If you’re wondering how to write a acim , there are other questions you want to ask yourself before you get started, and here’s why. Various studies over the years have shown that 80-83% of Americans want to write a book. Of those who do, it is a tough market. The author’s dream is often shattered because of various factors I will share with you shortly.
This does not need to discourage you, because you still see bestsellers and other books that do their job well. What makes for a successful book? I’ve studied thousands of books, both successful and not successful, and I’ve coached authors for several years. Because of all that, I have a bunch of insights I will share with you shortly.
First, though, I need to give you a reality check. You want to go into any endeavor with eyes wide open. So here we go.
The Bad News
Whether you want to write fiction or nonfiction (or both), there is plenty of “bad news.” I am not one to share gloom and doom, but you really do need to know about these factors. And don’t worry; I’ll show you how to overcome them before this article is complete.
– Huge royalty advances are a thing of the past. Back in the “glory days,” an author might be “wined and dined” on a whirlwind book tour after receiving a 6- or 7- figure advance. Those days are gone. Oh sure, occasionally you hear about someone getting a big advance, but it is rare and mostly reserved for politics, celebrities and scandal.
– Over 1.2 million books come out each year. So getting noticed is no small feat. Too many authors imagine the world will discover them and make them famous. We live in an “Attention Economy.
” Getting people’s attention is perhaps the hardest thing an author can do…unless you have certain factors in place.
– An author MUST have a “platform” – which means a following. I have met plenty of authors who have no presence on-or-offline except the listing for their book with the self-publisher and maybe Amazon. And they wonder why nobody buys the book.
– Having a book available is no guarantee of sales. Too many people assume that they will easily sell a lot of their books just because their self-publisher gives them a page on a website. Not so. 98% of books fail to sell even 100 copies.
– If you’re going to write a book, you either have to know marketing or hire it done. Books don’t sell themselves. Discoveries happen, but hope is not a marketing strategy.
Let me share a story with you to help you understand how all this works..
You are about to virtually meet a woman I’ll call Charlie. What I am about to share is a tale of woe that need not have such a dismal ending. Had this woman come to me early on, I could have helped her save her dream and spread her message.
I vividly remember Charlie. She felt a calling to share a highly personal story not just with those close to her, but also with strangers, in a book. I gave her a lot of credit for being willing to share the story of how her toddler died in an accident on the day she found she was pregnant. She had found power in her pain.
