In a post today ( in BBC News ), discusses the government of India’s strong interest in returning to the expansion levels of yesteryear. With a former growth rate of around nine percent annually, India’s latest growth rate has been around 6.5%+ recently. Actually, 6.5% looks great compared to many countries around the world for [...]
Book marketing is alien to many an author, yet when an author learns how to write a book, they should also learn about marketing the finished product to receive benefit from all their efforts. My favorite saying is “beach or profit.” Loosely translated, this phrase means I want to be remunerated well when I’m working or be obviously relaxing…I am working long hours now. Here are three book marketing techniques an author can use immediately to create “buzz” and increase book sales…
E-book Digest of Author Book for Book Sales
E-books used to be frowned upon as undesirable…but no longer. In fact, e-books are the segment of the publishing industry that is doing exceptionally well for an author. With the rollout of the i-Pad and many e-Book readers competing with Kindle sales, a book author has a LARGE book sales channel through the e-book format.
Take some of the best material from your manuscript (nonfiction, fiction, reference, etc.) and assemble a digest of this material, with contents and contact information, into a free or inexpensive e-book to post on an e-book aggregators such as Smashwords. Smashwords is a great service to use because this company can provide the reader/buyer with a wide choice of delivery formats that you, the author, do not have to independently program for book sales.
I suggest an author either offer an e-book digest for free or $1.99, with a page count of 40-100 pages. When an author is building name recognition (personal branding), giving away their best material is one of the best ways to become known quickly for book sales in the future.
Facebook Fan (Group) Page for Book Sales
Facebook is a great marketing tool for an author because of flexibility and reach. In a recent eMarketer survey, the number one reason people were interested in joining social media “Groups” (or “Fan” pages) was to get money-off coupons for products or services. This study included brands such as Coca-Cola, Sprint, Victoria’s Secret, with a couple of my author friends confirming these findings to their “fans” via Facebook.
If you have a Facebook page started now, great…message your “friends” and invite them to join your new group with an incentive such as a printable coupon for 20 percent off (whatever incentive…), free shipping, autograph copies, etc. If you, the author, want to start a Facebook page, begin the Facebook experience as an “author” and create a “fan page” to eventually build book sales.
For Facebook “friends,” I search for individuals and companies that are in my target demographic (speaker, author, geographic region of interest, school and employment colleagues…). Each person that looks like a “good friend fit” receives a personalized Facebook message from me requesting their participation in my group. For an upcoming e-book, I will be including free downloads and coupons on my Facebook page.
Coupon/Rebate Bound in Book
A book is usually an emotional purchase…even reference books. If the reader develops an “emotional connection” with a particular author (think of your “favorite” author), the reader will want to share the author’s books with others (and keep buying each book this author publishes). Numerous studies now are indicating that consumers are most interested in money-off coupons and, to a lesser extent, rebates. Offering coupons and rebates allows an author to keep the sales price constant while expecting a rise in book sales.
Why not help your fans by including a coupon or rebate as two pages in your book? This idea doesn’t work well for books in libraries because a coupon or rebate is often torn out of a book, but books that are purchased (translation: you, the author, experience book sales) can withstand a little tearing for a good cause. This is the reason I suggest a two-page coupon/rebate because the page can be torn out of the book, mailed in to your location, and the book would sustain minimal aesthetic damage.
Don’t be shy. You, the author, have poured heart and soul into writing a quality book and now it’s your turn to reap the rewards for your hard work with book sales. Think of book marketing techniques that match your personality and watch your book sales increase. More book marketing techniques to come…
Mike McCann
Mike-at-GlobalBusinessCafe.com
Writing a book can be overwhelming, especially for a first-time author. In the past 10 years, I have written two books in sequel. Over the next three weeks, I will outline preliminary steps to writing a publishable print book or Ebook, followed by proven marketing strategies and tactics.
My definition of a print book is a 6 x 9 inch perfect bound book of 160 pages or more. There are typically 250 words per 6 x 9 inch page, so 160 pages equals 40,000 words. Mainline publishers typically like a finished manuscript between 50,000 to 70,000 words. If you focus on publishing high-quality Ebooks, the suggested page length is 50 to 100 pages.
Focus on a Specific Topic
It is surprising how many people start to write without a clear vision of the topic they want to cover in a book length manuscript. Pick ONE topic that you are very familiar, enjoy researching and enjoy speaking on before audiences. Familiarity, researching and speaking will infuse lifeblood into your word creation.
Because so much reading is now taking place online via Ebooks and mobile devices, it is wise to plan on adding stimulating visuals, hyperlinks within the manuscript, as well as audio and interactive mechanisms and video. Thinking of the multimedia pieces included in your book at the outset will make the outline creation (next step) easier.
Suggestion: Enhanced Ebooks are incorporating words, sounds, visuals, interaction into one manuscript delivered electronically. Enhanced Ebooks are new…I am working with more than one group developing enhanced Ebooks that will likely become the choice format for readership in the years to come.
When coming to a final decision on your one topic (nonfiction) or plot (fiction), research commonly used words and phrases for the topic/plot in keyword tools such as Google Adwords. Look for “longtail” (phrases of four words with high interest) to match the chosen topic because using longer phrases as keywords will bring in more traffic than singular words.
Marinade on choosing a specific topic. Next, we will cover outline creation to stay focused and disciplined.
Mike McCann
Mike-at-GlobalBusinessCafe.com