Top 10 Book Promotion Strategies for 2010 Revealed by Survey

by Dana Lynn Smith

The Internet is rapidly changing the way that books are published and promoted.

A recent survey designed to find out how authors and publishers plan to promote their books in 2010 shows that Web 2.0 techniques are a top priority. An overwhelming 94 percent of the respondents said they plan to promote their books with social networking and other social media, and 84 percent plan to use blogging.

According to the survey, here are the top 10 book promotion methods that authors and publishers plan to use this year:

1. Social networking and social media: 94 percent
2. Blogging: 84 percent
3. Seeking book reviews: 75 percent
4. Seeking testimonials and endorsements: 73 percent
5. Press releases: 68 percent
6. E-zines or email marketing: 62 percent
7. Radio and television talk shows: 62 percent
8. Speaking or teleseminars: 60 percent
9. Article marketing: 57 percent
10. Book signings: 56 percent

Despite the emphasis on online book promotion in 2010, more traditional activities like book reviews and radio interviews are still important. An effective book promotion plan should use a variety of online and offline tactics for the widest reach.

The book promotion strategies survey was conducted by The Savvy Book Marketer in December, 2009. Of the 136 survey respondents, 42 percent are independently or self-published authors, 25 percent are authors published by a traditional publishing house, 12 percent are aspiring authors, and 21 percent are publishers or others in the industry.

Dana Lynn Smith is a book marketing coach and author of The Savvy Book Marketer's Guide to Successful Social Marketing. and several other book promotion guides. For book promotion tips, visit The Savvy Book Marketer blog. Get a copy of the Top Book Marketing Tips e-book when you register for her free book marketing newsletter. For more book marketing tips, follow Dana on Twitter or visit TheSavvyBookMarketer.com .