By making your research easily accessible to readers, Open Access publishing helps increase your book’s visibility and dissemination. Whilst Open Access publishers have specific marketing strategies for promoting your academic book, there are certain steps you can follow to help market your Open Access book effectively.
The use of value-added content
Open Access research may be easily accessible, but the specialised language used in an academic book may be less understandable. We recommend authors to write clearly and simply wherever possible. However, the use of value-added content can help communicate your research more directly to your audience.
Value-added content is author-led and research-led content that functions to complement or explain the research in your Open Access book. This type of content might take the form of author interviews and profiles, blogs, news stories or podcasts. The main purpose is to translate complex research material into easily digestible content. If your value-added content communicates your concepts effectively and interestingly, the more likely readers are to then go and download your Open Access book.
Publishers can share value-added content to a wide audience through their channels or build social media campaigns centred around this type of content. MDPI Books regularly produces value-added content with authors as part of our general promotional strategy or during specific events.
Value-added content can be created with the help of your publisher or on your initiative. It’s important to remember that if you’re looking to be interviewed, you’ll want to discuss your research with someone who understands the science behind your book and can draw out the significance of your key findings.
Utilising social media
In today’s media-driven publishing landscape, social media is incredibly important for marketing your Open Access book. Indeed, over 95% of researchers use some form of social media or scholarly collaboration network for professional purposes. Social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn are particularly useful for book promotion. There are many ways you can effectively increase the outreach of your research.
- Announce the publication of your Open Access book on your social media platforms.
- Add links to your Open Access book on public profiles. Sites such as ResearchGate, Academia.edu, ORCID, ResearcherID, and your institution’s website are good places to start. Adding a link to your Open Access book in your email signature is also an easy and effective method of promotion.
- Start a conversation. Repost/comment on any posts related to your Open Access book to generate further discussion surrounding your research.
- Grow your follower base. It’s useful to connect with authors in the same research fields as yourself. This local growth of your follower base can potentially extend to a much broader audience.
- Use hashtags relevant to the themes or areas of research in your Open Access book.
- Be yourself. Readers not only want to know about an author’s research, but they also like to have an idea of who the author is. Share your writing journey and create an intimate relationship with your followers.
Using a scheduling tool such as Buffer helps manage posts on multiple platforms. You don’t have to post excessively; even dedicating a couple of hours weekly will help keep your Open Access book in the conversation. What is important is that you express your research in a personal style that followers will appreciate and relate to.
Take advantage of conferences and events
Conferences and events are great places to advertise your book. If you’ve just released your book, speaking about your research at a conference or event is the perfect opportunity to communicate your concepts and findings and engage a relevant audience looking for the latest developments in your research field.
Networking at these conferences and events is another useful way of promoting your book. Remember to always carry a physical copy of your book with you when networking. This makes it easier if any other attendees or authors want to purchase your book or find out more about it.
As an author, it might be tempting to sit behind a booth and wait for other people to show an interest in your product. But standing up and engaging with people passing your booth shows enthusiasm and approachability. This kind of approach is desirable and will make people more receptive to your product.
If you’re attending a conference or event, make sure to inform any editors and marketers of your presence so that they can provide you with extra promotional material if necessary.
Improve the SEO of your Open Access book
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. This generally refers to increasing the amount of traffic being driven to a website by improving the readability and topical relevance of its content.
When your Open Access book is hosted on your publisher’s website, there are various things you can do to improve its SEO and discoverability.
Choose an appropriate title
Your title should reflect the main argument of your research and demonstrate originality in your field. Include any keywords you believe your audience will use to search for your Open Access book.
Write a concise and relevant abstract
A concise abstract helps communicate your research effectively. Be precise but also be engaging. The first two lines of your abstract will show as a preview in library databases and online searches. It’s highly likely that readers will decide whether to engage further with your work based on these initial words. Choose them carefully!
As with your title, it’s also important to naturally integrate keywords or keyphrases into your writing. Keywords are words or concepts of high significance in your writing that help your research rank on sites. Keyphrases have a similar function but contain several words and may be more specific than a keyword. These keywords or keyphrases can be included in the metadata as well as your abstract.
Utilise backlinks on popular blogs and websites
A great way to market your Open Access book further is to utilise blogs or other websites that generate high traffic.
This might be achieved by sending your Open Access book to blogs to review or by writing a guest feature. These reviews and features will generally include a backlink to your work. A backlink is a hyperlink that redirects traffic on a webpage to another site. This is an easy and effective way to maintain or increase interest in your Open Access book.
If you’re looking to be reviewed by a blog or website or to write for one, try and find blogs or websites that focus on or specialise in your Open Access book’s topics.
Have your Open Access book reviewed in academic journals
Don’t forget to ask your peers if they’d be willing to write a review in an academic journal. A review in a journal not only increases attention but carries with it a stamp of academic integrity.
Enjoy marketing your Open Access book
Authors are often reluctant to engage in marketing. It’s commonly seen as extra work and the responsibility of publishers. But marketing your Open Access book does not need to be a burden.
Remember your enthusiasm and belief for your project during your planning and writing. Translate this enthusiasm and belief into a method that works best for you when engaging with others. Even making one person interested in your Open Access book can be considered a success in the long term.
Finally, never underestimate what marketing can also give back to your creative work. Marketing your Open Access book may give you greater insight into your own research, highlighting which concepts of yours translate well and which may need further clarification or revision in future. Ultimately, marketing helps make audiences and yourself more aware of your book’s merits.
Are you an author looking to get started on your publishing journey? Submit a book proposal with MDPI Books today.