Probably one of the questions I am asked the most often is, ‘How are book sales going?’
Those who ask are genuinely interested and caring and want the best for me, but when book sales are trickling it’s an uncomfortable question to answer.
Sales for the majority of self-published author are usually quite low; I remember my printer of The Mastery Club telling me that it was rare for self-published authors to return for multiple print runs in the quantity and frequency that I was doing. Even more rare are the international bestseller results. These low sales are why the average Australian self-published author earns about $11,000 per annum…
So let me give you the best question you can ask a self-published author. Banish ‘How are book sales going?’ and instead ask, ‘What can I do to help?’
Don’t worry – no one is going to expect you to go door-knocking! But with just a few moments of reflection you will probably come up with at least one simple way in which you can help. For example, you might…
• be will willing to read the book and post a review on Amazon or Goodreads – worth gold to the new author!
• give the book a plug on your socials or your website – also worth gold!
• think of someone who might be interested in the author’s book and offer to let them know about it;
• buy a(nother) copy as a gift;
• know of a friendly bookstore owner who might be open to stocking it;
• request that your library order it in;
• recommend it to your local school;
• know of a teacher or other relevant specialist who might be interested in it;
• know of a book club that might be open to reading it;
• know of a group that is seeking a speaker;
• be friends with someone in the media who could interview the author;
• be able to suggest a podcast they could approach for an interview…
If you really love the book, you could even offer to become an affiliate, whereby you make a commission on each sale you make.
There are so many ways in which you can help. I’d love to hear from you about my latest book, Quest For Riches (or any of the others!). Truly, the best way you can help me or others is not by showing interest but by demonstrating it. And for that, I know we would all be deeply grateful. And if you have more ideas, please comment below! Thank you.
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