Okay, be honest – did you experience a pang of anxiety when you read the headline above?
Don’t worry, nobody’s perfect, and we all make mistakes. (Trust me, I’ve made plenty of them in the course of my writing career…) But some mistakes can prove more costly than others, and you can easily end up sabotaging your book sales without even realizing it.
I’d like to take a moment today to look at 7 common but costly mistakes that I see many authors making, in the hope that you won’t fall into the same trap.
Here they are:
1. You Wait Until After Your Book Is Published To Start Promoting It
It’s of pivotal importance that you start promoting your book well before launch day, especially for a traditional printed book that’s going to be sold in book stores, because they give a book about 30 days to make its mark and if it doesn’t sell, it is then pulled, usually never to see the light of day again.
Ebook promotion is more flexible and while it pays to start the promotional process from the day you start writing you book, it is still possible to start promoting on or after launch day. But it’s not what I recommend, because you’ll miss out on a substantial head start.
You need to ‘fill your theater’ before you can ‘strut and fret your hour upon the stage’.
This is easier if you have an existing fan base built up from earlier books, of course. So I sympathize with aspiring authors who might be thinking:
“My book isn’t published yet, so how on earth do I promote it before readers can read it?”
To answer this question, let’s consider the case of Rebecca Skloot, author of The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks, who faced this very same issue. Her book is non-fiction, but make no mistake, the principle very much applies to fiction books too.
Rebecca’s solution was to begin building interest in her book by contacting media sites and bloggers over an eight year period before she launched her bestseller. I’m not suggesting of course that you spend eight years doing pre-release promotion, but obviously, the further in advance you begin the more sales you will make at an earlier stage.
She traveled the country, talking about the contentious social politics involved in the story, the family in the book, her inspiration for writing it, and how important it was to her – sharing the entire world around her story. The extraordinary result was that she formed a vast number of connections with influential people who would later help her spread the word. On the day she launched the book, it gained so much attention from ‘pre-primed’ media sites and bloggers that it rocketed to bestseller status – right out of the gate.
I’ve written a brief post about Rebecca’s remarkable book, and the lessons we can learn from how she went about promoting it, which you can read here: The Best Book Trailer I’ve Ever Seen, And Why It Works
Take 2 minutes to watch her book trailer, and you’ll see that, just like the rest of us, she’s a regular person. She’s not a big star with a huge existing following to rely on. Instead, she simply believed in her project with great passion, and started her promotional activities well in advance of publication.
2. Your Book Cover Is So Dismal That Buyers Ignore It
We’re all told to ‘never judge a book by its cover’. But in the case of readers searching for books online, they all most certainly do.
Your book cover is the ‘billboard’ for your book, and a great design will play a big part in attracting the attention of book buyers, even on the Amazon Kindle at thumbnail size.
Conversely, if your book cover looks dull or amateurish, it will totally put readers off, and your book will be completely ignored.
In an earlier post, I covered how to design an attractive book cover that will do the best job possible for promoting your books to the world. Read it here: The ‘Billboard’ That Can Make Or Break Your Book’s Success.
3. You Only Ever Plan To Write One Book
Some writers won’t want to hear this, but writing more than one book really is essential if you want to succeed as an author. If you only ever plan to write one book, then you really are putting all your eggs in one literary basket, with a much lower chance of success.
As the late Ray Bradbury said:
“Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you’re doomed.”
Ray Bradbury. Author of Fahrenheit 451
The more you write, the better your writing will become. And the more books you write, the greater the chance that one of them really ‘clicks’ with the public, and becomes a bestseller.
Of course an even better idea than writing a sequence of ‘one-off’ books is to write a series. There are all sorts of commercial benefits to writing a series of fiction books, as I explain in this post: The Hottest Tip No Fiction Writer Can Afford To Ignore
4. You Chase A Trend Or A Craze
It’s a mistake to chase a trend or pick a sub-genre because you think there’s money in it, instead of writing to your interests and your fascinations. If you do this, you’ll risk drowning in an ocean of other copycats.
It pays to be wary when you analyse your true feelings about any sub-genre that is currently very popular. Have you always been genuinely interested and passionate about it, or have you just been swept away by another writer’s ‘trendy’ success?
Of course, it’s not always the case that a sub-genre with huge momentum is just a temporary craze. For example, there may still be life left in Vampire fiction, provided you have a unique take on it. (In fact, the Vampire sub-genre is not a ‘one-off craze’, but actually runs in cycles – appearing and disappearing every few years in fiction and movies.)
Here’s another post I wrote about about the compelling reasons for writing fiction that’s based on your real interests and deepest fascinations: The Secret Every Author Can Learn From ‘The Hobbit’ Movie
5. You Fail To Grow Relationships With Book Bloggers Before Asking Them For A Review
Becoming familiar to an influential book blogger long before actually asking them for a review can make a HUGE difference to whether they say yes or not, and to how positive their review may be.
They’re far more likely to review a book by an acquaintance – someone they’ve grown to know and respect, and with whom they have an existing relationship – over any of the increasingly large pile of books thrown at them by complete strangers.
I’ve set out in more detail how to go about approaching book bloggers in this post: How To Get Massive Publicity For Your Book Without Spending A Cent
6. You Try To Be Everywhere On Social Media
Your author career can rapidly disintegrate if you try to master every single social media channel available, and use all of them right from the beginning.
Not only will you find it overwhelming and disheartening, your writing may suffer too.
The solution is to focus on becoming an expert in only one or two social media channels, such as Twitter and Facebook, plus your author blog. You’ll see far better results if you become truly adept and effective at just a couple of channels to begin with.
Read this post where I explain the best way to tackle social media: The Social Media ‘Train Wreck’ That All Authors Must Avoid
7. You’re Not Taking It Seriously
The real question to ask yourself is this: “Am I wholeheartedly committed to writing and promoting my books, or is it just something I do on a Sunday afternoon?”
I’m not talking about the actual time you have available. Many people have to fit in their writing and book promotion around other commitments – caring for young children, daytime jobs etc. What I am referring to is whether or not you see writing as your vocation (from the Latin ‘vocātiō’ – a calling).
Even if you have to fit your writing and promotion around the other demands of life, you need to see it as more than just a hobby if you want to be successful. Commit to the idea that you are an author, and that this is your true calling.
Your words are a gift, so don’t let them slip through your fingers.
Are you guilty of making any of these 7 mistakes? Do you have any other suggestions you’d like to share? Please do leave a comment.
Article written by Jonathan Gunson
Author / CEO Bestseller Labs
Notice: This article is copyrighted material. Reproduction of brief snippets of this article with a link to this site are permitted, but it may not be reproduced in full anywhere without the written permission of Jonathan Gunson at BestsellerLabs.com
Great insight from an author and advisor I am quickly becoming impressed by.
M J H.
reminds me of the movie ‘Schindler’s List’. I’m referring to the black and white footage with the little girl being the only color – her dress a splash of red in a grey toned world.
The cover of your amazing book Shreds of Humanity
~Jonathan
A timely post. Thank you for your words of wisdom.
Suzanne
Suzanne
Stunning cover designs you have for your Australian outback suspense books: http://www.suzannebrandyn.com
I try to travel across the river to your East Coast as often as possible. Went to Uluru couple of years back… Extraordinary.
~Jonathan
Thank you Johnathon,
I tried to design a cover that would reflect the story. I love it, and as I’ve said, I hope readers will as well.
The east coast is the better side of Oz . lol… (not biased at all)
Uluru is unique and picturesque. (I am still trying to get used to the idea of calling it Uluru, having always known it as Ayers Rock)
Yes, I am guilty of a few of these especially number one. And I was guilty of number six, but I came to my senses and realized I couldn’t be everywhere and it was hurting my writing time besides frustrating the heck out of me.
Now, I stick to Facebook, Twitter and my blog mostly. I’m not sure about my book covers. I’ve never had any feedback one way or the other. I so do appreciate all this information that you pass on to others. It’s really a big help and gets one thinking…me anyway.
Thanks for the insight.
Carol
LOVE the title of your blog ‘The Power Of Writing’ – says it all.
~Jonathan
Great job creating this article. I appreciate you having back links to other blogs mentioned. Keep up the great work!
Steven.
exhibit great series continuity and the magic of alluring design – right on target for the paranormal genre. Congratulations.
Anything I can that do to protect and encourage a writer, the creative process and the artist, I’m there. Your book covers for Got Ghosts? Real Stories of Paranormal Activity (Got Ghosts? Series)
~Jonathan
Once again, great advice! Now for my confession, I have been guilty of a couple of the things on this list. Numbers 1 and 5 seem to jump off the page. But thanks to the wealth of informative sites like yours I’m learning more each day, and hopefully correcting the error of my ways. Thanks, Jonathan.
JB & VR. You are fortunate to be a writing team – in fact extremely fortunate to able to share the arduous journey. Re #5 on the list, it’s never too late to start getting to know book bloggers. Exciting to see that book two in your ‘Primortus Chronicles’ series is getting under way in 2013.
~Jonathan
I too am guilty of #1. But I have an another question. My novel is a romance novel with explicit sex scenes and language. But believe it or not there is a story.
I find it almost impossible to promote my book in the area that I live in. I would blush with embarassment. I don’t think my bedroom community would accept it. Yes I wrote it and I am proud of my achievement, but I can’t face people I might possibly know. It’s sort of like what people did with Fifty Shades of Grey. They hid the cover so people wouldn’t know what they were reading. People might buy it online but they don’t want to walk up to me and ask for an autograph.
I don’t think spending the money on travel is wise with a first book until you know if it is accepted by at least literary critics as something they would recommend. I may love it but they may think it’s a poorly written piece of crap.
Arlene
There’s no need to go public. In fact many writers work to a psuedonym for the very reasons you mention. In your case I would take all of your marketing communications along that same pathway. As far as ‘literary’ critics go, I would not rely on such rarified third parties to work the magic for you. Best instead to get as many reviews as you can muster from the court of public opinion.
~Jonathan
Of all the writer’s blogs I follow, there are two I love: one is yours, Jonathan; the other is C Hope Clark’s. And a funny thing is that she almost always reposts your posts on her FB page. You know what they say: birds of a feather…. You too are truly aiming from the heart, wholeheartedly helping the penned masses out there, and (this is key!) remaining genuine and steadfast in your mission to helping others. Keep doing what you do and we’ll be there every step of the way. ~J
Jess
Intrigued that C Hope Clark reposts these scribblings on her FB page. So I took a quick tour… http://chopeclark.com/blog/ and discovered a writer who understands both the realities and the mystique.
~ Jonathan
Another excellent set of points and clearly taken from a lot of experience and thought on the subject.
Having written one book I then found that, yes, I ought to have started promoting years ago, when I started! It’s great to have advice like this, helping to set the process out so clearly. In fact, your encouragement and points have set me straight on the path several times and I’m sure will do so in the future.
My book was always set to be one of a series, but I found promoting the first one was getting in the way of an already meagre set of opportunities to write during a hectic day. Now I’m being more relaxed about it, and have set myself back to writing the next, and the next; which after all is the whole point of it, isn’t it – to write for the enjoyment of telling the story?
Peter – it’s always about the story. Many bang on about the ‘quality of writing’, but without the big story engine underneath that’s a mere cloud of colorful glittering sparks.
~Jonathan
What a great, quotable quote – “it’s always about the story. Many bang on about the ‘quality of writing’, but without the big story engine underneath that’s a mere cloud of colorful glittering sparks.”
I just shared it with my business partner husband who is finishing up his first book. Thanks.
As for your cautions, we haven’t yet gotten to the book cover part, #5 is a new area for me – need to find out who the book bloggers are in our field, and one of your previous posts helped me see the light for #6; my focus is on Twitter and our blog.
Ok Johno I hear your messages, and man they befuddle me.
Look, I’m just a bloke from London, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Sydney and so on. My book is based on my life and it’s near bloody end in South Africa, and I wouldn’t know a blogger from rat-shit.
So far I’ve had plenty of enthusiastic write-ups on Condition Orange, and really, before that happened I was not sure whether it was too over the top in many ways.
So now it’s cranking a few sales according to the Twitter and Facebook utterings.
And I have made $23.95 give or take!
Well I’m certainly no Wilbur Smith, but I was expecting a bit more, fur chrisake.
I’ve dropped the odd line to BookBaby, (who seem to be a decent lot), about the lack of income, but the silence would bloody deafen yuh.
I have done the Web-site, and the grandsons sweating on a blog, (or something), but I really don’t see the bricks and mortar of converting “no sales” to “plenty sales” through acting like a second-hand car salesman.
Don’t get me wrong, show me the path and I’ll skip down it, but like in maybe fifty words max eh? I don;t really need all the three-page claptrap.
All right, enough of that, Hopefully you will begin to understand my viewpoint with regards to all this “social media” thing. It really is difficult to observe the wood from the trees when there is so much verbosity to deal with.
I’m getting the hang of it, but all those words tend to get in the way, you see.
Yours in exasperation,
David Cocks aka Charles Callaway.
‘David & Charles’
I’ll assume you’re neither the well known hairdressing salon, nor the British publisher. Nevertheless, your cantankerous missive is appreciated Sir. In reply, I suggest you keep taking the pills, and maintain the reading of this blog. One or the other should start to produce results, given time and the balancing of tinctures and editorial claptrap.
~Jonathan
Whatever the case, we can only write the best we are able, make sure we are edited by a professional, have professional covers designed, find one or two social media outlets at which we can excel, respect our readers and get on with writing the next book … and the next … and the next.
By the way, I really found a great deal of concrete advice in The Hobbit blog post, so thank you for reminding me to read it again.
And I love David aka Charles’s comment.
Prue… (My sister’s name)
for example. Your blog too – with the photographs and period allusions. An author’s treasure trove.
Your book covers are delectably stylish – and clearly aimed at a particular market niche who will ‘know’ what they’re looking at. Such as ‘The Stumpwork Robe’ (The Chronicles of Eirie)
~Jonathan
Great advice. I haven’t published my first novel yet but have been promoting since I first started writing. My book is the first in a series in the murder mystery genre so that’s 2 I have covered. The other tips have really strong advice and I will definitely follow that advice
Wendy
You’re doing it the right way. i.e. Slowly and steadily building your author promotional platform alongside your writing. For motivation in actually finishing a book, look no further than Maeve Binchy. In this 3 minute video she outlines her ‘writing secret.’ It’ll help. http://bestsellerlabs.com/maeve-binchy-her-writing-secrets-interview
~Jonathan
Great article. I too am guilty of a couple of these. I appreciate the time you spend on providing these articles. It’s really a fantastic resource. Thank you!
Me too Johnny. Guilty as charged. Still working my way out of ‘self sabotage jail’, but nearly over the wall now. ~Jonathan
I’ve been published for 1 yr. and am about to release my third book. Your articles are beyond helpful. Being a serious introvert (really serious), all media that’s “social” is problematic for me in about every way possible. I’m on Facebook and started a blog, and for now, that’s all I can handle. Less is more? I’m probably guilty of #1 (a little) and #2 (absolutely). I’m going to have book covers for 1 and 2 redone because I love the cover for #3. You’re teaching us some very important things and keeping it simple for those of us who are new to the world of self-promotion and need to understand the WHY of it. One of these days I’ll look back on all this and realize how far I’ve come. Keep up the good work.
Gayle
The great thing about the internet is that ‘Author introverts’ can successfully stand one step back. It’s possible to take time over considering and framing responses when ‘interacting’ and putting yourself out there. There’s no need to ever react immediately. Create your own success bubble at your own pace and in your own space.
Regarding whether Facebook and a blog is enough. Absolutely. Just stick to those for now until they become highly familiar and you are comfortable with the rhythm of how they play for you. They can even be all you ever use. Better to be an expert in one channel than a Jack of all trades and master of none. To underscore the importance of this check out this blog post about perfect use of social media and avoiding burn out :
http://bestsellerlabs.com/social-media-train-wreck-that-authors-must-avoid/
~ Jonathan
Some good points. Wish I’d read it two years ago.
Diana
It’s often said that the best time to plant a tree is ten years ago, and the second best time is today. So it’s never too late, although suddenly realising what should have been done is definitely a ‘slap your forehead’ moment.
~Jonathan
Thanks, Jonathan. I have only recently discovered and subscribed to your emails, but I’m already finding your ‘mentoring’ invaluable, so thank you. I only wish I’d read this a few years ago, as I’m the best example of point one! My first book was published in 2011, but I didn’t start blogging or Tweeting until last summer (both of which I now love!). Nevertheless, it’s reassuring to know that we should begin by focusing ‘on becoming an expert in only one or two social media channels,’ as Facebook is beyond me the moment.
Thank you for providing a lifeline in a pretty overwhelming online ocean,
best wishes,
Cheryl
Cheryl
I’ll be publishing a tutorial a couple of months from now on how authors can make best use of FB. You can decide then whether to use it.
Facebook is a very strange planet. Stranger even than fiction.
With regard to point #1: How were you supposed to know without anyone to advise you? (The agent or publisher SHOULD have in fact.) Remarkable how much is learned when we look back to not so long ago.
~Jonathan
I just led a 1-hour mini-workshop for a writers’ organization on Self-Promotion Tips from a Debut Author — your advice is excellent.
But for the author who has not yet done the pre-launch work — or perhaps doesn’t have a related platform to promote in talks/seminars, or is an ‘introvert’ (aren’t we all, really?) — it is important to make broad connections in life. Volunteer work at literary festivals and conferences, sitting on boards for non-profits, joining writers’ organizations, attending workshops and networking opportunities — they are all ways of extending your reach and making important contacts to call on with invites to book launches, to share Advance Review Copies with, even to ferret out opportunities to promote your book.
I write literary fiction which is like publishing in the ‘dead zone’ unless you have an international book prize in your bio. Nonetheless, I had over 100 book-buying guests at my own book launch/party, my website traffic is rising every month, my invitations to book clubs have been growing, and my book went to second printing 3 months after launch.
It’s not a national best seller…yet. But, like you suggest, it will never be if I sit back and wait for the royalty cheques to come in. Thanks for the great advice, Jonathan.
ps — the mini-workshop was such a success that I’ll be offering it as a 1-day. May I print and share your column as a resource for attendees?
Ruth
It would be an honor for my work to be distributed to your group as you propose.
Re. “… it is important to make broad connections in life..” True indeed. You have the key part already figured out.
~Jonathan
I’m guilty of #1 for sure. I hadn’t realized it before I published my book, but I should have started when I first started my book! Well…now I know for the next!
Brandon
You’re onto it. In any case, your first book (if it’s in eBook format) is of increasing value due to the ‘Phoenix effect’ – an extremely powerful syndrome, as explained in this earlier post: http://bestsellerlabs.com/why-your-amazon-kindle-book-will-be-far-bigger-than-you-imagine
~ Jonathan
As always, an excellent post. I really need to work on a few of these things. Thanks so much for the tips
Always welcome Melissa. I hope the trilogy is going well.
~Jonathan
There is another thing, underlying mental block in a lot of authors heads, that promotion is bad. It’s either you are sell out or you’re a saint who doesn’t promote his work and keeps it ‘pure’.. Same with musicians.. Sad stuff.
Adrijus
You are not alone with this ‘humility’. Most do not want to draw attention to themselves. But at least social media makes it easier to stand one step back.
~Jonathan
7 excellent points, Jonathan, plus lots of illustrative photos!
Richard
‘A picture’s worth a thousand words.’ In light of that, here several thousand more … and they’re all free to use.(You may have seen this already)
http://bestsellerlabs.com/7-free-photo-libraries/
~Jonathan
Excellent advice. And very timely for me. Thank you.
Beautiful blog you have Christine.
~Jonathan
I’m a was-mainstream writer resurrecting my career via indie authoring, and have made as many mistakes along this second route as I did along the first. The thing is, being in control I now have the power to right them. Professional covers have been my first big step. Next I need to get a handle on the marketing side so prospective readers see them. I’m English, though, and most of us this side of the Pond still drag that dead-weight about self-promotion being not what good people do.
I’m pleased I found your blog. Looking forward to searching its archives and going forward with you.
Linda
Regarding the ‘dead weight’ to which you refer, it’s the same here in New Zealand. We inherited that trait from the English immigrants who first populated this land. Most left the UK to escape the class structure, with a firm view that everyone is to be equal.
~Jonathan
All of us who write need to read this post. Some parts of it will be difficult to implement, Rebecca Skloot’s travels, for instance. Most regular people either have jobs and/or insufficient funds to travel around the country promoting a book after it’s been released. To promote before the release date sounds good, but who invited her to speak? Getting to speak requires credentials that get you in the door. In many areas, bookstores won’t remotely consider a reading if the book doesn’t have mainstream reviews…both Kirkus and local. And even when the books are well reviewed, a lot of authors/publishers these days question the efficacy of tours. Can you tell us how Rebecca got to speak without having a solid–and widely known platform–before she got to each venue?
Malcolm
Malcolm
Just like you, Rebecca did not have a platform to start with.
She took time instead to get to know people before asking. Most authors make the mistake of knocking on front doors without any advance warning, a stranger pleading for help from people who don’t know them. This is a key mistake made as described in #5. See the blogging article mentioned in it that explains how to form relationships before asking so that doors DO open.
You don’t have to spend eight years either doing this before book launch either. I’ve simply used Rebecca’s experience to demonstrate the power of dedication and persistance.
~Jonathan
Thanks, Jonathan.
Malcolm
This is my first time reading your blog. After reading it, I thought, mmmm, he must have written that just for me.
. Writing seems really easy compared to promoting and I keep learning which, of course, is A good thing. Thanks for this. Now I need to click on your links and learn more. I am going to start a with approaching bloggers. I seen to have no clue about the realities out there. Thanks. Fran Touchette
Fran
Careful. It’s vital to ‘hasten slowly’ with book promotion – especially with Social Media. Starting early as in #1 is important, but that does not mean rushing about madly trying to be in all places at the same time. The following blog post explains why & how, and will also reassure you. http://bestsellerlabs.com/social-media-train-wreck-that-authors-must-avoid/
~Jonathan
A great article as always. I learn so much from them.
More to come Shirley. Next is an article about making better use of the Kindle to generate sales. Hint: Put a link to your next book in the back.
~Jonathan
As always, your advice is flawless. Thanks for guiding us. I hope my second quarter sales do well as a result.
Thanks Aaron. Application is the hard bit!
~Jonathan
Great post – have reblogged on http://www.ukindieauthors.com.
I am extremely guilty of No. 1 and I know it but seriously, where do I find the time to pre-promote a book when I barely have time to write the bloody thing?! But, I hear you – it’s important. I have been guilty of No. 6 but thankfully have come to my senses and now only bother with Twitter and FB. Again, no time to do anything else
Have just found your site and am enjoying reading it, thanks.
Celine
Thank you. You’re welcome to post a snippet of my blog post. (But not all of it please. The first 20% is OK.) In fact, I expect what you really mean is that you’ve simply given out a link to this page which is appreciated. ~Jonathan
Yes, sorry, should have made clear that I’ve posted a link to this page and my own comments beneath. Excellent site by the way!
Thank you!
Great post. But I wish you would recommend one quitting their day job. LOL! Seriously, I know you won’t do that. But I do feel like writing is my vocation. I wish I could devote 12 hour days to it 5 days a week. My work schedule working nights exhausts me to no end. In my heart, I feel like if I could take a year off, I could get so much further ahead. I’m tired of doing snippets of this and that and trying to get back to it later. While it’s true that my novel is a long haul, my stories come in a flash (That’s the muse people speak of). I can easily write an unpolished story in one sitting.
I guess I just need to be brave enough to ite the bullet and do what I feel in my heart that I was called to do, especially in this “new era” of publishing.
It seems to me that the people who have been most successful have devoted their full time to it. True, there have been a few weekend warriors who made it. Any thoughts on that?
Charles
Most writers are the weekend warriors to whom you refer, particularly those with young children. But it applies to almost everyone. J.R.R Tolkien for example had extensive responsibilities with his teaching at Oxford, enduring long work days while also helping to run the departments. It took him 7 years to work up ‘The Lord Of The Rings’. Inspiring indeed.
See these two articles on this point. They will help:
http://bestsellerlabs.com/the-hobbit-movie-writing-secret/
http://bestsellerlabs.com/jrr-tolkiens-top-10-tips-for-writers/
~Jonathan
[...] Today’s link is to Jonathan Gunson’s article, “7 Ways You’re Sabotaging Your Books Sales Without Even Realizing It.” [...]
Hi again so soon, Jonathan,
I actually saw this thread from a friend’s tweet & think the author’s book video is brilliant. What’s interesting about this approach is the focus on the emotional component. I did some very interesting focus groups several years ago that involved something called experiential marketing.The idea is that consumers and b2b customers are drawn in when there is an emotional component. Frankly, when I went into the research, I was rather dubious, because these were IT managers talking about storage and servers, but I got a huge surprise as these respondents spoke about how troubles affected their family lives, and how they felt like heroes when they saved a potential data disaster. Love your blog!
Thanks Vicky! Emotional content is central of course. Rebecca Skloot clearly understood all of this. Love / Hate / Joy / Fear and Loathing and so on. Leave that out and instead of a moving, emotional, interesting fully fleshed out human, you have a mere shell, devoid of any personality.
~Jonathan
Wow! Very insightful article. I’ve been guilty of a few these. Thank you so much for writing this. I’m definitely taking your advice.
Good to see you again Max. I’m planning for new posts weekly.
~Jonathan
Great post, and some important pieces of advice! I wish I had known as much as I know today back in 2011 when I published my first English children’s book, but alas, I didn’t. However, it’s never too late and since I’m writing more books, I can make up for the mistake of not promoting early enough by doing a better job with future books. Right?
I have the additional difficulty of writing in two languages and thus having to market to two different target groups language-wise (and also genre-wise since I’m writing both children’s and YA books), but I’m learning and improving as I move along.
Love,
Saoirse
Saoirse
Leaving promotion until after a book launch (#1 ) is the main issue for authors here it appears. My view is that for a start, publishers need to provide training in publicity and promotion for their authors.
~Jonathan
As usual, you have made a dent in the gray matter! I’m just about to upload my second book, this time to Amazon. Tried using Smashwords with the first book, but it did not go well. This time around, I’m taking your advice of connecting with book bloggers and going that route as well as using Twitter and FB.
Life is Just a Bowl of Jerrys will make its debut in March 2013 on Amazon. The book offers a look at the curious psyche of women who keep meeting the same men over and over again with the same result, women swearing to never pick that type again. This is not a male bashing book, but looks at why women do this and how to stop the madness cold!
Jonathan, the above is my shameless attempt at growing a relationship with a book blogger (you). Will now go over to my other book bloggers with whom I began a relationship last year and onward to Twitter and FB.
Thanks for all your efforts!
Jeanie
It’s a wise move to include Amazon as well – because that’s where the concentrated mass of book buyers are.
RE your subject material: Extremely interesting from a publicity point of view. In addtion to taking time to get to know book bloggers (don’t just chuck your book at them on day one), you can offer sparkling articles to online magazines about the ‘Same Man’ syndrome – not about your book, although you can put a link to your book or blog at the end. This relates closely to not ‘shouting’ about your book. That is generally ignored by all. Instead it needs the intermediate step of ‘warming up’.
You can see this ‘smack your forehead’ principle in this article: http://bestsellerlabs.com/biggest-author-social-media-mistake/
~Jonathan
[...] 7 Ways You’re Sabotaging Your Book Sales Without Even Realizing http://bestsellerlabs.com/ If you’re struggling to make any headway with your book sales, it might be because you are making one of these 7 common but costly mistakes… [...]
Jonathan, wow, what a great collection of guidance for us new and in-process authors. I’ve clicked through to almost every article you linked to here and am excited to spend some time digging around your site.
When you talk about developing relationships with book bloggers who may one day help in the promotion of your book, are you thinking of people like yourself who focus on the art and business of writing and publishing? Or are you referring instead to bloggers who review new books for wide audiences?
Elliott
I’m referring to book bloggers who write reviews. The general idea being that they have huge audiences of readers and can have the ‘Oprah effect’ on booksales.Good to hear you find the site useful. I’m continuing the process of building up information for authors.
New post out every Wednesday.
~Jonathan
You have plenty of excellent advice, some of which I already have applied to the process, and hope will now help me through the publishing aspect after writing. I offer my readers plenty of free previews of each novel in the works, and two fanfiction series’ to keep them interested while the novels are being written. Thanks for the great information, I look forward to perusing your site.
Alex
Be sure to download the free ‘Bestseller Labs Guide For Authors’ as well. It’s designed to give authors both guidance and motivation when publishing and marketing books
Jonathan
[...] 7 Ways You’re Sabotaging Your Book Sales Without Even Realizing It, By Jonathan Gunson – “Okay, be honest – did you experience a pang of anxiety when [...]
[...] on, you’re probably reading this great post on 7 Ways You’re Sabotaging Your Book Sales Without Even Realising It by Jonathan Gunson of Bests… and nodding your head guiltily. I know I am! Hushabye isn’t out yet and won’t be for [...]
Thanks for the tips. I plead nolo contendre on one count. Can I get a “fix it” ticket instead of being thrown in the slammer?
A.G. Free pass to ‘fixing’ approved. Tried to avoid this post coming across as wagging a finger at naughty children. Almost achieved it.
~Jonathan
That’s why it’s so important to have a platform, marketing plan, book timeline, etc all in place well before the book is written and published.
Liz
Handy summation thank you. In the early stages, the majority of authors forcefully state that they’re writers, not promoters. But most are prepared to see the light and realise it’s not only vital to be involved with book publicity, but not nearly as difficult as they’d envisaged.
~ Jonathan
This was a lot of great information, Jonathan! I just so happened to come across your tweet for this article, and wanted to see what kind of information you were offering on sabotaging book sales. I’m glad I made the click!
I’ve been working on my current book project for two years now. I wanted to be finished with it last year, but it just didn’t seem completed enough for me. Not to mention, I had (and still do) have a lot to learn about writing more effectively. So, “my journey” continues.
At any rate, after reading your article, I’m actually shocked to be able to say that I’m doing fairly well not falling into the trap of self-sabotaging my efforts. In taking my time writing a memoir about my life, on how I made it out of a poverty-ridden environment, and in turn being able to transform the mindset that I was conditioned to have in that kind of environment; I’ve managed to do myself and my future book a great deal of service.
I cannot thank you enough for the tips you’ve offered here. I will definitely be adding you to my reader to keep up with your coaching tips. I can’t wait to read more from you. Cheers and blessing.
Deone
A journey on many levels by the sounds of it. Here’s a closely related 10 minute radio interview with Ray Bradbury: “It’s lack that gives us inspiration,” he said. “It’s not fullness…” http://www.npr.org/2012/06/08/154524695/ray-bradbury-its-lack-that-gives-us-inspiration
~Jonathan
Someone shared this article with me on social media and I was so happy to discover this site! So much great information to be found in all the links you provided in your post here. I’m looking forward to catching up on these other posts.
Sarra
Get the free publishing guide download while you’re on the site:
http://bestsellerlabs.com/the-bestseller-labs-guide-for-authors/
~Jonathan.
Jonathan, an 8th issue is not diversifying your ebook platforms. If you just publish for the Kindle you miss 40% of the US market and much more of the international market. I go into detail on my blog: http://bit.ly/RiXrTk
Thanks
Shaun
Great contribution. Amazon is only about half the market as you say. The formula I advise is Amazon & Smashwords. Covers approximately 90% of the market including Nook, Kobo, Sony eReader and iPad. In fact there are about 20 other great mistakes an author can make, the subject of another blog post I suspect.
Jonathan
Sage advice indeed. I am not making any of those mistakes and am working hard at promoting my book, but so far not much is happening. I think hard work only goes so far. You need a bit of luck. Hard work is satisfying and rewarding in its own right if not neccessarily in sales. Your blog is an example of how hard it is to cut through the noise. I am commentor number X. Just one voice of many. Anyway, the botom line for me is that I love writing so I press on regardless of the frequent disappointments and all the time I have to spend on “marketing” instead of actually writing. Thanks for your blog. Keep up the good work of encouraging and advising writers.
D.A.C. Persistence is the word. You seem to have that in hand. Key is to drive people to your books on Amazon and also use their promotional system. After a time, if your books are good enough, Amazon’s algorithm kicks in. E.g. “People who read this also bought…”
~Jonathan
Fantastic Reminder! Even though we think we know these things as authors, it takes seeing it again and again to let it sink in. Kinda like book covers and sales.
Kim
Great advice that has always been, and still is, available from experts in the business who are now routinely drowned out by the so-called “self-publishing companies”. I shudder to think of the number of good books that have failed unnecessarily.
Michele DeFilippo
[...] 7 Ways You're Sabotaging Your Book Sales Without Even Realizing … http://bestsellerlabs.com/If you're struggling to make any headway with your book sales, it might be because you're making one of these 7 common but costly mistakes. … [...]
Another great blog with many great points. Thanks so much!
Author L.W. Wedgewood
This is a thoughtful and well-written piece…. except are you seriously prescribing 8 years of promotion PRE-release? Even if you didn’t mean for it to be taken literally, that seems extreme. What if instead she had spent 8 years writing more books, all the while leaving her first book out where people could find it and spread the word?
I did plenty of promo of stuff before the release of my first book. Did it help? Yes, absolutely. It was also an incredible time and motivation sink, and by the time the “launch” was said and done I was completely wiped out of all creativity or ability to write. No good.
Come my second book, I didn’t do much of anything before the book came out. Why? Because I want people to be able to click “Buy” as soon as they want it. This is different for those whose publishers put up pre order links, which mine doesn’t, but even if they did, people are less likely to pre-order than buy. So I’m using all my marketing/PR juice now that the book is out. And I’m going nice and slow, doing one or two things a day and trusting that things will build as word spreads.
This means I’m not going to suddenly rocket onto a bestseller list (which I didn’t do for my first anyway, although I did okay) but it is also a sustainable pace for a career author. Eight years of promo for one book is pretty much the opposite of that.
Amber
No-one could seriously suggest deliberately planning to put in 8 years of pre-promotion. But I stand by my recommendation – start well before you launch.
The Rebecca Skloot example is to demonstrate an extreme case of passionate dedication, not a guideline or plan to follow. And of course a career should be built at a steady pace, it’s not a mad dash to the finish line. In fact I give this advice to authors every day, particularly in my guide for authors.
Quote from my Bestseller Labs Guide For Authors:
More to the point Amber is that there’s a sharp distinction to be made between marketing a book in book stores and books at Amazon. Printed books in bookstores (such as Rebecca Skloot’s) will give a book about a month to find its audience. If it doesn’t sell within that time, it’s likely to be sent back to the publisher who will remainder it or pulp it.
So without any pre-marketing, the chilling reality for the vast majority of new authors wanting a traditional book store deal is seeing their book fade away with hardly any sales, then disappear forever. There’s no time allowed to develop a career. But with an Amazon book then yes, time can be taken to promote slowly, but I still recommend starting well before launch, including the promotion of eBooks.
Two relevant articles for you:
How to avoid dangerous burnout (such as you suffered).
http://bestsellerlabs.com/social-media-train-wreck-that-authors-must-avoid/
Why you can take time over promoting an Amazon book, unlike a book store book.
http://bestsellerlabs.com/why-your-amazon-kindle-book-will-be-far-bigger-than-you-imagine/
~Jonathan
Jonathan, thank you. After writing and trying to land an agent/publisher for a couple decades, we are finally grooving on the need to listen to people in the industry (and even talk to them! so hard for a writer sometimes). Different techniques, writing vs. marketing, but the approach is the same (and touched on in #3 above): start, and keep working at it, day after day. (I call it the Groundhog Day effect.) Even if our first self-published novel doesn’t pull an Amanda Hocking, it’s all about improving the odds; by starting now, employing the tools you are handing us, the odds for success keep building in our favor with novel #2, and #3, and so on.
Harris
Re ‘The Groundhog Day effect’. A great analogy and an essential understanding re building and improving the odds with every book. i.e Every day seems the same, nothing changes, until one sunny day…
~Jonathan
Oh, the pre-launch promotion is crucial for a successful book marketing plan. I learned the hard way from being in a meeting with a prominent local ad agency that it’s really bad being all over the place with Social Media because it makes you look desperate. And taking this seriously will come across in your books and marketing efforts. There’s a big difference in a hobby author and a serial one.
Discovering your website has been like opening a present! I am guilty of a few of the mistakes listed, but I shall know for my next book. At the same time, you have given me plenty I can work with now, post-publication. Thanks so much. I wish you continued success.
Anastasia. Not really mistakes, but more a lack of helpful information.
~Jonathan
Number 1 is the most common problem that I am seeing with authors. They wait until the week of or after their book is published to begin promoting it. The promotions of any event, especially a book, should be done months ahead of time. I was promoting my book, The Courage To Believe, four months before its publishing date of 12/12/12. Great article!
[...] Gunson, an author who provides advice on selling and marketing books, suggests that there are ways you can sabotage sales of your book. One of the things he suggests is that “writing more than one book really is essential if you [...]
[...] 7 Ways You're Sabotaging Your Book Sales Without Even Realizing … http://bestsellerlabs.com/If you're struggling to make any headway with your book sales, it might be because you're making one of these 7 common but costly mistakes. … Ebook promotion is more flexible and while it pays to start the promotional process from the day you start writing you book, it is still possible to start promoting on or after launch day. But it's not what I recommend, because you'll miss out on a substantial head start. You need to 'fill your theater' before you can 'strut and fret … [...]
[...] Read the full article here [...]
[...] 7 Ways You’re Sabotaging Your Book Sales Without Even Realizing It by Johnathan Gunson [...]
Hi again,
I’m only guilty of letting my writing suffer over other commitments for a while. But, in 2013, as my New Year’s Resolution, I decided I truly wanted to follow my passion…which is writing. Just ask my co-workers at the Day Job! I’m always talking about my books, staying up until 1am or later because I’m writing and so on.
Fortunately, my Day Job is well in hand and I’m a great at multi-tasking in the fact I can focus attention where it’s needed when it’s needed. Something that’s rare, I know. I’m going to take your advice though and focus on the Blog, Twitter and Facebook…for now to build a following long before my first release…which is due out in Feb 2014. In between going to keep writing so I have things ready to go, including polishing up things that have been on my “shelves”, for years in some cases!
Thank you so much, sincerely, for your insight and sharing that with us.
Margaret.
One huge advantage of the day job is simple human interaction. It is extremely important to keep the ‘people’ fires burning – even if the people have nothing to do with writing. You’ve probably read this post, but in case you haven’t it’s to the point.
http://bestsellerlabs.com/william-shakespeare-tax-dodger/
~Jonathan
Excellent article with many tips I shall follow.
Thank you!