Financially successful writers embrace the sales and marketing game. Like you said, writing the book is only half (or less!) of the work required to get someone to read it.
That means constantly engaging their target audience, setting up booths at conventions, posting interesting content on social media, etc.
Writing for yourself is a wonderful thing. But if you do want more people to read your work, I would recommend scrapping the idea of avoiding social media and treat your social media presence like a business treats social media. For you it’s not a toxic doomscrolling app, it’s an app you use for your business during your business hours to market your business.
Let’s be real, so far you’ve basically talked about how you’ve been unwilling to do anything besides write.
> The hell now is unless you get friends and family or an agency involved to push it and market it it will languish on the 500th page of any Amazon search forever.
Sure, that will be the case if you just click publish and sit back doing nothing hoping for some sales. I sure hope my family and friends market my book for me, because I don’t want to be in social media!
And, hey, that’s fine, not everyone wants their hobby to be some kind of side business. But I sense a bit of disappointment in your comment almost like you tried everything and still haven’t gained traction, which doesn’t seem to be the case.
I am lucky enough to have a good programming gig which pays the bills so writing is and will always be a side gig. None of my friends or family are aware I am an author (though I occasionally drop a hint) and I have no interest in the marketing or social media side of making it a business so there is no disappointment and great satisfaction in the achievement.
I hope I did not make it sound like I was disappointed; I certainly am not, I got to play with 2048-bit graphene processors, zero-point energy and wormholes for a short while, and I am happily writing my second novel as we speak.
I'm glad to hear. And I can fully understand why one would not want to enter that grind. On top of that, being successful at marketing can depend on a lot of luck (just look at all the successful social media personalities fueled by a lucky break).
That means constantly engaging their target audience, setting up booths at conventions, posting interesting content on social media, etc.
Writing for yourself is a wonderful thing. But if you do want more people to read your work, I would recommend scrapping the idea of avoiding social media and treat your social media presence like a business treats social media. For you it’s not a toxic doomscrolling app, it’s an app you use for your business during your business hours to market your business.
Let’s be real, so far you’ve basically talked about how you’ve been unwilling to do anything besides write.
> The hell now is unless you get friends and family or an agency involved to push it and market it it will languish on the 500th page of any Amazon search forever.
Sure, that will be the case if you just click publish and sit back doing nothing hoping for some sales. I sure hope my family and friends market my book for me, because I don’t want to be in social media!
And, hey, that’s fine, not everyone wants their hobby to be some kind of side business. But I sense a bit of disappointment in your comment almost like you tried everything and still haven’t gained traction, which doesn’t seem to be the case.