Does Twitter Help Sell More of My Books? a Post by R. Clint Peters

An Author’s Club member recently asked the following question:   How much do you estimate it has increased your sales by spending so much time on Twitter?

Actually, I don’t have any numbers for several reasons.

First, the books I want to sell are offered by my publisher, and they are doing the marketing.  Every quarter, I get a check in the mail.  The books I don’t want to sell are offered through a self-publisher, a print-for-a-fee company, and they are doing nothing to advertise unless I line their pockets with my own money.    Since they have books I don’t want to market, I could care less if they sell anything (and they have fulfilled their promise —- they have sold nothing.)

I’ve learned a great deal about writing since I signed those contracts.  And I’ve learned a lot about self publishers.  They only publish or market your books if you pay them to do so.  They’ve already made their money, so there’s no need for anyone to go out and sell your books.  (I’ve always thought that attitude was a little short sighted.    They could make twice as much money by taking your dollars for marketing your book, and they could make more money by selling your book for their overinflated commissions.)

Second, I have focused on selling The Author’s Club, which has benefits for all members.  I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage “The tide raises all ships”.  I believe if we all work together, we can all benefit.  To that end, I have attempted to increase the number of members in the club and the numbers of followers of the club on Twitter.  At the moment, the four accounts I have on twitter have 2699 followers.  That number is growing daily.  There is also a Facebook page with 70 likes, and a LinkedIn account with 425 contacts.  All of those accounts are tied to this blog.  Each time something is posted here, it has the potential to be seen by 3194 potential buyers.  Yes, I used potential twice in the same sentence.

I once read a explanation of the difference between a brick and mortar store and the Internet.  In a brink and mortar store, you sit back and wait for someone to walk in.  You can advertise in your local newspaper, and hope that someone interested in your product will see the advertisement, drive over to the store, walk in, and purchase something.  Using the Internet, you are already talking to someone who is interested in your product — they have followed your Twitter account, have liked your Facebook account, or are a contact on LinkedIn.

The key to the process is consistency in tweeting, blogging, or writing about your product.  You have a friendly audience (followers, likes, etc.).  You only have to ask.  And that’s what I do on Twitter.  I tweet.

Here’s an example of something I tweet:   Are you an author?  Do you want more exposure?  Check out the Author’s Club (http://theauthorsclub.weebly.com).  If I tweet that 5-6 times a day, two things happen:  1)  the followers of the author’s club increase; 2)  Someone new joins the club (there are more than 125 in the club).

The purpose of the Author’s Club is to provide a catalog of authors  —  a place to shop for a book.  I am sure many of you have walked into your local super market looking for a gallon of milk, strategically placed in the back of the store, and walked out with a dozen items.   It can also work with authors.  Someone might come looking for one of my books, but see your book, or another author’s book.  The tide raises all boats.

And now, back to the question:  How much do you estimate it has increased your sales by spending so much time on Twitter?

I really don’t know, but continuing to tweet has increased the number of followers of The Authors Club on the Internet.  If the numbers go up in one area, I logically expect they will go up in others.

I will continue to promote The Author’s Club, and try to provide good information on this blog for the club members.  Do I expect something will happen tomorrow?  No.  The day after?  Maybe.

#RClintPeters #TheAuthorsClub