how to Sell more books

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Knowing the market you are writing for right from the start means you book will appeal to the right readers. Why? Because you have tailor-made it for them.

Understand what your reader wants in terms of tropes and themes. Look at other books in your genre and identify the things they have in common - be it the tone of the writing or the style of the cover.

The better you know your market, the easier it will be for you to make sure your product is on point and that your marketing aligns.

It sounds obvious to state it but writing a great book is the best starting point to achieve good sales. 

It's a lot easier to sell a great product than a mediocre one - your ads will convert better and your book will garner better reviews. 

Learn about craft and story structure - whether you are writing fiction or non-fiction. 

Do all you can to create a book that your readers will love and that meets your genre's expectations.

Once you have your manuscript written, be sure to do those little things that will make the final result as professional as you can make it.

Get the book edited. Weed out as many typos and errors as possible to lessen the chances of your book getting bad reviews.

Have the interior of the book properly laid out and formatted so that it's nice and easy to read.

The finishing touches are worth doing. 

Don't skip them.

Your book cover is make or break for sales. There are some exceptions but mostly, you will want to nail this element to stand any chance of competing with the best sellers.

How does your cover compare to similar books in your genre? Does it stand out in a good way or stick out like a sore thumb?

Does it look good at a small size? Is the text legible? How about in black and white?

Making sure you have a professional, eye-catching and genre specific cover will maximise your chances of making sales.

The book's blurb is another area that it is worth paying close attention to. If your cover is great but your blurb fails to hook the reader then your sales will suffer.

Make it short and snappy. Format it so it looks nice and is not laid out in a great wodge of text.

Sell the premise. Have a strong hook - what is the question your book answers? Will they become lovers or can he save the world? How can the reader eat healthier or start a six figure business?

Create intrigue and anticipation. Make the reader excited to get the answer to the question.

Having a kick-ass cover is great but if the cover looks like a romcom, the title sounds like a crime novel and the blurb describes a space fantasy, your reader is going to be confused.

The above is an exaggerated example but you get the point. Everything about the packaging for your book needs to work together to assure the reader they will be getting what they expect and that your book belongs within the genre they're looking for.

This is why it's so important to know your market to establish what your readers want and expect so you can give it to them.

Promoting your book on social media is a powerful (and free) way to promote your book.

Having crafted a great book and given it a strong cover, title and blurb will give your the best chance of succeeding with a social media strategy.

It's not enough to keep posting "Buy my book" over and over again - in fact it's a huge turn off. The goal instead is to use socials to create a community of readers who love your books and help you build your author brand.

Cover reveals, snippets from your book and your story inspiration are all things that you can post. Personal stories, videos and live streams are all things that work well. 

 
Again, it helps to know your readership and what interests and engages them. 

If you plan to make writing your career, setting up a newsletter is another valuable way to drive more sales.

It can help you keep your author name in your readership's mind even when you don't have a new book out. You can use it to recruit beta readers and an ARC team who will read your book in advance of its release to leave you a review on Amazon and other platforms.

People are protective over their email addresses so make sure you treat it with respect. Don't spam them and give them good value in return. Offer them a behind the scenes look at your author world, give them deleted scenes, special offers and exclusive bonus content. Make it worth their while to sign up. Make it fun, engaging and informative.

Give freely to your subscribers and they will reward you with their support.

A lead magnet is a digital product you give to a reader in exchange for their email address. It will help grow your email list faster than if you just rely on organic growth. 

Your lead magnet could be a prequal or sequel to your book, a short story, a character profile or an epilogue if you're writing fiction. 

If you're writing non fiction, it could be a workbook, tip sheet or a free mini course - anything that gives extra value to your readers.

Some people will sign up just for the free product and then unsubscribe again and that's okay. Why? Because you are honing your list over time. Some will stay on your list and you can then market your future books to them.

Having an active newsletter helps you grow an engaged fanbase over time who will support your author career.

If you are serious about making a living from your writing, it's wise to put time and effort into crafting your author brand.

An author brand helps your books become recognisable to your readers so that when you release a new book, they immediately know it's you. Your brand will help grow your reputation within your genre which will lead to more book sales as new readers discover you.

It is extremely hard to have wild success with your first book. But if you keep producing books that your readership loves, over time, you can grow your author business to achieve great things!

Keep the quality of everything you produce as high as possible to turn your readers into fans.

Adverts, both Amazon ads and social media ads, are great ways to sell books.

BUT - and it's a big but - you need to have a solid product to stand a chance of making them work, otherwise you are throwing your money away.

Your cover, title and blurb need to be on point. Your book needs to have good reviews and look professionally produced. Running ads at a shoddy product is not going to work.

Obviously, the better your cover, the better your ads will convert leading to a greater return on investment.

But if done right, adverts can help drive sales especially if you're not good at social media.

They say the best way to promote a book is to write another one.

There's a lot of truth in that statement.

The more books you have out there, the more opportunity there is for readers to find you - and the more money you will make.

As you release more books onto the market, you can grow your author brand and as new readers discover you they will check out your older books. 

Releasing books regularly and working your back list is how you grow your author reputation and your revenue.