#1 Amazon Bestselling Book has No Cover Image — Master Marketing with BTS and Gary Vaynerchuk
Grassroots Guerrilla Marketing Strategies For Aspiring Authors and Creative Entrepreneurs
The old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, and the cover sells the book is discounted today with the number one selling book on Amazon that doesn’t even come out until July! Would you buy a book with no cover image and then wait two months to receive it?
Thousands of loyal fans of the K-Pop band BTS did. Can you name a BTS song without looking it up? I’ve heard of the band, but they have never been on my radar until now.
Not only do they have the number one selling book out of the millions listed on Amazon, but their legion of superfans camped out and waited in line for hours to see one of the BTS band members, Suga, aka Agust D, perform his solo debut.
As an indie author, fandom fascinates me. What makes us buy a book or concert ticket and wait in long lines to see our favorite celebrity? Is it that one person or band that commands an army (as BTS fans call themselves) of loyal fans? Or is it, as a few fans mention in the ABC Channel 7 interview, more about camaraderie, shared experiences, and stories? Perhaps both. I lean more toward the community that the author or performer creates through consistent communication, building anticipation, and rewarding loyalty with special merchandise or access.
I see the same thing with Gary Vaynerchuk, aka Gary Vee, and VeeCon, which is happening less than an hour away from me next week. He gifted access to his mega conference to the first fans to purchase his NFTs. He gave NFTs to anyone who bought at least a dozen of his book, Twelve and a Half. I was one of those fans. Who purchases 12 copies of a book?! Many fans purchased hundreds of copies of his book to get the NFTs. Brilliant marketing!
I have followed Gary Vaynerchuk for years. I love how he is on the cutting edge of technology and trends. I just received a text message that he is giving away tickets to VeeCon in Indianapolis. No catch. I’m sure they will go quick. I’ll blog about it if I get one!
