| Want to sell more books? Learn from an expert | | | | e-mail. You will use this database to quickly |
| the five things you must do in order to | | | | and efficiently communicate with your |
| achieve your goals.1. You Must Find YOUR | | | | customers through future e-mailings and |
| MarketHopefully before you even wrote your | | | | direct mailings. Add customers to your |
| book, you sat down and mapped out who your | | | | database by networking (and speaking!) at |
| potential customers were. If you didn't, | | | | conferences by simply saying, "I have this |
| don't waste any more of your time selling | | | | free (report, booklet, etc.--something you |
| books to people who don't want them. Knowing | | | | created that is what every cat lover would |
| your audience before you write your book | | | | want to read) and I would love to send it to |
| creates focus. Figure out who is most likely | | | | you with my free weekly newsletter." Just |
| to read your book. If cat lovers are your | | | | grab their card and put a little check by |
| market, don't bother wasting your time with | | | | their e-mail so that you know you got their |
| all animal lovers. Spend your marketing | | | | permission. Another faster and easier way to |
| efforts and budget on cat lovers. Can't find | | | | build your database is by doing it online. |
| the cat lovers? See below...2. You Must | | | | Have a sign-up box right on your website for |
| Create a CommunityIf you are having a hard | | | | new potential customers. Doesn't matter how |
| time finding your market, find them by | | | | you do it, just do it!4. You Must Have a Call |
| creating a community for them. The Internet | | | | to ActionBusy people need a reason to act |
| allows you to create a place where all cat | | | | now. Whatever your form of communication is |
| lovers can talk to each other, have live | | | | with your customer, it must have a call to |
| chats with you (the author) and ask their | | | | action somewhere in it if you want them to |
| questions, get mailings about your events, | | | | stop what they are doing and make your book a |
| find other resources for cat lovers, post | | | | priority. Include wording that says 'act now' |
| their cat's picture in your forum... you can | | | | because if you don't you will miss this |
| see that there is no end to what you can do | | | | opportunity. The best calls to action include |
| with the Internet. You can use | | | | date expirations, liquidation sales, |
| click-and-point services to create your own | | | | early-bird sales, etc. Simple technique, very |
| website like I did for the NAWW (National | | | | powerful!5. You Must Have FunYou must have |
| Association of Women Writers) or you can hire | | | | fun creating your community, networking with |
| someone to do this for you. We feature | | | | future customers, and thinking of creative |
| writers every week in our newsletter who have | | | | seasonal calls to action. When you have fun |
| built wonderfully large communities from | | | | doing what you love, people want to do |
| scratch in a very short time (less than a | | | | business with you. Hopefully the book that |
| year) using the Internet. Check out NAWW | | | | you wrote came from your passion about the |
| Member, Dotsie Bregel's site at You Must | | | | subject. Now that you are selling your book, |
| Create a DatabaseTo sell books, you must have | | | | you get to live the "sharing of your passion" |
| a mechanism in place to store all your | | | | on a daily, weekly, and/or monthly basis. It |
| potential customers' contact information. | | | | is up to you--the more you live it, the more |
| Intimidated by the thought of creating a | | | | books you will sell!Sheri McConnell is the |
| database? Please don't be, just go to your | | | | President of the National Association of |
| nearest office store and you can purchase a | | | | Women Writers ( She helps women writers and |
| database program for less than $50. Some | | | | entrepreneurs discover, create, and profit |
| website providers even have this function | | | | from their intellectual knowledge! Free |
| built straight into their website. Keeping | | | | reports for writers available with |
| track of your customers' basic information is | | | | subscription to NAWW Weekly. Sheri lives in |
| crucial to the success of your long and | | | | San Antonio, Texas with her husband Seth and |
| short-term sales. At the very least, you must | | | | their four children. Contact her at or her |
| capture (enter) their name, address, and | | | | toll free number at 866-821-5829. |