What you need to know…
Did you know a self-published author is in charge of selling their own book? Our post “Choosing to Self-Publish Your Book”explains more about the process of publishing the book, but this article is about the next step – SELLING your book!
As a matter of fact, marketing and selling your book should be a priority as soon as you decide to write the manuscript.
Like any new product, if you’re a brand new author, selling your self-published book will take some planning and alot of creative, outside-the-box thinking.
We have some great examples of the ways our authors are selling their books, but first let’s discuss some common misconceptions.
Selling Self-Published Books:
When we begin a book project we always ask the new author how they’re planning on selling their book. These are the common assumptions I hear.
Common Assumptions about Book Sales:
- Once my ebook/paperback is on Amazon, it’ll sell itself
- My physical paperback book will be in every brick and mortar bookstore
- I can sell my printed paperback book on my website
The Reality
Amazon Sales – Placing your book for sale on Amazon is a great idea because it’s an easy way for people who KNOW IT EXISTS to order it. The key to selling on this huge online store is making sure your audience knows it’s there.
SOLUTION – Build a dedicated audience of readers through email as soon as possible and let them know when they can order your newly published book.
Brick & Mortar Bookstores – Unlike Amazon, bookstores have limited space on their shelves. It’s not IMPOSSIBLE to have your self-published book in a bookstore, but the bookstore owner needs to know your book will be worth it for them. The proprietors must be almost guaranteed there is an audience for your book and the bookstore needs to make a profit. The other key to selling a book at your local bookstore is the book needs to be available for purchase through a wholesale distributor like IngramSpark.
SOLUTION – Become a frequent customer at your local bookstores before you publish, discover if your book will fit their market and then ask if they’d be interested in selling a few copies of your book. Be willing to work with them to make it a positive experience for both of you.
Selling Books on My Author Website – This is one of those “Yes, you can, but…” answers. It’s relatively easy to sell an ebook book directly on your website using software such as BookFunnel. Here is a great article about selling your book on your author website from the Alliance of Independent Authors. (We are partner members with this organization for authors)
It’s more challenging to sell a physical book. Once your book is published on Amazon, IngramSpark or any other distributor, you may buy copies at a reduced rate to have on hand for sales. Then you will need to set up your website to be transactional (using WooCommerce, Shopify, etc.) and once a purchase is made, you’ll need to package the book and take it to the post office.
SOLUTION – if you don’t want to be in the shipping business, we recommend our clients direct their customers to their favorite book seller, such as Barnes & Noble or Amazon. They are set-up to sell, print and ship on demand so you don’t have to. We also encourage our authors to have Amazon Affiliate links and earn additional passive income through sales from their books.
The most important key to selling your book is to write a good book.
Book Marketing 101
Selling your book is like selling any other product or service on the market today. You need to know who needs/wants it. If you try to sell to everyone, your book won’t sell to anyone!
The successful authors we’ve worked with have an understanding of the art of selling a product. When asked they can tell you the answer to these four questions.
- Who is your audience? (Who is your ideal reader?)
- What is the problem? (What is the subject of your book?)
- What is the solution to the problem? (This should be the main portion of your book)
- Where does your audience find answers? (You need to reach them where they’re looking; social media, Google, local store, etc.)
Your Ideal Reader
Charlotte Ekker Wiggins, is the author of “A Beekeeper’s Diary: Self Guide to Keeping Bees.” We helped her publish her 300+ page book in the spring of 2021 and she knows her audience well. She built a personna on their exact characteristics and she shared it with us before we started designing the interior layout.
She describes her ideal reader as a beginning beekeeper, average age 55, located in the U.S. The person is likely to be in their first year or two of managing the hives and will be keeping plenty of notes on their new hobby and will often carry the book right out to the hive.
Knowing this information ahead of time helped us make the book as user friendly as possible. We chose a larger size book, with a larger font for easy reading and we made sure we included plenty of space for taking notes.
Charlotte’s understanding of her audience allowed her to keep the book focused on exactly what a new beekeeper needed.
What Problem Does Your Book Address?
The most passionate author we’ve worked with so far is the author of the book “Baseball, Teach Your Kid to Hit…So They Don’t Quit!” First time author, Kevin Gallagher, addresses the struggle of a vast audience of parents who want to help their child participate
in a sport, but lack the know-how. Kevin meets that struggle with insight and gentleness, providing hope to the parent via a solution they can learn and teach.
For Charlotte, her book on beekeeping addresses the problem she had when she first started keeping bees.
As often the case, these author chose to write their books to solve a problem they initially struggled with themselves, and chose to share their solution.
What is the Solution to the Problem?
This should encompass the majority of the pages in the book. Once the problem is declared your audience wants the solution you’ve discovered.
A quick look at the table of contents should highlight the solution in any book. Both books we have been discussing offer a clear plan of success for the reader.
Where does the Audience Find Answers?
This is where your skills as a detective can be helpful. Does your audience use one social media channel more than another? Is there a physical location that would make sense as a place to sell your book or does your reader Google their answers?
One of the best ways to sell your book is to an existing email audience. Charlotte has been in business for years and has an established email list. It was natural for her to discuss the new book she was writing and create anticipation for her readers. She also had an established beekeeping website which allowed her to promote the book directly. She went one step further by creating an Author Website using her name as the URL. This is another great way to market yourself as you’re in complete control and not subject to Facebook or Twitter’s algorithms.
Kevin has been interviewed on several sports talk shows and podcasts and has asked and received many positive reviews from major baseball names which he will be adding to an updated version in the near future.
Other Creative Ideas for Selling Your Self-Published Book
Here are some creative solutions these authors accomplished. We were SO impressed by their guts to reach out themselves and go after these opportunities. THEY did it themselves by thinking outside the box!
Where would a new beekeeper be found?
Charlotte realized beekeepers are constantly needing supplies from local hardware stores such as Menards so she is going through the process to get her books in their store and their suppliers.
She also sought out stores selling local honey – as they are in contact with the local beekeeping population. She has found local gift stores is another place for her specialty book. They package up honey gift items and include her book with them for a beautiful package.
She entered her book in the 2021 Independent Publishers Book Award and won a bronze medal and now she has several independent bookstores asking for her book.
Her most recent accomplishment is being featured on a Beekeeper’s Podcast. Charlotte has a list of planned marketing efforts for the next year she is working through, a little each month will keep her sales moving up.
Where would parents look for help with their kids playing baseball?
Kevin realized parents rely on coaches and organizations who support them so he has connected with the National Little League and his book is now available on their website.
He is also working to have his book in the bookstore at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, because parents who bring their children there are super enthusiastic about all things baseball!
Aren’t those amazing accomplishments?
Are You Ready to Publish Your Book?
At Becky’s Graphic Design we help authors publish their books. Once the manuscript is completely edited we design the cover and layout the print interior. We layout the full front and back cover for each format needed, hardcover with jacket, trade paperback and the front only for ebooks.
One of our author’s favorite services is our assistance with self-publishing. This includes managing the ISBN numbers on Bowker’s site, distributor accounts and uploading the book to the distributor. The author never has to touch the files – we do it all for them.
Do you want to learn more about our author services? Email us about your project here or consider setting up an appointment for a one-on-one with Becky!
Additional Resources for Selling Your Books
- 17 Ways to Boost Authors
- The Ultimate Guide to Selling Your Books on Your Author Website
- Author Entrepreneur. How To Sell Books And Products Direct To Customers – and older post but still has great information!
Amazing blog for begginers to understand the method! No one will buy a book if they’re unaware of its existence. Creating awareness of a book is one of the most important aspects of marketing, which can be accomplished through a number of means, including social media, blogs, or distributing fliers.