A while back, I explained why previews and reviews are crucial to sales. Seeing as more and more people are publishing every day, I thought it would be helpful to share this post again. Please enjoy this post “From the Vault.”

I tend to come across a lot of material on the site because of my job. Sometimes, it’s because I’m looking for something to buy for content to highlight. Regardless of the reason, I am often surprised by how many books lack a preview. According to Chris Anderson, author of the “Long Tail,” on average, 500 copies of a book are sold per year. For a self-published author, selling 500 copies in a year is considered a huge success, but how do you get 500 people to buy your book when most of them haven’t ever heard of you? The simple answer is to let them read it.

If I have never heard of a writer before, three things help me decide to take a chance on a book. First, does the summary grab me? If a book has a good description and it sounds interesting, I will take a closer look at it. I can’t tell you how many books I come across with descriptions that don’t tell me enough about what the book is about. So, that’s step 1 – think about your description and try to tell people what your book (or CD or whatever) is about, why they should give it a shot. Show it to people you trust to give you constructive criticism and get their advice. Remember, if you don’t draw people in, they probably won’t take a chance on your book.

The second thing I look at is who is recommending the book to me. If I see an author I recognize (and like) telling me they like the book, then I am more likely to pick it up. Since self-published authors can’t always get someone well known in their genre of choice to recommend their book, it helps to have people who are willing to give thoughtful and honest reviews of your work regardless. If it looks like your mom is the only person who reviewed your book loved it, I’m probably not going to purchase a copy (unless your mother is Haven Kimmel or another woman whose writing I enjoy).

The final thing that will convince me to purchase a copy of a book I’ve never heard of before is being able to read the book, or at least part of it. I cannot stress how important this is. Barnes & Noble will let me sit in their cafe, read a book while drinking some Starbucks and never blink. They do this because they know that A) I will buy their overpriced snacks (and I will), and B) I am more likely to buy something if I can read some of it first. They also know I am unlikely to read an entire book in the store and then put it back on the shelf. So they let me sit down, get comfortable and read, hoping I will like the book and buy it. The same thing applies to selling books, CDs, and anything else online. People are unlikely to read an entire book online, and even if they do, if they like the book, they are probably willing to pay $15 to own a copy. On the other hand, if you don’t have a preview, no one knows how good your work is and they aren’t as likely to give it a try.

This is why I advocate offering a preview. You don’t have to put the whole book or album up for people to read/listen to, just put up what you are comfortable with, and help convince strangers and loved ones that they want to read and/or listen to the whole thing. I can’t guarantee that you’ll sell 500 copies, but you’re more likely to sell copies if you let people try it first.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Creating “feeder” sites that feed traffic into your web site!

• Using book videos to sell more books

• Using Wikipedia to market yourself

• Why linking to other web sites is a bad idea

• How to get more web site traffic right away!

• Got blog? The one thing you should NEVER do with your blog!

Don’t miss this class! Sign up today!

“Fallen Heroes“ is now on the shelves of several branches of Waterstones, including their flagship branch (where it was labeled a ‘cult hit’), which is regarded as the largest bookshop in Europe. I have, since then, done several book signings both in-store and at various conventions.

Thanks to the success of “Fallen Heroes” I now have an agent and an award winning TV and film production company has optioned the book itself. I am also working with a BBC journalist who will be adapting the story for a graphic novel to be published by Insomnia Publications.

None of this would have been possible without the easy to use and excellent print on demand infrastructure set up by Lulu. One example is the ease by which I was able to release a new edition of the book with a back cover Waterstones review and a front cover quote/recommendation from fantasy author, James Barclay.

Through self-publishing I have pushed myself to do things, in terms of self-promotion and marketing, I would never have done otherwise (signings are not my strong point!). I have learnt a lot about what it takes to not only get your work out there but what to do once it is. It’s been a journey of hard work, disappointment, lesson learning and huge moments of sheer joy.

Bob McDonald, author of Flagrant Foul and Dilemma, was kind enough to conduct an interview with me via Twitter today about how he has used the latest social networking tools to promote his books.

Bob, thanks for doing this.  What methods have you used to promote your book?

I’ve pretty much run the Web 2.0 gamut – Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, Facebook, etc.  Plus I have my Web site that I’ve tried to keep search engine optimized.  BTW, congratulations.  You’ve become the unwitting first stop on my Twitter Book Tour!

Of the latest 2.0 web tools, what do you think has given you the best results?

I think Twitter has really be the best for me, considering I have this penchant for random streams of thought.

How do you look for people to follow? Do you look for authors or for people interested in sports?

It depends.  As a sports fan, I tend seek those followers.  But I also try to find followers in authors and bookstores, too.  Plus, because I’m from Cleveland, I tend to search followers from my neck of the woods.

What kind of “offline” promotion have you done?

Due to my limited budget, my offline promotion has pretty much been word of mouth.

What promotional tools would you like to see Lulu.com provide you?

I don’t know.  You guys have been pretty thorough on the promotional tools front.  I think a section about blogging and microblogging would be helpful to people.

Thanks for taking the time to Tweet with me!

Thanks for the offer!

Bob’s Blog
Follow Bob on Twitter
Bob’s books on Lulu.com
Bob’s Website

For more tips on how to use Social Networking tools to promote your Lulu.com content check out these past Lulublog.com posts:

Blogging to Help You Sell
Twitter Promotion

Follow Lulu on Twitter

In the past year, another great way to find and communicate with people who share your interests has emerged: Twitter. This web-based communication tool allows you to have conversations with numerous people whether they share your interests or are simply interesting in their own right. If you’re shy, you don’t have to actively engage people in conversation; you can follow people that interest you and sit back and watch the conversations unfold.

Twitter allows you to communicate in 140 characters or less. You can also share links to longer blog posts, news items, or websites. The current political candidates are using Twitter to organize their supporters and keep people informed about what is happening in their campaigns.

To use Twitter simply sign up for an account and get a username. The process is easy and only takes a few minutes. You also can use a picture (or an image of your book) to represent yourself.

Once you create an account you need to start finding people to follow. You can input your email account details and Twitter will show you if people you already know are using the service. You should also use the search tool to find people who are talking about topics that you want to follow . I did a search for “Lulu.com” to find other authors who use Lulu. Simply follow each user to create a list of people who are interested in Lulu.com and self-publishing.

Try searching for other topics that interest you. I enjoy hockey and am working on a book about youth hockey, so I searched for “hockey” and then followed other people who enjoy the sport. This has allowed me to join in on conversations with my target audience: hockey fans. As I have gotten to know them, I have been able to talk to them about ideas for my book, and even solicit feedback on some of my chapters. I know that once I release my book, I will have a built-in audience that is not only interested in my work, but has also participated in its creation.

Once you start following people, you can begin to see their conversations and whom they talk to. Start following people you find your friends talking with. Always remember, the messages you post will be viewable by everyone unless you send a direct message to an individual user. Before you know it, you’ll be networking and making friends. To get started, you can follow Lulu.com HERE and weRead HERE.

There are a number of other tools to help you:

Twellow.com: Directory of Twitter users
Twitter Search: See what people are talking about
Twirl: Put Twitter on your desktop

Questions? Comments? Post Below!

Internet forums are a great way to let people know about what you have written. Find a website that relates to what your Lulu creation is about and become an active member. Make sure each post has a link to your Lulu storefront. This is a great way to get people who are more likely to buy your item to your storefront.

-Bookmarks and Postcards

Lulu offers a great service to help budding authors promote their creations. Get bookmarks, postcards and even business cards to help you promote your book. I had some made for my Lulu creation and left some at the coffee shops around the area. Click HERE to learn more.

These are just a few ways you can get people to your Lulu storefront. Visit the Lulu Forums for more great ideas.

-Dan

If I have never heard of a writer before, and I’m in a bookstore, three things that make me decide to take a chance on a book. First, does the summary grab me? If a book has a good description and it sounds interesting, I will take a closer look at it. I can’t tell you how many books I come across with descriptions that don’t tell me enough about what it’s about, because it’s a lot. So, that’s step 1, think about your description, and try to tell people what your book (or CD or whatever) is about, and why they should give it a shot. Show it to people you trust to give you constructive criticism, and get their advice. Remember, if you don’t draw people in, they probably won’t take a risk and pay for your book.

The second thing I look for is who is recommending the book to me. If I see an author I recognize (and like) telling me they like the book, then I am more likely to pick it up. Since self-published authors can’t always get someone well known in their genre of choice to recommend their book, it helps to have people who are willing to give thoughtful and honest reviews of your work regardless. If it looks like your mom is the only person who reviewed it and loved it, I hate to say it, but I’m probably not going to buy it (unless your mother is Haven Kimmel or another woman whose writing I enjoy).

The final thing that will convince me to purchase a copy of a book I’ve never heard of before is being able to read the book, or at least part of it. I cannot stress how important this is. Barnes & Noble will let me sit in their cafe, read a book while drinking some Starbucks and never blink. They do this because they know that A) I will buy their overpriced snacks (and I will), and B) because they know I am more likely to buy something if I can read some of it first. They also know, I am unlikely to read an entire book in the store and then put it back on the shelf. So, they let me sit down, get comfortable and read, hoping I will like what it and buy it. The same thing applies to selling books, cds, and anything else online. People are unlikely to read an entire book online, and even if they do, if they like the book, they are probably willing to pay $15 to own a copy. On the other hand, if you don’t have a preview, no one knows how good your book is, and they aren’t as likely to give it a try.

This is why we advocate offering a preview. You don’t have to put the whole book or album up for people to read/listen to, just put up what you are comfortable with, and you think will help convince strangers and loved ones that they want to read, and/or listen to the whole thing. I can’t guarantee that you’ll sell 500 copies, but I can guarantee you’re more likely to sell copies if you let people try it first.

Nick Popio