Self Publishing on the Internet
You have done your homework and have decided to self publish your work.
You know from your research that self-publishing will save time over
trying to publish and sell through conventional methods, and now you
are ready to take the next step.
An easy way to get quick access to the millions of potential customers,
whether your are selling an e-book, e-course, digital photography or music,
is to offer it for sale on a web site that promotes and sells digital media.
These item specific web sites promote and sell a specialized area of work.
This means that unlike other online marketplaces, your work will be one of
hundreds, not one of millions that are available for sale.
Additionally, the people who view a web site that promotes digital media are
more inclined to be looking for the types of items that you are selling and
are not just there to kick the proverbial tires.
These sites contain all of the tools you will need to sell your digital media.
They supply the web space to display your work. When the visitor is ready to
buy, all of the necessary tools to allow them to purchase by credit card are
in place. Once the transaction has been approved, the buyer is allowed to
download your item right from the seller’s web site.
Listing your work on one of these sites should only take a small amount of
time and cost you no money. This is because a good site will only desire to
make money when you do, and that is by collecting a small percentage of the
sales price.
You can monitor your sales progress through the use of a user password, and
when you have sold an item, the seller collects their commission, and the
balance of the money is transferred to your account on a scheduled basis.
Even though these hosting companies will promote their web site, and consequently
your particular merchandise, there are things that you can do to help enhance
your exposure and increase sales.
One of the easiest ways to bring traffic to your web site is through reciprocal
links. Contact web sites that cater to people who could become potential
customers and ask if you can put a link to your web site there. In exchange,
offer to put a link to them on your web site. This can usually be done for free.
News groups and bulletin boards are another great way of getting the word out.
Find areas that discuss the media you are trying to sell and post a message
detailing what you are selling and where, including a hyperlink to your site.
Ask people to contribute feedback on your work. Positive feedback sparks
curiosity and instills confidence in potential buyers. Again, this is a free
way of marketing.
Banner ads are also an effective way of marketing your web site. We have all
seen them. These ads flash over the top or to the side of popular web pages.
These usually cost money, but that expense is justified by the amount of traffic
that visits these sites everyday. Again, you want to find web sites that cater
to your potential customers, check the traffic reports for their site, and if
it seems to be a worthwhile investment, create a hyperlink add to promote your
media.
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