The Aware Leader – collaboration with Richard Metheny and Mark Graham Communications
When going through the process of writing a book (whether on your own or with the help of a ghostwriter), it’s typical to consider writing the book the hardest part. While all authors have stories about how their book came to be, and for some authors such stories are fraught with more challenges than for others, a nearly-universal truth among authors is that once the book is written, gaining visibility for the book is equally if not more challenging than writing it.
However, this need not discourage anyone from writing a book. As discussed in the blog during the past few months, there are numerous ways to increase your book’s visibility: social media, direct emails, and reviews, among others. Another method—not as frequently mentioned but often extremely effective—is to write and publish another book as soon as possible.
Traditional publishers know this. It’s one of the reasons why when an author signs a contract with a traditional publisher, in most cases the author is contractually obligated to provide the publisher with their next book (their “option book”) before the author can shop that book to other publishers. In other cases, publishers will ask authors to sign multiple-book deals, obligating the author to write their next book quickly, so the publisher can get it to market.
Why do publishers do this? It’s because they know that Amazon and other online retailers give more visibility to authors who have multiple books to sell. The math is simple: the more products available when readers seek out a particular author, the more likely they are to buy more than one product—which benefits both the retailer and the author.
Think of it like a store. If you walked into a store and there was only one product on the shelf, would you buy it? In all likelihood, you would only do so if you needed that exact item. Otherwise, you’d probably walk out without making a purchase.
However, in a store full of products, consumers are much more likely to browse until they find something they like. If all the products are in one place—i.e., if the author has a well-stocked online “store”—then customers are much more likely to spend their money there. Because of this, Amazon’s algorithms are designed to provide higher visibility to authors with higher numbers of books to sell.
Additionally, multiple books in an author’s “store” give the author more credibility. We are programmed to believe that those who produce the most also have the most expertise, creativity, and/or other characteristics we find appealing. We’re drawn to the spectrum of products offered, and we’re impressed by those with a wide variety of offerings.
There are several ways you can work this scenario to your advantage:
- Write a sequel. If your story is conducive to a second act, write the follow-up book and add it as soon as possible to your online “store.”
- Write a series. Book series are extremely popular. Once readers discover a series they enjoy, they’re likely to read all the titles in that series.
- Write companion books. For example, you might create a workbook to accompany your self-help book. If you wrote a business book, you could write companion books geared toward specific industries. For memoir, if your story is appropriate for other ages, you might write a young adult or middle grade version of the book, or a related story geared toward readers of a different age.
As you consider all the possibilities, remember that nothing sells more copies than high-quality writing that truly engages its target audience. Whether it’s your first book, your fifth, or more, if you need editing or ghostwriting help, please get in touch. We’d love to learn more about your ideas and help you stock your “store” as quickly as possible!
