Scott Oldford Site

Tag: sell more books

  • Email Marketing Tips: How to Get Your List to Buy Your Book

    Email Marketing Tips: How to Get Your List to Buy Your Book

    This month we’re going to look at how authors can mobilize their email subscribers to sell books.

    But first things first: I’ve got my sales report for the first quarter of 2017.

    I sold 60 copies of my books between January and March — 45 of my debut novel and 15 of the prequel novella (the one I actually give away for free to my email subscribers and don’t promote).

    Compared to the previous two quarters, I improved my sales rate: In Q3 I sold 25 books, and Q4, over the holidays, I sold 39.

    How’d I do it? Some of it is simply having more books available for sale. But I also tested out my ability to mobilize my email subscribers — and it worked.

    Email sales conversions

    For the most part, your email outreach should be about strengthening a relationship with your readers. But on occasion, mobilize those readers to generate sales — that is the end game, after all.

    So when my book’s publication anniversary came around in mid-March, it felt like the perfect time to test out my ability to turn my list into sales.  

    I worked with my publisher to do a $.99 cent sale for a week, and then got to work to create an email push around it.

    In my opinion, the key elements of any good email campaign are:

    • Intimacy: You are your brand. Readers don’t just buy books, they buy authors. Sharing your personality in your emails builds a personal connection.
    • Exclusivity: Offer something to your subscribers that they can’t get anywhere else. Make them feel like an insider, whether it’s for-your-eyes-only weekly emails or simply an early sneak peek.
    • Repetition: The mechanics of marketing matter, too. A persistent, frequent pattern of outreach plays an important role in mobilizing your audience. It’s just plain science that most people need to hear a call to action multiple times before the act.

    The breakdown

    I created an eight-part email series where I shared a “secret” about my upcoming sequel novel every day for a full week. That was one short daily email the week of my book’s release, plus a wrap-up email at the end recapping the full week’s content and giving readers one last chance to take advantage of the sale.

    To keep these emails open-able and engaging, I kept them short — a few sentences of intro, less than 100 words to explain the “secret,” and then a concluding call to action that reminded them about and linked to the sale.

    These secrets were only available to my email subscribers until after the campaign was over. I posted about the campaign beforehand so non-subscribers had a chance to join–and I did see a small uptick in new subscribers as a result. Then, I shared the secrets all together in a blog post after the campaign was over, again telling readers that they can be the first to know about these things if they join my email list.

    The results

    How’d it go? I refer you to my increase in quarterly sales.

    It wasn’t a wild, over-the-moon blockbuster, but there was a definite increase in sales. My Amazon ranking increased the first day of the campaign, went up again the next day and hovered at about that point through the end of the campaign.

    Would I do it again? Heck yes. In fact I may use this campaign as a model to start from as I prepare for book #2’s release, as one of several tactics in a larger push.

    As an author, your email list is one of your most valuable assets — it’s a direct line to your biggest fans. But, this only translates to real value if you know how to motivate them to take action on your behalf. Follow these three principles as a foundation, experiment, and keep an eye on those analytics to see what works.

    How do you mobilize your email list? Do your subscribers make the leap to buy from you?
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  • How to Promote Your Book at Your Local Library

    How to Promote Your Book at Your Local Library

    Your book is finally out in the world, either in print, ebook format or both.

    The challenge now is book promotion and getting it in the hands of readers. There are many ways to do this of course, but libraries can offer a few ways to spread the word that are less costly than the lone table at the local bookstore.

    Not everyone is aware of the resources libraries can offer published authors, or the challenges involved. Here are a few roadblocks, as well as methods authors (and librarians) can use to get around them.

    Challenges for librarians

    When it comes to library programs, the main challenge is ensuring the library gets a return on its investment.

    It’s hard to justify keeping and maintaining programs that get little/no attendance or keep taking away from the library budget without giving back.

    Unfortunately, author visits can fall into this category, especially if they are only a one-time thing.

    If the author isn’t overly well-known, attendance can be an issue. Libraries keep active tallies of program attendance to determine how they use their resources throughout the year, and if author programs tend to demonstrate that the community doesn’t have an active interest despite advertising efforts, the library then has to determine how to better use its finite resources.

    Another issue librarians have to contend with is space. Public community rooms are often booked, sometimes as early as several months in advance.

    Group rooms that aren’t designated specifically for an event or program can often have time limits. Some libraries are so small that they don’t have community rooms at all — and then it falls on the libraries to figure out a viable venue for visiting authors.

    Challenges for authors

    Conversely, the idea of library and school visits can seem daunting to authors, especially for the more introverted among us.

    Like libraries, authors have limited budgets to work with, whether it’s money to book travel and hotel, or receiving compensation for their time.

    This gets even stickier for ebook-only authors, since libraries often cannot gift ebooks to patrons. It’s also challenging because ebooks are often accessed through a platform called Overdrive, which not all libraries have access to.

    So what are some solutions to these issues?

    Authors and librarians are coming up with some creative ways to bridge the gaps in ways that benefit everyone involved.

    Ways libraries reach out to authors

    Many libraries have made important strides in reaching out to authors.

    For example, San Diego Public Library’s Local Author Program has helped a lot of local authors feature their books within the Local Author Exhibit, the program’s centerpiece.

    According to Rachel Esguerra, library clerk and head of the program, the Local Author Program was built around the spirit of writing and building a community. Since its inception, the program has featured writers in a variety of different age groups, including kids and teens.

    Other libraries are following in these footsteps too — including Berkeley Public Library, which will be having its 15th Annual Author Dinner in February, and the Author Events program through the Philadelphia Public Library system. And, as part of its annual Summer Reading Program, the Sacramento Public Library has a system-wide lock-in event for teens, where authors can Skype in and join the fun.

    Author events not only help local communities feature creativity, it encourages patrons to read more books, which is definitely a huge incentive for librarians.

    Some events even take place on a larger, scale, such as National Library Week.

    Ways authors can reach out to librarians

    First and foremost, authors should plan long-term if they plan to collaborate with the local library  — and it’s usually easier to capitalize on events that already exist.

    It’s also helpful to find out who in the library is in charge of room scheduling, and figure out how to make available spaces work for everyone involved.

    “Public libraries are servants to the public,” Esguerra said. “You can speak with branch manager about things you’ve noticed about the library. Most people are open to ideas, and are more than willing to provide community and writer resources. And, smaller libraries that might not have the same kind of programming budget can still provide spaces to meet other writers.”

    Another option is to join Friends of the Library — a committee that most libraries have to ensure funding for various programs and resources. It’s not only a way to help the library further connect with the community at large, but also to find out where the library’s resources are being used and why.

    One author who’s done this is Zoe Ghahremani, who became involved in San Diego’s Local Author Program after her book, The Sky of Red Poppies was selected for One Book, One San Diego. She’s not only been a keynote speaker, but has also advocated for a larger room and space for the program. And, as a part of the library’s Friends, she’s involved in finding ways the library can get funding for the program and others like it.

    She does this work because she wants to give back to the community organizations that have helped her as an author.

    “I believe in karma,” she said. “Libraries are worthy of our support in so many ways. It is important for the butterfly to remember that it was once a worm. Some authors, when they gain success, sometimes forget that just being in the library building can offer a way to discover new stories.”

    And of course, authors can benefit from libraries too. After all, being an event speaker definitely trumps that lonely meet-and-greet table at the bookstore.

    Ultimately, the hope is that more librarians and authors will work together, that these collaborations will expand community involvement, and further ensure more good books get into the hands of readers that need them.

    Then, everyone wins.

    What else do you think we can do to convince librarians of ways author events can benefit communities as a whole?

  • How to Sell Books: Get Offline and Meet Your Readers IRL

    How to Sell Books: Get Offline and Meet Your Readers IRL

    When I first started promoting my novel, I went in with the assumption that my promotional efforts would take place online, and only online.

    After all, social media promotion is something I already know a lot about from my professional life. And where could I possibly have access to a larger audience?

    In addition, like many authors, I am profoundly introverted, and I don’t love the feeling of being a sales rep for anything, particularly my own art.

    But then, I made an unexpected discovery: There is a limit to what you can do, even on the internet.  

    Connections over quantity

    As my sales flatlined post-launch, I pulled my head out of the sand and took a look around.

    To my shock, some of my peers were having great success with in-person events, which forced me to face a terrible reality: An effective platform is about making meaningful connections, not just fleeting touchpoints in front of as many eyes as possible.

    Online promotion is great, and it definitely has its place, but nothing can replace the meaningful connection of talking to readers in person.

    To sell my books, I was going to have to do more in-person events, too.

    Getting started

    I like to quantify my outreach efforts to help me measure whether I am moving forward or not– otherwise, outreach just becomes a giant black hole.

    I decided to start with a goal of participating in one author event per month, or 12 over the first year. This seemed like a good balance between maintaining forward momentum and respecting how much energy events take from me.

    I started in August, and have secured events to meet this goal through February along with an additional three booked for later in the year.

    But the hard part isn’t the scheduling. It’s the events themselves.

    I did not realize until I got started just how much strategizing and thought goes into how authors present their work for hand-to-hand sales.

    But by asking some authors and other publishing pros I know, and by observing what works for other authors at events I have attended, I’ve picked up a number of methods to improve my sales.

    Tips to Sell Books at Events

    • Let go of shyness. It’s common to feel intimidated when pitching your work to strangers, but you really just have to snap yourself out of it. There are no short cuts for this. The more you do it, the better you’ll get at it.
    • Stand up. Standing behind your table instead of sitting tells people you are paying attention. It will also help you talk more easily with passers-by. Wear comfortable shoes!
    • Smile. Because we are humans.
    • Make eye contact. Again, like a human. Don’t be a creep about this by staring at each person who walks by with killer laser eyes, waiting for them to glance over so you can latch on. But do keep your head up and look around as people pass to create the opportunity to connect. (Put the phone away — no texting!)
    • Ask a question. When you do make eye contact, or if someone slows to look at your books, have a question ready to start a conversation. An open-ended question is best.

      I like to ask, “What do you like to read?” because I can use what they say in response to make a connection to why they might enjoy my book.
    • Have a hook and spiel ready to pitch your book. A hook is that five-second teaser that generates interest in your book. Once curiosity is whetted, the spiel is a longer follow-up to give the reader more information about the plot.
    • Have a display. Signs, tablecloths, tchotchkes, this really comes down to personal taste, but do something to visually reinforce your brand and make your space inviting.
    • Put your book in their hands. I noticed other authors doing this at a recent event, and it blew my mind. I started doing it myself, and guys, it works. My theory is, putting a book in someone’s hands triggers a sense of familiarity and ownership over the item. And no one likes to have something that is theirs taken away from them.
    • Give something away. If someone stops to chat, don’t let them leave your table without something in their hands. If they don’t buy immediately, you want something to remind them to do it later, with all of your website, book and social media information on it for easy reference. I use bookmarks and quote cards.
    • Have a goal. One author I talked to considers an event a success if she sells an average of one book per hour. Since I’ve decided to focus on building a platform rather than selling for now, I set a goal of about 20 new addresses for my email list per event day (depending on the event size).

    The Multi-Book Difference

    At one event I attended, I was stationed with three authors who were miles ahead of me in their writing careers. They each had at least six books to sell, compared to my one. Unsurprisingly, this led them to make a proportionally larger number of sales at the event.

    The key was, they knew the differences between their books’ selling points. Not a horror fan? The tamer, no-violence thriller you will enjoy is over here. More into sci-fi than fantasy? Try this, not that. Knowing these differences, and how to relate them to different reader preferences, was a key aspect of their sales tactics.

    This reaffirmed my penchant to write broadly within my genre, speculative fiction. Hopefully I can use this tactic to my advantage in the not-too-distant future.

    Go make some connections!

    Once I hit my stride, talking to readers in person at events is actually a lot of fun, even if it does steal my energy away. I always make sure to plan recovery time into my schedule after an event, and that helps make frequent events more manageable.

    Getting in front of readers one on one creates a personal connection nothing else can replace. Don’t you care more about a creator you have met in person? So do other readers.

    Don’t be afraid to get out there! Take a chance and try it out for yourself.

    What do you do to connect with readers at events?

  • What New Authors Need to Know About Library Systems

    What New Authors Need to Know About Library Systems

    Imagine this scenario: A librarian is sitting behind a desk, typing away, when an author comes in, book in hand, and asks the librarian if they can buy the book and put it on the shelf.

    (Cue immediate awkward pause.)

    Unfortunately, librarians’ hands are often tied in ways that might not be obvious from the patron’s perspective.

    First, not all people who work on the front lines get a say in what gets bought. Second, librarians are always looking for a return on investment, which in this case translates into number of times books are checked out.

    Thus, the above scenario usually plays out like this:

    The librarian smiles, nods, takes the book, says thank you, and immediately puts it in one of two places: the donation bin or the trash.

    (Cue massive cringing from all of you.)  

    How can self-published authors avoid this and other tenuous scenarios in getting their books onto library shelves?

    In my eight years as a librarian and writer, I’ve gotten a bit of a lens into this, and I hope some of what I’ve gleaned can help you in collaborating with librarians to find a wider variety of readers.

    Selective acquisitions

    The acquisitions department usually consists of one to five selectors, depending on the size of the library and what kind of budget it has. In many libraries, overworked and underpaid selectors (saints!) have to make a lot of decisions in a short amount of time.

    As a result, selectors often choose authors they are familiar with, because they want to ensure the library can get a return on its investment. As I mentioned above, librarians are often concerned with how much use a book gets, and whether it can justify its place on a shelf.

    This is also why libraries, like bookstores, tend to carry more bestsellers than mid-listers (non-bestselling authors who still make enough money to continue publishing). The good news is if a book gets checked out a lot, libraries have to buy titles in multiple formats.

    Librarians often base their selections on review journals, which is one way mid-listers can gain traction. Booklist is a publication that librarians pay attention to a lot, in addition to Library Journal (School Library Journal for titles aimed at the 0-18 crowd), Horn Book, and Kirkus.

    In library land, Publisher’s Weekly is often an afterthought, with selectors choosing starred reviews only.

    Confused categories

    The next stage involves making online records to ensure books can be found within the library’s catalog.

    This can get sticky when it comes to genre, especially if the bulk of the cataloging is done by an off-site vendor.

    In our library, genre stickers had to be included in the online order — which was fine until a genre was marked incorrectly.

    Someone once decided that everything with supernatural elements needed a science fiction sticker, and, as a result, there are still Game of Thrones books in the system with aliens on their spines. This also affects romance stories with science fiction elements, and any other genre blending that goes on. Finding the correct age group can also be an issue.

    If a librarian knows you and your book, you have a better chance of getting correctly categorized. Just keep in mind that they may have their hands tied with existing cataloging procedures, especially if they’re within a multi-branch library system.

    Shelf realities

    Another real-estate factor involves shelf space, and how a library system distributes books between branches. My library system had a “floating” collection, in which instead of distributing the same title to all libraries, I had to select one for the main library, while the other five would “float” to other branches. There was no way for me to know which branches had what, especially since patrons could check a book out from one branch and return it to another.

    Sometimes branches would end up with three copies of the third book in a series without a copy of the first. First books are hardly ever on the shelf, both due to demand and because libraries don’t always have the budget to repair the ones that get damaged.

    One way around this is the patron request. Libraries, by their nature, have a mission of serving their communities, so anything a library user asks for (provided it’s still in print) can usually be purchased.  Many libraries have online patron-request forms for this.

    Another (more elusive) way is to place enough holds on a title. The hold ratio in our system was 1:7 — one title purchased for every seven holds placed by patrons.

    New opportunities

    Despite some of the above institutional limitations, librarians are eager to offer discoverability for new books, and want to ensure lesser known authors can get more opportunities to reach readers.

    One example is Indie Author Day, which makes its debut on October 8, 2016. According to its website, “…Libraries from all across North America will host their own local author events with the support of the Indie Author Day team … featuring Q&A with writers, agents and other industry leaders.”

    Hopefully, with this and other efforts, more collaboration take place, and libraries can continue to offer opportunities for authors to get the support they need.

    Overall tips

    To sum up, here are some overall tips to help ensure your book gets traction within a library system.

    Get to know review journals

    If you can get a positive trade review in Booklist, Library Journal or School Library Journal, it can go a long way toward getting a librarian’s attention.  

    Get to know the patron request system

    See if your local library has a patron request system, and find out how they tally their holds.

    Get to know your local librarian

    When approaching librarians about your books, it’s always good to have something to bring to the table. In addition to mentioning that you are a local author, you can inquire as to whether they have a local-author shelf (many libraries do).

    Author events can be a bit harder to organize, and attendance for an unknown author isn’t always guaranteed. Talk with the librarian about their community needs, and see if there are ways you might help.

    Is your book available at your local library? What did you do to connect with your librarian? Which library systems did you need to know?

  • The Best Way to Sell Books: Follow This Marketing Rule

    The Best Way to Sell Books: Follow This Marketing Rule

    Want to know why most writers are unsuccessful at marketing their books?

    It’s because they consistently violate the cardinal rule of selling: Your success in selling anything is directly related to the amount of value you give your customers.

    What’s valuable to your potential readers is the same as what’s valuable to everybody, including memorable experiences, positive feelings, connection, usefulness, inspiration, and so on.

    Consider the artists, musicians, writers and companies you truly enjoy. When you do business with them, is it simply an emotionless transaction? Or is there something more profound, something greater that your association with them gives you?

    Here’s a prime example: Jimmy Buffett hasn’t had a hit record in more than 30 years. But his shows consistently sell out huge venues. He’s built an empire of eateries, music venues and products (even his own tequila brand) under the Margaritaville umbrella and he’s an icon to millions of fans.

    How did he make that happen? By giving his fans massive value. And by building a tribe to keep the connection growing.

    When his tribe (fans known as Parrotheads) assemble, people who may have had a tough week in the workplace get to put on Hawaiian shirts and silly hats and pretend that they’re on a beach somewhere. They feel connection with each other and they feel connection to the artist.

    Between shows, the value continues. Videos, social media, blog posts, books, emails — they all reinforce the common bond that draws his fans together.

    Where’s your value?

    Now consider how most authors market their books.

    Most authors don’t even think about marketing until they release their book. Then they flail around, hoping to get some attention.

    If you ask one such author, “What value are you giving potential readers?” they’d likely say “The value is in how good my book is!”

    Well, that’s nice. But no one has read your book yet. You’ve actually provided zero value. No wonder you aren’t selling books!

    Now, let’s examine another scenario.

    The same writer builds a tribe — a community based around a shared interest, belief or outlook — and showers them with value: fun stories, memorable quotes, small gifts, a platform for tribe members to share their feelings and experiences, a place for likeminded folks to meet each other, and so on.

    Then the author releases her book.

    And what happens?

    Her tribe repays the value she’s provided them many times over. They are rooting for her. They are excited for her. They buy her book and go on a mission to share the book with others.

    And remember, the biggest of tribes start small. Don’t be intimidated if you don’t have a large following yet.

    A dose of book-marketing reality

    I’m going to be very direct here, so my apologies if this rubs you the wrong way, but no one cares about you and your book. At least not right now.

    You need to make them care. And you can’t do that if you spend all day plastering your book’s Amazon link all over Twitter and Facebook expecting people to buy it. And you can’t do that by starting a blog and then posting one article a year.

    The way to make them care is to give real value before you even talk about your book. If you can get someone to say “Wow, I’m really happy this person is in my life,” you’ve officially reached a status few writers ever attain.

    So right now, you need to ask yourself this very important question about your current marketing efforts: Are you giving prospective readers any value, or are you just pushing your book in their direction hoping they’ll buy it?

    If you’re doing the latter, you need to stop right now, and ask “Who is my potential reader? What does he or she care about? How can I introduce myself by giving value, nurture our relationship by giving value and then lead them to the ultimate value I have to offer them: my book?”

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    How to create value before you release your book

    To get moving in the right direction to create value for your readers, ponder these questions:

    • Who is my ideal prospective reader? Male or female? How old? Where does he or she live?
    • What are some things that my ideal reader and I have in common? Do we care about similar issues? Do we see the world in a certain unique way?
    • What kind of things get my ideal reader excited? Social connection? Information about a particular passion? Reinforcement of their worldview and beliefs?
    • If I were to meet my ideal reader at a cocktail party, what would I talk to him or her about before I even mention that I’ve written a book they would enjoy?

    The goal of this exercise is to form a human connection with your prospective readers before you attempt to sell them anything.

    Do this and your marketing efforts will not only be more successful — they’ll also be far more enjoyable and energizing for you. That’s because you’d have moved beyond the realm of “selling something” and into the much more pleasurable experience of adding value to people’s lives.

    The bottom line? If you can make someone feel grateful you’ve entered their life before they even read your book, you’ve got much more than a customer. You’ve got a fan.

    And when you’ve got fans, you’ve got a career.

    What’s worked for you when it comes to marketing your books?
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