vivsolut1
For Fiction & Non-Fiction Writers
Self-publishing is something that requires a lot of confidence in one’s abilities. Since the indie author is the creative director of his or her own art, he or she must continually look for ways to drive the sales of his work. It is common to see self-publishing authors put out excerpts of their books or the whole book itself on online platforms for free. The rationale behind this smart move is to whet the appetite of their customers for their work. The foretaste of their creative ingenuity creates a fertile ground upon which further transactions could be made in the future. This marketing practice by many self-publishing authors helps their art in a number of ways :
It creates awareness of their work and art form amongst potential customers while advertising their brand at the same time
The normal human tendency to reciprocate kind gestures is triggered. People who have enjoyed free samples of an authors work tend to feel some form of indebtedness. They subconsciously show this by patronage
A giveaway gives the author an opportunity to get contact information of your prospective customers
Show me a successful indie customer and I will tell you that you have seen a marketer who maximizes the sales opportunities afforded by mailing lists gotten from free giveaways. When you have a good lead magnet your prospect of getting buyers has been greatly enhanced.
Having seen the immense benefits of free giveaways – ‘lead magnet’ for the sake of this write-up – let’s go into how to develop catchy lead magnet.
Dear nonfiction writer, what problem is your lead magnet solving?
Nonfiction for the most part has to do with problem-solving. It is relatively easier to come up with good sales magnet as a nonfiction writer. Save for memoirs, academic texts and biographies nonfiction deals primarily with tackling programs and proferring solutions. Self-help books help to motivate people. Sales books teach people successful marketing strategies. Each of these books helps to solve a problem.
A good example of the point being explained is this: you have a book on the importance of making smart investments plans for old age. You can create a lead magnet on one of the very good pension or retirement plans you know that most financial institutions offer. That way you have created a sales lead that also resonates with your main work.
One mistake you should avoid in your lead magnet is trying to keep some information from the customer with the intention of increasing his curiosity to see the main work. That can be viewed as been manipulative. The typical thing some authors do is to enumerate a few steps and prodding the reader to buy the main work in order to see the full version. Don’t do that. Create a lead magnet that is separate from the main work but related to it. The sense of gratitude for the quality work you have freely put out will drive many of your customers to purchase your work.
Dear fiction author are you generous with your stories?
As a writer of fiction, your lead magnet should be a complete story – which is mostly shorter than your main work. Many others offer some of their previous books as a lead magnet but that is not possible for a first-time author.
It is very easy to suggest the obvious option: offer the first one or two chapters to your readers as your lead magnet. That is what every online publishing platform does. You don’t expect to make much of an impact with that or do you? Most readers will not give you their contact details in order to get what they can easily get somewhere else.
As a first time writer, you can try writing a new story – preferably related to your main work. Something like a prequel novella. Write a story that makes sense on its own but can also serve as a prelude to your work.
The reader must value it
If your lead target is not valued by your reader then you can not get the desired results. Your readers must always feel that value has been added by your lead target. This brings us back to the issue of problem-solving that was earlier treated. Your lead target should either teach readers new skills or provide them with relevant information.
It is the gratitude for this value received that fuels reciprocity. No one spends his money on worth does not add much to his life. Some writers give their writers shabby lead magnets and expect positive outcomes. It does not work like that. You must do due diligence. Yes, it must not be capital intensive. Yes, It must not cost the same as the main work.
However, it must be worth it. The cover of the book, the spacing of the write-up, the grammar and punctuations must all be of standard.
Marketing just like life is like an echo it gives you what you put into it. Go for value and watch your sales soar.
