Notes and Takeaways from Your First 1000 Copies
When I read it: October 2019.
Why I read it: I’m considering writing another book, and I want to make sure I have a solid marketing plan before I start writing. I selected this book because it has over 300 5-star reviews on amazon.
Go to the Amazon page for details and reviews.
Want to get my future notes when I publish them? Subscribe to my weekly newsletter below.
My notes
The book outlines a framework for an author platform.
Platform = the plan and method an author uses to connect with your readers and sell books.
This platform framework can be applied by any content producer.
Our platform plan is the way we connect with our audience and use our content to add value to each audience member’s lives.
A successful platform establishes a connection with each audience member that will last a lifetime.
This platform framework has four parts:
Permission
Content
Outreach
Sell
1. Permission
Permission = permission to communicate with an audience member (e.g. email list).
The fundamental difference between someone you trust and someone you don’t trust is whether you believe they are looking out for your best interest.
Tim’s definition of marketing: creating lasting connections with people with a focus on being relentlessly helpful.
I.e. More long lasting connections with readers = more books sold.
An email list is the best way to get permission. Having a direct connection to members’ inboxes gives you a way to communicate where they regularly spend their time. (See Tim’s email tool recommendation.)
Permission is earned by offering value. When you have earned permission, be sure to respect that permission (i.e. no spam).
If you nurture your email list with engaging content and protect their privacy from spam, then your readers will reward you with their time and attention.
Your #1 goal as an author should be to grow your email list as much as possible.
Decisions that affect one’s privacy, like giving someone their email address, require convincing.
There are a few rules for getting lots of people to sign up for your email list:
Make a specific, compelling offer (e.g. free, exclusive content)
Expose them to that offer multiple times (i.e. put it everywhere)
If you use popups, wait at least 20 seconds before you show the popup
Reduce resistance (i.e. easy to use form and minimum fields)
Readers join an author’s email list because they want to learn something interesting and useful.
Fulfill the promises you made when they signed up to your list, and focus on being relentlessly helpful every time you send an email.
EXPECTATIONS ARE KEY. Make them clear and meet them. When they change, communicate the changes.
Magic formula:
Send enough to stay top-of-mind.
Focus on being relentlessly helpful.
Keep it personal.
Frequency: If you're struggling with where to start, publish a newsletter twice per month.
Metrics: open rates (25%+), click rates (50%+), subscriber rate
2. Content
The authors that give away the most valuable content build the fastest followings.
Content fills your bucket with readers eager to know you directly and benefit from your writing.
You get the most people into your bucket by making your content as widely and freely available as possible.
Share, and share widely. And deeply. And too much. Share until you become afraid that you’re sharing too much, and then share some more..
If you’re an author, you’re already on an adventure.
Readers want to join in on your adventure. All you have to do is tap into that journey and share the experience (e.g. Derek Sivers):
You’re reading and researching new studies and books.
You’re traveling to interesting places and meeting interesting people.
You’re making new discoveries that change the way you see the world.
To increase sharing, leverage other platforms:
Could you get stories published regularly on a popular website?
Could you get a weekly column with an online platform such as Forbes, Psychology Today, or The Huffington Post?
Could you get your short stories published in popular anthologies or magazines?
Could you work with an existing blog to provide weekly how-to articles for their readers?
To gain efficiency, repurpose (or “reimagine”) your content:
Can that talk you gave at a conference be transcribed and released on your blog?
Can you take the interview with the subject matter expert and release it as a podcast episode?
Can you share your book research notes or outlines with your email list, inviting them “behind the curtain” of your writing process?
Your “fans” = your most engaged audience members. Fans want to engage with your content in many ways.
Content hacks:.
Q&As. Turn your answers to questions into content (e.g. the questions you receive every day)
Unfinished work bits. Identify ways to create content while from your research that might not go into the final (e.g. an interesting research chart summary)
Flagship content. This is any substantial piece of writing that can stand on its own, conveys a strong set of principles and is created and published in such a way as to encourage rapid sharing (e.g. ebook PDF, manifesto, etc.)
Evergreen content. Content that stays fresh over time (i.e. content assets).
Flagship content hack:
Write your own manifesto.
Outline your beliefs and goals in the manifesto and make it easy to download and read (e.g. A Brief Guide to World Domination)
Do a blog post series based on your manifesto.
Take tenants and core beliefs that you expressed and create a series of blog posts that explain them further.
Link to the blog series from your about page.
Metrics: Visitors, Page views, referrers, popular pages
3. Outreach
“You can get everything you want in life if you just help enough other people get what they want in life.” - Zig Ziglar
When you are in outreach mode, revoke your right to be offended.
Always approach outreach opportunities by first putting yourself in the other person’s shoes: How can you help them get what they want?
Good outreach = mutually beneficial relationships —> look for overlap and add value more value than you take
Are you conveying selfishness or service?
Assumptions can be helpful or harmful.
The good ones motivate you to think critically and act with empathy.
The bad ones trick you into thinking rashly and acting selfishly.
Make sure you have your assumptions in check:
Assume other people are busier than you.
Assume that everyone’s default behavior is to protect his or her time and workload, and that’s ok.
Assume that if they say “no” that it’s for a very good, legitimate reason.
Assume that if they ignore you that it’s for a very good, legitimate reason.
Assume that if they say “yes” that you have one chance to follow through on making their life easier.
Influencers (content creators with their own platforms) are different than your fans: they can help you get other people to buy your book. e.g.:
Blogger
Writer
Radio host
Top reviewer on Goodreads
Treat influencers differently than fans (they have different goals).
How to leverage other platforms:
Engage other platforms as a fan
Seek opportunities to introduce yourself and contribute
Social media can make an author platform stronger by giving it a boost when it’s already built and functioning, but social media cannot make an author platform strong.
Use social media to extend your outreach by sharing:
Creative thoughts
Inspiring quotes
Special moments
Visuals
Make it easy for people to share your content:
Social share buttons
Ready to tweet takeaways
The best outreach an author can do is offline in the real world:
It’s impossible not to begin (or expand) an empathetic relationship.
When you’re face-to-face, you can more easily test your assumptions.
4. Sell
Be your own fan: a lack of enthusiasm is one of the top mistakes authors make when selling
People should not be on your email list long before inviting them to buy something, even just one book:
Let them download a sample.
Show how it will help
Share reviews
Tell stories about how your book as has had impact
Leave them wanting more.
Introduce your past books
The internet marketing toolbox:
Social networking platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn.
Blogs.
Email marketing.
Guest blogging.
Interviews.
Speaking events.
Blog commenting.
Online forums.
Podcasting.
Any technology, media type, channel, or interaction opportunity you use to engage with people for your online platform is a valuable resource that goes into your toolbox.
Identify the right combo for your platform.
Metrics: sales units / dollars