When it comes to understanding the psychology of purchasing books and other products on-line, Amazon stands out as a real success story. The innovative and customer-centred approach that Amazon has employed to create and maintain its dominance in internet retailing is impressive.
One of the latest new offerings from Amazon.co.uk is the launch of dedicated author pages. These offer customers a full bibliography, recommended titles and videos, which are said to be like having a ‘bookshelf of the author’s titles’ on the website.
There are also links to other related items such as DVDs connected to a specific author or book so that customers have plenty of choice for following up their interest further.
The same principles which are being used to such great effect by Amazon can be employed by all authors to build their success in the marketplace. The scale and details may be different, but the approach is worth paying attention to.
First and foremost, the inspiration for your book needs to come from within you, from your own passion to share your insights or stories with your readers. From this foundation, and always maintaining the integrity of your original ideas, building your awareness of what your readers are interested in and taking this into account when planning your marketing actions can be a winning formula.
Providing a multitude of ways for readers to learn more about you and your book(s) is increasingly important for all authors. Building your author platform with a website, blog, and social media connections to name just a few possible activities are all part and parcel of authors connecting directly with their readers these days.
Yet how about also making sure that readers are informed of related projects? You can provide links to audio recordings of readings or interviews you have done, video trailers or recommendations for readers on how they might follow-up their interest further via related articles or stories you have written.
Providing a first-class service for your readers in terms of regular access to quality information that is relevant and interesting will encourage them to connect with you and to continue doing so on a regular basis. You may not have aspirations to build an empire such as Amazon has done, but applying some of their principles of success to your own individual situation will undoubtedly support you to realise your own vision of successful authorship.