How Do Authors Convert Conversations, Ads, & Reviews Into Book Sales?

  

For book marketing to be effective, the message coming from a publicity tour or an advertising campaign simply must be one that appeals to your readers’ needs, want, or emotions. On other words, people have to be aware your book exists and under the belief that they will get something out of reading it. So, what pushes people to buy anything?  

1.      You offer something that speaks to their survival. Wisdom to avoid pitfalls; strategies to live longer; and tools to keep someone safe, fed, clothed, and healthy. They want freedom form pain, danger, poverty, or fear.  

2.      You appeal to one’s want for enjoyment, entertainment, and escapism. You help them dream away their reality.  

3.      Your book speaks to spirituality, faith, or religion.  

4.      You help make their life easier or better, saving them time, money, or effort, providing resources, advice, or guidance to find what they want or need, such as a job, purpose, relationship, etc. 

5.      Your book positions them to act better, feel better, think smarter, get richer, or live more happily. 

So, which one does your book do – and how well? What do your competitors have that is better than your book? Is your book needed, desired, or purposeful? 

People will do things, such as buy a book, for any variety of reasons. Maybe they have FOMO or are under a social pressure to take an action step. Perhaps they desire social validation or they just want to try something new. People often buy with their emotions and then try to use reasoning to explain their action or purchase. 

No matter how great your book is, we know that if you don’t effectively promote it and reflect its value to a targeted readership, your book will go nowhere. 

Buyers need to be motivated to take action. They must have the ability to buy, and they need to be prompted to buy, often multiple times. Whatever you buy, everyone loves a deal. So, discounts and deadline urgencies to buy often become a piece of any promotion. 

One thing that is helpful to selling a product is third-party validation. Does your book have professional critical reviews? Consumer reviews? Book awards? Testimonials from relevant experts, celebrities, or fellow authors? Peer influencers> tell potential consumers what your book is, why they should buy it, price it right, and share what others praise about your book. 

Lastly, what gets others to buy your book is you. Yes, you, both as the author and its chief marketer, you play a big role in your book’s sales. You have a brand and an image. Showcase why you are the best person to write this book. Highlight relevant credentials, share interesting stories, or convey unique experiences that helped you to shape your book. 

Make your marketing personal and get people to like you. They will buy you.

Do You Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum 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 8,600,000 page views. With nearly 5,700+ posts over the past 15 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 2026, 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

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) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, 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