As competition in the low-content publishing space continues to increase, what worked last year may not get you very far in today’s changing landscape. Now more than ever it’s crucial to pay special attention to each and every part of the process.
And while most of the competition continues to produce low-quality books that won’t have buyers whipping out their wallets, these books do clog up the algorithm making it more difficult for high quality books to be seen. This makes 2021’s biggest hurdle to overcome finding a way to get your high-quality books through the clutter and in front of the most paying customers as possible. There’s no magic bullet and a combination of efforts will be required to rise to the top.
The low-content publishing landscape will continue to change year after year, meaning adaptation is key. But one thing remains the same: it’s all about creating unique, high quality books that real customers are already actively searching for.
With that in mind, let’s dive into the 5 Steps to Low-Content Publishing Success in 2021!
1. Master Your Mindset
Mindset is everything, and you truly need to master yours in order to be successful. As I’ve said before, LCP is not a get rich overnight opportunity – it takes time like anything worthwhile does! Look at your LCP journey as a long game, and be prepared to put in time and effort. Accept that you are going to make mistakes and failures—what’s important are the lessons and growth you draw from them.
Help, of course, is always available, and that’s why it’s important to join a community of like minded LCP entrepreneurs. My free Facebook group, Low Content Profits, is an excellent resource, so be sure to join.
Also worth noting: don’t rely on LCP as your primary source of income; your desire for success should not come from a place of desperation. You need the patience to be willing to build your business slowly over time without worrying how you’re going to pay your rent or put food on the table. For these reasons, LCP is best used as a side gig and/or an additional stream of income.
2. Build a Rock-Solid Foundation
Like anything you build, it’s important to ensure your KDP business has a strong foundation to thrive from! There are 5 parts to your foundation:
Unique Content
Gone are the days of uploading a never-ending catalogue of hastily slapped together notebooks and easily earning a few grand a month. As great of a time as that was for LCP publishers, that method simply won’t fly in today’s market, so forget about no-content. You’ve got to create value, and you do that by creating unique content targeted towards a very specific audience. Finding success in LCP requires a think outside of the box mindset – when your competition zigs, you zag! You’ve got to come up with new ideas or fresh takes on old ideas that serve underserved audiences. Catering to everyone means catering to no one, so avoid being a generalist!
Thorough Keyword Research
Keyword research is something you simply cannot half ass. Aim for as low competition keywords you can get, paired with high search volume.
You also need to ensure you have the proper assignment of keywords in your Title, Subtitle, Series Title, and backend keyword slots.
While it’s possible to do this research manually, you’ll uncover many more lower competition keywords in a much shorter amount of time using software to streamline the process. Enter Publisher Rocket, which conveniently helps you choose keywords AND categories.
Visually Appealing Design
In the LCP sphere, people definitely judge a book by it’s cover, so make sure yours is beautiful. While you don’t need to be an award winning graphic designer to see success in KDP, it will help if you have some sort of eye for what makes good design. It’s hard to be objective about how your cover looks if you’re completely inexperienced, so get another set of eyes on it if you have to. Take some time to look at other book cover designs that are doing well. What elements do they incorporate? Remember, if designing a cover is something you don’t feel comfortable with, you can always outsource this step.
Flawless Metadata
Ensure you create a compelling book description that is free from spelling and grammatical errors. You’ll also want to make sure that the description is correctly formatted using HTML.
And we can’t forget keywords and categories here either—make sure they are properly assigned so your book is seen by more shoppers.
Competitive Pricing
Take a look at other books in your niche and ensure you’re within an appropriate range. The good thing here is that your price never has to be permanent. You may consider a lower price to start and then begin raising the price by $1 once it starts selling. Be sure not to price your book several dollars above the average unless you have an established brand that sells well.
Be Mindful With Your Marketing
You want as many eyes on your books as possible, and the publish and pray method may not get you the results you’re after. Having a marketing strategy is key for lasting success.
Create an Email List
The first thing you’ll want to do is get an email list going, as this creates a recurring base of customers. Through email marketing you can build a relationship with your customers and promote directly to those who’ve already purchased your book and are likely to purchase again. In addition, having an engaged email list will help you generate reviews that much quicker.
Use Ads Wisely
Ads should be introduced only after you’ve done the previously mentioned steps. Start small with your ads, and start with a book that has already proven itself with a few sales. Once you become more experienced you can start running ads right out of the gate, but it’s a great way to lose money when you’re just starting out and the rest of your process isn’t solid yet. A good rule of thumb with ads is to never spend more than you are willing to lose. If you’re wondering how to use AMS ads effectively, check out Dave Chesson’s free AMS course.
Don’t Waste Time on Websites and Social Media in the Beginning
Generally, websites and social media are the least useful ways to generate sales for your low-content books. Websites require targeted traffic, so you’ll need to find ways to direct traffic to your site or your efforts will be wasted.
Social media like Facebook or Instagram may be useful, but it’s impossible to track where your sales on Amazon come from, so you won’t know what’s working and what isn’t. While I haven’t tried it myself, I’ve heard of other publishers experiencing results using Pinterest, so that might be one channel where you direct your efforts first.
One caveat to my recommendation to scrap any website and social media efforts in the beginning is if you already have an established brand and online presence that you can leverage to successfully market your books. If you already have an existing online infrastructure and it makes sense to tie it in with your low-content publishing efforts, then definitely take advantage!
4. Nurture Your Existing Assets
Your books are finally up and published, but your journey is far from over. Don’t forget about your books the moment you publish them! Be sure to perform regular health checks on older books that have performed well in the past. You can do this by tracking the BSR on Author Central. If you notice a decline in BSR, swap out keywords / categories if / when necessary. Promote these older books to your email list to boost sales and reviews.
You don’t want to be one of those people that have to publish thousands of books in hopes of selling 1-2 copies each. This approach is hardly passive income, and you’ll have to keep publishing at massive volumes to keep it up. Much better is to attempt to create long term assets that keep generating royalties month after month. This is real passive income!
5. Be Consistent With Your Efforts
As mentioned, this is a long game with no shortcuts, and consistency should be your MO. Create a publishing schedule that works with your life so that you can show up regularly and stick with it. Schedule LCP time in your calendar, then settle in, get patient and keep plugging away over time. Slow and steady wins the race!
“Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.“
R. Collier
So to recap, LCP Success in 2021 requires you to:
- Master your mindset
- Build your foundation
- Be mindful with your marketing
- Nurture your existing assets
- Be consistent with your efforts
Following these 5 steps will have you well on your way to experiencing LCP success in 2021 and beyond.
I wish you lots of success in your low-content publishing business throughout 2021 and well beyond!
LINKS DISCUSSED
FREE GUIDE: 3 Steps to Publishing Your First Low-Content Book in Less Than a Day
Want access to my course? The best way is through my free webinar, 3 Secrets to a Wildly Successful Self-Publishing Business, which gives you access to several valuable bonuses!
