Gary Sturgis is a best selling author at BookLocker! Here’s one of the ways he does it!!

When we think of a daily companion, we often think of something religious, like a devotional. But not all daily companions are of a religious nature. My book, Surviving Grief: 365 Days a Year is a ‘Daily Companion’ to my book, Surviving: Finding Your Way from Grief to Healing, which is on the topic of grief and loss. I have published three books on grief through BookLocker and sales are phenomenal!

Surviving Grief: 365 Days A Year has short, easy-to-read daily reflections for each day of the year. All the reader has to read is a page or two a day. Not everyone likes to read, especially if they are grieving a loss. The last thing you want to do when you’re struggling with the absence of a loved one is taking the time to read War and Peace.

So, you might ask, “Why is writing a daily companion a good idea?”

If you already have a book that’s selling well, a daily companion book can not only boost the sales of that existing book, but it can add the additional benefit of more sales for the companion. Promoting the companion in the main book, and vice versa, will increase your sales of both titles.

A companion book can add your trustworthy wisdom and experience in one convenient place. Your readers can depend on it because, if they read your first book, they’ve already chosen you as a trusted author, and a reliable source of information on the subject you write about.

Every day, your reader can look forward to new insights and perspectives on things you want to share without spending a lot of time doing that. They can spend a few minutes each day, and benefit from what you have to say. This also keeps your name, and your book, in their mind.

I created a Facebook page to highlight some of the writings from my daily companion book, Surviving Grief: 365 Days a Year and I began to post blogs on the page. I let the Facebook followers know that the blogs are excerpts from my book and where they can purchase it.

I also post ‘quotes’ from the daily companion, and add a photo of the book so the reader knows that the quote is from the book. This is a teaser that piques their interest in reading the rest of the daily reflection so it inspires them to purchase a copy of the book.

Referring to the book as a “great gift to give to anyone grieving a loss” also prompts people that aren’t grieving a loss to purchase the book for someone who is. And, letting them know that beginning the book at the beginning of the year is a great place to increase sales during the year-end holiday season. I now have over 228,000 Facebook followers and book sales have gone through the roof!

Reading a daily companion book every day establishes a habit for the reader and you, as an author, become a part of their daily pattern. Some people will read your first book at the same time they’re reading its companion. The benefit of a companion book is readers often go back and read a page that particularly resonated with them. It’s not a ‘read once and toss it’ kind of book.

If you have a book on the market already

If your readers could benefit from a companion book, which could support a book you already have on the market, I strongly recommend getting to work on that companion book! Your sales will increase for both books and your readers will thank you. When the companion book hits the market, I recommend updating your existing book by adding an advertisement for the companion book in it. Of course, also put an advertisement for the original book in the companion book in case somebody buys that one first.

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Gary Sturgis is a best selling BookLocker.com author! He survived the greatest loss of his life, and now works as a Grief Specialist, Bereavement Facilitator, and Speaker, guiding and supporting others in their struggle with grief. He finds it an honor to help those who are grieving a loss to navigate their way through the maze of grief in a very personal and meaningful way. He lives by the ocean in Plymouth, Massachusetts. To see how he promotes his books, follow him on Facebook.

GARY’S BOOKS:

Surviving: Finding Your Way from Grief to Healing

GRIEF: Hope in the Aftermath

SURVIVING GRIEF: 365 Days a Year