If you are serious about skyrocketing your career, listen up .There is one thing that will give you instant credibility in your field. It’s a book and it’s easier to self publish than you think.
Straight off the bat I’ll tell you that I love Amazon, especially Amazon Kindle Publishing. For the first time in history both you and I can publish a book, express our opinions and have our words read, debated and maybe even loved, all on the same platform. And it’s not going to break the bank.
But if our work is considered crap, no problem. We just start again……until we get it right.
And speaking of crap, let’s talk about 50 Shades of Grey. Not my opinion incidentally as I have not read it. But according to my literary friends (the ones stepping out of their rusted VW Beetles wearing kaftans) and some pontificating literary agents (wannabe writers who couldn’t make it) tell me this 100 million selling series is ‘utter garbage’. Are they right or just bitter and twisted?
Well thanks to Amazon, E L James was able to self publish her books which at one time accounted for 25% of all books sold in the world. Now that’s the kind of rubbish I want to write!
James’s books were eventually picked up by a publisher who got them into bookstores around the world. The movie grossed over $600 million which is not bad for a ‘garbage book’ either.
There are plenty of other titles that do not suit traditional publishers. Some of these old war horses are adverse to risk and it’s difficult to break in. Amazon is one platform that allows fledgling writers the opportunity to self publish and boost their careers.
Most traditional publishers want to put you into a box. There’s a certain number of words required, the book can only be in print format and it must be a standard size and so the list goes on. Amazon throws those rules out the window and allows you to write short stories. They have a specific section called Kindle Short Reads. On their print platform CreateSpace, you can print standard size paperbacks or larger ones. No problem.
Let’s say you are a dentist and you want to build your client base particularly amongst young children. You have a passion for preventative care of children’s teeth by educating them on how to look after their teeth and gums.
But let’s face it that sounds like a boring topic to write about. Rightly so it would be difficult to imagine such a book rushing out the door and becoming a bestseller. I don’t think Spielberg will be knocking on your door to create a movie from your book.
But that’s not to say you shouldn’t write a book. It will definitely give you credibility. But instead of making it a boring practical journal why not write say a children’s story about a bear with a sore tooth. A fun tale with a message of looking after your teeth could be easily portrayed. Parents would love the book and kids may happily brush their teeth more often.
You have a couple of choices – do it yourself or pay somebody else to do it for you. It may mean that you have to get up at 5 am and put in a couple of hours of writing before work. You may have to do it after dinner. But if you want to write the book then you’ll need to make time. Period.
But if early morning starts doesn’t float your boat, perhaps you could hire a ghostwriter. Google the term and you’ll be overwhelmed with choice.
Possibly but most likely not. The purpose of the book is to differentiate you from your peers. Set you apart. It will open up other opportunities for you which will lead to more credibility and income earning possibilities. And you may make some serious coin from the book as well but don’t hold your breath.
So writing a book has huge upside. Amazon has made it so much easier to self publish your work. It’s easier than it’s ever been. Want to take your career to the next level? The ball is in your court.
How are your book sales? Need to sell more books? As we enter the home straight on 2017, now is the time to run home hard and finish big. It is also the set up phase to sell more books in 2018.
As an Amazon bestselling mystery ebook author, I’m giving you my plan to ensure you have a big fat turkey for Christmas and a cracker 2018. Here are my 10 tips to sell more books now and in 2018.
Sounds obvious but some people call themselves writers but never write. Or they write too little. Readers want to hear from you. They need to know that you are not a one book wonder. If your Amazon profile looks empty, they’ll move onto another author where they know more books are coming.
Check out the competition and make sure your work is competitively priced. How many pages is your book? What star rating do you have? You need to be realistic here. I know this is your baby but don’t price yourself out of the market even though you think you are a better writer than Lee Child and you should get the same price as he does for your mystery ebook. That doesn’t mean you need to be cheap either – just well priced.
If you have a back catalogue that’s starting to look a little dated, sometimes a book refresh will breathe new life into those books. My refresh this year secured my a few #1 Amazon bestsellers in category in a few different countries and gave my bank account a boost.
(Get this book FREE )
There are a lot of book promoters out there promising your world of easy sales. Be wary. I like to do a promotion where I know the risks and have some control of the outcome. I think BKights on Fiverr.com delivers a great bag for the buck. BookBub is the king daddy of promotions, but so is the price. But it seems to deliver.
Add video to your blogs, social media posts and article promos. We live in a time poor world and people love video. It’s quick, easy and enables your readers to get to know you a little more. You can even get a video trailer done for your book and post what around the world. Again Fiverr has some decent operators who can do that for you. Check out my book trailer here
Post cards have worked well for me in promoting my books. I get a bunch of postcards made up and drop them off to local coffee shops in my area. I got the idea from a visit to my local Starbucks and so far it seems to produce regular of sign ups to my email list. I also use a US company, Send Out Cards, to run post card campaigns to publishers and literary agent. For under a buck I get a personalised printed card (plus postage) sent by the company. It’s a novel way to get somebodies attention. Who doesn’t like old school mail that’s not a bill. I’m at least guaranteed of a 100% open rate AND I didn’t have to leave my home, que up in a post office, buy stamps and send the card. It works for me!
You do have one, don’t you? This is the best way to increase your book sales bar none! A book promoted to an email list gets me top 10, even #1’s, just by promoting it to my reader list. Emails are great for developing relationships with your readers. Provide great information and occasionally promote your book. Don’t just contact your readers when you have something to sell. That’s boring!
If you don’t like public speaking, learn. Join groups like Toastmasters or do a course on Udemy. Start off small and work your way up. I’ve done several library, retirement and author group talks. Initially they were free but I’m now having companies pay me to speak.
Ensure you have a compelling About the Author page at the back of your book and list other books you have written.
Assuming you are in this writing thing for the long haul, you’ll need a plan if you want to progress. Equally important is your focus to stay with the plan. Along the way you’ll come across ‘little temptations’ or shiny objects as I like to call them, designed to take you off course with promises of grandeur to be achieved in a shorter time. Don’t be fooled. Stay on the path to your end goal.
The above ten tips seem simple. And that’s why they work. I’ve been able to sell more books by keeping things simple. I don’t allow distractions to take me off course. You now have a workable plan for 2018. The big question is will you use it to sell more books in 2018 or dismiss it as too basic for success?