Introduction
To be or continue to be financially successful as a self-publisher, you must be able to get your marketing message across quickly and effectively to your book buying audience. Your book’s sell sheet is an excellent tool for doing this. It is a perfect marketing tool for online and offline marketing, because it is easy to understand and goes straight to the point.
And, as The Professor likes to say, it’s “no fuss, no clutter, no waste, no hassle,” for you or the buyer. (He has a lot of insightful gems like that. I listen to them all the time. He has one for every imaginable situation. But, he’s a very wealthy business genius, so we all listen to him.)
These are the 5 essential elements to optimize your sales sheet:
Optimization Tip No. # 1: keep it simple
The genius of a sales sheet is that it is quick and easy to read. It is supposed to convey the most important and relevant information about your book in a short, simple and obvious format. And it should be engaging to watch and read while doing all of that. All information on the sell sheet should only be related to your book. No extraneous information is needed. In other words, don’t overdo it or overdo it.
Ask yourself: “What information is absolutely necessary that will help the buyer make the decision to find out more about my book or go straight to buy it?” Do it quickly. You only have about 30 seconds to hold onto the person reading your sales sheet. Use every inch of it wisely.
Optimization Tip No. # 2: differentiate your book
You have all heard of differentiation a million times before. Differentiate yourself, your message and your book from your competition. Now you know. If you didn’t yet know how to differentiate yourself, your message, and your book from your competition, BEFORE you write your book, you have far bigger problems that a sales sheet can’t solve.
Your message that you want, or need, to share with your reading audience, and how you write about it, should appear on your book’s sell sheet. Look at yourself, your message, and your book, from the perspective of your audience, your readers, your customers. Now show them how you and your book are different from, or better, or more insightful, on the subject of your book, than your competition.
Optimization Tip No. # 3: create a visual hierarchy
By “visual hierarchy,” I mean that the reader’s eyes should go first to the most important element on your sales sheet. This element, text or photo, will probably be the largest element on the page. This could be the cover of the book, for example. Or the title of the book near the top. You should get the idea here.
Then your eyes should be directed to the second most important item on your sell sheet. Perhaps this is a word or statement on the subject of the book. The text here can be larger or more colorful than the other text on the page. Then move on to the third most important information you want the reader to see next. And so on.
These items typically start at or near the top of the page, which is where most people first look at them. And when viewed on a computer screen, almost always from top to bottom. Its goal is to help the reader navigate your sales sheet in a pleasing, visually appealing, and easy-to-read format.
Optimization Tip No. # 4: back up your claims
The person who reads it will decide if you are qualified to write this book and will help you with your problems in seconds. Again, look at yourself, your book, and your sales sheet from the reader’s perspective.
And then ask yourself several questions: “Is this person credible? Does this person seem and sound like they can help me with my problems? Help me improve my life? Help me find the answers I need?” Do you have credible qualifications that show you can write on the subject of this book? “
Remember, every word and image on that sheet can help or hurt your credibility. It is up to you to convey your claims about your book and yourself to the reader in a way that is credible. Too many ornaments, or bragging, and you’ll lose them, in a matter of seconds, and they won’t come back.
Optimization Tip No. # 5: facilitate call to action (CTA)
By “easy”, I mean KEEP IT SIMPLE. Provide several easy ways for the reader to contact you and learn more about you and your book. This may be your office phone number. It can be an email address directly to you. The absolute minimum you should have is a link to your book’s website or landing page. It can also be a link to the book’s Amazon page.
If your book is available for sale in bookstores, libraries, and universities, you should mention that your book is available through book distributors Ingram and Baker and Taylor, for example. Consider how your book’s readers, buyers, clients, and customers are likely to be contacted by your demographic or want to contact you.
conclusion
Don’t be afraid to have more than one sales sheet for your book. You can create one that is more aimed at your clients visiting your office, for example. One for the people who read your blog. And you can create one for libraries and schools. You wrote the book, so you already know who your audience, or audiences, are for your book.
Your book sell sheet can help you give your audience the appropriate message that is most likely to resonate with them to the highest degree, and help them make the decision to buy your book.
Creating a good sales sheet for your book really is “no hassle, no clutter, no waste, no hassle” for you or the buyer. (Oh no! Now I’m doing it!)