As I said in an earlier post, I fluctuated between thinking that my book is incisive and elegant, and worrying that it disastrous drivel, and to some extent I still feel that way. I must, and indeed do, face the possibility that the book is just no good, that my writing is amateur and/or boring, and that as a self produced work it is likely that it appears less professional than it otherwise could. I know all of this.
Having said all that, it seems to me that the quality (or lack thereof) of my work, cannot in itself be the reason for poor sales. After all, there have been no reviews of my book (negative or otherwise) that might discourage people from buying it. It must be the lack of proper advertising that is to blame, at least at this stage.
If there is anyone out there reading this blog, and the lack of comments would suggest that there is not, but if there is, I would be grateful for any advertising suggestions. Is there anything that I could reasonably and cheaply do that I am not already doing?
In the meantime, if you have bought and read the book, a short review, positive or negative, would be welcome. I have had literally no feedback as yet.
PS
Sorry if this post seems a bit whiny. I have no excuse.
Hello! I found you from Matt's post on G+. And while, I'm not yet a published book author (I intend to be!), I do feel I can offer you a bit of advice.
ReplyDeleteIf any of this seems harsh, I'm not trying to be. It just needs to be said.
First, judging from what I can see... no one knows about you. With the billions of books for sale, it's going to be damn near impossible to assume that someone will just happen to see your book on Lulu and buy it, let alone a BUNCH of someones. You seriously have to, you know, market your book. Are you even on twitter? Do you have a facebook page? You really need some of those links up.
Second, who are you? Bloggers default profile page sucks. Make your own. Put it in the sidebar.
Third, SHOW us your book! That should be in the sidebar as well. On top. With a photo. And a link to it that contrasts, but still fits well with, the design of your site.
Fourth, You have to, you know, blog on your blog. Since you started in May, I see only 11 posts, 7 of which were back in May. Blog often. Blog regularly. Gather a following. Give people a reason to HANG OUT on your blog.
and
Lastly, check out this guy (http://www.tribalauthor.com/). He has some amazing tips on self-publishing. I learned a LOT just from his free subscription.
Good luck! And feel free to stop by and let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you very much. Not harsh at all. I take on board everything that you have said and I am taking steps to implement much of your advice...
ReplyDelete...I'll probably steer clear of FB though, but Twitter is beckoning.
I'm a real newbie when it comes to social networks. I've avoided it for so long - now, reluctantly, I find that I need it, and I've a deal of catching up to do.