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.

Reaching Readers and Enticing Buyers on the Cheap

Photo by mcfields Copyright: http://www.bigstockphoto.com/

My favorite real estate agent told me the smell of freshly baked cookies would help sell my house. And, to prove it, she set up an open house and baked cookies. The house sold that day for the full asking price.

I wish there was a magic way to sell books.

One of the most difficult parts of indie publishing is selling books. As authors, we'd all like to be writing, not marketing. But, if we don't do it, who will?

What I've learned the hard way about publishing is that the profit margin is so slim you have to pick marketing methods that are not costly. I've placed ads in magazines and newspapers, but I don't recommend that approach. Too expensive. One way to get into the newspaper is to write an article instead of an ad. In the writers group I belong to one of the members writes for the local newspapers and he is doing a continuing series on local authors. Free advertising at its best.

I look for services with high circulation where I can get my books listed for free or for a reasonable fee. The Fussy Librarian (http://www.thefussylibrarian.com/) is a favorite of mine. This service is easy to use for authors and readers both. Readers choose from 40 genres and select content preferences such as amount of sex and violence, and The FussyLibrarian emails them daily e-book deals.

Authors send in book information, cover image, and links to where the book is available. Jeffrey Bruner, the Fussy Librarian, is flexible about posting your book at a time that corresponds with specials such as Kindle's Count Down deal. Allowing readers to limit their daily email list to books they prefer is good for authors, too. It means your book is not competing with every book in the country. Just the ones your target group likes.

There is a charge for this service, but it is quite reasonable. Bruner earns revenues through the affiliate programs and doesn't have to rely solely on author fees.

Look for other book listing services, especially those that are limited in some way to match your target audience. For my Christian novels, for example, I use a website called Christian Book Finds (http://christianfictionebooks.blogspot.com/) that advertises Christian books daily and has a large distribution. The charge is not much, but could add up if you're not careful. There is a reduction in cost if you include a badge for the website on your blog.