Do People Think They Need Or Want Your Book?

 

People will buy a book for only one of two reasons: They need it or they want it.
Most consumers don't think they need your book unless it is clear to them that it will solve a problem or help them get something they are looking to accomplish or learn. but they may desire your book if they hear something about it that makes them curious or helps convince them they would enjoy your book. So the reason they buy is really a degree of perceived benefit.

So let's really look more deeply at what influences a decision to buy for a consumer reader.

First, we need to assume that one is capable of reading (literacy level, no vision issues) and is able to afford a book (economics).

Next, we will assume there is competition for that reader. There will be alternative content source providers out there, both free and paid, such as web sites, blogs, podcasts, videos, news media, plays, concerts, movies, television, seminars, webinars, etc. There will be other books on your topic or in your genre, as well.

Now, why are people buying your book? If they need to have a certain experience (laugh, be entertained, feel mentally stimulated) or to learn something (how to do a task that needs to be done now, such as lose weight, make money, improve a marriage, survive an injury), they will be open to purchasing a book to achieve this result.

Will you market your book to appeal to one’s needs or desires? Maybe both? Perhaps you position as the perfect gift to give another. Maybe you sell it like it’s a collectible item. Perhaps you make one so intrigued by you or curious about your book that you create a demand for it, even though it is not what they would typically desire nor is it something they believe they have a need for.

Understand why people would be open to buying your book and then market it in a way that speaks to that frame of mind.

 

“Giving ourselves a license to play with a problem allows us to try different approaches. Sometimes this means removing a constraint or two. But sometimes it means doing just the opposite: I've found that an equally liberating form of play is to add constraints to what we're doing.“

— A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be, More Creative, 25th Anniversary Edition by Roger von Oech

 

 

Do You Need Book Marketing 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 4.5 million pageviews. With 5,300+ posts over the past 14 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 2025.

 

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.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum