11 Ways To Write A Book That Sells

Writing a book is hard. Writing a good book that sells even harder. But you might be surprised how many people have done it. Here are 47 ways to write a book that sells…and then sell it!

Takeaways
1. Focus on a Unique Hook for Your Story
2. Understand Your Target Audience
3. Craft Well-Developed and Relatable Characters
4. Outline Your Book’s Structure Effectively
5. Use Vivid Descriptions and Imagery
6. Build Tension and Conflict Throughout
7. Incorporate Elements of Surprise
8. Write Engaging Dialogue
9. Show, Don’t Just Tell
10. Revise and Polish Your Manuscript
11. Develop a Strong Marketing Strategy

Get Really Clear On The Book’s Purpose

Writing a book is an investment of your time, energy, and resources. While it can be a fun challenge to write a book that sells, you need to be clear on why you are writing the book before you begin. You also need to know what the book is about and who it is for.

If you want this process to go smoothly and quickly, then get clear on the purpose of your book. Your purpose could be any one of these:

To share information with others like yourself who have similar interests or experiences

To share knowledge that will help others enjoy life more fully by learning from what has happened in your own life (these types of books often fall into the memoir category)

If you’re venturing into the world of writing and publishing a book, it’s essential to have the right resources at your disposal. Our comprehensive Book Writing Guides & Tools can provide you with valuable insights and assistance throughout your journey.

Discover Your Book’s Selling Points

To write a book that sells, you need to know what your readers want and what you are selling them. What is the one thing that is most important to your readers?

For example, if your topic was “How To Lose Weight,” then the selling point of this book would be “Lose 5 pounds in one week.” Or if your topic was “How To Get Published,” then the selling point might be “Get an agent by following these simple steps.”

The same goes for yourself. What is the one thing that is most important to YOU? For example, if you write fiction and have written three romance novels but none of them sells more than 200 copies in their first month on Amazon (and two were even outsold by erotic fiction).

Then perhaps it’s time for you to consider writing children’s books instead because they tend not only to sell better but also bring in more money than romances do nowadays anyway!

Set A Deadline And Stick To It

You have to set a deadline, and you have to stick to it.

You’re going to write your book in 30 days or less. You can do this by setting a deadline for yourself and sticking to it!

The first thing you need to do is pick a date let’s say December 1st as your official “publishing date” for when people will be able to read your book on Amazon for free (it’ll still cost money after that point). 

Don’t make this day too far away from now; if you’re still writing on December 1st, then it’s time to move on with other things in life instead of aiming for perfectionism over quality content creation because even writers who work full-time jobs should be able to publish a book within one month. 

Don’t make the goal too close either though; I know many authors who take more than 6 months just because they’re afraid of finishing before their ideal deadline passes them by.”

Becoming a successful book writer requires dedication and guidance. Explore our Guides for Aspiring Authors to discover actionable tips and steps to help you embark on your writing career with confidence.

Have A Media Plan Before You Launch

Before you start writing your book, spend some time thinking about how you will reach your readers. When people ask me how I got my first book deal, I always tell them that having a media plan was one of the most important things in my success.

One of the biggest mistakes authors make is spending all their time promoting to media they don’t care about or know anything about and then wondering why no one is reading their book! The key here is knowing where your audience hangs out and understanding which mediums are going to be most effective for reaching them.

When Planning Out Your Strategy, It’s Important To Think About

What kind of message do you want to deliver? Are you trying to sell something? Educate people? Inspire them? Make them laugh? 

Brainstorm ideas for what kinds of articles or pieces would help get this message across. For example.

If you want people to learn more about an industry trend (like artificial intelligence), then perhaps pitching interviews with experts on the topic would be useful in terms of gaining exposure and credibility within that community while also getting some great quotes from industry experts into the article itself! On another note though… You might also want

to consider what kind of content appeals more directly towards customer acquisition rather than only focusing on promotional activity (e.,g., fun facts). 

This may sound obvious but many marketers forget this very important detail when setting up their strategy plans because they only focus on driving traffic back onto their website instead staying focused on building relationships with other businesses within its niche market instead.”

Crafting a bestseller within a short timeframe demands strategic planning. Delve into our article on Top 15 Ways to Write a Bestseller in 30 Days to uncover proven techniques and tactics to achieve writing success.

Create A Bare Bones Book Concept Document

A concept document is a short, single-page summary of your book. It’s a chance for you to get down the basic premise of what your book will be about and how it’s going to be structured so that when someone asks where you want them to start reading, you can point them straight at this document.

To create one, take out a piece of paper (or open up an MS Word doc) and answer these questions:

What is the title of your book?

Who is the audience for this book? Is it general or specific?

How long do I want my book to be? If I don’t know yet, how many words roughly would I like each chapter/section/sub-topic in this part of the book to be (this is just an estimate)?

Know your target reader before you write a word.

Before You Write A Word, Know Your Target Reader

Who is your target reader? What are their demographics? What are the things that motivate them to buy books in the first place? How can you help solve their pain points or meet their goals and interests? What kinds of questions do they have about the topic at hand, or what challenges do they face when it comes to the said topic?

Knowing these things will help you decide how much detail and information to include in your book. It’ll also help you create more effective chapter titles and subheads because those elements directly affect how readers skim through the text and whether they decide to keep going past each one.

Write For One Reader At A Time

One of the most common mistakes writers make when they write is to try and please everyone. They generically write their book, so that it will appeal to everyone. The problem with this approach is that you end up writing for no one in particular.

You can avoid this mistake by thinking about who your book is for, and then writing for them specifically. You don’t want to write for people who are not likely to buy your book or become fans at all you want to know your ideal reader and then write directly to them.

So how do you find out who your ideal reader is? Ask yourself these questions: Who would benefit from reading my book? Who will be most likely to enjoy reading my content? What problems does my audience face today? How many people make up my target audience?

Focus On The Benefits For The Reader

If you’re writing a book that sells, the primary focus should be on the benefits for the reader.

This might sound like a strange thing to say about a book about writing books, but let me explain: if you want your book to sell and not gather dust on some shelf, it needs to be written from an audience perspective rather than an author perspective. 

In other words, instead of focusing on yourself or how much work went into writing it, focus on how this information will help other people achieve their goals. 

If I were going to write a book about writing books (and I am!), one of my main focuses would be promoting my own content marketing business but only because that is what my target audience cares about most right now.

Avoiding critical errors during the writing process is crucial to the success of your book. Learn about the 10 Poisonous Mistakes that can derail your book’s potential before it even takes off, and how to steer clear of them.

Make An Outline Of All The Questions You Answer In The Book

You can create an outline of the main questions you answer in your book. This will serve as a roadmap for your writing and help you focus on the most important topics. It will also help keep you on track, organize all of your ideas, and write faster.

When I was writing my first book, I found that having an outline helped me avoid writer’s block. Having a road map meant that I knew what to write next after finishing each chapter—and where each chapter belonged in the book overall.

Write Faster Than You Think Is Possible And Revise Later

The first draft is the big one. When you get your thoughts down on paper, they’ll just start flowing like a river and take you along with them. The words will come faster than you can write them down and before long, you’ll have an entire book written!

That’s right: an entire book! And then what are you going to do? Well, after taking several days off for rest (and maybe some food), it’s time to revise your work so that it makes sense and flows smoothly from beginning to end.

But wait you already did the first draft! What could be left to revise? Quite a lot! There may be places where characters’ names change without warning or plot points seem out of place or appear too early in the story.

There could even be errors in grammar or spelling that need correcting! We don’t want any of these things happening when people read our books so we’d better fix them as quickly as possible before publishing our masterpiece on Amazon or other e-book platforms like Kobo Books (https://www.kobobooks.com/).

Run What You Write Through A Copywriting Framework

A copywriting framework is a set of principles and guidelines that help you get clear on your message, who you’re writing for, and how to structure your content.

The best way to understand how to use a copywriting framework is through an example. You can find plenty of free ones online (such as the one we’ve created here), but if you want something more custom-made, there are lots of people out there who will create one for you.

Here’s How It Works

Know Your Limit Of Bad Pages Per Day (BPD)

As you know, writing a book is a lot of work. And the more you write, the more likely it is that some of those words will be shoddy and not quite what they need to be. This is why it’s helpful to have a BPD (bad pages per day) that tells you how many pages of crap you can handle before getting discouraged and quitting for the day.

Writing a compelling book is only part of the equation; effectively marketing and selling it is equally important. Our guide on How to Write a Book & Sell It on Amazon offers practical insights into leveraging Amazon’s platform to reach a wider audience and boost your book sales.

Here Are Some Tips For Determining Your Personal Bpd

Know your limit for bad pages per day! It depends on so many factors how much sleep you got last night, how many cups of coffee/tea/chocolate milk/beer/wine (pick one or all) you had during the said night, etc. but the basic point remains: 

Know yourself! Do not underestimate yourself or overestimate yourself when setting goals; instead, use these tips as guidelines when figuring out what works best for YOU!

Conclusion

If you want to write a book that sells, you’re going to have to work hard at it. But the good news is that it doesn’t take an enormous amount of time or money. It just requires focus, discipline, and a willingness to do whatever it takes even when the going gets tough!

Further Reading

If you’re looking for more information on writing and publishing books, here are some additional resources to explore:

TCK Publishing: How to Write a Book Short Description: Get expert insights and step-by-step guidance on the process of writing a book, from concept to completion.

Reedsy Blog: How to Write a Book Short Description: Dive into this comprehensive guide offering practical tips and advice for authors at every stage of the book writing journey.

Cooks + Books: Writing a Book that Sells Short Description: Discover strategies to write a captivating book that resonates with readers and has the potential to become a commercial success.

FAQs

Got questions about writing a book that sells? We’ve got answers:

How do I come up with a book idea that’s marketable?

Generating a marketable book idea involves identifying trends, understanding your target audience, and exploring unique angles that set your book apart.

What are some effective ways to outline my book before writing?

Creating a solid outline helps organize your ideas and streamline your writing process. Consider using techniques like the Snowflake Method or chapter-by-chapter summaries.

How can I make my characters more engaging and relatable?

Craft well-rounded characters with distinct personalities, motivations, and flaws. Dive deep into their backgrounds to create authentic and relatable personas.

What strategies can I use to hook readers from the very first page?

Start with a compelling opening scene or a thought-provoking question. Establish a strong emotional connection early on to draw readers into your story.

How important is self-editing in preparing my book for publication?

Self-editing is a crucial step in refining your manuscript before seeking professional editing. It helps catch errors, enhance clarity, and polish your writing style.