Summary: In this episode of the Novel Marketing podcast, we’re going to talk about what has been consistently cited as the number one way to sell books … Word of Mouth. <br> <br> You’ve heard that, yes? Studies have shown that Word of Mouth sells more books than any other marketing method by far … but today we’re going to turn that idea on its head, well, at least on its side. Here’s how: We’re going to talk about why word of mouth is not helping your sales. <br> <br> First we’ll talk the good about Word of Mouth, then the bad, then the downright hideous … So Thomas, get us started. What’s the good part of Word of Mouth?<br> <br> The Good:<br> <br> Highest credibility form of marketing<br> Cheap<br> It snowballs<br> When it works, it works very well. <br> <br> <br> The Bad<br> <br> People live in bubbles. This limits the spread of ideas from Bubble to bubble.<br> <br> For example, the average number of friends people have on Facebook is 338.<br> <br> <br> Word of Mouth tends to only kick in after you already don’t need it.<br> Relying on “Word of Mouth” can be an excuse for laziness.<br> There are so many books out there these days, it’s harder than ever to be the book everyone is talking about<br> Word of Mouth primarily benefits the very best books. People don’t talk about every book they read. And most people don’t ask “what’s on your bookshelf”?<br> Word of Mouth is Hard to measure. Who is talking about you? Who is listening? There is no way to know.<br> You don’t control it, if it doesn’t work, there is nothing you can do.<br> <br> <br> The Hideous<br> <br> People self censor and your book may never come up.<br> Some non-fiction books just don’t qualify for Word of Mouth<br> <br> <br> People might worry that their taste is wrong. Have you ever recommended a TV and had people say “Ugh.”?<br> How many times have you recommended a great book to a close friend? How many times to an acquaintance? Most people don’t have that many close friends.<br> <br> <br> Bottom Line: You can’t rely on Word of Mouth to sell your books.<br> <br> Now a bit of good news … next episode, we’re going to talk about how you CAN use Word of Mouth … how you can make it work for you.<br> <br> Sponsor:<br> <a href="https://training.authormedia.com/p/2018-tax-business-guide-for-authors/">2018 Tax & Business Course for Authors</a><br> Where you will be after you take this course:<br> You will feel like you understand taxes for authors. Less stressed, more savings, better at making money. <br> <br>
