My book’s finished and for sale on Amazon, so now the big marketing push is supposed to jump into high gear.
But I’ve got a little problem with that.
I don’t like to be pushy.
I’ve always felt just fine keeping to myself and not forcing anyone to spend time with me. I’m not the kind of person who walks into a room and says, “Hey! I’m here.”
I’m the person who sneaks through the doorway and finds an empty seat, preferably in a row of empty seats. And I definitely don’t like trying to get people to buy something they really never thought they needed.
Just posting a link to my blog on Facebook/Twitter/Google+ was a hard step for me to take.
Strangely though, I kind of look forward to participating in book signings. I like to meet new people, so it seems like fun to talk to strangers about my book. And I’m actually hoping to hear people’s comments. Good feedback will help me make the second book even better (bad feedback will too).
Of course, I’ll probably tear up and cry every time someone even thinks about purchasing a copy which will in turn scare them, and they’ll quickly dash away from my table and try not to make eye contact with me for the rest of the time they’re in the store.
According to the marketing stuff I’ve been reading, the top three reasons people buy a book are:
1. They have read the author already and like him/her
2. A friend recommended the book
3. They like the cover (I guess people really do judge a book by the cover).
The sad reality is that most books don’t ever sell more than 100 copies. That’s it. I’m hoping to get ten times that, but I’m pretty sure numbers like that will take a little supernatural marketing…or Oprah.
I’ll try to do my part, but I was wondering if any of you might have some suggestions/thoughts.
What makes you want to read a book? Is it seeing someone clutter up your newsfeed with tons of little reminders? Is it a personal phone call? Is it a cool book trailer? Is it the price of the book or its length? Subject matter? What’s the number one reason you decided to plunk down some dough for the last book you bought?
What do you think makes the average consumer want to read a book?
