Writers are not necessarily hotshot promoters—and this goes for authors of nonfiction as well as fiction and children’s books. But we know that promotion is required if we want to sell books, so most of us make the effort. We reach out to our audiences in all of the most creative ways and attempt to entice buyers. Unfortunately, our promotional methods aren’t always as effective as they could be. Here are some common mistakes:
Authors use vague promo babble terms. Recently, I’ve been running a prepublication discount offer for books that are currently with a printer and aren’t scheduled for publication until later this month. Several customers who ordered these books through my Web site became upset with me when they learned that the books wouldn’t arrive within the usual week (or so). My attempt to explain the prepublication discount offer through my promo material and on my Web site ordering page seemed to fail about 30 percent of the time.
When I pitched these books and the prepublication discount offer in person, I’d get blank stares and few orders. So I stopped using the term that I’d so carefully designed and I began stating simply, “Place your order for the revised edition of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and the new Author’s Workbook by September 20, 2007 and get 25% off. All orders will be shipped after September 21.â€
Be careful when you coin a catchy buzz phrase to use in promoting your book. It could just steer customers away rather than draw them in.
Authors promote features instead of benefits. Customers don’t care how many awards your book has won, the number of tips you’ve included, the fact that your book was reviewed by five magazines. They want benefits. In other words, they want to know, “How will this book assist me; give me more quality of life, make me richer, thinner, prettier, stronger, healthier or happier?â€
Let’s say that you’re promoting a book on how to create greater curb appeal when selling your home. Instead of telling a potential customer, “I’m the expert who wrote this book. I mention Martha Stewart’s ideas for instant climbing porch plants.†Say instead, “Follow the guidelines in this book and you could earn an additional $5,000-$30,000 on your next home sale.â€
For your romance novel, rather than saying, “This is the story of two misfits who find themselves homeless and then fall in love,†you might say, “If you enjoy reading a touching story that requires a box of tissues nearby, this book is for you.†or “Do you like really feel-good stories?â€
For a book of offbeat humor, don’t say, “There are 102 hilariously funny jokes.†Use this approach, “Be the hit at the office Christmas party, when you hand out copies of this book to all of your co-workers.â€
Authors tend to oversell their books. Give your spiel, answer some questions and then pause. Watch for an indication of how to proceed. If the potential customer lingers over your book, engage him or her in conversation. Ask what type of books they like reading or inquire as to their interest in the topic of the book. Let the customer’s responses lead you from there. Keep droning on for too long about the features and you may chase him away.
I watched an author lose a sale this way recently at a book festival. The customer had his checkbook out. Instead of giving him a total, the author kept going on and on about how wonderful her book was. Pretty soon, his wife came along and drug him away to look at something across the aisle. He got distracted and never came back.
Authors neglect to ask for the sale. This may sound elementary, but most of us tend to refrain from taking that one last step to actually making the sale. We assume that the customer knows the book is for sale and we figure that if he wants it, he will plunk down the cash. Not necessarily. I find that I sometimes miss out on sales unless I say, “Would you like me to autograph it for you?†or “Will that be check, cash or credit card?†Or “How many copies would you like today?†Sometimes the customer just needs that little nudge. Without it, it’s easier to just walk away intending to “think it over.†or “come back later in the day.â€
Promotion is not usually a writer’s strong suit, but creativity is. Authors, I urge you to use that creative edge toward the huge task of promotion and you’re bound to sell hundreds if not thousands more copies of your book.
Comments? Contact me at plfry620@yahoo.com. Be sure to visit my Web site: http://www.matilijapress.com And buy my books. You know you’re going to want a copy of the revised edition of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and the Author’s Workbook. You might as well buy it at a discount before September 20, 2007