I bet you never thought of a table of contents as sexy. But it is, or at least it ought to be. A table of contents is an invitation to go further, to create a new relationship. If that’s what you want, then being sexy is a good strategy. A potential book buyer peruses the…
I’ve been studying successful book launches. The key is a self-reinforcing surge built on ideas and people, together. Let’s start with preliminary results from my author survey. Among 172 published nonfiction authors, the most successful book promotion tactics were the following (in this order): Public speaking engagements. Solicit back-cover blurbs. Encourage people to post Amazon…
I work on a certain kind of business book. It’s about a shift in the world, and the shift in strategy that companies and people need to make in response. There is a best way to write a book like that, and Jay Baer and Daniel Lemin’s Talk Triggers is the best example I’ve seen in…
There’s this book called Talk Triggers by Jay Baer and Daniel Lemin. It has alpacas on the cover. And you should buy it, because it’s really useful. If you’re in an agency, or in marketing, you’ve probably heard clients say “We want to create something viral.” It’s practically a meme. And it’s insipid. You cannot…