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Michael Drew went from being homeless and selling drugs to becoming a publisher and an esteemed and in demand business book marketer. He’s helped 99 books become bestsellers – 90 of those are now New York Times bestsellers. Over a 21-year career he’s got the process down to a very successful science which he shares in this interview.
The Numbers
Michael dispels some myths about becoming a bestseller and sheds light on the process. One of the first things he shares is that not every book that is sold is counted towards becoming a bestseller – which means you have to sell a LOT of books to make up for the ones that aren’t counted. Each retailer, online and offline, has stringent standards that need to be met if you want to make the bestseller lists. You need to understand those standards and work within them when you launch your book. Michael describes the standards and numbers you need to hit in detail during our interview.
Your Marketing Strategy
We then go on to discuss why you need to start implementing your marketing strategy while you’re writing your book; don’t wait until you get a publishing date to start marketing initiatives. First you must define your objective. Is it to get higher speaking fees? Is it to generate new business leads? Is it to differentiate yourself from your competitors? A clear objective goes beyond “I want to sell a lot of books”. You then need to tie that objective into the content of the book while you’re writing it. You need to be sure that your book supports the outcome that you desire.
Of course, you must write a really, really good book. Michael disagrees with the advice to “use your book as a business card”. Use it to create an outcome that fulfills your objective. If you sell widgets you need to write a book that argues the need for widgets, not just a general topic like leadership.
Once you’ve found your objective you can start building a marketing strategy by using the four pillars of marketing:
- What’s your big idea? What’s new, surprising or different? Why should people care about your book?
- What is the story that you are going to be telling? This is the thread that holds the book together.
- The nuts and bolts. You need to teach the reader HOW to implement what it is that you’re teaching. If they can’t implement it, you’re just going to frustrate your readers.
- The hope. If your reader implements what you share, what it the outcome that they will achieve?
Listen In!
Michael shares a LOT more wisdom and actionable ideas that can help you create a bestseller. We discuss how to reach out to your audience to move the needle with book sales. It’s all about relationships and we discuss how to avoid “douchebag marketing” and instead use relational selling. We also discuss at length the 12-step marketing process to map out your customer journey that culminates in greater book sales and financial growth in other areas of your business.
Enjoy!
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About The Guest
Michael R. Drew is a leading book marketer in the publishing industry, propelling 99 consecutive books onto national bestseller lists, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and The New York Times, and garnering over 1,000 #1 rankings for books on Amazon.com through his Profluent services.
Through Michael’s skills in website creation, his strengths as a speaker, his career coaching, and in his innovative use of personas to intensify the effectiveness of all sorts of writing, Michael has been a force in the creation of a new generation of thought leaders. He has helped them to become even more effective entrepreneurs who nourish today’s idea-hungry audiences.
