You must visit Terry Whalin’s July 26, 2008 blog. It features the 5-star review for my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. And Terry has posted my article on the post-publication book proposal, as well. See it all here: http://terrywhalin.blogspot.com/2008/07/write-publish-and-sell-your-book.html
Some of my clients are suffering something that others only dream of. They’re experiencing overwhelm. Some of them have crashed. They feel exhausted. They don’t know what to do next? Why? And why would anyone want to suffer this way?
These clients have completed their books. Their books have been published and they’re holding copies in their hands. Some of these authors have boxes of books stored in their spare rooms, garages or storage sheds. They feel a sense of completion and accomplishment after months or even years of solid work. Others don’t have stored books, but they can order as many books as they want/need from their POD publishing service for a price.
Both groups of authors are stuck. They don’t know what to do next. The initial, “I’m an author,” realization is waning and book orders are not coming in by the thousands. What next? What now? Some wonder, is this what Patricia Fry meant when she kept telling me, “Enjoy the process because, as hard as it was writing the book and as difficult and foreign as the process of publishing might be, it will only get harder. Book promotion is not for sissies.”
And it’s not only my clients who are suffering. Others contact me through SPAWN, my articles and my blog or come up to my booth at book festivals. They ask for answers and hope for miracles. “Please, do you have an easy quick fix for me? Tell me how to sell my books. I only need to sell a few hundred to get my money back.”
What happened to, “Sure, I’ll promote this book. I should be able to sell thousands. The market is huge and I’m willing to get out there and promote, promote, promote.”
Struggling authors want me to chart a course for them or at least give them some ideas for promoting their books. When I do, some of them begin reciting all of the reasons why they can’t spend the time promoting. A typical response is, “Oh, I tried that. Yes, I went out and spoke to my daughter’s preschool PTO (or my husband’s poker club, or my neighbor’s tai chi class) and sold only a few copies of my poetry book. That didn’t work.”
Authors, before you decide to write a book for publication, please think it through. Read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book from cover to cover. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html. Study, study, study until you understand what book promotion is all about. Here’s what it is not:
• It is not a one-time shot proposition.
• It is not a one-week, one-month or even one-year commitment.
• It is not usually a one-activity process—send press releases and call it good.
• It is not a task you can push off on someone else. No one else cares as much about your book as you do. Even if you decide to invest in a publicist, you will be expected to participate a LOT!
• It is not for the short-sighted, timid, reserved individual.
Book promotion, for those who want to sell more than a few copies of their books to friends and family, is a time-consuming, long-term commitment which requires plenty of energy, creativity and dedication. It’s darn hard work!!!
I had a conversation yesterday with an author who said he is sure eager to get his book manuscript completed and published so he can—get this—write his next book. I attempted to reason with him—advising him that after publication comes promotion: lots and lots of it for many, many months/years. At that point, his eyes glazed over, I could read the writing on his pupils. It said, “I’m in complete denial and I can’t HEAR you!”
You used care in writing your book. You worked hard to find the right publishing option and to see it through. Now you must work ten times harder to make your book a success in the marketplace. Let me help: Sign up today for my online, on-demand Book Promotion course. http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookpromotion.htm Read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html