Fuel for Author Disappointment
By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin
Running on empty? Not selling as many books as you want to sell? Just like a car needs gas for fuel, authors need to take action to reach readers. Which actions are effective? I’m going to give you some answers below.
First, some background about some situations where I asked these questions. As an acquisitions editor at a New York publisher, Morgan James Publishing, often I speak with authors about their books. One our novelists with a trilogy of books, published his first novel with us about six months ago. Now he's speaking with me about getting a contract for books two and three in his series. Doing my due dilligence, I asked about the sales of his first novel. I learned this book has sold 40 copies in the bookstores. What disappointing news and shows this author did little (if anything) to promote those bookstore sales. The primary way our company makes money is selling books in the bookstores.
I’m speaking with another author who years ago published his first book with Morgan James. Now he is approaching me about publishing his second book. As a part of my preparation, I asked about his book sales for the first book. During the years his book has been in print, he has sold several hundred books inside the bookstore. Also this author has purchased a couple of hundred additional books. From a publisher viewpoint, these numbers are dismal. Often I tell my authors about the thousands of dollars Morgan James invests in the creation of their books and that to become profitable we need to sell about 4,000 copies.
Here’s the good news: despite those past sales numbers, we are working with these authors and all our other authors over the long haul. We don’t charge for our marketing training and are still helping authors who we published over 20 years ago. From my work in publishing, I know how different these actions are compared to other publishers. We do it because we understand that if the author takes steady and persistent effort, then the sales of their book can change. As a publisher, Morgan James is focused on the long haul and not a short period.
What to do with Author Disappointment
1. I encouraged both of these authors to get active and tell readers about the benefits of their book. It’s been proven that readers have to hear about the value of your book over and over before they take action (buy it). There are many different ways to show that activity such as blog posts, podcasts, radio, newspaper, live events, etc. Get a copy of John Kremer’s over 700 page book 1001 Ways to Market Your Book. Then read this book and try to execute as many of those ideas as you can.
2. As an acquisitions editor speaking with authors about their book, I’m searching for active authors who understand they have to take consistent action to reach readers and sell books. It is a constant area of my discussion with authors.
3. Another way I handle my author disappointment is to take action to get more of my work into the market. If you have heard any of my podcasts, I often talk about my own season of author disappointment when my books were not selling and how I turned that situation around through taking 100% responsibility for my own success. The process takes consistent and persistent work but is possible and every author can do it.
Finally I encourage you to watch this 55 second Facebook reel from “Starside” author Alex Aster on the impact that social media has had on her career. She tells Drew Barrymore about how she could not find a literary agent or a publisher for her novel. Alex believed in her story and created hundreds of videos on TikTok. Her readers watched and agreed. Now she is publishing her ninth novel. It’s a remarkable story about her determination, persistence and going directly to the readers with her books.
What fuel are you using for author disappointment? Let me know in the comments. Whatever you do, don’t quit and keep looking for the right place. I believe your persistence will pay off.
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New Podcasts:
In these articles, I’ve encouraged you to use PodMatch or some similar tool to book and record podcasts. Last week another podcat recording launched:
Currently I’m working with my third
publisher as an acquisitions editor. During these years, I’ve spoken with many
authors about their expectations, dreams and desires for their books. I find
many unrealistic expectations. Many aspects of the publishing process are
outside of anything an author can control. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give
authors practical help. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for
only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses.
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Labels: author, book sales, consistency, determination, Fuel for Author Disappointment, marketing, Morgan James Publishing, success, Terry Whalin, The Writing Life
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