I often receive emails from authors who have read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. They start their message by thanking me for writing the book and telling me how much it helped them and then they proceed to say one of the following:
• I published my book through ______ “self-publishing” company and things aren’t going well.
• My book isn’t selling and I don’t know what to do.
• I made some mistakes by not following your advice and now I have a poorly edited, poorly designed, poorly targeted book that I can’t sell.
They ask me:
• “What can I do now?”
• “How can I promote my book?”
• “What’s the best way to promote this book?”
Now what am I supposed to do with that? The author neglects to take the steps necessary for the success of his project and now he/she wants a quick fix. What are some of the mistakes that authors make? I can think of 10!
1. They don’t bother to study the publishing industry before getting involved.
2. They slap a crummy title and a poorly designed cover on the book.
3. They don’t have their manuscript edited (BIG MISTAKE).
4. They don’t research the market for their particular book before writing it.
5. They don’t keep their readers in mind while writing it.
6. They neglect to build promotion into the book while writing it.
7. They neglect to really research their publishing options.
8. They don’t check out the reputation of their “self-publishing” company.
9. They avoid even thinking about book promotion until after the book is published.
10. They give up when promotion gets too tough.
How many of these 10 sins have you committed? If you are working on a book or are contemplating writing a book, give your book a chance by avoiding all of these mistakes. Read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and follow it to success. Order it from me (I get more of the profit) http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html. Or buy it through any of the online bookstores—Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, etc.
If you have a book that is faltering in the market, order my ebook The Author’s Repair Kit. The only place you can get it is from my website at http://www.matilijapress.com/author_repairkit.html.
This is the only book I know of that will help you to revive a failing book. It’s short (27 pages) and to the point and extremely insightful and useful. It’s only $5.95 (no shipping involved).
I have a few possible students for my online Book Promotion Workshop. If you need help promoting your book and can spare a couple of hours per week for the next 6 weeks, this may be a good time for you to sign up for this course. How many books have you sold during these last few months? 100? 10? 0? Are you running out of promotional ideas? Are the activities you are pursuing only minimally successful? Does your marketing plan need a shot in the arm? Could you use some new promotional ideas? Consider joining in on my Book Promotion Workshop and get individual attention to help you find new ways to sell more books. Check it out at: http://www.matilijaperss.com/course_bookpromotion.htm
Questions? Contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com.