How
many copies do you actually think you can sell of your book? Really, I want to know. So should you.
That
is the question that you need to ask:
· Before you write it.
· Before you publish it.
·
Before you market it.
Notice
I didn’t say how many copies do you think will be purchased? I want to know not what will sell by luck or
the help of others, but by your efforts.
In
order to take responsibility for book sales, you need to be involved in the
process. If you are published by
someone, you need to know what that publisher is doing – and then to not only be
on top of them for what they committed to do, but to figure out how you can
fill in the gaps of what they admittedly will ignore.
If
you self-publish, you know it all falls onto your shoulders. You shouldn’t expect anyone to do anything
for you – unless you pay them, trade for help, or find a charity that will
assist you.
So
let’s look at the big picture as to what impacts book sales:
1.
Is
your book priced right – compared to similar books, books in general, and other
competing content providers?
2.
Does
your book have good distribution? Is it
listed for sale on all major websites – other than Amazon? Is it available in print, and if so, is it
stocked in stores? Is it in audio form,
whether as a digital stream or CD – and is it listed for sale all over the
place?
3.
Is
there a marketing plan in place that covers:
·
Advertising?
·
Public
relations and news media?
·
Speaking
appearances?
·
Affiliate
sales?
·
Marketing
to libraries, bulk sales to organizations, campuses, gift shops, religious book
stores?
· Social
media?
4.
Have
you called upon those you know to buy the book and to share information about
your book with those that they know?
5.
Do
you have a grass roots campaign to dedicate your time to daily, where you look
to personally impact sales by reaching out in person, by -- phone, mail, or email, to those who can buy books or
help you sell them?
Many
books do not sell a lot of copies. What’s a lot? Only a handful sell over a million copies.
The vast majority of books, especially self-published ones, do not cross the
5,000-copy threshold within the first year of publication. For some, they may only sell a few hundred –
or fewer – copies.
Shock,
dismay. frustration, depression, anger, and confusion all suffocate the author
upon seeing his or her gem virtually ignored by the book-buying public. Blame is everywhere. The publisher did nothing to help. The publicist fell short. The bookstore rejected you as a speaker for
no good reason. The book reviewer
doesn’t understand how good your book is.
But
the blame starts first with the author.
You take control of your writing career – no one else. Do not subcontract this task to a literary
agent, publisher, or freelancer.
Do not think everyone’s crazy or incompetent. Do not believe no other book is as good as yours. Do not look beyond yourself.
Do not think everyone’s crazy or incompetent. Do not believe no other book is as good as yours. Do not look beyond yourself.
Here’s
what you need to do:
1.
Make
a plan.
2.
Put
resources into executing it.
3.
Underestimate
success rather than predict greatness.
4.
Work
twice as hard as you think you should.
5.
Spend
your energy and brainpower on creativity and on doing – not by whining,
dreaming or arguing.
Book
sales are hard to come by. Competition
is fierce and the book-buying public is not growing in size. You must expect nothing from everyone but
take the necessary steps to execute a solid book marketing plan if you are to
seize control of your book sales and writing career.
Now,
no matter what authors do, the vast majority will fall short. It’s a numbers
game. But if you want to be amongst
those who break through and succeed, you need to be in it to win it. Don’t leave this up to chance, ego, or
ignorance – you must, must, must steer the ship.
Begin
by pulling out of the harbor – and wear a life vest!
DON”T MISS THESE!!!
How do you find more book reviewers?
When writers can’t find time to write and market their
books
Authors really need to be SUPREME in their book marketing
How to use the right words to market your book
Best Book On Fake News Shows Us How To Defeat The Lies
Valuable Info On Book Marketing Landscape For First-Time
Authors
Scores of Best-Selling Book PR Tips from Book Expo PR
Panel
How should authors sell themselves?
Enjoy New 2018 Author Book Marketing & PR Toolkit --
7th annual edition just released
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