What Happens After You Publish Your First Book?

So you have done it. You have published your first book! Perhaps it is (at long last) the great American novel; perhaps it is a travel log complete with a series of adventures, a la Samuel Clemens or John Steinbeck. Or perhaps it is a self-help guide (e.g., Fifty Creative Things You Can Do With Yogurt, or whatever). You have done all the hard work; you have done approximately 90 percent of what needs to be done. Now you can sit back and watch yourself get buried in the royalties, right?

Don't count your money so fast. If anything, the above paragraph might just have it all backward. Based on my experience in self-publishing my first book, I Laid an Egg on Aunt Ruth's Head, there is a whole lot of work that needs to happen after the book goes to print. In fact, the amount of time that I have spent marketing and selling my book far exceeds the time spent writing and editing the book.

As an author, I have had to learn how to become a marketer and salesman; I have had to make countless phone calls, write endless email letters, and carry boxes of books with me everywhere I go, just to try to make a sale.

To be honest, the book is off to a good start. I have sold 300 books in the first three months that the book has been available. Half of those sales was handled on the Authorhouse Web site; the other half was through my efforts with direct sales, either on my Web site (AuntRuthGrammar.com) or face to face. I have recovered the cost associated with publishing the book; I have covered the cost of the first big batch of books that I bought (yes, when you self publish, you still have to buy your books from the publisher), and I have covered all my other expenses. In other words, except for the last large batch of books that I recently purchased, I have broken even. And when I sell all those books, I will be in the black by several hundred dollars.

This is not a get-rich (quick) scheme, but it's mentally rewarding.

What are some of the approaches I have taken in marketing and selling the book?

First, send an e-mail to everyone you know: friends, relatives, work colleagues, contacts, and anyone else for whom you happen to have an email address. This isn't the time to be humble. You have accomplished something significant. Tell people about it!

Second, send notes to everyone you know from your writing forums. You have friends at Associated Content and perhaps others (Triond, Hub Pages, etc.). Let the world know.

For me, a large contingent of people that I see regularly but do not converse through email are people at my church. I fairly aggressively made it known that I had published a book. I carry a box or bag of books with me whenever I am at church, and that has directly led to about 70 book sales so far.

Use Stumbleupon, Facebook, Twitter, and any other communication medium to talk about your book. Set up a Fan Page on Facebook for your book.

You need to set up book signings. This can be done through the local bookstores, libraries, and any other store that you can talk into letting you do it. Note that bookstores and other retailers want their share of the pie, and you probably won't get much revenue from the book signing itself. Keep in mind, though, that the book signings are more for publicity than anything. You need to spread the word about the book, and a book signing is one way to do it.

In addition to book signings, get the local bookstore to carry your book. The small "mom and pop" stores are always looking for local writers, offering something that some of the chain bookstores sometimes do not carry.

Depending whether you self published or went through a traditional publishing house, it may be easy or it may be difficult to get the large chain bookstores to carry your book. The issue is that traditional publishers have book return policies with the retailers, so that if your book doesn't sell in the bookstore, the store can return it to the publisher for a refund. Some self publishing houses offer return policy packages, but they are pricey. You can try to "roll your own," perhaps, but use discretion when dealing with retailers. Of course you want to sell your book, but you also want to earn revenue. It is too easy to get caught up in selling the book and forget about the profit.

Get your book reviewed. I sent mail out to many newspapers before the book was published, trying to find reviewers who would be interested in looking at it. I got shut out at first; nobody was willing to spend the time to review a book that was self published. I was persistent though, and I found one willing book reviewer who was willing to read the book. I sent her a complimentary copy, and I''m so glad I did. She loved the book and wrote a glowing review.

Determine your market and zero in on it. Really, this should be done before you begin writing. What age group are you targeting? What type of audience are you seeking? I took a broad approach with my book initially. Perhaps it is unique in its market - I have received phone calls from ten year olds and seventy year olds who absolutely love the book. My book has grammar lessons that the young students will remember; it has grammar lessons that the adults need; and it has story telling humor that appeals to multiple ages (silly situations for the kids, puns and word play for the adults).

Are there other outlets for your book besides the bookstores and libraries? If you self published, consider talking to a gift shop in your town. Local stores like selling works of local authors, and tourists like buying locally produced writing. We have a local drugstore downtown that is a local landmark, and they are now carrying my book. What about schools? Is your book something that will be useful in the world of academia? I am talking to a couple of schools now about using my book to supplement their English / grammar teaching materials.

In fact, to help bolster my marketing and sales to schools, I have developed a 134 page booklet of worksheets (Aunt Ruth Grammar Drills for Excellence) that will help confirm, correct, and teach the concepts from the book. The worksheets are available on CD and are being well received. Shipping the worksheets on CD keeps my cost down.

If your book is appropriate for schools, it is probably also appropriate for home schools. I have talked with a local home school curriculum store, and they have begun carrying my book and worksheets.

You will need to send out complimentary copies, especially to individuals who may be able to influence others. For example, I have begun sending my book out to some of the Language Arts instructors at local private schools; I have send a couple books out to the local libraries; and I have sent the book out to several potential reviewers. Some of the complimentary copies will pay off; some will not.

On the business side of things, you have to take several things into account. Keep careful track of income and expenses. Expenses include not only the postage to ship your books, but driving to the post office. Expenses include the materials needed to ship the books (bubble wrap envelopes, for example).

Check your state regulations regarding Sales Tax. In North Carolina, I need to collect sales tax for any book I sell within the state. The taxes are due either monthly or quarterly, depending on the amount collected. This is not something you can neglect; the state takes sales tax very seriously.

You may want to talk to SCORE, a group of retired business people who offer free consultation. They are a service offered by the SBA (Small Business Association). I met with SCORE last week to get some marketing ideas / approaches and to identify tasks I need to do on the business side that may not have occurred to me, and I found the meeting valuable and helpful. It's free, too.

Do you want or need to set up a corporation? There are pros and cons, and I won't go into detail here. Suffice it to say that you need to look into it and determine whether it's the right step for you.

Above all, don't get discouraged. Keep plugging away though. Don't get lazy. After your book is published, the call to action is more important than ever. Stay focused; start locally and then expand as the market permits.

Don't slow down; don't stop knocking on doors; don't stop bringing your box of books with you everywhere you go.

Oh, it's important to smile, more for yourself than anything. You have published a book. Walk with a swagger; exude confidence; and boldly tell others about your book. After all, you are the author. You are also the sales person.