The 7 Traits of Highly Successful Authors
Trait #7: Highly successful authors see the Big Picture and know how to SellDo you really understand selling and marketing? Can you do it? Do you know what the competitive books in your genre are and how your book is different? Have you thought about spin-off books, products, gimmicks and gadgets? CDs, DVDs, eBooks, creating webinars, teleseminars, speaking and workshops, bookmarks that can be viewed as “tools” meaning you sell them vs. giving them away, items such as t-shirts, hats, jewelry—the list is endless. When you start selling your book, think of items that are tie-ins that would be a natural—as in, “If I have this book, what else do I need to …”
Books don’t sell themselves. You are going to be the cook, waiter and dishwasher. It doesn’t matter if you publish with a traditional publisher or create your own. This is the roll up the sleeves time where your vision comes into play; your commitment to your book project shifts into high gear and you start selling. Even before your book is in print, you are selling—driving your buyers to commit to presales. You are thinking what else … maybe a series … after all, books have a habit of breeding other books. Is there a movie in your book? How about foreign rights? When should you launch the eBook? How about a YouTube channel that will further ID you as the one, the expert?
This is the time to think big, the sky is the limit. In the end, you will find that you have created an enterprise, all around your book, your idea. Pretty cool.