At my age I find that there are very few surprises in life but I find myself still scratching my head with this one as well as several other developments in the self-publishing world. This, of course, includes the follow-up on my publishing adventure with Amazon’s new publishing service, CreateSpace.com

You don’t have to pay big money for a “Millionaire” seminar. You don’t have to inch along with old-style marketing that takes too much time and money. You don’t have to tell and sell. You don’t have to spend big dollars for pay-per-click or Google ads.

One of the most common laments in the business world is, “But now that I have a website for my book/business, how do I get people to find it?” Putting up the website is only half the battle; unless people are able to find it, you won’t be improving your business. Using ‘normal people’ techniques (as opposed to computer science tricks) here’s how to fly to the top of the search engines—and stay there.

Everybody loves a bargain. Free is the best bargain. Offering free material on your website will increase your web traffic and overtime can result in more customers.Freebies can take a number of forms while still inviting visitors to connect with your material. Free products can range from a sneak preview of a book on your website all the way to including a free product with an order. There are no rules about freebies, just ideas to help get your creative processes flowing about what might work with your target audience.

Raising awareness of your book and making a beaten path to your door is considered one of the hardest aspects in the book industry. To have recognition for your work even to feel satisfied with yourself is a tough path that everyone has to walk. But, there are a great many resources and companies that will help you attain your goals as a publisher and/or author along the way making your journey smoother

In 1988 a first-time author, British mountaineer Joe Simpson, wrote of his disastrous climbing accident in the Peruvian Andes. His book, Touching the Void, got good reviews, but wasn’t too popular outside England. It sold modestly and then, like most books, began fading into obscurity.

Blogging is a relatively easy way for you to publicize your book and even improve your writing while you’re at it. If you can write an e-mail, you can write a blog—it’s the easiest, cheapest, and perhaps best way for authors to find an audience and connect with readers. Blogging is an informal, intimate form of communication that inspires trust among your readers.