Top Ten Ways of Why and How to Write your Book's Sales Letter - Part 1

Authors/publishers are great at getting their books written. But after the initial one-year honeymoon, sales slow down. To counter this make sure your print or ebook will keep on selling from the first day, the first year, even for life. Count on this being a two to three- year project to become well known.

Write a short sales letter for each book.

Whether you have a web site or not, you can write a first class, must-buy-now sales letter. Since you are making your book a business write a sales letter for each teleclass and service as well. I even write one for my bookcoaching services.

What Every Sales Letter Needs to Pull Orders and Profits

You can write each sales letter in less than four hours the first time. As you practice, you can an excellent one in two hours.

1. Start the Letter with a Benefit-Driven Headline.

Include similar headlines throughout your sales letter. Make them bold and in another font to stand out. Then, add the copy below that supports your claim. Here’s one. What do your think? “Want a Quick and Easy way to Quadruple your Online Income in Four Months?�

If you answered, "yes" to yourself, the headline succeeds, because you will keep reading. If you said "No, I don't believe this, " but I'm curious where this is going," the headline still succeeds. You win when your headline seduces your potential customer to read on in your sales letter to discover your book’s benefits and features, some fine testimonials, to finally click "buy now" that takes them to the order page.

2. Make a list of all the problems and challenges your reader has.

To know your audience’s problems is half of the solution. Before you can write your book’s benefits, you need to know the problems. Do they want to lose weight? Do they want a lasting relationship? Note where they are now with their particular challenge. Hook your reader to go on with engaging questions such as “Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?� “Are you ready to give up on attracting your ideal mate?�

After you list all the concerns and problems your audience wants solved, your answer for these will formulate your list of benefits. (See #4) Follow each specific problem posed as a question with your answer. Those are your benefits. Benefits sell.

3. Address your Potential Buyer's Resistances.

Remember to tell a background story of where they are NOW (see #3.) so they will emotionally connect with your book solutions. This is part of your introduction and is the hook to keep your readers going. Let's say they want to write an eBook or print book to make themselves the "expert," make life-long passive income, or share their unique message.

Many people don't write a book because they doubt it will sell well enough for all the effort, it may not be significant enough, it will take too long, cost too much money, and they really aren't writers. One, by one, your sales letter needs to address your audiences’ concerns and show these potential buyers how they can become an excellent author and make their books more saleable, while building their profits.

Author’s Tip: Make a list of these resistances before you write your sales letter.

4. List the Top Five-Ten Benefits of your Product or Service in Bullet Form.

From these lists, create and keep in a computer file called, “book benefits� a list of 5-10 benefits. Include the number one benefit at the top of the list. You need to know these before you can talk about your book to others.

If you are not rock sure of who your audience is, your sales copy dribbles away and doesn't meet its target. Keep redefining your audience and know as much about them as you can.

Remember that one benefit is the top undeniable benefit—usually more money easier, more clients faster, more profits from web sales, better relationships, and optimum health.

You will place the top five or so bulleted benefits after your sales letter Introduction. The rest you can sprinkle throughout your copy.

Without a book sales letter to guide your potential buyers on your web site, you leave them bored, uninspired, without enough information to make that decision to buy. Your web site and ezine must entertain, inform, and give enough benefits to convince your readers to order your book.

For all email promotion campaigns, without a sales letter for each product, your unique, useful and inspiring information will not get read, people won't know you as the expert, and you won't make the sales you want.

For part two of this article email article-165@bookcoaching.com.

Judy Cullins ©2005 All Rights Reserved.

Judy Cullins, 20-year Book and Internet Marketing Coach works with small business people who want to make a difference in people's lives, build their credibility and clients, and make a consistent life-long income. Author of 10 eBooks including "Write your eBook Fast," "The Fast and Cheap Way to Explode Targeted Web Traffic," and "Create your Web Site With Marketing Pizzazz," she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, "The Book Coach Says..." and "Business Tip of the Month" at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml and over 165 free articles. Email her at mailto:Judy@bookcoaching.com.

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