
Being an author is hard work. Being an Independent Author with no large publishing company, financial backing, or publicity to support you is downright grueling. Who would even want to do this? It is certainly not for the weak.
However, there are things that set some authors apart from others.
And usually, I talk about producing a professional book, but I am not even talking about that here. It is also not about:
- If those authors are better writers.
- If those authors are better people.
- If those authors have more money or even make more money.
It is not even about those authors having a better-quality book (tons of pretty books are not selling).
It is about how those authors have taken the time to nurture and edify their audience with their message before, during, and after their book is published.
These authors have an identity people are familiar with because they have authentically shared their stories, experiences, and knowledge surrounding their topic. This increases their value and creates an emotional bond that makes people want to go out and buy their book when they do publish it.
But this is different from what most self-published authors do.
Most self-published authors, especially new authors, publish a book on a random topic no one has heard them speak on before and hope people will buy it.
We call this hope marketing and it does not work.
You must absolutely take the time to educate and inform people about the content of the book you are writing if you expect them to care enough about it to buy it.
While I have bought books on a whim, for the most part buying a book is an emotional decision. This means we must build awareness that gives people a reason to buy.
People need to know who we are, what we do, and why it’s important to us.
None of this is about selling a book. That part comes later. In the beginning, it is about awareness and emotional connections.
It is as deep as understanding your morals, values, and identity and communicating how this ties into the topic you are discussing.


Good points, Yecheilyah. I just realised I know something most people don’t know about the Battle of Hastings I discovered during my research. So my next blog will be about that.
Thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can validate this, for sure. With The Unhappy Wife and In Search of a Salve, I believe much of my early sales came from the blogging community, and that community’s response also served as early social proof that my book was worth reading 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! That’s exactly how to do it.
LikeLiked by 1 person