“Give them quality. That’s the best kind of advertising.”

– Milton Hershey

As an authorpreneur, the goal of increasing revenue through writing is not only important to you—it’s the driving force behind your efforts. Boost your sales by creating a quality product.

As Hershey said, a quality product gets people talking about that product. Time and again, I encounter clients who may have an exceptional story, but didn’t put enough time and effort into the typesetting, editing, cover design or other features that subtly appeal to a reader. In the end, their book doesn’t have the impact they expected.

Like it or not, appeal sells.

If the product doesn’t look good, consumers are less likely to realize its true value. Expand your reach by creating a book so good that people want to talk about it. I recently was tagged on an Instagram post made by a reader who loved In the Shadow of Your Wings (story and cover). She made up a gift basket that featured the book and some other products, then shared it with her followers.

If you’re an indie author, you want to create a product so good that no one can tell you’ve indie published it. I’m not saying it’ll be perfect. According to an article carried by the University of California Press, a 95% error-free manuscript is the best a human can do.

But the mistakes should be minimal and not hinder your opportunity to expand your reach through retail. More on this in next week’s post: Retail Still Works.

Short version: invest time and effort into creating a solid plot and producing a quality product. That is still the best kind of advertising.

P.S. If you have any tips on how to create a quality product you’d like to share with other readers, post a comment.