The Internet is a huge virtual mall with thousands of doors. Inside are millions of stores.
A visitor comes in looking for a book. She doesn’t know what book she is looking for—just a book—she is browsing.
If she were looking for a fiction book then she would be looking for an author she recognizes. The competition would be stiff because there are many well-known authors in many genres.
If she were looking for a non-fiction book, the competition wouldn’t be as tough because the subject would be primary.
She goes to a display and presses the cart button. A cart pops up. She steps in and sits down. A screen in front of her displays the English alphabet. She taps the letter B and then selects bookstores. Several images of bookstore display windows appear.
She is not willing to take the time to browse the stores that have crowded or confusing displays. It takes her less than seven seconds to view an image and click on the ‘skip’ or ‘visit’ button.
Soon she has a large inventory of books to browse.
- She selects the genres that interest her.
- Skips over the books that don’t have a title or cover interesting enough to hook her.
- Narrows her search to those whose author’s name she recognizes or topics in which she has a strong interest.
- Makes her purchase of one or more books.
This process may seem cold, but it is very real. Multiply this scenario millions of times a day.
Branding your name and logo is key to your success. Here are a few examples of branded names (alphabetical):
- Bono
- Cher
- Dr. Oz
- Dr. Phil
- Jesus
- Madonna
- Oprah
- Sting
Most authors will not reach this level of branding, but it isn’t necessary to in order to find success.
Most authors sell less than 250 copies of their book.
Most authors have a circle-of-influence of 200 – 250 family members, friends, and acquaintances.
The takeaway—most authors don’t venture beyond their immediate circle.
If you stay in your comfort zone, you will be one of the ‘most’ authors.
Change something today to make your tomorrow better.
Tom Blubaugh
Literary Strategist, LLC
TomBlubaugh.net
tom@tomblubaugh.net
417-812-6110
Tom knows his stuff. Strategy without wisdom is time wasted.
Thank you for the kind words, Sarah.
Hey Tom.
What a great “hook” this is. I love it. Impressive.
Miss U.
Phil
Thanks for the kind words, Phil. Miss you, too. Keep truckin.