Is Selling Your Book A Zero Sum Game?

 

 

In professional sports, the zero-sum game is in effect. Someone wins only when someone loses. When a game is played, one team wins, the other loses. Over the course of a season, the team with the most wins has the highest playoff seeding, giving them a potential edge in terms of the level of competition they will face. But it is always clear: winners rule; losers go home.

 

But in the world of book marketing, this is not necessarily so. There are many ways to “win,” and there are not always a finite number of “winners.”

 

For instance, if you consider it a win to sell 100,000 copies of your book in a year’s time, the fact that other books sell that many won’t impact your ability to sell that amount. There are not a limited number of 100,000- copy-selling authors and one person’s ability to sell so many books does not directly correlate to you becoming unable to sell that many. In sports, there’s cause and effect – one wins so the other has to lose; but here, many authors can “win.”

 

Some aspects pf marketing do have limitations and win-lose scenarios built into them. For example, there are only so many NYT best-seller slots in a given week or year that are available to books in a certain category, genre, or format. So, if only 15 books for hardcover nonfiction can make this week’s list, only 15 books get on – and then all others cannot. There are 52 lists per year, so there are 780 different best-seller slots, so at best, if no book ever hits the list more than once in the year, 780 unique books could say they were NYT bestsellers – and any other nonfiction hardcover book is shit out of luck. This has a zero-sum element to it but specifically, just because book X is on the list, it does not mean that book “y” can’t make it. But, still, only so many books can make it.

 

When marketing your book, there are all kinds of opportunities to sell it. If you can’t make the NYT best-seller list this week, maybe you will next week. Perhaps you can hit another list, like Amazon’s or Publishers weekly’s list. Or, forget all of these lists and try something else, like book awards, or speaking engagements. Not your cup of tea? Try social media, direct marketing eblasts, or targeted FB ads. The list goes on.

 

The possibilities are endless – unless you have a close-the-door mentality, finding reasons why you can’t or won’t do something, filled with excuses or complaints about what hasn’t worked, while you miss out on opportunities to seek out what can work for you. There are no enemies or opposing teams out there when you promote a book, though there is stiff competition for your book to get noticed and bought. No zero-sum game limitations here. All that stops you is your attitude. Yes, your skills, knowledge, time, and money are big factors too, but it starts with your attitude, strategy, and execution approaches. Many mediocre books sell, so I can’t even say the quality of your book is always a major factor, though it is admittedly relevant.

 

So, remember, just because another author is successful, does not mean you can’t be as well. Do not create artificial limits on your potential. Pursue all of the opportunities presented to you and that you can create. Your book can win – without someone losing.

 

 

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 5,350,000 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