Consider
these riddles: If a tree falls in the forest but no one hears, does it make a
sound? If someone writes a book but no one buys it, does it make that person an
author?
For the past
seven years, I’ve coached over 500 authors from beginners to bestsellers and
reached this conclusion: There is no such thing as an “author.” Instead, there
are only people who write stuff that they want other people to buy. Nobody
dreams about writing for free, and the few who don’t care if people buy what
they write are generally known as “poets.”
If there’s
no such thing as an author, how do we define people who write stuff that they
want other people to buy? We call them “salespeople.” Am I serious? Would I
dare use such language? The purists believe it’s blasphemy to use the “s-word”
in literary company. You cannot unite writing and selling without being
heretical. Maybe so, but I’m simply stating the truth. If you want other people
to buy what you write, then you are a salesperson for your work. It’s not the
act of writing that makes someone an author. It’s the act of someone else
buying what you wrote.
Here’s my
point: If you want to be a successful author in the digital age of publishing, you
cannot afford to separate selling from the writing process. As you learn the
craft of writing, you must also learn the craft of selling, which means
learning how to answer the reader’s ultimate buying question, “What’s in it for
me?” All too often, however, authors shirk the sales responsibility with
negative misconceptions, such as:
- The publisher will do the selling for me (Those days are long gone).
- I’m a literary purist and selling is below me (Good luck making money off of snobbery).
- I’ll post a free e-book on Amazon and wait for everything to take care of itself (Enjoy the long wait).
- I don’t have time to write and sell my work (The problem isn’t time; it’s prioritizing your time).
I’m not
trying to give writers a heart attack. Here’s the good news: The easiest way to
promote your work is to write more, which should be in a writer’s sweet spot.
Selling your book means writing effective newsletters, blog posts, short
stories, free resources, social media posts, word-of-mouth tools, magazine
articles, etc. If you’re truly a writer, then these types of promotional
activities should be in your wheelhouse.
The problem
is that too many writers categorize these selling tasks as a separate, negative
side of writing. So, they do them half-heartedly or don’t do them at all. No
wonder so many books fail to break even and so many writers fail to make a
living. The answer is to make selling your work an integrated, positive part of
working as a writer.
If you want
more people to buy your books, you must view yourself as both a writer and a
salesperson. You can choose to eschew selling and only embrace writing. But,
you’ll usually live as a writer with a divided mindset who struggles to gain
more readers. In contrast, when you embrace writing and selling as mutually beneficial,
then you’re able to become a more productive, confident, and successful writer.
There is no
such thing as an author. There are only writers who want other people to buy
their stuff. If you can’t bear the thought of learning to sell what you write,
I’ve got great news…the poets are always looking for new recruits.
autor: Rob Eagar
About Rob Eagar
Rob Eagar is the founder of WildFire
Marketing, a consulting practice that helps authors and publishers sell more
books and spread their message like wildfire. He has consulted with numerous
publishers and worked with over 400 authors, including several New York Times
bestsellers. Rob is the author of Sell Your Book Like Wildfire, which is
considered the new bible of book marketing. For more information, visit: www.startawildfire.com.
sursa: digitalbookworld.com