Advice For Authors Who Say Nothing Works

 

 

All authors eventually have to confront the nagging point that book sales have slowed and efforts to rejuvenate things seem muted. Perhaps the book never had its moment of success or it did but things have now stalled. They wonder: Should I keep trying or is it time to pack it in? 

Should you pour thousands of dollars of additional money, invest hundreds of more hours, and devote more mindshare to market a book that doesn’t seem to be on anyone’s radar? 

You will first need to answer if you already did these things:

·         Spend money to get published?

·         Pay for marketing without good results?

·         Find yourself pursuing dead ends? 

Are you jaded and demoralized – or do you see reason for hope and opportunity? 

Are you starting to wonder if only celebrities and best-selling authors from a Big 5 publisher hog all of the marketplace, leaving scraps for most others to fight after? 

What did you in?

·         A lack of help or bad help?

·         Bad strategy or the poor execution of it?

·         Lousy timing or bad luck?

·         Being uninformed, misinformed, or confused? 

Could new things be done that have potential? Can you do what you initially attempted? 

Authors have a right to feel frustration but it is not a license to quit. They feel understandably exhausted. It takes effort and work to succeed. Sure, you should be cautious with your hard-earned money, but book require an investment, even risky, one at that. 

You may wonder if anything will work and lament on your shortcomings and failures, but you must remain resilient, optimistic, and hopeful. Work smart, seek help, and be open to trying new things, done in new ways. 

Toss in the towel if the book is just not very good. But if it is exceptionally good, then it is the marketing that needs to step up to match the book’s greatness. 

When authors say nothing works, all that they are saying is nothing has worked for them, in the way that they did it -- so far. Did they really try everything? Perhaps not/ Did they do many things right? Unlikely. Did they stick with things long enough? Probably not. 

Authors need to really analyze how they can improve what they do – not just the results that they get. If the process, method, and approach is right towards marketing, you will get results. But often, corners are cut or authors act on bad information. But book marketing takes time, effort, smarts, and a belief that success awaits you beyond today’s rejection. 

Keep trying. 

Book marketing, if done well and often, should yield good results.

 

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 blog, with over 4,000 posts over the past decade, 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 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Susan RoAne, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, IBPA, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. He has been featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald. For more information, please consult: linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.