Homework #11 (Magic School Story)

How do you plan to use urgency to motivate people to buy your book today instead of tomorrow?

For pre-order/launch week bonuses, I’ve toyed with a variety of different ideas. I was originally thinking sending out printed maps for the world and metal bookmarks, but I do see Thomas’ point that physical rewards are hard to pull off profitably. So I’m also thinking about putting together a PDF with deleted scenes and a custom illustration (along with an invite to the launch party). Not sure if this is irresistible enough, though.

Because I have a lot of writers in my audience and have established authority with them previously as a writing instructor, I also will offer a live webinar about what I learned while writing the novel—with a behind-the-scenes look at the story and particular tips for writing this kind of novel.

How do you plan to use scarcity to make your book more valuable?

I’m pretty tempted by the idea of focusing on direct sales; if I do so, a numbered/signed hardcover is a tempting offer. I’m also tempted to combine this with what I said above so the hardcover has the additional illustration and deleted scenes in it (instead of just being sent as a PDF).

I’m also tempted by the prospect of doing Kickstarter, but that’s a much bigger decision with pros/cons that I’m still thinking through.

How do you plan to make your book more ubiquitous so that it is more available?

I plan on going wide; I have a lot of concerns with putting all my eggs in the Amazon basket, so I’d like it to be on all the major online retailers. I also plan on doing an audiobook, though I’m unsure if it would be better to have that immediately upon release or to wait until later to do that (looking forward to asking this to Jim on audiobook day!)

How do you plan to use social proof to make your book more popular? 

I plan to lean into endorsements to demonstrate social proof at first. Obviously if I can win awards or achieve certain sales thresholds, I’ll use those as well. (:

How do you plan to use anchoring to make your book look like a bargain?

I plan on commissioning a variety of interior illustrations for the book. So while the novel is priced similarly to other novels out there, they get a richer experience reading because they can better visualize the fantastical settings through the illustrations than by reading a standard non-illustrated adult fantasy novel.

How do you plan to show authority?

I’ve been analyzing stories for publications like Lorehaven and on my email list for years. My goal has been to demonstrate through my comments on other stories that I know what good stories look like—and to signal through what I enjoy reading what I will also write. Endorsements are also a piece of this plan. Since my particular novel is promising to show readers “the other side of what happens at a magic school,” I also plan to lean into my experience as a public school teacher.

How you plan to throw a banquet for your readers?

I’ve had a free short story collection on my email list for a while that I’ve been using as a lead magnet to build my email list. I’ve also been seeking to serve readers through my email list by sending emails that interest and engage them. I also respond to every email I receive from readers in order to build more of a relationship with them.