You Need a Hook, to Sell Your Book

Selling Your Book, Starts With A Hook

All marketing starts with a "hook"; especially if you're trying to sell something as intangible as a book.

Hooks Sell Books.

"Hook" is a slang term used in marketing and sales which literally means "to reduce to a complete loss of self-control" (Webster's Third New International Dictionary).

If you've "hooked" your prospective reader or audience they will have lost all "self-control" and feel compelled to buy what you're selling just to get off the hook. (pun intended)

While there are a good number of other useful definitions listed for "hook" this is probably one of the most applicable ones for our purposes.

As for examples...

Just start paying attention to all the advertising around you. And even the communications that you might not necessary consider "advertising".

A hook is contained in any and every short, pointed communication that demands your immediate attention and action.

It gets you to look, listen, pay attention, and take some action. There is always a call to action. It might be implied but the call to action is always there. It is often no more complicated than "buy this", or "read this" to get more.

Don't get the idea that a "hook" needs to be long or complex.

They are short, simple and hit you at a visceral level.

Think book titles.

Wander around or browse a book store, or a Wall-mart.

Go look at a news stand. Every effective headline contains a "hook".

A magazine cover contains a bunch of them.

The tabloids are a great study of effective titles that "hook" the reader's attention.

Crafting an effective hook for your book is an integral part of marketing, and EVERY fiction writer must understand marketing if he expects to make any money as a writer. This applies to self-publishing writers as well as conventionally published ones.

Remember publishers don't sell books. Publishers only print and distribute books. It's up to the author to sell his book. And all marketing starts with having an effective "hook".

"Hook" literally means "to reduce to a complete loss of self-control". And we're not talking figurative here but literally. Your "hook" must reduce your audience to a complete loss of self-control. Because it's self-control that keeps them from opening their wallet and buying your book.

Tip: The words "hook" and "premise" are related - like different sides of the same coin. And just like you must understand "premise" to write your book you must understand "hook" to sell it.

Write on...
And SELF-Publish!
Richard
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