The Secret to Writing a Book That Sells: A Marketer’s Perspective

When it comes to selling books, it is inevitable that an aspiring author will be faced with the debate between self-publishing versus traditional publishing.

And as they search further in, the results (and opinions) get really ugly.

At least somewhere during the early 2000s, thousands of authors in the self-publishing sector have given it quite a lucrative rise (which remains sustained even in recent years). There are multiple factors behind why that is.

A large component comes from technology, not just in the form of resources for authors themselves, but even the service companies that have sprung up as offshoots to the trend. These include tools for digital marketing, e-book publishing, social media, graphic design, and many more.

Of course, one can argue that the large, traditional publishers have since read the writing on the wall and begun leveraging these same technologies. That hasn’t stopped the self-publishing sector from growing to stay intensely competitive (both in terms of actual sales and in terms of the little culture war both sectors now wage in order to win over authors).

To start as an author in the midst of all this can be dizzying because now both sides want you to invest in them and vice-versa. What does this all mean when it comes to creating a book that sells well? Is it possible to cut out all the noise, cut down the options, and find some fundamentals?

Well, those fundamentals are the following:

Key TakeAways hide

1. Find Your Audience

2. Find or Establish a Niche

3. Keep Engaging

4. Get Connected

1. Find Your Audience

Much like musicians and artists today, being an author means being another content creator in today’s internet-dominated media landscape. That means it’s become more crucial than ever to find yourself an audience that truly resonates with the stories or subjects you write about. This can mean tapping into resources like search engine optimization, hashtag research, or using book sale numbers as data to craft detailed customer profiles.

2. Find or Establish a Niche

Much like audiences, niches are essential for highlighting your book’s selling point. It’s not even about complete originality. People buy books that touch on the same topic even today. What’s important is that your own thoughts about it have been published and read (which means your book was bought). Alternatively, every niche is also undergoing some form of development, and writing a book still establishes you as a reliable expert who stays up-to-date.

3. Keep Engaging

It’s not a coincidence that the best authors today are also popular influencers in their niche. They attend events, have large social media followings, and put out smaller bits of content on multiple platforms and on their website even as they work on their next book. It’s demanding, but it is nonetheless essential. Ironically, this is possibly the one fundamental that hasn’t really changed much for authors. The only differences are the technologies and networks you need to tap into.

4. Get Connected

And lastly, networking with other like-minded authors has only become more powerful in a connected world. Encountering others to share ideas, help promote each other’s work, and build communities around your niche will naturally draw attention to your book as it serves to bolster your personal brand. It can even create the opportunity for a grand collaboration project that can elevate everyone’s work while furthering interest in your chosen topic.

Again, it bears repeating that today’s authors are yet another sub-type of content creator that can either make it or break it in a world dominated by multiple platforms and networks. Incidentally, this is the same world that today’s digital marketers have been tirelessly trying to navigate and the storm has never subsided. To sell a book in such a storm, the personal brand at the core of your book is going to be your guiding star.

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