9 Reasons Why Your Self-Published Book Isn’t Selling

Avoid these common pitfalls to maximize your book's selling potential.

Self-publishing is a great way to get your book out there, but it doesn’t automatically guarantee success. Many self-published authors struggle to get their books noticed and sell copies. If you’re one of them, don’t despair. There are several reasons why your book may not be selling, and if you haven’t published yet, we’re sharing some tips on how to maximize your book’s success early in your writing process.

1. No Target Audience

One of self-published authors' biggest mistakes is not identifying their target audiences. Without a clear understanding of who your book is for, it’s hard to effectively market it. It’s important to identify your niche and create a book that speaks directly to that audience. This will help you connect with readers who are most likely to enjoy your work and recommend it to others.

2. Competition in the Genre

Another reason why your book may not be selling is that there is too much competition in your genre—or no competition at all. If your book is just another one in a sea of similar titles, it will be hard to stand out. Take a look at the other books in your genre and see if you can find a unique angle that will help your book stand out. Also, if you don’t see any books like the one you want to write, that doesn’t necessarily translate to as a good thing for your book. You won’t want to plant your book into a category without other books—especially as a self-published author. Instead, focus on upcoming, trending genres and categories. Then revamp your story idea so it fits within a more popular genre.

3. No Professional Edit

At least one round of professional editing is essential for any book, but especially for self-published titles. If your book is full of typos, grammatical errors, and inconsistencies, readers will quickly lose interest. A professional editor will help tighten up your manuscript and get it ready for publication.

4. Discoverability is Hard

If no one knows your book exists, they won’t be able to purchase it. And with more and more book sales moving online, discoverability is a key part of your book promotion. Ensure your BISAC codes directly correlate to your book, and take advantage of a metadata description service if you’re uncomfortable writing web copy for your book.

5. Underwhelming Book Summary

The book summary on your back cover is one of the first things readers will look at when they come across your book. If it’s underwhelming, unclear, or doesn’t market the book, they may not be inspired to purchase your book. Make sure your book summary is engaging and accurately conveys what your book is about. If you’re not comfortable writing marketing copy for your book summary, utilize a back cover copy writing service.

6. Poor Cover Design

Your book cover design will be what draws potential readers to your book. It’s the “instant attraction” for any book and provides the very first impression of your work The design can single-handedly make or break your book’s success. If your cover is poorly designed, unprofessional, or veers too far from what traditionally published books look like, readers may assume that the content inside is also subpar. Invest your time into researching popular books within your book’s genre and study similarities among the covers. Then, invest in a high-quality cover design that will make your book stand out.

7. Lack of Book Reviews

Reviews provide social proof that a book was good (or not) and help readers decide whether or not to buy your book. If you don’t have any reviews, readers may assume that your book isn’t worth their time. Encourage readers to leave reviews by offering incentives or reach out to your network of friends, family, colleagues, etc. and ask them to publish reviews for you.

8. Minimal Marketing Efforts

If you’re not actively promoting your book, it’s unlikely that readers will find it. You need to be proactive in getting your book in front of readers through social media, advertising, and other marketing channels. Plus, the sooner you start branding yourself as a writer and sharing details about your book, the larger you can grow your audience before your book becomes available. If you wait until your is ready for publication to start marketing your book, it’ll be too late.

9. Unrealistic Expectations

Many self-published authors have unrealistic expectations when it comes to book sales. It’s important to remember that success takes time and effort. Don’t expect to sell thousands of copies overnight. Instead, focus on building a solid foundation for your book and growing your audience over time.

Impatience can be a killer for self-published authors. If you’re constantly checking your sales numbers and feeling discouraged, it’s easy to give up. Remember that success takes time and effort. Keep working hard and be patient. Don’t give up after a few months if your book doesn’t take off. That is a big mistake. It takes time to build an audience and establish yourself as an author.

How to Move Forward

If want to set your self-published book up for maximum success, there are things you can do well before publishing and long after your book has been released. Here are nine tips:

1. Dial in Your Market

Identify your target audience and focus on creating content that speaks directly to them. This will help you connect with readers who are most likely to enjoy your work and recommend it to others. No book can be for “everyone.” That’s a quick way to make sure your message reaches no one. Find a niche within your specific genre. For instance, instead of writing about growing up in Florida, you could write a book about under-the-radar things tourists can do when visiting Florida from a Floridian’s point of view.

2. Study the Competition

Take a look at the other books in your genre and see if you can find a unique angle that will help your book stand out. This will help you position your book in the market and attract readers.

If there are no books on the market similar to your idea, take that as advice to rework your concept. Self-published authors don’t need to trailblaze empty categories while also trying to build awareness around their books.

3. Build Your Author Brand

Your author brand is your online persona. It’s the way readers perceive you. Build your author brand early—before you write your first draft. Create a website, social media profiles, and other online presences that reflect who you are and what you write about.

4. Write a Great Book

The most important thing you can do to sell more books is to write a great, high-quality book. Take the time to craft a story that engages readers and keeps them turning the pages.

5. Use a Professional Editor

A professional editor is a necessary part of self-publishing any book. Editors help tighten up manuscripts and get it ready for publication. This helps you avoid common mistakes that can turn readers off.

6. Have a Trade Quality Cover Designed (Make it Rival Traditional Books)

Take time to wander the aisles of a bookstore—specifically the genre you’re writing in. Take photos of covers that stand out to you, write down notes that detail how covers are similar or different within that genre. Traditional publishers do an extensive amount of audience research to decide how to design book covers for maximum attention. Don’t ignore those covers and try to do something completely different. Instead, survey the details and use trends to your benefit.

7. Build a Launch Team

A launch team can help you build buzz around your book and generate early reviews and sales. Create a plan your launch team can follow to help you promote your book. Then reach out to your network and ask who is willing to help share about your book.

8. Focus on Marketing Your Book, Not Pushing Your Book

Instead of pushing your book on people with hard-sell calls to action like “buy my book,” get a copy now,” or “read my book now,” train your mindset toward building relationships and providing value to your audience. This will help you attract more readers and build a loyal fan base.

9. Don’t Give Up

Finally, don’t give up. Success takes time and effort. Keep working hard and stay committed to your goals. With patience, persistence, and dedication, you can turn your self-published book into a success.

Final Thoughts

Some of the common reasons a self-published book isn’t selling include poor editing, lack of marketing efforts, no clear target audience, low-quality cover design, ineffective book description, no reviews, or endorsements, ignoring reader feedback, and not utilizing social media platforms.

Follow our tips to make your self-published book a sales success: fine-tune your audience, study the competition, write a great book, hire a professional editor, build your brand, design a trade quality book cover, utilize a launch team, provide incentives to get early book reviews, have a mindset of marketing your book not selling your book, and don’t give up.

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