I’ve seen the 10x rule applied to fiction books, but I’m thinking the same must be true for non-fiction.
Here’s what we’re talking about…
Scenario 1 is you write a 300 page book and pop it on Amazon.
Scenario 2 is you write 5 books that are 60 pages long and put those on Amazon.
In which case you are you likely to make far more money?
That depends.
In Scenario 1, if you make it onto a major best-selling list such as the New York Times, as well as getting numerous interviews on shows like Good Morning America, then that will be your big money maker.
But if you don’t make it into the .00001% of books that achieve those goals, then your best bet by far is to write a series of books, regardless of whether you’re in the fiction or non-fiction genre.
If you have 5 books in a series, for example, then each book is acting as an ambassador for the other 4 books.
That’s why book sales invariably increase with a book series rather than putting everything into one book.
If you’re reading fiction and you loved book 1, you’re going to hop on Amazon and buy the rest. A great story with great characters will hook you in and keep you reading to the end.
If you’re reading non-fiction and found the book incredibly helpful, you’re going to return to Amazon and see what else is in the series.
And most people simply don’t feel satisfied with owning one book in a series. It’s like in the old days when sets of Encyclopedias were sold one volume at a time. People continued their subscriptions to the end because having a partial set would have created an open loop that created psychological discomfort.
If you’re writing fiction, you might create a series that is connected by characters. For example, a series of five best friends, five siblings, five teammates and so forth. All 5 characters might appear in each book with the lead rotating between the 5.
Or maybe you write books that center on 5 different pilots, 5 different local business owners, 5 different reporters.
If you’re writing non-fiction, then you might have 5 or even 10 books on how to be successful in real estate, in online marketing, in life and so forth.
Pay special attention to your titles and your covers. A book series should LOOK like a book series, with the same basic format and font. Change up the colors or the pictures and make it clear that each book is #_ in the series.
Choose titles and subtitles that convey exactly what is in your book. Ambiguity is not your friend here. And unless you are super proficient at creating professional looking covers, hire someone to make the covers for you. You get one shot at making a great first impression, which is why the right title and the right cover can 100X your sales over a lousy title and an amateur looking cover.
One last thing… if you’re not a writer, you can always outsource the writing to someone who is. Create your own series and promote it on Amazon. And if it’s non-fiction, be sure to include a way for them to join your list for more help from you. You’ll be able to promote affiliate products or your own products, as appropriate.