It’s the weekend. You have time off from your day job. And you still have a book to promote. You sometimes wonder why you went ahead and published the book with expectations of making money on it, despite the warnings of professionals.
You may recall reading and hearing speakers say that books do not sell themselves—that they need promotion. And that book promotion takes a whole lot of time, energy and creativity.
You, however, had your own reality and expectations. You expected that bookselling would be easier than you’ve found it to be. You thought you’d be in a position, by now, to quit your job and write more books or, at least, go part-time.
I can imagine some of you cringing as you read this—realizing that this scenario pretty closely describes you. You didn’t take the warnings seriously. Your book didn’t sell like you expected. And you are still working full-time when you’d rather be a full-time author.
Okay, so now you have a few days off and you haven’t actually sold a book in a few weeks. Can you even remember when the last copy of your novel, children’s book, self-help book or memoir sold? Probably when you had a table at the local flea market last month, or to a few former classmates at your class reunion, or to your aunt who was visiting from Europe, or to a neighbor who wanted your children’s book as a birthday gift.
That’s good. This means that you’ve been out showing your book around and talking it up. And it follows, that if you were talking about it more, and getting more exposure for your book, you would be selling more copies of it. If more people knew about your book and if they were exposed to it more often—more regularly—you would be making more sales.
So what are you going to do this weekend? Cut the grass, read a book, invite people over for a barbecue? How about also making time to promote your book. This is a good time to start the habit of book promotion. Based on your experiences with marketing so far, choose a couple of promotional activities and schedule time to pursue them each and every evening or at least on the weekend.
So what’s your promotional activity of choice? What can you commit to for the sake of your book project? What can you do to make a turnaround and become a more successful published author?
Let me suggest that you purchase and study, study, study my book, Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques For the Enterprising Author. It’s at Amazon.com and at my website: http://www.matilijapress.com
It’s also at most downtown and online bookstores. This book provides over 250 book promotion options and helps you to determine which ones are best for you and for your particular book. It’s a great tool, support system and resource for any author who is new to or still struggling within the world of book marketing. And, I have to tell you, that is MOST authors today.
For those of you just entering into the world of book publishing or if you have a book and remain a tad clueless, please read the book I wrote for you—the book that could help you to create the success you are after. It’s Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. It’s at Amazon.com and other online and downtown bookstores, as well as my website, http://www.matilijapress.com