Technology offers budding authors an exciting opportunity to promote their books.
Social media, in fact, has been the main, if not sole, platform that some innovative authors have used to climb book sales into the bestselling ranks.
One such book is the 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss, a relatively unknown entrepreneur who became a bestselling author in this way-Ferriss utilized only one method of book marketing and promotion to gain such an elite status-social media and online marketing.
The benefits of using social media to promote your book are: 1) Usually, there are no costs incurred in promoting yourself and/or your book via social networks; and 2) There are multiple high-profile social network sites which you can join to reach various audiences; 3) Those audiences are unlimited.
They grow every day, giving you an ever-increasing base of people to market your book; and 4) Once you've established relationships and built your network, your followers, fans, and friends join together to promote your book to their network, again at little or no cost to you.
Social media offers several opportunities to market your book.
The top sites include:

• Facebook: You can make a personal or professional Facebook page, as well as one for your book.
  Use your Facebook page to inform your 'friends' about your book, blog, book marketing and promotion events and signings, videos, and endorsements and testimonials.
  
• Twitter: Using 140 characters or less, you can link book reviews, websites, blogs, videos etc.
  , to your followers, asking them to 'Retweet' the information to their followers, and so on, and so on.
  
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a professional social network which entrepreneurs and authors can use to provide updates, links, and a professional or personal profile which encourages those in your network to visit your website and follow your progress.
  
• YouTube: A free and easy way to connect with your audience, YouTube is a great way to promote your book.
  Short online videos are a powerful networking tool, because people relate and connect to your voice and face more than the written word.
  It's an excellent way to build credibility and build a network based on your knowledge and expertise.
  

These are just a few sites-social media is exploding and new sites are popping up across the medium, providing you with multiple opportunities to market your book to an increasing audience.
To make the best use of social media in book promotion, follow these tips:

1. Develop your networks before you launch your book.
   One of the pitfalls of social media marketing is that those in your network don't like to only be marketed to-they are there to develop relationships.
   It is those relationships-not the actual marketing-which produce the biggest and best results.
   When you establish and build your network, specifically choose individuals who would be interested in your expertise.
   Read their profiles and click on their websites or blogs.
   Also make sure your profile is complete-others will also look at it to determine if they want to friend or follow you.
   
2. Help others promote their business or product.
   In order to build relationships, offer others advice, assistance, promotions, etc.
   Interact and answer questions.
   Comment on their articles, blogs, or websites.
   Encourage others to join conversations, become friends or followers with individuals in your area of expertise, etc.
   Don't make the mistake of updating your status and calling it done.
   Stick around, converse, and join the conversations.
   The more helpful you are and the more conversations you contribute to which aren't all about you, the more valuable you will be to those in your social network.
   Then, they'll be willing and ready to help you when the time comes.
   
3. Social media allows many ways to update your status on several networks simultaneously.
   Learn how to do that, and you'll save yourself a bundle of time, while multiplying your reach.
   
4. Ask and encourage those in your networks to contribute to your sites.
   Request guest bloggers or article writers and promote them.
   It could also be a good relationship-building endeavor to seek their expertise and advice, ask for their personal experiences, etc.
   Then, they know that are of value to you.
   
5. Remember your brand when building your network and providing your followers with valuable information and content.
   Your brand should be professional, but also relatable, to those who view your videos, read your blogs, websites, or updates.
   It is often this brand that attracts and appeals to those who will review your book, invite you for radio, television, newspaper or magazine interviews.
   Having a large following and a healthy social media presence is key to attracting this publicity.
   
6. Be persistent and consistent.
   It's rare that any person or book becomes an overnight sensation.
   Keep your name out there, update often, and realize that, like great friendships, the best social network relationships require time, trust, and an opportunity to grow.
   Patience and perseverance will go a long way toward producing the relationships which will increase your exposure, your fan base, and ultimately, your book sales.
   
7. Spend at least 20 minutes a day updating and growing your network.
   Think of it as an investment.
   In the same amount of time that it takes to answer half a dozen emails, you can reach out to tens of thousands individuals who really are interested in what you have to say.
   That's time well spent.
   Sell yourself first, and your book sales will follow.
   
8. Once you've built your network and established mutual relationships, you can coordinate book marketing events, promotions, giveaways, and reviews which will take your book from obscurity to bestseller status.
   Trust me, once you provide value to others, they'll toot your horn for you!