3 Secrets

1. Mom’s purchase doesn’t help! Why did Rob Fitzpatrick only need to seed 1,000 copies of The Mom Test or Write Useful books? Because his 1,000 were purely people who’s problem he was solving for. I think of promoting your book to your college friends, or getting your friends to buy it like I think of creating an Author Website – it’s instantaneous gratification but a week or two later, you realize it did nothing for you. Now maybe you are actually solving your family and friends problems but the point is that unless you’re actually putting your book in the hands of people who’s problem you’re solving for, those people won’t recommend your book and there will be no further word of mouth. That’s your problem to solve.​
   
2. Andrea and Richard released their book 20+ years ago, back when it wasn’t so easy (or cheap) to self-publish. They say a huge part of their success was because they had a few thousand copies sitting around which meant they had to figure out a way to sell large quantities of the book…and fast. They sent order forms to top sales executives asking them how many copies they wanted to purchase for their team. They had no previous relationship with these executives and simply sent them a copy of the book, a cover letter, and an order form. This resulted in THOUSANDS of book sales early on. If you have a book that companies could benefit from, consider this approach.​
   
3. Are you selfish to market your book? There’s a common belief out there by some authors that a great book doesn’t need to be marketed. Hmm…. Well…doesn’t someone need to read it first so they know it’s good? Mike Michalowicz writes in Get Different that we have a responsibility to market. “If you’ve created something better than what’s out there, you’re actually doing a disservice to people by not marketing it.” This holds back a surprising amount of would-be best selling authors.​The next time you’re unsure of whether to send your pitch, hand your book to someone, or reach out to influencers, think about the people who will have to settle for something worse, or nothing at all. In some cases it might be a worse form of entertainment and in other cases it can literally be the difference between life and death. You’re doing it for them, not yourself. You’re actually being selfish by not sharing what you have to offer.​​

2 Links

1. Want to see some totally cool A+ content examples to be inspired by for your own Amazon listing? Check this and this out! Nikki is a talented author/publisher from down under.
   
2. Had a great chat with Pascal Bornet of Irreplaceable: The Art of Standing Out in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. (1+ Million LI Followers) this week on the podcast. Listen here. Irreplaceable is the most comprehensive guide I’ve read yet on what to expect from AI and how to give yourself the best chance and thriving with it. Get the book here. In next week’s episode Pascal comes on again to talk about how he built such a huge LinkedIn following.

1 Quote

“The bookends of success are starting and finishing. Decisions help us start; discipline helps us finish.”​
~John C. Maxwell