Nick Stephenson, First 1k Readers: Why should anyone care about your books?

Writing a book is probably one of the most personal and emotional tasks there is. You’re basically telling the world “Here’s a blueprint into my life, my soul, and my experience. Now, judge me!!!” Is it any wonder authors hang on to manuscripts for years without them seeing the light of day? It’s hardly surprising one of the biggest hurdles for writers is the “selling” part. In fact, it’s become so much of a “taboo” that many authors don’t even bother – preferring to let their work “speak for itself”. The sad news is, that’s total @^&%*^. We like to tell ourselves readers will fall in love with our words. That the “overall package” doesn’t matter, so long as the story and the writing is top notch. But, unfortunately, life doesn’t work like that. We’re asking readers to part with money AND time (significant amounts of time). And if we don’t give readers a reason to care, they’re never going to read a single sentence you’ve written. So, what to do? Well, like any smart business owner, you can model your approach on what already works – and put your own spin on it. Case in point…

There are very specific reasons why people don’t buy. Anything. Doesn’t matter what it is. Cars, yachts, biscuits, whatever. Apathy – I don’t care / this isn’t relevant to me Cynicism – You suck / this product sucks “Special Snowflake Syndrome” – This isn’t for me, I’m unique! Procrastination – I’ll get it later!!! (Read: Never) These 4 hurdles exist in pretty much every single transaction you’ll ever come across. The trick is – if you can overcome those hurdles (before the readers even knows they have them) you’ll sell way more books. Here’s an example:

Above is a screenshot of a book promotion I ran a while ago. The peak on the left represents 50% of my email list. I told them “My new book is out. Buy it here.” The peak on the right – I spent a week overcoming those objections. Then gave them the link to buy. As you can see… more than double the sales. Why? Because I relate my books, my products, myself to what really matters to people. Focus on the emotional drive behind the purchase. Don’t give them any excuse to say “no”. And, if you’re building your own email list, you can do this again and again – any time you want. Need to run a promotion on your existing books? No problem. Use this approach to scoot up the bestseller charts once or twice a month. Launching a new book? Same deal. Need reviews? Ask your readers to leave some. Use the principles above to get more responses (like the 100+ five-star reviews I got in 24 hours after doing this). Now, you may be thinking: “That’s all well and good, but HOW exactly do I apply all this?” Which, of course, is an appropriate question. And it’s why I sent you 90+ minutes of video training last week and 120+ minutes of webinar material. Did you watch any of it? If not, you can get hold of everything right here – but it’s closing down in a little over 24 hours so please be quick. If you have seen the material, or if you know what’s what and you just need someone to say “Do this, then do that”, then please make sure you check out the new goodies I’ve got lined up for you in the June 2017 enrollment for my premium training program, Your First 10,000 Readers. We’ve had over 3,000 authors join us in the two-and-a-bit years since we opened the doors, and we’re tweaking and refining the material all the time to make sure you get the best results as quickly as possible. In the June 2017 intake, we’ve included everything you need to go from “Zero exposure” to building a thriving email list of hungry readers (and we’ll show you how to overcome reader objections and sell without being “sleazy”). We’ll take you through everything you need to get to the point where you can run sales and promotions whenever you like – without relying on anyone else. And – brand new for June 2017 – we’re also including a module on Facebook’s new marketing platform called “Messenger Bots”, which are so far boasting 100% open rates and 80% click rates for some of our campaigns (well over double the performance of email). If that sounds good to you, I’ve put together a preview module for you right here so you can see what’s in store when you enroll.

We’ve also included a 30-day 100% guarantee and a payment plan that works out at less than $2 per day. So you can try out the material for 30 days, risk free. If that sounds good, head on over to the enrollment page for full details and a video tour of the members’ area. Click here for more information (closing tomorrow). We’re shutting down enrollment tomorrow (Friday) at midnight. Enjoy the preview module – and please let me know: What is it about your books that will make readers take the plunge and buy? If you can articulate it, you can sell it 🙂 To your success! Nick Stephenson Your First 10,000 Readers