Do you love fast food? I mean seriously. Do you love a burger from a fast-food joint more than from a great local burger joint in your hometown? Is it juicier or fresher?
I always say I love a plain old cheeseburger from any fast-food joint, but really I love the big, fat burger I can get from a local bar, Bat 17 so much more. I suspect if you tasted a hickory burger from there you would agree with me.
So I found it interesting on my recent vacation that when there are hundreds of restaurants to choose from, so many people stop at the rest stop where everything is overpriced and all they are offered is fast food? Or drive by any McDonalds at mealtimes, and the drive thru lanes are causing a traffic jam. I think we can all agree that McDonalds is not gourmet fare. It can’t compete with Bat 17.
So why do people overspend at the turnpike rest area? Predictability, confidence and trust that they will get what they expect, be it value for their money, a product that the turnpike officials will endorse, or a clean bath room.
People buy for different reasons, but trust is a huge factor. We all want to know that spending our hard-earned dollars will be rewarded with a product worth the money. And predictability is one factor in trust.
If you pick up a Sherlock Holmes story, you will get a good whodunit.
If you pick up a Max Monroe romance, you will reliably get a side of humor.
If you pick up a Madison Michael romance, you will get rich, powerful heroes, sassy heroines, sizzling hot chemistry and a feel-good happy ending.
What Builds Reader Trust
Why do you buy what you buy?
Have you noticed that you gravitate to certain authors because you’re confident you’ll enjoy their books? They’ll be worth your time, worth your money. With so many books to choose from how do you pick?
Especially if you’re a romance and mystery fan. Readers of these genres are likely to read more books than consumers of other genres. How do you stretch your reading dollars as far as they can go? How do you decide when to buy and when to read for free? When is a book worth 99¢ to you versus $4.99?
The reverse of this question of course is for me. How do I, as an author, help you, my intended audience, trust that you not only want to not read my novels, but that you want to invest in them?
Eliminating Initial Resistance, Building Trust
If I return to my original fast-food premise, and apply it to selling books instead of burgers, then predictably enjoyable reads that you trust will be everything I promise, is critical. My blurb and cover art cannot be misleading. I should share a snippet from my books several times to help you feel comfortable that this is your kind of book. If you want clean and wholesome romance, I need to steer you clear of my sexy romps. If you want a small-town cowboy story, I need to make it clear my men are city-based moguls.
In other words, I have to earn your trust that my novel is a novel you want to read, perhaps even buy.
Here’s how I do it, in six easy steps.
The Blurb
I make sure my blurb is not misleading and that my cover art is consistent with sexy, billionaire romances. No surprises here. This helps a reader who wants to reliably find contemporary billionaire romances feel confident when they choose Bedazzled, that a contemporary billionaire romance is exactly what they will get.
If you know you are getting what you are looking for, you’ll be more confident in your purchase.
The Budget
I respect my readers budget. I start eliminating the cost factor by offering my books in Kindle Unlimited. A voracious reader of say two-four books/week can certainly be happy with Kindle Unlimited. Even with their recent price hike, you are ’purchasing’ books in any price range for $1 to $3/each, less for the even-more-dedicated readers.
Promotions
Continuing on the budget-friendly theme, I regularly offer free and 99¢ promotions. By rotating my books through these promotions, I assure at some point every book I offer is free or on sale. Everyone, and I mean everyone, can afford a dollar for a great read.
And this is where the rubber hits the road.
The question authors really have to answer is “will this book be a great read? More importantly, will it be a great read for me?” While there are no guarantees, there are things I do to help answer the $64-million question.
Actually, I have been thinking about this a lot lately, especially with the pre-order opportunity for Tall Dark and Rich. The thousands of readers who subscribe to my newsletter know that I write steamy contemporary stories with billionaire heroes. Yet, when I recently offered them a chance to read thirty books with a similar theme for less than one dollar, it barely moved the needle with them. They were actually reluctant to order.
Where is the Trust Factor?
So I asked myself, what are they afraid of? What was missing? Where was the trust?
In truth, I am far from a bestseller, so this is a pattern with my newsletter readers. Most are reluctant to spend money for any of my books. But they grab the free ones fast. Still, Tall Dark and Rich has several USA Today Bestselling authors contributing to the anthology. So that wasn’t it.
Certainly, money is a factor, which I addressed with steps two and three. But there are other steps to indicate to a reader that my book, any book, is a good value for your money? The anthology got me thinking because it really eliminates the issue of price.
My List of Reader Objections
In my efforts to understand reader reluctance, I made a list of possible objection potential readers might have to buying not only my books, but the anthology as well.
I came up with three, besides price, and there are steps I am taking for each, all having to do with buyer confidence, not with price.
The Non-Romance Reader
Objection – I don’t read romance novels, period.
My first step, above, the blurb and cover and snippet step, is designed to connect my readers with my novels. It is likewise important at helping people who wouldn’t read my novels step away, move on, and. find their ideal book.
We all have ideal readers, mine enjoy steamy billionaire contemporary romances. But for the record, I believe there is a romance read for everyone. Very few books, in any genre, eliminate all aspects of romance from the story. So, the step here is to match a reader with his or her ideal romance read. It might be someone who loves short stories, or westerns, or paranormal stories of vampires, and shape shifters, or the lover of a mystery with things that go bump in the night.
There are paranormal, fantasy, urban, small town, western, historic, time-travel, royal, gay, suspense and billionaire romances. And many many others. I am reading a modern retelling of Greek mythology at the moment – a romance!
So my mission, connect readers with their ideal read.
I Don’t Have Time
Objection – I don’t have time to read
I hear this all the time from people who secretly find time to read what matters to them. I have friends who devour self-help books while insisting they don’t have a second to spare. Busy moms read driving carpools, or listen to books on audio while they do cardio. Time can be found if the interest is there. It’s not my mission to find readers the time, only to create in them a desire to read. If I do that well, they’ll make time.
The Truth – You Must Build Reader Trust
Objection – How do I know I will like this book? I know I like Colleen Hoover, so I read her books instead.
This is the elusive know and trust factor that authors chase incessantly. People prefer to purchase from people they know and trust. But building that trust includes sharing myself with my readers, being open, honest and sometimes vulnerable. This is not an easy thing, but it is rewarding. I love when readers connect with me about their lives, the books and films they love, and hopefully how my stories touched their lives.
If you know and like me, and I share enough about my writing with you, by extension, you will know and trust my novels. And that is the first step I need you to take before you pick up my book for free, on sale, or even at full price. That is my holy grail!
What kind of buyer are you?
If you are not a buyer, or you hesitate a long time making a buying decision, even when price is not an issue, ask yourself why? What is missing between you and an author that prevents you from trusting them to deliver a great read to you?
Which objection is your objection? Won’t you share with me, and tell me how I can get you one step closer to trying a Madison Michael novel?