As you scan the table and admire all the homemade brownies, cupcakes, and cookies, you may be thinking: What makes a successful bake sale? (OK, you’re probably thinking those sprinkle-covered, pink-frosted chocolate cupcakes are coming home with me, but stay with us.) The experts at Self-Publishing Relief know that many elements of a profitable bake sale also apply to successfully creating and promoting your self-published book. Here’s how self-publishing is like a best-selling bake sale.

3 Ways Self-Publishing Is Like A Bake Sale

Quality Ingredients Are Important

If you want hungry buyers drooling over your bake sale goodies, you need to use quality ingredients and carefully follow the recipe. No one wants to discover the cookie they just purchased is dry, stale, and underwhelming. Even worse—the eagerly anticipated chocolate chips are actually raisins.

When you decide to self-publish your book, you also want to start with great ingredients. The story should be edited and reviewed for plot holes and good character development. Also, your manuscript should be professionally proofread. Be sure to mix in crowd-pleasing genre tropes that readers eagerly anticipate. For example: Romance readers expect a “happily ever after,” and mystery book buyers look forward to a few clever red herrings. Don’t disappoint your readers by messing up the genre recipe for success!

Advertising Can Make A Big Difference

If no one knows you’re holding a bake sale, buyers won’t show up. You’ll be left with an empty cash box and a table full of treats that are getting stale.

When you self-publish your book, if readers don’t know it’s available for purchase, you won’t make any sales. Even before you publish, you should be spreading the word on social media and posting updates on your author website. Having an active presence on social media sites and the Internet can help you reach a wider audience and build a fan base that’s ready to buy your latest book.

You should also consider using paid social media ads to boost your marketing strategy and reach more potential buyers for your self-published book. It can be more affordable—and more effective—than you might think!

Presentation Matters

Bake sales attract buyers with nice tablecloths and by displaying the yummy options on festively decorated pedestals and trays. And any purchases will be smartly packaged for easy takeaway.

For your self-published book, the cover design acts as your point-of-purchase marketing tool. While you want the book cover to express your unique vision, you also need to trust the insights of a skilled designer. Your book cover should feature design essentials that potential buyers associate with certain genres, or readers won’t place your book in the right category. And it’s vital that your cover design uses high-quality images so that it looks professional and works well as a smaller thumbnail for your online sales page.

Using these concepts that lead to happy snack indulgences and a successful bake sale can also help you sell more of your self-published books. And if navigating the self-publishing process on your own seems as daunting as baking perfect macarons, Self-Publishing Relief can help! We’ll walk you through every step, handle the technical busywork, and guide you in creating a self-published book that you’ll be proud to put your name on. Schedule your free consultation call today!

Question: What other bake sale tips could you apply to self-publishing?