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By W. Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

It’s rare that authors reveal the details about the sales of their books. I want to tell you the background of two books along with the sales numbers. Every author can take these actions for their book—no matter how you publish it.

First, a reality check about book publishing. Some publishing experts estimate there are over 11,000 new books published every day. This number includes the self-publishing titles but that amounts to a lot of print material pouring into our world. Depending on how you publish, your publisher may or may not do much to market and sell your book. You may not like marketing. Some authors say they hate it. Those feelings are valid. I encourage you to push beyond those concerns and actively work to tell others about your book. 

Author of Your Guide to Marketing Books in the Christian Market Sarah Bolme wrote, “When promoting the Kingdom of God, getting books into people’s hands is God’s business. All you can do is what you know to do. Do that and ask God to bless your feeble efforts. After all, if he can feed over 5,000 people with two small fish and five little loaves of bread, He can multiply your marketing efforts to reach thousands of people, if that is His desire. Marketing and selling books are not a sprint; it is a marathon. Too many authors give up too quickly when they do not see immediate results.”

The repeated process of telling readers about your book can become boring. Don’t let it and instead change it up and use different methods, tools and systems for this process. On a regular basis I read that social media does not sell books. You want to become active on social media for the exposure to the benefits of your book to readers in a steady stream of information. Publishers and literary agents ask for your social media numbers. They use this information to evaluate your actions and exposure in the marketplace.

How do you break through the noise of the marketplace and get attention for your book and message? From my experience, it takes consistent and persistent author action.  

Recently a prospective Morgan James author asked about the sales of my book, Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist. I do not watch my sales numbers on Amazon or Nielsen BookScan. My book on Mr. Graham released November 4, 2014, and I went to Amazon Author Central where  every author can see their sales numbers for the last two years. I discovered my book has sold over 10,000 copies during this period. I gathered a foreword and endorsements then checked every word with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association–even though I worked outside of the organization. When the book launched, I hired a publicist who scheduled over 50 radio interviews. After these interviews, I collected the recordings and stored them on my own website. How did my book continue to sell long after the release? Every day since the book released, I’ve been telling others about the benefits of my book in various words and images. 

One of the most prolific books in the English language is Chicken Soup for the Soul: 101 Stories to Open the Heart & Rekindle the Spirit by Jack Canfield  and Mark Victor Hansen published in 1993. Their publisher laughed when the authors said they would sell a million copies of their book during the first year. They reached this sales milestone in a year and a half. These authors practiced their “rule of five.” They took five actions every day to tell someone about their book.

Here’s the other lesson for you with your book. It is never too late to relaunch or initiate action to tell more people about your book. The reader doesn’t care about your publisher or the release date. Instead, if you tell them about it, they will be attracted to your story and the benefits for them from your book. I encourage you to take persistent and consistent action. It doesn’t happen overnight but can happen if you work telling others.What insights are you seeing for your book in this article? Which actions are you going to take for your writing and your book? Let me know in the comments. I’m eager to learn from you

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s newest book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com