One has to do the work. Absolutely. But one also has to know what that work entails. Two things are critical to the process: A stellar book and a marketing plan.

There is a formula for everything. Writing is no exception. Selling a book is no exception. I wrote a book and self-published through a reputable independent  publisher. I gave them my money and they completed the process. I purchased a plan and then added on line-by-line editing. After approving the final galley proof, I ended up finding more and more errors that I couldn’t live with. These were costly to fix. Next time I will know better. In addition, I paid a good amount for a press release, advertising, and a WP website. I was pleased with the book. Happily so. The advertising generated few sales. My first book. Right? Not too surprising. The website had its problems, I couldn’t manipulate it to my satisfaction, some of the plugins refused to work for me. It soon languished, later to be abandoned out of pure frustration. I returned to my blogger site as my focus. All of this wasn’t the publisher’s fault, but due to my lack of knowledge. I hadn’t done my homework. (I knew nothing, nothing, nothing) To keep in the know to see if my book was selling (and it wasn’t, except on rare occasions when it got a little buzz), I tracked my book’s progress via Amazon’s Author Central. I saw spikes in sales when my book was mentioned two times in my alma mater’s magazine (I made the contact), and when the book first came out and family and friends were taking notice. I sold much of my first shipment of inventory (in the picture). The next shipment, equally large, sits in my closet except for the forty or so that I’ve given away. That’s the problem when you don’t know what you’re doing.

Who buys my book? Mostly my friends, family, college friends, people who know me—my contacts. That is about it from what I can tell. A few more are buying my book as my contact list expands. What now? I asked myself a year after the book was published. Giving away a lot of books, even a few books to solicit reviews for my Amazon site, hasn’t worked well for me. Even people who said they would review don’t always come through. Things happen, sometimes circumstances prevent it. I find that people like my book. I receive wonderful comments in person and in emails. One man said it even did more for him than reading Oswald Chambers. High praise. I am glad it is well received, which is validation that helps me keep moving forward with my writing. 

It is discouraging, though, to put it lightly. Most readers don’t post reviews and far too many books sit on the shelf (or ‘print on demand’ virtual shelf at the publisher) waiting to find their readers. A few months ago, I figured it out that more people would buy my book if they had a way of knowing about it. (not rocket science here!) When you’re an unknown and unproven author self-publishing in a flooded market, people must have a way to find out about you and what you have to offer them. From the book reviews, the buyer decides if it is worth the time and effort (and money) to read your book (few reviews or only old reviews risk communicating a negative message to the buyer). I believed in my book’s message. In fact, I believed it was one of hope and help for the despairing, one that could be helpful. I decided to take personal stock of my situation, to decide on the best possible direction for myself. (Remember, I couldn’t spend bunches and bunches, a limiting factor)

What to do? I realized it was up to me. I decided to learn more about book marketing before finishing my second book. I put myself on hold in that department. I didn’t want to put good money after bad and have the same thing happen to my second book. In my research, I found out that it’s not just about having a blog and twitter (which I had been faithfully using), google plus or linked-in (I am also a part of) or facebook and goodreads. These, in themselves, are not enough for an unknown author to get a bounce which will propel them into the buyers’ arena, if it is a random hit-and-miss effort. It matters how these are used, in what way, if they are planned and purposed endeavors. It matters if they are a streamlined approach with a consistent message, one that creates fidelity to its brand. It matters very much in getting a book noticed and in improving an author presence on the web, that is, if one wants to be taken as serious in the book writing business, and if an author wants their writings to be noticed in the big business of books. Intentional contact with online communities and people in the field is essential. Connecting with others is critical for establishing an on-line presence.

I have learned that there are many formulas. After finishing a couple of online marketing classes and working on a book launch team. I wrote in my journal a list that grouped what I was learning. I have to confess, I was feeling some burnout as I wrote it, a bit sarcastic in tone. Sort of smiling and venting at the same time. I chronicled my awareness of formulas that are necessary for book writing and marketing success.  For me, it had been like coming out of the dark ages into the Renaissance. My marketing and book launching endeavors had consumed copious hours of my time. Both very helpful and challenging to me as a novice in the field. So much to learn. Amazing. My mind was swimming, I couldn’t keep up with everything.

What kind of formulas? There are literally . . .

• Formulas for titles, that is, if you want search engines to pick them up. You will want to use words that emotionally connect with the reader to entice them into wanting that particular book, titles that say, Buy Me!
• Formulas for book covers, that is, if you want that instant eye appeal. Use that professional font which works according to the specific venue, book covers that show skill, visual appeal, expertise, (non-indie looking!), high-quality, like amazing!
• Formulas for marketing, that is, if you want to get noticed in a high-octane world. This is essential—to sell your brand, to make a noise, to find your niche, to create a following that will open up a way for you to stake a claim in the overcrowded market of recently published books.
• Formulas for networking, that is, creating a platform that gets noticed in a busy world, a place for people to find you, to recognize your product, to pay attention to your voice, and, did I say, to get your point of view across that will make you stand out in the crowded marketplace.
• Formulas for a successful author enterprise, that is, that pays your way, this includes selling on the side, re-purposing content from tele-seminars, publishing sets of e-books, virtual blog tours to increase traffic to your site, audio conferencing in your field, pod-casting and radio blogging for the audio listener, and video trailers for visual learners, Google-plus interviews and expanding of author circles for the name association and contact base, and, the all important, making money through the links and contacts from your blogging site or other, and writing more books to sell your already published books, a worthy endeavor. Keep them coming and we’ll keep buying them….at least that’s the theory. I’ll let you know if it works for me!
•  Formulas for indies, that is, for the independent writer who self-publishes their work. You must do the work, become someone who finds a way to develop your craft, publish the work on a shoe-string, all to have a chance at the global market place. It helps to know what an “indie” is, I didn’t know at first. Crazy!
  
• Formulas for the actual book writing, that will help sell the book, that is, include the necessaries. Get the services and formats you need to propel a good book forward: book editing, book shepherds, Amazon book search words, book reviews, book launch team, book promotion agenda, and don’t forget those ratings! Get those ratings to work for you so you can hit those coveted Best Seller rankings. And, did I say, sell lots of books. Do this. You may even have to give free ebooks away. It’s one more formula for success, to get your name out there. Besides, people like free things.

That list is not exhaustive. It includes many other possibilities: Author Central, Facebook author pages, and on-line book clubs exist. There are many ways to create a subscription list.  All to help the author and the reader find each other. A good thing, too. It all takes time and know-how. Keep on trekking, or should I say, keep on learning and applying. Look at me, this WordPress site is one that I am building on my own, learning as I go. I look for people who know their business, and then I apply the knowledge or products. Since I don’t have money to burn, I take care in my selections. I notice the trends, gurus, and mentors. It’s like a community, a nice community at that.

If I have learned one thing in the last few months of gathering information about this author enterprise, it is this: In today’s world you can’t assume your book will sell on its own merit. A few get lucky, I know. But not most of us. You must do much much more. The author must wear another hat. Best seller rankings, number crunching in the Amazon categories, and a whole craft is devoted to this second side of authorship. Selling the book. The sales are up to you as the author. The newly published or soon-to-be published author must become savvy. No keeping the head buried in the sand will do. Life will pass you by. In your closet will sit stacks of books unsold, unread, unknown—a book unread by unknown readers who don’t even know your unsold book exists. They don’t know you have a public offering that will increase awareness in your area of expertise, your brand.