8 Reasons Your Book Isn’t Selling

With Amazon, and other similar platforms, self-publishing is becoming more and more popular. But there is the challenge of not making enough sales, which is one of the advantages of using a recognized publishing company (like us). Here are 8 reasons why your self-published book might not be as sought after as you anticipated.

1. Competition: Self-publishing has become so much easier and there lies the problem. The publishing world is a crowded place with books from centuries ago to the latest eBook that was published a few minutes ago. These are your competitors and there are millions of them. But you can improve your chances of breaking into the market with the right content and marketing.
2. Writing for ghosts: Many writers do not know whom their targeted audience is. Writers like this are bound to fail as they will keep writing without direction.
3. Writing for an empty market: Before you write, you need to consider the market. Check for similar books to yours and if you find out that there are little or no books in that market, it might be a signal for you to change direction.
4. Writing in thin air: Every writer should have what is called an author’s platform. This is a following on blogs, social media, etc. A following that will be eager to read your material when it drops.
5. Book Cover: The saying “do not judge a book by its cover,” does not apply to most readers because that is exactly what they do – judge your work by its cover. If it looks amateurish, then they will assume same for your work. Your cover must be classy, attractive and professional enough to catch a reader’s attention.
6. Price too High (or Low): Understanding the competition landscape is essential to knowing how much similar books to yours are priced at. But do not be tempted to price your book too low as it only tells the reader it isn’t valuable enough.
7. One thing to Write, another to market: You might be a skilled writer, the next William Shakespeare, one of the best at what you do and still sell less than someone who can’t even make correct tenses. Many skilled self-published writers do not see the need to market their work because they feel “their work should speak for them.” Most often than not, this leads to stunted sales. The trick is to put twice the effort you put into writing on your marketing strategy.
8. Maybe, just maybe, your book is bad: You might not want to admit it, but this could be a valid reason why your book isn’t making sales. In this instance, you may need a developmental editor, or better still, a reputable publishing house to turn a poorly written manuscript into a masterpiece through end-to-end services.

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