Taking Author to Next Level

I've done a charity bonus for a book before. If you have a good audience, it can explode your sales. The key is to treat it like an opt-in. You clearly state that you are giving away value and all you ask in return is that you get the support for the product and the mailing opportunities. People will think, "Well, if you're willing to give away value (profits), then so will I (payment for the product)... that seems fair..." don't expect it to increase profits necessarily, but to build a feel-good following of people who are much more receptive to your future messages. The fact that you are building a very receptive list by collecting email addresses can go virtually unnoticed!

A very important aspect of this, in my opinion, is to get some kind of acknowledgement from the target of your generosity. That's the end game, where the people who support you can look at something and say, "Yeah! There it is! I did some good!" But think of all the Susan G Koman stuff out there. Do you really think people are buying your stuff to promote breast cancer awareness? Or is it more likely a way to justify spending money on something they actually want anyway? How much you actually donate may be a factor as well. When I got the opportunity to make a nice contribution to a friend of mine, I decided to forego all profits for a period of time and make a donation. It wasn't huge. My product was small. But people jumped at the chance to do some good. And I got some really great followers as a result.