Yesterday I reduced the price of Beyond Parallel to JUST $.99, and although it won’t make me rich overnight, I hope it’ll play a very particular role… BUILD EXPOSURE.
When you release anything you hope people will buy it and fill your wallet with hard earned cash. It rarely works like this, and for authors the biggest obstacle is overcoming invisibility. You need to get reviews and start the ball rolling.
This isn’t easy to do in an ever-crowded space, and each small victory should be treated like an epic win. So until tomorrow evening (Thursday 21st February) Beyond Parallel will remain $.99 in a bid to gain some attention.
The Importance Of Exposure
I haven’t simply reduced the price of Beyond Parallel, but instead created the Help Me Defeat Harry Potter Campaign. I won’t go through all the details again, but if you’re intrigued please Click Here.
I spent a long time writing Beyond Parallel and it’s my job to make people aware that it exists. Ideally this would be through actual sales, but reality rarely plays nicely. Instead you have to approach reviewers, run promotions, and promote giveaways. It’s hard to give something away that you put so much work into. Think about the reader, though.
Why should they invest all those hours reading your book?
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the first month of Beyond Parallel’s release it’s building exposure and authority. Let me share a few reasons why:
1: Builds Authority
In a world built by Amazon, reviews play a very important role. Not only are those from reviewers vital, but those from everyone. A book with two reviews shares a very particular tale, but one with thirty automatically plants a perception in the mind of the reader.
Is it coincidence that the amount of reviews a book has is right next to the title of the book? No, very little is an accident when it comes to Amazon.
Although your average star rating is important, I argue that the number of reviews is much more so. Once a book has a few dozen reviews it shows the reader that people are taking an active interest in the book. It’s not some random book, but one worth considering.
2: Builds Word Of Mouth
Successful books are usually built on great word of mouth. Think about all of the books you’ve read because a friend recommended it. Think about the books you’ve read because you kept seeing it pop up. How on earth do you think Fifty Shades sold million after million after million?
It’s all about working toward a tipping point, that fine line when all your hard work pays off.
The more exposure your book gets the better the chances are that people will take notice. There’s a rule that someone needs to hear about a product seven times before finally making a purchase. That’s rather a lot, so the wider you spread your word, the better the chance of momentum being made.
3: Builds Trust
As a general rule people don’t task risks. I know many people say they’re on the cutting edge and love to stand out, but how few actually do? People love to be near the front, but not quite on the front line. They want to see a few other folk take the risk first, and then, once all has proved to be safe, they’ll jump on the bandwagon before everyone else does.
Fashion…gadgets…and yes, books.
Once your book has some reviews and is talked about by a number of people, the average reader is no longer taking a risk. They aren’t throwing away their time or money, and therefore all those on-the-fence individuals will become readers. This is how momentum is built.
The Battle Is Every Day
Sales for Beyond Parallel have been far from amazing, but in the last two months I’ve probably given away around 300 copies to reviewers, endorsers, celebrities, bloggers, and more. It’s lead to twelve reviews, which should rise to twenty, and then thirty, and so on.
Day-by-day I think of new ways to get it in the hands of people I want to read it, all in the hope they’ll leave a review, tell a friend, and help keep the ball rolling.
This $.99 promo is another method of achieving this, and the Help Me Defeat Harry Potter Campaign is aimed at trying to get a few people off of the fence. I doubt any of these efforts will result in success on its own, but combing one idea with another, well, eventually things start to take off.
It’s all about EXPOSURE
I guess what I’m staying is don’t worry about sales too much – at least not in the beginning. It’s nerve wrecking and hurts to give away copies of your heart and soul, but the most important thing is to get people reading your words.
Concentrate on exposure and keep working hard. This is the key in my opinion.
Turndog Millionaire – @turndog_million
