20 WAYS TO INCREASE SALES 1.
Getting attention is key todaygive them a surprise.
2.
Get to the right personcontact the precise editor acquiring manuscripts.
3.
Use a highly creative approach to be distinctive and compelling.
4.
Focus on what readers/editors care about.
5.
Have your manuscript in the right place at the right timetiming is everything.
6.
Stand out from the crowd. Make your writing style memorable.
7.
Be relentless. In marketing and sales, persistence is power.
8.
Information, knowledge, and ideas are the forces that drive great writing towards sales.
9.
Show editors and readers you care about meeting their needs.
10.
Identify new prospective marketsas part of your daily routine.
11.
Check your image. Does your letterhead, mailing label, business card, and brochure convey a strong, positive message?
12.
Write editor-centered letters: warm, friendly, and interesting.
13.
Find new ways to tell your story. Look for different angles.
14.
Focus on the “Why should anyone want to publish my writing?” question. What makes your writing different from/better than other writers in the same genre?
15.
Develop a sense of excitement. An “I wonder what they’re going to say next” attitude is what keeps editors reading.
16.
Tell only part of the story at one time. Break ideas into segments, then develop a sharp focus to each piece of writing.
17.
Make your marketing match your writing. Look at your query letters and book proposal carefully. If you want to be viewed as a first-class writer, is this the message you’re conveying? How can you do a better job of creating and projecting an accurate image?
18.
Personalize everything. There’s tremendous power in personalization. It makes editors feel you actually know who they are and that you’re talking directly to them.
19.
Take advantage of your successes: bylines, referrals, other editor recommendations. Your credibility increases if you let a satisfied editor blow your horn for you.
20.
Make writing your ministry. Learning to communicate through your writing is an ongoing process, and the task is to develop new and interesting ways to get your writing/message across. Getting editors to believe in your ability to write and produce quality finished product that their readers will want is the best way to attract and keep the assignments and contracts coming your way.
ďƒ“ 2002 by Elaine Wright Colvin, Writers Information Network