by Dana Lynn Smith
This is part three of my series of posts discussing five of the biggest mistakes that self-published authors make, along with tips on how to avoid them.
Mistake #3 - Not understanding your target markets.
Just because a book is available for sale, doesn't mean that it will sell many copies. Book sales ultimately come down to this: is there a viable market of people and organizations who are willing to pay money for your book, and can you reach those people?
Most books actually have more than one target market, and it's important to understand who those potential customers are, why they buy books such as yours, and how to find them.
- Who is the primary target market that the book was specifically written for?
- What other readers have an interest in your topic or genre?
- Who would buy a book like yours to give to others?
- Who reaches these target markets and could help to spread the word about your book?
- How can you reach these people?
- What would motivate them to buy your book?
It's also helpful to put yourself in the buyers' shoes: How many books do you buy a month? Where do you hear about those books? How do you decide which books to buy? Why would someone buy your book?
Read the rest of this article series here:
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