Here’s a radical way to sell more books – give it away first as a podcast.
Here’s why:
- The podcast audience is projected to grow from 17.4 million in 2008 to over 37 million by 2013. (source: eMarketer)
- According to a pricegrabber.com survey, some 50% of mostly online buyers say they listen to podcasts
- Media companies are starting to repackage content from radio or TV programs into podcasts with favorable results from consumers.
- Smart phones! Even though I can’t read off that small a surface (my arms aren’t long enough) more and more people load ebooks and podcasts on their phones and use them as a primary source of entertainment. In fact, the average iPhone user spends 55% of their time on their phones doing something other than talking on it.
Aside from the ever-growing podcast demand, here’s another reason why you should consider adding an audio version of your book:
It’s really hard to get people to read a book by an unknown author. But if they get a chance to sample it in a different format – audio – for free – you have a fighting chance to get their attention. Having your book available on different podcast sites for download is also a great way to add to your book’s visibility. You can also publicize the availability of your podcasts through your social media sites.
Will people buy a printed book after listening to it for free? Chances are some will, as a souvenir. And chances are they will talk about your book and spread the word.
In my next post, I’ll tell you how easy it is to create your own podcasts.
