My
10-year-old son and I were joking around about what we would do if someone offered
us a half-million dollars for our soon-to-be six-year-old English Bulldog, Daisy. I told him no one’s offering ka-ching for our pooch but if they did, I’d giftwrap her and hand-deliver the cute little beast.
He was surprised
by my answer.
I told
him I love her and think she’s great – but I’d love the money more!
He then
asked would I do it for $250,000?
Yep. Then he inquired about
$100, 000. Oh, yes! Then he asked about $10,000. I told him no.
Then he
asked if I’d sell him for $500,000. I
told him of course not. He then said:
“Yeah, but you would’ve sold Daisy, and she’s part of the family” I told him
she’s a dog and though she’s a lot of fun, we could replace her with 50 dogs –
and still have a pile of money to buy a lot of things.
This
whole exercise shows that everyone is willing to part with something for the
right price. As an author, you want to
do the opposite: show that your book has enough value so others part with their
money to buy it – at the right price.
Authors
have it tough, but they can show value in any number of ways including:
·
Comparing
how their book matches up to their competition in quality and price
·
Telling
what their book will do for the reader
·
Explaining
that you are best qualified to write this book
·
Showing
how its unique and that nothing is quite like it
·
Measuring
how non-book tools or entertainment forms aren’t as good, or interesting, or
complete, or as up-to-date as your book
·
Saying
how the book will make you feel good, enjoy life more, and reach a level of
satisfaction
The way
my son keeps asking at what price would I decline to sell our dog, you should
ask at what price would people say no to your book. Figure out the highest price one is wiling to pay – and why they’d pay
it. Then, appeal to those reasons and
price point in your marketing materials.
The best
way to sell a book’s to:
--Highlight
the benefits of reading it.
--Give
samples of great writing.
--Repeat
your credentials if you are uniquely qualified to write this book.
--Mention
media coverage, awards, and key testimonials that the book has garnered.
If none
of this works, see if they’ll trade a bulldog for your book!
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Brian
Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and
not that of his employer. 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 © 2015
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