Make Money with Your Non-Fiction Book — Part 1

Whether you’ve already published a book, have written but not yet published, or you’re in the throes of writing a book, I invite you to open your mind to some different opportunities.

There are multiple money-making possibilities that go untapped because most authors approach book marketing following methods other authors use, whether successfully or not.

For many authors, there’s a similar 5-step system they follow which includes:

1. Writing and publishing the book

2. Launching the book through various social media platforms

3. Posting the book on Amazon.com

4. Getting the book to bestseller status

5. Sitting back and waiting for the orders to roll in

This method usually sells a certain number of books. And, things are hunky-dory until one day you realize you’ve sold far fewer than ever expected!

In fact, you’re shocked how few books you’ve actually sold.

This isn’t surprising when you take into consideration some recent publishing statistics from the research firm, Statista. In 2019 there were over 2.2 million books published worldwide, and approximately 1 million of them were published in the United States.

This means you’re up against an army of competition before you even get started.

However, much you question if all the blood, sweat, and tears were worth the effort, this definitely isn’t the time to give up and “throw in the towel.” Rather it’s time to remind yourself why you actually wrote the book.

In other words, it’s “pep talk” time. It’s also time for a mindset readjustment.

You know your topic.

You know your message is important.

You know people really need what you have to offer.

You’re passionate about your materials.

You want others to capture, savor and learn from your information.

However, despite the lack of recognition for your efforts, this doesn’t mean your book sucks.

People might love what you have to offer if only they knew it existed.

Chances are your marketing could use a few tweaks. Perhaps you’re missing some critical pieces of the author marketing puzzle.

Plain and simple, if you want to get recognition as a subject matter expert, you must adopt an expert mindset and apply it to all your author marketing. This means being committed to what the Japanese call “kaizen” — a method of constant improvement. It goes along with the old saying, “if you’re not ripening, you’re rotting.”

Realize there’s no “one-size-fits-all” marketing solution.

Yes, like you, I wish there was a magic formula to go from “unknown author to recognized expert authority” by simply pressing a button or hitting a switch.

Unfortunately, in my world that doesn’t exist.

When I coach non-fiction authors, they often ask how long they need to keep marketing their book. My response is to ask them how long they want to keep their message alive.

Marketing is something you just keep doing if you want prospects and clients to keep you top-of-mind and see you as the go-to trusted authority.

There are multiple proven marketing techniques, but they aren’t for everyone. You need to know and understand which ones are right for you to get the results you want.

However, it all starts with some basics. Take time to get clarity on the following four questions:

1. Why did you write your book?

2. What’s your message?

3. Why is your message important?

4. What do you want your book to do for you?

When you’re crystal clear on these basics, then it time to dig deeper to better understand your target market.

Before you can choose the right marketing strategies to use, you need answers to four essential questions…

1. Who needs to learn from your expertise?

2. Where do these people hang out?

3. What is/are the major challenge(s) your expertise can solve?

4. What do you need to do to attract your target market’s attention?

In Part 2 we’ll examine different opportunities that help you to have fewer competitors, market more effectively, have greater visibility, and make more money.