That, in and of itself deserves a great big kudos. There is a lot of hard work, sweat, frustration, and planning that goes into such an accomplishment! Congratulations!
Now What?
How do you keep your book in the SPOTLIGHT, selling and opening doors for you?
In this series, we will discuss ways to do this. We always encourage the authors we work with to treat their book(s) as a business.
Why do people buy books?
There are simply millions of books both
published and purchased every year. It is quite fascinating how self-publishing,
digital technology, and a connected world has changed the publishing world.
Spotlight Publishing works with many
authors and our focus is making sure that those books get both seen and read.
What are the key factors that influence
readers to choose a book to read? We
have boiled it down into getting very clear on WHO your audience is. Who is
your ideal client? What will compel a reader
to buy YOUR book?
In this series, we are going to take a
deep dive into this subject so that you can gain a better understanding of why
people buy books and how they make their purchasing decisions. Once you
understand what motivates your reader on both an emotional and logical level, you
will form a connection, leave an impression and most likely capture a
sale.
All of your marketing will reflect this
knowledge, including speaking engagements, networking, email correspondence,
blogging, and social media.
Following is seven key reasons a book
will be purchased and read:
1.
Your
Book Meets a Need
2.
The
Reader Knows the Author
3.
The
Book Comes Highly Recommended by Someone Who Read the Book
4.
The
Reader Read a Free Excerpt on the Book and Was Intrigued to Buy
5.
The
Reader Buys it on Impulse
6.
The
Book is Discovered in a Book Store
7.
The
Book is a Gift
Let’s explore each of these reasons
and see how these factors will influence the marketing you choose as you build
your author platform.
1. Your Book Meets a Need
Personal preferences influence every purchasing choice we
make, from the food we put into our bodies, the clothing we wear, and the
furniture that adorns our homes. Bottom line
though, personal preferences aside, the vast majority of the time we purchase
these items to meet a need.
Books are truly no different. Why do you buy books? Often we buy books
purely for entertainment. These books are often in the fiction or biography/memoir
category and are typically chosen for entertainment and relaxation. Who of us has not picked up a good fiction
book and immersed ourselves in the storyline, whisked away for the moment to
another world?
We also purchase books for knowledge/education.
Perhaps it is to find a solution to something we are struggling with, such as
losing weight, improving a relationship, or making money. It could also simply for personal growth and
expanding our horizons or learning new skills.
"The key is to show within your
marketing, how they can achieve the things they want, you will increase your
book sales and revenue. As you promote your book highlight their pain points
and just how your book provides a solution that they need. What do they need?
What does your book offer readers?"
This applies to fiction and non-fiction. Whether
it’s a great love story, or a science fiction thriller or teaching how to be a
better public speaker, or understand how to work with an autistic child, be
sure your readers know how your book fills their specific needs.
2. The Reader Knows the Author
Each all know people on many
different levels. Some people we know personally, others we know from following
them on social media, still others are influencers or famous personalities with
whom we are familiar. The same is true with authors. The number one reason that
readers buy books is that they know the author. This does not always mean that
the reader is a personal friend of the author. The reader may know the author because they have:
· Heard the author speak
· Heard the author being interviewed on a radio show or
podcast.
· Seen the author on a television interview
· Read other books by the author.
· Read an interview or article by the author on a blog
or in some type of publication.
· Heard the author speak at an event
· Follows the author because the author is an influencer
What does this teach an
author? That it is important to help people get to know you!
Take advantage of every opportunity to gain exposure. Tap into the vast
resources of radio, podcast, and television interviews write and publish your
own blogs and be a guest blogger on other people’s platforms, and become active
on the social media platforms, your readers hang out on.
"Show readers that you know
what you are talking about, that you are approachable, likable and that they
can trust you. Once they feel the positive connection to you, your book sales
and business growth expand."
3. The Book Comes Highly Recommended by Someone Who Read the
Book
The second biggest factor in driving book purchasing decisions are
recommendations. When
a friend, family member, or coworker recommends a book, people take note. However,
books can be recommended by trusted resources in several ways:
- From an influencer, the reader follows (blogger, thought leader, pastor, etc.)
- By a trusted publication such as a book review publication or website
- From online bookstores, library websites, or other websites
- From staffers in bookstores and libraries, they visit in person.
- Through other consumers via online reviews, social media, or community forums/
They’ll
need a bit more proof before they purchase, and if you can get someone they do
know and trust to like your book, you're that much closer to getting them to
like it too. Spend time getting your book in front of the influencers who are
most likely to enjoy and recommend your book to others.
"Ask your readers and
fans to write a review of your book or to share it with their friends on social
media. The more positive reviews you garner, the more readers will trust your
book and make a purchase."
4. The Reader Read a Free Excerpt on the Book and Was Intrigued to
Buy
When it comes to purchasing something, people fear what
they might lose more than what they will gain. In purchasing a book, people
fear they will lose money if they don’t like the book. Allowing readers to read
a portion of a book helps them see what they will gain and helps convince them
that the book is worth their investment.
People often decide to buy a book once they know they'll
like what's inside, either from reading just a portion (or the first book in a
series) for free. This may seem counterintuitive since most authors have the goal of achieving book sales, not giving their book (or parts of it) away for
free, but this is one of the quickest ways to introduce and build a new
audience for your book, because it lowers a reader’s financial risk.
Allowing readers to experience your story without the
fear of losing something is powerful. Give readers a chance to read part of
your book (or the first in a series) for free. Doing so can help drive sales.
You can provide readers access to one or more chapters of your book on your
author website. We will discuss the subject of adding free content later in this series.
"Knowing what drives readers book publishing decisions helps you make strides to market your book more effectively. It will assist you to capture your ideal readers, who will want more from you."
5. The Reader Buys on Impulse
Impulse buying is a spur-of-the-moment, unplanned decision to buy. Research suggests that emotions play a large role in triggering an impulse purchase.A consumer sees the book and decides to buy it. What draws them in? Most likely, it’s the book’s cover. The cover is one of your book’s top marketing tools. Make sure your book has a cover that draws people’s attention and makes them want to own it, and that it includes strong back cover copy and a good title. That way, whether they are browsing online or in a physical store, your book catches their attention, tugs at their emotions, and creates the urge to buy now.
"An eye-catching book cover is a valuable tool in your marketing toolkit. Your back cover copy, the title, and the subtitle are included in this equation."
6. Your Book is Discovered in a Book Store
Books are often discovered when people are browsing. Research has
shown that people discover and purchase books from simply looking at books in
both physical and online stores.
Having good book metadata is especially helpful with online
browsing because the BISAC codes, categories, and keywords you enter for your book's
metadata will help display your book as a result for users searching for a particular subject matter.
"Dedicate some time to promoting your book onto the shelves of stores, libraries, and online retailers."
Be sure to subscribe to this blog, as we will discuss Bisec codes, categories, and keywords in upcoming articles.
7. The book is a Gift
Last, but certainly not least is that a person received your book as a gift. Giving gifts is a common practice. We give gifts for important milestones and celebrations, and books make great gifts. In fact,
people buy books, lots of them, to give as gifts.
Consider what kind of gift your book is best suited for.
A child’s birthday? A house- warming/a wedding/graduation/Father’s Day/Grandparent’s
Day/Christmas/teacher gift, or simply because.
"Books make great gifts and one book marketing
strategy is to encourage readers to purchase your book for that reason. Remind
your readers why books are the perfect gifts, including the fact that they
never go out of style and leave a lasting impression."
Be sure to watch for our weekly blog as we provide tips, tools, and strategies for authors. We believe that every author must treat their book like it is a business, effectively becoming an...
Authorpreneur
No comments:
Post a Comment