Are You a Published Book Author? Two "Must Join" Sites

A discussion about two excellent online sites for book authors. These sites are free-to-join and allow for promotion of published works.

Book Author Scenario

• You've published a book
• You are busy promoting and building author credibility
• You are trying to advertise
• You hope to realize sales

Two sites I would recommend for book authors are JacketFlap and Author's Den. Why?

• These sites are free-to-join
• You create an author profile picture.
• You list your published work
• You upload your book cover
• You link to sites selling your book

Results are returned when searchers look for you on the Internet. They visit your pages, see your author profile and other information about you. Your books are advertised and this directs interested parties to sites selling your books. End result? SALES.

Let's take a look at each.

JacketFlap

Interested parties can search JacketFlap's vast database of published children's books, thereby finding your book/books easily. They can search by title and/or category. They can search for a book targeting a specific age range.

For example, say someone is looking for recently published bestselling books for 4-8-year-olds. A search at JacketFlap returns a listing of books that fit this criteria. Now, a searcher sees a book that looks interesting and clicks on the title. In this case, let's look at the first book listed: Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas. The book cover appears, with a description of the book.

Now, here's where the magic begins. Below the cover picture, a searcher sees a listing of sites where the book is sold. In this case, we see: Amazon, Abebooks, Alibiris, Bookfinder, "At a Local Bookstore" and "Find in a Library." A click on any of these links takes a buyer to the applicable page where they can buy the book.

A site visitor can also, from the JacketFlap page, read Amazon reviews of the book and any comments which may help him/her to decide whether to purchase.

• Authors share their author information through buttons on their pages (Twitter, Facebook).
• If an author has a book-related blog, it can be added at JacketFlap so that blog posts stream. This is an excellent method to get the word out about a pending book. I've done this with my Bedbug book series, so that readers who visit my JacketFlap pages can keep abreast of the latest happenings and look at related pictures.

AuthorsDen

In similar fashion, AuthorsDen brings together a large community of book authors and is an online site that sees 1400,000 readers each month. Authors share their bio, blog, books, author events and can link to their websites.

Readers can use AuthorsDen to find their favorite authors and review and purchase books.

• Authors use AuthorsDen to sell their books. For a free membership, an author can post his/her bio, photo, and list one book. If the book is on Amazon, the author can link to it via AuthorsDen, thus driving sales. If the book is available on other sites, the author can include purchasing information.

I've recently set up my webpage at AuthorsDen and will add my Bedbug children's book, which has been recently published, is offered online and will be offered via Amazon.

• AuthorsDen allows others to become fans of authors who have joined the site.
• Authors can click on the Share button to spread the word about their presence on AuthorsDen.
• A Subscribe button allows others to keep abreast of your author news and book releases.

If you are looking for invaluable publishing tools, these online sites for book authors fit the bill. You can create a presence and a following online with author-friendly sites.

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