Seth Godin only did two things to promote his new book This Is Strategy:
First, he was interviewed on 80 podcasts.
He went on just about any show that would take him as long as they agreed to publish the episode on the book’s release date.
(Or at least not before that date.)
This concentrated push made it almost impossible for his target audience not to know about the book’s release.
Second, he made 1,000 book bundles available for sale.
Each bundle included seven copies of the book, access to his course, and a collectible chocolate bar.
It was an $800 value offered for $125.
They sold out in 36 hours.
These two things were his entire plan to sell the first 10,000 copies of his book.
And they worked.
What happens next?
Well, as Seth often says:
“It’s the author’s job to sell the first 10,000 copies of a book. It’s the book’s job to sell the rest.”
Bonus Bits:
• Seth didn’t set out to write a book on strategy. He simply wrote 20 related blog posts and realized there were enough holes between them that connecting the dots would result in a book.
• Seth’s take on strategy: “The key to strategy is playing a game your competitors can’t or won’t play.”
• Before you worry about getting 10,000 people to do something, go find ten.
• Seth talks in more detail about his book promotion strategy in this podcast episode.