Marketing and writing
Don’t Forget To Sell Your Books to The People Closest To You
7 tips for selling your books to your personal network
Writing a self-published book is a lot harder than selling your book.
There’s a lot of pressure and stress around selling your book when it first comes out. Finding outside readers is the hardest part. As a sufferer of depression and anxiety myself, I felt the stress rise when I first self-published my book and brought it to an audience.
However, my recently published self-help book to aid people with mental health issues was different. I knew that pressure would come with selling my first books, so I decided to use my personal network to grow my book's interest and build an audience. To give your book momentum, start with the people in your network who support you.
Marketing doesn’t have to be hard and stressful — it can be fun and encouraging if you use your network that you already have around (including your mom!). So let’s see how to sell your first books through your personal network to stop stressing.
7 Tips To Sell Your Books To Your Personal Network
1. Share your book with the people who read your other work
First off, make the most of your audience already by reaching out via your newsletter. If you don’t have a newsletter — no worries. You may also want to reach out to people via Facebook or social media where you know your best friends hang out. Either way, build momentum by writing articles like this to share about your work but not make it exceptionally promoted just around your book, but show that you are here to help.
When I was first running up to publishing my book, I shared many Instagram stories with the people who read my work already and built excitement this way. I was running polls about what they like and how they would benefit from my book. What are you going to do to share your book with the people who already read your work?
2. Share your main points with your social media network
When promoting my book, I knew I had to share some points or highlights from the book, the book itself, to get people interested. So I decided to do some live videos on Instagram to read out some lines from a chapter and then share it with people I thought would benefit from it.
Not only this, but I would share come calming copy in my posts to notify that I was bringing out a book. In the copy, I would include parts from my introduction and some chapters to spur on engagement. What main points are you going to share with your social media network?
3. Email your friends and family
Stop stressing and start focussing. Focus on your friends and family and believe that they will spread your message for you too. I mean, the whole point in having friends and family is that they care, so the more they will want to spread your message for you too.
One way I reached out to them was by emailing them and sending Whatsapp messages. This helped my initial anxiety as I trusted that most of my friends (if not all) would support me and buy my book! This made my stress stop, and I started trusting in my tight network of family and friends who were there to share and care.
4. Let people in your group coaching classes know
Have you ever had any group coaching classes or courses? I have. I used to run a 21-day meditation course and past group coaching courses, so I knew I still had them on my Whatsapp. I went through all my groups and shared the link to my new book to get people’s attention and allow them to feel like I wanted to share it with them specifically.
People who are part of your group coaching classes know you and know that you’ve provided value to them before. They’ve been on a journey with, bought things from you and are likely your biggest champions. If they studied from you or coached with you, they’re also likely interested in the subject of your book.
Be sure to send your book to group coaching students, people you’ve coached and others that you have mentored. If they’ve worked with you before, they already know, like and trust you. They now need to know that you have a book out that can help them.
5. Send one on one personalized messages to your contacts on Linkedin
Outside groups, there are people in your network that you probably haven’t even considered. I know I have quite a large network on LinkedIn that I don’t use to the best of my ability but have tried to during my book sales.
I decided to reach out to a few people and tell them about my book's benefits and send private messages to make them feel special. It’s not about copying each message but tailoring a message to a specific person.
Some people will respond to your messages, and some won’t. I usually check in with them and ask how they are doing first. Only when they respond and we have had a brief communication do I share what I’m doing, promoting my book. Don’t send cold messages without having built rapport first.
6. Let other writers and authors in your network know
You’d be surprised to know that you have many writer friends and colleagues in your network. If you’re a writer, you know other people who write and have audiences. These are important people, especially the ones who write in your genre and your niche. They serve the same audience that you do.
I have sent out a total of 60 free copies so far to writers in my network, and I don’t mind. Writers are reading and then reviewing my book for free. They are then writing about my book, which then makes other people want to read my book. I often do encourage them to write about the book if they like. I suggest they write a review online or a book review post for their blog or online platform.
I also had people reaching out to me on Instagram to review my book, where I would send them a free PDF via email before they wrote an Instagram post about it. Sending free copies will allow you to build momentum on other people’s Instagram or social media and will effectively spread the word about your book.
7. Call your Mom and let her know your book is out
Last but not least, call your mom! Call your close friends and family and let them know the good news — they will be your first buyers, so be open and excited to tell them. Not only will they buy, but some will support you more. To my closest friends, I put a call to action asking them to share the book with their networks, and the best part was, they did.
The good thing about telling your mom and your family is that they will undoubtedly want to buy it within an instant to support you. There’s no worry or stress when it comes to telling them because you know they will be happy for you! Your closes inner circle wants to support their dreams. A book purchase is an easy and relatively simple way to support your dreams.
In conclusion
You want to have some purchases and reviews, so your book will have some credibility with outside audiences. Before you do sponsored ads and Facebook advertising, start with the people you are likely to forget about: the people closest to you who will support you.
They may not buy it because you might not have told them. Yout might have thought they are not interested or part of your friends and family circle. The point I want to make is that your friends and family circle IS the best place to start.
To sell more books, tell more people. Start with your inner circle of people you know first. The people closest to you will more than likely support your efforts and your dreams.
Oh, and want to support my newest book :)? Don’t forget to pick up Chill Out and Cheer Up on Amazon today.