Reasons Why Your Books Are Not Selling
You have books on Amazon, but they are not selling! This is one of the dilemmas that self-published authors face: after spending significant time writing a story and finally publishing it on Amazon, nothing happens.
One of the biggest issues I’ve encountered in my one-on-one coaching is that self-published authors need help selling their books. Amazon presents hundreds of books in each of their categories. This means that your Amazon publication is likely competing for readers’ attention with a very large number of similar works. By learning why your books may not be selling, you can turn things around.
I have observed that clients whose books are not selling on Amazon share the following commonalities.
Common Reasons Your Book has Poor Sales
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You did it alone.
Some self-publishing authors have tried to do everything alone. Writing a book may be a solo journey; publishing and marketing definitely should not be a solo endeavor.
First, for example, your manuscript needs competent, independent editing. Consequently, you may need to hire an editor. You can locate editors for self-publishing authors by checking freelancing markets.
Second, you need a professional book cover. You need not struggle to create one by yourself. Using freelance markets, it is easy to hire a cover designer at reasonable cost.
Third, you need a marketing team: your book may be selling poorly because you have insufficient knowledge and experience in how best to market the book. You may need to hire someone who knows how to promote your book on social media, websites and at events.
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You wrote your book without a community.
Many self-publishing authors have written and published their book without feedback or support from a community of like-minded individuals.
Much like book clubs where people gather together to read, discuss and better understand a book, you need to join a community who understand and can support you with self-publishing your book. Although it might take time to gather such a community, the support you can gain is worth the time.
If you don’t have a community yet, join Dr. Fred Jones’ complimentary Facebook Group: Self-Publish With Dr. Fred Jones.
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You listened to the wrong people.
A frequent and major problem for many self-publishers is that they took advice from the wrong people.
Some people with neither knowledge nor experience in writing or publishing a book will freely tell you what to do and how to further your career as an author. Others will express their doubts and their limitations regarding your future as a published author. While you may not be able to avoid the opinions of either kind of “advisors,” you can decide which opinions matter. Listen to the right people!
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You wrote a perfect book instead of a paying book.
It is critical that self-publishers have their book content professionally edited and that they find a captivating book cover. It is also critical, however, that the book be sellable.
In developing and marketing a perfect book, you may be focusing on you – highlighting your experiences, attributes, etc. Other authors might be interested in your biography, your publishing timeline, your writing process, etc. However, readers are looking for a book that will impact their lives. People are paying for a powerful book that meets their needs.
A book is sellable only if it delivers solid benefits to readers. A paying book is one that satisfies your readers and compels complete strangers to sell your book for you via their recommendations.
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You forgot about your intended audience.
When an author writes a book, s/he is the subject; however, the reader is the verb. Thus, nothing is more important than the author being clear about who is being targeted to buy his/her book.
You must research your potential audience. You should know their gender, age and even their marital status. You should determine their likes and dislikes, their hobbies and interests.
The more you know about your target audience, the more likely you can create book content that addresses their needs. The more your book content addresses the needs of a particular audience of readers, the more likely it will sell well!
Conclusion
Your books may not be selling today, but it is not too late to take action that turns this situation around. The good news is that you do not have to do it all by yourself. You can “hire your weaknesses.”
Click here and learn how to make your book a #1 Amazon bestseller by taking advantage of my 1-1 Complimentary Book Strategy Session.
To writing your worth!