5 Quick, Free Ways to Buzz Your Book

Take an hour or so this week to get the word out about your book through one of these free online services:

1. Goodreads: Set up an author page, because passionate members recommend books, compare what they're reading, review, discuss, debate, and join book clubs. Tip: Offer a free giveaway for the book.

2. Indiebound: This American Booksellers Association site allows you to make lists of your titles and other favorites, "fan" your favorite indies, and sign up for an affiliate account to generate links to books. Tip: Create a free book widget to post on your website or blog.

3. Amazon: The Author Central program makes it easy to view and edit your bibliography, add a photo and biography to a personal profile, and upload missing book cover images. Tip: Import your blog posts to your Amazon author page.

4. GetGlue: Glue serves as a web-based concierge to help people find books (and other entertainment). Their techie folk create free book widgets for authors. Tip: Submit your book for a Guru Giveaway.

5. Twitter Book Parties (I'm biased, but it's fun): If you've written a traditionally-published children's or YA book, sign up for a party to share the news of your release via Twitter. Tip: You can celebrate new books even if you haven't written one.