4 essential tools to boost book discoverability
The journey that connects books and readers is anything but linear. There are twists and turns at every stage of the process.
With this in mind, regardless of our role within the publishing industry, we must stay true to our mission and connect the dots and help readers find new books.
Publishers, agents and authors share many of the same goals: we all must ensure that our books get noticed. They must be widely available and able to be discovered to attract readers.
What can we do to boost discoverability?
Now the million-dollar question is: with so many book discovery tools, channels and techniques, how can we optimize our resources and make sure that our content lands exactly where it is supposed to?
In an attempt to find a solution, the first and most important factor to consider is that the way we discover books and engage our readers has to change with the ever-changing times.
New environment
Only a few years ago the main tools and channels of content discovery were analog (book fairs, in-person conversation, etc.), now we rely on a plethora of online resources: social media, blogs, targeted advertising, email newsletters, etc.
This can seem like it makes the challenge of book discovery and reader engagement more complicated… but it actually makes it a whole lot easier once you know how to use these tools effectively.
How to get content noticed
At DropCap, we work at the intersection between the digital and analog world, and have dedicated our energy to crafting and developing our own book discoverability ecosystem.
Based on our experience working directly with co-agents and publishers, we have identified these four pillars to get content noticed.
1 - Use metadata to facilitate discoverability
Metadata is your passport
The key role in facilitating discoverability includes making sure that the metadata associated with every title is consistent and complete.
In the online world, metadata is fundamental because it is the “passport” that enables books to travel across platforms, users, and markets.
A digital book with no or incomplete metadata is the equivalent of a “normal” book with a blank cover placed on a bookshelf: what reader will take interest in it if there is no detailed information about its content?
Metadata helps our content become more “findable”
The more metadata a book has, the better. Why? Because a book with enriched and consistent metadata incorporates more information and, therefore, becomes more "findable" in every search that includes key positioning terms.
Book metadata is crucial when a potential reader goes looking for some book online: it is what makes your book appear among the results or not.
Hence the importance of adding all the necessary details: not only title, author, genre, and publication date—but also chapter abstracts, chapter title, author bio, etc. Every piece of information matters.
Enriched metadata
Also, don’t forget that information about books is never static: there is always a new review, a new interview with the author, or a new language it has been translated into—make sure to include these important details in the metadata, too.
These tricks can seem insignificant but their impact is huge: they enrich the chance of connecting the right book to the right reader, over and over again.
2 - Online channels increase your chances of being found
How to engage our audience
Media channels are countless: this exponentially increases our online presence—and, as a consequence, the chances of finding and being found.
But, we have to ponder the question of where it is best to channel our efforts: making our books available in more places is not enough to be successful.
The perfect formula
We have to be mindful of the specific features of each online channel to leverage our digital presence.
We might want to engage our audience with a constant feed of newsletters, keep them informed via our blogs or web pages, or create and share content on social media.
All are valid options and can generate the impact that we are looking for but we must make sure that they are the right fit for us, our content and, above all, our audience.
When we have to make a strategic decision, let us not forget that there is no one size fits all formula—we must find our own by combining these ingredients creatively, with a fair amount of trial and error.
Maximize the chance of getting your book noticed
Whether we are reader-oriented or B2B-oriented, social media plays a big role when it comes to enhancing book discoverability. Every channel has its audience and is therefore associated with a specific target.
All online channels offer a direct connection with broader audiences so a key factor to make our strategy effective is to tailor each message to our target and make it consistent with our communication strategy.
With that being said, should we create our accounts on all social media and handle them at once, then?
Select the channels that work for you
The answer to this question is more complex than it seems. As a rule of thumb, choosing “quality over quantity” is always good advice. Select the media channel that feels like the best match for you, always with an eye on your audience.
Remember
As far as book marketing is concerned, it is more advisable to reach a limited audience that is interested in the content, rather than reaching thousands of people that might not be as interested in it.
3 - Keywords: the best ally of book marketing
Tag your content effectively
The way we tag our content must be at the core of our strategy not only on social media (with the right hashtags) but also when it comes to metadata.
First, we must select keywords for our books that we consider most relevant to describe their content so that it improves their chances of showing up in searches of those specific keywords.
An easy trick
While tagging and including key positioning terms, we have to keep in mind both our perspective as content creators and the readers’.
When we craft and develop our keywords, we must put ourselves in the shoes of our potential audience and think, “What will be my criteria when I search for a specific kind of book?”
Employ consistent features
This second step is the real game changer for book discoverability: we must think from a content creator’s perspective and also from a user’s perspective.
This is how we optimize our content to be discovered so that our book appears when potential readers—but also co-agents, publishers, etc.—do a related search.
If we have tagged our content consistently with keywords and we have done an equally good job with metadata, we are more likely to have our books in the right place at the right time to be discovered.
4 - The importance of serendipity
Whilst publishers and professionals of the industry are keen to rely on specific channels to discover new content (recommendations, third-parties platforms, newsletters, etc.), we all must keep our minds—and our feed on social media— open to the “accident of discovery”.
The importance of serendipity in discovering new books is usually underestimated.
Many times, we find our favorite books when we’re not “looking” for them. When we optimize our metadata and keywords, this greatly increases the chances of “book serendipity” happening.
Attract readers
Although it may seem like a paradox, sometimes our book searches get the best results when we’re just aimlessly strolling and scrolling online.
It is precisely there, at the crossing point between chance and curiosity that the next great book can await, along with potential readers who can’t wait to discover it.
