Considering the current economic climate, it has never been a better time for publishers and authors to turn their focus to lower cost, high impact Internet marketing. Amazon Connect is one new vehicle for our Internet marketing efforts, which has great potential to drive sales.

Amazon Connect now makes it easier for publishers and authors to connect with consumers, while promoting their books and blogs. This free program allows publishers and authors to post messages directly to their readers. These messages appear on the consumer’s Amazon home page, on the author’s detailed book page, and profile page. Authors are also able to create their own profile page with personalized information. All you need is a blog that has the ability for people to subscribe to it through their RSS newsreader feed.

Authors and publishers are now more in control of the content on their books’ Amazon pages than ever before. There has never been a better time to start blogging!

On Oct. 28 from 6-8pm at the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in NYC, PAMA will hold its Fall Cocktail Party presented by BookPage magazine. BookPage will be celebrating 20 years of book reviews.

RSVP: rsvp@pama-ny.org

Price: $25

On Sept. 27, Eat Right America will be at the American Diabetes Association Expo presenting their Eat for Health books. This event will take place from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the Javits Center in New York City. Admission is free so come for multi-cultural diabetes information, free health screenings, cooking demonstrations and everything you need to know about diabetes under one roof.

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
11th Ave., between 34th & 39th Streets
New York, NY

Admission: Free

On Sept. 22, from 9am-6pm at the NYU Kimmel Center Publishers Weekly magazine, will hold this 1 day course for authors about how the publishing industry really works. Karen Strauss will speak at 2:30pm on the topics of book marketing and publicity. The day will include many influential book agents, authors, editors and book marketing professionals, who will speak on a variety of topics, from nuts and bolts to alternative publishing.

NYU Kimmel Center
60 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012

On Aug. 4, from 10am to 4pm, this free event for booksellers and book buyers will take place at the Nassau Inn in Princeton, NJ. TitleWave is a day that includes a presentation of picks of the list by Ken Abramson and the BookStream staff, appearances by new and upcoming authors, and a chance to network with fellow booksellers.

To reserve a spot call Carolyn Bennett at 866-416-1112 x209 or send an email to carolyn.bennett@bookstream.com

Could giving away free book samples drive more book sales, like giving away samples of deli meat makes grocery shoppers want to buy more? The cosmetics industry, for example, has used free samples of their products to grab customers for years, maybe the book industry should take note.

It is no secret that the culture inside a Borders or Barnes & Nobles bookstore is to hang around for hours in the comfy chairs reading books, like getting free samples before you buy. This has contributed largely to the popularity of these book chains, helped books sales and customer loyalty.

Now book publishers and authors can utilize the Internet for a similar effect. In his blog psfk, Dan Gould notes Neil Gaiman’s book American Gods, which was put up online in its entirety for free by its publisher, in an effort to promote his upcoming work The Graveyard Book. Despite being available online for free, actual book sales went up. The Internet is not killing print, in fact it can help if used in creative ways.

ABC Network’s hit Lost TV show now has a book club. The TV show book club will be, “home to any and all literary references made on the show–from Stephen King to Kurt Vonnegut.” At a time were television can be seen as eclipsing the book world, it seems this media could actually give something back in terms of book sales.

The Lost book club features books mentioned in various episodes of the show. Clicking on the book cover leads you to a short description, its reference point in the show, an opportunity to watch that clip of the show, a discussion with other members, and a buy button to purchase the book. So far it seems there are only 32 books to choose from, but the series isn’t over yet.

Green book production is a vital next step in reversing global warming. We can all do our part at home recycling bottles and paper, but the next step is to get whole industries involved in being more eco-friendly. Eco-Libris is trying to do just that by getting the publishing industry to go green with their program to plant one tree for every book printed.

So far Eco-Libris has planted more than 60,000 trees. Eco-Libris offers publishers who partner with them more than the opportunity to do something good for the earth, but also a strategy for green book marketing. They provide “One tree planted for this book” stickers (printed on recycled paper) to use as promotional items, and assist with online marketing efforts by presenting your titles on their website and in online social networks. This could create buzz around your books targeting the green market.

The trees planted from this program are in high sustainable areas of Latin America and Africa, where the communities can benefit from them and deforestation is a critical problem. Take the lead in green book production, while gaining a marketing edge, and addressing readers concerns about the environment.

With the wealth of book reviews and information online, and the massive discounts offered by places like Amazon.com, book clubs are being given a run for their money. How can online book clubs still thrive? The Progressive Book Club (PBC) has set out to revive them by providing a central place for title recommendations, and promotion of books by smaller publishers that might have difficulty receiving attention elsewhere.

Started by Elizabeth Wagley, a liberal-minded former fund-raiser and communications adviser for nonprofit groups, this online book club is meant to push back against conservative ideology. The Progressive Book Club will be a place for meeting new friends, forum for learning, joining online and off-line discussions, and all while helping to build a movement by underwriting progressive organizations and media with the money you spend on their books. When you join, you can buy 3 books at $1 apiece in exchange for the obligation to buy 4 books over the next 2 years.

This online book club seeks to improve on the old model by getting rid of paper catalogs and offering a social networking component. Filling a void for progressively minded readers just might be the way to revive the ever less popular book club structure. Cutting through the clutter of all the titles out there is still a valuable service, especially for like-minded readers.

Translating your company’s brand identity, promoting products, and driving sales online can present a big challenge in the face of smaller niche markets. Thankfully, for as many obstacles as the Internet presents, it also offers innovative solutions. Not only must you specifically tailor your efforts but also carefully track what is working. These online tools and resources can help in your marketing efforts.

Keeping up with the latest methods of reaching people is important in the ever changing online world. Prominent Internet marketing strategist, and social media marketer B.L. Ochman’s What’s Next Blog, an AdAge Power 150 blog, provides up-to-the-minute news, trends, and resources of social media marketing.

Tracking your efforts can also give you insight into what works online. Google provides a free service called Google Alerts, enter in your key titles and receive emails every time they are mentioned online.

The Internet has forever changed the dynamics of effective book marketing strategy and brand building. Online the landscape is one of many to many, no longer one to many. Reaching out to consumers on their terms in their niche fields on interest is of utmost importance.