-facto standard for ebooks which are distributed on different websites, due to the popularity of mobile devices today.
- Kindle Formats – Amazon Kindle doesn’t support any of the popular formats used by other ebooks, like EPUB and PDF. Instead, they offer a different file format with their ebooks, all featuring the extension “.azw”, and more recently, “.kp8”. They’re similar to EPUB files in that they are optimized for viewing efficiency in mobile devices, the only difference is that they’re proprietary formats owned by Amazon.
Which format to use depends on your experience as an eBook author. PDF ebooks are a good choice for beginners, as they are relatively easy to put together. Thus, the author can use the format as a “testing ground” where you can place your ideas and test them for use in future products. They’re also handy when the eBook in question is multimedia-heavy, and are intended to be viewed in a computer. This is perfect if you intend to expand your eBook to include videos, worksheets, and other content that can enrich the viewer’s reading experience.
Once you’ve mastered its creation, if you want to improve your Ebook Marketing drastically, then it’s time to use the other Ebook formats available. Since the other formats, especially EPUB, are more suited for viewing on mobile devices, and due to the high percentage of people using mobile devices today, it’s preferable to use the format for your future ebooks, and upload them to several sites like iPad and Nook to gain visibility. Of course, since Kindle uses a different file format for their ebooks, you should also learn to convert your works into the appropriate format that Amazon Kindle can read.
A common Ebook Marketing strategy involves using the EPUB or the Kindle formats for ebooks that are text-heavy, and features content that are simple to read, which are preferable for people using mobile devices. For readers who wanted to have their reading experience rich, full-fledged, and interactive, PDF ebooks are the perfect avenue for that.
Ebook Promotion
Now that you’ve made your eBook, it’s time for the whole world to see. The right kind of Ebook Marketing strategy is beneficial for the exposure of your eBook, especially if you intend to attach your business into it.
But first, you may want to purchase an ISBN number for your eBook, especially if you intend to sell it. While Amazon Kindle and Nook’s PubIt! don’t require an ISBN number for it to be identified, as they provide their own, having an ISBN number is highly recommended because it allows your eBook to be registered into the Bowker Books In Print Database, which can track the sales of your ebooks. But more importantly, it also boosts your eBook’s ranks into different search engines, so for maximum SEO results for your eBook, an ISBN number will bolster your chances.
Social media is also an effective tool for your Ebook Marketing needs. However, for optimum results, it’s best if you just focus on the two major players in social media, Facebook and Twitter. Though Google+ and the others are slowly catching up in terms of the number of users, Facebook and Twitter are already established, so being exposed to a number of people should be much easier on these sites.
It’s also important to get your eBook reviewed by a number of sites, especially Amazon, and other blogging sites. If your eBook is paid, you could give them a free copy of it so that they can write a review about it. Even better if they would be interested in giving you an interview, as this could increase your publicity even further. And the more good reviews your eBook has, the better chances of it being purchased.
While e-mail is considered a redundant internet marketing technology, it’s still extremely important to take advantage of, especially when building an audience outside of social media and blogging. All you have to do is to just place a newsletter subscription link on every content that you publish, especially on the eBook itself (at the end), so interested readers can stay updated with all your future works.
Whatever avenue you use, it’s very important that you first build a concrete plan on how are you going to make your eBook’s presence known to everyone. And it all starts with the eBook’s content, so make sure that it’s relevant and attractive, especially the cover, which gives a good first impression on anyone viewing it.