Selling books in the olden days: write a great story, edit it well, sign a lit agent, sell to a publisher, see book on shelves.

Selling book today: write a great story, edit it well, write more content. Establish author brand. Feet on the pavement, query lit agents while tending your socials. Twitter, Facebook, Insta, TikTok… is there a new app yet I’m missing? Update often. Offer fresh content. Network. Establish online brand presence. Market self. Market book. Stay on top of latest trends. Hashtag TF out of that content. Freshen face. Mind your Ps and Qs (pictures and quotes…) Get over to Goodreads and stay active with the community. Fail to make it through mile high slush pile to net agent, go indie route. Mind the KDP gatekeepers. Promote book online obsessively even while managing not to annoy followers with too-frequent promotion. Invest in advertising. Better head shot. Blog! email lists! More content! Fresh content! Socials! Socials! Socials!

At the end of the day, it’s tough out there. We’ve all only got 24 hours in a day to handle our business, work our jobs, raise our families, eek out a little joy, oh and maybe catch a few hours of sleep. So you do the best you can, you believe in yourself and the value of your story, and you keep plugging away because even today- even in 2023- you can still find your book on a shelf if the stars align perfectly.