You’re a champ. You finished your book. You’ve fulfilled a dream, an incredible feat. One that makes others green with envy because they’re still at the “author wannabe” stage. You’ve given birth to an awesome non-fiction or fiction book.
The writing gestation period, whether weeks, months or even years, took its toll on you. Some days writing caused pain and suffering; other days, you felt on top of the world. You experienced the full gamut of emotions, from nausea to exhilaration, from pain to excitement. The journey to delivering your book baby was a rollercoaster, with multiple highs and lows.
There were times you questioned your decision to take on this mammoth project. Perhaps you even pushed it aside, allowing other more important things to stand in your way of finishing.
Or, you were super disciplined and dedicated time every day to your writing. Either way, whatever your experience, you finished, and at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.
Let me tell you that every author faces his or her own demons throughout the writing, and birthing process, which only proves your incredible strength and determination to finish the project.
Every author’s writing story contains its own breakthrough to cracking the book writing code. I have mine, and you have yours.
With my first book, I recall how super disciplined I was throughout the process. I set aside two hours every day to writing, and my goal was a minimum of two typed pages.
Some days my fingers flew over the computer keys at such a rapid rate I kept going long after my allotted time. Other days, I agonized over every word, producing a mere two pages, and every bone in my body ached from exhaustion.
But, I digress because the purpose of this article isn’t to talk about the writing process but rather what happens once your book baby is born. Because if you’re anything like most parents, you’re unsure of the exact process, system, or recipe to help your baby grow. But it’s not your fault. You focused your full attention on the writing process.
The Problem:
If you’re like many authors, you’ve invested so much time and energy in the birthing process that you’ve pushed aside any thoughts of how to take your prized possession to market.
Yes, you proudly paraded your new addition to your nearest and dearest. You shared it with your social media fans, you organized a book signing party, an official launch, and you posted it on Amazon. Then you sat back to wait for the orders to come flooding in.
Things are hunky-dory. Your book may or may not have made bestseller status. Yet, once the launch “hoopla” peters out and your book drops down in the rankings, you realize sales never reached your expected numbers. And, to top it off, fame and fortune aren’t knocking at your door.
As a result, “book launch doldrums” set in, along with their share of emotions, from disappointment to shame, frustration to confusion. This is when you wonder if all the blood, sweat, and tears were worth the effort.
What happened?
You did everything you were told to do and anticipated the process a lot easier than the reality. What piece or pieces of the puzzle are missing?
What now?
Where do you go?
Who do you turn to?
The myriad of books and courses overwhelm you and only seem to help you so far. Yet, you know there’s more to unravel this dilemma!
The Solution:
The key lies in having a solid post-launch marketing plan that uses your value to build your expert authority to make a positive impact in your market.
Understanding your target market’s challenges, concerns, and specifically where they need help opens doors to use your expertise to create solutions.
Specifically, your tools include speaking, training, writing, and producing informational products. But, beware of offering solutions to things you think your target market needs. Chances are you know what they need, yet it isn’t what they want.
Here’s a tip: Do your research first to uncover the real cries for help because these are the keys to unlocking the doors to your money-making opportunities.
Your job is to offer them what they want, and then teach them what they need!
