When I first started self-publishing and trying to market my book, one question that gnawed away at me was…
What am I actually selling?
Yes, it was a book—A hard-boiled detective sci-fi thriller to be precise…
But what is it that makes it different from any other book?
When you’re selling non-fiction, that answer is clearer. You’re selling a transformation, a solution to fix a problem, or you’re selling on our natural curiosity about other people’s lives.
Often you hear folks saying that fiction authors are selling EnTeRtAiNmEnT.
Which I don’t disagree with…
But, in my humbugged opinion, that’s a surface level response.
Because actually what you’re selling is something deeper…
It’s the same principle that Disney sells on.
I read this scientific study recently:
(Yes, this
is how I roll. Once a nurse, always a nurse.)
The study, published in 2014, aimed to investigate the feeling of ‘getting lost in a book’.
While in an MRI scanner, they
showed people passages that had either emotional narratives or neutral passages of text from Harry Potter.
What’s interesting is when reading vivid descriptions of the protagonists' pain or personal distress, they saw an increase in activity in the areas of the brain related to pain and empathy.
This increase also appeared to correlate with increased reports of immersion into the story—the getting lost in a story effect.
So, what are you really selling?
You’re selling an experience.
Just like Disney sells the thrill of the rides — not the 90 minute queues. They sell the excitement of your kid meeting their favourite characters — not the extortionate food prices.
You’re not just selling entertainment, infotainment, you’re selling an experience.
Top marketers know this.
And now you do too.
So go give someone an experience, whether it’s a book or an email to your list or a letter to a friend.
See you next week.
Angie
P.S. I’ve written a new lead magnet. It's called “Enjoyable emails that sell.” It’s a dead simple formula for writing story-driven emails that sell without being all ‘Hey wanna buy my stuff?’
Click here if you want a copy.
If you spot any typos or run on sentences or dangling thingamies, please be kind and let it slide. Save your energy for something better.
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