Having been privileged to sell Westerns for years, and having been the driving force behind bestselling series, number one sellers and all manner of wonderful things, I have had the unique opportunity to see, up front, the way authors react to the promotion of books. You see, friend, there are two kinds of authors. There are the golden goose buyers and the golden egg buyers, and both behave very differently and have very different kinds of successes.
See, if you sat down and spoke to ten different authors and showed them a golden goose and a golden egg side by side—they’d all agree unanimously that the golden goose is the better investment. Why, that goose could go on laying eggs for years! But when they’re not faced with that clear comparison, the majority of people buy the eggs and neglect the goose. Why? Well, I think it comes down to a lack of understanding. When faced with the idea of investing in the goose, they will say no in favor of buying homes, stoves, vacations, cars—all manner of things they want to have and should have—but let me ask you this: Is it worth investing exclusively in the eggs at the expense of the goose?
Now, with the goose in mind, let’s talk about an email I received this morning from one of the most consistent sellers on the market. I’ll read it to you.
“I have to say, I never doubted the effectiveness of the formula and have utilized it since day one! Nick, you’re a marketing genius, and I will ALWAYS bless the day I signed on to the formula, and with you as my publicist!”
Nice note, eh? This gentleman is called Cherokee Parks and he currently has three books inside the top twenty. Now, Cherokee, I’m sure he likes the golden eggs and enjoys the things the eggs can do for him, but he also takes care of the goose. His goose is so plump and rich, it keeps providing those golden eggs month, after month, after month; and without a doubt, his eggs are getting richer as he goes along.
His latest series has been a startling success. He has just completed one of the most successful months of his career, and he has a new Western on the way. With Cherokee, the formula has dictated his sales success. You remember we discussed the formula last time we spoke? You see, we knew the products would be excellent, so we released them in quick succession and used a mixture of advertising, inter-book promotion, SEO and understanding buyer habits and market flow. In essence, he created a series of products readers would find intriguing, and then we did what was needed to get them seen by readers and make sure the reader had no cause to say no. The result? All three books in the series currently sit inside the top twenty bestseller list on Amazon. But how did he know how to invest in the goose?
Can you see how the formula would help sell your Western stories to readers?
After a discussion, Cherokee knew he could work to the formula. He was already devising the series that would break him through. That series began two or three years ago and since then he has created series after series—and hit after hit. Yes, the formula was something he knew would work for him.
Are you interested in selling Westerns?
Cherokee knew that he wanted to be read and being read means selling Westerns. I believe his interest was great—so this would be a loud, awe-inspiring YES.
When do you think you ought to start selling Westerns?
Well, for Cherokee, he knew he wanted to do it straight away. No time like the present. He’s a go-getter and the best thing about being a go-getter is that there is nothing like the present to make a success of your books. Since we started working together with the formula, he hasn’t had a day where he hasn’t sold Westerns. The question for Cherokee now is should he stop? I’m sure we would get a NO!
And how about you? Do you think you’d like to try the formula? How do these questions look when you answer them? Remember this, friend, it takes a lot longer to build a school than it does to build a wood hut—but the right blueprint can save you a lot of time.
Now, if you have any questions or ideas you would like to discuss, my door is always open. Like a hawk, I’m always around plotting the next promotional step, watching the bestseller chart, tweaking ads and putting together new ideas. Just send me a note and let’s brainstorm together. Either way, the opportunity to succeed is yours.
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