This week's focus:
I have several author clients who have sold over 100,000 (a few of these have sold over 1,000,000 copies!). I believe they should be proud of their success. Becoming a bestseller is a rare achievement that most writers only dream about. However, the marketing trend among many high-level authors comes across as "it's all about me."
For instance, I recently visited a few big-time author websites (not my clients) whose Home page was actually the Store page for their books! From the beginning, their marketing seems to imply, "I don't care about you. Just hurry up and buy my book." Other examples include bestselling authors who plug their books throughout an entire speech. The audience sits there feeling like they're stuck in an infomercial.
You can't sell books if you don't let readers know that they exist. But, you can't endear readers to your message and grow a larger platform if you don't meet their needs first. The main issue that concerns most people is "How can you help me?" To establish the value that you offer your audience, consider these two questions:
· How do I improve the condition of my audience?
· What tangible results do I know that my readers experience?
The key to effective marketing is showing how you meet people's needs, even if you write fiction. Therefore, your marketing efforts should be reader-focused, rather than self-focused. Examine all of your promotional materials, such as websites, bios, blogs, and brochures. Do they express a selfless desire to help others? Or, do they convey a sense of self-importance?
Chew on this:
"The problem with using points during public speaking is that it doesn't reflect the world we live in. We don't live our lives by points. We live by our emotions. We respond to what we see, taste, and feel. So, there's no compelling reason (for the audience) to remember a list of points."
Andy Stanley, author of
Communicating for a Change
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