Ever wondered how some indie publishers manage to sell hundreds or thousands of downloads of their eBooks? Is it because their writing is superior in some way? Do they have more friends, family, fans and subscribers?
Mayhap they do. But the Number 1 reason some indie publishers sell so many books (and you don’t) is that they are fantastic marketers.
Here’s a relevant example currently in action:
Joker vs. Gemini Man
In Joker we have a highly publicized, ultra-marketed product. Employing the Trump Media Technique, Hollywood decided they didn’t have to advertise Joker as the greatest comic book movie, or even as a good movie; they didn’t need to compare it. Instead they flouted it as ‘controversial’ (a highly clickable keyword) and hyped it as culturally stirring. It might prompt people to violence! Or so they warned. The stirring publicity even went so far as to have the military endorse it by issuing warnings. (Dirty, clever move, that.) It didn’t matter and doesn’t matter if the movie is any good, if it is an actual quality product. It earns because of the hype, because of keyword inducements and because of the propaganda. As President Trump proved (for better or for worse), the most talked about product is the one that often wins, even if the talk is contrary or negative.
Gemini Man on the other hand received very little advertising or promotion. Despite enjoying a budget nearly 3 times the amount Joker was given, and employing a likable, bankable star, Will Smith’s Gemini Man is hobbling along with a paltry showing. It could be a good movie with great production values. It’s set in the future, whereas Joker is set in the past. It’s main actor is a proven talent in Hollywood, whose string of $100,000,000 pictures made him a household name and a sure thing (back when a $150,000,000 movie was considered a success).
But none of that mattered because there was very little marketing for Gemini Man and what promotion it had was second-rate, an afterthought. Now it’s paying for this minimal addendum effort.
That was just an example, but you can see that the quality of your end product is not always what brings success, but your attention to marketing.
Here’s the skinny no writer likes to hear:
Marketing has more effect on your bottom line than the quality of your writing. This is why second-rate—and in some galling occasions even hack—writers do so well while you struggle to make a pittance. To a point, marketing is a skill. Fortunately if you can learn to write you can learn to market like a pro. I suck at marketing. Seriously, it’s a continuing struggle for this shilpit of a businessman. But I’m learning and I continue to work at it.
I want to save you similar struggle and frustration. So here’s a crucial tip to help you focus your efforts on the part of your business that needs the most TLC:
The 2 Most Important Selling Points for Any Indie Publisher are (1) Marketing and (2) Reviews.
You may be the greatest living novelist, the literary love child of Marion Zimmer Bradley and Guy Kay, but if your marketing looks like a creodont cobbled together a few words, and you haven’t collected many reviews, your brilliant epic fantasy will sit there at the bottom of Amazon’s Best Seller Ranking, remaining # 1,254,720 until more new books are published to push your work further down the slushy ranks. It will become lost in the Dungeon of Forgotten Books, aka Oblivion.
Sorry to be a crepehanger here. I’m trying to show you how the system works. It may not be the best and it certainly isn’t fair, but it’ what we got.
In my rare case I have only one family member who cares about my writing and encourages me. My friends are not readers, and since I believe social media is anything but and I avoid that troll pool like it’s the facebook plague, my only recourses for garnering reviews are Secondary Gatherings; Leaving requests at the end of my books, freebies as incentives and the finger-crossing method of hoping a kind soul will take the time to write a good review.
If you don’t collect those reviews, it won’t matter how great and inspiring and intelligent is your writing.
You will sell a few during your Initial Purchase Offering and a few more through your AMS Ad Campaigning, but then sales will taper off.
Odds are you’re smarter and more outgoing than me. Put your intelligence to work for you and learn from my struggles; edit and revise your marketing campaign ad words and ad text just as you do your manuscripts and your query letters.
As for reviews, you might check out excellent tips and guides at self-publishing school, or kindlepreneur, both of whom are wiser resources than my own regarding marketing and promotion. (Isn’t it refreshing to encounter a writer who knows his weaknesses, owns up to them and helps you in cultivating your strengths?)
On a personal note, tommorow we hear the results of my dads scan. I’m excited and scared to hear if his tumors have shrunk. Considering the recent influx of subscribers here (God bless you), I’m hoping some are prayer warriors and will kindly pray for him. Thank you, and best wishes in your marketing!
Hello writers/self-publishers! Let’s jump right into a new series. 
Let your mind wander down twisted corridors of imagination. Let it stroll through ancient enchanted forests. Let it lead you down the path of most resistance, where difficult quesitons are not merely examined, but hoisted, weighed, smelled, licked, and smashed with Nordic hammers. Let your mind fill up with scenes and plotlines. Let it run amuck.