A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Insight into Good Book Sales from ...Wait for This...a Political Strategist

 

What do politicians and authors have in common? They each have to reach zillions of people and get them to want their product (the politician himself/herself together with an ideology and the author a book).

Here is an interesting insight from a long-term, experienced political pundit, Thom Harmann, that popped up in the scores of articles on the US 2022 midterms, this one from Raw Story, October 25, 2022. It applies to authors just as much as it does to the politicians for which it was written.

"While creativity and 'production values' in advertising are important, they’re both subordinate to frequency when it comes to producing results. Even a poorly crafted message for a mediocre product will convince people to act the way you want them to if it’s repeated frequently enough."

He goes on to cite supporting evidence accumulated over the past 12 years since the Supreme Court opened the door to dark money and unlimited spending. All the statistics point to his conclusion. One in particular should leap off the page and straight into the brain's awareness center of authors and publishers: 91% of the time, the candidate who spent the most money wins. That says nothing about quality of candidate, quality of advertisement, or creativity of campaign -- all of which might have been terrific. It speaks to the artificial facetime with potential "purchasers" (voters) of the "product" (the candidate).

Think about it. This is why politicians are also begging for more money for more ads. People all to often simply vote for the more familiar name -- which is how a little trick of running someone with the same name helped a competing party defeat an otherwise good candidate; it confused a large number of people who rely on name recognition.

That said, in the book world, of course, there must be good quality, or the reader will become frustrated: bad grammar, typos, poor typesetting, uninspiring cover, flat writing all make it harder to sell a poor product, and ultimately the "advertising" will be the opposite of helpful. The answer really should not be more money -- as happens many times with poor political candidates -- and sometimes with books. (Look at those NYT bestseller books that were essentially purchased by authors and their families -- and political groups supporting politicians -- that made for some very good book sales, initially.)

Flip the scenario, though. Take a strong product that just does not get the word out. Who is going to know that they would like to buy it? 

What can you do?

• Your publisher will distribute your press release. Follow up on the media that received your press release -- send your own activity information to those that seem most likely to reach your target audience (and send them as frequently as you can -- new activities, etc.) With radio and TV, chances are once a story is done, it's done, and even a new angle is not likely to get you another interview with the same station. This is a little different for podcasts and print media, though. 
• Write an article about your book and send it to a range of might-be-interested regional magazines (or national ones). Blanket the mags but avoid sending to competing mags (at this point). 

And how do you get the word out? 

• Every single day in every single way that you can. Consistency is the key. 
• Using social media? You should. Pick your platform and then put something up every day, even it is just a reminder of where the book can be purchased or a a variation on bragging about an award (yes, it is okay to brag about awards). 
• Love podcasting? Then do it over and over and over -- for the same podcast and for new ones.

All that said, there is the situation in the book world of diminishing returns that authors should keep in mind: used books. All the time you are advertising your book, at some point, you will be advertising it in all its forms -- new paperbacks, e-books, and used books. Used books bring no income to authors or publishers. However, they are a form of advertising -- from being listed on used book sites to people, buying reading, and liking them -- and telling others.

The bottom line is to be present. Be ubiquitous. Be consistent. Ultimately, your book should start to be noticed and to sell.

Lesson for today's Tuesday talk: Consistency, consistency, consistency.

Read more posts about publishing HERE.

The Tuesday talks reflect real discussions between the management of MSI Press LLC and our own authors or those would-be authors who come through our doors but don't make the cut--yet. If you have a topic you would like addressed, leave the question in the comment section. Chances are, in our 18 years of publishing first-time and experiences authors, we have had a conversation with one of our authors that we can share with you.

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