All authors struggle with selling books, especially those who have no marketing background or experience. The biggest myth around publishing a book is that it will magically sell millions of copies and you can make millions of dollars as a published author.
If only it were that easy.
Here is the cold, harsh truth…
A book is only as successful as the author’s ability to promote it.
We have many authors that are absolutely killing it with book sales, and yet, we have others who are not. The only difference is effort, plain and simple.
Just because you publish your book and list it on Amazon, the world’s largest book retailer, it does not guarantee success or sales.
Here are 3 strategies that our successful authors use to increase sales. I have also included a downloadable cheat sheet listing 50 additional ways you can sell more books.
You can read the article and get the cheat sheet here:
Distribute a PRESS RELEASE which shares your story
Share the story behind your book to capture the interest of journalists. Offer successes & failures, and the events that lead you to where you are now. Use a press release distribution service such as PRWeb or iNewsWire for a few hundred dollars to get your release in the right hands. Include your short bio and website URL.
PRWeb.com: Pricing ranges from $99 to $159 to $249 depending on requirements.
Publisher’s Tip: Keep track of the analytics during the posting of your press release. You should have access to the “pick-ups” report which will provide you with a listing of all the publications that pick up and post your press release on their websites. Once you have this information, go to the website that picked up your announcement and take a screen shot. With this information and the images, you can now legitimately highlight and claim your work “as seen in…”
For example, Robbin Simons, as seen in Yahoo News Moneywatch.
Host a BOOK SIGNING or READING EVENT
Making connections with your readers online is fantastic, but there is no substitute for face-to-face meetings at live events.
Many independent book stores offer the opportunity for authors to host a book signing or reading event in their store locations, oftentimes for a small fee. The rules and services provided can vary from store to store, but the typical book signing event can cost anywhere from $300 – $500.
Publisher’s Tip: Don’t do this alone! You will want to have someone with you to assist with the set-up, ensure the customers are being taken care of while you are engaging with them during the signing and taking pictures throughout the event. Take lots of pictures!!
Seek out INSTITUTIONAL SALES and BULK PURCHASES
If your book would be a good fit for groups of people, businesses, or organizations, identify who the leaders of these groups are and find out how to reach them. Be sure your book description and your book website or landing page copy reflects the relevance to these targeted groups.
Publisher’s Tip: Use LinkedIn to find the most appropriate contacts for your target organizations or groups. Start by making a list of your target groups and then do a search for them on LinkedIn, specifically identifying the decision maker for your audience. It could likely be an HR Manager, Sales Training Supervisor, or Corporate Training Leader.
BONUS STRATEGY: By far, the easier and most underutilized strategy for making more sales is keeping a box of books in your car at all times. Our most successful authors are continuously talking about and selling their books wherever they happen to be – laundromats, play groups, grocery store line ups, Starbucks…
Talk to everyone you meet.
Tell them you are a published author.
If you are a best-seller author, like all of ours, tell people you are BEST-SELLING author, too.
Be an advocate and an evangelist for your book!
I hope you will use some of the strategies I mentioned in this article, but just in case you’re looking for more ideas, I’ve created this simple downloadable cheat sheet just for you:
CHEAT SHEET: 50 Ways to Sell More Books
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