Writing and Publishing News

You wrote an amazing book, designed it to perfection and even managed to get it published. But it isn’t 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 book sales. I think it’s 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:

1: The author writes the wrong book for the wrong audience. Way too many authors write the book they want to write without truly considering their audience. It’s no wonder they fail in their attempt to promote the book. They’re trying to reach an audience that doesn’t 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—people with the same belief system.

There are two things this author can do:

• He can start marketing to the right audience.
• Once 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.

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.

2: The author doesn’t know that he is responsible for promotion. Obviously, this author didn’t take the time and initiative to study the publishing industry or he would have known that his job isn’t over once the book is published. Hopefully, the author will turn to informative sites, newsletters, forums and books where he’ll quickly learn that authorship requires a commitment beyond the proper dotting of i’s and the crossing of t’s.

It’s 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.

3: The author neglects to build promotion into his book while he’s writing it. 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’ll want to include a complete index. For a novel, choose a setting that is conducive to promotion—a town that others want to read about and that would welcome your promotional appearances.

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.

If you didn’t 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’s magazines or on radio talk shows such as “The Satellite Sisters.”

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.

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 and Promote Your Book. Both available in print, digital and audio at Amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores.

Here’s a tip for authors who travel. Whether your trip is for pleasure or you’re traveling to speak at a conference, make it a habit to schedule additional engagements.

When I arrange to speak at a writers conference out of state, for example, I might contact writers’ groups in the area to ask if I can be a guest speaker for a meeting that week. I might work with a local librarian or booksellers to set up a workshop or other presentation in a neighboring city. And if I’m able to do so, I will call a local radio show host and ask to be interviewed just prior to my arrival.

Depending on the genre or theme of your book, you might contact a school, college or university and schedule a visit to a classroom or two. Perhaps your audience attends church association meetings, gather once a month at a local hobby shop or meet in a downtown coffee house, for example. If you have an interesting presentation or some valuable resources and information you can pass along related to the interests of these people, they would undoubtedly find a way to accommodate you—and you would sell books.

Pages 50 through 54 in my book, Talk Up Your Book, walk you through the process of setting up out-of-town speaking engagements. Order your print, Kindle or audio copy at Amazon.com.