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If you dream of becoming a bestselling author, yet feel constrained by your budget, here are six tips for creating your best seller campaign on a shoestring and increasing your sales.

1. Create a Brand Experience

What is your brand as an author? True, you may write a particular genre or even across genres; however what does your audience look forward to, in your writing? What stands out about you and your writing?

Every author requires a home on the web. That home is your blog, your special space for your readers to connect with you and to develop a yearning for learning more about you and your upcoming books. As you review your blog think about the message you are leaving your audience. Do remember to:

• leave takeaways at your blog to entice your readers into even deeper relationships. As you do so build your list by encouraging them to leave their emails as they enjoy your free gifts.

• Include links to where your books are being sold

• Post events related to your book promotion

Social media marketing tools such as Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin (all free) can be very effective in marketing your book. Yet, you will need to remember the 'social' in the marketing. Contribute meaningfully to these groups and preserve your brand experience as you do so.

2. Be Engaging

Be alert to creating opportunities for engaging with your target audience. It is important for you to identify the target audience for your book. You will also need to determine where your audience is located and how to reach them, wherever they are.

As you use the social media marketing tools for networking, be clear on your purpose and strive to achieve a balance between the social - networking - and the marketing. Engage your audience by asking questions, starting discussions, and providing useful information.

You will need to engage the media, too: write professional press releases; participate in interviews, and identify local, regional, and, international media who will take your message globally. What opportunities can you identify for media engagement? Learn how to be accessible to the media and how to write a newsworthy press release.

3. Generate Content

Although you are promoting your book, it is important to generate content regularly for your audience. You could use content related to your book or tie in other content with your book or books. Select and produce quality content that will interest your audience.

You would also want to look at re-purposing your content. This will continue to expand your markets.

4. Organize a Virtual Book Tour (VBT)

A VBT allows you, the author, to 'travel' online visiting various websites and sharing written, audio and video blog posts with the blog owners and their readership. Conducting a virtual book tour as part of your best seller campaign can give you and your book the exposure you need to reach a wider audience, and provide readers with the opportunity to learn more about you and your book. Once you have decided your target audience, identifying hosts for the tour becomes easier. This added exposure could result in an increase in your book sales, which in turn will increase your ranking.

5. Host Virtual Events

Virtual events are a great tool for reaching your audience and increasing your sales. Include hosted virtual events as part of your best seller campaign. In planning your virtual events consider: the level of interaction you would like to see, the type of event you wish to run, and your primary business objective for hosting the event. Explore your options.

6. Optimize your relationship with Amazon

Important to becoming an Amazon bestselling author is your optimal use of Amazon. Position your book carefully by using appropriate categories and tags. Participate in the discussion forums as you see fit and make use of the days on Kindle Publishing, if you decide to participate in the KDP Select Programme.

Technology has given authors today a great advantage and becoming a bestselling author is well within your reach.