Book sales is a perennial topic at literary conferences, author webinars, and in online discussions. Naturally, authors want to know if their book has the potential to sell well. Often, underlying that question is what they can do to make it into one of those books that once it’s out there and available, it will practically sell itself. However, the better question is how can you, as an author, approach book sales in a practical way to help your book in the market, not just before it’s published, but during and after its launch. In part two of our book sales series, we’re examining several misconceptions about book sales authors sometimes carry that are often unproductive or even counterproductive.
Before we get into today’s post, we wanted to ask—do you have a plan for actually finishing your memoir? If not, we know you aren’t making the progress you hoped for. That’s why we developed The Memoir Method Checklist. This free guide (and video training!) will take you through every single step you need from idea to published marketable book. Grab it now at https://pageandpodium.com/checklist
Misconception #1: If you list it, they will come.
Many authors assume that if they have an attractive Amazon page, then that will drive books sales on its own, and that Amazon will do the work for you. However, sales are unlikely to start rolling in simply because it’s available on Amazon. This idea—that something will happen for you rather than with you—underlies a lot of the mistakes we’ll talk about in this series.
This logic breaks down when we remember to think about our own habits as book buyers and readers as well as in the author’s seat. Think about the last time you bought a book. Did you type in a general topic on Amazon? Scroll through their memoir or other section? Probably not, because that is generally not how people use Amazon. Readers are much more likely to buy your book if they have gone in search of it—either because they have heard of it on the grapevine (word of mouth is still the number 1 driver of books sales) or because you have been out there, promoting your book, and have caught their attention in a positive way.
Solution
Instead of thinking of Amazon as your main sales engine, treat it as one piece of a larger ecosystem. Focus on promotional habits that support both your book and your broader message.
It’s also important to note that for many, many authors books sales are not actually where their main profits come from. Instead, their books are part of a larger business that includes speaking engagements, coaching, and other forms of services.
Misconception #2: Hitting the New York Times Bestseller List Is the Ultimate Goal
The NYT bestseller list has established itself as a very shiny goal for authors, perhaps even to authors’ detriment, because it can feed into a terrible make-or-break mindset that can hurt authors in the long run. It may also make them vulnerable to scams, because there are many unscrupulous people out there often shortcuts, hacks, and manipulations to guarantee you a spot on that coveted list.
The NYT is selective about what publishers are eligible for the list, and the metrics for what counts towards best seller status are not as straightforward as you might think. Self-published authors—no matter if they’ve sold thousands or even millions of copies—will not end up on the NYT bestseller list.
Time is also a factor here. Books that may have steady sales over months or even years—not just explosive launches—may also not ever appear on the NYT list.
Solution
Don’t put make or break, success or failure on any one marker of book sales. If you make the NYT list, amazing, but if you don’t that doesn’t mean your book hasn’t reached the audience you wanted it to—and that’s what matters.
Misconception # 3: Publishers will Handle All Marketing and Promotion
Authors, while writing and editing their books and making them the best they can, tend to fantasize about this moment of transfer. Once they’ve done all the isolating, lonely work of writing, then they can hand the book off to a publisher who will take it from there. In fact, we hear this as the number one reason why authors want to go the route of traditional publishing—because they don’t know how to market the book and they want to the publisher to handle it from there. Unfortunately, that’s not actually how it works.
Publishers will do some marketing on behalf of their authors, but not often in the individual campaigns authors envision, and promotion of books sales are still the responsibility of the authors.
For example, your publisher may ensure that your book is on several lists of similar books, at appropriate conferences, and in books stores and libraries where people may look for it. That is typically the limit of their contribution to marketing, but even when and if they run ads, that is not usually enough to significantly move the needle. When the author appears at those same conferences, connecting with readers, mentioning their book as part of panels, showing up and engaging—that is promotion, and that is what drives book sales much more than the marketing a publisher will do on your behalf.
Solution
Embrace (and brace yourself for) being the face of your own book. When authors see their roles as not ending with publishing, but shifting into promotion, their books are often much more successful both in the short and long term. Readers want to connect with you. That means showing up in some authentic way—whether that’s video, speaking, podcasting, writing, or any number of other options that fit your strengths.
It also means letting go of the hope that someone else will handle this for you. No one else can promote your book the way you can.
Misconception #4: There’s One “Right Way” to Sell Your Book
This belief—that there is one perfect, proven, guaranteed path to selling books—is one of the biggest traps authors fall into. It’s simply not true. Partly, it depends on the book—not just how “good” it is, but what kind of book it is, who its audiences are, and where they find their books (and even whether they know they should be looking for it yet). It also depends on the author and what ways that author can help promote in sustainable ways. Some authors have great speaking presences, others may be better at maintaining written presences in forums or in social media, still others may be best talking with book clubs, church or community programs, or other small groups. These two unique things—the book’s nature and the author’s other talents—need to work together for a successful sales strategy—which is why there is no one-size-fits-all “right way”.
However, the hope of finding “the right way” is something that scammers love to exploit. It’s true that it often takes investment for books to do well, but our hearts break when we hear about authors giving tens of thousands of dollars for “guaranteed methods.” As much as we wish there could be, there are no guarantees.
Solution
Stop looking for the “right” way and start looking for a way that’s right for you. What ways could you support and promote your book, not just in short bursts, but as a steady, sustainable practice? Marketing experts will tell you—most of these strategies are based on trial and error. You see what works and adjust. When authors can embrace this as a journey where they may need to try things, adjust, learn and improve over time, they will often see real results. There are many experts out there who can provide significant help and perspective on this journey, but if they offer you a guarantee—run.
Misconception #5: If it Doesn’t Sell Well, It’s Worthless
What if it only sells 100 copies?
In a world with no guarantees, that could happen. Most writers would be disappointed with these numbers, and that would be fair. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that writing that book was a worthless experience or endeavor. Writing your story has inherent value,
What if it sells tens of thousands of copies?
Amazing! Is that what makes it feel worth it? You might be surprised that it’s often not. What makes it feel worth it is the real connection you have with your audience and your story. When you can see the intangible impact sharing your message and seeing it reach people, that is so powerful. And that can happen with far, far fewer than ten thousand sales.
Solution
Sales are great. But they’re not the measure of your worth. They’re not even the best measure of your book’s impact.
If you let go of this numbers-driven fear, something beautiful happens: you get out of your own way. You stop editing your soul out of the work. You start connecting more freely. And guess what? You’re likely to sell more books because of that freedom. And each reader will matter so much more.
PS. Searching the internet for writing, publishing, and book marketing advice can be exhausting to say the least! If you’re ready for hands on, one-on-one support for your memoir, check out The Memoir Method. We’d love to welcome you into this nine-month group program specially designed for women writing their first memoirs. And don’t forget, if you’d like to chat with Amanda about the program (or any other services we offer), you can book a free consult any time!
