It may seem like the only way to sell a lot of books is to use social media. There is texting, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and a thousand other social programs with a new one launching every week. Should you use each one or select just one? Or, is it possible to sell books the old-fashioned way with simple word of mouth?
Granted social media is an integral part of communication today, I am here to say there is still a place for word-of-mouth communication. Calling someone on the phone and sharing about your book may seem like an ancient process used by authors who lived in the pre-digital era, but a one-on-one conversation can still have some amazing results.
There is something to be said for a conversation between two people that is not immediately broadcast around the globe.There is something valuable in a conversation that goes no further than the moment and ends with a smile and a hug and no “Download Now” button.
Sometimes we get so hung up on impressing the multitude that we forget the priceless gift of just being a warm and responsive “live” person to someone next to us. A friend shared a poem that she had memorized when a child and it has stayed with her for decades.
Husbands and wives
with children between them
sit in the subway
or so I have seen them,
one word only – from station to station
so much talk
for so close a relation.
– Author Unkown
Today our conversations can be enabled with texting, cell phones and instant messaging. The ways to communicate get easier ever second, but it still takes personal time and energy to keep the conversation going in meaningful ways.
If you are not comfortable with social media, hardly know how to turn on a computer, laptop or cell phone, don’t throw in the towel. There are as many ways to sell books as there are authors who write them. Do what you can and perhaps a simple conversation in the checkout line might result in something that will sell books in a bigger way than you can imagine. It has happened!
