Marketing tip: Include more than just your book in your book
Have you ever finished reading a great book and thought to yourself, I would love to send a note to the author, only to find yourself at a loss for how to do so? In my opinion, by not including contact information at the end of their books, those authors are missing out on a wonderful opportunity to connect with their readers.
Here are some other things you can include in your books to connect with your readers:
1) The first chapter of your next book:
Including the first chapter of another book, whether it’s a sequel or an entirely different story, is a great way to both alert your readers to its existence and to encourage them to buy it right then and there. If you don’t have another book ready, why not include a brief note about something you have planned or have already begun?
2) A sense of your personality in the acknowledgements:
I’m always a little disappointed when the acknowledgments page of a book is nothing more than a list of names. In addition to thanking people in this section, you can share a little bit about yourself with your readers. It doesn’t have to be anything overly personal, but there’s no harm in offering your fans a glimpse of who you are, how hard you worked to write the book, and how much you appreciate anyone out there who is actually reading it.
3) Your website and/or newsletter information:
I absolutely love receiving emails from fans, so I put my website (www.mariamurnane.com) and/or email address everywhere I can. On my website there’s a “Contact” button that provides my email address (maria@mariamurnane.com). I also have a “Sign up for Maria’s newsletter!” button on every page of my site.
Granted, there are some authors out there who are so successful they don’t need to interact with their readers to sell more books, but the rest of us should be doing everything we can to establish a connection with our fans. Word-of-mouth is the most powerful sales tool in the world, so anything you can to do to engage with your readers is well worth your time.
Source: Maria Murnane
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