Before you publish your book there are several important decisions you need to make. Many writers focus the vast majority of their attention on the inside of their book, the content. And of course, that is important. However, the other components of a book are also important. We’re talking about things like pricing, the title of your book and more. These decisions impact sales.
What Are You Going to Call Your Book?
Your book title has an important job. Like the headline of an article, it needs to attract attention. However, it also has a bigger job. It needs to tell your audience a little about your book. Spend time crafting the title for your book. You might even ask trusted friends and advisors, customers, and beta readers what they think of your potential book title. Last, your title provides important keywords for potential readers to find your book on Amazon. Choose a title and subtitle that has popular keywords.
How Much Will You Charge for Your Book?
This is a decision that many authors struggle with. Over the past few months, I have seen many books priced too high or too low. Book publishers and distributors publish annual surveys about what price books are selling for. They range from free to hundreds of dollars. Free works if you’re using the book to build an audience or to sell a more expensive product. Look at other books in your genre and evaluate the price. Keep your goals in mind and also consider your audience. What will they pay for your information? One tried-and-true method is to ask people what they look for when they are deciding to buy a book. Somewhere in their answer they will tell you what they feel is right for the information you are providing.
Keywords and Description
When you publish with sites like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords, you have the opportunity to categorize your book, write a book description and leverage keywords. Make sure you understand what keywords and which category are most appropriate for your book. This determines how your audience will search for it.
The description should give potential readers enough information that motivates them to buy your book. It can take time to write a good book description. Remember that it’s a marketing piece and approach it with the right mindset.
Will You Translate Your Book?
Another thing to consider is how you’ll sell your book around the world. Amazon isn’t just in the United States; it’s everywhere. If you translate your book into other languages, you may sell more books. However, you also have to pay for that translation service and it can be pricy. The return on investment may not be what you expect or hope it to be.
It’s important to remember your goals and your audience as you make these decisions about your book. Keep in mind that most decisions in pre publishing aren’t permanent. You can change the price; you can change the cover. You can even update the content of your book and change that with ease. The publishing industry is now in the hands of self-publishers. There are many opportunities, and with those opportunities come decisions.