Are you a self-published author of more than one book? Are you finding the experience more grueling with each new project? Are you second guessing everything you write now more than ever?
Relax. You are not alone.
The self-publishing business may have made it easier for an author to enter the publishing world. But it has come with an ugly monster that may shred every ounce of determination and dignity you have left to survive future publishing.
And what is this "monster" I speak of?
That dreaded word...marketing.
If you're like me, you started out with a dream of publishing your first novel. You didn't know how it was going to happen - or if it was going to happen - but you were willing to hang on for the fight. Your fears at that time may have been focused primarily on whether your story was any good, or it would even sell. In my case, the original goal was to simply hold a physical copy in my hands. That's all I really wanted - to see my name in print and hope that maybe at least ten of my friends would buy it as a pity gift.
Then the author bug hit hard and grabbed on tight.
The dream of having my first book published was no longer enough. Friends actually liked my book! Who knew? That meant others might like it too. I was ready to take on more aggressive means of getting the word out, and scheduled several book signings and participated in many book fairs during the first year. My author adrenaline was at an all-time high!
Of course, the reality for an indie author is much different than that of a successful trad author. No one is waiting in a line out the door for your signature. And it can be a huge blow to your self-confidence when you leave these events with all your books still piled high on the table.
The promotional swag alone that I had purchased to present myself as an established author (pens, magnets, bookmarks, banners, etc.) and ads on social media, were quickly outweighing my return on sells. I started to question whether all the promotion was really worth it, or if I was just doing it to stroke my ego. (I mean, who doesn't want to be a featured author at a large event like the Baltimore Book Festival?) Although I've sold more than 700 books in the past six years, it's taken that long to finally recoup the full investment of promotional materials I’ve purchased to participate in these events.
Don't get me wrong. I am VERY grateful for the number of books I've sold. Along with these events, I’ve had success with free promotional sites like readingdeals.com and word of mouth to name a few. I have done extremely well for an indie author - until I hit a plateau. Your new book is only fresh for so long in this business. After that, sells come in waves here and there. I soon realized that it was going to take more energy and drive than I was willing to endure (often with a full time job) to keep up the momentum - and with no guarantee of success for my hard work and investment. Unlike the Fantasy genre, which thrives on collectibles and fan fiction, my historical/literary fiction books no longer justified such aggressive efforts for my limited reader base.
Lesson learned.
With my second book, I spent zero dollars on promotion. It hasn't sold as well as my first. That might be partly due to it being a sequel for the first one. But at least 100% of the royalties are mine, and not calculated against any promotional investments.
Fast forward to today.
I currently have three books in the works - two of which I started back in 2017. Even though I believe in these stories, the procrastination voice in my head keeps saying, "Is it worth all the work?"
I'm still trying to figure that out myself.
I did query for a little bit with my first book, but soon lost interest. I was too busy playing author with all my book signings. Now, I’m finding the motivation to complete my next few novels slipping further away with each passing year.
I do love to write. However, the combination of extreme personal stress in recent months, along with the idea of never-ending revisions, editing and of course marketing, has dampened my enthusiasm to say the least. Because I am no longer naive in what it takes to produce a novel. My procrastination has become a constant battle. I'm still debating on whether this "knowledge" is a help or a hindrance.
So as you can see my dear writer friends, you are not alone in your feelings of frustration and doubt. No one can prepare you for the work that’s involved in being an indie author. The struggle is real - and sometimes downright painful. And of course, the pandemic didn't helped matters much either with the reduction of events like book fairs & discussions.
But remember, this is only my story. (And in writing this blog, I’ve taken the first steps in writing anything besides a grocery list and tweets in recent months.) Yours may be quite different.
So be strong. Be brave. Even if sales are low, keep going! No matter how hard the road, or how high the mountain, someone is waiting to hear your story.
And that alone is worth it all.
Note: The majority of my sales mentioned in this blog post took place during the first two years after publication, and involved participation in several book fairs & discussions. Since then, there has been a noticeable trend within the indie writing community of lower sales.
But don't lose hope! The dry spell won't last forever.
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