How often have you heard that a nonfiction author must position him/herself as an expert? What does this mean? It means that, as the author of a nonfiction book, you need to earn yourself some credibility as an expert in your field so that your readers will turn to you (and your book) for the information and answers they seek.
How do you do that? First, you write a book on a topic you know well—a subject in which you have experience and interest. To some consumers, once you produce a book on the topic, you are already considered an expert. But what will make readers choose your book rather than others on the topic. The fact that it is new is a plus for some. Maybe they’ve read all of the other books on the market about raising bunnies for show and they are thrilled to find a new one from a different author with a fresh perspective.
But how will you continue to attract readers? By becoming known to those interested in reading about this topic. How?
When you are looking for a book on a particular topic, how do you choose one book from all the rest on the shelf or at amazon.com? First, you probably seek certain information, so you want to make sure that the book you select has a strong section on the material you are searching for. Let’s say that you want a good book on self-publishing. And you are especially interested in information on setting up your publishing company—what steps to take when. You will check the table of contents and the index to make sure that subject is covered.
Next you will probably look for an author’s name you recognize. You might not even know much about this author other than the fact that his name is familiar—you’ve heard it and seen it numerous times. For most people, this is highly important—name recognition does sell books. Think about it, you’ve bought books because you recognized the author’s name, right?
So how does an author develop a level of familiarity that will cause people to purchase his or her books above the others? Again, think about where you hear about the experts in your field of interest.
• You hear their names mentioned at meetings, gatherings, shows, etc. related to the topic.
• You see their names on articles in the publications you read.
• You may read their blogs and subscribe to their newsletters.
• You see their book reviewed and/or recommended at the sites you visit.
• You attend their lectures at conferences related to your area of interest.
• You see their endorsements on the covers of other books on the subject.
• You notice their interviews at other blog sites.
• Other experts mention their works in their articles and lectures.
• Their name shows up in your Google Alerts quite often.
All of this, along with a measure of experience and knowledge of the subject is what can position an author as an expert in his or her field. And these are the things you should be doing even before you complete your nonfiction book in order to position yourself as an expert in your field or area of interest.
You don’t have to be the best and most knowledgeable rabbit breeder around in order to sell your book on the topic. What you do need is enough experience and information to write a credible book on the subject, and a slant that others may not have thought of. And you need to go to work becoming known to your audience. Do you have any questions?
I know one question that always comes up: “What about fiction? How do I become known in my genre so that people will purchase my mystery or science fiction or historical fiction?”
So often fiction writers ignore everything said or written about book promotion, saying that “promotion is for nonfiction only.” WRONG! Take another look at the bulleted list above. If you exchange the word “fiction author” for “expert” and “stories” for “articles,” you will reveal your promotional plan of action for your novel:
• Become known among your readers.
• Submit stories to a wide range of publications/sites.
• Establish a blog and/or a newsletter.
• Get your book reviewed many times over.
• Ask for recommendations at a variety of sites.
• Go out and speak/perform on behalf of your book.
• Give endorsements for other authors’ books.
• Seek out interview opportunities.
Successful authorship depends on much more than good writing skills. If you are planning a book, download my booklet—50 Reasons Why You Should Write That Book and read it from cover to cover. It’s FREE. http://www.patriciafry.com