It’s been more than a year now since I was fired from my old job as a full-time copywriter and made the transition to focusing on my writing business…
And there is one thing I learned that every new author needs to remember when marketing their books.
It’s a massive pitfall…
One that can lead to you falling at the first hurdle to turning your writing into a lucrative career…
A fall that can be really hard to get up from.
(Trust me, I’ve been there many times…)
But you can overcome it with just a little planning.
The New Author’s First Mistake
In my work as a marketing consultant for writers, I see this all the time.
It’s so simple, yet it can have such a massive impact on your moral that it can mean the difference between getting that next book written…
Or packing it all in and heading back to the 9 to 5.
Trust me, you do not want to head back to that. Not when your writing dreams are within your grasp.
So, what is this mistake that so many new writers make when marketing their work?
They aim too high.
See? I told you it was simple.
But you’d be surprised at how important a factor it can be…
So many new writers want their dreams of author success to come and come quickly.
They want to sell a million copies and get on those bestseller lists.
And while this is entirely possible with a little hard work.
I can even help you out with the foundations to get you started.
It’s not where you should be aiming when you first get into the writing business.
Because inevitably, unless you have the luck of all the Greek Gods of old on your side, you won’t reach the dizzying heights you’ve dreamed of the first time round.
Setting Yourself Up for Disappointment and Depression
Millions of books are published every single year. Your book is going to be just one more on store shelves, be they physical or virtual.
That is a lot of noise to cut through. And while there are certainly some authors that do achieve great success with their first works, this is a once-in-a-lifetime type of deal.
And if you think that you’ll achieve incredible success right out of the gate, it can suck BIG TIME if you don’t.
There’s nothing more demoralising that feeling like a failure as soon as you start…
Than waiting and waiting and waiting for that first review to pop up on your page…
Than seeing zero sales each month, even when you’re working your ass off on author marketing…
Hell, sometimes even just getting to a thousand books sold can be tough.
Setting your sights too high can be the set-up for a fall. Pride always comes before it, after all.
And trust me when I say that it is really hard to come back from a massive fall.
Putting all your hopes on one book launch will likely result in the biggest fall of your life. A deep, dark dive into a yawning pit of despair that is almost impossible to come back from.
But I’m not saying that you should not dream of success…
Nor am I saying that you shouldn’t do your damndest to get on those bestseller lists, because I know that you can…
I’m saying that you need to set manageable goals.
Your First 100 Copies
Yes, you read that right…
That’s should be your first goal.
Sell 100 copies of your book. That’s it. Your first stepping stone to bestselling success.
And while it won’t be easy to get to your first 100…
It’s a damn sight easier than getting to your first 10,000.
Yet, it is still a step in the right direction. A step that every writer, from Stephen King to James Patterson, once had to take.
Getting to 100 copies sold with good author marketing puts you in the shoes that so many greats have been in themselves.
It puts you among the halls of the greats.
Because small though it may seem, it is a monumental achievement.
Just think about it…
How many others are dreaming of writing their masterpiece?
Or spending years on that first book?
Or are never going to get published?
And yet… here you are… having written, published, and sold your first 100 copies of your work.
That is something to be proud of.
Something that you can sit back and celebrate.
Whether selling 100 copies of your book sounds too easy or sounds like an almost impossible goal, it is entirely doable, while still being one of the best things you’ll ever do in your life as a writer.
With the right marketing strategy and a little bit of hard work, you can do it.
I’m always happy to help if you need it.
Good luck.
