Self-Published Authors Cannot Be Shy About Their Work
It’s okay to share your books a lot
"You're sharing your books too much."
Someone sent me a personal message that started like this a few days ago. They wanted me to know that I was sharing my books too much on social media and other platforms.
They told me that my books should ‘speak for themselves,’ and the more I share my book, the more I'm ‘turning people off to my content.’ This person also told me I was like a used car salesman, a street preacher, and an info commercial on T.V.
That was pretty rough. Now, it's important to take feedback. And some people are just unhappy. But this bothered me. I started looking through my content to see if this particular person was right.
I Went Off The Deep End
I may have gone deeper into things than I should, but I did it. I looked into this person who left me a message. We aren't connected on other platforms. I was only connected via one.
This person also has a few books of their own. I looked at them, and they were published a while back (years), and they didn't mention their books on socials at all. There were more Memes and animal videos than posts sharing content.
I'm being honest. I probably wrote and rewrote a response at least six times. In the end, I decided to thank this person for the feedback and that I would consider it.
Books Don't Sell Themselves
After reviewing my posts, socials, and book sales, I concluded:
"Books don't sell themselves."
If you want to sell books, which you should otherwise, no one will read your book. Then it would help if you shared your book. Ongoing sales don't often happen by themselves. They are always supported by sharing your books.
You don't have to be obnoxious about it. Sharing your book on every post, email, and article may not be good form. Sharing them regularly isn't bad as long as you share other things.
Ultimately, you should be excited about your book and share it everywhere you can. Please share it on your blog, your writing platforms, your email list, and social media.
Do it, do it now!
Final Thoughts on Sharing Your Books
Don't worry about sharing your books. You can do it subtly by having it here and there in blog posts, at the end of your email as a P.S., or in the website link in your socials.
I tend to share mine once every few days on socials and add it to posts where appropriate. I also have it at the end of all of my free resources. This way, people get something free and can choose to buy it later.
But I'm not going to be shy. I will share my books, and so should you.
Share your book in the comments today!
I stopped promoting my book and it died on the vine. I sold thousands of copies and had some fabulous heart-touching reviews. That is however not enough to keep a book alive. Keep up the good work J.R. You know your stuff. :)