“I knew how impactful a book with Jack would be," Nanton said. "I mailed him an iPad, with a video inside making my case. Jack finally took me up on the offer and we worked together, writing The Success Secret, which has been one of my most successful book launches to date.”
In this way, Nanton certainly thought outside the box, got creative and found it paid off.
Similarly, before the launch of The 4-Hour Body, Tim Ferriss sent out a whopping 1,000 advance copies to readers, asking them to leave a review on Amazon. Within 24 hours of the launch, he had 140 ratings, and within three months, he had 1,200.
Action steps:
- Make a list of at least 100 influencers who could benefit from the book.
- Work with your publisher to send the book to those influencers.
- Include a personalized letter to each person about why you included the book.
Related: Why Every Entrepreneur Should Write a Book
3. Create a community.
As many entrepreneurs have learned the hard way, you have to earn your way into the conversation. As Nanton told me: “When I was a kid, I wanted to know more about music, and I could read books, but I really wanted to speak with people. I tried calling music publishers, and most of the time I got shut down by the gatekeeper.
"That’s the lesson I learned early -- you have to earn your way into the conversation.”
So, how can you build trust? Build a community. People deeply want to be part of something bigger than themselves. They want to feel that they’re part of something bigger and more important than their individual lives. If you can create a community around your book, the odds of its becoming a bestseller dramatically increase.
Look no further than David Allen, author of Getting Things Done, to see what building a passionate community looks like.
Action steps:
- Before your book publishes, come up with at least three ways you can create a community around your book.
- Regularly invite your readers to be part of that community via email, social media, your blog, podcast and other formats.
- Consistently engage your readers in the community.
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