WHEN NOTHING WORKS in your book's marketing

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM:

 An author has to have a personal relationship with readers and a strong social media presence!

 By all means a writer has to blog, blog, blog. 

You have to get out there and do guest posts!

 You need to start a conversation with your readers!

REHASH OF THE OLD IS NOTHING NEW ... OR USEFUL.

There is one thing the writers of such articles tend to have in common:

They are not famous authors.

In fact, when you start to really examine things,

you will find that most tend to have fewer social media followers than you do!

WAKE UP CALL:

The idea that succeeds is not the one with the most truth,

but the one that has something in it that aids in its transmission.

In this case, people hunger to learn how they, too, can succeed.

I cannot stress this point enough:

 outside of your circle of friends no one cares who you are–

until you give them a compelling reason to.


People read because of who THEY are, not because of who YOU are.

HOW TO LOSE and HOW TO LOSE MORE SLOWLY:

1. Frittering Away Hours On Social Media Without A Plan

It is better to use social media than not to use social media. It is free, so you have nothing to lose.

If you tweet “here is the interview I did with such and such blog” it will not get many clicks. 

If you said something in the interview that was funny, topical, deep put it in quotes with a link.

Someone who is interested in the thought will click on the page 

and might be interested enough in who the writer is who said it to read the whole thing.

This may not sell books, but it has a better chance than the other way.

HOW TO LOSE MORE SLOWLY WITH #1

Set up a schedule.
 
A writer’s life is a business, not an arty dreamscape. Your time investment is valuable.

 

2. Impatience – You Quit Before Your Book Has A Chance

Too many authors give up after a few weeks. 

They complain sales are slow even though they’ve done extensive book ‘promotion’ on Twitter, Facebook and their author blog.

HOW TO LOSE MORE SLOWLY:

Persist, and push on -

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

Calvin Coolidge. 30th President of the United States (1923–1929)

 

3. Waiting To Promote Your Book Until After It’s Published

The day it launches is way too late to start marketing your book if you want to see a significant level.

HOW TO LOSE MORE SLOWLY:

Famous Strip-teasers knew better than to come out naked right at the start.  Tease.  Over a period of time.

4. Writing A Lone Book

You launch your book, it starts out well then fizzles. 

Sales slump, and it disappears down the Amazon rankings to languish at the bottom of the well.

HOW TO LOSE MORE SLOWLY: 

You need a whole series of books.

It is not obligatory to do this, but the results speak volumes. 

Your books are attractive products to which people become addicted and increasingly want more.

Furthermore, the third book is when success often starts to appear.

It takes time for an author’s work to find its audience, but when it does, the books all then begin to sell each other.

 

5. Writing Each Book In A Different Genre

Many writers claim “I write what is in my heart and soul. My books will fit where they want to. I can’t focus on the audience as well.”



True enough, except for the second part.

You can’t in fact write for everyone. Instead your books need to be written for a specific genre to build a broad readership.

HOW TO LOSE MORE SLOWLY: 

Pick your fiction genre.

Write your books to appeal to those looking for a specific genre.

For example, 

bestselling Author HP Mallory focuses specifically on the paranormal genre. This played a major role in her hitting the New York Times Bestseller list.

6. DEPEND ON BLOG INTERVIEWS:

The only reason anyone would read an interview with a person he has never heard of before

is to learn something about how to get his own books published, or about your book’s subject, or about the creative process. 

HOW TO LOSE MORE SLOWLY:

Be like a politician -

HEAR WHAT YOU NEED TO HEAR AND ANSWER THAT QUESTION --

 A blogger sends you a list of questions about whether or not you have pets, try to do what the politicians do when they do not want to answer something.

 Change the subject.

  “You bring up an interesting point about pets, I’m glad you asked that. It relates to a problem I had in the third chapter of the novel and what other writers can do with a similar problem …”

7.  You believe your karmic scoreboard is over-due for a blessing.

I believe in the concept of a “karmic scoreboard” actually –

that what you put out in the world will come back around to you.

Just not necessarily in the ways your dreams pine for.

 Self-publishing solely to advance yourself reduces your “karmic score.”


On the other hand, being kind, generous, and helpful –

being of service to others as your first goal – increases your karmic score.

If your motivation is to help others with no expectations of what you’ll get in return, 

you’ll find that the process is also self-supportive ... and you will make wonderful new friends.

How cool is that?

8. The 20% author and the fine art of self-promotion:

In a world with lots of talent, success requires more than simply being great.

HOW TO LOSE MORE SLOWLY:

When blogging, tweeting and Facebooking you should spend 80% of your time posting about things other than your book, and 20% selling.

That's right – 80% of what you post should not be a sales pitch.

Why?

Because readers are human beings,

who long to make connections with others. 

They join social networking sites

not to receive non-stop reminders to buy,

but to develop relationships.

I hope this helps a  bit.
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