If you’re struggling to sell copies of your book, here’s an idea: Add another product to your repertoire. Produce a spinoff book, for example. If you truly have an audience for your book, and you’re just having difficulty getting the word out and generating sales, a second or third book might help you gain more of that all important recognition.
If you’re a new author without a following, it may take some creativity and time to become known in your field or genre. Certainly, you have your own website—a place where you can invite potential customers. You should also have a presence throughout the social media realm. In order to attract people to your website, offer a freebie—a downloadable ebooklet on the topic of your book. And aggressively advertise this fact.
Let’s say your book chronicles some of your travels throughout remote areas of the US and you’ve added reviews of unique restaurants and cafes. As a spinoff book or free ebooklet, you might offer recipes from these regions, unbelievable customs or a collage of scenic photographs that didn’t make it into the book.
Maybe you’ve written a young adult novel focusing on mysteriously missing dogs. You might create a spinoff book focusing on 50 ways to entertain a dog or 50 tricks you can teach your dog, for example.
Now you have two things to offer and each will help to promote the other. A few years ago, I compiled a book of cat stories—“Catscapades, True Cat Tales.” The book sold at a mediocre pace. Last year, I produced a novel involving cats. I now have four books in my Klepto Cat Mystery series. Since producing the novels, I’ve noticed an increase in sales for “Catscapades.”
I also have several books for authors—most predominantly, “Publish Your Book,” “Promote Your Book” and “Talk Up Your Book.” Not only do these books help to sell one another—people who buy and appreciate one book will be more apt to purchase another. But I also offer a free ebook at my website, http://www.patriciafry.com Currently, it is “50 Ways to Establish Your Author Platform.”
If sales for your single book are lagging because you aren’t well-known in your field or genre, consider upping the ante. Of course, you’re going to show up where your audience congregates online as well as downtown. You’re already reaching out to readers in every way you know how. So why not add to your box of promotional magic by offering something more and use each of those items to promote the other.