I can tell you that the art of book sales takes a lot of work. A LOT of work. None-the-less, here are three quick and easy tips that are sure to be helpful.
Know HOW to Talk about Your Work.
Do you have an elevator speech? You know, if you and I were together in an elevator, could you tell me about your book before the elevator arrived at our destined floors? More times than not, when I've asked authors to tell me about their books, they stumble over their words, dig for a post card or bookmark so that I can read a printed synopsis, or begin a verbal dissertation that's far too lengthy to hold my attention. You should be able to sum your story up in 1-2 compelling and intriguing sentences.
Create and Maintain a Mailing List
Keeping and utilizing a mailing list allows you to reach your customers and fans with your updates, new releases and other information about you or your books. While Facebook, Twitter and the like are great tools, sometimes posts are simply missed. Sometimes you have more than 140 words of info. Sometimes by the time I get to Facebook, your status has moved away from my initial viewing page, and you know what they say - out of site, out of mind. Opt-in lists are easy to build, use and manage, and can be a great way to showcase an excerpt. Promotional Items Alone Don't Sell Books
Bookmarks, postcards, key rings, t-shirts are great give-aways, but don't rely on promotional items to sell your books for you. They won't. We've all done it before...attended some type of event or trade show and collected items from various tables without a second thought of what the item promoted. Sure, it may have had functional value (a pen always comes in handy, and so does a tote bag) but does it sell a book? Not by itself. Learn how to be strategic with your items, exchange that pen or key ring for an email address that you can add to your mailing list.
Of course this list could go on forever; visit our Marketing page for more great tips and strategies.
