How Adding Digital Content to Your Book Can Increase Sales and Marketing Opportunities

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There’s a trend in the publishing industry that’s been rising for years, but now it’s booming: digital content. And I don’t just mean ebooks and audio (although, of course, those are huge and important trends in their own right).

I’m talking about creating digital content that goes with your book to add even more value for your readers.

Digital Content Add-Ons for Books

There are many ways you can add digital content to a book to further educate and entertain your readers. Here are some ideas:

  • Video content
  • Blog posts
  • Podcasts and interviews
  • Checklists
  • Worksheets
  • Book club questions
  • Preview chapters from future books
  • Apps
  • Video games
  • Websites
  • Online courses
  • Email courses
  • Online groups and communities like Facebook groups
  • Merchandise
  • Art (and NFT’s)

You don’t need to implement all of these ideas—maybe just one or two is all you need to raise the value of your book, engage with your readers on a deeper level, and provide some extra marketing angles that can help you land a bigger publishing deal or get your book translated into dozens of languages.

Get Started

Pick one idea you can use to add digital content to your book from the list above or from your own ideas.

Think Beyond the Book

When it comes to adding digital content to your book, it can help to think beyond the book itself. What else could you create that would add value or entertain your readers?

If you’ve written a novel about dragons, maybe you could create some dragon stuffed toys or figurines.

If you’ve created a book about nutrition, you could include some videos showing the recipes and how to prepare them.

Examples of Effective Digital Content

Below are some real examples of digital content that authors have used to add more value to their books and make them even more engaging for readers.

Video Content

Video content is one of the biggest trends in digital content right now, especially for nonfiction books. That’s because publishers in China and other countries are starting to use video displays in bookstores from authors talking about their books.

For example, it was very easy for us to get a Chinese rights deal for The Pain Relief Secret because the publisher there was able to take the author’s videos explaining the exercises in the book, translate them into Chinese, and use them in retail stores to promote the book.

Here are some questions that can help you come up with video ideas to add to your book:

  • Can you record videos that explain or expand upon the content in your book and make it even more valuable for readers?
  • Can you create a video trailer for you book?
  • Are there any ideas, exercises, or concepts in your book that would be easier for readers to understand in video format?

Checklists

Checklists are another great way to add valuable digital content to your book. You might include checklists inside the book itself, but you can also include them as downloads on your website (or both).

The benefit of having a downloadable checklist for readers is that they can print it out and post it on the wall of their office or workout room, or share it on Slack with their team so they can access the information when and where they need it.

Digital checklists (in the form of a print-ready PDF file) are far more accessible and easy-to-share for readers, making it easier for readers to talk about and share your book. It’s free marketing for you as an author!

Worksheets

You may include worksheets inside your book itself, but downloadable worksheets can be even more convenient for readers to use and share.

For example, Jeff Morrill, author of Profit Wise, created a list of all the worksheets and checklist resources from his book and made them all downloadable from his website so readers can more easily access the information when and where they need it.

And because many of those worksheets may need to be customized to be most useful to his readers, they’re available in Microsoft Word, so that his readers can simply download, edit, and share the documents in ways that best serve them.

Online Groups

Creating an online group on Facebook, LinkedIn, or another platform can be a great way to allow your readers to connect with you and each other. By giving your readers a place to share, talk about your book, and ask questions, you’re engaging with your audience on a much deeper level, and giving them way more value.

For example, author Jayson Gaddis created a Facebook group called Getting to Zero Heroes before his book Getting to Zero: How to Work Through Conflict in Your High-Stakes Relationships was even released. His goal was to build a street team to help promote his book, get reviews, and engage with his audience on a deeper level.

With hundreds of readers in the group, it will no doubt be a great source of marketing, reviews, and buzz for the book launch and long after the book is released.

You can also create similar online groups for readers to discuss and share about the book and its topic after they read it. There are many ways you can use groups like this to connect with your readers.

The Future of Books in the Digital Age

Books have been around for thousands of years and they’re not going anywhere. Readers will still enjoy books in paperback, hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats (and maybe more!).

But the rise of the internet has created countless opportunities for creative authors to find new ways to make their books more useful, interesting, and shareable.

If you add just one piece of digital content to your next book, you’ll discover new marketing opportunities that most authors never get.

Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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