A Hard Sell

I will be the first to admit that, when it comes to selling books and ebooks online, I am a hard sell. In a good deal of author interview blog posts, I start to nod off. Reading a description of an author's new book can make my attention slip away. On the rare chance that you do happen to catch my attention, you still have to get me interested enough to go beyond reading the synopsis and actually click "buy." You have to be original, unique, and different. You have to find a way to show me why your book stands out from the millions of others out there that I could find by using the same keywords. If it's a thriller, you have to convince me how I can find something in your writing that I can't find in any other thriller. Not only does your book have to keep me on the edge of my seat, but your promotional efforts have to do the same thing. One lapse into boredom and that door is indefinitely shut.

Today, I found an interview pitch for a book that actually succeeded in making me want to click further. (http://meghanward.com/blog/2012/10/16/constance-hale-has-a-crush-on-verbs/). The author starts off by tackling the question of why I should care. She questions her own sanity and shows us that she has done her research. She proves that her book is different. She pushes us to realize that her novel is exciting, especially compared to to the hum-drum alternatives out there. She shows us that there was a definite void that she is here to fill for us. Then, she dives into her topic and makes it pop. I suddenly realize that I want to learn more about verbs. I want to gain a deeper understand of my own language and my own profession, writing. I want to become better at writing and, especially for the author, that means it is essential that I gain a greater knowledge about a key element of the English sentence. And if her pitch is this good, I begin to wonder about how great the book will be. I'm already drawn in, and I've only read a few short paragraphs!

Anyway, the point is, you have to be aware of your tough-to-attract audience and find a way to sway them to your side. The author above found a great way to do that, so I recommend you click the link so you can see what she did right and find a way to do the same thing for your own writing.