So, you have written your book and expect royalties to start rolling in. Then… nothing. You start reading about book promotion and realize you need to spend money to make money. You start running free days and countdown deals. You pay for ads and end up paying people to read your book, which is never a good idea. You then start scratching your head. What is wrong with your book? Why doesn’t it sell?
I recently received a newsletter from Derek Doepker of ebookbestsellersecrets.com which addresses this very issue. Derek lists his checklist for a book’s success. As he puts it, if you don’t answer “yes” to ALL of these questions, then there’s a good chance whatever you do to promote your book will waste a lot of time and money and lead to little or no sales.
Cover
- Does my book cover look like it could be seen at a retail store?
- Does my book cover clearly demonstrate the genre my book is in?
- Does my book cover grab attention and stand out among other books on Amazon?
Title
- Does my book title grab attention?
- Does my book title accurately reflect the genre and show WHO the book is intended to be read by? (More subjective in fiction, definitely a factor in non-fiction)
- (Non-Fiction) Does my book title show a big benefit and how it’s different than similar books?
Description
- Does my description first hook the browser?
- Does my description (and title) make it clear who the ideal reader is early on?
- Does my description show the emotional and/or practical payoff of reading the book? (What’s in it for the reader?)
- Does my description take the browser on a clear and cohesive emotional journey and leave them wanting more by engaging curiosity?
- Does my description have a length similar to other books in the genre? (Usually, a couple paragraphs for fiction, maybe longer for non-fiction)
- Does my description convey a sense of urgency to purchase and read NOW? (This is usually emotional intrigue in fiction and a cost of inaction in non-fiction)
- (Non-Fiction) Does my description have benefit claims that are backed up by credibility and/or proof statements?
Sales Factors
- Does my book have at least 5 reviews, preferably 10+?
- Does my book’s price match similarly priced books with a similar level of reviews?
- Does the first 10% of my book further sell the book by hooking in browsers and getting them intrigued?
I hope this helps with your book sales!
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Ah, but the only trouble is correctly answering ‘yes’ to all of those questions! Most authors will answer ‘yes’ to at least some of those questions when the correct answer would be ‘no’. And if I knew the right method of getting to that ‘yes’, I wouldn’t be wasting my time online. I’d be making BESQUILLIONS at being a genius 🙂
You are a genius, my dear, remember? Which is why you surely realize the key is in having honest friends who will be more than happy to tear apart your work and let you know all of its failings. They’ll then proceed to let you know all of *your* failings. And your dog’s. Just to be on the safe side.
OMG Nick I had completely forgotten I was a genius!!! Thanks for reminding me!! Although I think you’ll find you’re wrong about my dog. Not only do I not have one; but if I had, she would be even geniuser than me.
She’s such a genius she had brainwashed me in forgetting all about her after that doggie treat incident.
I forgot that too. AND that she existed. I suspect I may have been tampered with…
Sorry, who are you again?
Vladimir Putin. NOW you’re worried.
Sorry, Your Tsarist Highness.
Interesting article. I find that an author has a hit, a miss or an in-between. Not everyone will be recognized the way they want to be. For me, the project alone is a journey and is fulfilling. If something fantastic comes from it, terrific. If not, I know I did my best. Thanks for sharing.
Wise words! Thanks for reading 🙂
Great list, Nicholas. Always worth taking a look at what we have out there and tweaking, particularly for book descriptions.
Indeed. It’s just so much work, all this constant tweaking 😀
Yup. And you still have to make time to write!
I agree with Beetleypete – for me if the cover isn’t good and doesn’t draw me in, I am probably not going to buy it. For example if a book cover has a picture of an earthly scene of mountains, hills and a river and the author tells me the book has a military space theme, my internal dialogue is going to be: the author couldn’t be bothered to buy a decent cover that truly reflects their story and therefore isn’t really into selling his/her book. That might be mean, but the reality is I’m a visual type of person and I need an excellent cover that draws me in and makes me want to buy it. Ditto with the blurb – if the author goes and gives me the first page of his/her story and gives me nothing more about what it is about, my internal dialogue is once again going to be: golly, I’m so disappointed – the cover looks good, but I’m not going to buy something that tells me nothing about what the story is about (I don’t mean the author has to give me plot details, but the blurb has to make me want to buy their book). Of course, the same is true about lengthy blurbs. If the author goes on and on in their blurb, it starts becoming almost a story in itself. My eyes will glaze over by the end and I’ll just go check out something else (of course, that also works in reverse – too short, as in a couple of sentences, I probably won’t buy it either). The blurb, therefore, can’t be too short or too long or just the first page of the story itself. I need a blurb that is to the point, carrying just enough of what the story is about to draw me into the story and using my money to buy the book. Oh, and I usually read the first few pages of the sample, so if the story hasn’t drawn me by then, don’t count on me buying the book either – it’s about risk factors: do I want to buy a book that hasn’t got a great cover or tell me briefly what the book is about? Yep, there’s a lot a stuff going on in my head when I consider whether or not to buy an author’s work because at the end of the day, your potential readers want to read a great story that has a good plot and characters that are at least relatable. Great post, Nicholas 🙂
Thank you for the great comment, Catherine! As with Pete, I love your comments, as they present the reader’s frame of mind 🙂
Yes, book buyers have so many choices. There’s no captive audience! Re the cover, I found that surveying people with several cover choices for each of my books not only yielded a firm majority in each case, it also provided some very interesting comments.
This is such a helpful list, even for those of us who are ‘pre-published.’ Thanks for sharing!
Yay! So glad you found it useful 🙂
Hi Nicholas,
If I honestly answered the question for each of my books the answers would be different for each one. Many of the questions are subjective and it is hard to answer when you are personally involved. What surprises me is the book with what I would say has the worse cover is the one that is selling the best. The one with the better cover (my opinion) is not selling. Now my newest could be too soon to really be evaluated. One thing I fully agree, the number of stars and the physical number of reviews make a difference. With Amazon, it is where your book appears within its genre, listed with “Customers that view this item also viewed”, and predominately placed on sponsored ads. Once you get passed this criterion, then book description, cover appeal, etc. comes into play. This post has true relevancy but for the author, it is hard to be objective.
Oh, absolutely. We need to ask trusted others for help with most of these. As for your “worst” book cover, it may also be the one most representative of the genre, hence its success.
All great points, and true too. Covers and blurbs can always sell a book to me. I wouldn’t even need to read the first 10%to be hooked. A bad cover will lose my attention every time, so even if the content is right up my street, I will skip over it for one that attracts me more. It shouldn’t be like that, I know, but it’s human nature.
Best wishes, Pete.
I always love to hear from you, as you give us the reader’s perspective. Thank you, Pete 🙂
Reader, as apposed to published author. 🙂 My role, I suspect. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
Yes if this part isn’t intriguing it definitely would people off i agree!
Erm, sorry, you mean the blurb? Yes, it can be crucial to a book’s success! One of the more successful authors I know once told me that thinking up taglines and blurbs took up most of her writing time!
Oh Oh! Its about the number of reviews thing! Helpful list for sure
It’s good to have a “tick the box” list for these things 🙂