Here
are four guaranteed things to try if you’re book are sales are down or they have
completely stopped. Or if you’ve just published your first book.
And they really do work!
One of
the best things about being an indie author or self-published writer is that anytime
you want to change something, you can. You can test out different marketing
promos, prices, and even book cover designs.
Here
is a list of four quick and easy things to do if you want to reach your target readership
and increase book sales.
1 ) The
Cover is like the illustrated summary of your story, yet the design should match the genre to attract readers.
The design needs to reveal to the reader the
genre and tone of the book (like the example above) at a glance. It should grab them immediately. But
most importantly, it should be genre specific to attract the target audience for your book.
Self-published writers do not have huge
marketing departments backing them like traditional authors do, so please
consider giving your book the best chance of piquing a reader’s interest by
having a design that “fits” the genre.
The book cover is only packaging. It’s like an
advertisement or stop sign. It’s main purpose is to attract readers and get
them enticed enough to read the blurb and excerpt. That’s it.
Most writers will have a cover designed to
their specifications without researching the trends on book covers in their
genre. To effectively market a product (and yes, your book is a product) I
suggest that authors study their competition and get a “genre specific” cover
to ensure success.
So the first thing to try is a new book cover
to see if that helps sales.
And lastly, I wanted to share this great article on book marketing. I recommend taking a few minutes to read this insightful blog post, "Why Your Cover & Blurb Suck" by Rebekah Haskell
And lastly, I wanted to share this great article on book marketing. I recommend taking a few minutes to read this insightful blog post, "Why Your Cover & Blurb Suck" by Rebekah Haskell
2) The
blurb (back jacket copy) should be a teaser with a powerful “hook” that lures
the reader to want to buy your book.
Consider how readers look for books. They
browse through lists of novels, looking at the cover art and titles, and then
the price and often the star rating. Then if those things have grabbed their
interest, they scroll down the page and read the book description.
This is marketing copy, not a synopsis. Keep it brief. Keep it interesting. Keep it engaging. Don’t bog it down with too many details about the plot or subplot. Use persuasive, strong nouns, adverbs, and verbs to describe your novel.
Strive for quality—not quantity.
Superb back jacket copy never explains every characters background, every plot twist, or pinch-point of your story. Write a blurb that is descriptive, but not all-inclusive. Think tempting, but not embellished.
One way to get a better understanding of good promotional copy is to read the blurbs of other published novels in your genre. Visit a library, bookstore, or search online at places like Goodreads to read the descriptions. Whenever you find a blurb that really grabs your attention, see if it gives you some ideas for your own product description.
Once you have a few blurbs written down that you like, find a critique partner to help you polish it. Or ask a friend or writing buddy, who’s familiar with your premise, and have them write a brief summary of your storyline, noting the detailed plot points they enjoyed. This is an excellent way to gain an invaluable assessment of your storyline.
Another excellent way to help you write a blurb is to excerpt your own work. Try this, comb through your entire manuscript searching for paragraphs or phrases to quote. This method can be very effective if you find a strong passage that can be taken out of context and still make sense.
Strive for quality—not quantity.
Superb back jacket copy never explains every characters background, every plot twist, or pinch-point of your story. Write a blurb that is descriptive, but not all-inclusive. Think tempting, but not embellished.
One way to get a better understanding of good promotional copy is to read the blurbs of other published novels in your genre. Visit a library, bookstore, or search online at places like Goodreads to read the descriptions. Whenever you find a blurb that really grabs your attention, see if it gives you some ideas for your own product description.
Once you have a few blurbs written down that you like, find a critique partner to help you polish it. Or ask a friend or writing buddy, who’s familiar with your premise, and have them write a brief summary of your storyline, noting the detailed plot points they enjoyed. This is an excellent way to gain an invaluable assessment of your storyline.
Another excellent way to help you write a blurb is to excerpt your own work. Try this, comb through your entire manuscript searching for paragraphs or phrases to quote. This method can be very effective if you find a strong passage that can be taken out of context and still make sense.
Whether you plan to self-publish or work with
a publisher, it’s crucial to know how to create an appealing blurb for your
book—one that’s compelling enough to entice a reader into buying your book.
If you’re a writer who has trouble creating a
strong blurb for your work, please consider hiring someone to help.
3) The
Sample (opening scene) is an important part of getting your potential buyer to
click on the “buy” button.
For a sample to get the reader to buy your
book, the opener must have three things:
Conflict, action, and empathy.
Without
strong hooks, the reader has no reason to keep reading. A good “hook” can be an
open-ended question, one that leaves the reader trying to decide what the main
character will do next.
Published
authors have the fortunate advantage of starting a novel or short story anyway
they’d like. They’re an established name within the industry and already have
an existing readership. However, if you’re an newbie writer and you’re
planning to self-publish, things are not quite so simple, and agents and
editors are not quite so tolerant or lenient. And remember that the competition
is fierce.
If you’re
not sure your opening is strong enough, please consider hiring an editor to critique
your first chapter.
4) Pricing
a book is vital to getting a reader to take a chance on your book by purchasing
a copy.
Your first book, or the first in a series
should be the loss leader. The price
should be between $0.99 to $2.99, especially for a first book. The idea is to get the reader
hooked on your writing style, and then raise the price for all your other
books. Lowering the price will make potential readers more likely to buy your
book and take a chance on an unknown author.
According to the Smashwords survey, it seems
that $2.99 to $3.99 are the sweet spots of fiction eBook pricing.
While pricing for nonfiction can be slightly
higher, I suggest keeping the eBook under $6.99. The number of pages should
impact the price.
I realize that you worked hard on your book
and spent money on the cover design and editing, but to become more visible and
market your work effectively, one of your books should become a loss leader.
Readers seeing an eBook priced at $8.99 by an author they’ve never heard of,
will most likely keep looking, and buy a book at a much lower price from
someone else.
Once a writer has built a loyal readership and
a huge fanbase, then they can raise the prices of their books.
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