Her situation isn’t unusual. Sometimes authors feel like they’re doing all the right things, but they’re not seeing the results they expect. It’s frustrating.

But the thing is, they might not be doing the “right” things. Or maybe they are, but the execution is weak.

They might be hindered by other factors. Perhaps the book needs a cover re-design, or the Amazon detail page needs a makeover.

It’s also possible that they’re getting the right level of results for the activity, but their expectations aren’t realistic.

Determine what does and doesn’t work for your book

The first step in figuring out what’s going on with your book marketing is understanding what you’re doing that works and what you’re doing that doesn’t.

Naturally, you’ll want to do more of what works.

Do this by tracking your marketing activities and the results. Tracking will help you see, for example, if using what you learned in that Instagram marketing course helped sell any books. (Notice that I said “Any,” not “lots.”)

Track book marketing activity with four easy steps

Tracking is easy. You might even find it rewarding. Just follow a four-step process:

1. Execute one marketing activity at a time. Otherwise, you won’t know which tactic made a difference.
2. Log the activity and sales results in an Excel file or a Word table — or the Google Docs equivalent, if you prefer. (See example below.)
3. Study the outcomes to identify trends or patterns.
4. Make any necessary changes based on what you’ve learned.

My book marketing tracking results

That’s what I did when I released the updated version of Get Your Book in the News: How to Write a Press Release That Announces Your Book. Here’s my Excel file header:

I recorded each book marketing tactic, the book’s Amazon category ranking, and the number of books sold.

Here’s what I discovered:

• Everything I did sold books, but some tactics resulted in higher sales than others.
• I sold the most books after announcing the update to my newsletter subscribers. (If you aren’t a subscriber but would like to get free book marketing advice in your inbox every week, use the form at the upper right or under this article.)
• The second best sales source was a recommendation in colleagues’ newsletters.
• I sold the least number of books when I shared this image with a purchase link on social media.

Knowing what spurred sales helped me focus further activities on those that would most likely deliver the best results.

Implement and monitor one tactic at a time

It’s particularly important to implement one tactic at a time whenever possible. If you’re implementing several simultaneously, you’ll struggle to determine which one works best.

That means you don’t want to pay for Amazon ads if you’re on a virtual book tour. If your book marketing plan relies heavily on social media, try limiting your promotional posts to just one social network at a time. Don’t do a Kindle countdown if you’re about to get a big publicity hit.

And, when you believe something doesn’t seem to be generating sales, ask yourself why before abandoning the tactic.

Is it because the tactic isn’t a good fit for the book and its target audience? Or is it because you haven’t implemented it properly or effectively? Will learning how to do it the right way make a difference?

Keep it going

Log activity and monitor results on an ongoing basis, being careful to be as specific as possible when documenting the marketing tactic. Specificity will help you zero in on the best platforms, messages, and images to use, among other things.

Continually adjust your book marketing plan as you learn more until you understand what works best for your book, not anyone else’s.

You’ll find that it’s well worth the small amount of time you put into it.

What book marketing tactic has helped you sell the most books? Please tell us in a comment. 

Most authors feel a great sense of accomplishment when they hit “publish” on Amazon and make that labor of love available for purchase.

The smile that comes with that achievement quickly fades, though, when you discover that nobody is buying your book.

Once you take friends and family out of the mix, you’ve got no movement — no sales.

It’s discouraging. And it’s frustrating.

But it’s also typical, so know that you are not alone.

And know that you can turn that around if you work to avoid these three author mistakes.

Mistake 1: Asking other authors, “What are you doing to market your book that works?”

Why it’s a mistake: Each book has its own audience. If you write children’s books, your audience goes beyond the age range you’re writing for to adults who will buy your books for their children and grandchildren, as well as other adults who might purchase them as gifts. Those aren’t necessarily the same people who read science fiction.

Or memoirs.

Or are concerned about global warming.

Unless you’re asking authors who are writing for the audience you’re trying to reach, the answer to that question could be useless. Doing what they’re doing might very well be a waste of your time.

The fix: Be thoughtful and honest about who will love your book. (Pro tip: It’s not everyone.) Those people are your target audience — not mine or anyone else’s.

Then figure out where to reach them online and in the real world.

Yes, this takes effort. But nobody said marketing a book was easy.

Learn more about how this works in “The formula for more book sales.”

Mistake 2: Refusing to invest in your book’s quality.

Why it’s a mistake: Books sell by word of mouth. If your book isn’t exceptional, readers won’t recommend it.

Most authors need help to go from good to great. If you expect strangers to spend money on your book, you need:

• Excellent content.
• A compelling cover that’s appropriate for the genre.
• A plan for helping readers discover your book.

A professional editor will help most authors improve their manuscript; a professional cover designer will create a cover that appeals to your target audience.

Both come with a traditional publishing contract but when you self-publish, you have to find and pay for those professionals yourself.

Once you’ve got the best book possible, you need to let the right people know how it will transform their lives.

The fix: Ask successful authors to recommend a good cover designer, editor, and proofreader.

If you can’t afford to pay appropriately for decent help, you will want to manage your expectations about sales.

While the professionals are improving your manuscript and creating the ideal cover, you can start exploring your marketing options. My free Book Marketing Plan Template will walk you through the process.

Mistake 3: Not tracking your marketing activities and results.

Why it’s a mistake: You won’t know what works and what doesn’t if you aren’t linking tactics to outcomes. This is important because your goal is to do more of what works and less of what doesn’t.

If you’re making mistake number one — blindly following the lead of others — you’ll uncover that mistake if you’re watching what happens when you do something to promote your book.

Similarly, you’ll notice when you’re doing something right.

The fix: Try one new marketing tactic at a time, watch your Amazon ranking for changes, and record both the activity and results in an Excel file. Then watch for patterns.

For example, when I changed the keywords for my book’s Amazon listing, I sold more books immediately. I wouldn’t have seen that cause and effect if I wasn’t checking my sales.

Here’s what my tracking file looks like so you’ve got a starting point. Create an approach that works for you.

Find publishing success in 2018

Make 2018 the year you do what it takes to become a successful author. That starts with:

• Knowing who will love your book and learning how to reach those people with messages that will motivate them to buy, read, and recommend your book.
• Publishing the absolute best book possible — and accepting the outcome when you can’t do what it takes to meet conventional publishing standards.
• Doing more of what works to market your book and less of what doesn’t.

With some knowledge and effort, you can do it!

What’s your biggest book marketing challenge right now? Share it in a comment — maybe we can help.