How to sell books

My publisher said they don't advertise my books because word of mouth sells books. But, unfortunately, my readers were intellectual recluses without friends and ... they had nobody to tell, hence no word of mouth.

Ross Thomas, quoted in The Armchair Detective, No. 2, 1986

Ross Thomas

Ross Thomas, the late author of suspense novels, was hardly the only writer to complain about publishers failing to advertise their books. In fact, book advertising seems to have declined significantly over the years, while publishers pressure authors to sell their own books with signings at bookstores and appearances at book fairs. Advertising dollars are spent mostly on books that don't need them, novels by top authors whose books become bestsellers on the day they are published.

Publishers may be right, however, that advertising may not be the best way to sell books. I frankly cannot think of any instance when I purchased a book because of an advertisement. There must surely have been at least one, but I can't remember it.  So what does sell books? Let us consider some possibilities.

Word of mouth: Thomas was probably correct that many readers are introverts with few friends, yet when these introverts do engage in conversation with those few friends, books are more likely to be a topic that comes up. My own reading has been influenced by friends, and in some cases virtual strangers, over the years. This was especially true in college, where I discovered C.S. Lewis, A.A. Milne and Paul Tourier thanks to friends. I just finished a book recommended by a neighbor. I'm sure I must have led others to some of my own favorite books and authors.

Book events: Book fairs, book signings, public readings, etc., do seem to have become more common than they once were, and that's because they sell books. Hearing an author speak or simply talking with an author across a book table can sometimes make us want to buy his or her book. This has happened to me many times with such writers as Jess Walter, Gary Shteyngart, Dani Shapiro, Russell Banks, Laura Lippman, Amor Towles and Peter Roy Clark. Writers may resent it, but many of them are the best salesmen for their books. But they can be only in one place at one time, and the more time they devote to selling their last book, the less time they have to devote to writing their next one.

Covers: Maybe we are not supposed to judge books by their covers, but we all do. Many of the books in my own library were purchased mainly because of alluring titles and cover illustrations. An ugly cover, rightly or wrongly, gives a negative impression about the book behind the cover. Attractive covers do the opposite. Those people who design book covers are the unsung heroes in the publishing industry.

Blurbs: If there's one thing most authors hate more than having to sell their own book it's having to sell other writers' books. After they achieve a certain level of success, writers are often sent advanced copies of upcoming books and asked to write a line or two of praise to place on the cover. Sometime just a choice adjective will do. Novels I purchased most recently include praise from Neil Gaiman, Diane Setterfield and Craig Johnson. None of these persuaded me to buy the books, and in fact I didn't read them until after I made the purchases. But sometimes a kind word from an admired writer can influence a purchase.

Reviews: The decline of newspapers has led to a corresponding decline in the influence of book reviews, simply because there aren't as many of them anymore. When I wrote newspaper reviews on a weekly basis, I know they helped sell a few copies of certain books (and they probably discouraged a few sales, too), but on the whole I doubt book reviews have ever been a major factor in book sales. They sometimes influence me, however. When I read a review of a book that sounds appealing, I write down the title and author. Sometimes I will actually buy the book.

Best seller lists: I rarely concern myself with what other people are reading, but some people do. So popular books tend to become more popular once they make the list.

Books in stores: The best way to sell books, I'm convinced, is simply to get them out there where people can see them. Either they sell themselves or they don't. The bookstore is where all the other influences listed above come together and shoppers decide whether to pull out their wallets. Many people walk into bookstores just looking for something to read. Maybe they have a certain kind of book in mind, a certain topic, a certain genre, a certain author. Once at the store, however, they see an array of books. They pick them up, see how they feel in their hands, open them and look inside, read the cover flaps or back covers to see what the book is about, read the opening lines perhaps, then make their decisions. Books on tables sell better than books on shelves, simply because front covers work better than spines to draw someone's attention.