New Author-Expert Web Site Dares to Go Where Only Non-Fiction Authors Have Gone Before

April 27, 2005 -- Marketing maverick and acclaimed author of young adult fantasy novels, R.J. Nimmo, is making waves with an innovative new Web site and marketing campaign usually only employed by self-help gurus, purveyors of exotic diet regimens, and regular guests on Oprah.

An author of well-researched young adult novels, including the latest book in his “Tales of the Mustard Twins” fantasy series, “The Ancient Egyptian Ennead”, Nimmo identified a niche opportunity to write up his anecdotal background research as a series of informative articles to be distributed via affiliate Web sites and national print media.

In conjunction with California-based Web Designers, Butow Communications Group, and Internet Book Publicity supremos, Netconnectpublicity.com, he is being promoted internationally as an expert on “messages and influences received through books and entertainment”, and has launched his ground-breaking Web site to universal acclaim -- and catapulting book sales.

Nimmo said: “It was a logical next step for a fiction author to take. Non-fiction authors have been using this successful format, in conjunction with personal appearances and tours for years. The idea was to take the research behind my subject and turn it into something the public will find useful and informative beyond the enjoyment of the book itself.”

Selling Benefits -- Not The Product

The strategy behind the traditional author-expert Web site, used to successfully market everything from self-help parenting manuals to gourmet pet food condiments, is based around that fundamental but often overlooked marketing maxim: sell benefits -- not the product.

Nimmo believes this is the key to the success of the momentum of his campaign and is why fiction authors and their publishers -- whether independent, POD, or the big (and notoriously conservative in marketing terms) traditional houses -- should sit up and take careful note.

“Unlike, say, a non-fiction book release about a high profile celebrity or whatever, which will rate column inches regardless, there's not much you can actually say about a new fiction book,” Nimmo says. “All you can really say about it is that it is either a good book or it is a bad book. This is why I hit on the idea of promoting the fun and educational benefits I uncover as I continue researching my 6-book novel series and publish it online. This is proving to be a great success in terms of opening new avenues for Internet book marketing, Web site promotion, and online PR.”