Why it’s so hard to sell that great book you just wrote. Or is it?

Why it’s so hard to sell that great book you just wrote. Or is it?

That’s the $64,000 question isn’t it? Why is it so hard to sell your book? On the other hand, maybe it’s not so hard to sell your book, if you’re willing to learn how.

Low book sales are often the reason folks come to me.

They’ll say, “I published my book a year ago but I haven’t been getting sales. Why?”

After the prerequisite look at their Amazon page, at the cover of their book, and at the description of their book, I often have a good idea why folks on Amazon aren’t buying their book.

Often it’s a bad cover. Coupled with a poor description aka your blurb.

In my travels, I do see poorly designed covers. And I don’t always fault the designer. The author has to take charge of something like that. Don’t accept the first or even the third cover your ‘publisher’ offers, if it’s not right.

As for blurbs, today your blurb is on Amazon, it’s on your website, and it may be shared on your social media channels.

I see poorly written blurbs, all the time. I’ve even written some. (yes, I am not perfect, but, I know enough to go back and fix them, and I do.) A lot of blurbs are too much about the book, not enough about why I should buy the book. Every blurb needs a good hook. That first in your face sentence that says, “This book is going to change your life and here’s how!”

If you don’t know what a good hook is for your book, look at other books in your genre and category. Look at bestsellers. They have copywriters who know how to grab a reader’s attention. If you’re able, get yourself a copywriter.

But there is more to selling books than having a good cover and a good blurb.

Oh, for those who don’t know, about blurbs – remember before Amazon when books came with book jackets? The info on the inside cover, telling you about the story, was the blurb. (Yes, major publishers’ books often come with a jacket, still, but some do not; the book jacket may have seen its day, it’s just more paper being wasted, in my opinion.)

Books without a book jacket need to have that blurb on the back cover and everywhere it can be shared – even in your email signature. Naturally, you’ll whittle it down to one sentence for your email signature.

When all is said and done, however, your cover and your blurb can only do so much.

They’re the first impression someone gets of your book and they need to arouse interest. But after that, it’s up to you.

You are the reason you are not getting book sales. Plain and simple.

We live in a world where the author is in charge of all marketing and sales. Even if you work with a traditional publisher. Watch this video interview I did with my friend, Paul Chaney, who has been traditionally published. Heed his words on marketing your book:

One important lesson to learn is that publishers, traditional publishers, and some small presses, want to know how many books YOU can sell, before they will work with you. And, if you land a deal, you “maybe if you’re lucky, you make some royalties.” Just the facts, folks. Just the facts. 

Visit the video interview here.

Writer’s Digest, a magazine you should be subscribed to, tells us why publishers today don’t market books the way they used to. And the first one is – “They don’t have enough money, time, or staff.”

Therefore, it’s your job, from day one, to market and sell your book.

Let’s talk about ways to market and sell you book, now. It’s not easy. But it doesn’t have to be hard, either. If you make it hard by worrying about having to do it, or thinking people should just buy your book because, after all, it’s so great (as many people mistakenly do), you will fail. Your book will languish in Amazon purgatory. Or in the trunk of your car. You don’t want that, do you?

Make friends with bookstores – Independent ones & Barnes & Noble

Publisher’s Weekly has a great article on marketing your book via bookstores. It’s aimed at fiction authors, but much of what’s written there is applicable to nonfiction or memoirs, also. Here’s some great advice about setting up a book signing at bookstores. (Yes, you can do it, but it’s YOU who must do it, not someone else.)

7. Bookstores work hard to promote their events, so, as an author, be considerate and give a store a 30-day exclusive after appearing there before booking an appearance at another store in the area. Furthermore, too many events will likely dilute your draw. Everyone will appreciate this, including you.

8. Authors should bring extra copies of their books to events whenever possible. Maybe the bookstore owner thought she had more copies in back stock than she did, or the distributor can’t get more in time; the books will take too long to ship. Best-case scenario: your event is packed and the store runs out, but you don’t.

Publisher’s Weekly: How to Sell Your Book – Tips from a Bookseller

Now, Amazon as a bookstore. According to them 51% of readers browse the site looking for books. And 71% find new authors while shopping. So we go back to your book cover and blurb. But also, your author page. And keeping your content fresh. Update things on a regular basis.

If you’re interested in learning how to do ads on Amazon, which I hear are quite effective, but I don’t know because I have never done any, visit this link. If you decide to do this, find a professional to help. You will get better results much faster.

Here are a few more ideas on marketing your book and creating book sales.

1️⃣ If your book lends itself to teaching and education, create a workbook to sell either separately or along with the main book. People appreciate that extra step to help them learn.

2️⃣ Start guesting on podcasts as soon as you can. Build that fan base. Get yourself an account at Podcastguests.com. You can learn more about it from this interview I did with the founder, Andrew Alleman. But if you’d rather work with someone to actually find you the best podcasts to be on, without taking that time and trouble yourself, Mark Hayward is your man. His Podcast Introduction Group will take care of that for you.

3️⃣ Start your own podcast. Just recently, my favorite network group hosted a smart gentleman Hayato Nakamura who spoke of the power of having your own podcast and inviting the kinds of guests you want to get to know better (and who might buy your book) on your own show.

Having your own podcast is impressive. And you get to choose who to work with. Connect with Hayato (Harry) here.

4️⃣ Register with Goodreads. But don’t stop there. Make it a habit to visit and engage with people on the site. Get known by showing up and supporting other authors. See if authors you meet want to do a webinar or online workshop together. There is power in collaboration.

5️⃣ Search for book clubs. Yes, they exist online. And they love supporting books. Often, they have a website and do gift bags during certain times of the year. Find out how your book can be included in their gift bag. Watch this video with master book marketer Penny Sansevieri where she talks about those very things.

6️⃣ Guest blog. Or submit articles to online publications that feature your topic of expertise. Build your leadership authority and enhance it by adding, Author of, to your signature.

7️⃣ Create book trailers. These are short videos that tell us about the book, and take us into the story. You can narrate it or get someone else to narrative it. I hear AI is really good at mimicking our own voices, now. Just ask B.L. Ochman about that.

My last bit of advice on selling your book and getting known is to do a blogger book tour. It’s one of the ways we market our authors’ books. This involves having a group of bloggers write a series of blog posts about your book on their sites, and then having them post on Instagram, also. Great way to get found. If you want more information on that, just DM me on LinkedIn. We can talk.

Be proactive and persistent about selling your book

Book sales are not as hard as people make them out to be. The problem is they involve planning and work. Hard work. Dedicated work. And an investment of time and money. They don’t happen magically. Your book’s success is all up to you.

And you can make it happen with a little help from your friends. Your fans. Your colleagues. Don’t be afraid to ask them for help or recognition. No one wants you to fail. We all want you to succeed. (Oh, remind people to write book reviews on Amazon – nudge them as often as you can because book reviews count!)

People are out there looking for you. For your book. You just have to put in the effort to make sure they find you.

What’s holding you back from making book sales? Leave your questions or comments below.