How to Lose Readers by Selling Your Book (and why you shouldn’t) byJenn Flynn-Shon

I am very excited to introduce Jenn Flynn-Shon, who has very kindly produced the following guest post about how to sell your book without selling your book!
Thanks so much, Jenn!

Want to hear a secret about self-publishing? The only way to sell your book is to not sell your book. Sounds counterproductive, right? I mean, how can you sell something without selling it? That makes no sense!

After writing and self-publishing 2 fiction books I’m here to tell you, the best way to market your book is by talking about anything other than your book directly. Marketing and sales are really all about connecting with the people who are going to be your readers.

How to find a reader without selling them a book

For self-publishers it might seem like you have a tougher hill to climb than a traditionally published Author because of the amount of marketing you have to do. Don’t bet on it.

In these times of fast moving names, even traditionally published Authors have to do some, if not most, of their own marketing.  The cool thing is that marketing can be really easy, you just have to do it right.

Find the social media, online and off-line opportunities where your book is going to resonate and invest in making connections there. For example, you might want to join a Google+ group for Indie readers if you also read Indie books. Talk about your favorites, connect with the other members of the group and tell them why you love those books.

If you also write a professional blog or a newsletter you can share your content in your groups on G+ and LinkedIn. When you share posts that inform instead of sell you’re going to attract more readers.

How to make connections that matter

Readers don’t want to hear sales pitches. Readers don’t want to hear you talking incessantly about how amazing your book is and how it will change their life. Readers don’t care about you or your book yet. They have to want to care. That’s where you come in – by writing more.

As a freelance blogger I’ve connected with a slew of amazing bloggers. All of them talk about the work they do for clients on a weekly, daily, annual, monthly or other scheduled basis. But I read their blogs and, instead of talking about all the great things they’ve written, they create informational blog posts and engage with their readers.

Their posts help readers learn something about their industry. Maybe it’s how to write a great headline. Perhaps the top 5 ways to use your fiction writing talent to help your blogging. These bloggers all share well-written and researched posts that help readers learn.

Regardless if an Author uses a blog, social media outlet or even their own website, the most authentic way to gain readers is to answer the questions they have in the places they are. You can find them by researching your market.

Sharing is caring

Not only sharing what you know, but sharing what other writers know. Cross-promotion through sharing another writer’s work can open new doors to an entirely new audience.

There are multiple ways to do this – post one of their articles in a social media network and let them (and your audience) know you loved it, or write a guest post for their blog!

Take for example this post I’m writing for Lorna’s blog. While she’s posting this I’m going to be posting an article she wrote for my blog. We can cross-promote the articles we’ve written – another effective way to market without being sales-y. Our readers get a chance to learn from another voice and it opens the door to a new audience for both of us.

Selling your books really comes down to sharing useful information and doing it in an open way that encourages forming a relationship with your readers. Because the most successful sales and marketing techniques always involves a genuine connection with your audience.

How have you connected with your readers? Do you find it helps sell more books? Share your experiences in the comments!

Image Courtesy adamr

About the Author:

I'm Jenn, since 2008 I’ve been blogging for writers, the Green industry, and ghostwriting in various markets. Researching different subjects and finding the perfect ker-pow word are among the best parts of my job.

In addition to blogging, I self-published 2 fiction books and opened Writesy Press, my publishing house. I love sports and irony, wine and my iPod playing the perfect song at the perfect moment.