Can You Sell Your Book Like A Pro?

Being a successful author means being able to sell your book to others.  How will you sell yourself?  By building up a network and a list of people to call upon, not just to buy your book but to help you sell it to others.

Which skills will you need to call upon to sell well?

·         Communicate clearly, forcefully and with intention

·         Don’t be shy – ask for the sale, the favor, the help

·         Know your value and clearly state it to others

·         Expect objections and plan to overcome them

·         Anticipate challenges, changes, or setbacks – and find ways around them

·         Don’t worry about who says no or why they said no; it’s a numbers game.  Get enough no’s and a yes is bound to come up

·         Know that you’re always selling, networking, negotiating and looking for new sources of sales.

·         Be a good listener, ask questions, speak the language of others, and treat people with respect.

Selling is a state of mind and being.  You are always selling and you can’t think something will just sell itself.  Once you turn your business card from writer to salesman you will start to sell more books than before. 

Push Forward

George Steinbrenner, the famous owner of the New York Yankees for nearly 40 years, once said:

“When people think that they have done all that they can do, there is at least 10% more in everybody.  I have very little use for people that don’t understand and achieve that.”

Mobile Expert’s Kit

So what do you need at the ready in case someone offers you to speak somewhere, provide a guest post, have your book reviewed or set up an interview with you?

You should have:

·         Bios of varying lengths, such as 50, 100 or 250 words

·         A speaker introduction that takes the speaker 15 or 30 seconds to describe you

·         10 suggested interview questions for the media

·         Your photo

·         A list of your social media links, addresses and sites

·         A cover image of your book

·         Your logo

·         A link to offer a free gift in exchange for an opt-in email address

·         Affiliate program link, if appropriate for the station

DID YOU MISS THESE GEMS?

18 Questions You Need To Ask To Make Your Book A Success

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/18-questions-writers-must-ask.html

Why do I search for meaning #online?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/whats-online-why-am-i-looking-for-it.html

Are authors sexy enough to sell books?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/are-authors-sexy-enough-for-books-they.html

Which books are worthy of PR?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/which-books-are-worthy-of-publicity.html

Will Your Book Be Relevant – Or Read – In 2114?

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/will-your-book-be-read-in-2114.html

Interview With Leading Book Marketer Brian Feinblum

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/interview-with-book-marketer-publicist.html

What An Author Is Worth

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/whats-author-worth.html

65 Websites For Writers & Publishers

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/over-65-websites-for-writers-publishers.html

Mass Communications Disconnect

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/mass-communications-disconnect.html

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, Media Connect, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2014.