5 Book Marketing Truth Bombs You Need to Get On Board With

by | Mar 30, 2018 | Book Marketing Basics

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I’ve had a lot going on recently. Lots of great changes and new books coming out, so I’ll be honest – I’m pumped – and I’m in the mood to talk book marketing truth bombs.

In case you haven’t noticed, the market is cutthroat. And I’m done with authors getting soft peddled advice about what it takes to be successful.

If you can’t handle the truth, you may be in the wrong industry.

So here we go:

“You create your own destiny. Write a good damn story.”

You are in control of your success.

Your cover, your editing, how engrossed you are in your genre or topic, how much you understand about your target audience, how much you understand about your competition, what kind of book marketing you had planned for your release, what kind of book marketing you have planned long term…

These are all under your control. And these factors make up your journey and your story as a successful author.

Writing a book didn’t happen to you. You chose to start down this path.

“You will not get better at what you do not practice.”

Consistency is key with book marketing. And no successful author got to where they are without consistency. Consistently writing and releasing, consistently marketing, consistently engaging with fans.

You aren’t going to wake up one day with a successful book. Instead, you need to keep that book marketing train moving with some serious dedication.

“You are already at the party; stop waiting for an invitation.”

Who wrote the book? You did. Who published the book? You did. Surprise! You’re at the party!

That wasn’t one of the truth bombs you expected? Well, waiting for media to knock on your door, or waiting for reviews to just flow in, or sales to magically happen because the book is on Amazon is like waiting for an invitation that’s never coming.

Writing and publishing the book are technically the easy steps if you were destined to be an author. It’s the book marketing and the promotion that sets you apart.

You’re at the party, so it’s time to leave humble behind and claim the attention you need to sell more books.

“Do not negotiate away your power.”

Making excuses for why you’re not marketing, or why you’re not trying something different when books aren’t selling, blaming readers for bad reviews, or blaming Amazon’s algorithm for why your book isn’t selling –  these are all ways you’re negotiating away the power you have over your own success. So stop.

Book marketing and book sales are directly related to consistency. And if you’re making excuses there’s no way you’re being consistently productive.

“You know this is supposed to be hard, right?”

If this wasn’t hard, we’d all retire off our first release, right?

But that’s not how it works. If you became an author because you thought it was a get rich quick path to success, I’d like to know who gave you that advice and take them out back.

You will experience highs and lows. But with consistent publishing, consistent book marketing, and consistent engagement with your fans, you will start to have way more highs than lows. And you will wake up one day and think, “This is why I put in all the hard work.”

The Takeaway

I have to give credit where credit is due. These truth bombs actually come from the uber fabulous Robin Arzon (IG: @RobinNYC), elite endurance athlete and VP of Fitness Programming at Peloton. She also happens to be a New York Times bestselling author.

She wasn’t talking about book marketing when she said these things of course, but I heard them on my rides with her. (I own a Peloton bike). And being a part of that community has changed my life, not just my physical health, but it supports a healthy mindset as well.

Being an endurance athlete requires serious grit and mental toughness. And as an author of 18 books with more releasing this year, I can tell you being an athlete at that level and being an author have more similarities than they do differences.

So do the publishing industry a favor, and do your current and future fans a favor.

Treat yourself and your books with the respect they deserve. Get your head in the game. And commit to taking your success to the next level in 2018. I love helping authors who are really on board and willing to put some hustle behind their goals. Ready to sell more books? Let’s do this!

Have more truth bombs you’d like to share? Please put them in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.

2 Comments

  1. Kathy Steinemann

    When I saw bomb, I expected to see something different here.

    Two more suggestions:
    Don’t post links to your books on timelines or author pages at Facebook. FB has thousands of promotion groups, and their members are actively seeking what you’re trying to sell.
    Don’t send PMs to Twitter peeps with those links either.

    Reply
    • Penny Sansevieri

      Kathy, thanks for this! I see what you’re saying here. And, I definitely agree that you shouldn’t spam people socially…or any way with links because there are some great ways to grow audiences without taking that approach. But, I also think you need to make it very easy for people to find your books/links/content if they’re interested, and it’s all about finding that fine line between overdoing self-promotion and being accessible.

      Reply

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