12 Simple Ways to Sell More Books

Most authors want to sell books, but many never will. At least not more than a handful. The #1 way to sell books is to get yours to stand out from the millions of others that are out there. Below are 10 very easy to implement "stand out" ideas. 1. Article marketing One of the oldest online marketing strategies is still one of the most effective. Writing articles that tie into the theme of your book should be very easy. After all, you are a writer. Even if you don't have a lot of time on your hands you can take portions of a chapter and create several articles. At the end of the article add in something that drives readers back to your blog, website or landing page to opt in for something of value. Yes, ethical bribes still work. 2. Tell people You need to let your friends, family, colleagues, clients, peers and just about anybody you know that your book was published. After all, if you're not willing to talk about your book others may not be either. 3. Reviews from happy readers Third party endorsements (verbal or written) are a great way to have your book stand out. Just today I began reading a book my nutritionist recommended. Recently Sandi hosted a workshop on food cravings. During her presentation she recommended the audience read two books. I wrote both down and upon returning home immediately ordered the Kindle version of the one that most caught my attention. Once I’m done with the book I will write an Amazon review. It’s likely I will even blog about the book. Viral marketing at its best. 4. Facebook Start a page for your book. I have done that for the last two books I was the marketing director for. The strategy worked well in that we created interest in the book before it was published. Once you start the page you need to let everyone know about it. Be actively involved with those who “liked” the page. Otherwise the page is a stagnant piece and does you no good. 5. LinkedIn groups A fantastic way to build a loyal following of potential buyers of your book(s) is to start a LinkedIn group that is specific to the theme or genre of your book. Does a group take work? Yes. But so do all the other methods outlined in this article. The fact is, anything you do is going to take effort. 6. Blogging By far one of the best things you can do to build visibility, credibility, market reach and SEO is blogging. Here are only a handful of ideas for what you can blog about regarding your book. 7. FAQ's Frequently asked questions as they pertain to the theme of your book. If you're not sure what the main questions your potential readers have, ask. Even if you have a pretty good idea, ask. One way to do this is with Survey Monkey. When someone completes your survey give them a gift for doing so without requiring any opt in. This creates a win/win. Try the survey method. Not only can you post results on your blog, you can write articles and develop products based on the answers. 8. Tips Based on the theme of your book you can write tips that are specific to the interests of your market. Just like I did with this posting, you can do so with your book. 9. Interviews with other authors in the same genre Why not find other authors who have a following and interview them? Not only will you have great information for your blog, you will build credibility by association. 10. Case studies If your book is a how to, you can profile those who got specific results based on the information your book outlines. This not only increases potential reader interest, it substantiates the value of your book's information. 11. Guest Blogging One of the fastest and most effective ways to increase market reach and visibility for you and your book is to be a featured blogger on other high traffic blogs. 12. Videos Without a doubt video is one of the most powerful marketing tools you can use to promote your book. You can do book trailers, short readings, or simply share stories as they relate to your book. Be sure to be animated during your shooting and use keywords both in the spoken part of the video and the title and description. So there you have it... 12 simple ways to gain visibility for your book(s).