Back in March of this year, I went to a writer’s conference. My FIRST writer’s conference. 

I met a lot of great people and heard a lot of great information.

But my biggest revelation came when I heard two unrelated things:

1. I heard a panel of authors sharing their ups and downs of being a writer.
2. I later heard marketing researcher, George Barna, speak.

Unintentionally, their two, separate messages revealed a powerful lesson to me.

Let me explain…

The Author’s Common Dilemma

The authors on the panel explained a similar, interesting phenomenon that they all experienced.

They explained how the sales of one of their books would go really well, but then their next book did not do as well.

The problem that they all seem to experience can be thought of like this:

Same Author + Same Time + Same Effort  = Different Results

As I listened to these authors, I thought about how similar that experience is for some authors that I know.

The Two Things George Barna Said

I was thinking about what the authors on that panel said, and I was wondering why it was a common experience for many authors, when I later heard George Barna speak.

He said some things that, combined with what those authors said, gave me my biggest takeaway of the whole conference.

It explained to me not only why this happens to authors, but how authors can fix this problem and improve their sales from one book to the next.

By the way, if you’re not an author or writer you’ll still want to keep reading.

Why?

Because what I am about to tell you not only applies to all authors, but it also applies to all people who sell a product or service of any kind.

Let me first tell you what Barna said and then I’ll explain how it led to such a big revelation.

Here are the two things that Barna said that really stuck out to me:

1. Amazon is willing to lose money on the first book, because they are focusing on a getting a customer.

2. You only need 10,000 loyal followers to make a living at writing.

How Authors Can See Consistent, Increased Sales Growth from One Book to the Next

I know that every smart, successful business person knows that their greatest asset is their customer list.

Without a customer list, it’s very difficult for a business to survive and/or thrive.

After hearing what Barna and those authors on the panel said, I realized that authors need to do the same thing and focus on building a customer list.

I mentioned this before in a earlier blog post here, but Paul Collingan said something powerful about podcasting that relates to this. 

He said, “I am not focused on listeners. I am focused on subscribers.”

The Three Things Every Author Needs to Do to Stabilize (Or Increase) Their Sales from One Book to the Next

All that to say, that I will now be encouraging every author I know to do these three things to help stabilize their sales from one book to the next:

1. Figure out ways to build an email list of people who bought your book (your customer list)

How can you do this?

There are many ways, but one way is to include some type of offer or teaser within your book that encourages people to go to your website and submit their email for more information.

Why is this so important?

Because email is more powerful than social media.

If you don’t believe me, then check out this infographic from Litmus.com called The Reign of Email…

Email is the most effective, relatively free, way to communicate with your customers. That’s why you must focus on it.

Want to learn more about how to build an email list?

Then check out this post from HelpScout.com called Acquiring Customers with Email: How to Turn Your Email Newsletter into a Conversion Machine.

Here’s an excerpt from that post…

“Post-footer signup forms (at the bottom of your blog posts) should let readers know that if they enjoyed what they just read, they can join the newsletter to get notified of future posts.”

(Having a mailing list is also powerful. If you can offer some great gifts or information by mail – so you can build a mailing list too, then that’s even better than an email list alone!)

2. Build relationship with that list

Don’t just build your list, but your relationship with that list.

Because the truth is this, a customer list that you have no relationship or connection with is no better than no list at all.

But a relationship with a customer list that knows, likes, and trusts you is a priceless treasure that will produce future sales for a long time.

How do you build a relationship with your customer list?

The same way that you build a relationship with anyone offline. 

It’s about consistent, regular communication.

As Sydni Craig-Hart says in her article on ConstantContact.com, “Your email relationships are no different. Be sure you’re sending emails to your list on a regular basis, which could be anywhere from twice a month to twice a week depending on your brand and style.”

(Check out the rest of her article at ConstantContact.com to learn 6 other ways to build a relationship with your customers.)

3. Focus on subscribers not just readers

Besides a customer list, your main focus should be on getting subscribers.

You want to have an email list of people who have shown interest, but haven’t necessarily bought your book yet.

Why do you need subscribers?

Because someone might visit your site, or skim through your book online or off,  and genuinely intend to buy your book later (when they have the time or money). But what actually happens?

They never remember your book again.

Having a list of subscribers is how you can stay on the top of their mind in this busy world.

It’s how they remember you and your books.

It’s how they become your customers.

Michael Hyatt described the importance of building an email list like this, “I have literally built a multi-million dollar business on the strength of my email list. Ninety percent of my income comes from it. Even today, my email list is still my number one business priority—and asset.”

Want some ideas for growing your subscriber list?

Then check out this post from BufferApp.com called Email List-Building From the Experts: How to Grow a Massive Email List.

Here’s an excerpt from their article…

“Attaching something valuable to your email sign-up form is a surefire way to piqué interest. Basically, give something away for free, for the price of an email address (which we all know is worth way more than free to the site that gets it).”

The Asset That Few Authors Possess

If authors would realize what a powerful asset a customer list really is – and then focus on building a list of customers and a relationship with them – then I believe that they’ll discover they don’t even need as many “followers” as Barna suggested.

And they’ll also discover something else amazing that happens.

They will realize that they’ve created an asset that will be attractive to their current or future publishers.

When that happens, they’ll have a leverage that many authors only dream of.

And it will give them what few authors only dream of: a stable income.

Photo by Drew Coffman

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