With so many different companies jumping on the e-reader bandwagon, it might seem as if Amazon (AMZN) will have to share its dominant digital market space with fellow behemoths like Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG), and Barnes & Noble (BKS). But anyone who thought the online retailer might not be keeping up on the device front is missing crucial elements of Amazon's long-term strategy. The company has bigger plans in store, and the most recent moves might qualify as "game-changing," that over-used but still meaningful expression.
Social Media has a stronger impact to books than the movable type had, launched six centuries ago. Social Media makes information producible, accessible and spreads it easily, quickly and without barriers of entry. Is Social Media the paradigm shift which will the publishing industry alive? In any case changes will come. Big changes.
Marketing is changing. Whether you buy into the 2.0 hoopla or not how you market your business to consumers is changing, and consumers are driving that change. Customers are not content to accept broadcast or interruption marketing anymore. They want direct access and interaction with your business.
Book reviews are an easy and effective way to promote your book. People like hearing about new books and what others think of them.
Radio is one of the most effective marketing tools for those who want to reach both mass-market and targeted audiences. Talk radio is even more effective but often less appreciated by those with a message to sell to American consumers.
Reader communities are a specialized type of social networking site where readers and authors network, and readers recommend books to others. For authors of fiction and children's books, reader communities may be even more useful than the more general social networking sites like Facebook.
Social media is one of the most dynamic tools for an author who is ready to increase their fan base and advertise their new and upcoming books. Social media is very simply a SOCIAL media which allows authors to interact with fans directly as opposed to going through a publicist.
