3 Book Publishing Strategies That Increase Sales

Creating staple book publishing strategies is key to reaching your target audience

In the early stages of being a writer, many writers feel as if they are facing a vast ocean in terms of readers.

In terms of marketing, writers waste tons of money on advertisements hoping that it will snag the right reader, but ultimately feel let down when it doesn’t. And in terms of presentation, writers spend hundreds of dollars on book cover creation, editing, and formatting. But are disappointed when it doesn’t yield results.

So, the question is, what do writers need to do to gain results from the hard work they’ve put in?

Three strategies should be put in place to increase a writer’s chances of book sales.

Create a Timeline

It is amazing what creating a timeline can do for a book from start to launch.

From mapping out drafts, edits, and alpha and beta readers, to contacting reviewers, a timeline is going to not only keep you on a schedule but also help you check off your list. But what is great about this timeline is that it can also be adjusted as needed along the way.

By frequently referencing this timeline you have created, you can be reminded what steps you need to be preparing for ahead of time.

For example, on this timeline, you may map out dates three months ahead of your book launch date to send out ARC copies to book reviewers and readers. Or, you may map out when you need to start posting book reveals (location, cover, characters, description) to social media.

What writers underestimate is the power of planning out your book in the form of a timeline and how it correlates to the book’s success.

Research

The writing and publishing world is always changing, and so is the market.

This is why it’s crucial to keep learning and evolving with it.

Writers need to research and learn about publishing and marketing for themselves instead of paying numerous other services to do it for them. Mainly because, once you learn the pieces needed to publish a book, the process to do so becomes much easier. And it will save you hundreds of dollars in the long run.

For example, if you are unsure how advertisements work and want to try them, there are tons of people who are willing to teach you. Whether it be via Medium or a book, you can learn how to successfully advertise.

Or, perhaps you want to learn how to increase your audience and follow on social media to reach your target audience. This would require you to check out other authors in your genre to see what they are posting and how they gain engagement from their audience. By doing so, you can begin to understand what your target audience is looking for.

And when it comes to market research, writers should be researching what covers work for the genre and what keywords do well.

Content Testing

A book description on Amazon, Kobo, Google Play Books, and more is one of the ways that sway a reader to purchase your book.

If that description isn’t written well, it’s easy to lose a reader right away.

This is where testing out your content is useful.

While your book is being read by alpha and beta readers, it’s time for you to put that keyword research to use. This is the time you should be forming a book description so that you can give it to these readers after they have read the book. Be sure to ask them for honest advice in terms of the hook, and if it gains their interest.

Gathering this feedback from a reader can help you gain other readers.

Nothing can guarantee a book sale.

However, putting in the time, research, and work can get you miles closer to one.