Why are readers important? Seems like a rhetorical question doesn’t it?
They are important because they are not only the people who are going to buy your book, share your story and start conversations with other readers but also
because ultimately, you are doing “this” for your readers.
What is “this”?
“This” is everything to you need to do to publish your book. Writing is only one step of many you need to take to get your book into reader’s hands including: editing, producing the book cover and interior, and how you sell it.
So how do you consider the reader? Start with your “Big Why?”.
Ask an author why they wrote their book and you might get answers ranging from “I’ve wanted to write this book since I was twelve,” to “I needed something to sell at the back of the room during my events.”
What most authors don’t really consider is that your “Big Why?”, why you wrote your book, influences every aspect of and decision you have to make about your book.
If you want your book to inspire people to buy it, you need to know who you’re writing it for and it starts with the “Big Why?”.
Start by spending some time answering these questions. Ideally it’s good to answer them before you start writing. But if you’ve started or already published that’s okay. Answer them anyway, it’s never too late to use this information to help your book.
- Why are you writing this book? or Why did you write this book?
- What do you want to get out of it?
- Why are you passionate about this subject, idea, story, etc.?
- Why do your readers want to read your book?
How can the “Big Why?” help you get your book into the hands of readers?
Your answers to these questions will determine:
- How you write your book and for what audience
- Who you hire to edit your book, your cover and layout
- How you print and sell it
- How you will budget your time and financial resources
- Where and how you talk about your book
- What the other elements related to your book look and sound like
Knowing your “Big Why?” can change your book from a “meh” publication that doesn’t excite your audience to a must read that has people lining up to buy, read, and talk about your book.
“Why?”
Because when you know why you’re writing your book you will also know who you are writing your book for. And when you do all of the things you need to do with your reader in mind you have a well defined focus.
That focus helps you work more efficiently with and get better results from your publishing team. And when the production, creative, social, and sales elements of your book are developed for a well defined reader it is much easier for them to recognize your book as something they need to read.
With over 1.4M books sold a year you need to make it easy for readers to find your book(s).
Simon Sinek, author of the book Start With Why studied many successful companies and their products and found a fascinating pattern based not on his opinion but on human biology.
In short, people make choices based on how they feel about something. They are looking for your why. In the context of a book, your readers also share some part(s) of your why. That’s how they know they’ve found what they’re looking for or are attracted to what you have to offer.
You can see his TedEx talk here https://youtu.be/sioZd3AxmnE for his take on the “Big Why?”. And why “I have a dream. . .” was so much more effective than “I have a plan . . .” for Martin Luther King.
As the title implies getting clear on your why is just a first step.
You will need to make countless decisions and gather reader and market information along the path from the idea of the book to people reading it. But how easy it is to get everything done, how cost efficient it is, and the results you get for all of your time and effort depend on this first step.
So make your publishing process easier and get better results by taking the time to know your “Big Why?”.
Mary Walewski, M.L.S. is a book marketing consultant and social media trainer for authors. She founded Buy The Book Marketing in 2005 to help self published authors sell their books using online marketing. She is the recent past president of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. Connect with her at
mary @ buythebookmarketing.com
Owner of Small Business WP Services since 2009, Corrinda helps you grow your audience and business using your website and the internet. A Colorado resident since 2000, Corrinda has lived on both coasts and enjoys gourmet cooking, cycling, skiing, books, and her office assistants Rex and Oliver. Connect with her at
corrinda @ hardworkingweb.com
There is a CIPA webinar with more detailed information available on the website – 10 Steps to A Hardworking Website. Post by Corrinda Campbell.