TOO LATE TO PROMOTE?

I recently did a phone consultation with a young man who self-published a book last year. He contacted me because he had only sold 1,500 copies of his book and wanted to know how to get his sales moving again. The book was well written, and the topic a popular one, but it was obvious this was a consultation that should have taken place before the book was ever published. He learned some things during our meeting that might help you as well.

The book was hardcover with about 400 pages. However, it was printed double-spaced, so could have been done as a 200-page trade paperback. Because it was well suited as a group study book, it would have been a perfect fit for that target market if it wasn’t priced at $20.

Of course, the biggest problem he faced is that the book is already more than a year old—too old for most book reviews, contests, radio & TV shows, etc. Promotion on a new book needs to start eight months before the book comes out. There was little I could suggest at this point. The biggest window of opportunity for promotion had already closed.