Book Promotion Rule # 1 Start a Cool Author Site

Welcome, to this blog dedicated to book promotions and author branding. My name is Hersh Bhardwaj and books have been my passion ever since I finished reading  From Sex To Superconsciousness by Osho when I was 17. No, not entirely because of the content, which actually disappointed me as the title promised so much. I am now a online marketer and have been helping authors( not professionally) brand themselves to sell more. It's fun.



So, here is the deal- you come read this blog regularly ( best way to do that is to subscribe to this blog by submitting your email in Follow By Email link on the right). This is not rocket science. You'll soon know the basics and that's all you need to master to brand yourself online. Simple but true. Equally modest is our first idea about branding-  Start a Cool Author Site.

So what you might think is a 'cool' author site-

• It has to look professional- not amateurish.Must not look a Designed-By-Me stuff. Just hire a designer after checking out his/her portfolio. Around $200-300 would get you a decent designer in India. 
• Use this site to showcase your taste, style, and personality. It's your chance to meet online potential readers/fans. What would you want them t think about you? Boring, dull, regular, or, dynamic, stylish, and unique? 

Now in terms of online marketing what do you want this site to do for you:-

• It's your online portfolio. Anyone visiting this seeks to know you as a person and author. Help them. Spend time on your pitch. This is your time on the podium- think carefully and present the unique 'you'. Use audio, video, text, images- just weave a personality they'll like.
• You want info about your books on the site. Do not harp on the sales pitch. Just some 'behind the scenes' info about your books. 
• Collect emails of your visitors. Use a web-form to do that. Most people use some kind of freeby that they give away in exchange of the contact details. 
• Connect using social media. Have links on your site. But they'll only connect with you if they find your personality/books as depicted on your site to be worth following. So it's down to your web copy.
• Make it easy for them to buy your books. Your site can be a one-stop place for buying your books. You can use Amazon links, or, your publisher's links. Or, maybe you can give them a discount if they buy from you directly. Be creative.

So, how many of you have a site that ticks all these boxes? Let's have a look at your sites.