Folks, it was not what I hoped.

Because my book released halfway through March, and based on my Amazon rankings during this period, I believed my initial launch surge of sales would go at last two weeks into Q2, which was about half of that launch surge. Thus, I expected to see Q2 sales about on par with my Q1 sales (which encompassed presales and two weeks of my launch).

Turns out: Nope.

Between April and June, I sold a whopping 118 copies of my novel. So, still not a bestseller.

This made my heart sink, because I now realize that I am not going to make my initial goal of selling 1,000 copies in my first year (which will end in March 2016).

Not only is this number far below what I’d need to be on pace for my 1000-copy goal, but I’ve only seen my Amazon ranking continue to sink since this period ended, so my sales trend is going in the wrong direction.

So yeah, it stings.

Unfortunately, a sales dip is normal, particularly when you only have one book on the market, and particularly when you’re with a small press.

Demystifying debuts

The debut novel holds a lot of reverence.

For writers, it’s a symbolic step that takes them from “aspiring” to “professional.” For readers, it means an exciting new voice to check out, and they can be the first to discover it.

For a lucky few who manage a major publishing deal for their debut, and who are chosen by that publisher for a large marketing investment, the debut can shoot a writer straight to stardom.

For the rest of us, this only the first step in a long road ahead.

• Books in a series tend to hit sales “critical mass” at book three, according to my publisher. Which makes sense, because every true fan is now three potential sales, instead of just one.

• As a result, there are certain promotional steps my publisher won’t take until the series has three books in it (like run a BookBub promotion). My publisher has strongly discouraged me from spending my own budget on this, too. I have taken this advice, and I find it a wise approach.

• Many authors report seeing a “tipping point” in their sales trends around book eight to 10 (series or not), where they are discovered by more readers, each reader buys more books, and there is an overall upward shift in sales trends. My own observation of authors at every stage backs this up.

In other words, if you want a long-term career as a writer, the debut novel is not a sales machine. It’s a first step for growing a readership.

Platform over profit

Based on this conclusion, I’ve chosen to approach my debut launch as a tool to grow my platform, rather than a product for immediate profits.

This means I am prioritizing my investments (time and money) for ways to use my book as a credential to take actions that will support my more long-term goals.

These are:

• Get an agent and major publisher for my next book after my current series.
• Grow a readership who will want to buy my future releases.

To this end, I am active on social media, I blog, I send out a newsletter.

I invest in Facebook ads to grow my email list and recently started giving away a free novella as an incentive.

And I’m pitching to speak at relevant events on panels and on my own.

Shift your thinking

I may not make my sales goal for year one, but let’s be real: it was pretty lofty. There’s actually a silver lining in all this, and it’s nothing to sneeze at:

Just four months into the launch of my first book, I have surpassed the “average” mark for first-year book sales.

The average book, measuring everyone from that self-pub guy who throws his book on CreateSpace and does nothing else, up to JK Rowling, sells 250 copies a year (and only 2,000 in its lifetime). As of June, I’m at 322.

Between this fact and all I’ve learned about debuts in general, rather than beat myself up, I am choosing to shift my thinking. Instead of stressing over short-term goals, I am setting myself up for future success.

How are you investing in your writing future?

As I touched on last month — yes, that did take a while. There was a delay of two months, to be exact.

This type of delay between the close of a sales quarter and a report of those sales is fairly normal in publishing, from everything I’ve learned from other writers and information available online.

So let’s take a look at how my novel is doing. Then, we’ll look at what efforts I have put into getting those sales.

Drum roll, please?

In the first quarter of 2016, I sold 197 books. These were all purchases from Amazon, Apple, Kobo, and CreateSpace.

Add to that the seven books I sold in the last quarter of 2015 (very early pre-sales — probably my mom), and as of the end of March, there were 204 copies of my book out in the world.

Assessing the data

In case anyone isn’t clear, those are not bestseller numbers.

However, the average book sells only 250 copies in its entire first year.

That’s not new authors. That’s an average.

It includes everyone from that guy who posted his book on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and did nothing else at all, all the way up to J. K. Rowling’s latest hit release.

In addition to this, my book was on soft-launch pre-sales for most of this period — it didn’t actually release with real promotion behind it until March 15. So most of those sales are likely from the last two weeks of the quarter.

I have another two weeks of launch promotions still to come in my second quarter data.

So I’m not popping champagne over here, but I’m not slamming my head against the wall, either. I’m not overwhelmed. I’m not underwhelmed.

Can you ever just be whelmed? I’m feeling pretty evenly whelmed.

The post-launch dip

This is a perfectly solid start. But following a book’s launch period, it’s extremely common for sales to take a dramatic dip.

But I’m nowhere near my goal of selling 1000 copies of my book within the first year. In fact, I’m starting out a little behind.

This means it’s time to step up those marketing efforts. Big time.

First-quarter marketing

Thanks to my marketing and PR background, I was prepared to take steps to establish a strong foundation for my book marketing prior to my book release.

I have a website I’m happy with, I got some great professional headshots, and I have a pretty good blog and social media presence.

But if I’m going to reach my 1,000-sale goal, I’m going to need to step it up.

I’ve been studying some of my author peers, and when I can, I ask them about their marketing successes. I’ve also been researching online and doing my own brainstorming.

As a result, I’ve got some next steps in mind:

Hone my sales funnel

I activated Mailchimp automation so that I can engage new subscribers with a short series of emails that introduce them to my work, ask them what they’re reading, and then prompt them to buy my book with a small discount.

As the data comes in, I’ll tweak it to maximize the results.

Get more social

I learned from talking to other writers that some things I generally consider best practices in social media are in fact holding me back. I’m shifting my focus away from sharing sci-fi/fantasy news and more toward interacting with individual followers.

I’m also making a point to share promotional posts about my book a few times a week. This goes against everything I’ve learned about social media, but it’s working for others, so it’s worth experimenting with.

Beat the pavement

Promoting my book online is comfortable for me because I don’t have to directly engage with anyone. But an author friend has been having a ton of success with in-person book events in her community, so I’m making myself get out there and give it a try.

I can handle a few hours of social discomfort, if it means more exposure for my book.

Time to step it up

My book sales so far are fine. Not outstanding, not terrible.

But with the inevitable post-launch sales dip coming, this is the time to step up my efforts.

Thanks to some research, creativity and insights from other authors, I’ve got big plans ahead.

Stay tuned—you can bet I’ll keep sharing what I learn along the way.

Authors, what’s your preferred way to promote your work? Online interaction, or in-person events?

Unfortunately, many self-published authors assume that traditional publicity is out of reach. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Reaching a wider audience involves a solid author platform and a book marketing plan.

Once those are in place, it’s time to focus on publicity and media coverage.

Over 30 years working in the media, I’ve been contacted by all kinds of people who wanted access to my audience — including authors, filmmakers, recording artists, comedians, businesspeople, as well as publicists representing those people.

Their pitches have ranged from elaborate and expensive (custom-made folders, branded tchotchkes, publicity materials printed on the fancy stationery) to some that were very simple (just an email or a few sheets of paper).

The best pitches weren’t necessarily those that were the most elaborate or the most expensive. In fact, what the best pitches have in common has nothing to do with expense or extravagance.

At the most basic level, a media pitch is simply correspondence that explains your story angle. It doesn’t require a formal press release, glossy paper, or a presentation over hors d’oeuvres or martinis.

At the end of the day, all that matters is whether your story angle will keep my audience engaged. You can send it via singing telegram — sure, it would get my attention — but it’s not going to help you if I don’t believe that my audience wants to hear your story.

[bctt tweet=”Here are five common myths about publicity for self-published authors”]

Plus ways to break them as you start your own promotional campaign.

Publicity myth #1: It won’t work for my kind of book

Every type of author has a fair shot at being interviewed, profiled or reviewed.

Sure, some types of books are easier to sell than others — but any kind of author with any kind of book is just as eligible for coverage from print, broadcast and digital media. It’s all in how you present yourself.

The next time you’re standing in the checkout line at the grocery store, take a look at the magazines racked next to the candy. The cover text text shouts story hooks that pique your curiosity. That text has one job: Get you to flip open the magazine.

The cover lines promise you the answers to secrets, gossip about someone’s private life, and tips to be healthier, wealthier, and/or wise. The text almost never proclaims, “Here’s a product that exists!” They’re always focused on topics and story angles that will make that audience turn the pages.

Now, let’s look at your book. No matter its primary topic, there are likely to be more discussion starters than “This book exists.” The topic of the book may lend itself to discussions about money, health, or issues of public interest.

But what if it doesn’t lend itself to an easy discussion starter? Maybe your book is a novel, a retelling of some obscure historical events, or a how-to book on building cabinets.

If that’s the case, you may have to dig a little deeper. But discussion starters are in there somewhere. What can you share about what inspired the book, or what you learned while writing it?

Publicity myth #2: Media coverage is expensive

Actually, publicity, by definition, doesn’t cost anything at all. If you have to pay for it, it’s called “advertising.”

You can book an interview yourself with just an email and a PDF copy of your press kit. And email and PDFs are free.

Now, should you hire a publicist?

Think of it this way: A good publicist can be like a guitar teacher or a tour guide or an athletic coach.

You don’t need to hire that person to play the guitar, take a mountain hike or train for a marathon. But a good teacher or guide may help you get results faster than you would have alone.

You may decide to hire a publicist or a marketing team. You just don’t have to.

If you’re going to be your own publicist, the first job is to figure out whom to contact. How do you do that? Let’s think of it as a series of circles around your target. Working our way from the outside toward the center:

• Your perfect audience
• The media outlet that speaks to that audience
• The reporter or producer at that outlet
• The best way to contact that reporter

Don’t be mesmerized by the size of a particular outlet’s audience — if that outlet doesn’t speak to your audience, you’re just wasting everybody’s time.

Remember to tailor your media pitch — which is more of a letter than a traditional press release — to a specific person at a specific outlet. Start with a goal of contacting 3-5 media influencers. Get some small wins before you start gambling away your time trying to get on The Today Show.

Remember, every time you appear in the media is valuable to your long-term goals.

Publicity myth #3: The media only cares about famous people

TV producers and print editors and webmasters only care about their audience.

Media producers are interested in any guest or topic that will hold that audience’s attention. If you can make a compelling case for your news angle’s appeal to the audience, you have a realistic chance of getting booked.

If you can make a case for your new book (as reviewed in myth #1), you’re well on your way to grabbing producers’ attention.

Publicity myth #4: All I have to do is announce myself

The best publicity pitches succinctly explain your story hook and why your idea is suitable for that specific audience. Since media professionals are always on deadline, “Here I am, figure me out!” pitches never get anywhere.

If you want that media contact to take you seriously, make your pitch clear and to the point. Explain who you are, why you’re pitching, and your story angle for their audience.

A strong publicity pitch will go past the “This book exists” angle and use that book as a discussion starter for that audience. In fact, the pitch may not even be about the book at all. It could be about a part of your research, or how current events can be viewed through the lens of your book.

Your story pitch won’t always be directly about your book. The resulting coverage will always include your book, since you’re the expert. See the difference?

Publicity myth #5: I only have one shot at media coverage for this book

For several years, I was the editor in chief for a group of music magazines. During that period, one of the sharpest publicists I knew found a brand-new excuse to pitch something about a particular client every six to eight weeks.

Some pitches got her client into the news column, some got the band into the review section, and some led to interviews. She understood that a strong publicity strategy unfolds over time.

How about you? Can you think of five or more different points of entry to start a discussion about your book?

As you plan your promotional campaign, think beyond “Here I am!” announcements and dig into what you have to offer readers, viewers and listeners.

If you know your target audience, and you know the media outlets that speak to that audience, there’s no reason you can’t come up with a great pitch. More importantly, there’s no reason you shouldn’t come up with a brand-new pitch for that audience every few months until you publish your next book.

And then the cycle can start again.

What tips do you have for authors pitching themselves to the media?

But while publishing a book is an enormous deal, and one that you should be proud of, you’re not going to sell many books without marketing.

Many authors are overwhelmed by the thought of marketing. It is not an easy group of tasks to complete, and it feels overwhelming.

Here are nine frequent book marketing mistakes. They may seem like common sense, but each one is based on mistakes I’ve seen authors make in the past.

1. Not asking for what you need

It can be hard to ask for help. But you cannot do it all by yourself.

You need reviews, social media shares, and enthusiastic fans to help spread the word about your work.

While you don’t want to wear out your welcome, don’t be afraid to ask your friends and family to help you. Start to develop a street team or launch team; such a team will include hardcore friends (or your mom) that you’ll ask to help on specific tasks.  

2. Ignoring book marketing beginners

Sometimes, the help we need is more than our friends and family can provide. When that happens, it may be time to hire help. If you choose to work with a blog tour company, a virtual assistant, or a book marketing company, don’t ignore the new ones.

While it may seem smart to go with a more established company, sometimes the new ones who are trying to make a name for themselves will work harder to help you — and sometimes at a cheaper rate, too. They need to build their base and you can help them. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship to consider.

3. Ignoring SEO

When you have good SEO, or search engine optimization, it’s easier for people to find you among the ocean of information online.

Hashtags and keywords are a huge part of how people find you. Make sure to use the right ones on your blog and social media posts. Pay special attention to the wording in the blurb on the back of your book. Pick up books similar to yours and see what words they’re using in their blurbs and online product descriptions.

If you can get an idea of what keywords people are searching for, then you can work with those keywords to improve your blurb and other marketing materials. Consider using Google’s keyword planner to gauge interest levels in certain keywords.

4. Not engaging online

Interact on social media. Be polite on social media. If a blogger helps you out and shows interest in helping you, be generous in your thanks. Make sure to respond promptly, and professionally. Do not forget to thank people who help you.

I wouldn’t personally thank every person who reviews your book, but bloggers, writing groups, and blog tour companies should get shoutouts. These people are doing you a service by exposing your work to their followers; when you thank them publicly, you’re returning the favor.

To meet new readers, look for Twitter chats, Goodreads giveaways, and Facebook takeovers to participate in. That being said…

5. Spamming people

A million tweets screaming “BUY MY BOOK!!!” will not sell your book. It will make people block you. A Facebook post every half hour pointing out that your book released a day ago will only annoy, not encourage, those who follow you.  

Find a happy medium. People want to interact with their favorite authors. Personal interaction will help sales; spam will not.

6. Doing only one thing

Readers are everywhere. If you only post on Twitter, you miss the people on Facebook. If you only post on Google+, you miss the people on Twitter.

While you may have some of the same people following you on each social media platform, each one will appeal to different people for various reasons. Marketing a book is a little like throwing spaghetti at the wall. You want to do a wide range of social media engagement and see where it sticks.

You need to focus your energies on what works, while always continuing to throw spaghetti at new walls to find other methods that stick. Marketing will ebb and flow, and it’s up to you to recognize new opportunities to interact as new tools and methods rise in popularity.

7. Forgetting to think locally

Book marketing isn’t only an online thing. Look around you. Local book stores, consignment shops, coffee shops and the library are all good places to get the word out about your book. Scheduling a reading at your library or local bookstore can be a major piece of your marketing plan.

Don’t forget about local newspapers. Many will be interested in writing a profile about a local author. Check their websites to see about submission guidelines or who you need to contact.

8. Waiting until the book is ready to launch

In a perfect world, you should start marketing about six months before your book comes out. In these early stages, focus on talking to people, networking, getting plans in place for promotions.

These efforts are all crucial. They should be done early. You want to create buzz, anticipation, and momentum. If you start to build buzz around your new work, you should already have a small audience for when the book launches — and a small audience will help you build a bigger audience.

If your book has already launched, set a promotion date for several months into the future, and plan to tie your future marketing to this promotion date. (Go back to point number one for a reminder to ask for help!)  

If you’re not sure when to set the date, think about things that are happening. Will you be getting ready to release another book? Then six months prior to that release would be perfect. What about holidays, or before summer vacations start?

9. Expecting overnight success

Very few authors enjoy overnight success. For the rest of us mere mortals, it takes time and hard work. Marketing a book is either a labor of love or a job. Either way you look at it, it’s going to take a considerable amount of time. You should be committed to putting that time in.

The thing about book marketing is that it is difficult to mess up too badly. Even if you have made one of these errors, you can usually fix it, learn from the mistake, and move on.  

What lessons have you learned while marketing your books?
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