Many of you who read this blog are authors. I have a question for you. Are you selling many books? Or are you rather disappointed in book sales? Are you getting tired of promoting?<\/p>\n
Most of us go into authorship with a full plate. I mean our dance card is already full when we decide to come out with a book. The book is an afterthought\u2014something else we wanted to accomplish in this lifetime. It isn\u2019t as important as our job. It isn\u2019t as important as our family. It isn\u2019t even as important as our hobbies. Does this ring true to you so far?<\/p>\n
You produced a book because it seemed like the thing to do at the time and because you could. You have been promoting it as well as you can under the circumstances\u2014you still have a full-time job, you are busy with your family, you have other outside interests\u2026 It has actually been kind of fun showing your book around, doing book signings and composing press releases and sending them to all the local newspapers. But now you\u2019re beginning to resent your book\u2019s intrusion in your life. <\/p>\n
You\u2019ve discovered that it isn\u2019t so easy to sell copies of your marvelous books. It is taking more of your time than you wanted to devote to this project. And your efforts aren\u2019t generating the sales you expected. So what\u2019s next? <\/p>\n
Maybe you\u2019re not spending enough money to market your book. Perhaps if you pay to have it reviewed, buy some ads, purchase that expensive promotions package your pay-to-publish company is offering or send your book to be displayed at a trade show, sales will improve. Perhaps, but probably not.<\/p>\n
It has been my experience and observation that there is no way around the author expending time, energy and effort when it comes to promoting his or her book. If you want to sell books, you have to pay your dues and I don\u2019t mean, necessarily, by spending money. <\/p>\n
You\u2019ve probably already learned that, when you put in the effort, you sell books. When you relax, book sales slow down. If you\u2019re like most authors, you feel as though you are hand-selling every book that goes out the door. And this is not likely to change anytime soon.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what I suggest to my clients who are ready to start throwing money at their projects in order to sell more copies or they\u2019re ready to throw in the towel: <\/p>\n
\u2022\tAssess your methods. Which sales tactics are generating the most sales at this time? Continue pursuing these.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tKeep it local. There\u2019s a lot you can do right in your own community before you start taking your book out of town.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tUse the skills you have developed over the years\u2014public speaking, writing (articles, stories, press releases, blog), researching new venues to showcase your book and get reviews, etc.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tAdd a new activity from time to time. But be sure to chisel out the time needed to implement it. This might be arranging to present a workshop at a conference related to the theme of your book; soliciting customers, clients and colleagues to post reviews at your book\u2019s Amazon page; doing a virtual book tour, etc.<\/p>\n
No one ever told you that book promotion was easy. Although, your pay-to-publish company might have indicated this by offering to sell you one of their promotional packages. If you are an author, you know now that book promotion is the hardest, most time-consuming part of authorship. If you are in the process of writing a book for publication, this is meant as a warming and a wake-up call. <\/p>\n
Please, if the message in this post comes as a shock to you or if you choose not to believe it, stop the forward motion on your book now. Spend several weeks studying the publishing industry. I recommend my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book<\/em>. http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/rightway.thml<\/a> <\/p>\n Maybe you haven\u2019t heard that over three-quarters of authors fail. And the reason is because they don\u2019t understand enough about the publishing industry before getting involved. Learn how the industry works, what your options are and what your responsibilities as a published author are. <\/p>\n When it comes to selling your book, if you don\u2019t plan to devote time, effort and energy in promotion over the long term, you will not make it in this fiercely competitive business.<\/p>\n This might be a good time for you to order a copy of my latest book, Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author.<\/em> It\u2019s in print and Kindle at Amazon.com. http:\/\/amzn.to\/oe56Ia>\/a><\/p>\n Learn more about me and my work: Note: In yesterday\u2019s blog post, I offer a choice of 3 books for authors FREE. Be sure to check it out. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Many of you who read this blog are authors. I have a question for you. Are you selling many books? Or are you rather disappointed in book sales? Are you getting tired of promoting? Most of us go into authorship with a full plate. I mean our dance card is already full when we decide […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16,5],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n<\/a> http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com<\/a>
\n http:\/\/www.patriciafry.com<\/a> <\/p>\n