As a published author of five books, sales wax and wane. I
am in a financial slump in book sales and I need a bigger audience to discover
my work. How do I do this?
From the Futurebook
conference held on November 21st sponsored by The Bookseller website there were some pretty good
suggestions. Push Entertainment’s Simon
Scott talked about what authors can do. He focused on the importance of always
trying to understand how to connect with people and “keep to the core fans of
your work who are willing to buy” up front.
Announcing upcoming books to remind “lapsed” fans that you still exist
which also helps them connect with you again is a great way to keep the sales
numbers up. Authors (especially self-published ones) who go the extra mile will
reap the benefits of better book sales.
Ruth Spencer, a marketing manager at Random House, suggested
a concept not really known to publishers and authors: verticals or vertical
integration. Meaning authors get
together with other like authors and promote each other. Banding together to help each other promote
books helps reach higher audiences. There is always power in numbers.
Another suggestion came from author and entrepreneur, Joanna
Penn. She talked about what self-publishers have always known: the need to take
a lot of risks. Self-publishers “must
always be writing new books (or articles) and have a consumer focus”. Keeping
to one category in writing is like cutting off your availability to readers.
There is a whole world out there waiting to hear what you have to say in many
areas of life such as social media, speaking engagements or website articles.
Using e-book promotions also help authors reach a bigger audience. They really
do work.
This is a very well needed boost in the arm for authors who
are trying to keep their heads afloat in the publishing world. A well managed push into more areas of
expertise helps authors reach more readers….and in reality….that is the name of
the game.
No comments:
Post a Comment