Don't write meh books
Written by Gary Smailes
Take a look at this post on Reddit:
This is a post on a subreddit for fans of snooker. It is basically an advertisement for a book that tells the story of every official 147 break in snooker. In other words, it covers every time the table has been cleared in one visit.
It is a feat most amateur players will never achieve. It is a bit like a hole-in-one in golf, but harder.
There is a certain cachet and interest around a 147 break. It is a whole thing.
Despite the post being a blatant advert for a book, here is what I want you to clock.
In a subreddit with about 30,000 subscribers, it has just over 450 likes and 76 comments.
That is a shit tonne of engagement, plus some confirmed sales.
Remarkable
I would argue that this is pretty much a blueprint for how to create a book that sells.
It is a book about a niche part of snooker, sold to people who are so committed to the game that they have joined a subreddit.
In fact, the book is unapologetically niche. It really hits the sweet spot. The writer is not trying to appeal to everyone. They are not trying to go viral. They are not trying to write a bestseller.
They are, however, writing a book they know their readers will love.
The key is that this book is remarkable. If you love snooker, you will have a view on it. You might even tell your mates about it.
It is what master marketer Seth Godin would call a purple cow. I have mentioned him before. If you are interested in marketing, I suggest you look him up.
So, here is the question: is your book remarkable?
Will readers be suggesting that people buy it?
If you leave a post on a subreddit for your genre, are you getting this kind of engagement?
If not, you may have a problem.
Think about it like this. When was the last time you suggested to a friend that they eat at that restaurant that was just OK? Or read that book that was fine? Or go and see that movie that was alright?
I am guessing never.
Competition
Here is why this really matters.
In this world of saturated book marketplaces, where people have access to an unlimited number of books, can pick up a phone and watch a film, or while away hours playing a computer game, you are fighting for attention.
And I really do mean fighting.
If your book is meh, you have lost.
Imagine going to the effort of building a marketing channel that works and gets readers to engage with your book, only for them to be disappointed by an unremarkable read.
What a waste.
You might make a sale, but it dies there.
Approach
So what makes a remarkable book?
Well, I am afraid I do not know the answer to this.
It all depends on your readers and what they want.
It might be that the book is just a damn good read, nailing the tropes and doing it in style. Sometimes, just being great is remarkable.
Here is another example. Go look at this book and see just how many reviews it has. Before you leave, let me warn you: it is spicy.
Back?
That is right, minotaur smut.
Tell me that is not remarkable.
This book is giving its readers what they want in spades. There is also dinosaur smut, but we need not go there. Still remarkable, though.
So, yes, knowing what is remarkable is not easy. However, the more you understand your readers, the books on the market, and people’s expectations, the more chance you have of hitting gold.
Want another example?
OK, how about this. Not a book this time, but the same idea.
Critical Role: The Draw of Destiny
If you have not come across it before, Critical Role is a weekly YouTube stream of a group of people playing Dungeons & Dragons for hours. It gets millions of views. It is a whole thing.
It is remarkable.
So, where to start?
One good place to begin is to write the book you would love to read. Not like to read. Love to read.
As we have seen before, you only need 1,000 true fans.
Back to the post
OK.
I want you to look back at that post on Reddit and notice a few things you might have missed the first time around.
The first is how many people commented on the cover. That is remarkable.
The second is that the author has gone to the trouble of creating QR codes linking to videos of all the 147 breaks. Again, remarkable.
The third is the price: 14.7 euros.
Clever.
In fact, remarkable, with someone actually leaving a comment about it.
These are all remarkable things.
I will leave you with this question:
What makes your book worthy of comment?