It was the best of book launches, it was the worst of book launches, it was a day of success, it was a day of failure, it was a time of joy, it was a time of sorrow.
I recently had the pleasure of helping two different authors launch their very first book, with very different results. When I say different results, I mean one author is currently enjoying an average of 20 bucks a day in sales while the other has yet to get a single review. There is a lesson to be learned here.
The first author, we’ll call her Shelly, came to me and asked for help with her book. She had already finished the novel and polished it, but she had no idea where to begin with formatting, cover design, or uploading to kindle. She hadn’t any clue about AMS ads, websites, or mailing lists. She had absolutely no web presence, no readers, and no platform. But she was determined to publish and knew she needed someone with more experience to show the way.
The second author, we’ll call him Art, asked for my help as well, but he wasn’t interested in my experience or expertise (limited as it may be) in the subject of publishing. He basically treated me like google search engine. Whenever he had a question he would call me up. Other than that, he wanted to do it on his own. Like Shelly, Art had no platform, no readers, no website, no knowledge of publishing or ads, and no mailing list. In essence, both writers were starting from scratch. If anything, Shelly was at a disadvantage because she had no money. Art at least had enough disposable income for professional formatting, editing, and cover design.
Both Art and Shelly published genre fiction books. Art published a sci-fi/fantasy novel and Shelly published a romance novel. Both are in competitive categories with rabid readers but one flourished while the other floundered.
From the start, Shelly was willing to follow my advice. Because she had no money, I designed her cover for her. Even though she originally had envisioned something very different, I explained to her the science and psychology which goes into cover design and she relented, accepting my input on the type of cover that would best fit her book and genre. Art didn’t listen to my advice on cover creation and refused to read any of the helpful articles I tried to send him. It was clear from the beginning that Art didn’t care for my input beyond providing technical answers to his dilemmas.
Shelly allowed me to format her book for her, choosing header and body fonts that would work best for her genre. She pretty much trusted me to write the entire blurb for her Amazon sales page, and she let me price the book. I started her at 0.99c and enrolled her in Kindle Unlimited.
Art refused my input on his blurb, refused to read the helpful book I sent him about how to write a professional synopsis – How to Write a Sizzling Synopsis: A Step-by-Step System for Enticing New Readers, Selling More Fiction, and Making Your Books Sound Good
Despite her limited budget (she was dining on Ramen noodles), Shelly allowed me to open an AMS account for her and craft a few ads using the tricks I’ve learned through my own advertising campaigns. I’m proud to say that I didn’t bankrupt her, and her ads are actually showing positive ROI. (Return on Investment)
With a professional cover and book description, Shelly’s romance novel went live and immediately jumped to over 20k in Amazon ranks with no platform, no mailing list, no website and before her ads had even started to deliver! Art published his sci-fi novel and briefly reached 150k then promptly plummeted back down into the sub 500k ranks. His books aren’t even being seen by shoppers!
Shelly is looking forward to publishing her second book and increasing the amount of money coming in. Art (to my knowledge) has decided indie publishing is too much hassle and thrown in the proverbial towel. The difference? Shelly relied heavily on the knowledge of a more experienced author and Art decided he knew better than the guy who had been there, done that, and got the T-shirt.
The lesson? Accept the help of more experienced authors and you could be like Shelly instead of Art. Also, be careful who you take advice from.
There are successful authors out there who have struggled, made mistakes, wasted a bunch of money, and finally learned to navigate the treacherous waters of self-publishing. I’m one of them. These authors, me included, are willing to offer guidance and support. We love writing and we want others to succeed! Most of us are pretty nice people. Hell, Derek Murphy seems like the type of guy who would give you the shirt off his back. But you have to be willing to take our advice. You have to be willing to rely on superior knowledge. There is something to be said for wanting to go it alone, ( the old trailblazer spirit ) but if you wind up dead in a ditch then your struggle was in vain.
Art’s loss. Congratulations, Shelly!
I too have leaned on your advice and implemented everything you told me to do. (Hell, you practically wrote my entire blurb yourself.) You told me what to expect and everything you said would happen is happening EXACTLY as you said it would happen. It’s slow, it’s painstaking, and it requires letting go of how you THINK it’s done and replacing it with how it’s REALLY done by experienced authors such as yourself. I’m now poised to follow in your footsteps at almost the same time as when you launched your second book to massive success last year. I cannot thank you enough, William. If I hadn’t had your example and support, I would have had doubts that may have derailed me.
Exactly! John D. Patten, you are another perfect example of someone who took the advice that was available and made the best of it. I have no doubt that the second book in your series is going to be a real turning point. I, for one, am looking forward to it. I’m also really proud to say that I helped in some small part. Don’t forget me when you are the next Robert Parker!