Sometimes people approach authorship optimistically…and without much knowledge of what’s really involved with writing, publishing, and marketing a quality book that people want to read.

And for some, there is no better feeling than forgetting about the time as you craft a story or write a nonfiction book chapter that you know your audience will love reading.

But it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. And, sad to say, I’m often forced to point that out.

My intention is never to dissuade or discourage. My goal is always to help you understand what’s involved and what’s likely to happen. It’s about helping you manage your expectations while maximizing success.

5 things I tell authors that really annoy them

My reality checks can annoy people, though. In spite of that, I continue, because knowledge really is power.

With that in mind, here are just five of the things I tell authors that really annoy them.

Each is important for anyone hoping to bring to readers a book people truly want to read. Understanding them will help you sell more books.

Thing 1. You will probably have to self-publish your book.

This is the most annoying thing I tell authors. I hate saying it, but it’s true.

This is the case even for professional writers who got book contracts years ago — including me.

It used to be that if you were a good writer and had a marketable idea that you could show demand for, you had at least a shot at a traditional publishing contract.

Now, it’s often more about how many copies you can sell than it is about your ability to write a marketable manuscript. That’s what ghostwriters are for, after all.

Most authors-to-be don’t have a platform that will guarantee a significant number of book sales, so they have to abandon the traditional publishing approach and opt for an alternative. Whether you go with a hybrid, assisted, or do-it-yourself publishing model, it’s still a form of self-publishing.

Thing 2. You are responsible for marketing your book, regardless of your publishing model.

Authors often tell me they’re pursuing a traditional publishing contract because they “don’t like to do marketing.”

Bwahahaha!

It doesn’t matter what publishing model you use. If you want to sell books, you have to actively and continually market your book.

On the traditional and small press side, your publisher will do as much as it can to support your book. But that’s often limited to sending reviewing copies. Because resources are limited, they can’t put a lot of time, energy, and money into anything but those books that are expected to be blockbusters.

It doesn’t matter what publishing model you use. If you want to sell books, you have to actively and continually market your book.Click to tweet

Sometimes they don’t even provide a great deal of support for books they’ve spent a lot to acquire.

For example, because one of my book marketing coaching clients got a six-figure advance for his nonfiction book on a topic with widespread appeal, we both expected his publisher to put marketing muscle into it to recoup its investment. Surprisingly, the marketing was limited to sending review copies and creating a landing page with links to online retailers.

My author had to do the rest. So do you.

It’s up to you to make your book a success.

Thing 3. “Everybody” isn’t going to buy your book.

Last month, an author in a LinkedIn book marketing group asked, “Does this site help you promote yourself?”

When I asked what she writes, she said “fiction,” adding, “Anyone can read my novels.”

That’s true. But they won’t.

Most of us don’t read anything and everything. We have favorite fiction genres.

I noted that she wanted to put her effort into getting her book in front of her target audience. Where she will find them depends on the types of novels she writes and who enjoys reading them.

Many of the book marketing group’s members might read novels, but they don’t log in to LinkedIn hoping to find novels to buy. LinkedIn is a business networking site that people use for professional, rather than personal reasons.

via GIPHY

She didn’t respond, most likely because she didn’t like my advice. It didn’t fit with her notion that “everyone” will enjoy her books.

Abandon the “everybody” approach and focus instead on learning as much as possible about the people who read the types of books you write. To learn more about how that works, read “The powerful and effective formula for more book sales.”

Thing 4. You have to spend money to make money.

Cliché, but true.

If you want people to read, love, and recommend your book, it needs to look and read like it’s traditionally published. That means spending money on:

• A cover that’s appropriate for your genre or category
• Editing
• Proofreading

Many of today’s authors have no writing training, either, so I also recommend paying to learn how to do that. It might be a community college or adult education course, or online training offered by an expert.

While you can do quite a bit of promotion without spending money, at some point, you’ll want to consider budgeting for promotions that will zero in on your target audience.

Thing 5. You don’t become a popular author by treating authorship as a hobby.

It’s definitely okay to view it as a hobby. There’s nothing wrong with writing for the pure love of it or because you have something you need to get on paper.

All good.

But authors who sell books – and lots of them – view authorship as a business. If selling books is important to you, you need to do the same.

What does that look like? It means:

• Presenting a polished, professional front with your author photo, website, and social media profiles.
• Investing time and money in professional development, whether it’s learning how to be a good writer or how to self-publish a book.
• Spending on tools of the trade, such as software, an email list management service, and computer hardware.
• Creating an attractive, easy-to-navigate website.

Consider, too, creating a publishing imprint and a business checking account for bookkeeping and other purposes.

I’m well-intended

I do mean well when I provide reality checks. Really, I do.

Whether I’m explaining why there are limits to what you can learn from free information or advising against paying for a pricey cookie-cutter promotion package that doesn’t reach your target audience, I’m trying to help.

I want to help you avoid publishing predators. I want you to create a quality product. I want to connect you with people, products, and services that can make a positive difference for you and your book.

The more you know, the more successful you’ll be.

What have you learned about writing and publishing that has been hard to accept? Please tell us in a comment. 

What are you doing – or have you done – to ensure that your end product is something that readers need, want, or will enjoy?

If you’re like most of today’s authors, you’re not a professional writer. You didn’t come to authorship after years of experience in the book publishing industry. And yet, here you are – an author, or at least an almost-author.

Where does your knowledge come from?

Recurring posts in a self-publishing Facebook group that I co-moderate include some form of:

• “I want to write a book. Where do I start?”
• “I wrote a book. Should I look for a publisher or do it myself?”
• “My book is done. How do I publish it?”
• “I’ve published my book but haven’t sold any copies. How do you guys sell books?”

I don’t recommend this approach for two reasons.

First, you want to learn everything possible about what’s involved before you even start writing. The more you know about books and publishing, the better able you will be to write a book that people will want to read.

You received training for your job, right? Authorship is a job, too. Learn before you do.

Second, you’ll get conflicting information when you ask such broad questions in groups. When that happens — and it’s the norm, not the exception — you won’t know who to believe.

People sharing bad information state their “knowledge” with power and confidence; people who know the facts are equally confident when they respond. How do you know who to trust?

A better way to learn on your book publishing journey

You want to learn from experts. And there are many of them in the group I mentioned above as well as in my Build Book Buzz book marketing group on Facebook.

The problem is figuring out who they are when you don’t have a lot of knowledge already.

So, while these groups are incredibly helpful, you’re better off using them to ask specific process questions rather than very broad questions like those above.

This is why I highly recommend getting the basics by:

• Reading a how-to book (I’ve reviewed several on this site)
• Taking an online course
• Attending how-to workshops at virtual and in-person conferences

Who can you trust?

As with crowd-sourced input, you still need to determine which author or instructor deserves to be trusted. Consider:

• Asking successful authors what resources they recommend
• Posting questions such as “What how-to book or course about self-publishing helped you the most?” in groups
• Reading the reviews on books you’re considering and the testimonials on course descriptions
• Paying close attention to the credentials of the author or instructor to make sure they have the necessary experience

Keep in mind that while conference presenters are screened, that’s not the case with authors and online course creators. Someone who knows only a fraction more than you do can write a how-to book or create an online course.

There are lots of talented people who can teach you far more than you’ll ever learn trying to sift through answers to broad questions in a forum or group. Getting your publishing and marketing knowledge from qualified experts, then turning to groups for more specific information, will give you the knowledge mix you need to succeed.

How did you learn how to write, publish, and market your book?