I was feeling lucky. I’d bought a ticket to watch my first ever night of improvised comedy, “F* This I Quit“, and turned up excited. Until I realised that MY ticket was for the wrong night. And the show was sold out.
‘Don’t worry! I’m feeling lucky,’ I told all my mates from my improvisation comedy course, who’d turned up too. “I reckon I’ll get in.” And I did. (Hilarious show.)
BUT luck is NOT a strategy for turning your brilliant book into a bestseller.
I’ve seen lots of authors write brilliant books and struggle to generate the expected buzz and recognition.
If you think word of mouth creates bestsellers, you are wrong. Behind every bestseller is a marketing machine.
And there is a secret tactic for your:
- book launch
- marketing
- social media
- speaking gigs
- book club appearance
- guest podcast engagements
- book award entries, and
- requests for reviews …
It’s the one tip that trumps them all (I kinda hate using the word ‘trump’ these days …)
The secret of driving word of mouth is (ta da…) to enlist everyone in the CAUSE of your book. Asking people to make you a famous author is both icky and not the point.
Authors write books to change people, solve their problems and, if possible, change the world.
So don’t focus your marketing on your book—focus it on the cause you want your book to promote and the problems you want it to solve.