You might think my purchase of a feather duster has nothing to do with writing, but I found a correlation.
Relationships. That is why I bought my feather duster from Fly Lady (website here).
Fly Lady has an excellent housecleaning system that I am too free-spirited to follow. However, I have been receiving her emails for years. I know she is not my friend. She is running a business. However, her consistency and warmth led me to believe she cares about her customers.
When I needed a new feather duster, I first went to Amazon. The reviews on every duster I saw said the dusters that arrived weren’t as pictured, but had as few as four feathers. Other dusters disintegrated quickly. I remembered that Fly Lady sells cleaning supplies. Because of our email relationship, I elected to pay more than twice the price for her duster. As you can see from the photo, I was not disappointed.
What Fly Lady did to convince me to buy her feather duster over others I could have purchased at a lower price is what you, as an author, are trying to do for your customers. You are trying to convince your potential readers to purchase your book over other, similar books. Your competition is fierce, and readers’ time is limited. Even competing by price won’t work because, at the same time, readers have a plethora of cheap and free selections.
Here are a few tips to help you connect with readers, so they choose your book:
- Be consistent in correspondence.
- Be warm and approachable.
- Deliver a superior product.
Fortunately for writers, people need more books than they do feather dusters. Here’s to you selling oodles of books!
Your turn:
What tips can you offer for connecting with readers?
When have you chosen to spend more money on a book or other product because you like the author?
What authors do you follow and support with your book purchases?
