3 secrets, 2 links, 1 quote

Reader,
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May I please ask you for a quick favor?
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If you’ve got a copy of Before The Bestseller laying around, would you be so kind as to leave a review for it here 🙂

You already did?!?!
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Then these flowers are for YOU!

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That’s it, now back to you!

3 Secrets:

1. Find your core readers:

How the heck do you initially build a small army of readers who will promote your book?

Bestselling Author Mike Michalowicz did this accidentally with his book, Profit First.

He got the book in the hands of a few students who took the books home.

Entrepreneurial moms found the books at home and fell in love.

Pretty soon Mike had an army of mom-preneurs sharing the book with each other and the rest is history.

Mike now approaches each launch knowing he needs to find that small group that’s going to carry him on their shoulders to the broader population.

Even if he doesn’t get it right initially (Like Profit First) he keeps going until he finds that group that truly values his book.

Write your book with an initial group in mind but don’t be discouraged if you get it wrong.

Find the group who does value your book and will carry you on their shoulders.

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2. (almost) Every author sees book sales decrease at first:

I’ve now interviewed over 100 authors who have sold over 50,000 copies of their books on Before The Bestseller.

Almost ALL of them said that they saw book sales decline for a few months after the initial push before organic traction took over.

Don’t be disheartened if you see sales drop off after a few months.

That’s why it’s so important to get a few thousand copies out at launch so the book can have a chance as spreading organically.
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3. More orders per advertising dollar spent:
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​How can you get a bigger return for every dollar spent on advertising?

By perfecting your Amazon book description (since most sales will happen there)

a good description will convert at 1 reader for every 15 clicks
an average one: 1 in 20
an amazing one will convert at 1 reader for every 10 clicks (or less)

It’s not a surprise that James Clear of Atomic Habits updated his book description more than 10 times last year.

There’s not one golden format for a book description. The main thing is that the first line excites the reader enough to go onto the second line. The second line needs to excite the reader enough to go onto the third line and so forth until the reader clicks buy.

The first few lines are the most important as those are above the “read more” button.

Your goal is for those first lines to be so intriguing that someone either clicks “read more” or just buys it already. ​ ​

NO ​
-block text or sensory
-less plain sentences like “This book is about how to overcome your nerves” vs. “What would change in your life if you looked forward to getting nervous?”
-repetition of features (every single word should address a different aspect of what the reader can expect) or present the information in a way that appeals to a different type of reader. (qualitative vs. quantitative)

YES ​
– thought provoking question(s) in the first few lines
– well known accolades or awards
– bullet point takeaways of what the value a reader will get
– cliffhanger so that the reader HAS to buy the book to figure out what happened

2 Links
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1. Last weeks NL was our most opened ever! It was all about how LinkedIn’s blue badge unlocks visibility money can’t buy, turning your content into a spotlight. Navid Nazemian, author of Mastering Executive Transitions, shares what earning Top Voice has done for his reach, and the strategy that got him there, here on Before The Bestseller.

2. For those that missed it. LinkedIn gives you a score in 4 areas so you can see what to improve. You can get your score here.

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1 Quote

“You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page”
Jodi Picoult

with love and sincere appreciation,

Alex
​BeforeTheBestseller | ShelfLife​
alex@getshelflife.com