Sooner or later, the topic of selling books was going to come up now that I’ve got an incentive to sell my own inventory for my soon-to-be released memoir Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces.
Although selling books is purely a numbers game, books do not sell themselves. With so many ways to connect with readers these days, often the experiences gets misconstrued with numbers. And selling.
Believe it or not, readers still seek a personal experience when an author visits. I know I do.
And yet, online events seem to be the way things are going giving a reader a reason to opt-out of experiences. Our local library said that they were considering stopping local author events because no-one was coming to them. I asked her about platform. She said she was bringing in local authors who had a following. I didn’t want to ask what went on at these events.
Book clubs, author events and fairs all offer that ability to tap into that personal relationship. When the world is flooded with choices, you as the author, have the ability to give your target reader a reason for staying to hear you.
A reading doesn’t offer that experience like a personal talk.
A reader can always open your book and read it right then and there.
Although they get a chance to hear you as the author read from your book, I will go out on a limb here and argue that when an author offers the reader an experience, a reader who might have been on fence might decide to buy your story right on the spot.
WHY?
Simple — they get a piece of YOU.
They access YOU.
They access your story.
Writing is a medium that is accessed quite differently than a speaker. You imbibe their words, see them move in front of you. maybe they notice your hand gestures or maybe you captivated them with a story that spoke deeply to them.
You DO have control in the way you build connections. Personality is what sells books. So why not go after opportunities that afford those connections. The infamous “buy my book” will only get you so much online mileage.
I’m determined not to let my message and book get drowned by a sea of authors. I crave for others to experience me more deeply than they would online with a “buy my book” type button.
Do you have the courage to let your personality do the selling so people can self-select for themselves whether to your book is worth buying?
I love attending author fairs and talks and of course love learning new stories speak, but all too often, the reading part gets emphasized which I find tedious.
It’s like listening to the author live via an audio book.
EXPERIENCE. EXPERIENCE. EXPERIENCE.
Yes, it takes courage, but as I said in my recent Youtube talk, when you share of yourself, people see more of themselves in your story. They want to know what it felt like to overcome some of the pitfalls writing the book. and how you managed to publish it.
The final book product is yummy yes, but all book writing journeys are fraught with challenges, right?
My Gift to You
I’d love to gift you with a 7 day e-course that will help you unpack this theme of courage and give you more comfort so I’m not just talking over your heads. If you haven’t done so already, take a look at the free e-course I’m giving away called “Rock ‘N Roll Your Business and Life with Courage as Your Guide” which is at the right side of this site’s home page.
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