Every
part of your book should be a compelling part of your message.
Every part should be written passionately and designed to be
a sales tool. Touch your readers' emotion with passion for your
topic and you'll sell more books. In fact, when you design your
book to include the passion points below, you'll sell more books
than you ever imagined.
Passion
Point #1 Write to help one targeted audience.
It's
true not everyone wants your book. But there is a community
of people in your field waiting for you to solve their problem.
What problems does your message solve for them? Develop an audience
profile (picture) and keep it in front of you as you write.
That way you can visualize a real person to solve problems for.
Though 78% market is women who buy books, choosing an audience
of women is not narrow enough. Chicken Soup for Mothers, Chicken
Soup For The Teenager, For The Prisoner and other specific groups
sold way more copies than the original Chicken Soup.
Passion
Point #2 Sizzle Your Title and Book Cover.
Your
title may well be 90% of the pulling power for your book. Researchers
say you have 4 seconds to hook your potential buyer. An excellent
title is short. The top titles are benefit driven. Don't forget
to heat them up with emotion. Use terms your audience can relate
to. Use action words and verbs. Quantify change with ways and
time limits. Use one or two word ideas to tell a story. Pledge
change. Spark interest. Instead of "How to Write an E-book"
the author chose the title "Ten Secrets to Write Your E-book
Like a Winner." She quantified change, sparked interest
and branded her title.
Passion
Point #3 Design a 30 second "Poster Board."
Sprinkle
this poster board throughout your book, your speeches, elevator
conversation, radio spots. Let your passion for your topic shine
for a few seconds in this poster board. After all, you only
have a few seconds to make an impression on the media, the agent,
the bookseller, the individual buyer. Incorporate your title,
a few benefits, and the audience. Write this poster board with
sound bites that capture attention. Don't be afraid to compare
your book with a successful one. "Women With Passion, Purpose
& Power" is the "Purpose Driven Life" for
women.
Passion
Point #4 Write Your Back Cover Before You Write Your
Book.
This
is ranked the second most important "Passion Point"
for your book. Think about it in choosing a book to read for
yourself, how many times the title has hooked your interest
enough to pick it up. Then usually you turn it over to see if
you really want to read it. On the back cover, you put the most
compelling ad copy, benefits, testimonials, and a small blurb
(bio) about yourself. If your prospective buyer likes it they
will buy instantly. If they need more information to make the
decision they will preview your introduction and table of contents.
Passion
Point #5 Develop your book introduction.
State
the problem your reader has, why you wrote the book, and its
purpose. In a few paragraphs include specific benefits and explain
your format (how you will present it.) Make sure it's one page
or less. Your sales message will be more subtle here. Nevertheless
pinpoint and emphasize the benefits to your reader for you may
still be convincing them your book is the book to buy.
Passion
Point #6 Make a table of contents.
Each
chapter should have a sizzling title. If the chapter titles
are not obvious, then annotate them. Add some benefits or a
sub-title explaining. In "Women's Passion, Purpose &
Power," the author put the word "women" in each
title. Which creates more synergy? Image, Worth, Name or "A
Woman's Image" "A Woman's Worth" "A Woman's
Name."
Passion
Point #7 Contact influencers in your field.
Don't
just fill your book's back cover with a wall of text explaining
your book. Instead fill it with some bulleted benefits and testimonies.
Find experts and normal people that will refer your book to
your potential reader through a testimonial. After an initial
contact of asking for feedback, resend them the same chapter
and the table of contents of your book. Ask for a testimonial
then. These experienced contacts' testimonials will lend influence
to your back cover making it a powerful sales tool.
No
matter how good your book is, if you don't incorporate these
passion points in the makeup of your book you may never sell
as many books as your message deserves. Infusing every part
of your book with passion will create a powerful sales tool.
Hooking and stirring your potential customers to the action
of buying your book for
themselves and all their friends.
| About The Author
© Earma Brown, 12 year author, business owner, web
developer
helps service business owners, professionals and writers
who want to write their best book now! Earma mentors other
writers and business professionals through her bi-monthly
ezine iScribe Send any email to iscribe@bookwritinghelp.com
for free 7 lesson mini-course Jumpstart Writing Your Best
Book Now or visit her at http://www.bookwritinghelp.com
for more book writing tips.
|
This article was posted on June 28, 2007 |