You wrote an amazing book, designed it to perfection and even managed to get it published. But it isn\u2019t selling as well as you thought it would. What went wrong?<\/p>\n
As the executive director of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) and an international speaker, I meet many authors who are disappointed in their book sales. I think it\u2019s fair to say that 100 percent of the time, the fault lies with the author. Fortunately, he or she has the power to change the situation. Here are seven common mistakes that authors make and tips for how to repair them:<\/p>\n
1: The author writes the wrong book for the wrong audience<\/strong>. Way too many authors write the book they want to write without truly considering their audience. It\u2019s no wonder they fail in their attempt to promote the book. They\u2019re trying to reach an audience that doesn\u2019t want or need the book. Gerald is a case in point. I met this author in St. Louis. He wrote a book featuring scientific proof that there is no God and planned to sell it to a general audience. As it happens, the audience for this book is most likely comprised of people just like him\u2014people with the same belief system.<\/p>\n There are two things this author can do: <\/p>\n \u2022\tHe can start marketing to the right audience. In the meantime, he can write and submit articles on his theory to help establish a platform to use when he finally produces the right book for the right audience.<\/p>\n 2: The author doesn\u2019t know that he is responsible for promotion<\/strong>. Obviously, this author didn\u2019t take the time and initiative to study the publishing industry or he would have known that his job isn\u2019t over once the book is published. Hopefully, the author will turn to informative sites, newsletters, forums and books where he\u2019ll quickly learn that authorship requires a commitment beyond the proper dotting of i\u2019s and the crossing of t\u2019s.<\/p>\n It\u2019s never too late to promote your book. Start now soliciting book reviews in appropriate magazines and at related Web sites and set up speaking engagements, for example.<\/p>\n 3: The author neglects to build promotion into his book while he\u2019s writing it<\/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\u2019ll want to include a complete index. For a novel, choose a setting that is conducive to promotion\u2014a town that others want to read about and that would welcome your promotional appearances.<\/p>\n You could build promotion into your how-to book by involving a lot of experts and\/or organizations. These individuals and organization leaders will promote the book to their contacts. For a novel, give a character a popular ailment. If you present it in a positive light, related associations might agree to help with promotion.<\/p>\n If you didn\u2019t think to build promotion into your book as you were writing it, dissect it now in search of possible promotional opportunities that are imbedded within. Does your young adult novel feature a girl with a horse? Perhaps horse and riding magazines, newsletters and Web sites would review it, publish excerpts or welcome your targeted article on an aspect of horsemanship. Maybe you could get some press related to your self-help book for women with phobias through health columns in newspapers nationwide, women\u2019s magazines or on radio talk shows such as \u201cThe Satellite Sisters.\u201d<\/p>\n Did you interview a high profile individual for your book? Ask her to promote the book to her audience. Request an interview with her for a major magazine. Do you have some impressive expert testimonials in your book? Play them up in your promotional material.<\/p>\n Watch for four more book promotion mistakes in the next post. In the meantime, avoid all publishing and book promotion mistakes by reading Publish Your Book<\/em> and Promote Your Book<\/em>. Both available in print, digital and audio at Amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You wrote an amazing book, designed it to perfection and even managed to get it published. But it isn\u2019t selling as well as you thought it would. What went wrong? As the executive director of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) and an international speaker, I meet many authors who are disappointed in their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[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\u2022\tOnce he sells enough copies of this book, he can go back to the drawing board and create a book that may actually appeal to a larger target audience.<\/p>\n