The Importance of Word Of Mouth
Do you have aspirations of being the next J.K Rowling or the next Tolkien? Admittedly I don't have such aspirations. I was simply happy writing my books, keeping myself entertained and entering into a beautiful mental landscape which was completely different to my usual world of Business Analysis. I was happy when I made one sale let alone a thousand. The challenge with having a mind that needs to figure things out and spends time working out common trends and patterns is that you apply that to all activities. Once an analyst, always an analyst. So this is why I share my findings with my lovely blog readers.
So when I first started releasing books I would put them on Kindle and assumed that magically readers would find them. I might sell ten books this way but nothing big ever happened. I realised that this attitude was not going to result in great sales. So my next books I did a desk launch. This was before publishing policies were implemented into the corporation I worked for. So I launched my book on Kindle and released the paperback from the desk and did desk signings. It actually was nuts because people lined up to buy books and I signed when I should have been working. I had no idea how I got away with it. I sold a stack of books this way but that did not spiral into world literary domination. It did result in me being accosted in the toilet and being asked if I was 'that author...' After that I came to the conclusion launching at work was not the best plan, so I adopted a pseudo-name and decided that the more book formats the better. I then branched in audio through having my books produced through ACX. This also increased sales but I was missing a key piece of the jigsaw puzzle - reviews.
Reviews are so powerful. I have written about this in some of my other blogs. Reviews from readers sell to other readers. The best thing to learn is not to take reviews personally - that is the challenge. However, a review has the ability to make or break a book sale. The more reviews the better because it makes the rubbish ones drop down the list. Remember you can't remove a review once it is posted. On one of my audio books some of the reviewers did not like the narrator and slated them. Those comments ground sales of that book to a halt. That was the learning. As I mentioned before, I don't rely on book sales for my income. Instead the additional income is used to over-pay my mortgage, saved or pays for a nice spa day. That is all part of my 'rewards' system as a motivator.
You may wonder how you get reviews. If you look at the Indie review book list, there are a list of reviewers you can approach. I also now advise people who have reviewed my other books when a book is due. Since most have enjoyed reviewing my other work, I now have a 'list' of reviewers who review most of my books once released.
So how does the word of mouth work? Well, every time I send a reviewer a free audio code I ask them to recommend the book, in whatever way they think will reach the most readers. That is - if they like the book. This word of mouth generates sales. Then that word of mouth generates more sales. Sometimes this momentum continues. At other times it just stops. Although this time I have noticed the shift in sales and momentum. Last month I released The Hairy-legged Mystery and Tingle Dingle and The Little Mischiefs. These were fun books for kids. My colleagues at work asked me to write them for their kids because the school holidays were nigh. So I put finger to keyboard and entertained myself. Within a few weeks these books were drafted, edited, proofread and published. They were short, fun and easy to write. I then posted on ACX. Two producers snapped them up and produced them within a week. I then asked reviewers to get involved and I had sixty reviewers offer review. It is during this period that you get scared. What if none sell? Should you buy one just to start the sales? Honestly... I have considered doing that before. However, the reviews rolled in and the reviewers recommended the books as did my friends that I wrote the book for. That is how it spirals... One child tells another that they read The Hairy-legged Mystery and another becomes curious... What I realised is that by having these books on audio they work on car journeys as well as bed time stories. As we know children can listen to something over and over again. So much so that parents also hear the same recording over and over again. In no time The Hairy-Legged Mystery became 'normalised' and people talked about it. That then made more sales. So with all that in mind my top tips for word of mouth generation are as follows:
Make a product you love and will happily stand by.
Let people know you are creating it / have created it.
Make as many formats possible - paperback, digital and audio.
Ask reviewers to review.
Ask reviewers to recommend.
Give as many free codes / samples to friends and ask them to tell their friends.
Finally find as many ways to let people know your book exists.
The truth is word of mouth is the best seller and creates a bestseller. No matter how much hype you make, if the product is of bad quality then there is only a short duration of sales. Provide quality, be authentic, relax into it and enjoy the sales!
EXAMPLE:
"Intriguing with a WONDERFULLY twist at the end"
This is the 2nd story by this author I have read and I love it. Will eagerly seek more by her. The story was captivating, mystical magical and entertaining. The parental
Bed time stories and deceptions of the various monsters and creatures of fantasy keep you guessing as to what it
Is. The reveal is more magical for the build up and Even more amazing than described. Loved it and highly recommend it for kids and adults alike. Good luck figuring it out. I received this audiobook from the author narrator or publisher for free via audiobookboom in exchange for an unbiased review
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