Selling books is not just about selling books…

Often, I work with clients who have recently released or are about to release their book into the world, and they want to know what they can do to maximize the impact of their book.

Whether they’re a first time author or a seasoned veteran of the publishing industry, I tell them the same thing: the most important thing you can do to increase your book sales is treat your book like it’s a business.

As I talk about on this podcast , this advice even applies to authors who tell me they don’t care about making money from their book and just want to help people. Without a solid foundation for your grand aspirations, your book simply won’t have the sustainability to reach the largest possible audience. You spent months, or even years, of your life writing your book — shouldn’t you do everything you can to ensure it’s a success?

Here are the three questions you need to ask yourself in order for your book to be successful:

What’s my Hook Point? What’s the thing that’s going to attract a reader to purchase your book and pay attention to it versus the billions of other messages they see on social media each day? What are the patterns you see in your book’s market, and how can you break those patterns in order to stand out? What are the greatest pain points for your reader, and how can your book title address those pain points? This is a critical and often overlooked step, because without it, all that work you’re putting into the rest of the book will be for naught.

How do I create a sustainable and predictable engine to drive sales? Ultimately, whatever your motivations for writing, your book needs to see a return on investment. Unfortunately, you can’t just trust your publisher to handle your book’s marketing strategy for you. Most publishers just don’t understand how to market a book in today’s world, which is why I recommend people self-publish. But no matter what route you go in regard to publishing, your book needs to sustain and sell every month. Instead of selling hundreds of copies, a systemic engine will allow you to grow to thousands of sales each month.

What are the steps I need to take to get someone to engage with me further as a brand? There needs to be calls to action for additional courses, workshops, products, etc., throughout your book. When someone is reading a book, they’re in a high state of motivation, and if your book is good, they’ve bought into your program. Your book needs to be a lead magnet to get readers hooked into your brand as a whole, so you can grow at scale.

While I know selling books isn’t easy, it is simple. I’ve developed and used these strategies for both my books, and I’m currently selling even more copies today than when they were initially released. If you’re interested in developing a more personalized set of strategies to promote your book, don’t hesitate to schedule a call with my team here .