Book Marketing Tips: Finding Time to Sell

© Vladimir Nikulin  | Dreamstime Stock Photos

I have averaged selling 37 books per month since my first book came out in 2010. That doesn't seem like a lot, but I hear it is more than many indie publishers. By tracking average monthly sales, I can identify minute changes and act when sales decrease.

Well, it has happened. I often say if I don't do something to sell my books, I don't sell any. The first two months of 2018 were so busy I haven't had any special events. No KDP Countdown Deals, no giveaways of Goodreads, no ads on Fussy Librarian. And, no sales.

Make that FEW sales. Still, not enough to maintain my average. I had a book signing last week and sold eight books. That's about average for the three-hour event I do once a month and am trying to change to twice a month. Book sales on Amazon were eight in January and three in February. Lowering my overall monthly average to 36.96 because I haven't done anything.

So, last week I decided to set aside one day a week for marketing. Thursday seemed best. The first Thursday I got organized. Made lists of marketing methods I could use. Scheduled all my books for KDP discounts.

Yesterday, the second Thursday in my plan to dedicate one day a week to marketing was a complete failure. The publisher for a book I edited last year wanted to include the first chapter of book 2 in the series that I’m also editing. And, he wanted it immediately. So I had to postpone my marketing to finish that job and get my proofreader to look it over.  And that wasn’t all. I am the secretary for the Diaconate at my church (writers tend to get the writing jobs, right?) and I needed to finalize the minutes from the last meeting to send out before the new next meeting.

If that wasn’t enough to keep me busy, I did some email interviews for a newsletter I publish once a month for an ecumenical wholeness service. I felt I couldn’t put it off if I wanted to get the information while it was fresh.

Sounds like a bunch of excuses, and I suppose writing about it as I’m doing here is another way of putting it off. But, I don’t think so. I think it is an admission that writers have more in their lives than the books, blogs, and articles they’re working on. Some of you also must work for a living. Still, writers tend to find time for writing because they must.

Now, if I can just find time to sell my books.