Book marketing requires patience
Many authors (and sometimes, those who teach them) don't understand that book marketing requires patience. Here's why it's essential.
“My book’s been out for three weeks, but I haven’t sold nearly as many as I thought I would by now! What’s wrong?”
I hear this repeatedly from authors — in person, via email, online.
Somehow, many authors have been brainwashed into thinking that if they don’t sell thousands of books in the first few weeks of publication, that all is lost.
It’s hopeless.
They’ll never sell another book again.
Discouraged and disappointed, they stop doing anything to support, market, or promote their books.
They just give up.
The mistaken obsession with the launch
Why the obsession with the launch?
Because the people who guide or influence authors are putting all the emphasis on how to introduce a book, not on how to create a long-term success.
Perhaps many of those creating book marketing courses or other resources are using a generic online marketing playbook that stresses how digital products and courses tend to sell best when they’re new.
With other content-based products sold online, marketers create urgency by limiting the purchase or course enrollment period — “The cart is closing now!”
It’s a “scarcity” model that works with courses and printables but doesn’t apply to books.
Don’t get me wrong — I’m not saying you don’t want to plan a book launch. You do. But you owe it to your book to continue to promote it long after the new book smell wears off.
Here’s why.
The long tail
In general, books don’t become wildly popular overnight.
For book sales, there’s what’s often referred to as a “long tail.” A lot of products sell slowly, in small quantities, for a long time (hence, a “long tail”).
In contrast, a relatively small number of books are immediate best sellers.
Those that do skyrocket to the top quickly are nearly always from traditional publishers that are supporting the titles with significant marketing budgets. And with the exception of a few debut authors or persistent unknowns (have you heard about The Correspondent?), the best sellers are often written by established writers.
Penguin’s campaign for Celeste Ng’s second book, Little Fires Everywhere, is an excellent example. Marketing started months before the publication date and included a major ad campaign.
Why would you expect the same results without those resources? The average author simply doesn’t receive this level of publisher support. Because of that, it’s unrealistic to expect sales that match those of household-name authors in the first few weeks of publication.
Many authors (and sometimes, those who teach them) don’t understand that book marketing requires patience. Here’s why it’s essential.Click to tweetAmazon category best-seller status is deceptive
Oh, sure, you can orchestrate an Amazon category best-seller campaign.
But you know that hitting number one in a category isn’t the same thing as being a true best seller.
You can sell fewer than 10 books in one day and become a category best seller for a short time.
It’s good for bragging rights, but capture a screenshot of that banner quickly because it will stay on your Amazon page about as long as the whipped cream remains intact on your pumpkin spice latte.
The authors I hear from aren’t complaining that they haven’t achieved that category best-seller status, though. They’re upset because they haven’t sold hundreds or thousands of books within two weeks of publication.
It rarely works that way.
Instead, many books become true best sellers over time because of good word-of-mouth.
The solution
You don’t get that good word-of-mouth marketing until people read your book.
And many of us don’t read a book as soon as we buy it — we add it to a stack of others waiting to be read, or it waits for us on an e-reader. (Right now, I’m reading a novel I purchased more than a year ago!)
Readers will get to your book eventually.
When they do, if they love it, they’ll tell others about it. It takes time for them to discover, buy, read, and recommend your book.
But first, they have to know about it.
How does that discovery happen?
You create a book marketing plan. And you stick to it.
You have to plan for success — it won’t happen on its own.
And here’s the easy way to do it: Just download my free Book Marketing Plan Template, read the instructions, and use the template to create your book marketing plan. Now.
It doesn’t matter where you are in the publishing cycle. Even if your book has been out for months or years, if you haven’t created a book marketing plan yet, now’s the time to do it.
Why book marketing requires patience
If you’ve got a big-name publisher behind you that distributes hundreds of advance review copies in an effort to build buzz before, during, and after your book launch, you’re Lucky with a capital L.
But if you’re the average author, whether you’ve used a traditional, hybrid, or self-publishing model, you need to be in it for the long haul — or tail.
Success doesn’t happen overnight. You need to be patient.
Adjust your expectations, and then keep marketing long after the launch.
Ride that long tail to publishing success. But plan your journey first.
What have you been doing to promote your book beyond that launch window?
(Editor’s note: This article was published in May 2019. It is updated and expanded.)
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My experience through the years has been that it takes time for my books (Christian nonfiction) to take off. Two years to get rolling has been sort of standard, it seems. I have one book that has been steadily gaining more steam in the last couple of years, and it is nine years old.
The only thing I can attribute the gradual increase to is word of mouth, but it works. Even though I have everything at Amazon and other book retailers, I sell quite a few books directly from my website, too — probably due to my readers having built a trust relationship with me.
Thank you for all your articles, Sandra. They are inspiring and so helpful!
Thanks, Lee Ann. I love that you’re noticing a pattern here (and that you’re smart enough to pay attention). It can be a slow build, but what you want to accomplish is exactly what you’re seeing: more sales over time.
It says a lot that you can sell books from your site, too, and I think that IS built on a your relationship with your audience. Good for you!
Sandy
This post is music to my ears. I followed the Amazon best-seller strategies and earned my bragging rights only to see sales take a dive shortly after launch. Then came across other resources that suggested all was lost if you didn’t pursue an aggressive marketing/publicity strategy a year before launch.
I am delighted to hear there’s still hope. The books that compete with mine are permanent on the best-sellers list even though they were published 20+ and 15+ years ago.
Thanks for sharing your wisdom, Sandy. You made my day!
I completely understand the Amazon best-seller concept and the limited rewards. But it’s a temporary bump in sales that doesn’t reflect the book’s potential in the marketplace. And sure, it helps if you started building your platform early, but all hope is not lost if you didn’t! Find what makes your book different from those perennial sellers that you compete with and use that to your advantage. I’m going to guess that you are well-positioned to speak to a younger audience on their terms as a peer, so leverage that! Good luck!
Sandy
Heartening news indeed, Sandy. Thanks! I’m only now getting down to the serious marketing of my Christian memoir-cum-how-to book, published last August. And after following you and my one other highly respected book-marketing mentor, I’ve come to the conclusion that doing a little regularly is better that trying to build Rome in a day. Looking forward to more of your helpful guidance.
I’m glad it was helpful, Jan. Many, many authors just aren’t in a position to do everything that’s recommended around the publication date because they have full-time jobs or other obligations. It’s time to lose the guilt over not marketing “enough” and do what you can, when you can. You just have to be smart about what you do, focusing on what will reach your ideal readers rather than simply copying what someone in your writers group is doing.
Good luck!
Sandy
I didn’t know about the “long tail.” That best explains my book sales!
This is very helpful. My book came out last year and I thought, “Oh well, I’m done.” I’m not done! I’ve appeared on many podcasts and my best strategy is book talks at schools.
Thanks for this!
Michele, you’re doing such a fantastic job promoting your book! Why would you ever stop, right? Keep at it!
By the way, do you have a copy of Kim Norman’s book about school visits?
Sandy
Couldn’t agree more, Ms. Beckwith.
Any maybe that initial spike from a good launch leads newer authors to inflated expectations. But your article is a much needed heads-up for thousands upon thousands of authors who don’t yet grasp the massive scope, and absurd competition, of book-selling.
There are compounded rewards for hanging in, though. And (the dreaded) marketing is a lot more palatable when it truly generates sales. I just started BookBub ads this week…figuring it’s time to expand. I don’t mind the learning curves anymore, when I trust the pay-off; I’m just cautious with spending!
Here’s to the Long ‘Tale’!
You nailed it, Wendy! Good luck with your BookBub ads! Which book are you promoting?
Sandy
I’ve started with my most popular and most reviewed book, ‘I Did Inhale—Memoir of a Hippie Chick.’
But I’m thinking of further testing the waters with ‘Expedition Costa Rica,’ ‘Stars in Our Eyes—true stories,’ and ‘Silence of Islands—poems.’ I have no idea what to expect from the BookBub platform!
Thanks! Will the ads be placed on the BB site or will they appear in the daily email newsletter?
Pretty sure they go in the daily email, but maybe on the site, too. It’s amazing how little I know…. But I’ll learn by doing! As you likely agree, BB advertising comes across as confusing, if not incomprehensible. So I feel my investment will be the time to figure it out. Again, the long game!
And a big reason I’m going it alone rather than taking Matthew Holmes new course on BB advertising—though I really like and trust him—is because frequently the initial strategy of these courses is to throw money at it and see what sticks. They warn you to expect some early losses…and I’m too timid for that!
But I’ve learned from Amazon Ads that it really isn’t painful at all when you’re not losing money.