When it comes to English books, there is a distinct advantage- they can sell on most of the platforms out there. English is the first spoken language among 370 million people and the second language among 978 million. With such a big audience, it is no surprise that there is a boom in platforms that sell English books in different countries.
Keeping this in mind, selling your next book online should not be difficult. Whether you decide to write a print version or an e-book, you can market your book, target new regions, distribute and work with wholesalers who will be happy to list your book.
However, this exercise will require modification to your book to be acceptable in newer regions. What may be acceptable in one part may not work in another.
This article will help you change a few aspects of your book and also help you plan its promotion better, so you can sell it worldwide. So let’s dive right in.
Change the Book Cover
Book covers lend your book its core identity and therefore are the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions a title. Book covers differ from genre to genre. Ask a designer, and they will tell you why using dark colors will work wonders for a psychological thriller. The principle is the same as with movies- darkness creates mystery. However, not every region of the world will agree on the same shades of dark.
You may have an audience in some areas who like dark blue better than black and others who want a pop of pink. The best way to figure this out is by floating a set of designs to a sub-group within your target audiences and taking a poll. This sub-group could be authors or readers, or a survey audience. The design that receives the most favorable response can then be used to release the book in that specific region.
Many books have different covers for different regions and timelines.
Change Book Formats
If you have launched a print book, but your new market is more e-book savvy, you may want to launch only an e-book in that market. Launching a print-only or a print and e-book in the new market will add to your costs without giving you decent returns. Although launching an e-book exclusively will cut down on your revenues, it will add to your overall royalties without affecting costs substantially.
An easy way is to create both e-book and print versions of your book and keep them ready. Use the myriads of online publishing tools to create your book and change your format as you approach a new market.
Similarly, you could launch an audiobook version of your book when your sales hit a low. Audiobooks are preferred by busy people who don’t have time to pick up books and read. They are multitaskers and are from a younger age group. These people also generally engage more online with books, pay for the books, and 49.6% of these listeners buy books in multiple formats. This opens a bigger opportunity for you as an author if you plan to change formats from one book to another.
Reach Out To Regional Influencers
Book influencers have a lot of followers. If you reach out to influencers who exist on multiple platforms, like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and others, you have the chance of getting your book in front of many eyes. One of the many reasons you would want to hire or collaborate with book influencers is their ability to change opinion- even if an audience is not ready to read or accept your story, an influencer can change that perception.
The easiest way to reach out to influencers is through media agencies or book media companies. Many book influencers work with such companies talking about books on their platforms and earning a commission on their referrals.
Another way is to approach these influencers on your own. This is the most time-consuming way, given you have a book to write (possibly more), publishers to deal with, worldwide distribution to look after, and personal brand-building activities. This option is also rather costly because you will pay all the influencers individually from your pocket versus a lump sum fee to an agency that will probably have a standing arrangement with the same influencer.
Target Ads Based On Regions
Given you have decided which book format to launch and promote in a region running online ads through social media or Google will land your book in front of an interested audience through algorithms. One of the most universally used tools is Facebook. The platform offers several variables you can manipulate, like age, gender, language, location, the kind of objective (brand awareness or reach) you want to achieve, and the kind of physical results (conversions, sales, traffic) you wish to see. You can also optimize your budgets across different ad sets and set daily ad spend amounts.
You can use Google to market your book to multiple regions also. However, keep in mind that once you upload your text into the Google Books Partner program, your book will come into the public domain.
Platforms You Can Use To Sell Worldwide
Choose publishers who can give your book extensive exposure. Platforms that can help you target multiple regions are:
Amazon
Amazon operates in 13 countries, including Japan, Italy, Ireland, Spain, and China. It ships to over 100 countries. If you wish to sell books, you can open a KDP account from any corner of the world and publish your book. Here is a guide on how to self-publish your book on Amazon.
PublishDrive
With PublishDrive, you can publish and promote your book to multiple platforms, including Ingram, Audible, OverDrive, Amazon, libraries, and stores. The platform claims to reach over 400 stores for printed books and more than 240k digital libraries. In addition, the platform offers distribution plans per book with a special option for traditional publishers to scale their operations.
Barnes & Noble
Another platform that you can use if you want to scale in the US is Barnes & Noble. The chain bookstore has over 600 stores in 50 states. The website hosts books from all genres and is one of the most frequented bookstores. If you plan to launch a printed book, checking out the Barnes & Noble Press would help get your book to get a leg in the bookstore.
OverDrive
OverDrive is a collection of books that cater to libraries and educational institutions. If your book targets this audience, then OverDrive can take it to more than 81,000 libraries in 106 countries. The platform distributes content free of charge to the readers through the libraries. However, they charge each library a fee which is paid out as a royalty to the book owner.
Google is free of charge distribution platform that reaches 3 billion people in 75+ countries. With an extensive network of people looking at and reading books through Google daily, you can use this platform not just to host your book but also to market it at a cheaper rate.
Reaching a worldwide audience is not a problem with today’s technology. All you need is a plan that helps you reach your target audience in the minimum amount of time with the maximum return.