“How can I possibly take time to promote a book?” “I have a life, you know.” “I wrote the book, isn’t that enough? Now it’s time for me to take my life back and collect royalties, right?” “Anyway, this book will sell itself!”
This is the mindset of many, many new authors. In fact, this is the reason why so many books fail in the marketplace. The figure used to be “nearly 78%.” Now, I understand the failure rate is closer to 98%. Shocking, but true.
Actually, this is not so shocking to those of us who work with authors. Why? Because we know that most authors today enter into the publishing business with a hobby mentality. Everyone knows someone with a book in the works or one or two published books. Every celebrity, business guru, retired teacher, housewife, immigrant, former victim, extreme sportsperson, and ditch digger has a book out. There have always been people with life-changing experiences, and now, they’re all writing their stories. Millions of men and women over the years have thought up stories for children or full-blown adult novels. But now those stories can easily become published books. There’s nothing lacking in the ability to get a book idea into print or on a digital reader. It’s as easy as slipping on a banana peel. What is lacking in most authors today is a business head.
Finding and paying a printer or a publisher is a piece of cake. It’s what comes after, that stops most unaware authors in their tracks. PROMOTION!
I maintain that promotion should start the moment you decide to write that book. The first thing you should think about is often the last thing you consider—your audience. Most authors write the book he or she wants—they write for themselves. Once the book is published, THEN they begin thinking about their audience. It doesn’t work that way, folks. You wouldn’t open any other type of business without first knowing something about the business, your potential customers and their needs/desires, your competition, your distributors and suppliers, as well as what it will take to reach your particular customers.
Well, news flash: Publishing is a business and those who succeed are those who step into it with a business mindset.
Those authors who often fail first are those who write something they hope will change minds—they are bent on forcing their opinions on readers. Another group whose failure rate is high are those who write their memoir, giving a lot of uninteresting facts and family history that readers can’t connect with or learn from.
To learn more about publishing and book promotion read my books, “Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author,” and “Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author.” http://www.matilijapress.com. Also available are a series of ebooks for $1.99 each. They include “50 Ways to Promote Your Book,” “50 Ways to Promote an Ebook,” “50 Reasons Why You SHOULD Write That Book…”
I’ve been writing for publication for over 40 years. I earned my living as a freelance writer for decades and I’m the author of 48 books. I established my own publishing company in 1983, before it was fashionable. While many of my books are self-published—through my publishing company, Matilija Press—I’ve also published with traditional publishers. I was President and then Executive Director of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) for over ten years and I now work for and with other authors on their writing projects. I’ve also begun dabbling in fiction. Check out my Klepto Cat Mystery series—there are 8 published so far. http://amzn.to/1kAI8I2