If you’re a new author, traditionally or independently published, one of the problems that you face is that you may not understand how book selling really works.
The publishing world is similar to a Mad Hatter’s tea party. Nobody is sure what’s happening or how it will end.
Consider these facts:
#1 Writers who are dedicated to selling their books, sell more books. This is not a game for the faint hearted. Stephen King sold books from his car to bookshops when he was getting started. The 2017 equivalent is being on social media and producing interesting, shareable blog posts at least once a week, about your book, your themes, your characters, your locations, anything connected with the book, which will inspire a desire in people to read it.
#2 There are readers out there for your book. You just have to find them. They won’t come to you. You have to go to them. How many you find will depend on the universal appeal of your book, the quality of your writing and your cover. If any of those are poor your sales will be low. Get those basic elements right or stay away from this business.
#3 If you’re in retail outlets you better hope your book gets on or near a front table. If you don’t your sales will be low, no matter how good your work is. If you’re online get reviews on Amazon. Beg some early if you have to. Just make them real. Phony reviews can be spotted from the first sentence. And if you get more poor reviews than good ones consider what readers are saying. If you have trouble getting reviews join our Review club on Facebook here.
#4 Publishing is gambling. That’s not something I came up with. A senior director of a top publishing house said it to me. And remember, you have to pay to gamble. And you don’t have any guarantees that you will get your money back. Publishers invest in PR, review copies, editing, online promotions, book store promotions and more, and still only a small percentage of books become best sellers. About one in every 500 traditionally published books in the US becomes a bestseller. Do you like those odds? This is the price you have to pay to be at the party.
#5 There is survival, and a living to be made, in the middle of everything. Whether you are self published or traditionally published this is where you are most likely to find yourself, earning between two and twenty thousand a year from your writing. Most writers don’t get rich, so don’t expect to. And please, warn your family not to start spending until the sales figures are in.
#6 Networking is a vital skill for an author. That’s how I got published by Harper Collins in over twenty countries and in eleven languages. I met an editor at an event. That was the ninth event I attended in five years. That’s what you call an overnight networking success in publishing.
#7 Use Twitter and Facebook and your blog properly. Connect with people. Help people. Offer value. Sure, don’t let it overwhelm your writing time. Just cut out TV and a lot of other things that are less useful for your long term goal and use that time online. If you don’t want to do that, then you are not dedicated. You might as well wait for the tooth fairy to come as wait for the readers to flock to you without making a sustained, creative effort to reach out to people online. Readers are waiting for your book. Go out and tell them why they should buy it.
So enjoy the party.
And get support from people who know how the party works, other writers, experienced book marketers, professionals who’ve done this before. Don’t spend big on services either. Keep your spending to what you can afford. You wouldn’t gamble with your rent for the next month, would you? Don’t go to the book selling tea party with more than you can afford to lose.
Don’t underestimate the amount of work you will need to do to make your Alice-like dreams come true. I read again and again about writers whose fourth, tenth or fourteenth book hit the big time. Think about how many years those writers invested in their craft and in nurturing their readers.
If you’re not prepared for a long stint at the party table, backing your books and dreams with investment in time and treasure, stay well away.
Reblogged this on Barrow Blogs and commented:
This helped me – so thought i would share
Tough words – but so true. It seems there is always more that can be done – an author’s life is like running uphill – most of the time!
Reblogged this on 1,000 Photos of my Life and commented:
Sage advice! As a new writer I am on the look out for information that will support my dreams and goals to be a writer.
Great article – linked to it at The Writers ABC Checklist blog: https://thewritersabcchecklist.blogspot.com
Yep that rings really true, thanks for an honest picture, and that is what i am planning to handle
Hi Laurence,
Great advice. With it being so easy to put ebooks up on Amazon, B&N and the like, people forget that thousands of others will do the same and to rise above them you probably have to put ten times more work into the promotion that you did into the writing, especially in non-fiction.
The one thing in your favour is that you will probably be in the minority if you do put the effort in and so you will reap the rewards.
Social marketing is one of those things where it can take time and if you can latch on to the right groups – those who have been there or are still there – many of them are willing to help a fellow struggler.
One further comment to add to your excellent suggestions is to ASK for reviews, ASK for shares and ASK for help if you feel you need it. It’s seldom offered first and seldom refused when requested.
Good luck to one and all in yor authoring life.
Regards,
Steven Lucas
Loved this, especially the “I met an editor at an event. That was the ninth event I attended in five years. That’s what you call an overnight networking success in publishing” bit! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks for this. I just started a publishing outfit, and how to go about marketing is challenging. This is a step forward. Thank you
I don’t underestimate the value of marketing. The problem is being able to assess its effectiveness when there are other other social media stuff going on to promote the book.
Thank you for this inspirational pep talk.
Your Pep Talk was very informative . I am learning daily about social media , promote book service and time management. I like that you said ask for help, ask for review in the beginning. Great article.
Best, most practical advice I’ve read about publishing and selling books in a long time! Thanks, Lawrence!
I agree wholeheartedly. Selling your books is not for the faint hearted!
This article was very insightful. I enjoyed and appreciate the truth stating… “If you’re not prepared for a long stint at the casino tables, placing your hard won books down on the table and backing them with the investment you can afford, stay well out of this business.” Thank you!
Hello Laurence:
Great article – candid and factual (smile). Thanks for sharing your wisdom and experience!!
Connected by the written word,
Marcía/USA-Atlanta, GA
The bottom line with writing is you have to do it because you enjoy it. If you were getting paid by the hour, well you wouldn’t do it. But that doesn’t mean that sales aren’t important and compared to my first books for my new book launch I’m putting much more effort into the marketing.
Thanks.
This really helped me to imagine the market I’m about to enter. However, writing is what I enjoy mostly. Hope I can deal with those, and willing to interact with other writers and readers as well.
Cheers.
It’s like the ad says – just do it!
Hi Laurence,
Thank you for a great article! I am about to launch my non-fiction book, Find my niche, and appreciate your advice! I will share your article on LinkedIn and Facebook too.
Erin
Thank you for the reminder of being committed to the process! It’s difficult and discouraging at times.
It is taking me a while, but I think I am catching on…thanks again for the information.
Perfect suggestions on bookselling, some of which I am doing and some I’ll do now after reading your advice. Thank you for this useful article.
Very helpful and insightful article.. Reposted it on own blog.
Such an excellent post. A lot of it is hard to believe if you aren’t a writer–heck even if you are. Thanks for a dispassionate, honest appraisal of the field as it is.
This was exactly the straightforward truth that I needed. And encouraging as well!
Great article and agree with all your points. Marketing can be a lonely place but we as authors or any business, need to get your product out there. Two of my books, MY WAY and MY WAY TOO on Amazon are all about book marketing! Get your book out there, I do to my 24k plus twitter followers, Facebook, LinkedIn, blog plus other platforms. I have author’s who use my services. That’s it. Good luck!
As usual, your sage advice inspires and motivates me!! Thanks for all you do for the “cause”!
Blessings!!
Margaret
Thanks a lot, Larry.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Margaret
A dose of hard truth. I love it.
I love to write and I will keep writing for the rest of my life if I’m able. I like how you pointed out that most writers publish multiple books before they see any real success, and also that the market is strange. Although you put effort there may not seem to be a lot of positive reaction at first. I like Winston Churchill’s famous speech and I live by it. Never give up! Never give up! Never give up!
Thanks,
Lawrence
Sincerely,
John U. Gunter
Great Article.
I’m so new at promotion but I loved my books and I will work to share their stories with a wider audience
I don’t mean to do this article down, its great, but I am wondering where you got the earnings figures from, I never made this kind of money in my life let alone in a year.
Excellent Book Selling Advice! I learned to use these same online skills and mindsets to get 300 readers last month on Amazon. I would love to purchase the book of the first Author that “LIKE’s & COMMENT my facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/AttractLeadership/
To Everyone’s Success,