How to get readers for your book especially if you’re an unknown author – Part 1
2011
First off, I’m not the author of a bestselling novel (yet) and I haven’t got the gyan of Stephen King to dispense at my will. I don’t even have that many readers at this blog (Judy, are you listening?) But I have written four books, one which has already been published and one which is on its way to hit the bookstores. So I feel that I can speak a little on this topic although you can feel free to stop me if I get overbearing and/or nauseating.
So getting back to the topic, I’ve come to a conclusion that there are around three things that attract a potential reader to your book. This is while the book and the reader are in the bookstore and they haven’t really heard of you before. In today’s day and age with social networking at your fingertips, if you’re getting a book published, you have to do the virtual equivalent of shouting out from the rooftops. Even then, there are probably hundreds of people who have never heard of you. And if they have heard of you, why would they want to buy your book? Especially since every other person these days has penned a book, so what is it that sets your book apart from all those others?
Three things.
The first thing that catches the attention is the name. Are you the kind of person who has a name in mind before writing a book? Well, good for you then. Usually for me, I finish writing the book, let it ferment in my head a little bit before thinking of a suitable name. At the end of it, I’m still no closer to finding the perfect name and I usually start harassing my friends who have read my book to help me choose a name. And even then I’m usually not satisfied with the options they come up with. If you haven’t named your book yet, then here are a few pointers that you could use. They’ve come in handy for me too.
- Choose a name that is not very long. Long names are hard to remember and given the short attention span of someone browsing in a bookstore, they’re most likely to skip your title if they don’t get it in less than ten seconds. Of course, this is not always true. Case in point – The curious incident of the dog in the night time and many other bestselling titles. (Uh, I also realised that the title of this post is absurdly long. He he!)
- Go for catchy names, not tacky. You know what I mean. You’ve seen those already in the bookstores and you know how much you want to run away in the opposite direction, right?
- Drive home a connection. If you’re naming the book after writing the novel, then chances are that you’ll be able to do this better. Otherwise, when you’re writing a book with a name in mind, you’re going to have to turn the book around to suit the name. Not a problem, but I feel it’s better to name a book after it’s written. Especially if you want to drive that connection.
Choose the title of your book with care and be prepared to explain the connection to the book if you’re asked. This really is the tricky part and I suck at it. So once you’ve got the name ready, keep a one line synopsis also in mind, so that you can reel it out at the appropriate moment. Instead of doing what I usually did whenever someone asked me about Kite Strings. I usually said that it was the story of a girl. 
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Very informative.
Waiting for the next part.
Thank you Vikram. Will post it soon, although with summer vacation on and two bratty boys at home, it’s getting a little hectic.
Oh I’m the opposite. Strangely, I always get the title first. Look at me saying ‘always’ like I’m Jodi Picoult or something. But yes, this is nice, concise and informative. Would help a lot of people madly googling for tips. See? I told you writing about writing is so your thing! And you’re so prolific too.
Hey there Andy, totally agree, even though a book (or for sure a movie) called “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” was successful…we’ve entered the ADD age and shorter is better….and you’re right, EVERYBODY is a writer and has written a book these days…which I also blame the ADD factor…oy, word of mouth and a viral You Tube video will do the trick…here’s to you and me and Judy being wildly successful and form an Ernest Hemignway writers group like Paris in the ’30s…(was this comment long enough?)
Mark, you lost me there…what is this ADD factor?
Attention Deficit Disorder
I thought it was ADHD or something. Are they the one and the same?
That’s Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The naughtier, more evil step-brother of ADD!
Maybe a point here. But then, finding initial readers is much more complex than that. I have also written for Cedar and the publisher speaks very highly of the quality of your writing, specifically Kite Strings. So I guess at the end of the day quality books will find audience. Yeah, some crappy books may find initial readers through hype but long term success depends only on the readability of the book.
Yes Vivek. There is much more to this than getting readers for your book. This is just part 1, you see.
Oh, and I did write this article presuming that the book in question is of good quality writing.