You might think that one of the reasons why some of your readers will read your first book, or only one of your books, and not come back for more is because they simply didn’t like your book that much. However, that’s not the only reason why your readers don’t become repeat buyers. Often, readers are simply not aware of what you’re offering, and what you’ll be offering in future books. This is a valid point for both fiction and nonfiction books – if your readers are not informed, they will probably not look for your new book by themselves.
However, you can change that, following the simple steps we’ve shown below. Before that, you need to have either a blog or an official website, and official profiles on social media. Because these days, people live on social media, eBooks are on the constant rise – and if you know how to use these two factors, you will be able to create a following of readers who are ready to buy whatever you offer – especially if it’s only one click away.
1. Create an email list
When your readers visit your website, they don’t have to be bombarded with a popup asking if they want to sign up for a newsletter. Make your website a place where your readers can interact. Primarily, this will allow your readers to comment on your blog posts, to ask you questions, and allow you to be in touch with them. However, you can let your readers know that by registering on your website, and leaving their email address, they will receive a newsletter, or other information – like when you put up a new blog post – directly on their email. This way, you can create an email list of readers, increasing your visibility compared to only using your social media profiles.
2. Send out special newsletters
As previously said, creating an email list is important, but sending out newsletters is paramount to keeping your readers close. Your newsletter can go out once a week, or once a month – that’s for you to decide. But you need to keep in mind that the newsletter needs to be comprised of quality content. So, instead of sending out information about a cover reveal of your next book, or the release date of your new book, spice it up with short stories featuring characters from both past and future books. Or share an anecdote from your life that is interesting, which you haven’t shared via a blog post. Also, don’t overwhelm their email – even a weekly newsletter can be overwhelming if the content is repetitive (repetitive content is only interesting the first time the readers receive it).
3. Choose beta readers from among your readers
Depending on the number of your readers, you can choose beta readers who will have the privilege to read your book before it’s published – and contribute to the final version of the book. Once you get the word out that you want beta readers from among your readers, you will probably get a lot of proposals from them. Don’t worry; you don’t have to choose more than two or three. But just letting your readers know that you care how they feel about your book will endear you more to them as an author, and ensure your readers come back for more.
4. Offer promotional offers
Plenty of your readers will want to give your books as a gift – to friends, family members, or a significant other. Once you have two or three books out there, you can offer the three books at a special price. There are other promotional offers that you can use to attract your readers, and to attract new readers. You can also create contests where you’ll ask your readers to create fan art, or even write fan fiction (remember, a lot of your readers are probably aspiring writers themselves), and the winner will get a free or advanced reader’s copy. Never squirm at the thought of giving away some of your books for free, or giving away free content, like short stories, in your newsletter. Your goal is to make sure that your readers are aware of your upcoming books, and that they are aware that you create great content for them to read.
5. Create great content
And we’ve come to the most important step in turning readers into repeat buyers – a good story, or great content, if you’re writing nonfiction books. This is probably the most stressful aspect of being an author – each new book needs to better your previous book. You will need to strive to improve, constantly, if you want your readers to keep coming back for more. However, the techniques we’ve described before will endear you to your readers as an author – they will become loyal to you. So even if the new book isn’t exactly what the readers expected, it will take a great letdown, in terms of story or content, to push your readers away. Remember that when you’re working on your new books to avoid the stress – because being stressed when writing will rarely enable you to tell a good, engaging story.
Image credit: Pixabay
Georgina Roy wants to live in a world filled with magic. As an art student, she’s moonlighting as a writer and is content to fill notebooks and sketchbooks with magical creatures and amazing new worlds. When she is not at school, or scribbling away in a notebook, you can usually find her curled up, reading a good urban fantasy novel, or writing on her laptop, trying to create her own.