Why You Should Be Writing & Syndicating Articles to Promote Your Book

This is a pretty basic tip in the world of search engine optimization and website promotion, but not everybody lives and breathes this stuff (as amazing as it is to me, not everybody finds internet marketing news scintillating bedtime reading), so I think it’s worth mentioning in this blog.

Let’s assume you’ve created a website and/or blog to promote your book.  Part of marketing your book online is realizing you need to promote your site at least as much as you promote your book.  Bring visitors to your site, and they’ll buy your book.

One way to promote your site is to write articles related to your niche (AKA what you wrote your book about) in order to get links to your site and to establish yourself as an authority in your field.

 These articles should be in the 500-word range, though there are no hard and fast rules.  Make sure they are helpful, as someone may read your article on another site and, based on it, decide whether or not to click through to your sites. 

To ensure those readers find you, you’ll include a resource box/author blurb at the end of each article.  This should include one or more links to your site.

Submitting Articles

Once you have a couple articles, you’re ready to submit them to article directories and well-known content sites that allow visitor-submitted information.

The article directories act as sort of a backwards bank.  You make a deposit (your article) and someone else collects (a copy of your article). 

People take your article, and they can use it on their site or in their newsletter.  In exchange (it’d be a crummy bank if you didn’t get at least something out of the deal), they are supposed to keep your resource box with your links intact (enough people do to make this exercise worth it).

The well-known content sites don’t allow people to take the articles, but they receive a lot of visitors, so your article will get exposure.  If you write a helpful article, some of those readers will doubtlessly click through to check out your site, and maybe even buy your book. 

Article Directories Worth Submitting to

There are a lot (and I do mean *lot*) more article directories out there you can submit to, but in my experience it quickly becomes a game of diminishing returns.  The less well-known directories get very little traffic, and it’s less likely your articles will be picked up and used.  Also, there’s always the possibility Google and other search engines will frown upon your identical content showing up in 200 different places with identical links back to your site.  At best, a lot of it will be ignored. 

So use the article directories I listed and maybe a couple more if you like, but don’t go overboard. 

Content Sites Worth Submitting to

Parting Tip: Not all of the links in your resource boxes need to go to the front page of your site.  In addition, consider linking to your blog, good articles on your site, etc.  Most article directories allow three links in the resource box. 

July 22, 2007 | Filed Under Search Engine Optimization 

Comments

One Response to “Why You Should Be Writing & Syndicating Articles to Promote Your Book”

  1. Coralie Cederna Johnson on September 29th, 2007 11:52 am

    This site is one of the most helpful I’ve ever run across! I have gone back to your site over and over again. I can’t thank you enough for all the responsible and helpful information you provide here! I am the author of two books of memoirs, The Wishing Years and A Tree Grows in Trout Creek. And, I have just submitted my first online essay (to goarticles.com) based on my own personal organized writing experience. I couldn’t have completed this achievement without the help of your website! Thanks a million!

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