I recently wrote a humour piece for The Haven called The Last Non-Marketer on Earth. It might seem like I love talking about my own books, but in reality, I face crippling doubts when writing ‘buy it now’ content.
It’s no different when I try to sell a copy in person. Recently, I presented my book to a family friend saying, “Well, I have to try and talk you into buying my book.”
“Oh, you’re too kind,” she said, putting the book straight into her handbag. “Thank you very much.”
I was so embarrassed, I just took the ‘L’ and pretended I didn’t want her to pay.
If I’m selling a service, and I get a ‘no’, that’s not a problem. But getting rejected when selling the very book that contains part of your soul is crushing. Hearing crickets when you post about it online is almost as bad.
Book promo for Before. During. After. has been on my to-do list for months:
chasing reviews, writing posts, taking photos.
I will literally clean the house from top to bottom, polish the silverware and organise my three cupboards of tupperware by size order before knuckling down to promotion. And failure to sell the books close to my heart is so painful, I had to take a break from doing it.
Perhaps that time to reflect is what led to my sarcastic anti-marketing essay in The Haven.
Yet, at least with a book, you’re selling one product. Readers aren’t rejecting YOU. It’s just that your book isn’t right for them.
What can you do? Adjust your strategy and go again.
If you wanna write what you want, you have to sell your own bananas.
If You Hate Marketing, Why Self-Publish?
Here are all the reasons I’m getting back on the horse and selling my own wares.
I don’t hate everything about marketing.
The creative planning, the strategy execution, and the psychology of copywriting are things I quite enjoy. It’s just the fear of failure I hate.I’ve learned a lot about self-publishing.
This has been from my previous attempts, and great resources on Substack and YouTube. Plus, writers in my online community and network have been kind enough to share their insights too. Third time’s a charm.I’m done with traditional publishing.
Big publishing sucks for authors. The querying process involves getting ghosted by dozens of smug Oxford graduates all with double-barrelled surnames. If you are lucky enough to snag a publishing deal, you’ll be fighting with red tape, suffering year-long delays, and earning pitiful royalties. Oh, and you’ll still have to do all of your own marketing.
Self-publishing might not be ‘the big leagues’, but it’s fair. You make what you sell.I have a bigger network and following now.
In 2021, when I published the fisherwoman, I was mostly marketing at Facebook friends and the UK short-fiction community. Now I have a digital audience of around 30,000 (mostly on LinkedIn).
Hopefully, some of the people who know me are also uncles looking for a present for their niblings. Networks of 30k are kind of handy for marketing too.I believe in the project.
Honestly, I sense long-term potential in this book.
It’s something that could be translated and travel around the globe, and it could develop into a series. Also, with each iteration I learn more about marketing my work.
So can you really sell books without becoming a sell-out?
No one cares.
People see a book. They either buy it or they don’t.
Part of this Third Time Right Journey is me getting more comfortable with selling my work. I need to worry less about people saying ‘no’ and worry much much more about marketing my bananas.
Thanks for reading.
And be nice to your niblings.