First Issue

Have you been scratching your head over how to generate some online word of mouth about your book? Head on over to Mini Book Expo and scratch no more.

The site’s tagline of Claim It – Read It – Blog It says it all: MiniBookExpo showcases free copies of books. Anyone can claim a copy in return for a blog post or review.

The site has been around since 2006 but seems to taking off in a huge way over the last few weeks. More publishers are signing up and more books are being offered every day.

The great news is that Mini Book Expo welcomes self-publishers with open arms and it’s free to get your book into the lineup. Fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books are all eligible. According to the site, business books get snapped up quickly.

Books are shipped out to bloggers for free within Canada, thanks to sponsors who are covering the mailing costs. Bloggers outside of Canada can also request your book, but it sounds like you will have to subsidize the mailing cost yourself or make the bloggers pay it.

Donate a few copies of your book, get exposure on the site, get connected with bloggers, and get online reviews circulating – you can’t beat it.

Check the site’s FAQ for instructions on how to submit your book.

Print newspapers continue to cut back their book review sections. Anyone surprised? You shouldn’t be. Waaaaay, way back in 2001, dwindling book review sections were cause for alarmist headlines about the war on culture.

Today, the print space dedicated to books continues to decline. And yet book buzz is greater than it ever was. It’s just moved to a Web 2.0 space.

Even while print publications cut down their book space, many of those same publications have recently launched new book blogs. Check out Paper Cuts from the New York Times or Jacket Copy from the Los Angeles Times as just two examples.

Then there are the countless blogs run by readers and other “amateur” reviewers, and the thriving social networks built around books. Look at Shelfari, a social network where members swap book info, or LibraryThing, where users can build a virtual bookshelf and delve into discussions with other members.

As in many industries, the power of buzz has moved away from a small number of credentialed cultural arbiters to online communities and social networks. There are countless opportunities to get the word out about your book, without having to worry about a big print review.