Selling Your Books to Christian Consumers with Sarah Bolme on Talk Story TV

NEWBURGH, N.Y. - March 25, 2015 - PRLog -- Christians tend to read more than the general population. Studies show that Christian book buyers spend more on books than the average book buyer in America.

Around 73 percent of people in the United States identify themselves as Christians. This means that there are over 225 million Christian consumers in America. That’s a lot of people.

How does an author effectively reach this group of people with his or her book?

First and foremost, it is important to note that Christians don’t just read Christian literature. They read all sorts of books. However, they do tend to read books that are not offensive to their deeply held religious convictions (i.e. most Christians would not read books on transcendental meditation).

Christians need to know that a book that is offered to them as “Christian” or “wholesome” truly meets this definition. In other words, they want to know that your book is not a wolf dressed in up sheep’s clothing. For those of you who are not part of the evangelical Christian community, this means that you are offering Christian consumers something that fits with their generally accepted religious beliefs.

Discerning Christians rely on three main sources (apart from word-of-mouth recommendations) to determine whether a book is truly a “Christian” book:

Is the book carried by Christian bookstores?
Is the book published by a known Christian personality?
Is the book published by a known Christian publishing house?

For self-published authors and those published by lesser-known small publishers whose books do not fit this criteria, don’t lose heart. There are a few things you can do to establish your credibility in promoting your book to Christians.

1.      Obtain an endorsement by a known Christian personality.

The next best thing to being a known Christian personality is to have a known Christian person endorse your book. Christians often rely on name recognition when making purchasing decisions. If they see that a familiar Christian name says that your book is good, they will buy it.

If you don’t know any famous Christian people to endorse your book, the next best thing is to have a pastor (the larger the church the better) endorse your book. Use the name of the pastor’s church with the endorsement. This sends potential readers the message that a Christian pastor approves of the book, therefore, the book must fit within their belief structure.

2.      Collect a favorable review by a Christian source.

Another great way to establish your book’s credibility with Christians is to have it reviewed by a Christian source. Submit your book for review to Christian publications geared toward your book’s target market. Many Christian magazines review books. Find some Christian bloggers to review your book on their blogs. Doing this helps you reach more Christian followers and increases your credibility when you use these Christian reviews in your promotional material.

3.      Become a member of a Christian writers or publishers association.

If you are a Christian, join a Christian writers association (like www.faithwriters.com) or a Christian publishers association (like www.christianpublishers.net). Once you join, place a notice of your membership with the organization’s logo on the back cover copy of your book and on all your marketing materials. This lets readers know that you hold similar beliefs to them.

Every journey starts with a step. Selling books is a journey. Each small step you take in acquiring Christian endorsements and reviews for your book will increase your viability and credibility in selling to Christian consumers.

About the Author:

Sarah Bolme is the author of the award-winning book Your Guide to Marketing Books in the Christian Marketplace (http://www.marketingchristianbooksinc.com), now in its third edition. She is also the director of Christian Small Publishers Association—CSPA (www.christianpublishers.net). You can read her blog on Marketing Christian Books at http://marketingchristianbooks.wordpress.com.

Sarah Bolme will be featured on the Authors School Show on June 23rd at 7pm EDT. Register for location at: https://sarah-bolme.eventbrite.com.