Arielle Ford, the force behind the 21st Century Book Marketing Conference is a best-selling author in her own right. Here are a few tips she shared with the 300 or so attendees she used to promote “The Soulmate Secret:”

Arielle Ford

1. Start promoting early. She built her website six months before the book launch.

2. Build your list by offering valuable content, such as a teleseminar, webinar or first chapter of the book. But get the name and email address of the prospect in exchange. This is known as the “squeeze page” tactic and the “ethical bribe.” It’s all very legit and it works great to build a list. If you need help doing this, email me and I’ll refer you to a webmaster who can do this for you quickly, easily and inexpensively. (dan@prleads.com) She created a telesummit featuring other relationship experts. 62,000 people joined the list.

3. Create a press room on your website. It should include your bio, contact information, articles you’ve written, a list of media you’ve appeared in and links to TV or radio shows you’ve appeared on, if possible. Don’t forget photos.

4. Amazon best-seller campaign.

She also noted what doesn’t work:

1. Video book trailers. “It didn’t work at all.”

2. The Today Show. “It used to guarantee a listing on the New York Times best-seller list,” she said. But no longer. Shows that have dedicated followings and where the host endorses the book (not merely conducts an interview) work best. The one common denominator she’s noticed among clients she’s coached who have reached best-seller status is: “They were on a mission to change the world.”