While it may appear that this blog entry is for the published author, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actually for those of you with books in the works. There are things you can do to enhance your book sales way before you ever produce that book. And over the next two days, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to discuss 8 mistakes authors make and how to avoid them. <\/p>\n
As the president of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) and an international speaker, I meet many authors every year who are disappointed in their book sales. I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fair to say that 100 percent of the time the fault lies with the author. Here are six common mistakes first-time authors make and tips for how to avoid them:<\/p>\n
1: The author writes the wrong book for the wrong audience<\/strong>. This author hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t done his homework to discover his true audience for this book. He may be writing a bulldozer book\u00e2\u20ac\u201done designed to change minds. It may be a valid book subject, but he plans to promote it to an audience who isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t interested. Or, perhaps, the author believes she is writing a young adult novel, when, in fact, it has a wider audience among women who read romantic historical fiction. <\/p>\n Remedy<\/strong>: Early on, study your chosen genre\/topic and identify your audience\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthose people who would want to read this book\u00e2\u20ac\u201dnot those who should. Write the book for an audience who cares.<\/p>\n 2: The author doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know that he is responsible for promotion<\/strong>. Obviously, this author didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take the time and initiative to study the publishing industry or he would know that his job isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t over once the book is published. <\/p>\n Remedy<\/strong>: Read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book <\/em>and other books related to publishing so that you have clarity about your role as a published author.<\/p>\n 3: The author doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take the opportunity to build promotion into his book while he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s writing it<\/strong>. When the book is finished, there’s little to hang his hat on with regard to promoting it.<\/p>\n Remedy<\/strong>: Savvy authors think about their target audience while they are writing and designing their books. If yours would make a good reference book, for example, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll want to include a complete index. For a novel, choose a setting that is conducive to promotion. Give a character a popular ailment and present it in a positive light.<\/p>\n You can build promotion into your how-to book by involving a lot of experts and\/or organizations through interviews and by including them in your resource list, for example. Solicit testimonials for your back cover from high profile people in your field or genre.<\/p>\n 4: The author neglects to establish a platform<\/strong>. A platform is the author\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s following, his reach, his way of attracting his target audience. Most successful authors today have a platform in place before they produce a book. <\/p>\n Remedy<\/strong>: Start building and capitalizing on your platform from the beginning. Your platform for your book on phobias might be the fact that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a psychologist in this area of study, that you suffered a severe phobia for years, that you work with women with phobias, that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve written about this for years. <\/p>\n Even as a novelist, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll need a following and this can be established through published stories, a popular\/active Web site, the fact that you are accustomed to public speaking or are involved in storytelling. Maybe you are getting ready to retire and plan to travel and promote your book throughout the states.<\/p>\n I constantly teach and preach the importance of understanding something about the publishing industry BEFORE getting involved. And just one good reason for doing this is so that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re prepared when it comes time to promote your book. (Watch for Part Two of this message in tomorrow\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s blog entry.)<\/p>\n Buy The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book<\/strong>. Read it from cover to cover. And then place it on your desk where you can refer to it often. http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/rightway.html<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" While it may appear that this blog entry is for the published author, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actually for those of you with books in the works. There are things you can do to enhance your book sales way before you ever produce that book. And over the next two days, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to discuss 8 mistakes authors […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,4],"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