[TfTi] Falling in Love with (and through) Books

[TfTi] Falling in Love with (and through) Books

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Oh, and if you’re putting our Bookish Holiday Calendar to good use, you’ll be wishing everyone a Happy International Book Giving Day and/or a Joyous Library Lovers’ Day, too!

Yvonne and I have a day (and a half) planned that will celebrate all three flavors of love. Some of you may know how our relationship blossomed as she was writing her first book. How I was able to help her get the formatting right after her publisher (what’s now called a hybrid) seemed unable to handle the layout of images and text. And how that experience became the impetus for our entry — twenty-plus years ago — into the publishing world to help other authors avoid those trials.

One example of falling in love through a book.

We’re both book lovers since childhood. I was reading Donald Duck comic books more or less independently at the age of three and Yvonne was already writing stories with a goal of becoming an author by the second grade. We talk now about someday writing novels together (though I may well be as much research assistant as co-author).

More Ways of Loving Through Books

I wrote in Read ‘Em & Reap about my notion of books as “social synapses” connecting ideas in the minds of authors and readers. But here I’m talking about heart-to-heart connections.

Today’s tip comes from the email I received yesterday from best-selling nonfiction author Gretchen Rubin with “Fall in Love (with a book)” in the subject line. How could I not open that one?

Inside, she offered her usual 5 things to make you happier list (if you’re not familiar, she writes about happiness, habits, and similar human nature topics). This list began with an invitation to take a quiz that would help you find your next novel to fall in love with.

Of course, I clicked the link and took the quiz.

The series of questions in the quiz led me down a path that ended with the quiz tool generating the image of an old-fashioned newspaper “personals” ad you saw at the top of this post. It humorously describes the kind of book I was looking for in the style of someone looking for love.

Below the image, the tool displayed a list of three books that Rubin suggested to fit my desires. She’s also arranged for a 15% discount code at Bookshop.org on those specific books.

Lessons in Building a Relationship with Readers

That, my friends, is an example of an author using our Taylor Swift Model of Book Marketing (described in more detail in What REALLY Happens When You’re Finished Writing Your Book and The Indie Advantage).

Notice some of the elements of what Rubin has done with this quiz. She created curiosity and an air of mystery about what would be found at the end of the quiz. She used the quiz tool to create customized journeys where each answer could lead down 2 or 3 different paths to a different set of book recommendations. And she arranged for that discount code to reward her audience.

Does that not sound like Taylor’s “Easter Eggs” and scavenger hunts and surprise ticket upgrades, to mention just a few of her ways to surprise, delight, and connect with her fans?

And take special notice that the book suggestions and discount are NOT for buying one of her nonfiction books, but for buying a novel that her subscriber has indicated they would love.

She invited readers to fall in love with someone else’s book.

But make no mistake, this act of kindness to both the readers and those other authors helps both groups fall deeper in love with Rubin.

Through books.

If you want to enjoy the experience of Rubin’s quiz for yourself, here’s the link.

Getting Help to Spread the Love

Fans spreading the word about her music is, of course, at the core Taylor’s success. But she helps fuel that by giving it away to her Swifties, for example in her famous “Secret Session” pre-release listening parties.

One way we’ve been helping clients do so is through virtual book tours. Partnering with the appropriately named Love Book Tours, we get free copies of their books into the hands of the avid readers of their influencer network.

Then, over a two-week period, they post their honest reactions on their Instagram pages, many also on their personal blogs, Amazon reviews, and Goodreads, as well.

Check out the banner announcement for our next tour.