Sure, taking the time to blog might distract an author from working on his or her novel. But for those with the discipline to maintain a blog or Web site, update it regularly and get their day job done, the Web is a great way to promote their work, says Jeffrey Yamaguchi, online marketing manager, Harper Collins.

Yamaguchi knows of what he speaks. In addition to working as online marketing manager for Harper Collins, he maintains a blog that spun off from his book “52 Projects” (http://www.52projects.com), published in 2005 by Penguin books.

Online media definitely has an impact on book sales, says Yamaguchi. “The wonderful thing about the Web is it’s a way to connect and build your audience. If an author has a book coming out, they can immediately let their audience know to check it out—and tell their friends.”

One way to do this is of course, e-newsletters. “If they have a mailing list of several thousand names, that’s a huge lever to be able to pull,” he says, noting this is a great way to reconnect with fans who might not visit your Web site or read your daily.

But don’t think that blogs, podcasts and e-mail newsletters are replacing old school book promotions like reviews and author signing tours. “Everything going on in the Web world just helps those things have more of an impact,” says Yamaguchi. “It all goes in tandem.”

Getting out on the road and meeting with not only readers but also bookstore owners is still essential. And now, authors can also make time to meet with bloggers, as well. MySpace pages and friend lists are a great way for authors to get the word out.

“Those are people who might have not know that the author was coming to a bookstore on a certain date,” he points out.

Which authors are doing a good job of connecting with readers online? Yamaguchi cites Cathy Cano Murillo, a.k.a. “The Crafty Chica” (http://www.craftychica.com) as one example. Murillo maintains a lively Web site, blog, podcast, Flickr account and MySpace page.

“She’s built this whole online world,” he says. “It’s really an example of someone connecting to their audience, and having new people find her and her book. It’s quite amazing.”

Other authors he names as making their marks on the Web include Josh Kilmer-Purcell (http://www.myspace.com/joshkilmerpurcell), Danny Gregory (http://www.dannygregory.com), Tod Goldberg (http://todgoldberg.typepad.com/) and Jancee Dunn http://www.janceedunn.com.

We asked Yamaguchi to talk a bit about his own author blog.

E-CENTRIC: How did the idea for the book originate?

YAMAGUCHI: Originally, “52 Projects” was a very simple Web site, all text and not on a blogging platform, like Typepad. It was just a basic html. The goal was to write about 52 projects.

E-CENTRIC: Were these things you had done?

YAMAGUCHI: They were things I had either done or wanted to do, or was in the process of doing. The idea was for [readers] to not do these projects exactly but use them as jumping off points. It was really a personal project. I really find myself happier and more energized and productive when I’m involved in creative projects. It was an incentive boost to me to map these things out and explore the thinking going on in my own head. The projects were offbeat. That’s why it was fun for me and why it took hold for readers. I had self published a book before, and had tried to get other books published by doing the whole agent/query thing. I had no intention of turning this into a book, but I was able to—its funny how things work out.

E-CENTRIC: How frequently should an author update a blog to have it be effective?

YAMAGUCHI: The goal is to update every day and for me, there was a period where it was easy. I’m trying to get back into that. It’s a struggle for anyone who has a site. If you get busy, a few days can pass. Of course, you don’t have to [always] update your blog with an essay or some mind-blowing creative exercise. It can be just a simple thing like “here are five cool Web sites,” or “be sure to check this out” or whatever. [Updating regularly] is sort of about discipline. Once you get into it, when you wake up in the morning, or when you get home, you sneak in a few minutes and update your site.

E-CENTRIC: Is your site primarily a vehicle to promote the book?

YAMAGUCHI: No. You know, the site for me. There’s definitely a picture of the book on the left-hand side and I’ll put a link if there’s been a story about the book. But I have to be careful, because my site isn’t just about promoting the book. I have to sell my book, but I also don’t want to overwhelm people coming to the site by just talking about my book. The site has become a hub about project making. There’s links to all kinds of different projects I’ve stumbled upon, and I also go off the project map to blog about personal stuff like music.

Sure, taking the time to blog might distract an author from working on his or her novel. But for those with the discipline to maintain a blog or Web site, update it regularly and get their day job done, the Web is a great way to promote their work, says Jeffrey Yamaguchi, online marketing manager, Harper Collins.

Yamaguchi knows of what he speaks. In addition to working as online marketing manager for Harper Collins, he maintains a blog that spun off from his book “52 Projects” (http://www.52projects.com), published in 2005 by Penguin books.

Online media definitely has an impact on book sales, says Yamaguchi. “The wonderful thing about the Web is it’s a way to connect and build your audience. If an author has a book coming out, they can immediately let their audience know to check it out—and tell their friends.”

One way to do this is of course, e-newsletters. “If they have a mailing list of several thousand names, that’s a huge lever to be able to pull,” he says, noting this is a great way to reconnect with fans who might not visit your Web site or read your daily.

But don’t think that blogs, podcasts and e-mail newsletters are replacing old school book promotions like reviews and author signing tours. “Everything going on in the Web world just helps those things have more of an impact,” says Yamaguchi. “It all goes in tandem.”

Getting out on the road and meeting with not only readers but also bookstore owners is still essential. And now, authors can also make time to meet with bloggers, as well. MySpace pages and friend lists are a great way for authors to get the word out.

“Those are people who might have not know that the author was coming to a bookstore on a certain date,” he points out.

Which authors are doing a good job of connecting with readers online? Yamaguchi cites Cathy Cano Murillo, a.k.a. “The Crafty Chica” (http://www.craftychica.com) as one example. Murillo maintains a lively Web site, blog, podcast, Flickr account and MySpace page.

“She’s built this whole online world,” he says. “It’s really an example of someone connecting to their audience, and having new people find her and her book. It’s quite amazing.”

Other authors he names as making their marks on the Web include Josh Kilmer-Purcell (http://www.myspace.com/joshkilmerpurcell), Danny Gregory (http://www.dannygregory.com), Tod Goldberg (http://todgoldberg.typepad.com) and Jancee Dunn http://www.janceedunn.com.

We asked Yamaguchi to talk a bit about his own author blog.

E-CENTRIC: How did the idea for the book originate?

YAMAGUCHI: Originally, “52 Projects” was a very simple Web site, all text and not on a blogging platform, like Typepad. It was just a basic html. The goal was to write about 52 projects.

E-CENTRIC: Were these things you had done?

YAMAGUCHI: They were things I had either done or wanted to do, or was in the process of doing. The idea was for [readers] to not do these projects exactly but use them as jumping off points. It was really a personal project. I really find myself happier and more energized and productive when I’m involved in creative projects. It was an incentive boost to me to map these things out and explore the thinking going on in my own head. The projects were offbeat. That’s why it was fun for me and why it took hold for readers. I had self published a book before, and had tried to get other books published by doing the whole agent/query thing. I had no intention of turning this into a book, but I was able to—its funny how things work out.

E-CENTRIC: How frequently should an author update a blog to have it be effective?

YAMAGUCHI: The goal is to update every day and for me, there was a period where it was easy. I’m trying to get back into that. It’s a struggle for anyone who has a site. If you get busy, a few days can pass. Of course, you don’t have to [always] update your blog with an essay or some mind-blowing creative exercise. It can be just a simple thing like “here are five cool Web sites,” or “be sure to check this out” or whatever. [Updating regularly] is sort of about discipline. Once you get into it, when you wake up in the morning, or when you get home, you sneak in a few minutes and update your site.

E-CENTRIC: Is your site primarily a vehicle to promote the book?

YAMAGUCHI: No. You know, the site for me. There’s definitely a picture of the book on the left-hand side and I’ll put a link if there’s been a story about the book. But I have to be careful, because my site isn’t just about promoting the book. I have to sell my book, but I also don’t want to overwhelm people coming to the site by just talking about my book. The site has become a hub about project making. There’s links to all kinds of different projects I’ve stumbled upon, and I also go off the project map to blog about personal stuff like music.