Our August Theme Is Preparing and Committing to Increase Book Sales to Finish the Year Strong

Welcome to our August theme. Where July is the slowest month of the publishing year, August is the on-ramp, quick acceleration required, to the rest of the year.

The publishing year can unfold fast once September hits and to counter author inertia, which can often set in just as quickly, August is just the right month for committing to sales.

To finish the year strong and not get complacent or discouraged about the waning time to accomplish the year's goals, use August to bolster your resolve and make a plan.

Double down on working sales methods.
Brainstorm and keep a running list of more ideas than you can possibly pursue so that you always have go-to options.
Reach out daily to create new book marketing and bookselling opportunities.
Be brave about trying new things.

In our private Profitable Author Life You Love Facebook, we'll be making a community effort to work on sales every day in August. Sales methods. Sales ideas. Sales partnerships. Sales outreach. Sales scripts. Sales planning. Learning sales. Dipping our toe in sales. Doing sales whether or not we feel like it. Doing sales even if it makes us a bit nervous or turns our stomachs more than a tad. If you're not yet part of the group, please join us now for the additional support, inspiration, and camaraderie.

Prepare yourself!

For extra motivational juice, read/re-read these...

August schedule

Here's what's coming up in our next two August newsletters:

August 14: All the places you can sell books

August 24: Volume sales and partnerships

This week we'll look at some useful perspectives for making sales easier and a more comfortable, ingrained practice.

Even if you don't like sales, you CAN do, learn, improve these things...

Adapted from my Medium article from September 2022.

Selling makes many of us queasy. It can even make some of us feel dirty. Uncomfortable. Avoidant. Guilty.

May I suggest it may be the idea of selling or your image of selling that is selling you short? In practice, selling is telling. Sharing. Inviting. Engaging. Conversing. Collaborating. Helping. Serving. Offering. Coaching. Drawing out. Motivating.

It’s selling, but you don’t want to sell.

So don’t.

Instead, do these other things.

Here are actual things I’ve done instead of selling in the past. Adjust for your situation.

Copy the phrasing and rewrite for your purposes. Your books. Your author events and services. Your potential customers. Your personality. Operate from the mindset behind these “not-selling” activities and see if it’s not much, much easier.

Show

Demonstrate something of interest or value to the potential customer in front of you.

Let me show you with these examples what a book cover designed by a professional looks like and how I can tell.
This is how a consultant would respond to your concern; this is how a coach would respond. See the difference?
Here are phrases you can use to make networking easier. Would these be easier and more fruitful conversation openers for you?

Collaborate

Work on something together that helps clients clarify their needs and make them comfortable with your style and your capabilities.

Let’s review your website together and discuss what needs to be upgraded.
Would you like to sit down in person and go over your books to find out where the mistake(s) may be?
Let’s discuss how this coaching package can be customized to meet you where you’re at.

Invite

Invite a client to do or partake of something useful and valuable to them.

I invite you to search my Medium articles on that topic. Here’s a link.
I invite you to contact me for a free sample coaching session when you’re ready.
Would you like to practice your pitch for agents in a client call?

Engage

Engage your prospects with provocative questions that draw out their needs, pain points, goals, and aspirations.

Tell me about the features and general aesthetic you have in mind for the final product.
What does success with that challenge look like for you?
What would make your life easier in that regard?

Converse

Hold, maintain, or schedule a conversation — informal, casual, non-threatening back-and-forth chit chat.

Let’s talk more about your business ventures some time.
Tell me what new things you’re working on.
So I saw on LinkedIn that you’ve been promoted. Congratulations! Can I take you out for coffee and hear all about the new position?

Serve

Serve potential customers by filling needs and providing real substance.

You’re spending a lot of time doing low-level work that you hate even as you’re trying to free up time to spend time with your family and grow your consulting practice. Would you like the name of a reliable virtual assistant who can help you with those mundane tasks?
Congratulations on your new book! Send me a .jpeg of the cover and I’ll promote the release on social media with a link to your website.
When you get to that phase, let me know if I can manage the production and printing of that book for you. Hiring me almost always saves you money because I’ve done this hundreds of times and know the right freelancers and the right printers at the right prices. It will be done on time, on budget, and without errors and headaches.

Offer

Make your potential or existing clients relevant offers when they tell you the obstacles they’re facing and when you hear the pain points in their utterances.

I can find an editor for your 40,000-word book for $x and it will be finished in x weeks.
Please understand that I charge for advice on publishing topics in one-hour phone calls. Here’s the link to schedule a session.
I can help you overcome your reluctance to sell and get your business on track to meet its income goals in 4–6 coaching sessions.

Tell

Provide facts or an explanation, information that differentiates.

Well, I achieve those results by doing x, y, and z.
I have helped over 100 authors directly with this problem and thousands more though talks and workshops.
Here’s how my approach is different…

What will you do today?

What alternative approach to selling can you test out today with current or potential customers?

Who will you tell about your books?
What will you invite your email list to do?
How will you serve your social media followers?
How will you collaborate with local gift shops?
What will you show to the bookstores near you?
What events will you offer program coordinators?
How will your next ad campaign engage new eyeballs?

Join Our Call!

Drop me a line with your sales obstacles and sales questions. What's stopping you from pursuing the author income, book sales, and media exposure you desire?

Sharon