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Updated January 18, 2023
Subtitle
Putting yourself in your buyer’s shoes will help you sell more books
Synopsis
What must your book do to convince your audience to ignore the other books and buy your book? I have outlined some crucial questions you must deal with as a self-publisher if you want the buyer to choose your book over another. By dealing with these questions, you will help the buyer become more confident in choosing your book over the others.
What You Will Learn
1. You will learn about the thinking process that your buyers are going through.
2. You will learn what you must understand about your buyers to convince them to buy your book.
3. You will learn what questions you must ask yourself to put yourself into the shoes of your buyers.
Introduction
As a self-publisher, you must understand how a potential customer will determine whether your book is worth buying. Suppose the buyer found your book on Amazon because they sought information about your book’s subject. They hope to see a book that they believe will help them solve a problem, learn something new, and is worth their time and money.
I have outlined some crucial questions you must deal with as a self-publisher if you want the buyer to choose your book over another. Dealing with these questions will help the buyer become more confident in choosing your book over your competitor’s.
Buying or downloading a book is not usually a complicated and drawn-out decision-making process. Not all buyers will go through every step. But some steps to buying a particular book will be more important to buyers. And some measures will be less critical or not considered at all.
But you, as a self-publisher who needs to sell books, must understand your reader’s decision-making process. The better you know that thought process, and the better you answer your buyer’s questions, the more books you sell.
The Questions You Must Answer
Here are some of the most central and essential questions that you, as your book’s author and publisher, must answer. I am sure that with a little thoughtful effort, you should be able to develop additional questions that the audience for your particular book will need answered before they decide to buy your book.
Question # 1. Can the book shopper download a sample of your publication from Amazon, Scribd, and your website?
Question # 2. Does your book have a website to support your book?
Question # 3. Are there reviews of your book on Amazon for the buyer to read?
Question # 4. Is there any discussion of your publication on social reading websites?
Question # 5. Who is the publisher? Does this publisher specialize in your book’s topic?
Question # 6. Are you the publisher, but with many years of experience in this book’s exact topic?
Question # 7. Do you, the author/publisher, have other related titles?
Question # 8. Does your book have an excellent foreword by an industry guru, expert, insider, or famous author?
Question # 9. Does your book’s introduction adequately explain what the book is about?
Question # 10. Does the design and formatting of your book look professional, and is it easy to follow?
Question # 11. Is your book’s cover well-designed and looks professional?
Question # 12. Does your book’s back cover provide all the essential information about your book?
Question # 13. What problems will your book help solve for the reader?
Question # 14. Is an editor referenced on the cover or in the credits?
Question # 15. Have you, the author, written other related books? And are they available on Amazon?
Question # 16. Besides the ebook edition, is there a print edition?
Question # 17. Does your book appear on best-seller lists or must-read lists?
Question # 18. Does your book’s website answer all these questions?
As you can see, most of these questions should be answered when you develop and build your marketing plan around your book. Most of the answers to these questions should be easily and quickly available to the buyer. Much of it should be available to the buyer within your book’s Amazon page.
It must be available on your book’s website. Remember, today’s consumers are sophisticated and careful with their money. And with notable companies like Amazon, their choices are almost limitless.
Conclusion
As a consumer, consider what information you need to be confident that your book is the best one to buy. To do this, you must put yourself in your buyer’s shoes. This is not a complicated process, but it is essential, especially if you hope to develop a financially successful book.
All of it must be available on your book’s website. Remember, today’s consumers are sophisticated and careful with their money. And with notable companies like Amazon, their choices are almost limitless.
Questions to Think About
1. What questions would you believe your readers/audience would be asking first?
2. What have you already changed in your book or website so your readers/audience can have more confidence in you and your book?
