The difference between a successful writer and an unknown writer is tenacity
Think Baseball When Striving for Book Sales ;-)
Now that the boys of summer are back in play, perhaps we can all gain a few simple insights from America's favorite pastime when thinking about how to generate book sales.
Sure, we'd all like to hit the ball out of the park when our book hits the streets, but rather than spend your promotional dollars on "home runs" you'll get more value for your money if you strive for base hits and make your way around the diamond to home plate (book sales).
Here's the formula:
First base -- Build a core audience. Social media sites (i.e., Myspace, Facebook, Goodreads and others) are ideal for audience building. Here you can readily find bookstores, libraries, and fans of your genre who will easily (and politely) accept your friendship requests to learn more about you.
Second base -- Line up your book reviews. Most readers will not buy a book based on the cover alone. They like to see what other readers think. But here you need a little advance planning to get to second base. Get your ARCS (advance reading copies) out three to six months in advance to the right people, bloggers and media sites to review your book. If you book is listed on Amazon, you can use your investment in getting to first base (i.e., your audience) to write up some fair book reviews to your listing. But only ask for real and sincere reviews. We can ALL smell a self-promoting book review from a mile away -- GEESH!
Third base -- Now that you have a core audience of followers and a base of book reviews, it's time to throw in some sizzle (i.e., excerpt contests, watch-the-trailer contests, etc.). When you have people actively participate in what you are doing, when you ask their opinion, you get them more excited and stir a bigger buzz.
Home Plate -- Book sales! If you follow the simple formula as laid out here you should see healthier book sales. Think of yourself as a key player in your marketing efforts. You can't just sit back and wait for the end score. Get in there and bat! Devote time to your audience building through creating relationships with readers and others who are helpful to book sales. Don't waste your time on those who are not helpful to sales. Choose three social media platforms and really work 'em. With practice, you'll become one of the best hitters … er, I mean marketers of your work … ever.
As always, I invite your questions and comments. ; )
Book Candy Sandy
sandy@bookcandystudios.com
949.613.2099
Sure, we'd all like to hit the ball out of the park when our book hits the streets, but rather than spend your promotional dollars on "home runs" you'll get more value for your money if you strive for base hits and make your way around the diamond to home plate (book sales).
Here's the formula:
First base -- Build a core audience. Social media sites (i.e., Myspace, Facebook, Goodreads and others) are ideal for audience building. Here you can readily find bookstores, libraries, and fans of your genre who will easily (and politely) accept your friendship requests to learn more about you.
Second base -- Line up your book reviews. Most readers will not buy a book based on the cover alone. They like to see what other readers think. But here you need a little advance planning to get to second base. Get your ARCS (advance reading copies) out three to six months in advance to the right people, bloggers and media sites to review your book. If you book is listed on Amazon, you can use your investment in getting to first base (i.e., your audience) to write up some fair book reviews to your listing. But only ask for real and sincere reviews. We can ALL smell a self-promoting book review from a mile away -- GEESH!
Third base -- Now that you have a core audience of followers and a base of book reviews, it's time to throw in some sizzle (i.e., excerpt contests, watch-the-trailer contests, etc.). When you have people actively participate in what you are doing, when you ask their opinion, you get them more excited and stir a bigger buzz.
Home Plate -- Book sales! If you follow the simple formula as laid out here you should see healthier book sales. Think of yourself as a key player in your marketing efforts. You can't just sit back and wait for the end score. Get in there and bat! Devote time to your audience building through creating relationships with readers and others who are helpful to book sales. Don't waste your time on those who are not helpful to sales. Choose three social media platforms and really work 'em. With practice, you'll become one of the best hitters … er, I mean marketers of your work … ever.
As always, I invite your questions and comments. ; )
Book Candy Sandy
sandy@bookcandystudios.com
949.613.2099
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