Editio Self-Publishing discussion

Here is an article just written about this very topic. What do you do now? When it seems like you have done everything you can and yet the sales are not rolling in.
http://editioselfpublishing.com/i-pub...
What are your thoughts?

A decent article... i would have preferred much in depth details. But yes, it gives a nice outline to the core problem - You need to promote else you better pack your bag.

Hoping for some more articles soon... :)

I had some business cards made up. I created a Logo off of a section of my book cover. I put a tag line and the availability on the front. On the back I fit my blurb and my website and another small logo type icon.

I just "drop" them in various places. No where that I think I can get in trouble. And I have given some to my "supporters" to pass along. Your supporters are the best bet for book promotion. It is hard to promote your own book. I always feel stupid doing it.

One other thing I do is that I carry the book around with me when I travel or commute on the bus to work. Eventually someone asks you what you are reading. Depending on how the conversation goes I may or may not tell them I am the author. I "sold" two Kindle versions and three paperbacks that way yesterday. That was a banner day. It doesn't always go that well. I think they all got excited that they sorta-kinda knew this guy on the bus who had written a book. One of the guys actually pulled up the reviews on Amazon off his Blackberry and read them out loud (how embarrassing).

And I keep a couple of paperbacks handy in my laptop bag. Especially if I have to travel on an airplane. I sold one for cash over Pennsylvania.

My advice is just keep a slow steady friendly push and remember that ultimately your book content is going to have to carry the day. Readers like to recommend books to their fellow readers if they think it is good. I know I always get a kick out of identifying a new author to a friend.

Hope that helps.

The Toad King: A Soldier's Story

"I always feel stupid doing it... Snap! I still can't think of myself as an author. More of a dreamer who delights in story telling. But you've got some great ideas and I'm glad they're working for you.

Julia

This is all interesting stuff I'm going to take on board. I've been using social media to promote my work but so far I think the old fashioned method of word of mouth appears to be the most effective. Nice idea about the business cards though.

I think it's very important to remember that the best marketing tool is to write a good book in the first place. No matter how many hours' people spend marketing, no one will want to buy the book if it's poor quality. This is just a general statement by the way, not directed at anyone here.

I just did a post on why I decided to self publish. You are welcome to look at it and comment if you wish.
http://dlmorrese.wordpress.com/2011/0...

I saw a post recently on reviewers who will but I checked the site of one and it specifically said they did not. There is one I found who does review self published ebooks but it takes around a year to get to the top of the pile. Here is the website: http://alchemyofscrawl.wordpress.com/