When you’re an authorpreneur, it’s tempting to get involved in the nitty-gritty of the everyday realities of running your book business.
Oftentimes, we focus a lot on who you’re going to market to and how we’re going to make our money back. We forget about how our readers are going to respond to our content beyond buying the book, and that’s a fatal faux pas.
This is a list of things your readers would ask you to keep in mind when you’re on your book publishing journey.
- Tailor your content to your audience
There’s nothing worse than boring prose, especially when it’s an exciting subject.
Except reading a book you think you’ll love and then being horribly disappointed because it’s meant for a different kind of reader. That’s worse.
Focus clearly before you edit on who your reader is, and how they’ll best respond to your book. Then hold that in your head and never forget it throughout the entire process.
If your book was a suit, your book should feel more comfortable to slip into than any piece of clothing you’ve ever seen.
- Think about your audience beyond numbers
When you sell your book and then automatically move on, pushing for numbers, you might make your readers seem like they’re not that important to you.
Take time to engage with readers—do book events, talk about individuals you meet and how they’ve inspired and flattered you. Cultivate relationships, and you’ll find that you’ll get more referrals than you could ever reach through marketing yourself.
- Make it easy for your audience to be your fans
What this essentially boils down to is being present. Don’t ever let social media or events slide because you don’t have time.
It’s no longer the age when it’s okay to be a name on a page. You’re your own brand now, and your audience is dying to get out there and support you. They’d love to go from being just readers to your biggest fans. Give them a reason to do it.
- Give your audience what you promised
As much as the adage tells us not to, audiences totally judge a book by the cover. If you tell us your book is a religious inspirational book and I open it and it barely mentions faith, you’re going to make me grumps.
Triple check that what you’re selling the book as is the product you’re delivering. You’ll find that the number of positive reviews go up!
As readers, what are other things you’d like the authors of your favorite books to know?
