1. Talk about your book whenever the conversation provides a natural opening.

2. Offer to present a seminar on the topic covered in your book.

3. Ask for a bookmark or postcard to be printed when your full-color cover is on the press.

4. Display the book on the desk in your office.

5. Install a small corner shelf in each treatment room at your clinic and set the book on this shelf.

6. Make a poster out of an extra cover and display it in the waiting room.

7. For your business cards, make miniature copies of your book on one side with your business information on the other.

8. Using artwork from the book, create a "prescription" form with book ordering information on it and hand it to anyone interested in your book.

9. Take a sample copy of the book to the editor of your local newspaper and ask for an appointment to show him your book and talk about its content.

10. Prepare several 30-second radio messages based on topics in your book and take them to a local radio station, offering to produce them and to help find sponsors who will pay for them. Your hospital, a pharmacy or even your clinic are possible financial supporters.

11. Prepare a sample column on the topic of your book and offer to provide a weekly column for a local newspaper.

12. Take idea #10, above, and see if the radio station might want to run the messages as a public service.

13. Get as many free pages for your book as you can on the Internet and link to and from all of your sites.

14. Send a modest postcard with a few words about your book and ordering information to 50-100 of your patients each month, and provide the postcards in the waiting room.

15. Display your book in the waiting room. Be sure each display copy is carefully marked, DISPLAY COPY: DO NOT REMOVE, and include an order form in the book.

16. While you're making display copies for your waiting room, share them with other healthcare providers who also have waiting rooms: your hospital, a physical therapy office, colleagues who receive referrals from you.

17. The local pharmacies will probably be delighted to display and sell your book for you. They'll want a 40% discount, but you're still ahead of that 5%-10% royalty you'd get from a commercially published book.

18. Find out who the other physician authors are in your community and suggest a feature story to your newspaper or TV stations on the subject. Share some of the names (including yours, of course) and offer to work with the editor and/or reporters.

19. Present a noon walk-through to selected members of your clientele or community. Join with with other physician authors and include a display of your books.

20. Schedule a signing party at the clinic and enlist the support of your staff to organize and promote it.

21. Offer a 20% discount to current patients who buy a book. Just include a line on the order form that says: "Are you a current patient of Dr. So-and-So's? Yes No. If Yes, you can deduct $___ from the price of the book."

22. On the last page inside the back cover include an order form for additional copies.

23. Take your book to all local bookstores. Ask to speak to the buyer for the store. Most will buy or at least display a few copies.

24. Your cover probably has an outstanding visual element. Use that illustration as a poster, art for a T-shirt, part of the sign on your office door, desktop displays etc.

25. Print the name of your book on your office letterhead along with your other credentials (Author, Title of Books), and include it as part of your C.V.

Your publishing consultant should be able to assist you in carrying out promotion plans you choose for your book. You may want to hire or create a separate entity apart from your medical practice to handle your marketing, public relations, and selling efforts. Be sure to stay within any restrictions set by your employer and regulating bodies