So, spring’s here, and while it’s not exactly freezing, we’re on the hunt for a new heater. Why? The obvious answer: the rising cost of natural gas. We don’t want to end up broke by the time winter rolls around, so we’re exploring other heating options. It all boils down to basic mathematics – comparing the cost of natural gas with the price of a new heating system and fuel for a year. If gas prices stay put, we’ll break even in four years. If they don’t, it might take five, six, or maybe seven years.
As you can tell, this isn’t exactly rocket science. Anyone with basic math skills can do the same calculations. It’s a bit of guesswork, but nothing too tricky. And guess what? The same goes for creating, promoting, and selling stuff. If the numbers don’t add up, no amount of positive thinking or YouTube motivation can save the day. One plus one equals two – a simple truth that no motivational video can change.
Let me share a story from 1996 with you. There was this workshop on making your own advertisements, and one guy found himself tangled up in a multi-level marketing scheme. He hoped the workshop would reveal some magic trick to sell his leftover products. The speaker, with over twenty years of experience, first asked some of his fellow marketers in the room for what they’d do. After letting them babble on for a while, he intervened. He did some quick math, showed that the numbers didn’t work out, and gave him a reality check: “Abandon this stupid bullshit project.”
Now, let’s talk about a question Inge Sleegers asked on her Facebook page: “What’s the hardest part of promoting your book?” There were a ton of answers, but really, they all boil down to one thing. So, let’s be real here. What’s really going on beneath the surface?
Well, if you look around, you’ll see that authors try all sorts of things to get their books out there. They send copies to both famous and regular people for reviews, post like crazy on every social media platform known to man, ask independent book shops if they wouldn’t happen to be interested etc. And with barely any results to show for it, they typically wind up disappointed. To offset this feeling of discouragement, they go to YouTube, to watch some motivational video, or they read some inspirational Instagram quotes. It’s a bit like the multi-level marketing world, isn’t it?
In that world, folks are handed products to resell, like essential oils or vitamins. Selling them isn’t impossible, but it’s super competitive, and the products aren’t exactly groundbreaking. Fiction writers face similar challenges – loads of competition and books that aren’t exactly must-haves. Advertising tends to be tough – especially for the long term, due to low profits. Which is why everyone leans so heavily on social media. Here’s the kicker: social media’s numbers don’t work in your favor.
What are the chances of someone buying your book from an organic social media post? Well, the odds are pretty slim. Imagine you’re in a room with a hundred people, trying to sell your book. If you chat with them personally, you might get a few takers. But if you were limited to putting op posters and handing out brochures, your chances would go way down. You might end up with one tenth of one percent or even less. This is what selling on social media is like: trying to stand out in a crowd where everyone’s shouting for attention, with your hands tied behind your back.
No matter how upbeat you are, you’re looking at conversion rates of 0.1-0.01 percent on social media. That means you might need ten thousand views to sell one book. Picture this: you’d have to make a hundred videos every week, each getting a hundred views. Or if you’re really optimistic, maybe you’ll get two hundred views per video, but you’d still need to keep it up for fifty weeks. Those numbers might sound overwhelming, but they’re a reality check.
So, if you’re still up for selling a fiction book, what’s the secret? You’ve got to change the odds in your favor – get more eyeballs on your work and improve your conversion rates. It’s not as tough as it seems; it’s like knocking on more doors or fine-tuning your pitch.
Oh, and there’s one more thing I’ve been contemplating recently: brand awareness. You’ve probably heard that Amazon snagged MGM and James Bond along with it. Why does James Bond sell like hotcakes? Because it’s a brand. As a writer, you have a chance to build your personal brand. I might talk more about that later.
But for now, have a fantastic weekend, and I’ll catch you next week!
Kind regards
Vincent J. Dancet