What Are Authors Really Selling?

 

Books get sold because readers need or want them. But what is it that will alert a reader to his or her needs and wants that the author’s book satisfies? 

Authors should develop a profile of their potential reader, and look to see how their book matches up. Eventually, one or more of the following 15 things should connect with your potential reader:

 

1. Money and wealth
2. Beauty and sex
3. Time and convenience
4. Health and wellness
5. Nature and place
6. Sports
7. Spirituality and religion
8. Hope/ optimism
9. Relationships/love
10. Fantasy
11. Freedom
12. Future
13. Travel
14. Fun and entertainment
15. Family and friends 

There are other things that could connect someone to your book, such as hobbies, pets, death, war, pain, and many other things. You get the idea.  

Start to see your potential readers as having needs or wants that your book can fulfill for them. Do not just see your book as great and hoping a need or want for it will simply develop.  

Selling a book is not far off from a company trying to sell a service or product, or a politician seeking to secure votes. They’ll all look at demographics such as age, class, race, gender, religion, location, and education, and seek to match what they have with existing profiles.  

Your book is not for everyone. Not even 10% of a room. It’s likely going to be purchased by far fewer than 1% of the country. But if you did sell a copy to one percent of the 340 million Americans alive today, you’d be the top best-seller of the year with 3.4 million sales! No, you are looking to find who your reader really is and sell it to them. You don’t need to approach everyone out there- just you core readership, the people most likely to buy your book if they just knew it existed.  

Know what you are selling - and to whom should actually care. 

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over four million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your 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

This award-winning blog has generated over four million pageviews. With 5,000+ 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.”  Copyright 2024.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity 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.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, 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. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

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.

 

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