How to Sell More Books

If you find yourself struggling to sell your book or if you just aren't seeing the sales that you want, let’s talk.

Knowing how to sell a book and keep those sales rolling in is a struggle that many authors have. So I wanted to show you how you can improve your book sales and see continued sales along your book publishing journey. 

I’ve outlined five tips that you can put to work today. 

Tip #1: Know What Phase You’re In

This first tip centers around what I call the Follow-Up Phase. There are three phases to marketing: the Attraction Phase, the Promotional Phase, and the Follow-Up Phase. The Attraction Phase begins the minute that you start writing your book up until about two months before the book releases. The Promotional Phase starts about two months before the book releases (it depends on your book launch plans) up until about two weeks after the release. And then the Follow-Up Phase is about two weeks after the release and beyond. Your book has an infinite lifespan ahead of it, so it can continuously sell throughout the years. 

Many times when we are launching a book or when we're promoting a book we only focus on the Promotional Phase and this is a big missed opportunity. The bulk of your sales are going to come in the Follow-Up Phase after you release your book. All too often we put all of our eggs in the promotional phase basket when we are getting ready to launch. Yes, we want to have a good lift off to get our book sales rolling. But if you don't have a great launch or if you don't see those initial sales within the Promotional Phase, many times authors assume the book is a failure. And that simply is not the case. 

This is why it's so important to focus on creating a plan for the Follow-Up Phase because this is where the bulk of your sales are going to come.

Tip #2: Set a Specific Goal 

I talk with many authors who say, “I just want to sell more books,” and that isa very vague goal. When we have a vague goal it doesn't give us anything to focus on and aim at.

Instead, if you were to say, “I want to sell 100 books a month for the next year,” we are able to break it down to set specific mini goals.  So in order to sell 100 books a month you would have to sell about 20 books a week or two to three books a day. Focusing on selling two books a day is very doable and less overwhelming. It’s more attainable and gives you something to work with. 

Tip #3: Continue to Talk About Your Book

Many authors want to move on from talking about their book after the release because they think that readers are tired of hearing about it. And many times authors don’t want to talk about it anymore either. 

But here’s the important truth: when you are promoting your book and when your book comes out that does not necessarily mean that everyone is ready to buy. Just because an author is ready to sell their book doesn't mean that your readers are necessarily ready to buy your book.  This does not mean that you've lost the sale and it doesn't mean that you're not going to see increased sales. What this means is that we need to focus on the long game the long-term goal. And that means that we have to continue to talk about our books 

This is the beauty of social media. We continuously draw in new people and they are coming into our funnel. Remember we're leading people to a sale. A new social media follower does not necessarily mean that you automatically have a sale. We need to usher them in and warm them up in our sales funnel. So we need to continue to talk about the book. 

Tip #4: Drive Connections to Your Newsletter

A newsletter is one of your biggest marketing assets. When someone signs up for your newsletter they're saying, “I'm interested. I want to know more about you and your book.” 

When you offer a newsletter incentive - like a free to download that might share more about your book or about the services you provide - it is going to entice them to sign up for your newsletter. And your newsletter will continue to warm them up through your sequence. 

Your newsletter is your attentive audience. It’s so much easier to sell to people who are already paying attention. 

Trip #5: Have Additional Promotions In Place 

Having a continued promotional plan throughout the Follow-Up Phase keeps your sales moving. These promotions are a great way to spark an increase in sales. And it gives readers a reason to talk about your book and drive people to your sales page. Running a promotion on sites like BookBub, BookGorilla, or The Fussy Librarian are great ways to boost sales and increase your visibility.  

If you weren’t able to schedule some interviews during the Promotional Phase you can try to get some podcast interviews or secure reviews or signing events throughout the Follow-Up Phase. We live in a time where outlets need continued content for their podcast, blogs, for their videos on YouTube, or press outlets. Continuing that conversation throughout the Follow-Up Phase is key to build awareness and being intentional with where you drive your readers.

I know we all want to see huge bumps in our sales. We want to have launches that sell tens of thousands of books right out of the gate. But if that doesn’t happen it doesn’t mean that your book is a failure. You have to keep talking about it.

And if you’re struggling to come up with ways to continue the conversation on social media, I have a resource for you. 

Check out The Content Vault for Writers. It will help you create amazing content and conversations on social media to grow your audience and boost sales.