I am often asked how to get the word out on a new book or publication. Working with a good public relations consultant or agency exposes you to opportunities you may not have considered. But if you just need a jump-start and are able to commit some resources to for some D.I.Y. (do it yourself) efforts, then here are 6 effective tactics you can implement that will get the word out!

1. Write a press release that describes your book in a way that is interesting to your audience.  It should be newsworthy and not promotional. Consider the point of view of a journalist to place your story and not that of a customer you are selling to. Here is a link to a site that offers help with submitting press releases: http://www.prwebdirect.com. In your release, make sure that you have a paragraph about your company with a contact name and contact info. A picture of the book cover and of you, the author is helpful too.
2. Get exposure from industry-relevant online newsletters and news groups. Contact the publisher or group manager to see if you can submit your book for a review or a news posting. You can also submit your book excerpts or blog postings to relevant newsletters so they can offer useful information to their audience while you promote your book.
3. Promote your book on Amazon.
4. Get testimonials you can publish. Get people you know to read your book and ask for quotes that express their opinion of the book. Ask permission to use the quotes and include how you’d like to list their name. For example: Lisa D., Denver, CO, or Lisa Diaz of iDiaz Marketing, etc. Get permission that you can record in writing. Email should be o.k.
5. Publish book excerpts in your blog with a link to purchase your book. A picture of the book cover with an embedded hyperlink attracts attention. Don’t forget to embed descriptive text into your image so it’s searchable!
6. Tweet a sentence about your article in your blog that links to your blog post. Use searchable terms in your tweet so you appear in relevant searches.