While this was an interesting read, I found that it was often too vague and generalized. I understand that this is probably due to the rapid changes in social media and digital marketing tools, but I would have liked more concrete tips and strategies - perhaps also more advice on how to structure an author website.

.we live in a highly connected world, thanks to internet and social media. In old times books trickeled slowly from reader to next reader. But these days they fly.
.
Sophisticated social media platforms help authors to interact directly with readers. If a person has great social media following a publisher may reach him for book contract.
And vice versa if author writes a book his social media following can sell it fast.
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Today due to mushrooming of publishing firms and rise in number of aspiring author this book has lots of potential readers out there in the market.

In this book author guides how authors can build and accumulate social media influence.
It covers all social platforms. It also gives specific tips sbout each platform. I liked sdvice about WordPress and author website. Insights into enail list are also informative.

Advice is simple and comprehensive.
Author completely ommited publicity websites like netgalley and edelweiss. Author also doesn't cover self publishing.

It also does not name other book promoting firms and websites.

Advice is useful. Flow of writing may be boring at few points and there is slight repetition.
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Overall good book which has to be read superficially and speedily; if you have basic idea of social media. Because lots of stuff will be slready known to you.

Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.

Very technical - too technical for me, but will probably suit those who like to do a lot of IT stuff themselves. Some useful information for those it suits.

I’m not sure if I was the intended audience for this book as I already knew the information, but I would say that it is objectively a great reference book.

Burke provides a lot of information that is well-organized, easy-to-understand, and gives you space to do your own work.

I would recommend this to first-time authors or newbies to the marketing/branding world.

As a new Author I am keen to learn from those with experience of marketing , and especially marketing of books.
Marketing for Busy Authors does exactly what it intends to - provides guidance and also reassurance.
Read as a whole and then looked back on it is a valuable resource which I am to revisit again.
Fauzia Burke is clearly thorough, and at the same time humble enough to recognise that such a book is only as up todate as on the day it is written. So, she directs the Reader to her website where updates will be available in the future.
I have, from reading this book gained confidence in my marketing strategy and recommend it to all Authors, of which there are hundreds busy writing but wanting and needing to market what they write, and also market themselves.

Some great tips and advice in this book. It is written in a clear and concise way-a must for all aspiring authors.

This book offers useful and practical advice, tips, checklists, and worksheets to help authors confront the daunting prospects of selling their work. The first section guides the author toward identifying goals, establishing priorities, and understanding their target market. The next section offers practical steps for establishing an online presence.. The worksheets are an excellent point of reference for both understanding what having an online presence entails, be it a website, blog, or social media, and thinking about how to get established online.

📚 📚 📚 📚 📚

ONLINE MARKETING FOR BUSY AUTHORS is a terrific guide with brilliant step-by-step instruction for getting your work OUT THERE! Fauzia Burke, a digital book marketing guru and pioneer, shares the 411 on:

-Personal Branding
-Audience
-Dreams and Goals
-Website Design
-Mailing Lists
-Blogging
-Engagement Strategies

She takes online marketers from beginner to confident strategist, showing where to start, where to spend one’s precious time, and how to pull it all together with finesse, with ever helpful worksheets, tips and checklists. Highly recommended!

Thanks to Berrett-Koehler Publishers and NetGalley for the review copies. Opinions are fully mine.

#OnlineMarketingForBusyAuthors #NetGalley

Hi there
I review hundreds of books for writers and authors on my writing blog and I found this book told the reader only a few of the important things that authors need to do to market their books online. Not enough to fill the fill. The book also did not explain to new authors how to do the activities. I work with thousands of authors very new to book marketing and they are most often so new to online marketing that they have no idea where to start or what to do. The book would benefit from more 'how to do' rather than just telling the author what is needed. In a nutshell: Lots of puff but not enough. I don't give negatives reviews so if it okay with you, I prefer not to review this book on Amazon :)

This book is a fine jumping off spot not only for authors but also for anyone needing to build an online presence. It covers all the basics and gives explanations for why and how things matter. The additional resources are helpful.

Written in a clear manner the book assists even the most inexperienced author or marketer a plan to follow to begin building a personal brand and engaging a local community.

Online Marketing for Busy Authors: A Step-By-Step Guide by Fauzia Burke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a much-needed primer for authors needing a kick-start on their marketing campaign.

A lot of it isn't news, but being reminded of everything that's necessary and to highlight a few steps we might be missing, it's fairly essential.

Big takeaways: Every reader, every kind of contact, needs to be earned by a real voice, a personalized message. It's unfortunate for the author who would rather spend his or her days actually writing and polishing the stories that they are so invested in, but it's still important. And kinda obvious.

No one likes spam or blather. Take your time with each person, build contacts, build relationships, make real friends. Then ask for help, especially after you've given it first.

Does this sound daunting for confirmed introverts like myself?

Oh. Yes!

I don't have any issue with treating anyone like they are real people. It's the amount of headspace required to build vast networking empire that makes me want to quail. I don't think I'm any good at any of that. I don't out and mix with people. At all.

If I'm talking with people about things that get me excited, and so much DOES get me excited, then I'm as right as rain. But ACTIVELY asking for help in the much-vaunted art of begging without actually seeming to beg?

It sounds so phony. It sounds so self-serving. It makes me squirm.

And yet. And yet. Writing books is an almost solitary endeavor... at least at first. Some of us are forced to accomplish miracles in a perfect vacuum.

But selling books? It requires word of mouth and therefore a constant building of relationships. We have to use our tools REGARDLESS of our strengths. :) Alas.

I guess it's time to start making friends and begging them to do the things we're unable to do! lol

A fantastic book for authors who need to understand the world that online marketing can bring to them. Useful for both traditional and indie published authors, Burke breaks online marketing down to the very basics and makes a subject that is often daunting for some into something that seems possible for anyone to pick up.

Online Marketing for Busy Authors serves as a good crash course in marketing, especially for emerging authors who do not have the benefit of a major publishing house's marketing department behind them. While these actionable tips may not guarantee sales, they certainly can't hurt. It's good to hear from someone who has actually helped books become bestsellers. Burke's success and experience in the industry sets her far apart from the herds of unsuccessful writers pushing books about how to become successful writers.

Informative read. Though 90% of the same advice can be found on the internet so not something unique. Still it was good if for nothing then for enforcing the ideas one already knows.

A good beginner guide for author's wanting to begin to tackle social media. If not marketed to beginners others more experienced will be upset if they purchase.

Much more useful than I could have anticipated.
Well writtem, informative, and most importantly, relevant in todays busy world

I love that this book focuses on brand as the cornerstone of digital marketing. As a publishing consultant and educator, I have recommended Burke's Online Marketing for Busy Authors as one of the five essential books for every author's bookshelf.

The book Online Marketing for Busy Authors by Fauzia Burke, a leader in online book marketing and consultant for authors, explores essential aspects of marketing such as personal branding, reader profiles, goals, and much more. It offers a plethora of resources, exercises and integrated worksheets.

Fauzia Burke really does the job she set out to do in this short yet immensely helpful book. Since there are several good points to it and very few negative points, I’ll start with the latter: it is indeed too short. That’s it. I loved it so much I craved for more information, examples, explanations, and resources! I was satisfied with the book when I reached the end yet disappointed because I wanted to dive even more in Miss Burke’s experience.

As for the good points, prepare to be overwhelmed (no, really, this book is fantastic for authors like me who have no idea how to market their books!). In the first pages, the author makes it clear what to expect from her book and what its structure is (three sections in order to make the best gradual use of it – a step-by-step approach). I must admit what I loved most about this book is how straightforward it is: Miss Burke’s tone is friendly yet she doesn’t kick around the bush. She gives precise and direct information with just enough detail so as not to bore the reader. Plus, the information shared by the author is highly relevant to the field and does exactly what the title of the book implies. In other words, it makes you think about YOUR own online marketing strategy and find guided solutions for you. Her examples are clear and easy to understand.

This book also includes worksheets, advice, and quotes, which are all useful and well thought to help us. There’s even space for the exercises in her book – it’s close to being interactive! It really feels like the author, Miss Burke, truly wants to help us, starting from the basics and expanding on that newly learned knowledge. Her vocabulary is inspiring and diverse; it is also laced with kindness and even sometimes a pinch of humor. Thus, the writing is quite enjoyable and conveys the intended messages. Do you want to know another fabulous point about this book? It is free of typos and mistakes of any kind! That impressed me, I must say. It made my reading flow like a river (now, don’t you just like my failed attempt at poetry here?).

Miss Burke is always professional! Her twenty years of experience really show in all the information she gives us and how she does it too. She covers a wide range of topics and gives in-depth but short explanations throughout the book. Not only does she tackle what we can get out of each marketing effort, but also the why, which professionals rarely do. There are constant reminders of your goals and marketing strategy in every chapter so you don’t lose your focus. The author also provides tips on how to best use social media and certain platforms, which she deems the best in terms of online marketing.

Her views and guidance on the different marketing efforts are realistic. Miss Burke also makes use of good questions that prepare you and make you think about your own strategy. There are also lists of things to do that cover the steps you need to go through in order to succeed at that particular marketing effort. This book demystifies marketing for authors. It makes me feel more confident about my own online marketing strategy, which I’ll now tweak a bit thanks to Miss Burke! One of the best things about Online Marketing for Busy Authors is the tools (a.k.a websites) it gives us to learn more about our niche and potential bloggers, customers. It also provides the tools for us to find help, tips, and ideas. Lastly, Miss Burke does a recap of everything learned at the end of her book, which is a useful refresher training!

Fauzia Burke, the author of Online Marketing for Busy Authors, hit the bull’s eye with her book. In my opinion, she covers all the essential points and makes it interesting, even for a marketing newbie like me. Because I found it very helpful and true to its blurb and title (and also her own experience as a leader in online book marketing), I give it a rating of 5 out of 5. There were no major bad points, only the fact that I wished her book was longer so I could learn about marketing even more. This book is perfect for fans of Joanna Penn and James Scott Bell for it gives practical tips to achieve your own online marketing with no nonsense explanations of how to do so, a particular manner that reminds me of those two great authors. If you’re an author or an aspiring one who’s lost in all the marketing you need to do, Fauzia Burke’s Online Marketing for Busy Authors simply must be on your shelf. I have the conviction it will make you even like online marketing, just as it did with me.

This is a terrific book for authors interested in utilizing online resources for promoting their writings. While the content tends to be aimed at an Internet novice, more experienced authors can use the tools offered by Burke to reevaluate their current online marketing efforts.

Burke asks, “How do you prevent your brand from getting lost in all the social media noise? The answer: Be uniquely you. Aim for authenticity” (page 9). Sounds simple. Right? But how exactly do you accomplish that? Burke offers step-by-step guidance, including coming up with your own “brand statement” that will help you devise content to share on social media.

“To become a well-known and well-established professional author you have to be ready for the long haul, so adjust your expectations and remember that building an effective brand is a marathon, not a sprint” (page 15).

To maximize the benefit of social media, “You need to know where your readers spend their time and what social media sites they visit” (page 19). Burke provides information to help evaluate your audience and learn which platforms they most likely use.

There’s also an extensive exercise for setting realistic goals and priorities for the marketing of your book.

Burke offers detailed advice on how to maximize your usage of various outlets. For example, regarding using a Facebook author page to advertise an upcoming event, “you can target people who live five to twenty miles from the event location. We have used this type of advertising for many of our clients, and every time we have seen bigger turnouts than expected” (page 45).

This book isn’t only about utilizing social media, it’s also about other necessary online marketing essentials, such as managing your website and your mailing list. Burke includes terrific advice, checklists, and exercises to make sure these tools are helping you achieve your goals.

“Your most important marketing task is to keep your Super Fans happy and engaged” (page 74).

I know personally, I don’t send out a regular email to my readers, because I don’t want them to think I’m “spamming” them. However, Burke gives great advice, which I want to immediately put into practice. She says, “don’t do it only to promote a new book. You should communicate with your fans even when you have nothing to promote” (page 75). This makes sense! I suppose if you only email fans when there’s something to promote, that will feel more like spamming than emailing regularly will. Plus, Burke offers valuable advice regarding content to include in your email newsletters.

I’ve marked up ONLINE MARKETING FOR BUSY AUTHORS with post-its, highlights, and notes, and I’m ready to put what I’ve learned from it into action.

My favorite line from the book: “No amount of social media is going to help you sell a book that is not well written” (page 92).

[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and was in no way influenced by anyone else.]

Well written & laid out with some useful Q&A exercises to define your goals & 'brand'.
Useful for a brand new beginner - more experienced authors will probably have seen the advice here already.
More useful for non-fiction writers than fiction.