Four Weeks to Forever Change
How You Sell Books.
Gain a deep understanding of YOUR unique readers and learn how to sell more books with less effort
BY LARISSA REYNOLDS, SEPTEMBER 19, 2017 8:00 AM
Have you noticed how some authors seem to have the magic touch when it comes to selling books and connecting with readers? Authors who seem to know just what to say, and how to say it? Authors who produce books that seem to always hit the mark (and the bestseller list), with stories readers crave?
Maybe it’s experience… or intuition… or just plain luck…
Meanwhile you're doing everything "right"...
But you can’t quite breakout and get to the next level. Or maybe the strategies and tactics that got you this far… just don’t seem to work as well anymore.
Makes want to beat your head on the desk, doesn’t it?
Makes you think: What am I missing here?!?!
How do you get past that?
How do you break through that barrier and get to the writing and publishing success you know you deserve?
Go back to the beginning, to the core of your business.
No, not to the words. Go to the readers.
When you know your readers (and I don’t mean know “about” readers in your genre)... I mean really know your readers... the people who read your unique style and brand of books...
When you know their quirks and sensibilities, their secret hopes and desires… when you know when and where and how and why they read… when you can get inside their heads and speak their language… when you know why your readers buy (and why they don’t)…
Then everything about writing and selling books gets easier.
When you know your readers, you can be more confident about your books and your publishing choices. You can spot trends in reader behavior and get ahead of the marketplace. Or you can skip the latest fads without worrying you’re missing out… because you know with confidence what will (and won’t) resonate with your brand and your readership.
When you know your readers, you can focus on what works.
When I work with private clients and authors, that’s the core of what we do…
We figure out who your readers are… why they read your particular brand and style of books… and then we find ways to leverage those insights to sell more books with less effort.
We find those insights through a process I’ve refined over the last 2 years — with my own pen names and in working with dozens of authors in a variety of genres — through a process called the Reader Roadmap.
Know who your readers are... know why they read your particular books... then leverage that insight to sell more books with less effort.
The Reader Roadmap will help you understand what books sell and why (at least in your corner of the writing world)... and how to use that insight to sell more books.
The Reader Roadmap starts with a combination of surveys and data science, behavioral psychology and persona marketing, and a healthy dose of your own intuition about your writing style and your market — to help you gain a deep understanding of what books will sell and why (at least in your particular corner of the writing world).
This is NOT about genre research or review mining… but about finding the unique reasons why your particular books resonate in the marketplace (or don’t)… and understanding the who/what/why/when/how intersection between your readers and your books.
Once you have those insights, it becomes almost effortless to engage with readers and “sell” more books (without feeling all weird about it).
With my private clients, we focus on how to implement those Reader Roadmap insights with reader mailing lists and email marketing (because I’ve got nearly 20 years of experience there). But the process often leads to changes across your entire publishing business… with better blurbs, covers, storylines, titles, promotions, advertising, processes, you name it.
Every author who has been through the Reader Roadmap process has told me it completely changed how they engage with readers and how they sell books.
But there's a catch...
You knew there'd be a catch, right?
For the past few years the Reader Roadmap process has been available only to my private clients… for authors willing to spend as much as $5,000 to $10,000 for private coaching and consulting with me... and for authors who can commit to working with me intensively, several times a week for as long as 12 weeks.
The results are great, yes. But private coaching is not for the faint of heart (or schedule or budget).
Then I had an idea.
You know about the Pareto Principle, right? The rule that 80% of your results come from 20% of your effort?
It turns out that holds true for the Reader Roadmap process, too.
The biggest insights for my private clients tend to happen in those first few weeks. When authors say things like, “I can’t believe I missed that…” and “This is going to make everything else so much easier…”
Those first few weeks are when the biggest wins and the ah-ha moments happen. So what if we focused on just that 80/20 piece of the puzzle for you?
To give you a chance to have those ah-ha moments, at just a fraction of the cost?
Then get you pointed in the right direction about what to do next with your newfound knowledge, without the long-term time commitment and without the big ticket cost?
That's where the Author 4x4 comes in.
Introducing the Author 4x4 Mentorship Program
The Author 4x4 is a coaching and mentorship program for a small group of authors working with me personally and hands-on for 4 weeks… to discover new insights about your unique readers... who they are... why they read... why they buy...
And to learn how to use those reader insights to sell more books with less effort.
Scheduling Note: For the upcoming session, we'll be meeting for live group calls on Thursdays at 8:30am Pacific / 11:30am Eastern. All calls will be recorded (for reference, and in case you can't attend live).
NEXT SESSION:
Oct 12 - Nov 2, 2017
(CLOSED!)
Join me with a small group of authors for this super-focused 4-week coaching and mentorship program — to uncover who your best readers are, why they buy your unique books, and how to use those insights to find more readers and sell more books with your author mailing list.
What to Expect...
During the first 2 weeks of the session, we’ll work together through a step-by-step process to discover the who/what/why/when/how of your unique readers. We’ll dig deep to understand who those readers are, what makes readers tick... and what makes them buy…
Then during the final 2 weeks, we’ll take that knowledge and look for quick wins for your business... ways to implement what you’ve learned so you can start selling more books right away.
PLUS! Get These Bonuses When You Join Today...
- Every author in the 4x4 will get the chance at a “hot seat” with me to focus on your email strategy… where I’ll personally review and critique your recent (or draft) emails, show you exactly how to apply your new Reader Roadmap knowledge to your personal situation, and share specific feedback on how to make the most of your author mailing list.
- In addition to group calls, we'll be working together during the 4-week session in a private online discussion group for just you, me and your fellow authors. It's a chance to get real-time feedback from me as you're working through the process. And a chance to compare notes with fellow authors who are going through the same ups and downs.
- Keep in mind that while most of my implementation work with the Reader Roadmap tends to focus on email and your mailing list… (because that's been my specialty for nearly 20 years)... Once you have a deep understanding of your readers you’ll start seeing ways to write not just better emails, but also more effective landing pages, blurbs, ad copy, headlines, promotions, even titles, covers, books and series concepts.
My hope for you is the Author 4x4 is a kick-start for your author mailing list, but that it ALSO reveals a whole new way to engage with readers across your publishing business.
What Authors Are Saying...
- THIS IS NO COOKIE CUTTER CLASSROOM
- SUCCESS HINGES ON READER HAPPINESS
- i wish i had done it earlier
- wow!
I was a little skeptical when Larissa suggested I do the Reader Discovery survey — not because I didn’t want to send a survey or an extra email or anything like that — but I just didn’t think it would be worth the time.
But I was wrong.
Not to say that as soon as we did it I saw instant results and it was like “Woohoo! We’re done!” It didn’t work like that.
There’s no quantum leap. It takes time to implement. But if you trust the process, you’ll see it. Once you get the results, you’ll see why you needed to do it in the first place.
I’ve been lucky that my intuition has been right for a lot of things since I started publishing, but I was still surprised by the results from the Reader Discovery process. A lot of assumptions I had made about reader preferences were just… off.
With demographics. Who my buying readers really are, and exactly what they want from my books. I even found new sub-genres that I wouldn’t have considered before.
The Reader Discovery work that we did shows up in all the books I have now. It’s improved my email marketing, definitely, but all of it works together… with series choices, covers, blurbs, advertising, targeting, all of it. It all works together to make your books better and your sales better.
Looking at bestseller lists or reviews in your category on Amazon, that’s helpful, but you just won’t know for sure until you go through and ask your readers. You need to know your audience, and to know them exactly and specifically.
I’m seeing a lot of growth right now because of it. Sales revenue is up more than 35% since I started coaching. It would be even more if the page read rate for Kindle Unlimited hadn’t decreased so much. But I’m definitely reaching more readers and more of the right readers because of that Reader Discovery work.
I wish I had done it earlier. All that lag time to get to where I am now could have been finished a long, long time ago and I would be that much further ahead. It’s important to do this work now, as soon as you can.
If you’re thinking about coaching and going through the Reader Discovery survey with your readers, don’t wait. Just trust the process and do it.
Your readers will love to tell you what they think. They love your work already. Can you imagine how much more they’ll love it, and how much more they’ll buy, when you give them exactly what they want?
— Shehan Peiris, Indie Publisher
Caveat: The Author 4x4 Isn't For Everyone...
Since this program is designed to support a super small group, there are a few requirements before you can join.
THIS IS FOR YOU IF...
- You have 3+ books published and an active mailing list with at least 3,000 subscribers. Why? There are plenty of ways to leverage the Reader Roadmap process for a brand new author with no list, but that's a little more involved. For now, with this upcoming session, you need an existing list and a few books.
- You're willing to send an email or two to your existing list within the first 7-10 days of the session. If the schedule just isn't good timing, or if you’re unwilling to send a few extra emails, this program isn’t going to be a good fit for you.
- You’re ready to dig in right now. We'll have one group call per week for about 60-90 minutes (recorded, too). Outside of the weekly calls, plan on an extra 1-3 hours per week to implement what you're learning.
THIS IS NOT FOR YOU IF...
- If you're just getting started, with no list and no books, this is NOT the right time to join the Author 4x4. I'm planning to organize a "Brand New Authors" 4x4 group at some point, but not right now.
- If you're not able to send an extra email or two during the first week of the Author 4x4 session, you won't be able to keep up with the course. So if your publishing schedule is tight, or you're not comfortable with an extra mailing, best to wait.
- If you're saving ideas for "later" in your publishing career, this isn't for you. The 4x4 is NOT a buy-now-and-save-for-whenever kind of course. It's a take-action, interactive mentoring group with hands-on assignments and personalized feedback over a fast-paced 4-week session. If you're not ready to get moving, please don't enroll.
If you're tired of swipe files and templates... if you're tired of "Me, too!" book marketing fads...
If you're tired of following marketing fads that never quite work out as advertised... tired of tactics that only "sort of" work (or even fall completely flat) when it comes to helping you connect with readers and sell books...
If you look at other authors in your genre and think, "I'm doing all the same things... why doesn't this work for me?"
Maybe it's because, well, you're doing the same thing as everyone else. You haven't (yet) taken the time to focus on what's unique about your books and your readers and your business.
Swipe files and templates and formulas will only get you so far. At some point you have to dig in and look at the fundamentals... how to build an audience... how to serve that audience... how to deeply understand your readers and fans and superfans (instead of just knowing "about" the readers in your genre)... how to give those readers great books and stories that you know they'll love... and, yes, even how to serve your readers with great marketing.
If you're ready to focus on the fundamentals... to create a reader-focused publishing plan that fits your unique business and books and one that resonates with your unique readers...
It all starts with getting to know your readers... with knowing the who/what/how/when/why of the readers who read your unique style and brand of books...
If you're ready to create a unique, reader-focused publishing business, then let's get started...
When you sign up today, I’ll send you a short assessment form to complete... plus some "pre-session" homework to review... then we’ll hit the ground running on Tuesday, October 3.
Just 4 weeks later, you’ll be on your way to engaging with readers and selling more books. If you're ready to take the next step and focus on serving your unique readers in a way that serves your unique books and business, join us today.
CAN YOU GUARANTEE THIS WILL WORK FOR MY BOOKS AND MY GENRE AND MY READERS?
That’s what everyone really wants to know with these kind of things, isn’t it? Will it work for me? For my sub-genre? For my unique and special situation?
Well, I’ll tell you. Every author and every book and every business is different. But the fundamentals are always the same. (That's why they're called fundamentals, lol.)
Over the last few years, I’ve worked with dozens of authors across a variety of genres to refine this Reader Roadmap methodology based on fundamental business and marketing principles. I’ve relied on these strategies firsthand to support my own pen names and publishing work. And I have yet to find an author or a genre or sub-genre that doesn’t benefit from this reader discovery process.
"Will the Author 4x4 by itself make your book a guaranteed bestseller?" I can’t guarantee that and neither can anyone else. There are just too many variables involved on the path to bestsellerdom. But having a strong foundation and deep insight into what readers want from your books will definitely put you one step closer.
"Is the Author 4x4 a quick fix for an ailing writing career?" Um, how do you define quick? And what do you mean by fix? I can tell you the Reader Roadmap process works 100% of the time for 100% of the authors who follow 100% of the methodology. If you’re someone who will take action and implement what you learn, it’s likely you’ll start seeing results immediately and those results will compound over time. But your specific "quick win" timeframe depends on where you're starting from, how fast you’re willing to move, and how hard you’re willing to work.
"Okay, but will this for sure get XYZ results?" Honestly, as with most things in life, there are no guarantees. I can’t guarantee what results you’ll get only because I don’t know enough about you and your situation. I don’t know your books or your genre. I don’t know about your work ethic or your skills or experience. And I don’t know how close (or how far) you are to making your readers happy right now. Heck, I know all those things about myself and my own books, and I can’t guarantee the "exact" sales for my books at any given time (much less yours).
But I believe in this Reader Roadmap process, and I believe in you, so I will promise you this:
If you do the work during the Author 4x4 — you complete all the assignments, you participate in the calls, you take advice and put it into action, you put your best effort into learning how to understand and serve your readers — if you do all that and at the end of the Author 4x4 you don’t have a deeper understanding of your readers and how to sell books… I’ll waive my $5,000 private coaching fee and keep working with you one-on-one for an extra 30 days at no charge. We'll figure it out together.
When you sign up today, I'll go "all in" to helping you make this work... to helping you discover who your readers are and why they buy your books... to helping you find ways to use those insights to find more readers and sell more books... to helping you build the writing and publishing business that you know you deserve.
I'm ready. Are you?