Keeping the reader engaged once they hit the end of the story can prove difficult. They came, they saw, they read, and now they are hunting for the next read. Adding value or some means of continuing to sell or hold the reader’s attention after they’ve finished “using” or “reading” your product is a daunting task. Especially since so many of them have TBR, To Be Read, list as tall as they are. What could you possibly do or say at the end of the book that would result in further action from them?

What is a Call to Action?

A call to action is a marketing term for inviting your audience to take the next step. This comes in many forms from links, to recommendations, to selling more books or other products. Depending on the author, you’ve seen this from joining a newsletter to checking out the next book in the series. Regardless, this should be easy, hyperlinked, and straight forward. Providing scannable codes and images can go a long way to encourage immediate follow through. Convenience is your friend! Also be mindful to use strong verbs to prompt a sense of urgency and to take action!

They don’t necessarily need to sell anything at all, but there should be some means of securing one of the following intent:

1. A means to continue to reach or engage with the reader.
2. Add value to the book or invite a means to keep reading.
3. Gain something in return in the form of reviews or similar interactions.
4. Access social media and websites to increase foot traffic and followers.
5. Invite them to read and buy other books or more books within the series.

Top 5 Recommended Call to Action for Books

1. Join my newsletter for behind-the-scenes and updates.

Having them join your newsletter is vital and should be the initial aim for any author. Once you have them on your list, you can continue to engage with them one-on-one. This includes the ability to continually provide a variety of calls to action such as attending live events, vote of book awards, reminders to leave a review and provide exact link to where you wish them, and so much more. It has been proven time and time again that this is the best means for review and preorders on new releases with 10-12% of your subscribers guaranteed to follow through. In short, out of about 100 subscribers, you have the potential to gain roughly 10 reviews and/or sales on the next release!

2. Book Club Questions to aid libraries and book clubs.

Invite them to include your book as part of a book club! Including questions in the back of your book often provides a means for libraries and club managers to choose your book over many others. On top of that, providing a means for them to contact you for events or to attend their club meeting, special pricing for bulk orders, or even a link to getting signature plates here can add a more personal touch. On top of that, book club questions can often spark the reader to re-read your book with some of the questions in mind and provide a new reading experience. Check out our blog on creating book club questions: https://4horsemenpublications.com/a-handy-guide-to-book-club-questions/ 

3. Invite them to leave a review.

It’s completely ok to remind readers and encourage them to voluntarily leave a review on their preferred book sites. Even when you send a newsletter using this Call of Action, you will be pleasantly surprised how many new reviews and replies from excited readers come pouring in. Beware of providing direct links to specific retailers, this could cause ebooks and paperbacks to be pulled down. For example, Amazon will unpublish a book that has URLs that aren’t Author specific or Amazon link. A great work around for this is using your author domain, Book2Read, or even LinkTree to limit being flagged.

4. Follow me on social media.

Again, it’s always a good idea to make sure the reader can connect to you directly. Branding and consistency in how you are posting on social media can keep readers engaged between writing books. It also means you can share the things that inspire you or even cross promote with fellow authors to keep them coming back and being fed the content and stories they enjoy the most. Again, be sure to use the same handle across the board, utilize LinkTree or a website domain to make it convenient for readers to link and follow you via their preferred social media. Not every book genre works on every social media platform, so pay attention to where you readers are coming from!

5. Next book and a sample.

Lastly, give your readers a sense of security. Let them see the next book in series or a story by you is in the works, or even done. Give them 1-3 chapters of that book and convenient links as to where to go to find it. Again, be cautious not to use direct links from product pages at actual stores such as Amazon, BN, Target, etc. Instead, use this as a chance and teaser to pull in a double Call for Action by combining this with social media and newsletter links. These are ways to continue to reach the reader beyond the initial action of “buying the new/next book” and instead, gives you a chance (and the reader’s permission) to share your author journey, events, books, reviews, and more.

Last Thoughts

Be creative! Call to Actions come in different formats and there are an amazing variety of articles on how other industries and marketing teams slip them in. Those emails where sections and eye-catching statements have been hyperlinked is another variety. You can think of these as textual precursors to what social media does now, with “link in bio” or even a “click here to watch more” great examples. 

Don’t be afraid to get adventurous. These can be blanket statements and should have the punch of those elevator pitches you’ve been playing with for agents. Don’t be afraid to express things about the characters, yourself as the author, or invite them to get something from you through your newsletter. 

Click here if you like broody, angsty demons that are legendary!

Mythology, Romance, and all the angst! Oh my! Check out author Valerie Willis.

Want to know the secrets behind the history and lore of the Cedric Series? Click here.