How often have you heard a traditionally published author say, “I’m a traditionally published author?”
They might say they are a published author but not a traditionally published one. That’s because there are millions of traditionally published authors.
In the same way, introducing yourself as a self-published author does nothing to help the person understand what you write.
It is not bad to call yourself a self-published author or to be proud of that. However, since many self-publishers have smaller budgets, we often desperately identify how we published instead of what we published to get people to take a chance on our books. But this strategy does not work well.
When I pitch schools and bookstores to carry my book, I rarely introduce myself as a self-published author. They will already know this when they look up my ISBN.
Instead, I discuss the book and why it is a good fit for their audience.
Instead of telling people, “I’m a self-published author,” and pushing your book in their face, identify your genre, book, and how it serves your target audience.
You can do this in one sentence:
Original: “I am a self-published author of three books.”
Revised: “I am the author of The Stella Trilogy, a Historical Fiction series that explores African American History, civil rights, and the struggles of Blacks in America.”
We are excited to announce that this year’s poetry contest will begin later this month and run through the end of the year.
This time, we will choose semi-finalists who will be highlighted on our social media. From those semi-finalists, we will choose three winners from the poets with the highest ratings by the judges.
It’s about to be a time!
The entry rules, guidelines, and list of prizes are now available on the website. (Remember, we have a website for the contests now!)
We are also doing something different: We are having the interview with the winners (semi-finalists and finalists) on Instagram Live! Words are too powerful to be limited to paper, especially when expressed in this medium. To quote Maya Angelou, Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.”
So that is what we will do!
I got my Sidney Shaw voice ready to ask, “When did you first fall in love with poetry?”
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.
Highwater High School orders copies of Black History Facts
For many authors who use social media to promote their books, it’s a game-changer. From Instagram reels to TikTok, people are making decent income from their talents.
However, social media is only ONE of many places to sell and promote your book in 2024 and onward.
Bulk Sales to Schools, Universities, Corporations
It’s fantastic to sell $20–30 books one at a time on your author’s website, Amazon, and other online merchants, but selling 10 or more copies at a time in bulk orders is even better.
Why is it better?
Because large organizations and networks have the budget to spend much more than your average consumer trying to make ends meet just like you are. Depending on the organization, you might even sell hundreds if they truly feel you. In fact, everything else we talk about in this post comes back to bulk sales since all these organizations can buy your book in bulk to some extent, whether five copies or 500 copies.
Book Clubs, Book Talks, Open Mic
Offline book clubs are not appreciated talked about enough. Here are groups of people deciding to read one book together and discuss it. What a wonderful way to spread a book’s message and buy that book in bulk! Author events, book talks, and open mics are also good. They also provide great networking opportunities. You’ll meet people with great influence you probably would not have met online.
Queenz Cirlce of ATL gave me gifts!
I once met an older woman at a book signing who was interested in using The Women with Blue Eyes for a book club she hosts. She is old enough to be my mother and does not have social media. However, she does have a book club full of women who read and said she will talk with them about the book. She never got back with me, but this is an example of an opportunity I could have used to sell that book in bulk.
Another example that worked out was meeting a young lady who invited me to be a keynote speaker at her book club back in 2018 (Queenz Circle of ATL) to discuss Even Salt Looks Like Sugar. It was a private, offline dinner. We read from the book, laughed, ate a delicious meal, took pictures, and I sold copies of the book. It was amazing and none of it was online.
Podcasts, Radio Shows
Podcasts can be on or offline since many of them are also streamed on YouTube or Spotify these days, but this is another great way to get the word out about your book. Radio shows are also a great, offline way of promoting your book to listeners. The perk here is that you get to articulate in your own words why your book is so special and what sets it apart. You can then take clips from your interviews and cut them down to fit on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, or wherever you engage online.
This leads me to my next point.
The Work You Do Offline Creates Your Online Content
How you show up offline, whether taking better care of your mind and body, eating, or networking with business professionals, becomes the content you can repurpose online. Attending an event, being interviewed at a radio station or on a podcast, meeting up with readers for an author talk, and whatever work you do in the background becomes the content you post online. This can be photos, videos, testimonials, or whatever you captured from the event.
If you know how to utilize it, social media is a powerful tool for marketing, selling, and promoting your book. It is not the only option, though. Traditional networking techniques and in-person meetings are quite effective and provide you with content for your online posts!
Before I went on vacation, I attended Black Writers Weekend (BWW). The event itself was okay, but what made it worthwhile for me was my conversations with the vendors. We talked about so much more than books; the historical conversations were like a glass of cold water on a hot day. I love basking in the brilliance of people.
But not all conversations were positive.
I noticed many first-time vendors were not happy. Considering the cost and the traveling many did to get to Atlanta, they expected a much bigger turnout, and many people left feeling some kind of way.
I didn’t have to travel far or stay at a hotel, but I understood their frustrations and empathized with the lack of focus on the marketplace. Some people who opted to have books shipped found their books didn’t arrive on time!
But this is not about what BWW did right or wrong.
This is about what authors should expect from vending at events; unfortunately, making a profit is not one of them.
Depending on what an author pays for a table, the cost of books, travel, and board, the chances of making that money back are slim.
Can you make good sales from vending? Certainly, but vending is more about networking than it is about sales. Vending at large events also does not mean large sales.
Finally got to meet the amazing writer and historian William Spivey!
Authors choosing to pay for vending should consider the cost of the table, any books or merch they’d need to purchase, travel, and board.
Will you have to book a flight or drive?
Will you be staying at a hotel?
How many books do you need to purchase in advance?
How much is this going to cost with the vending fee?
What is included in the fee? Do you get a table and chairs or will you have to bring your own? (Yes, some event hosts require you to bring your own table. I don’t vend at those events.)
Thank you beautiful!
While self-publishing my books since 2010, I was not always a full-time author. My background is in Medical Assistance and teaching. When I decided to go full force into this author thing (2017), I did a lot of vending and events. It was a lot of fun, but I rarely vend anymore because a) it is not always financially feasible, and b) I am at the point now where I prefer to get paid to speak or capture content.
When I vend, it is because the event has an element that aligns with my brand or belief system and will allow me to build my network. When I published Black History Facts You Didn’t Learn in School, I knew I would attend Black Writers Weekend because the crowd is full of people interested in my type of content.
Vending at events of any size can benefit authors at any stage of the process. I would primarily recommend vending to new authors and authors who want to get their names out there and connect with other writers and literary professionals.
For authors looking to sell books, I recommend vending at smaller events that align with your brand and that focus on books, such as book festivals. As I joked about before, it’s much more challenging to sell someone a book standing next to the Shea Butter lady. Definitely do not overlook smaller gatherings. They tend to have a better vibe than the popular ones.
For seasoned authors or those ready to advance, I recommend hosting your own book signings, events, and workshops or requesting to be a guest speaker at an event instead of vending.
When promoting your book online, you must do more than post pictures of your cover if you want people to buy it. To be more precise, I want you to focus more on the message and why it matters to you than on trying to sell the book.
What are some of the topics your book covers? Use those topics as stepping stones to reach your target audience. If your book is about how you survived an abusive relationship, you should be finding communities dedicated to eradicating domestic violence and creating content around how you survived it based on what you’ve written in your book. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so you will want to work hard to share your expertise with the people who need it.
If you wrote a fiction book, what kind of escape does it provide readers? Is it entertaining? Romantic? Educational? Does it make us stop to think? Is it thought-provoking? Does it make us laugh until our stomach hurts? The world is hurting now, so people are looking for that getaway.
If you wrote a poetry book, consider participating in open mic nights or reciting poems live on Instagram or TikTok. Join poetry contests, and of course, you cannot miss National Poetry Month in April!
The idea is to focus less on selling the book and more on building community around its content. Think about how your book can add value to readers in your community rather than how you can make a sale.
Please be sure to follow the policy instructions if you wish to get a response from me. I do not accept unsolicited requests for reviews.
Emailing me a heartfelt story, list of accomplishments, and book awards will not get me to review your book. Everyone must go through the policy.
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