Can Authors Stop Choosing To Fail?

 

Most authors choose to fail. Yes, I said it. They make a clear, cognizant, wholehearted decision to fail, or at least, not to succeed. They are holding themselves back from getting their books sold and read. They sabotage their books like moms who have Munchausen Syndrome hurt their kids.

You may disagree with me, but it is true nonetheless.

You may ask me: “Why do you think that?” It does not matter, though there can be many factors that cause this to happen.

What you should ask is: “How do we reverse this trend?”

Writers write, and when not writing, they think about writing. What about book marketing?

They might say they are one or more of these things:

* Too busy — no time to market.
* Too costly — can’t afford it.
* Not sure what to do — crippled by inertia.
* Unskilled or unknowledgeable on how to execute the marketing campaign elements — and they don’t seek to learn.
* Just don’t like marketing and only want to write.
* Lack confidence in themselves, are shy or just not comfortable talking about their book.

The list goes on, as a mound of mental marketing debt piles up into nothing more than a database of excuses. Authors have a bucket list of marketing mountains to climb, but they have not even strapped on their hiking boots.

Do not take comfort in knowing that your book marketing mindset failure is common and that it afflicts the vast majority of your fellow key-strokers. No, kick yourself i. the ass that you desperately need to get off of. You are missing a golden opportunity—a flood of these books are out there but your competition is only the few who actively market their books. Imagine if you made a choice — and an effort — to succeed!?

Okay, there is a way to turn things around. Here are some suggested solutions:

Change course. Realize that I speak Gospel and repent! Reform your ways and move towards the right path.

See a therapist. Take meds. Unblock yourself so that you can see and act clearly — and in your best interests.

Get marketing help. Hire book professional promotions experts. Make an investment in supporting your book. Borrow funds, trade favors with others, beg for volunteer assistance, or fundraise.

Commit to learning about book marketing and doing more.

Reassess your priorities and goals and shift your schedule so that it is more dedicated to marketing your book — no ifs, ands, or buts.

Or, just give up.

If you have no faith in your book, don’t waste a second marketing it. If you believe it is a good or great book, you must market it.

Discovery in a crowded marketplace and noisy media landscape rarely happens without a push, so if you are not committed to marketing your book, you have made a clear choice: You are killing your book. It is being taken off life support, unfed and untended to, waiting for the organs to just shut down and for it to just wither away and die. Throw your books into the recycled garbage bin or donate them to libraries and non-profits.

Make a conscious and conscientious decision to succeed — not to fail — and take the action steps needed to market your book successfully.

Do You Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum 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 5,000,000 page views. 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