Section 24.4 (*) Marketing
Didn’t think about that one? Write it, and they will come? Not necessarily. I have seen nice projects where authors make little extra effort to get the word out, and it shows. With the Internet, effective promotion can be accomplished without much effort or expense. And very soon your project can rise very high in search engine rankings.
Subsection 24.4.1 Adopters and Announcements
Knowing who uses your book, and being able to reach them, repays a little bookkeeping. Early on, keep an adoption list—a private record of the courses and instructors you know have adopted the work. As the project matures, a public “Selected Adopters” list, naming supporters at a range of institutions, reassures a prospective adopter who is weighing an unfamiliar open resource.
It is also worth maintaining a low-volume announcement list for occasional news—a new edition, a significant correction, a call for help. Make it a personal list that you curate, rather than a self-subscribed mailing list: gather addresses as people write to you (those who report errors or typos are an excellent start), and always offer an easy way to opt out. A short note now and then keeps a project present in its community’s attention.
Subsection 24.4.2 (*) Social Media
TODO
Subsection 24.4.3 (*) Reference Sites
TODO
Subsection 24.4.4 (*) Analytics
TODO
Subsection 24.4.5 (*) Discussion Groups
TODO
