Would You Buy A Book For $117? Here’s How I’ll Sell It
By: Barry Davret
Tags: Marketing, Business, Persuasive Writing, Psychology, Digital Marketing

Who would spend that much on a book? Nobody. But I’m not positioning this as a book. I’m selling hard to find information. Some of it cannot be found elsewhere. The book acts as the vehicle for delivering the info.

I’m selling it as a physical book only. $117 sounds like a lot of money for a book. I should also mention you can’t buy it on Amazon or at any bookstore. Plus, it appeals to a narrow audience. Only a few can benefit from the information.

None of this seems to make sense, right? It’s hard to find the product. It’s expensive, It appeals to a narrow audience. The format may not be convenient. What am I thinking? It all seems counter-intuitive. The truth is, to sell a book for that much money you need to do things different.

Some of it seems puzzling at first glance. Here’s why it works.

Narrow The Audience

Niche down to a smaller audience with specific needs and desires. You’ll likely find an under-served audience. This audience must feel passion or have a desperate need for what you are selling.

For example, let’s suppose you sell a course on dog training. You’ll compete with hordes of others. Most folks seeking out this information will find tons of options. It’s unlikely that you’ll offer something so earth shattering that you can charge a premium price for a book. You would need a different approach.

Now, let’s niche down and limit the audience to Catahoula Leopard dogs. You’re now facing a tiny audience. Though small, their passion for these dogs radiates. Only a few providers serve them. If you can fill that gap you hold more pricing power.

Narrow The Focus

Now we’re facing a handful of competitors. How could we narrow the focus and dive deep into a really specific part of Catahoula Leopard Dogs? What about training Catahoula Leopard dogs for competitive dog shows? Now we’re drilling down into a small but focused area of dog training. A small but fanatical crew of prospects exists. Our audience shrinks but the remaining prospects spend big dollars. That’s our opening.

Limit Availability

Scarcity drives up demand. Sure, that’s the first lesson in copywriting. If we offer our information in digital format it’s unlimited. A physical book you buy directly from the source screams scarcity. I can state that I’m printing only five hundred copies. Once I sell out they’re not coming back. It’s tough to sell that story on Amazon, even if it’s true.

The limited printing gives it a feeling of exclusivity. You’ll be one of only five hundred to possess this information. Your buyer feels a sense of prestige.

Oversize The Offer

The buyer gets more than just a book. The added bonuses increase the perceived value. You see, the book is just one piece of the overall offer. The onslaught of extras make the price a no brainer. I may even include some limited premium bonuses for the first twenty buyers.

Imagine crafting a sales campaign to owners of Catahoula competition dogs. See how specific we can get in our marketing message? You can drill down into the exact needs and challenges they face. Compare that to targeting all dog owners. There’s no way you can reach them on the same personal level.

There’s one more advantage of going higher priced with a small audience. I can send a handwritten thank you note to all buyers. Try doing that with a seven dollar ebook.