How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months

1. Write an original, divisive book to find your target audience

If you're not offending a significant number of readers, your writing is probably not very original.

Embrace uniqueness. The key to finding your target audience is to write a book that divides readers into two camps: those who love it and those who hate it. This polarization helps identify your niche market and loyal fan base.

Accept negative reviews. Negative reviews from those outside your target audience are a sign that your writing is original and unique. They help you refine your understanding of who your true fans are.

Create memorable scenes. Include "water cooler" moments in your books that readers will want to discuss with others. These memorable scenes help create buzz and word-of-mouth marketing for your work.

2. Create a comprehensive marketing plan before writing

The best way to write a best-selling book is to know who your audience is (and what they want) before you start writing.

Know your audience. Before writing, identify your target readers, their interests, and what they want from a book. This knowledge will guide your writing and marketing efforts.

Develop a strategy. Create a detailed plan for writing, publishing, and marketing your book. Include specific steps for:

• Writing and editing
• Cover design and formatting
• Publishing (traditional or self-publishing)
• Marketing and promotion
• Building an author platform

Set realistic goals. Establish achievable milestones for your writing and marketing efforts. Focus on goals you can control, such as completing a manuscript or building a mailing list, rather than sales figures.

3. Develop a deep, loyal fan base instead of a wide one

I'd rather have 100,000 fiercely loyal fans than two million who "try and buy" and turn out to be "one and done."

Quality over quantity. Focus on cultivating a dedicated core audience rather than trying to appeal to everyone. These loyal fans will consistently purchase your books and recommend them to others.

Maintain consistency. Stay true to your writing style and themes to keep your core audience engaged. Avoid making drastic changes that might alienate your loyal readers.

Create recurring characters. Develop a cast of characters that appear in multiple books. This helps readers form attachments and eagerly anticipate future releases.

4. Utilize social media to build meaningful relationships

Twitter pals don't often buy books or give reviews, but Twitter email friends do both!

Build genuine connections. Use social media platforms, especially Twitter, to form authentic relationships with potential readers and other authors. Focus on providing value and support to others rather than constant self-promotion.

Move relationships off-platform. Aim to transition social media connections to email relationships. These deeper connections are more likely to result in book sales and reviews.

Promote others. Regularly share and promote the work of other authors and content creators. This goodwill often leads to reciprocation and expands your network.

5. Write infrequent, purposeful blog posts for maximum impact

My approach to blogging is to post approximately 12 to 15 blogs…per year!

Quality over quantity. Instead of frequent, short posts, focus on writing fewer, high-quality blog entries that provide significant value to your readers.

Invest time in each post. Spend weeks planning and days writing each blog post to ensure it's as impactful and engaging as possible.

Keep posts evergreen. Write timeless content that remains relevant long after publication. This allows you to promote the same post multiple times over an extended period.

6. Use "Loyalty Transfer" to connect with readers emotionally

Loyalty Transfer means, this blog appealed to Joe Paterno fans and fans of wonderful mothers. Those people appreciated what I wrote, and the way I wrote it. The result? They felt a kinship to me through my blog, and transferred their loyalty from Joe and great moms to me, a total stranger.

Identify shared interests. Write about topics that resonate with your target audience and align with the themes in your books.

Share personal experiences. Include personal stories or revelations that readers can relate to, creating an emotional connection.

Be authentic. Write sincerely about subjects you genuinely care about to ensure your passion comes through in your writing.

7. Build a Guaranteed Buyer List (GBL) for consistent sales

Can you imagine anything more powerful than having an email list of 10,000 people who will buy anything you write?

Define GBL criteria. Include only those who have explicitly stated they will buy anything you write or have consistently purchased your previous books.

Nurture the list. Regularly engage with your GBL through personalized emails and exclusive content to maintain their loyalty.

Use the list strategically. When launching a new book, email your GBL in small batches over several days to create sustained momentum and boost your book's visibility on bestseller lists.

8. Price your eBooks strategically to compete with traditional publishers

I no longer have to prove my books are as good as the world's most famous authors'. Now they have to prove their books are ten times better than mine!

Consider your audience size. Price your books based on the size of your target audience and your desired earnings per book.

Use competitive pricing. Offer your eBooks at a significantly lower price than traditionally published books to attract price-conscious readers.

Adjust pricing over time. Be willing to experiment with different price points as your audience grows and your brand becomes more established.

9. Treat your books as employees in your business

I'm a businessman, and I look at each of my books as an employee.

View books as investments. Consider the upfront costs of producing a book as an investment in a long-term asset that will generate ongoing revenue.

Monitor performance. Track the sales and reader feedback for each book to identify trends and inform future writing and marketing decisions.

Diversify your portfolio. Create multiple series or genres to appeal to different audiences and reduce reliance on a single book or series.

10. Leverage Twitter for viral marketing and audience growth

I posted the link on Twitter with hash tags for Joe Paterno. Then I ran a Twitter search for Penn State and found hundreds of people tweeting to each other about the upcoming game against Northwestern. I picked the first 100, knowing most of them would still be online at the time, and sent each one of them an individual tweet with the title of my blog and a link to it.

Use hashtags strategically. Identify relevant hashtags for your blog posts and books to increase visibility.

Conduct targeted searches. Use Twitter's search function to find users discussing topics related to your content.

Engage directly. Send personalized tweets to individuals who are likely to be interested in your content, rather than relying solely on broad, untargeted announcements.

Create a viral circle. Encourage your followers to share your content with their networks, expanding your reach exponentially.

Last updated: October 12, 2024