The Most Effective Book Marketing Tool on the Internet Teacher: Wayne Perkins About six years ago the Internet fascinated me. Someone told me that I could place a billboard on the World Wide Web and forty million people would go by and see it every day. I was completely entranced with the idea that my information could be delivered anywhere in the world in less than a minute! I immediately dialed the telephone number shown on a vacant billboard on the freeway and asked how much it would cost to put my face on that billboard. The reply was "ten thousand dollars a month." I decided that the Internet was a cheaper option and set out to place my banner in view of 40 million people. Boy, was I in for a surprise. In over three months of exposure on the "net" I received only a hand full of hits. The only e-mail I received was from other people like me who had shelled out lots of money, only to find that no one was viewing my home page. I paid a price but learned a valuable lesson. "The potential of the Internet in book selling is fantastic, but you have to learn the tools of Internet marketing or you will never make any money regardless of the product or service you offer." Fortunately, the same tool that so entranced me six years ago is the same tool that I find to be the most effective in selling over the web. That tool is called an "autoresponder." An autoresponder is an e-mail service that works something like a fax-on-demand. For an author or a publisher, it works like this. You create an article or sample chapter of your book. You load that chapter into your autoresponder or e-mail on demand. You publicize the e-mail address of your autoresponder in your e-mail signature file, your web site, your business cards, order forms, and in any printed advertising about your books. The potential buyer sees that he/she may sample a chapter of your book. He types in your autoresponder e-mail address or clicks on it if he is on-line. As soon as the e-mail is sent three things happen. 1. The document is found stored on a web server and delivered immediately to the potential buyer. The process takes less than one minute and is operational 24 hours a day. The buyer may read your article or chapter in e-mail or print it out and read it offline. He/she may forward the article to other people. 2. You (the author or publisher) get a receipt e-mail that gives you the name, e-mail address of the potential buyer and any comments that he/she may have wanted you to see. 3. You collect a valuable e-mail address of a potential purchaser of your books. How effective is this tool? I receive a book sale from approximately one out of every four requests. To compare that with web page hits, I only receive one or two sales for every 3000 web hits each day! Why is its so effective? I think autoresponders give the potential buyer time to read and absorb what you have published. Most visitors on the Web are looking for free information. They are not looking to purchase anything. If they have a chance to download a sample chapter, print it out and read it while they are away from their computer, they don't feel pressured to buy. A reader is making a more informed and objective buying decision. If you already have a web site, ask your webmaster for autoresponders. They should be free of charge. You should be able to add, edit or delete text any time you choose. If your webmaster's eyes glaze over when you ask about autoresponders, then you have some free options. I recommend these options to authors and publishers that have no web site as well. All you need is an e-mail address to take advantage of the Web's most effective marketing tool for authors and booksellers. Try a couple of my autoresponders and check out how easy they are to use. For a free relaxation exercise send e-mail to: relax@wayneperkins.net For an excerpt from my new e-book, "A Cheap And Easy Guide To Self-publishing E-books" soon to be published by the 1stbooks Library, send e-mail to: easy@wayneperkins.net The following services offer autoresponders at no charge. Whether you have a website or not, you can take advantage of autoresponders. SendFree.com FastFacts.net GetResponse.com MyReply.com Once you have set up your autoresponders, you may want to list your offerings with Autoresponder Central at: Web-Source.net This is a site where you can list your autoresponder in an on-line autoresponder catalog. I wish you the best in promoting your books on-line with the most effective Internet marketing tool. About the teacher: Wayne Perkins is an E-book Consultant and author of a new book titled, A Cheap And Easy Guide To Self-publishing E-books, scheduled to be published soon by 1stbooks Library. Wayne presents E-book Marketing Teleseminars. He can be reached at: Wayne@WaynePerkins.net