Avoid Something Terrible

  

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Thoughout my years in publishing, I’ve learned a critical insight that I will capture in this article. The sky looks threatening and the bench holds three monkeys who silently declare, “See no evil. Speak no evil. Say no evil.” They know something terrible is coming. I want to help you know how to avoid this experience as a book author.

I’m talking about the experience of looking at the sales numbers on your book and seeing single digits or zeros. I’ve had this experience with some of my books and it is not one that I recommend. When this happens, I have to ask myself, what am I actively doing to tell others about my book?

Most writers (including me) would prefer to be writing than telling others about my book (marketing or promotion). There are several things going on which make marketing or promotion necessary for every author whether they want to do it or not.

--Thousands of new books enter the market every day.

--Surveys have proven that someone has to hear about your book at least seven or eight times and maybe as many as 20 times before they purchase a book.

--Your book needs to be available everywhere (not just on one or two websites like your own website and Amazon).

--The process of telling others about the benefits of your book is often repetative and boring. 

--Every author has excuses like I want to write or I dislike/ hate promotion and talking about myself and my book or I want someone else to do it. I’ve made and heard many different excuses. Don’t use it to let yourself off from it.

If marketing is something many writers avoid or don’t do, why should you do it? As the circus promoter P.T. Barnum said, “Without promotion, something terrible happens. Nothing.” 

The Good News

--It’s never too early or too late. Every author can start and take action to sell their book.

--You can’t depend on someone else to do it. You must take your own action and your responsibility.

--You can learn to market and promote

--There are tools to help you in this process

--There are many different ways

--It doesn’t have to consume your day or time (you can still write)

--It can be fun if you do it consistently and perservere

Author Resources

You have to learn from other successful authors and use the right tools. I’ve tried Facebook ads and wasted money with no results. Follow bestselling novelist Mark Dawson and his LaunchPad course. Open now and only available a few times each year. Explore it. Buy it over time (as I did and have lifetime access). Watch the videos then apply them to your promotion work.

Years ago, I met and interviewed marketing expert Raleigh Pinskey. She has promoted many people and books throughout her career. Follow this link to get some of her details and insight. Raleigh gave me a copy of her excellent book, 101 Ways to Promote Yourself. The book includes a wealth of practical and easy to accomplish ideas for every author.

You have to craft your words and explore different methods. This weekend I received this email. Harrison House sent it out because I am a subscribers to ShelfAwareness.

Intrigued with the book, I saw YouTube video of an interview on Fox News. I watched the eight minute interview then I noticed some other wise marketing details. The first comment was from the author and included a link to purchase the book on Barnes & Noble.  The email gave information which led me to additional information which led me to a link to buy the book on Barnes & Noble. Some wise person created a series of steps to attract and inform readers. 

While I appreciate you reading this article and even passing it on to others (use the ClickToTweet), what actions are you going to take for your books? Thinking about it does not do it. You have to take consistent actions. Let me know in the comments below. I’m cheering for your success.

Tweetable:

Every author needs to avoid something terrible. Read this article from this prolific author and editor to learn the specifics. (ClickToTweet)

Publishing is a complex business and much of the process is outside of anything an author can control—no matter how they publish. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors realistic expectations  and practical help. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses. 

Subscribe to Terry’s Newsletter:

During the last year, once a week I’ve been sending a short free newsletter. Just follow this link to subscribe. When you are added to the newsletter, you will receive a FREE 87-page Ebook which is packed with insights for every writer.

Get these articles on your email: 

Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,800 entries and one of the top 27 content writers. With this simple form, each week you can get my new articles, encouragement and insights at: https://t.co/W6uU64u6aA

Practice Makes Perfect

If you don't have publishing figured out, welcome to my world. It is always changing and evolving with new editors, new agents and new opportunities.

One of the best actions you can take each day is to continue to get your writing into the marketplace. As the saying goes, “Practice makes perfect.” You have to be actively working in the field to find success.

During a summer long ago, I took typing in summer school. It was in the pre-computer days and we learned on electric typewriters. If you hesitated or pushed the wrong keys, the mistakes were instantaneous. Yet these typewriters also had an amazing button to erase the mistakes. After using the old manual typewriters, that correction key was remarkable. I was an average typist during high school. I believe I earned a solid C in that class.

You’d never know it today. If you’ve ever seen me type, it’s pretty quick. When I work in an office, I get a steady stream of comments about my speed and the clicking on the keys. I’m a hard typist because for many years I used manual typewriters to write stories. Why the speed? Because I’ve done it repeatedly—every day for years. In the early days of my journalism training, we learned to compose at the typewriter. We created sentences in our minds, then put them instantly into the typewriter. It’s the perfect skill for any journalist since there is no time in the newspaper world to rewrite or stew about the syntax of the sentence. You need to spread your notes around you on the desk and spit out the story. It’s another skill which has served me well over the years.

I don’t know what you are facing today. You may be wondering if you will ever get a magazine article published. You may be struggling to find any children’s book editor to give your work some attention. Or possibly your book proposal is getting lots of rejection. Maybe your novel is languishing on some editor’s desk (or worse it’s stuck in your file drawer and has never been sent out—yet). I want to encourage you about the value of repetition. Select something—then do it repeatedly. If it’s children’s books, then write lots of them. Read lots of them and send them into the market. Try the children’s magazine market and also the children’s book market. Join organizations like the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and learn about the current editorial needs and trends in the market. Then get your material out there—over and over—with excellence.

My skill set and learning in this market continues to grow daily. I understand the value of repetition—constantly throwing out new ideas and different types of writing. Then I write over and over. It’s not rocket science. You can do it too.