Recently, while reading up on the trends of book sales – electronic, paperback and hardcopy – it occurred to me how creative authors are getting to jumpstart sales, sometimes months before the actual book is available:
- Louise Penny (my favorites are her “Inspector Gamache” series) has started a virtual bookclub on Facebook and keeps her readers engaged on her Facebook page by sharing bits from her everyday life as well as the awards her books have been nominated for and updates of current novels so you feel a part of the whole writing process.
- Douglas Preston (my favorites are his “Agent Pendergast” series, co-authored with Lincoln Child) is offering a special book plate for his new solo novel, but only to subscribers of his newsletter. Love how he’s increasing the value of the book with this signed book plate while ensuring his newsletter subscribers feel valued.
- James Patterson and several others include a chapter of their next book at the end of a current book (and the truly savvy are going back to their e-versions and adding a chapter to the end of older novels). While this isn’t a new practice, they’ve had to learn to write truly engrossing and cliffhanging first chapters to ensure the reader will move “up the escalator” and actually purchase the book.
- Dr. Doni Wilson, naturopathic doctor and author of The Stress Remedy, includes digital chapters with hardcopy purchase of her book (delivered via nurturing sequence) so readers don’t need to wait for the book to arrive before jumping in.
The results? More and more books are reaching “best seller” status before they’re even read.
These are authors. What lessons can you take from the above?
How can you be more creative in serving your clients and customers so that you stand out and are remembered? Please share your comments below.
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