Stop The 4 Book Marketing Killers

 

Fear.

Guilt.

Anger.

Ego.

Do any or all of these stop you from marketing your book effectively?

One or more of the above is what keeps authors from embracing the marketing of themselves. They know they need to promote their books, but something stands in their way. It is themselves.

Yes, authors sabotage their writing careers every single day, whether intentionally or unknowingly.

It is not about a lack of skills, knowledge, time, connections. or money that leave an author languishing. It is their attitude and frame of mind that rots their marketing like a cancer. Some authors have a covid of the mind. 

If this sounds like you, don’t accept this diagnosis as a death sentence on your writing career. If you don’t believe you suffer from at least one of the four maladies I have identified, stop reading, or, take a step back to reflect and examine why your marketing efforts are non-existent or have failed. 

Let’s look at these four areas more closely: 

Guilt - You may feel guilty over not doing enough to market your book to the point you use it as a crutch to not do anything. Or, you market yourself, but something holds you back, psychologically, from fully realizing your potential. Instead of feeling nagged by your inner voice, quench that thirst by expending your energies not on worries and guilt but on action.  

Take action and do things. Guilt is not an action. It is a distraction.

Fear — You fear that you are not sure what to do, so you do nothing. Or, you fear that you don’t know how to do something, so you feel crippled and inert. Learn what needs to be done and then do it. Experiment. It is ok to fall short. Learn as you go and improve.  

Or, hire a seasoned pro to help guide you or do something for you. Wait, maybe you have a fear of success? Deal with success when it finally arrives. Until then, you have nothing to lose by trying and taking action steps to market your book. 

Anger — Many authors are frustrated by marketing. They want to be judged for the quality of their writing content and not the popularity of marketing. They prefer substance over style. They are fretting over having to market and be judged by it.  

They become jealous of the success of other writers whom they feel are less deserving. Their anger over having to market pushes them away from the very tool that they need to compete with.

Ego — Authors with an ego bigger than singer Lizzo’s ass or one that feels dwarfed and unworthy like the ever-insecure Woody Allen are both causing detrimental harm to those in need of marketing.  

If you feel your work is so great, you may not try as hard at marketing. You expect people to flock to your greatness. But there is a problem: no one knows your book exists. Marketing is intended to not just put a positive spin on a book, but rather, it is the megaphone being used to alert others that your book exists. Few will naturally or randomly discover it. They certainly won’t be looking for what they are not aware of. So, get off your high pedal and dig in to do what is needed.  

As for the shy or insecure author who feels they are no better than so many other books out there— or who feel awkward about promoting themselves — I say, get a spine. Grow a pair. Ladies, too. Believe in yourself and know that the author that acts as if, becomes whom they believe they really are. The author who doesn’t see themselves as worthy will be set for failure without even trying to market. 

There you have it. I am not a doctor, therapist, or even a psychology major, but what I say is true, accurate, and reflective of many authors — across all genres or wherever they may be on the publishing spectrum.  

The solution? Just listen to me, don’t argue or try to prove me wrong so you can feel justified in clutching to your excuses. I beg of you, unleash the marketer within you. Hire someone to help, if needed. But for God’s sake, get out of your own way. Stop working against yourself. Wake up! Move on.  

Just do it. No more discussions on why something is the way it is or why something was not done. I don’t care about excuses, setbacks, losses, or challenges. Whine to your pastor, therapist, mother, or a social worker. Not me. Just start moving forward on marketing yourself. 

This is your Come To Jesus Moment (even if you are atheist, Jewish, or Muslim). Take a step forward, just one leap of faith, and you will turn a corner on your career as an author.  

You can do it. So do it.

Please Contact Me For Help

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres.

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2022. 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. It was 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.