People Don’t Buy Books

Photo by Pixabay

I was listening to a podcast with Myron Golden (he’s brilliant) about high-ticket coaching and sales, and I realized something: It’s hard to sell books because people don’t buy books.

They buy into the message behind the book, and its perceived value.

It’s not even about the book’s quality because people don’t buy quality either. They expect it.

I call this series Indie Author Basics because it focuses on the fundamentals of creating high-quality books. Every reader wants the book they buy to be well-produced. At the most basic level, we want to produce a high-quality book that meets that expectation.

But to go deeper, even more than quality, is what people feel. People will pay you when something is worth more than the money to them, and that’s the perceived value and the message.

This is why, as authors, we do interviews and podcasts, book signings, and meet and greets. It is why we write blog posts, post to social media, collaborate with other authors, and build relationships: to create an environment that helps us amplify our voices.

“Dig your well before you’re thirsty.”

– Harvey MacKay

Before I published Black History Facts, I published over fifty articles on Black History Fun Fact Friday. I then headed to IG and TikTok, turning those fun facts into posts and videos. It did better than I expected. In fact, it did so well that people asked me about the book, which wasn’t published yet.

I created an appetite for the book before I wrote the book.

I also set my preorder price for the ebook to $9.99 on Amazon and sold the hardcovers for $34. I also offered a bundle package which I sold for $97. From this, I learned two things:

  1. To quote Golden, “Your price is part of your branding.” It tells people how valuable you are.

I knew I needed to upgrade my mindset and prices for this kind of book. People who buy premium-value products will buy something just because it’s expensive. Their own sense of intrinsic value will cause them to pay more because it reminds them that they are worth it.

A person who purchases a Rolex probably didn’t do it because they wanted to wear a watch. They could buy any watch if they just wanted to tell time. But what they want is the prestige that comes with wearing an expensive watch.

This means that people also buy status.

SN: This does not mean throwing something together and then charging people up the ass for it. Remember, a good quality product is basic.

  1. People will pay you when the perceived value is worth more than their money.

People buy belonging, confidence, safety, knowledge, and solutions to their problems.

They buy reassurance and peace of mind.

So, I will not try to sell books because I now know that people don’t buy books.

Instead, I will continue to share my message (restoring black historical truth) and create an appetite for it by delivering value!

Drop a comment if you’re with me!

Black Joy

Nobody talks about society’s addiction
to black trauma.
How much more profitable
it is to talk about pain
than poems,
depression
than joy.

Like we don’t have feelings
just bad experiences
turned into songs
of sorrows
and spirituals
of reaching heaven
cause there can’t be no freedom
here on Earth for Black people.

Maybe this world still doesn’t consider us
human enough
to be happy
someone hand society a roadmap
for getting to know black people.

Tell them they can find us laughing
even when life is lifeing
cracking jokes and turning sadness into praise.
Tell them we are not just guns and gangs.

Our hope does not hang on by string
on some cracked-out corner
or trap house
Tell them how we dream.
Big Mama musta had mustard seeds
underneath the mattress
cause she moved mountains.
Food and faith ain’t never been hard to find.
We gone eat.

Talk about our love
our sense of community
our building
our builders
our beauty.

We’ve had a wild ride here
in this country
But it was not all bad.

Together, we forged a world of our own
found solace in the cracks
made meals from scraps
and carved out our own sense of enjoyment and purpose.

Tell them about how the cells of a black woman
saved the world
and the genius of a Black man lit it up.
Talk about how we bless everything we touch.

Tell the whole truth
that we are not made up only of pain.

Joy lives here, too.

You can listen to this poem on TikTok and YouTube! I’m @yecheilyah on both.

Black History Facts is back! If you’ve been waiting for a signed copy, this is your chance to get your hands on it. We are back in stock. Go now to: https://www.blkhistorybook.com/.

This Precious Life

Photo by David Alberto Carmona Coto

The preciousness of this life has been on my mind heavily.

It could be because a sister I’ve known for years lost her oldest son to a senseless murder last week. Gianni was only 20 years old.

Then, I woke up this morning to see that O.J. Simpson had died.

Or, it could be that this September will mark four years since my mother’s death.

As generations pass, I reflect on the fragility of this life and wonder if I am making the most of it.

No, not I. We. I wonder if we are making the most of it.

When we say that life is short and that every day isn’t promised, do we understand the power of that revelation?

It humbles me to think that every day we are getting closer to our deaths and have no idea. That, when we were born, it also came with a death date that we will only know when the it comes knocking on our door.

What will history say about the lives we’ve lived?

What are we writing in the spaces?

Photo Cred: Tehilayah

I want to express my gratitude for your support in this work. If you’ve ever supported me in any way, I appreciate you and what you have contributed to this blog, my books, or me personally.

I do not take any of it for granted.

You are supporting not only me but also the community and a movement by bringing to life the stories of those who have been silent and resurrecting the voices of the voiceless.

Black History Facts returns! If you’ve been waiting for a signed copy, this is your chance to get your hands on it. We are back in stock starting Friday, 4/12 at https://www.blkhistorybook.com/.

Understanding the Power of Distribution as a Self-Published Author

We hear a lot of the cons to self-publishing. Now, let’s talk about some perks!

One exciting benefit of self-publishing is not just being in control of how you will publish the book and who you want to help you, but you are also in control of distribution.

Remember, all self-publishing means is you are your own publisher.

You can decide where to sell the book and offer discounts and deals to bookstores and larger corporations who want to carry your title.

Publishing with Amazon is just one step in your author journey. You can also set up an account with Ingram Spark to configure these discounts, returns, and wholesale prices.

This becomes important when you start petitioning booksellers offline.

Navigating this part is exciting for authors who always dreamed of seeing their titles on the shelves of bookstores and libraries. (Do people still visit the library?)

It can also be a learning curve, though.

For instance, while getting books into bookstores is thrilling, the job is only complete once the book has been sold.

If the book does not sell, it will have to be returned, which means that your books will be returned to you if they do not sell.

For this reason, booksellers tend to put self-published authors on trial periods, only accepting so many books for a specified time, to test demand for the title.

However, you can also sell your book to booksellers and corporations as a publisher.

The world of self-publishing is extensive!

Should we go deeper into this side of the business? Let me know if you enjoyed this post and want to hear more on this topic!

Check out more Indie Author Basics articles here.

Why Adding “Amazon Best Seller” to Your Book Cover Is Not a Good Idea

The Amazon Best Seller Badge is something to be proud of, no matter how small you believe your success is. However, I wouldn’t put it on my book covers.

Adding “Amazon Best Seller” or “#1 Amazon Best Seller” to your book cover is not a good idea because the title, unfortunately, holds little weight among industry insiders and quickly goes away when the book drops in rank.

I would also not add the badge if my book became a bestseller when it was free. This means people downloaded the book, I didn’t sell copies which could make the “Best Seller,” misleading.

If your book is picked up by a traditional publisher and reaches best seller status, they will create a new cover with the label.

“Being an Amazon Best Seller is a credential that could mean you sold 10 books in a sub sub sub category.”

Luvvie Ajayi Jones

What Luvvie means is you can get a bestselling ribbon or become a bestseller in a random, obscure category by selling just a few books.

This doesn’t mean the author shouldn’t be proud of themselves.

This means the author should wait until they see themselves on the list consistently (holding steady for days, weeks, or months at a time) or if they are in the top categories of all books on Amazon, not just one random category.

There are many bestseller lists, and being named on any of them is an accomplishment worth celebrating. 

Unfortunately, Amazon Best Seller holds the least weight, and people are so inundated by it that it no longer means much. Adding it to your book cover looks cool, but it will not help you sell more books, nor will it help you look like an accomplished author.

It could, in some ways, make you look like an amateur.

In fact, unless you are among more recognized lists, such as USA Today or the New York Times, I would leave bestseller off the cover altogether.

However, this is only my opinion so if you do it, I advise:

  • Award Winning Author (if you’ve won any notable literary awards)
  • Best Selling author of (Your Best Selling Title) but leave the Amazon part out
  • USA Today Best Selling Author (If applies)
  • New York Times Best Selling Author (If applies)

Check out more Indie Author Basics articles here.

For Those Who Make a Home on Social Media

Photo by cottonbro studio

I’ve discovered the deaths of family members on social media from people who have my number.

I’ve watched loved ones be more open on Facebook than they are with the people they can reach out and touch.

I’ve watched passive aggression and sneak dissing become new forms of communication.

I’ve watched as people open themselves up online in unprecedented ways. I don’t judge them, but I do wonder, does this person have something to come home to?

In an age where it’s expected to parcel pieces of our souls to social media platforms in the name of vulnerability, I wonder if there is anything we still hold sacred.

Anything still holy?

Is there any part of ourselves we still keep personal? Intimate?

I wonder.

I am not a big Beyonce fan, but I agree that “we live in a world with few boundaries and a lot of access. There are so many internet therapists, comment critics, and experts with no expertise.”

For those who make a home on social media, I hope you are not giving it everything.

I hope there is still some things you keep to yourself for yourself.