Once your
book is published there is the tendency to become obsessed with its sale. Particularly if you have self published your
book and you are able to check and recheck its progress on a daily basis. While the traditionally published author might
think this is great, it can actually drive you to distraction. It can also take your attention off your main
task which is to write another book. Not
only that. If your sales are not doing as
well as you expect, it can cause you a lot of angst.
If this is
happening to you, don’t despair. Being
an author is a long term commitment because books take a great deal of time and
effort to write before they are the best they can be, and publishable. In the same way, the sale of those books does
not happen overnight. Just think, your
book(s) will be one of thousands on offer whether it is on Amazon, Smashwords etc.,
or in a traditional bookshop.
You don’t
want to ignore your sales altogether, but you don’t want to slip into this
sales obsession either. So what can you
do about it? I can see a number of
things.
·
If
you were anything like me, you were obsessed with writing your now published
book. So my advice is to get interested
in your new project. After all, your
readers are waiting for your next book!
·
Now
that you are published, you will need to build up your reputation as an
author. There are a lots of ways you can
do this, and I’m sure you will find the one(s) that you are most comfortable
with. Some suggestions are creating a
Facebook Fan Page, joining the Goodreads Author Program, joining Twitter,
creating a blog. You might also consider
participating in forums, book signings, talking to groups, conducting Giveaways. The possibilities are many and varied.
·
Communication
is the operative word and with social networking particularly, you have the
opportunity to meet so many wonderful people.
So enjoy yourself. Write another
book, publish it and watch your readership grow. But remember, it will not happen overnight.
Most
importantly, don’t lose sight of the one thing you love to do, and that is to
create wonderful stories for people to read.
Do you
agree with this philosophy?
