Book Marketing Hustler Lessons

I caught part of a very good movie on TV the other day, The Wolf of Wall Street. I have already viewed it a few times.  It dramatizes the true story of a Wall Street con man. Margot Robbie plays his wife. He is as genius at manipulating people as she is at being gorgeous. That is how good he was. I got to thinking: How can authors employ his methods — legally — to persuade others to buy their book?

He had charisma, looks, money, and confidence. Those are big plusses. Whereas he sold nothing of substance (pump and dump stocks), he was wildly successful. He got staff people riled up to commit crimes and swindle money out of others.  He became wealthy, but greed — and a drug addiction — did him in.

Still, can we admire the power and abilities of the criminal mind — rogues, con men, swindlers, hustlers, pimps, and playas? Or, are they so toxic, morally bankrupt, and even violent, to the point we fail to appreciate how they seem to get what they want?

We can learn from anyone, from Mother Theresa and The Pope, to Adolph Hitler and Bernie Madoff, about how one influences another. CEOs of a Fortune 500 corporation sometimes act like gangster godfathers. We each need to discover what style of persuasion can work for ourselves — and whether we feel morally up to the task.

Hoaxers simply lie. Anyone can do that. But do you want to? I hope not.  

Bullies simply use force and threats of it. Anyone with a fist or weapon can do that. But do you want to use violence to succeed? I should think not.  

Psychos and cult leaders like to manipulate people through fear, insecurity, and skewed interpretations of reality. Do you want to succeed through psychological warfare? Unlikely.

But there is plenty that one can say or do that is purely legal, ethical, and risky to make money, get what they want, and even sell more books. What are you willing to do?

Authors can win people over by:

* Employing pressure tactics. Make  claims of there being a scarce opportunity that is about to be lost unless acted upon. 

* Utilizing humor. Keep ‘em laughing and you come off as likable. 

* Smiling and being friendly. It never hurts to look happy and come off as someone who could be their friend. 

* Faking sincerity and authenticity. Flattery or sounding like you give a crap goes a long way to winning others over. 

* Becoming their drug or point of escape. Turn your book into an opportunity to get high on a story that takes them away from their troubles. 

* Banking on your good looks. Most women and men like to associate with good-looking, well-dressed, sexualized individuals. Either someone wants to be you — or be with you. 

* Playing into their big-dream pursuits. Help them see how your book pushes them closer to them getting what they want. 

* Asking questions. You just need to have them keep talking about themselves or their opinions.

* Calling upon third-party validation to support your book. Get testimonials, paid book reviews, or book awards to legitimize your book. 

Conclusion: The reason Jordan Belfort, aka The Wolf of Wall Street, made tons of money was simple: He was driven and did not stop when warning signs went up. He just talked people into what they wanted to hear and fed them what they wanted to believe. He played with people’s ego, greed, and fear.  

No author should commit a crime to sell a book, nor behave on a morally bankrupt manner, but there is plenty one can do that will push others to buy your book. You just need to find the right buttons to press. 

Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with 3.6 million page views, 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. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.6 million pageviews. With 4,800+ posts over the past dozen years, it 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 www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions 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, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, 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. His first published book was The Florida homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.