Your story is a familiar one...
You pour your time, energy and resources into writing and publishing a book. As you hold the first copy of your book in-hand, the sense of accomplishment is tangible. You look at this outward display of your hard work and grow more excited by the minute. You imagine orders beginning to flow in. In your mind's eye, you see all the glowing, life-changing reviews for your new book. And you consider your response to the multitude of speaking invitations you'll surely receive. And then something unexpected happens...
Nothing...NOTHING happens!
Sure...you make a few sales here and there (Mom doesn't count) but that's it. Over time your pride and sense of accomplishment transforms into feelings of betrayal and wasted time. Your overflowing enthusiasm has now been reduced to apathy and disappointment.
What Went WRONG?
You followed what everyone told you to do...you EVEN posted about your new book on Social Media! This was suppose to be EASY and NOW it looks like you failed...AGAIN. What you don't realize, however, is that you left out the most important element of the Book Sales equation...
Your MARKETING Failed!
You see...a few posts about your book to Social Media and telling your friends does NOT equal marketing. Truly successful book marketing is a relentless pursuit of your potential audience. It requires the SAME level of enthusiasm and focus you applied to finishing your book. In other words, good book marketing requires Consistent Intentional Action!
It's Not MAGIC...but It Sure Does Seem Like It!
What you may not have realized is that, in addition to YOUR book launching on your publish date, so did an estimated 2,800 OTHER self-published books THAT DAY...and the next day...and the day after that. Marketing is the mechanism that causes YOUR book to leap out ahead of all the other publishing noise and plant it firmly in a place that catches your audience's attention! Book Marketing done correctly can make even an average book SHINE out like a lighthouse beacon! Minimal marketing leads to, well, you know...