Self Published And Pod ....marketing, Distribution, Advertising Forum Ive sold the grand sum total o..

I publish through Lulu.com, and have sold the grand sum total of ONE! Thanks to Scot Savage for purchasing... much appreciated. This year I intend to raise sales online to TWO, a 100% inclrease. YOU CAN HELP BY BUYING A BOOK from

WE CAN DO IT!

Get a paypal account....set up your own website....you can do this for 11.95 a month, when your site is online.....call radio stations...AM talk shows love new authors. Call newspapers ask them to review your book. Selling books is like anything else....you get out of it what you put into it..

Best wishes
Steve Z

do you work for paypal?

We have a website - lulu gives you a store, that's not a problem. What is is that people aren't too interested in self-published authors unless they are very niche. Radio etc isn't a bad idea though. I'm talking to PR people.

Just don't stop writing and keep trying to sell through proper publishers, even then it's not the route to instant fame and fortune...But who cares it's the best thing in the world. I'd do that for free anytime.

You've just got to keep at it, Tomas, sales will improve, but you need to do a lot of promotion when you self publish. Try reciprocal links, adding your Lulu website to any and everything you get published, to your signature in emails, advertise on free ad sites, anyway you can let people know you have a book for sale. I've been with Lulu for a couple of years now, and its taken time to build up sales. Having more than one book on offer helps - if they don't buy one, they might buy another.
I do notice a difference when I slack off and don't bother to promote. Sales drop dramatically.

Gail is right...

Just keep plugging. Success never comes easy. It comes from never giving up.

If something is standing in your way go around it, under it, over it or through it but don't let it stop you from what you want.

Steve Z.

Tomas and all,

Greetings, and thanks so much for this group! As a recently-published PODer too (see my very first posting when I joined Writers Cafe), I agree with what the others have said here. As an introvert it is VERY hard to promote myself -- sell myself, as I say -- but then I remember I'm promoting my book, not me, and I believe in its message and integrity so much, that gives me the incentive to keep on pluggin' on.

I've had only modest success in doing so -- a few books at my favorite bookstore haunts (none sold yet) and two readings scheduled, some sold to friends/colleagues and distant family -- but even that little bit takes a lot of energy. Gail's right on: success equals effort. I've plastered friends and my whole email network with announcements, my Website's on my email signature, occasional reminders. A colleague sent around a big mailing of postcards announcing his book's publication, which was with a traditional house, so I'm going to do that at some point too, when funds allow.

One of the things I like about self-publishing and POD is the control we retain over our work and, tho it's hard sometimes, the distribution. Someone said in a Forum posting that placing our books in venues other than bookstores -- where they could get lost amid all the other books -- makes a lot of sense. So that's an avenue. I also like the fact that we can still publish the same book elsewhere if the opportunity comes along, so I'm still looking for those as well. And a publicist who doesn't cost an arm and a leg, so I don't have to do all the work, which takes away from writing time .....

Tomorrow I'll be speaking at a local writers' conference about my book and my publishing experience. That invitation came about thru one of my shot-in-the-dark email plasterings among my networks, and it turns out I can have books for sale there, AND there will be publishers and agents around as well. This doesn't mean anything will come of it, but anything's possible too!

Sorry for the long-winded reply, but I'm very grateful for this group and your expertise and experience. Thanks for being here. Tomas, good luck with your efforts. It's a lot of work, but I find each time I get "out there" it's easier and gives me more confidence in myself and my book. I'm looking forward to hearing good things about all your successes!

Blessings,

Genie