Books Don’t Sell Because Of What’s In Them.
That sentence can be taken two ways and they’re both true.
[I wrote a follow-up post called Books sell because of who is in them.]
If a book doesn’t sell as well as hoped, it could be because its contents don’t appeal to the market where it’s offered. This suggests two possible remedies:
- Take it to a different market.
2. Write another book for the same market, and make that one more appealing to them. This is often given as lazy advice like “write better books” but what does that mean? Of course you’re writing better books! Aren’t you? Books aren’t cheesecake, they’re a year of blood, sweat, and tears.
If a book’s sales disappoint, it could be because you thought that readers still buy them for their content. That used to be true when all books were sold in formats that you could weigh on a scale:
- Hardcover
- Mass market paperback
- Trade paperpack
But once you publish books in an electronic format, you face the same problem that plagued music — they’re just too easy to get on the Internet. If not your book, then something close enough and cheaper. Maybe even free.
iTunes sells songs for a buck, but not because they’re good. In fact, selling all songs for a buck explicitly says that one song is as good as any other. Kindle lends books for a buck too, same story.
Driving down the prices of songs and books is good for them because they move more units at the same margin, drawing more traffic to their platform where they sell more stuff too. Who loses money in that game? The artists.
What makes people buy electronic books for more than a buck?
Experiences. Wonder and enchantment. Community, being a part of something. Trusting and caring. Not searching for just another grain of sand on an ever-expanding beach.
People don’t pay for content anymore, they pay for stories.
Tell Your Story. And this time, I mean tell your story about your story.
Publica is working on improving the author’s journey especially where money is concerned. If that appeals to you, join our Authors’ Club at https://publica.com.
Publica is a Partner Member of The Alliance Of Independent Authors.
