Skip to main content

Indie authors: what to do if you can't sell the book?








The average indie author doesn't earn much. He has a problem with selling books and usually, the sale is about 5 books per month. 

On other hand, indie authors do many investments. You need to pay the editor, covers, and book promotion, and if you can't format the book alone, you will also pay for it.

If you want to get a review, you will struggle to cooperate with other authors, read their books or talk mouth by mouth in the hope to sell something.

The result is: you can't sell the book even to get small money, and especially, you can't earn from books enough to quit your regular job.

The conclusion :

You will spend more money than you earn.

Most of your money will never get back.

You will buy your own books.

You will have a problem with selling paperback versions of books, these are the hardest to sell.

What is the solution?

You had a dream to sign your book in the local library, give autographs in public promotions, and people are standing in line to get your book. Your book is material for the move, and then you get rich.


The reality is: your books are not selling. Someone will spend a dollar to get a book from time to time, but this is the highest you will go.

Would you give up on this expensive hobby?

Many authors are writing because they have an inner need to write. They want to spit out their stories, based on experiences, to share with an audience. They have a need to get listeners because it makes feel easier.

Giving up on writing means this sharing with the audience is over, you must focus on your real job and forget about writing.

When time is passing, and you realize you can't sell the book, you will slowly retreat. People are ignoring you, so what can you do?

Indie authors are many, the competition is big, and only rare will get success. If you want to manage like Anna Todd, you must catch the stroke of good luck. She started on Wattpad and people read her stories, later on, she got a movie adaptation of her series After. 

Well, when I tried on Wattpad I got only a bunch of spammers and horny men who wanted to chat with me. 

The choice is yours, accept reality or give up.

Labels:

Comments

DL Bigelow said…
So very true Kristina, but many adventures like that become personal experiences. It is like taking up scuba diving and finding a remote land to dive in. There is a truth that more than likely, you're the first person to see what is under that water. It has to become something your heart desires to experience, because it is difficult to explain what you see there. I write because my characters demand it, and for a time, I am there with them, but they tug at me to continue, and that's why I write. DL Bigelow
27 July 2021 at 03:37
Richard Gardner said…
I've never sold a book--to be fair, I've never tried! But, to my eyes, simply through looking at people's sites and books via Twitter, a fair number of indie writers sell theirselves short with presentation. The more professional a product looks, surely, the more likely it will be to sell? We all read tons of books for research, but not many seem to research advertising, graphic design and web design. I know there are many people who like the "indie" vibe (as they do with music), but if sales are important then the majority of people look for something that is professionally produced and make the effort to give them what they want.
23 October 2021 at 00:33
Eva Pasco said…
Each sporadic read and review is incentive to keep going. The real drive for me is the story within dying to get out.
15 December 2021 at 12:09
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Should we respond to negative reviews?

Recently I had a discussion in my social media about negative ratings. There was a situation in Goodreads, where I got two negative reviews on my two books. The point was in the way how the ratings were set up. First rating for my book "Body in the waves" was placed under 5-star review from another reviewer. While the reviewer praising my book, the troll came under to say "This is really bad book." Second rating was described as " Poor author needs writing lessons." Both reviews broke standards of reviewing, because there is no visible evidence that book was downloaded in Kindle unlimited or purchased. It was a clear troll act from a new page, without a profile photo and with a nickname. I reported this to Goodreads and they responded me they are processing this. Meanwhile, I heard from other authors that Goodreads failed to do anything about trolling.  In these terms, Goodreads should delete such profiles and forbid the access because of breaking rules. T...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why the refund is damaging indie authors?

I understand someone can be disappointed with a book. It is like I was disapointed with my trousers online and returned it. What makes a difference, my trousers were 40 euros. The book was 2.49 cents. This makes return funny, because what can you do with this money? Some readers don't understand story behind the refund. The author will get minus royalties. - 0.13 c in my Kindle report, that will vanish when someone else buy the book. The situation happens. Someone accidentaly clicked and bought a book. A random customer wants a refund. Maybe it was not a random move. Maybe the customer clicked, bought and did not like the book. When you don't like the book choose another options, instead of damaging authors. Write a negative review. Write negative one star rating. Don't purchase another books from this author. Or, maybe to reconsider and read it, again? If you write negative reviews or rate it with 1 or 2 stars, you are making a favor to authors. You are moving algorithms i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Five myths about promo sites

Recently I asked for a featured Bookbub deal for one of my books. I got response that my book should be free priced and my expense would be 230 dollars. This is really funny, because I could expect people grab my book for free and give me one star (as it happens when books are available for everyone). To pay such amount of money would be waste and without a purpose. I am mix of traditional and indie author. Having a publisher, but not bestseller books, I am looking for ways to increase my book sales. Promo sites like Bookbub are very expensive and they offer their deals for 25% books from authors who applied for this. I had an insight to author's books who grabbed Bookbub deals. It works will authors who are already selling a good amount of their books. In general, promo sites are not working for favor of indie authors. These are five myths about promo sites: Promo sites give many readers. It is not true, because you will get visibility and many trolls, but not readers. Promo sites...
Post a Comment
Read more