Online Book Publicity and Search Engine Marketing Solutions
for Fiction & Nonfiction Authors & Publishers

FREE Online Book Publicity & Marketing Newsletter

Ideas & Articles on Search Engine Optimization and Online Book Publicity for Authors and Publishers

ISSUE 54:

HAJNI BLASKO Online Book Publicist & SEO Specialist

Hajni Blasko started the world's first online book publicity network, Substance Books, in February 2001. Ten years later, she remains a pioneer in this emerging field.

What exactly is online book publicity? What does it involve?
HB: Online book publicity is an umbrella term for various forms of book publicity that take place over the Internet, including social networking, search engine pay-per-click advertising, branded web sites, link exchanges with other web sites and online press releases. I do a little bit of all these things, but what I am mostly about these days is marketing through search engine optimization and marketing, because I believe it's the most cost-productive publicity technique when it comes to book sales.

For those of us who haven't heard of it, what does search engine marketing mean?
HB: It means making sure that your title appears within the top search results on Google and other major search engines. This way, your title shows up in the “organic” search results, not just the area where the paid advertising goes. After all, 93% of all web traffic passes through a search engine, so if you want people who don't already know about your book to discover it, this is the way to go. The key to good search engine marketing is finding the appropriate key phrases that allow book buyers searching for their favourite genres to find our titles.

The web and its users have evolved a lot over the past ten years. How has online book publicity changed?
HB: When I first started Substance Books, online book publicity was unheard of, so I didn't have any similar companies to model myself on. In fact, I didn't even know what professional title to give myself — I thought of “online book publicist” one day in the bath. I learned by trying different things and seeing what worked. I started off by featuring the authors together in one website, to give them more publicity power than they would each have individually. Over time, this website got a lot of visits, which made it crawl up higher on search engine results. Eventually, I figured out how to get even better search engine results using SEO techniques. There are a few more online book publicists out there now, but I think I'm the only one who offers search engine marketing along with other services.

How will you be celebrating the 10th anniversary of Substance Books this month?
Our website has been made over in bright, primary colours like Google, to represent our emphasis on search-engine marketing. Also, I'll be offering a $20 listing fee discount to any new or current clients who are members of our Facebook page. (To become a member of the Facebook page if you are not one already, click “Like” below)

Social networking is very “in.” How can authors and publishers use it to their advantage?
HB: Authors can use Twitter and Facebook to brand themselves, meet other authors and disseminate information about book signings and the like. But I need to emphasize that it's one tool among many for gaining online exposure for your title. There's a tendency to fetishize social networking because it's the “next big thing,” but it has its limits as a medium. It might be fun to spend 20 hours a week on Facebook, but your return on your investment is going to be poor compared to spending the same amount of time on your website or other marketing efforts.

What should a book's website be like?
HB: It depends on your budget and publicity goals. I believe that all authors and publishers should have a website for branding purposes, and if their objective is book sales too then it becomes paramount that the website be search engine optimized and up to industry standards. Amateurish websites are no longer good enough; the online competition is too stiff. This is why Substance Books has also been offering website design and makeover services for the past five years. If you have a mystery thriller, your website should be as good as Dan Brown's, because that's your online competition.

How does online book publicity fit in with more traditional kinds of book publicity? Do you see it replacing book fairs and so on?
HB: No; I think there will always be a place for traditional exposure to readers and the press, even though online publicity is becoming more and more important. Ideally, the two forms of publicity would create a synergy together. That's why I participate in BookExpo America every year.

Do you have any final advice for authors and publishers who are interested in online publicity?
HB: Just that they should focus on their main objectives. For example, if your objective is sales, then targeting the readers that love the book's genre is probably going to sell more books than scattering ads for your book all over the Internet. And a few loyal readers is worth more than a whole lot of one-time visitors to your website or your distributor. It's not so much about the quantity of web traffic you get; it's about the substance of the traffic.

What's New at Substance Books

A major makeover of the Substance Books Website is now complete. We have simplified navigation, increased usability and found better ways to communicate the services we offer.

Update on the Status of our Free Publicity Projects

• Authors' Directory: Ongoing
• Free press release distribution: Closed
• SEO of all listings: Ongoing
• Promotional link sponsors: Closed
• Free site evaluations: Ongoing
• Free Facebook and Twitter recommendation buttons: Ongoing

Would you like your title to feature on the first page of Google? Get more info

Online Publicity and exposure with this Search Engine Marketing Network is only $220.00 USD or CAD annually and yields great results!   Test it yourself! It's Free.
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Launched in 2001, the company is the largest of its kind, having served hundreds of authors and publishers since its inception. If you would like to know what our represented authors say about our services, we invite you to read their testimonials!

The objective of Substance Books is to drive the industry's targeted traffic - the general reading public - to your book.

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Publicity Campaigns Packages and Prices

Take advantage of our highly successful online marketing campaigns!	One-year Campaign $220 USD  $220 CAD	Two-year Campaign Save $80 compared to one-year campaign $360 USD $360 CAD	Two-year Comprehensive Campaign Save $120 compared to one-year campaign $420 USD $420 CAD
Mention of Literary awards	included	included	included
Engine Optimized listing	included	included	included
Publicity Projects	included	included	included
Listing in Directory of Authors	included	included	included
Social networking opportunities	included	included	included
Number of book categories in which title appears	1	1	2
Number of links provided	3	3	6
Number of Search Engine Optimization "SEO" key phrases	1 key phrase	1 key phrase	2 key phrases
Monitoring of Search Engine Ranking Position "SERP"	included	included	included
Reporting of Search Engine Ranking Position "SERP"	biannually	quarterly	monthly
	One-year Campaign $220 USD $220 CAD	Two-year Campaign $360 USD $360 CAD	Two-year Comprehensive Campaign $420 USD $420 CAD

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