Why I stopped using paid ads for my book marketing campaign? The answer is very simple. I have started selling more books by my own than through paid ads and I don’t see any points of using them again. Besides, they mostly don’t work. If it was not working, why should I waste my money then? It is as simple as that and I will explain why.

Before anything else, please always keep in mind that I never write as an expert but only as my own experiences and readers should make judgment based on your own situation, experience and preference.

But as far as I am concerned, most of the paid ads won’t work at all and whoever says they can make you a bestselling author, he/she is simply lying. Some of the service providers even give you certain numbers of book sales, they are not only playing with your emotion but also scheming for your retirement fund, (Sorry, I am not trying to be cynical or sarcastic here but most of the writers like us are retirees) and you shouldn’t fall in for that crap unless they have a full proof plan, which I genuinely doubt, and you have full confidence and trust on them.

Sorry for being skeptical. Some ads might even work out well for you that didn’t for me. But one thing is pretty sure; you have to be extremely lucky, because it is not less in any sense than winning a lottery and we all know the odds on lottery.

It is not because they are not trying but simply because it is damn too hard and nobody has a magic wand. There are genuine and really good service providers out there who will do their best to get more bangs for your money. And not everyone who bought tickets can win a lottery, right? It is as simple as that and book marketing is no exception.

What they are mostly offering is exposure and it is unfortunately such a vague thing that cannot be measured in real terms. It is also the reason why I have been saying writing is a very long, slow and assiduous journey from the very beginning, it is like a marathon not a hundred meter dash and if you don’t have time, patience and interest for such a long term commitment, you rather start choosing for other profession and take writing simply as a hobby.

Having a book with your name on the cover is a great feeling. If it was all what you have wanted is not as hard as it used to be just a few years ago, digital books have made it extremely easy as shopping commodity online, and if vanity was the main reason why you become a writer, then it is a very easy task. Welcome to the golden age of vanity writing, congratulation you have already become a writer and now get back to your original work at wherever or whatever you do for this thing called living. However, if you are here for long term as a serious writer, you must be fully prepared to go all the way to the end and be ready to accept the challenge as well as the final outcome. There is no such thing as guarantee in life, either you tried and lived with no regrets or gave up from the start and lived like a loser. It is up to the individuals and every decision will have consequence. Writing is no exception.

When you reached at the certain stage of your writing career, there are things that you can start doing it by your own and book marketing is no exception. I think I have somehow arrived at that particular phase of my career that I can do many things by my own now and generate better result than so called paid ads normally promise. It is about time, you should know when you are ready to take the helm of your own ship, and start cruising ahead as you have envisaged before at the start of your career. After all, there is no better person than you who can represent you as well as your works, right?

Having said that I still recommend new writers to use some of paid ads at the very early stage of your career, it will not only provide you the much needed exposure at the beginning but also the necessary skills and experiences on book marketing that you can learn along the process. Once you know the basic skills, you can harness them with more practices and eventually do it by your own.

I have learned almost hundred ways on book marketing but hardly use them all. Since I am too busy on finishing more books this year, I just use few tricks in a daily basis and still sell few books. It is not great but still far better than when I had bought paid ads and if I can do it, you can do it by yourself as well.

All you need is a heart, love what you do in a daily basis and if you want few more tricks on book selling, you can always write to me. Oh, BTW, did I say it is for free? As I only write for charity, I can afford to do it for free and the reason I am doing it is this – I know how hard it can be for a new writer and trust me, I have walked through that same scary road alone and I know precisely how it feels. All the best!

TIM I GURUNG/AUTHOR AT ISSLCARE – http://www.timigurung.com