Need Ideas For Promoting A Book (for client)!

JV with others locally who have ideal clients.

This one requires a bit of thinking, but use his book as leverage to provide
value-add to that other local business. For example, since he's into water
conservation, perhaps one JV niche local are land surveyors. Or charitable
organizations, like Audobon.

Reach out, offer to give away X amt of books to their clients
or members, etc.

I realize he's probably looking to sell them, and there's other ways to do
this successfully with these groups once you get some momentum with them.

For example, I saw one author do this successfully with a charity, who gave
his stuff away when people gave a certain $. I saw it done with PBS pledge
drives.

Once you get some momentum, it's easy to broker his book at a wholesale
price to these people, who buy it from him at say, $10 each, and they
use it as bait to drive memberships/new clients.

Might even allow you to work both sides, and consult to both.

HIH

Thinking checking out who is on twitter regarding water conservation, and following them. Building a reputation there and then promoting the book might land some sales.

It is possible for a relatively small number of people to time their purchases right and, for a short period of time, drive the book they wish to support up the charts…every other bookseller, reviewer, producer and store manager will hear about World changing, and our odds of getting the traction we need to bring world changing ideas into the public debate will dramatically increase.

Try ranking the amazon book for relevant keyword terms. Make a video and rank the video.

I'm gonna go old school (or at least back in my day) on you now. I was in the retail end of books for 25 years, so I saw a little.

First, is your client willing to do interviews? That is a powerful method of promotion, at TV local news, NPR, PBS, talk shows and the mother of them all, OPRAH. That would be aiming very high and would depend on the content, but media tours were often used back in the good old days to promote books. And don't forget the many online broadcasts that so many people do these days. In fact, he could set up his own show and try to get "name guests" on to talk with him.

And spread the word.

Press releases about these appearances or even just about the great new book can be used online and offline. Send info to high volume bloggers in the niche, blog comment, etc.

Put an webinar together with like-minded guests and maybe sell your book as part of a package with the other guests' products.

The JV idea above is great also, find targeted lists in that niche and let them promote it. Targeted mailing lists can also be done direct (snail) mail, although the offer would have to be combined with something more expensive to make that have a chance at working profitably.

Combining the book with something that really saves water AND does other, "sexier" stuff (makes your hair soft and silky, for a silly example) can even lead to finding a guy with an English accent to do an infomercial for him.

I might be getting a little far out, so that's enough of my 2 cents...

Gary

There are some really good recommendations in this thread for promoting a book. I'd also recommend speaking to as many groups as possible (assuming he likes speaking). It is not hard to get time at any number of Chamber of Commerce meetings or other groups that meet regularly. With his niche, I'm sure there are some environmental groups, even maybe a Zoo that would allow him to speak. Depending on the size of the audience, he could sell quite a few books after speaking.

-Ben

Speaking is an excellent avenue for selling books. Even if he speaks for free he needs to share valuable information and he will sell books. Just make sure that it's okay with the group for him to sell his books -- and don't pitch the book in the presentation. Just tell them at the end that the book is available for sale. If the group will let you place a flier at each seat. Another idea is to give a book as a door prize and collect names and emails to build a list. Good luck!

Here are some techniques I'm using with book promotion clients:

Google Plus
-have your client join google plus
-develop a complete profile on google plus.
-within google plus-have him determine who are influencers in the water conservation niche
-follow those people
-start sharing good articles which includes what your client has written, new trends/news, and other things that affect water conservation (weather, economy)
Social bookmarking
-use social bookmarking to spread the reach of his posts, articles, and stories he finds
Quora.com
-have your client join quora.com and start answering questions about water conservation

Best of luck