Don’t Just Stand and Wait!
The first lesson you learn after publishing your book? You can’t just sit back and wait for readers to find it! They won’t buy your book unless you let them know it’s out there—and that’s when the real hard work begins.
At first, I kept things simple, posting on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Then I added LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. Before I knew it, I’d discovered even more: Pinterest, Tumblr, Reddit, TikTok… the list seemed endless! It quickly became exhausting. I was spending more time marketing than writing my next book, and it wore me out.
Bryan’s Ad School came to the rescue for a while, teaching me how to choose the right keywords to advertise and—here’s the kicker—make them relevant. What does “relevant” mean? I’m still working that out fully, but here’s the gist: your ads need to reach potential readers in your book’s genre. That’s what Ad School emphasizes. Start running the ads; get your book seen by the right audience (ah, so that’s relevance!).
Like all advertising, it takes time for readers to notice. A key lesson I learned is that readers often won’t buy your book the first time they see it advertised. They might need to see it a few times before their curiosity gets the better of them. The trick is to play the long game. Be patient. As Bryan says, channel your “zen lemur” mindset—don’t expect miracles overnight! After all, no writer becomes famous overnight… right? 😄
So, I launched my ad campaigns on Amazon in both the US and the UK. This time, I didn’t fall into the trap of bidding too high, as Amazon suggests. My first attempt at advertising left me £100 lighter in just two weeks—lesson learned! Bryan’s Profit Challenges recommend bidding low: 34c for standalone books, 39c for the first book in a series. In the UK, he suggests 16p. It’s a much more affordable strategy for authors, though I’m not sure Amazon is thrilled about it, haha!
There’s more to learn in Ad School, but some insights are exclusive to enrolled students, so I can’t reveal everything here. I will say this—his course and methods are brilliant for identifying why a book isn’t selling and what can be done about it. (Why do you think I revamped my book cover and description? 😉)
Looking Ahead Next time, I’ll share some details about my next book, working title: Memories of John Punch.
If you haven’t grabbed a copy of Joan - Put on a Happy Face yet, here’s the link. If you’ve already read and enjoyed it, I’d be so grateful if you could leave a review. 👌
I hope you enjoy reading my blogs! While I write them for my own enjoyment, if they help or inspire even one person, the effort has been worthwhile.
Happy reading—and as always, keep smiling! 😊
