I\u2019m sorry, but sometimes I get exasperated with authors who make excuses for not promoting their books. Some of them are known for their aggressive marketing tactics. There are also those who had every intention, BEFORE they finished their book, of presenting a major and ongoing marketing campaign. And then, when opportunities arise to promote their books, they have nothing but excuses as to why they can\u2019t\/won\u2019t participate. Wanna hear some of them?<\/p>\n
\u2022\tI don\u2019t have any copies of my book right now<\/strong>. This one still has my head spinning. You should always have copies of your book to sell. How long does it take to get copies from your print-on-demand company or your publisher? Ten days? Two weeks? What were you thinking about when you looked at your box of books and it was getting low? Why didn\u2019t you order books then\u2014before you ran out? <\/p>\n \u2022\tI had a bad experience last time I did that activity<\/strong>. (Well, what makes you think the same thing will happen again\u2014that the same people will be there, that the stars will line up in exactly the same way? And what can you do to change what happened last time?)<\/p>\n \u2022\tI don\u2019t sell many books when I go there<\/strong>. (How many do you sell when you stay home?)<\/p>\n \u2022\tI don\u2019t like crowds.<\/strong> (Then, perhaps, you should have hypnosis to get over this phobia or look into another business\u2014like being a mortician.) <\/p>\n \u2022\tI\u2019ll go out and speak only if they pay my expenses<\/strong>. (And you have earned your speaking credentials how?) <\/p>\n \u2022\tI don\u2019t like to get up in front of groups<\/strong>. (If your book is particularly conducive to live presentations and if you want to sell copies of your book, you\u2019d better find ways to get comfortable with public speaking.)<\/p>\n \u2022\tI don\u2019t want to bother people on my email list with notices about my book award, new Kindle book, upcoming speaking engagement, etc<\/strong>. (Helllooooo, your address book should be made up of your readers\u2014your audience\u2014and they should be interested in an occasional notification from you.) <\/p>\n \u2022\tI didn\u2019t know it was up to me to promote my book and I didn\u2019t know how hard it would be<\/strong>. (It\u2019s never too late to study the publishing industry, which is what you should have done before you even started writing the book.)<\/p>\n Do you make excuses for why you cannot go out and speak, do book signings, sign up for book festivals and so forth? Are your excuses valid or are they just excuses designed to maintain your comfort zone? Think about this. And think about how many books you\u2019ve sold in the last week, month, year. Do you see a correlation between your promotional activities (or lack of) and your book sales?<\/p>\n For additional tips, techniques, ideas and a swift kick in the pants that will surely increase your book sales, order your copy of Promote Your Book<\/em> today. It is available at Amazon and most other online and downtown bookstores. Learn more about this book and the companion book (for those of you who are thinking about writing a book or in the process of writing a book), Publish Your Book<\/em>. (Both books by Patricia Fry)<\/p>\n