When does it make sense to turn down dinero?
As my launch promo approached I wrestled this question mightily, to the point that my husband, a big data analyst, told me I was overthinking and he does that for a living.
Ultimately my Internal Editor made the decision, the same one that compelled me to travel around the world with my guitar over my shoulder and later, to write a book about it. Which would you rather have, it nattered, a few hundred bucks, or a few hundred readers out of the gate?
For me, the latter. I think anyone would make that call from the gut, as I did. Then objectivity returned. It asked, what’s your objective? The internal newspaperwoman handled this one. You must maximize reach! she preached.
Answer this. What audience would be the most highly motivated to read your book as soon as it becomes available? There’s a fancy name for these people—they are your brand ambassadors.
If you’re writing into some niche—say, quilters, or WordPress developers—your brand ambassadors might well include people you’ve never met. People you wouldn’t mind asking to reach for their wallets for as small an amount as 99¢, who might respond to a deal on some useful information. If so, the 7-day countdown is for you. There are fewer of them, you’ll stand out more, get two extra days of promotion, and pocket some dough.
I believe my story is entertaining, thought-provoking and relatable enough to gain a respectable audience over time, but I also accept that the only people who would be interested in reading it initially are personal, first-degree contacts. People who would not race to Amazon to save a buck before the price goes up, who might actually pay full price, but when the mood struck them, after several reminders. People I would feel jerky asking for 70¢, whose feedback and enthusiasm are worth more to me than money.
Those were the people I targeted with this message: My book just came out and it’s free for my friends and relatives and colleagues for the next 5 days; click here to download it. This offer seemed to create both a sense of urgency and exclusivity, resulting in more free downloads (which Amazon counts towards copies SOLD) than I had dared allow myself to expect.
Another unexpected result was that a number of them began reading immediately. They texted and emailed and called to mention what part they were on. That was some heady stuff! It sustained me through the five-day period I resolutely avoided looking at my stats, not that this took any degree of self-control, for that is simply my nature. I am not one to count chickens before they hatch. I do not even look under the hen. I can wait to hear the little chicks peeping,
Now all I need to do is get those chicks to peep on Amazon.