Certain prejudices die hard in the common imagination of many authors. And these preconceived ideas sometimes limit your initiatives, or guide you badly in the jungle of publishing and promoting a book. Here are some ideas you can confidently consider to successfully publish and promote your books.
1 If my book isn’t selling, it’s because readers aren’t interested.
I rather believe that if it doesn’t sell, it’s because readers haven’t found it. Hundreds of books are published every day. Without active promotion, very few potential readers will come across your book. And even fewer will buy it. I believe that every book has an audience, but that reaching it requires work and following the right methods. To get dozens of sales, you need to attract hundreds of potential readers to your book’s presentation page.
2 I published on KDP, my book must also be referenced in bookstores more widely
I recommend asking yourself this question before publishing. Where are your readers? In physical bookstores, or on Amazon? It is much more effective to use all the levers of Amazon KDP ( A+ Content KDP Select program, promotions offered by Amazon, superior quality of metadata transmission, etc.), once you are there, rather than diversifying your distribution. Distributing through other platforms besides KDP will create a duplicate on Amazon, as the platforms’ distributions are exhaustive. This duplication will cause confusion and is probably not desirable for your book.
3 I need a literary agent
Literary agents in France do not operate like those in the Anglo-Saxon world, where they work a lot with new authors. In France, there are few of them and they work mainly with authors who have already been published. Instead, work with a good publisher or self-publishing platform and spend time promoting your book. This is the most effective way to get your book noticed.
4 I’m looking for someone to delegate the promotion of my book
I am convinced that only the author truly embodies his book and can make it known over time. Moreover, readers attach importance to the author’s personality and background, both before and after purchasing. It is possible to delegate certain clearly defined services (for example, launching a campaign on social networks, Amazon Ads advertising, recreating a book trailer, etc.), but it seems unrealistic to me to completely detach oneself from them as a brand would do through an agency.
5 My book is the result of a unique work it will be a success
Your book is the result of a significant amount of work, dozens of hours of research and reflection, sometimes over many years. But that’s not what interests readers. They want to know what the book will bring them. Thrills, relaxation, laughter, useful information, a wonderful encounter, nostalgia, a journey… they are looking for emotions! However much you value your book, detach yourself from it to identify what will appeal to the reader and highlight it, based on the usual expectations of the literary genre you’re working in.
6 My life story is intended to be read by as many people as possible
Life stories are among the most delicate books to make known. The lessons learned from these stories are often valuable, and the author is keen to share his experience. But there are many life stories published, and the ones that work best are of two kinds:
- Written by famous personalities,
- dealing with a specific subject, and therefore aimed at people looking for very targeted information and feedback.
In my opinion, addressing the masses is not a good communication choice to start promoting a book. It is better to target a limited audience, nd to be clearly identified with it.
7 My text must be perfect
Writing a book is a long process. Many authors set the bar high, reworking their text for many months. It’s exhausting and discouraging. There’s a minimum amount of rewriting to be done, but you have to know when to stop. It’s not easy. Working with a beta reader while writing, or a literary diagnosis intended to define the areas of work, are useful, depending on the stage of progress. But trying to do too well runs the risk of not engaging your writing with your readers. You have to build your writing book after book, by interacting with your readers.
8 My book didn’t sell, too bad
It’s a shame, because a book’s journey is long-term. A book has several lives, and in particular several possible formats. You can imagine doing a relaunch, a new format, or building on your first readers to something else.