5 Reasons Why Your Published Book Isn't Selling (Part 2)

1) Your Marketing Was All About You

The only thing worse than not marketing, is not marketing correctly. 

Other writers might be interested in how you write, when you publish, or your biography, but until your readers become fans, you should focus on what they need and want to read about.

Your marketing should be focused on what your story is about and what readers can expect to get from it. 

2) Your Book's Not Available in the Right Formats

More than ever, readers have choices about how they want to read, and as an author AND publisher it's up to you to give them what they want. Find the right mix of printed books, ebooks, and audiobooks for your readers.

3) Little to No Keyword or Category Research

As a self-published author metadata is your best friend. 

"Meta" is from Greek, meaning "about". So metadata actually means "data about data".

Meta data is more important than ever in making your book visible in large marketplaces like amazon. A free guide on this is coming soon. 

4) Pricing too High or Too Low

Pricing you 200-page novel at $49.95 and your 40 page novella at $0.99 are both too extreme. 

How much do other books in the same genre or category cost? Putting a book's price in line with those of other books can also help readers see it as a choice.

Cheaper isn't always better!

That could even make the book seem less valuable. On the other hand, if you charge way too much, readers might choose similar books that cost less. Figure out the best price point based on cost and competition!

5) Not Knowing Your Book's Direct Competitors

There's no doubt that any self-published book will have to compete with every other book on the planet. But there will be some books and authors that will directly compete with each other. To help readers think of your book as a choice, you need to put it next to these other relevant books.

Clearly you know what genre and sub-genre your book is. Go to sites like amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com and see what the highest rates books are of same genre. Read the highest, lowest and middle reviews to get a sense of what people liked and disliked about your biggest competitors.