Posted on Tuesday, 4th August 2009 by CopywritingCat
Authors of self-published books often seek help from reviewers and copywriters.
They realize that reviews on Amazon and other online bookstores can make a huge difference in book sales. They also realize they need sales pages to promote their books.
These days, publishing a book can be affordable. Many companies will do all the work, allowing you to pay a single lump sum. It’s very tempting for independent professionals (including coaches, consultants, therapists and others) to produce a book that reflects the wisdom they’ve accumulated painfully over the past five to ten years. Alas, without planning, too many books end up piled on the floor of someone’s garage.
Ideally, the time to show your book to a reviewer or copywriter is before you publish your book. By the time a book is ready for review, you can’t make changes even when you discover fatal flaws. A reviewer will tell you what kind of reviews your book will probably get. A copywriter can tell you if you’ve embedded hooks and benefits that are essential to writing a sales letter that will motivate buyers to reach for their credit cards.
And now I invite you to discover what I learned the hard way: 101 Essential Truths About Writing and Publishing Your Self Help Book. Why do some professionals write and sell a book successfully, while others have a garage filled with copies of their dream? Learn more here.
Comments (4)
Tags: Professional Services Marketing, writing a book
Posted in Professional Services Marketing, writing a book
August 4th, 2009 at 10:28
Great comments and ideas in your blog. Authors should start the marketing process as soon as they have a book idea. One friend of mine designs the cover first, puts it on a website to invite comments and questions, then starts writing the book! If you like, your readers can check out some marketing advice on my website. There are interviews with authors and marketing experts, case studies, etc.
Keep up the good work.
August 5th, 2009 at 05:02
One of the biggest problems with publishing a book is the PROMOTION aspect. It can be harder work with a physical book, which is why I prefer to stick with ebooks. I usually sell resale licenses, so that others can promote the ebooks and get the revenue for themselves - but I usually have an “upsell” in the ebook, so I can get something back from the exchange.
Mind you, people keep telling me I should write an actual book, so I’ll keep what you’ve written here in mind.
August 5th, 2009 at 07:09
Paul, That’s very smart! The reason to write a tangible hard-copy book are usually related to driving people to a “back end,” such as consulting…I will write a separate post. I cover all this in my ebook, http://www.copy-cat-copywriting.com/write-your-book.html
August 5th, 2009 at 07:10
Thanks, Bill. I like the idea of responding to the cover. I would also suggest asking a copywriter to review the final draft for “hooks” before committing to print.