7 Ways to Seal the Sale with Your Book Table of Contents
Does your table of contents seal the sale? Does it help your potential reader want to buy your book? Even if your book title has done a good job with hooking your potential reader’s attention, they still want to know more about what’s in it for them. Use your table of contents to tell them and seal the sale.
Many if not most reading your table of contents are still trying to figure out if your book is for them. Design your book’s table of contents to help drive book sales. Create each chapter title and sub-title to influence your reader to keep reading. Here are a few of my secret strategies for creating attention getting chapter titles:
1. Target your intended reader. You immediately create a connection with your potential customer. By targeting your reader, you proclaim who the book is written for. For example: “A Single Woman’s Guide to Vacationing In the Islands”, “A Rottweiler Owner’s Guide to Training Large Dogs”, “The Small Business Owner’s Guide to Incorporating”, “A Man’s Guide to Sexy.”
2. Put a main benefit in the title. Even if your book title has hooked your reader’s attention, they still want to know more about what’s in it for them. Place the main benefit of each chapter in the title. A couple of examples would be: “How to Write Your Book in 90 Days” or “How to Write Your Chapters in 30 Minutes or Less.”
3. Develop a how-to as part of your title. People love step by step guides to accomplish anything. As you write your chapters, consider explaining how to do a certain task in each chapter. Then include a How-To __________ in each chapter or sub-title. Examples are: “How to Bath Your Large Dog,” “How to Teach Your Large Dog Simple Commands,” “How to Stop Your Dog from Howling.”
4. Build your titles with alliteration. Create a catchy sounding phrase. People remember titles that grab attention. Titles with similar sounding words or phrases are one way of doing this. Titles like: “5 Proven Ways to Put Profit into Your Pocket,” “10 Wonderful Ways to Write a Book,” “10 Mistakes That Block the Success of Your Self Published Book.”
5. Start a brand. Brands are for more than mega corporations. Create a brand especially if you already know you will write a series of books on the same topic. People love series and brands. They even get fanatical. The Chicken Soup authors captured this principle. The Dummies and Idiot’s series are good examples. For instance, you are a small business owner with a formula to success. You have decided to do a “Success Series.” The series would consist of “Build Your Business to Success in a Year” and “Market Your Business to Success in 90 Days.”
6. Craft sub-titles. If your chapter titles need further explaining, use sub-titles to elaborate your point. Here are a couple of samples: How to Successfully Sell Your Services Online: Secrets and strategies to help you make thousands more by selling your expertise on the web.
7. Make your table of contents list parallel. Create your table of contents as guide. Your reader will appreciate your order. Help your reader instantly understand your book and what they expect to read. Items in a list should be parallel: all verbal phrases, all nouns, etc. Parallel construction guides your reader and helps your reader organize concepts on a first read of your text. Do this and your potential readers will reward you by buying your book immediately; they get you and your book’s message because your TOC sealed the sale.
If you don’t use this valuable skill in adding magnetic selling power to your chapter titles, your book may never achieve the added sales it deserves. Don’t miss out. Use the principles above to add punch to your chapter titles that will get your message read.
Remember, titles set the stage for your potential audience. Write hot chapter titles and ignite your reader’s interest in reading your important message. Title your chapters well and prosper!
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© Earma Brown, 16 year author, web developer, indie publisher
ebk: Easy Book Marketing for New Authors helps service business owners, professionals and writers who want to write and market their best book now! Visit http://bookmarketinghelp.com for more book writing and marketing tips.
