Test-Drives for Your Next Book

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Google-Car.

Google’s driver-less cars are cruising through the Silicon Valley for a while now (like the one above that I photographed last March in Cupertino, California).  Automakers, computer manufacturers, and almost every other industry solicits not only engineers’ but also consumer feedback before launching new products.  It’s just smart business and common sense.
So, why not test your books – before finishing the manuscript and send it off to the editor?
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Sure, authors and publishers often give away dozens or even hundreds of finished galleys and pre-release copies (ACR’s – Advanced Reviewer Copies) to gather reviewers for marketing purposes and to receive as many editorial reviews as possible.  It is a smart promotional strategy – but an even smarter one would be to apply the same idea earlier in the writing process.  Invite a group of test readers who represent your book’s target audience and give them access to critique your unfinished manuscripts.
The goal is to learn what resonates with readers and use their feedback to improve your marketing messages.

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James Scott Bell  suggests to question yourself, before offering your “big idea” to test readers:

  • Is your Protagonist someone you can see and hear?
  • Does your Lead character have heroic qualities, either evident or potential?
  • Who is the Opposition, and how is this character stronger than the Lead?
  • Can you envision a possible inner journey?
  • Begin at the end. Because of the climactic action, how will the Protagonist grow?
  • What will she / he have learned that is essential to their humanity?
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Writer Groups / Literary Communities.
In many blog posts and in my books I advised authors to join writer and reader groups and to become a member in several literary communities – off-line and online. One of the reasons is to get enough feedback and critique for your upcoming books – among other benefits that readers or readers groups provide an author with.
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Blog Subscribers / Email Lists.
Invite readers of your blog subscriber list or an email list to get an outline and a chapter or several of your (unfinished) manuscript, as these people from your lists equate to your target reader audience.  If test reading shows your original angle or subject needs tweaking, you’ll want to do that before you get too far into the writing process.
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Test-Drive Your Manuscript
Don’t try to guess what readers like.  Instead, test your manuscript – or chapters / snippets of it – on them, and let them convey what works and what areas need improvement.  Gathering this specific information will help you later to improve sales, extend readership and word of mouth.  A book’s success will be much higher if an author seeks reader feedback before completing their manuscript.
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Reader Communities.
The digital age of reading now enables authors and publishers to take advantage of the same approach. If you are a novelist / fiction writer, think Wattpad, LibraryThing, Shelfari, Booktalk…  Joining these reader communities has a lot of benefits, best of all: you can upload chapters of your manuscript or even the whole unfinished book.

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Write a Prequel.
Consider producing a short version of the book.  For example, take one or several chapters and release it as a short story or Kindle Single. Watch sales; if they are good, move forward with the full edition. Expand the content and produce a full edition.  You can also offer it as an article – on the same subject as your book published – in a major magazine or newspaper, which can be a good indication that your book is viable.
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Non-Fiction Books.
For non-fiction writers it is easier: Many blog articles will show you the reader’s interest in certain subjects.  Dr. Joe Vitale listed the most interesting and timeless desires (which are certainly valid for fiction too – as they belong to the basic human desires) in an article for Mrfire.com:
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  • Keeping possessions and avoiding tax
  • Having more fun and / or attracting sex
  • Satisfying curiosity
  • Protecting the family
  • Being in style / have beautiful things
  • Avoiding trouble and criticism
  • Being an individual and protecting their reputation
  • Grabbing opportunities
  • Enjoying food and drinks
  • Being safe in every aspect
  • Making work easier
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Editors and literary agents are all looking for the “same thing,” only “different.”  Make your non-fiction book idea fit one of the key categories people are proven to want more information on.  Title it to reflect benefits people want.

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Market Analysis of Your Idea.
WritersDigest suggests these questions to ask yourself:

  • Who will want to read this story, and why?
  • Will the answer to the first question be enough for a publisher to publish your book? (Be honest.)
  • Can you truly see browsers in a store picking up your book and wanting to buy it?
  • Write a one-paragraph description of your idea. Read this to several trusted friends and ask for their reactions.  If they love it – great.  If they shake their heads, find out why.  Make any changes you deem necessary.

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So, test your books on a variety of readers just like great chefs taste-test their new menus.  Your audience is a critical asset, and social media as well as “real-life” readers, can help you build an invested proprietary audience—people who give you permission to market your books to them.  Approach your book in the same way as any entrepreneur would approach a new product, and in the future you should not ponder about questions like this anymore: “How do I find out if my e-book will sell – even before I write it?”

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If you would like to get a mentor and our support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer for three months all this and more for only $179 – or less than $2 per day!  Learn more about this customized Online Seminar / Consulting / Book Marketing for your success: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars

To learn more about professional book marketing and publishing, please read also “Book Marketing on a Shoestring”
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UAVL3LE

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