Marketing an Ebook -- the Difficulties

Dogs kick up the ground after marking in order to make themselves known to other dogs. My 80 pound mutt, Buster, leaves me standing in an inch of dirt surrounded by broken shrubbery. He's the bane of Saugus landscapers. If only I could work up the same enthusiasm for broadcasting my name and works.

I've got a new ebook out--The Groom's Cake. It has a clever cover, I think the story is fun (I would, wouldn't I) and it's an inexpensive purchase. So why is it so difficult to approach the marketing?

First off, there isn't anything tangible to offer. Sure, you can print off an ebook, but you still haven't anything to take to book fairs. It feels weird. Then, the book is currently available at Wicked Ink Press. They are wonderful people, but since that's the only place it's on offer, people can't follow their habits to Amazon. I feel like I'm asking people to step outside their comfort zone just to buy my ebook.

And since I don't own the rights, I can't simply upload it to Kindle, which has a much broader fan base.

There's a really great post by author Pam Ripling at http://networkedblogs.com/6l9Z4 about what she's done over the past few weeks to promote. She has a specific slant--her suspense stories take place in and around lighthouses--but they are great suggestions for marketing. I'm going to study them and see what I come up with.