Here’s some shared wisdom from Penny Sansevieri, author of Red Hot Internet Publicity:
We all know that audio can be a powerful way to engage your audience, but can it really help you make a book sale? You bet it can. Though with all the focus on eBooks is there any room for audio-anything? Yes, and in fact in February of this year the Audio Publishers Association announced that audio books were a $1 billion dollar industry – and growing. Don’t overlook audio. Here are some ways you can use audio to help sell your book:
1. Audio book samples: Do a reading from your book, maybe a chapter or two and load it onto your website (if you don’t think you’re a good reader, have someone else do it or hire some voice-over talent).
2. Audio on your website: While I’m not in favor of having an audio file load when your website does, there’s some merit to having a short little audio (or video) “hello, welcome to my site message;” for an example of this, check out the Author Marketing Experts site at:http://www.amarketingexpert.
3. Daily/weekly Podcast: Podcasting is powerful, there’s no two ways about it and it’s here to stay. Creating your own podcast [or hiring a professional voiceover talent http://proaudiovoices.wpengine.com] that you update daily or weekly is a great idea and a terrific way to draw some interest to your book…
4. Teleclasses/webinars: I’ve personally done webinars and teleclasses for years and I love them. They’re not only a fantastic way to promote your message, but you’re also educating on your topic which is always a great idea. Remember: record every teleclass you do so you can use it as another sales item on your website.
5. Audio series: Consider creating an audio series based on your book’s topic. Remember though, if you’re just rereading the content from your book then these cd’s aren’t necessarily an added value item but an audio book. Your audio cd needs to be different from your book in order to entice the reader to buy it in addition to the book. For example, if you finish your book and you say, “Gee, I wish I had included a chapter on XYZ,” now you can create that additional chapter (or chapters) in your audio series.
6. Freebies: Offering any of your audio products as a freebie to add value to a sale is a great idea. Something I’ll do at the end of a speaking gig is offer a free download to anyone who buys a book after my session! I also capture their email by doing this so I can market to them again.
7. Speak up! It’s not always about a recorded product or podcast, get out and talk about your topic in front of a crowd. Passion sells, and if you speak passionately about your topic, your audience will resonate with your message and (hopefully) book sales will follow…
8. Book trailers: Well, maybe that’s cheating a little, technically it’s audio and video, but we’re still talking about hitting the same sensory targets. Book trailers are hot, if you don’t believe me just Google them and see what I mean. Getting your book into a visual medium can be powerful…
Using audio to promote your book is a powerful way to gain additional reader attention. Not only that, but you never know who will respond better to audio than to a printed review, ad, or article. Putting the audio element into your sales arsenal can make for a powerful partnership, and the good news is that every day, audio and the creation of audio products becomes more accessible.*
Pro Audio Voices is here to help you with your audiobooks and audio marketing needs. We believe that great stories can uplift and transform. We provide exceptional, inspiring voiceover services for Animation, Audiobooks, & Commercial Applications.
*Reprinted from “The Book Marketing Expert newsletter,” a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.
