The Secret to Self Publishing

The secret is output.

Quantity.

You can't write/self publish one book and then sit back and wait. The marketplace is far too crowded now. You must write half a dozen books, pimp them on Twitter, Facebook, and BookBub, and "all the while" continue to write and pump out more books to subsequently pimp.

Just ask Russell Blake.

And get over the notion that you're uncomfortable with self promotion or with selling your work. There's absolutely nothing wrong with selling. If it helps, think of it as something you're excited about (your book) and sharing it with a friend, the same feeling you get when you and a friend are talking about what happened on Game of Thrones last night.

Lack of sales of a professionally edited, well-written book with a professional cover has less to do with its quality and more to do with the fact that nobody knows about it.

Why do you think production companies advertising new blockbuster movies have an advertising budget equal to the cost of the film's production? Tonight while you're on the sofa watching TV, make a note of what movie(s) you're seeing advertised over and over and over again. And then remember that there is a lot of luck involved, too. At the end of the day, this is an odd mixture of art mixed with business. Art is subjective and business (sales) is a numbers game. Which is why some movies flop despite everyone's best efforts (Disney's The Lone Ranger comes to mind; did you see it? I didn't.).

Focus on the writing, the love of the story, write at least half a dozen books, and then reassess.

Rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat.

Plus, in a few more years, things will get easier because
A) more people will be reading ebooks and
B) there will be fewer books crowding the marketplace after many hopeful writers realize this author gig thing is WORK, and they give up.

Until then, write for yourself, write for yourself, write for yourself.

And if you want to learn strategies and discover the experiences of 25 other self-published writers, check out my new nonfiction book below. A year's worth of author interviews all in one book. Only $2.99. Subsequent volumes to follow. Thanks.

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