Self-publishing a book has become so simple that it may appear that everyone is doing it; nonetheless, this may not be far from the truth: millions, if not billions, of books, are self-published each year internationally. A common issue is why a self-published book isn’t selling and what the author can do to enhance book sales.
Unfortunately, only a small percentage of authors experience tremendous success, while others gradually develop a list of consistent best-sellers.
Creating and releasing a book into the world is not enough for authors. They must educate themselves in the publishing sector. The only way to compete with traditionally published and self-published writers who have taken the time to learn about the market’s demands is to do that.
Self-publishing: What is It?
The easiest way to define self-publishing is to release your work without using conventional book companies or publishing avenues. Anyone wishing to publish their work may profit from self-publishing, whether they are a debut or established author in almost any genre or business.
The Top 8 Reasons Why Your Self-published Book Might Fail While Other Authors Succeed
Many self-publishers claim that self-publishing generates greater revenue. Instead of the 10% most publishers offer, you receive 100% royalties when you self-publish. It’s true.
Of course, 100% of nothing is still nothing if your books aren’t selling.
Furthermore, 10% of 2.6 million copies is decent.
However, most authors cannot reach large publishers for the same eight reasons their work isn’t selling, to begin with.
- Marketing Failure
This might be challenging for authors who believe their literary skill is incompatible with their marketing talent, and I understand why. However, the reality remains that poor, ineffective, or lack of knowledge on the cost to market a book is a typical reason a self-published book isn’t selling. The book must first be discoverable to accomplish or boost book sales, after which it must be described in a style that encourages readers to buy.
- Unknown Topic
Books in a popular niche do well. It’s a positive indication if your Amazon search returns hundreds of books in your category. It indicates that the niche is jumping rather than being overcrowded. Consider the food and diet industries. More diet books are launched daily, yet their sales have remained the same.
If you want to share your narrative, make it successful by connecting it to actionable activities that your reader may do to improve their own lives. Write about a particular sort of cancer, for instance, to focus on your area and clearly explain to readers how they may achieve your outcomes and how you overcame the disease.
- Categories and Keywords for Discoverability
When listing your book, pick relevant categories and subcategories with traffic and a good blend of wide and specialized. Pick searchable keywords that your audience will use. Some programs can help you with this, like Publisher Rocket, and they may be a lifesaver to the type of author that feels uncomfortable while selling their work.
- Description
Your book’s back cover text must pique the reader’s interest. If you’re stuck, investing some of your publication money in hiring a professional writer can be a smart idea.
Ensure you adequately describe the book because bad reviews from customers can push back your book’s success.
- Ghost-Promoting
Ghost-promoting is telling everyone and nobody about your book. Confused?
To be honest, it’s worthless to promote your book on social media is worthless, especially if you don’t have many friends and followers. It’s a typical error to publish a new book and assume you need a Facebook profile and Twitter account. Only some people follow new accounts, so bombarding them with your book will make them uncomfortable. You’ll ultimately lose every opportunity. It is unquestionably counterproductive.
Remember that creating a solid social media presence takes time and work. Before publication, it needs to be done strategically. Before the author decides to publish, the book has to be promoted.
- The Book Needs to Be Clearer and Better Arranged
It’s challenging to create a book that flows smoothly and is entirely understandable for the reader, whether nonfiction or fiction. However, if your reader becomes perplexed, they will put the book down. (This also applies to mysteries if they are overly complicated and cause more bother than they are worth.) Even though you may have sold anything to that one individual, you won’t sell anything to any of their buddies again. Also, a wonderful approach to increase sales is by word of mouth.
- Competition
It goes without saying that there will be a lot of rivalries, both from conventionally published publications and from other self-published works.
You should thus concentrate on your niche market. Forget about the supplementary rivalry. Who poses a direct threat to you? You need to be aware of other authors in your genre and what their novels are like.
Your book must be similar to enough of the books in your category and subcategories to be discovered nearby while yet being distinctive enough to draw readers who have previously read those books.
Regular readers who have expectations for the genre they read can find your book confusing if it differs too much from other books in its category, and they will get bored if it is too similar. Either way, it will be disregarded.
- Expedite the Procedure
It takes time to write a good book that people want to buy. Your final result will become more and more evident as you cut corners and expedite the process.
Turning a book from a rough draft into a physical copy often takes traditional book publishers two to three years. To get things done correctly, they take their time. If you want to compete in the market, take the time to produce high-quality work, honing your writing and generating your final book.
Wrapping Up
Most issues with self-publishing a book stem from moving too quickly. You must make sure the book you authored is of the highest calibre, has a gorgeous cover, and has an intriguing summary. You must comprehend your target demographic and have a solid social media presence. And you must do all of this before posting.
I used to work with someone who published her own book. She then managed to get into the local paper and talk about it so she did sell a few copies but not enough really.