Authors Have Many Reasons To Give Up – But They Shouldn't

 

Today, during a 24-hour period of time, more than 4.000 new books will be released for purchase. Tomorrow, same thing. And again the next day. Every single day, weekend, holiday, snow day.... 4,000 more books flood the crowded marketplace, joining millions and millions of books released just in the last few years, as well as a backlist of millions of more books. It is not shocking that an author feels lost at sea, so what can or should an author do when he or she feels like his or her book is ignored by consumers?

As an author you did a lot to pen and publish your book but all of that is the warm-up act for what is to happen next to give your book a legitimate chance at success. The analogy? You just gave birth to your baby, but you are not done. Now you have to raise and see this lump of life off to college.

That means time, money, anxiety, brainstorming, and sweat will need to be invested. Just as some babies grow up to be losers and disappointments, many books die a painful death. Even the best parenting with plenty of resources can raise addicts, dropouts, rapists, murderers, and run-of-the-mill racists. So too will some authors, no matter what they do, will see their book go nowhere but to the 99-cent store.

Ok, so do not despair. Yes there is a ton of competition — and even very good books with support behind them will fail. But you must be the optimist and assume you can be successful with the right effort, game plan, and investment of resources. You have to believe in yourself and you have to try harder than you are willing to.

So what should you do? Something, not everything. Experiment and diversify and see what fits you and your skill set, time availability, wallet, knowledge, experience, and vision. Determine what you will do, what you will outsource, and what you will ignore without reservation.

Not sure where to start?

Look at the things that are obtainable, reachable, and logical. The low-hanging fruit. Solicit those you know — family, friends, neighbors, alumni, fellow church members, coworkers, and acquaintances. Ask them to buy a book, post a positive review on amazon and bn.com, blog about it, and post a link to your book on their social media platforms a few times. Ask them to introduce you to people they know— to buy a book, post a positive review on amazon and bn.com, blog about it, and post a link to your book on their social media platforms a few times.

Next, do what is free, such as blogging, podcasting or creating videos. Disseminate info about your book via your social media. Continually look to grow your number of social media contacts. Always network — online and off.

Then, explore securing speaking engagements, getting traditional media coverage, undertaking advertising, and pursuing bulk sales to industry organizations, schools, government agencies, businesses, non-profits, and companies. 

Explore collaborating with others, even competing authors. Share ideas, resources, and emotional support.

Authors may feel overwhelmed by the competition and odds of failure, but authors should also reaffirm a belief in their books, and must confidently, assertively, and energetically pursue all of the opportunities within their reach. They must choose to embrace an opportunistic mindset and push, scrape, and claw their way to success.

Keep believing in yourself. Keep taking active steps to realize your vision. You can always give up — just not today.

 

Learn, Grow, Succeed!!

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Brian Feinblum, the founder of BookMarketingBuzzBlog, can be reached at  brianfeinblum@gmail.com.  You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2021. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America. For more information, please consult: linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.