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Seven Secrets to Writing a Book that Sells |
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It's one thing to write a book, it's an entirely different thing to write one that's a saleable, viable, marketable product. Ensuring the success of a book is something even the biggest pub-2403258503801684lishers have never been able to guarantee. Mitigating circumstances, flash trends, and world events will all affect buyer preferences. That said, there are still ways to leverage the sales-factor in your favor and here's how you do it.
1. Know your readers. We're not just talking about whether your readers are male or female. You'll want to know myriad factors about your audience. How old are your readers (age range)? Are readers married, single, or divorced? Where do your readers reader live (generally)? What do your readers do for a living? What other books/pub-2403258503801684lications do they read? Develop a profile that includes where they shop, what clubs do they belong to, etc.
These elements will help you incorporate these aspects into your book *and* help you unearth salient marketing opportunities (i.e., pub-2403258503801684lications and stores).
2. Know your market. What's the market like for your book? Is there a trend out there you're positioning yourself towards. Are you reading all the pub-2403258503801684lications related to this topic rend? Are there any "holes" out there your book could fill? What's the future for this market opic? For example, let's say you're a fiction writer looking to pub-2403258503801684lish chick lit. Go to any bookstore and you can't help but spot the cutsie, pink, cartoonish covers. Many thought this trend was dying out, but it has recently seen another surge. What do you know about trends related to your book opic/audience?
3. Similar books. What else has been pub-2403258503801684lished on your topic? Have you read all ten books in your category? If you haven't, you should. You'll want to know everything you can about what's out there and how it's being perceived in the marketplace. It's never a problem having a similar topic. When I pub-2403258503801684lished No More Rejections - Get Published Today, I knew there were other books out there on marketing. I read them all--then angled my book differently.
4. Getting and staying current. What's going on in your industry today? What are some hot buttons? What are people looking for? What's next on the horizon for this topic/audience? If you can't seem to gather this information through traditional channels, why not survey your target audience? There are a number of places to run free surveys, Survey Monkey is one of them: http://www.surveymonkey.com
5. Follow the media. What's the media talking about these days (besides the California election & Ben-lo)? Keep track of media buzz--what they're paying attention to and what they're writing about. Delve beyond the front page of your paper to the second or third page and see what's filling the pages. If you can get your hands on out-of-state papers, do a comparative review. Do you see a trend in coverage? Is there something that seems to be getting more buzz even if it's on page six?
6. Talk, teach, listen. One of the best ways I've found to get in touch with my audience was to teach a class and do speaking engagements. When I was putting together my book, Get Published Today, I found that the classes I taught provided valuable information for creating a great book because they put me directly in touch with my audience!
7. Timing is everything. When do you plan to release your tome? Are you releasing around a holiday or anniversary? Could you take advantage of any upcoming event and/or holiday for your book launch?
Penny C. Sansevieri
The Cliffhanger was pub-2403258503801684lished in June of 2000. After a strategic marketing campaign it quickly climbed
the ranks at Amazon.com to the #1 best selling book in San Diego. Her most recent book: No More Rejections. Get Published Today! was released in July of 2002 to rave reviews. Penny is a book marketing and media relations specialist. She also coaches authors on projects, manuscripts and marketing plans and instructs a variety of coursing on pub-2403258503801684lishing and promotion. To learn more about her books or her promotional services, you can visit her web site at www.booksbypen.com. To subscribe to her free ezine, send a blank email to: mailto:subscribe@booksbypen.com
Copyright 2004 Penny C. Sansevieri
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