Authors Must Throw Out Their Participation Trophy

 

“Give yourself a round of applause for getting yourself to this point and becoming a published author.”

This is the kind of ass-kissing, weak-messaging I see online or hear at seminars and conferences. Sit down and stop clapping for yourself.

Though we have become a participation trophy society, I am here to tell you that writing your book is not the hard part, it is the easy part. It is great that you wrote a book but that is not an accomplishment that you hang your hat on. That is the entrance fee for what comes next: marketing your book so that it sells and has an impact on others.

A published book means little if no one reads it. Take a moment to absorb that. Writing is a hobby if your work never sees the light of day. But once you get it published, it is only accomplishment of note if you dedicate your time, resources, and mindshare to promoting it successfully.

If you agree with what I just said, you will feel energized to act, letting a sense of urgency overcome passivity. Writing a book is like writing a resume. If you don’t get a job interview from that resume, the accomplishment of writing it means nothing. If you write a book that fails to gain readership, it is as if it were never published.

So, you ask now: What am I supposed to do? What can I do? What can I afford to do?

Those are the questions you must answer. The first part is about developing a book promotion strategy that can work for you. To do so requires awareness of what is even possible for an author to do to push their book. So, step one: Learn what is available to an author and then determine a logical and customized plan tailored for your book’s marketplace and with consideration for your abilities and resources to execute such a plan.

Next, assess your skill set capabilities, your schedule, and your desires. Maybe speaking at events is an effective way to sell your book but you are shy or believe you lack the time to do this. Ok, move on to other things like social media, book awards, interviews with the media, etc. For those areas that would be effective, that you have an ability, the time, and an interest in doing, go for it

For the things that you know should be done — but lack the ability or time or desire to do — see if they can be outsourced. No one can make public appearances for you, but they can be your social media surrogate, design a website, seek out media coverage, etc. You just need to set a budget and find an affordable, reliable, and productive vendor to help you.

This is the moment of truth: What will you do to market your book? You can stick your publishing trophy where the sun does not shine, for you have not accomplished anything until you become a marketing machine.

 

Do You Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over four million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 4.7 million pageviews. With 5,400+ posts over the past 14 years, it 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 www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity 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, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

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. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum