A Little Psychology Helps Market Books

 

 

To market your book successfully; it helps if you grasp the principles of psychology, communications, and sports. This means you will think like another, speak or write to convey a strong message, and act competitively.  

Interacting with people is like playing chess. You need to review the landscape, think several moves ahead, and anticipate what others might think, or say, or do -- and have an objective in mind.   

We do this at work. We do it with our kids. Heck, we even do it with our pets. And we certainly must do this when it comes to book marketing.  

Let’s probe a little further. To market anything to another, it certainly helps if you can clearly identify what your product (book) is, who it helps, and why it’s a good deal. This book must serve their needs, be affordable, and appeal to the potential reader. It’s about their perceptions and needs, emotions, and intellect. How will you sell what you have so they clearly feel they need/want what you offer?  

How will you connect with others and what exactly will you say that will win them over? Do you tap into their world -- their experiences, frame of mind, and biases? Do you use certain examples and analogies, terms and descriptions, and imagery to paint a positive picture of your book?  

Do you treat marketing like a game? Do you compete with yourself to push you to new heights? Do you compete against other authors and products? Is it a you vs. the consumer -- or do you speak the language of we and win-win?  

The good news here is that you didn’t need a Ph.D in psychology, a journalism degree, or experience in playing any sport. But what you do need to do is grasp the fundamentals of pop psychology, sports, and communication skills so that you can apply them to your book marketing messaging.  

Read up on psychology by checking out Psychology Today, How to Win Friends and Influence People, and The Power of Positive Thinking.  

For communication skills, read Strunk & White; How To Speak, How To Listen; The Art of Communicating, and How To Talk to Anyone.  

For sports, pick one that you can sit and watch. Feel the competitive tension. See the spirit of each athlete fighting for a win. Watch how the fans react to the action. Read stories of heroic athletes, teams, or games. 

Your book may be great, but it will need to be presented to others in a way that they need to hear and understand what you offer -- and to see things as you do. 

Practice psychology, communicate well, and compete like an athlete. That is your success formula.  

 Please Contact Me For Book PR Help

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres.

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2022. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This blog, with over 4,000 posts over the past decade, was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Susan RoAne, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, IBPA, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. He has been featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald. For more information, please consult: linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.