From our childhood we have been hooked on stories. No bedtime would be complete without one! The iconic radio broadcaster Daphne Oxenford would start reading a story on the BBC Home Service “Children’s Hour”  with the phrase “Are you sitting comfortably? Then we will begin!”  This was followed with those magic words, “Once upon a time”.  We were all ears!

The short story is a powerful genre which seems to have dipped a little in popularity. Or has it?  I think it is back and has reinvented itself for today’s audience.

Take Dee Blick’s latest book, “The Boutique”. It is a collection of nine gripping and poignant short stories all set in the same location, an independent fashion retailer. There are common characters and situations and a ‘repertory company’ of new characters in each chapter. A great formula! And there is a lesson to be learned!

We are all authors. Our stock in trade is our ability to tell stories. It is what we do. I believe that there is an opportunity to harness this talent to sell our books.

For example, Tic Tok is an app that is used by thousands around the world. It particularly appeals to post-Millennials and the GenZ generation.  It is very visual andit shows a series of short video clips in quick succession. It also has a section called “Book Tok” which you can see clips of authors excitedly talking about their books. Apart from the many clips which are all basically saying “please buy my book!”, the savvy authors are using their slot to tell a short story and to hook the viewer into wanting to find out more.  This technique is also a growing trend on other parts of the platform. With any story, no matter how short, we can’t wait to here the conclusion. What happened next?  Curiosity is a great way to sell books.

Add to this reviews and testimonials. What other people are saying about your book.   You may show them inside the book, use them also to tell your story on video.  You Tube is another powerful platform to do this.

There is nothing unique or clever about selling books. The same principles apply to selling any other product.  In fact, there is a lot that can be learned by simply looking at how other products are sold.

Today people are buying more books than ever before, but in different formats and in different places. Be found in different places!

There is no reason why you can’t sell your book on EBay. If you are using the right keywords, it will be found. It is the same principle that supermarkets use on their End-Asile displays.  They display products out of context in order to attract our attention. We love the unexpected. How can you use the element of surprise to make your book standout?

Learn from the experts!  Dee is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. It is no surprise, therefore, that she has achieved extensive exposure on all of the social media platforms for her book. The book cover image is everywhere, along with many positive comments. Dee is relentless, and she is posting somewhere every day.   Success on social media is not achieved by making one post and then sitting back to see what happened. It is about creating momentum and keeping it going.

So many authors worry about what to write about in their blogs. Dee created a series of short posts based on the stories and characters in her book. She had no problem in finding things to write and post about. She simply drew from the content of her book and created mini-stories to whet people’s appetite.

When somebody asks you about your book, answer them with “Let me tell you a story…”  You will have their complete attention!