{"id":17183,"date":"2020-06-20T08:40:04","date_gmt":"2020-06-20T13:40:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lisatener.local\/?p=17183"},"modified":"2024-09-30T08:56:27","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T12:56:27","slug":"book-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/2020\/06\/book-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"A Surprising Lesson in Book Marketing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today, I got a surprising lesson in book marketing.<\/p>\n

It began with a LinkedIn Message from a contact I didn’t remember connecting with. He must have written a nice message for me to say yes, though!<\/p>\n

His current message irked me at first:<\/p>\n

\"Buy<\/p>\n

My Ungenerous First Response<\/h3>\n

\"PersonalityThe focus of this book marketing message was definitely, “I need a favor. Help me, please.”<\/p>\n

I suppose I just wasn’t feeling generous. I’d bought a lot of books lately, wanting to support both my reading habit and authors during the challenging past few months.<\/p>\n

Who was Benjamin Hardy, PhD? Hmmm. A first degree connection on LinkedIn?<\/p>\n

He’s never worked with me. I don’t know him. Why should I support him over the thousands of other authors I could support?<\/p>\n

Or over buying a second or third copy of a book by one of the authors I work with?<\/p>\n

And “Personality Isn’t Permanent”? Do I need that? I’m on a summer novel kick and am waiting for several anti-racism books to arrive. By my bed are two books I’m slogging through bit by bit, Why We Sleep, which is awesome but a bit dense with research and a fascinating qigong biography with way-too-small-print-even-with-my-reading-glasses-on. And, of course, there are my clients’ books.<\/p>\n

Sorry, but this brain is full and the bookshelves overflowing!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Giving Ben a Chance<\/h3>\n

\"AuthorStill, I did more research.<\/p>\n

Quite a few authors I like and respect endorsed the book. They found it valuable.<\/p>\n

But I’ve just spent so much money on books. If I were going to spend my money on one more book, shouldn’t it be another book on overcoming racism? There were so many compelling titles and I only bought two.<\/p>\n

Still, wow, what chutzpah to reach out to someone he doesn’t know and ask me to buy his book as a favor to help him and help his book become a bestseller.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Maybe This Guy Isn’t Just a Book Marketing Machine<\/h3>\n

Maybe it isn’t just chutzpah, though.<\/p>\n

The book helps people realize they can change.<\/p>\n

Maybe it’s his mission that drives him.<\/p>\n

I’ll think on it and decide tomorrow…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I must have been impressed by his book marketing though, because I took a screenshot of his message and tucked it away for the future.<\/p>\n

Persistence Pays Off<\/h3>\n

I probably would have forgotten his message but in my inbox this morning was an email:<\/p>\n

\"book<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Hmmm. He’d never emailed me before. I think he (or someone on his team) researched to find out my email address. Wow! Persistence.<\/p>\n

This time, he focused more on the powerful potential of the book. Ben shared what others are saying about the book, such as the Linked in comment from Greg Link<\/a>, above and the cover blurb by Seth Godin.<\/p>\n

He brought it back to me and what I might get out of reading his book, as well as what people I loved might gain.<\/p>\n

My initial reaction?<\/p>\n

I know personality isn’t permanent because mine has changed over the years. I’ve worked on myself. My qigong practice, in particular, has made me calmer, less reactive. So I don’t need this book…<\/p>\n

Wait, aren’t there some persistent personality quirks that get in the way of some of my most important relationships? What if this book has information I don’t know? What if it can help me go deeper?<\/p>\n

Maybe this book could really help me and people I share it with, in addition to helping Ben achieve his bestseller dream?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So, I bought the book<\/p>\n

Yes, from the behemoth Amazon, since that’s where he asked me to get it in order to help his numbers.<\/p>\n

\"personality<\/p>\n

My Surprising Lesson in Book Marketing<\/h3>\n

Yes, I bought the book. And I think there are a lot of book marketing lessons in here to unpack. Here are a few of my takeaways:<\/p>\n