Author Blog

Many authors at the last 8cr Pow-Wow had their eyes opened to the fact that selling is a big part of becoming an author. According to Bookscan, in 2007, 25,311,126 business books were sold. That's a lot of books, but think about this - most business books that get published only sell around 1,000 copies, regardless of the topic. That isn't a lot of books; proof that all authors need to be more engaged in the selling process.

Here's a tip: the number above reflects the highest percentage of sales in these 5 regions - NYC, Los Angeles, San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, DC, and Chicago. Are you an author in these areas? If so, you're in a good place to move your idea. People are receptive to published business thought there. Are you an author outside of these regions? Start targeting these areas - make connections, get speaking engagements, talk to clients there, talk to client's friends there. Talk to anyone there.

On a similar note, author Richard Florida recently did a study on music clusters - geographical areas where employed musicians clustered and what facilitated these clusters: employment opportunities, diverse ethnicity, and labels (publishers) creating scenes based on that region. Knowing where these clusters are, and acknowledging the fact that they exist, can provide others with knowing where to target their efforts for touring and "selling" their work, whether they're thinking of relocating or not.

Selling your book can be a tremendous amount of work. But that's ok, as long as you know it's coming and are prepared to deal with it. Being blindsided by unexpected tasks can take a lot of wind out of a good idea and genuine momentum.