Self-publishing is growing by the minute. From Wattpad (check this out already!) to Amazon’s Create Space and Kindle Direct Publishing, content creators (authors seems so archaic) are finding places to share their talents, and readers are enjoying the fruits of those talents. Actually, readers themselves are agents in the creation of content, offering their praise, criticism, and ideas in mutually beneficial writer/reader communities.
With so much buzz happening online, how are traditional book publishers keeping pace when marketing their books? Book trailers have become commonplace, and the use of social media is a no-brainer. But, as featured in today’s National Post, Penguin Canada has gone a step further with The Echo Project, an online companion to Khaled Hosseini‘s new novel, And the Mountains Echoed. A PR firm is creating online content for every page (402!) of the novel. Of course, Hosseini is a rainmaker; but still, this is ambitious. And yes, interested readers/creators, the project is interactive.
Interestingly, the National Post article reports that the number one way the public learns about new books is by in-store awareness, and word-of-mouth is number two. Number two I get, but number one? It’s only a matter of time before that gets deep-sixed.