A commonly held business truth is that people hate to be sold to but they love to buy. Hard selling your books is unlikely to work. I covered part of this in the article about how to run a terrible Twitter account – sell sell sell does not work.

Most readers are looking to buy new books. What you potential readers are unsure of is if it okay to buy from you.

What this means for authors is that you need to think like a reader. What sort of environment (blog/website/etc.) would leave you comfortable buying a book written by an unknown author? What would reassure you that this author is worth your time and money?

Now consider your platform – your website, social media, blog etc. – would you want to buy in that environment? Has an author posting daily begging updates to please, please buy the book ever worked on you?

Selling with a blog is not about convincing someone to buy something that they don’t want or need. Rather, it’s about overcoming objections to buying from you.

Brian Clark, Create the Perfect Buying Environment, Copy Blogger

Show readers it is okay to buy

No one likes to make mistakes. Thus, your first hurdle to remove is to reassure the reader that it is not a mistake to buy your book.

You could say “buy my book – you won’t regret it” but would anyone believe you?

Instead, do more show and less tell. Take the time to ensure that your platform demonstrates that you are the kind of author they want to read.

Okay, but how?

How depends on the kind of author you are.

If you write non-fiction, period drama, or scientifically accurate sci-fi, you should show that you are an authority on your chosen subject. In this case, I would suggest posting informative and accurate content. It would also be wise to show that you have integrity, high personal standards, and credibility as a source. None of which are demonstrated in a single week.

Especially if your audience is young or primarily on social media you must build familiarity. Like credibility, familiarity takes time. You need to make yourself available regularly and build relationships with your early adopters. That means establishing another key to demonstrating you are safe to buy from – involvement. Niel Gaiman does this by answering fan questions on Tumblr.

Both familiarity and involvement are worthless unless you can also show honesty. Honesty is the root of trust. Trust makes people feel safe. People who feel safe are more likely to buy.

Familiarity and involvement are the cornerstones of an Author Platform. There are no shortcuts. You simply need to get out there and make friends. As an introvert, I find this stage hard to do. It is easier to stay away but I know that my own platform will not grow unless I engage with people.

Finally, no matter what else you demonstrate, you should establish social proof. Social proof is why companies host positive reviews on their website, show subscriber numbers, and similar evidence of popularity. It is also why publishers put on books things like – the number of worldwide sales, the languages a book has been translated into, and glowing reviews from journalists. All of these things are social proof. Social proof sells books.

That sounds like a lot

It is a lot. Each element of showing takes time and effort. But just as “show” takes more effort than “tell” in writing, it is also true of creating a buying environment. Just like in writing, the effort pays off massively.

Then again, it is not a lot at all. You can sum all of those techniques into one aim – be a nice person such that it a pleasure to hear from you.

As Niel Gaiman famously said, people will forgive lower quality work if it arrives on time and it is a pleasure to hear from you. Likewise, people will forgive work that takes forever but is always good and they like you. Take Game of Thrones for example – George R. R. Martin is still slowly writing the books and fans are generally okay with this because they anticipate another great read someday.

To be strictly honest about these points, I have yet to master them. I’m working on it. I can see them working for other authors. I know I will make it one day. If you pass me by on your way to being a best seller, give me a wave as you pass.

Never fake it

My advice would be, try to be likeable, try to be on time, and try to write great writing. If you manage two out of three, you should be fine. But most of all, be available, interact, and be honest. Fake it until you make it is a lie that can come back to bite you.

The Internet has grown quite skilled at spotting fakes. Being exposed as a cheater has ended many a pro-gamer’s career.

Instead of faking it, be honest. Even if that means being honest about negatives.

I have – for different reasons – shared living space with various friends (flatshare, holiday, etc.). I try to make a point of saying that when I wake up I am usually in pain and am a right grumpy whatsit. I have found that people are generally forgiving, especially if I apologise once I’ve had some pain relief and a cup of breakfast tea.

That honesty has helped friends understand my health limitations and granted them an insight into what I go through. Rather than putting anyone off, we seem to have grown as friends.

Likewise, your honesty about yourself as a writer lets people in. It allows potential readers to get to know you. This in itself creates both familiarity and involvement.

Build the ideal buying environment

Now you have some building blocks to establish a good buying environment. You can build a platform people are happy to give attention to (attention is the rarest of commodities).

You do not have to do all this buy sunset tomorrow. Take your time. Work on one aspect and then move on to the next. Start with whatever is most important for your reader type. And take a little time most days to just be sociable online. Even if it is for five minutes.

Not all of these keys to a good selling environment are ones I have mastered yet. Some – like involvement and being social enough to become familiar for readers – are things I struggle with. But that’s okay. Struggle can be a good teacher too. I am still learning.

Are there are keys that you find challenging? Are there any that come as naturally to you as breathing? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.