Our business is selling e-Books.

Sometimes selling e-Books isn’t as easy as the media and others would like us to believe.  Despite the fact that nearly two million new e-readers were sold by the end of 2009, a lot of people you might talk to on the street, in your place of worship, at work have not heard of them.

Many people are just now hearing about these portable devices thanks to commercials showcasing the Sony reader and the Nook from Barnes and Noble. 

But how will these new clients look for content for their readers?

That is where you, the author, need to think about the content of your story.

There are loads of products available via the web on how to promote your writing, but a good three quarters or more are dedicated to non-fiction writing.  So how can you take that information and apply it to your fiction work?

By looking carefully at the content of your story.

Think about the source of your hero or heroines conflict.  Is she self-conscious because of her weight?  Did he survive a childhood trauma?

Google the keywords associated with that conflict.  Check out what organizations you can contact.  Can you put an announcement in their newsletter, on their website?  Have you uncovered a topic that warrants further research?  Is it a topic dear to your heart, something you are passionate enough about to make a presentation on?  Who needs to know about what you’ve discovered?

The soon-to-be-released movie starring Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser, Extraordinary Measures, is a story about trying to find a cure or at least a medication for Pompe’s Disease.  Millions of people will now be finding out about a medical condition that they’ve never heard about.

What groups could you present special information to?  What associations would benefit from being associated with you and your work?  Does the diabetes foundation know you have a hero that is a Type 1 or Type 2 diabetic? Does your work show how this individual deals with their metabolic condition while at work?  Could this be shared with special groups?  Can you write a special article for a newsletter based on your research? How about blogs?  Have you decided to dedicate part of your royalties toward a specific cause?

How you weave your research into your fiction writing can be used to teach and inspire others; it can be used to develop an area of expertise; it can be used to garner interviews and other publicity.

The content you use as conflict, back story, internal baggage; all of it can be used to deepen your reach and as a result find new readers.  Readers who will give you a try, become familiar with the way you write and how you put together a story.  Readers who just might put you on their keeper shelf and Google you to see when your next story is going to be released.

Increased specialized knowledge, increased exposure; increased sales.

Isn’t that what we all want?

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 17th, 2010 at 11:39 pm and is filed under Marketing and Publicity, Writer News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.