Novel Marketing Why do good books fail to sell while poorly written books fly off the shelves?
21 snips
May 12, 2022 AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Write For A Specific Reader Not A Demographic
- Books fail when the author targets a vague demographic like “women 35–65” because demographics are too broad to guide writing or marketing.
- Use psychographics and imagine which high-school cafeteria table (nerds, jocks, goths) you’re writing for to make precise choices.
Write To One Real Person Before Many
- Do write to a single real person (a Timothy) and make every editorial choice pass the test: will this thrill Timothy?
- Narrowing to one reader increases word-of-mouth because a thrilled single reader tells many others.
Green Ember Sold By Writing For His Kids
- S.D. Smith wrote The Green Ember for his own children and that focused intent helped it sell a million copies independently.
- Writing for a specific person produced clearer voice and stronger word-of-mouth.