LORILYN ROBERTS BOOK REVIEW: “Sell More Books: Book Marketing and Publishing for Low Profile and Debut Authors,” by J. Steve Miller

Sell More Books!: Book Marketing and Publishing for Low Profile and Debut Authors, Rethinking Book Publicity after the Digital Revolutions by J. Steve Miller, Blythe Daniel, Stephanie Richards, and John Kremer

Book Review by Lorilyn Roberts

When I read the title, Sell More Books! I couldn’t imagine anything that would help ME to sell more books.  After all, I had done nearly everything that had been suggested by marketing gurus and experts. What else was there that I hadn’t already tried?


Originally, my marketing plan consisted of a little bit of this and a little bit of that, hoping something might work. I was so afraid that if I didn’t try everything, the one thing I didn’t do would be the difference-maker. Why I took this approach, I don’t know, except to acknowledge that marketing is far more overwhelming and complicated than writing a book. 

Oftentimes we are bombarded with a zillion suggestions from well-meaning marketing folks, and being the newbie that I was, I tried most of them. What I found, however, is that many of those highly touted things didn’t work (and don’t work for most new or low-profile authors). Do you really need a publicist, for instance? What about all those press releases that cost a lot of money? And drawing up a marketing plan? What would that consist of, anyway? Sell More Books! will help.

Once I began reading Sell More Books! I realized what I needed were not new methods or ideas but a strategy to help me evaluate what I had already done. And Sell More Books! did not disappoint. I never thought about incorporating what had worked into a marketing plan that would fit my needs and budget in the future. I think it’s just human nature, like a cow, to think the grass on the other side of the fence is greener. Whatever we haven’t done is what we think we need to do because somebody somewhere says so—and we think they know more than we do.

Sell More Books! made me realize I was not alone, but by following some common sense and inexpensive suggestions, I could resurrect my lagging sales and achieve better results. Simply put, I needed to look at those things that had worked and continue to pursue them. And lastly, but also very important, I was challenged not to sit on those ideas but to put them to good use. When you become discouraged, oftentimes the hardest part is just getting started again. And because Sell More Books! helped me to see the mistakes I had made, and I felt I could trust Steve Miller on other aspects of marketing I wasn’t as sure about.

Not everybody sells tons of books from TV and radio appearances—really? I thought I was the only one. What worked for me, I found myself asking? What about all of those wonderful book reviews I have posted on Amazon and other websites? Why not get some more? After all, you can’t have too many.

These are just two ways to market out of dozens outlined in Sell More Books. The suggestions run the gamut for every type of book in print and every type of person. Yes, we are all different. Go with what works for you and throw out the rest. Don’t feel like your book is a failure if something worked for someone else but doesn’t work for you.

In addition, Steve Miller shares many stories from authors he has talked to first-hand regarding marketing—and has concluded, as I did, that many things are a waste of money. I wish I had read Sell More Books two years ago. I could have made better choices in marketing Children of Dreams, saving myself a lot of time, money, and discouragement.

Sell More Books is the best marketing book I have read. Buy yours today and don’t repeat the mistakes others have made. You will be encouraged to keep on keeping on in the difficult world of marketing.

To purchase from Amazon, click here

BOOK MARKETING: “What is a Book Launch Anyway—and Slowly, Please, I Am New at All of This,” by Lorilyn Roberts

A few years ago at the Florida Christian Writers Conference, I took Randy Ingermanson’s marketing class. If you ever have an opportunity to do so, take advantage of it because he is thorough, honest, and entertaining. Now that’s not something you can say about most physicists! At the time he was working on one of his many books and made the comment that his goal was to hit number one on Amazon when it was released.

Of course, being the newbie that I was, I didn’t know exactly what he meant, but it sure sounded impressive. I had no idea how one would even begin to accomplish such a feat.

I have found many authors are pretty much like me when I took that marketing class. And while they may be on Facebook, they don’t know how to use it very well (or how to make a fan page). Most groan when you mention Twitter, struggle with uploading a .jpeg, don’t know how to resize one (you’ve seen those monstrosities that take up a whole blog page), don’t know how to use widgets—the first time I heard the word, I thought it was a wizard—or make a video, use an URL shortener, or follow someone’s blog (where is the button), or the importance of even having followers.

Authors know how to do one thing—they know how to write. That is what they are passionate about. I would also rather write than do marketing. I would pay someone to do it—except I am too poor. But I don’t want to take my baby (my book) that I gave birth to and present it to another writer’s conference and have no one look at it.

When an agent and an editor told me to “Come back and see me when you have a thousand on your opt-in list (I had twenty-six at the time), my thought was, you just wait. I was challenged to do something that two people at the conference made me feel like I couldn’t do, and I wanted to prove them wrong.

I set about doing all the things writers do to begin marketing when they don’t know what they are doing—except I had just taken Randy’s marketing class, which ran for four days, and I learned A LOT.

And then the reality set in. Have you ever tried to get a thousand followers on an email opt-in list? Even though it’s easier now than before with the growth of Facebook and Twitter, it still takes time and effort.

Recently I went into the hospital to have an outpatient procedure done (one of those rites of passage when you turn fifty). The pre-op stuff was a lot less fun than the actual procedure itself, but unless I did the pre-op, the doctor wouldn’t have been able to see what he was looking for. It’s the same with a book launch. You must do all the steps I have talked about up to this point in order to have a successful launch.

One of my goals with the John 3:16 Marketing Network has been to help authors who come into the network who can’t do the above things. I am surprised at the number of authors who join who are still using a 54K dial-up modem. An author will be at a huge disadvantage if she doesn’t upgrade to something faster. I can’t imagine being handicapped to that degree and being successful at marketing, though anything is possible. But I would recommend a person have a cable modem or a fast connection, much faster than dial-up.

I was told when I took a class, “How to Launch a Best-Seller,” that people would be more than willing to help. That has not been true for me. Most people never respond to my emails unless they know me personally. Getting reviews is not always easy (many don’t know how when you ask them or are too intimidated to post anything on Amazon). Getting someone to read my book is hard (authors who like to read books and write reviews are already overcommitted, including myself). I have sent several copies of my book to people and never heard back from them. Sometimes I think those are the books that show up later on Amazon for a bargain price that you don’t get a cut of. I found it to be a lot harder to get partners than I ever thought it would be.

That is when the idea of the John 3:16 Marketing Network was born. If we had authors who were willing to come together and help each other, who understood the process and cared about others in the network, it would be a dream come true not only for me but for others as well. There are far too many authors like me with good books waiting to be read and no way to effectively market them.

Out of my need for a way, God laid it on my heart to form the John 3:16 Marketing Network for Christian authors. I thought about what impact we could have, changing the landscape of book marketing and publishing with sheer numbers and personal commitment, pushing Christian books higher in sales to best-seller status, and impacting what kids and adults read with a Christian worldview.

That leads to the question, “What is a book launch anyway?” A book launch is a 24-hour event. You tell everybody in your little world (or big world) about your incredible, awesome, one-of-a-kind book, and then you get all of those people to tell everybody in their little world (or big world) about your incredible, awesome, one-of-a-kind book—and, as a result of the amazing world of mass media, everybody will hear about your book, and able to receive all the unique, one-time free e-gifts that will be offered if  he buys your book on “launch day.” The other key factor is all the sales must go to one specific location; i.e., Amazon. The book sales over that period will surge, enabling you to hit best-seller status in one or more categories. Again, to incentivize people to buy your book on your launch day, you offer free e-gifts that are immediately downloadable; but only on launch day. Then the e-gifts go away.

We have over 125 authors as of this writing in the John 3:16 Marketing Network. (Please note: the John 3:16 Network is no longer active). Some are beginners and some are pros, but we are all Christians. We are individuals blessed with the passion for writing.  We help each other with book launches, blog postings, book reviews, following each other on social networking sites, and on and on.

I am reminded of Hebrews 12:1 from the New Testament in the Bible: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the AUTHOR and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

When the big day arrives, what happens? Your partners will send out Facebook and Twitter announcements. Those with big opt-in lists will announce your book to their subscribers. Some of your partners (friends) will feature you on their blog, host an interview by you or post some of your articles. Hopefully glowing reviews on Amazon and other sites will entice the public to push that “buy” button; and, you will have some fabulous bonus gifts for your buyers—free downloadable e-gifts available right after the buyer receives his confirmation email—available nowhere else!

What is a good launch? At the John 3:16 Marketing Network, we look at rankings. If we hit best-seller status in a category, we are thrilled. If our rankings get pretty low in terms of book sales, we are happy.

It’s important to note. Whether you reach best-seller status or not, you are gaining exposure. Others are tweeting, Facebooking, and sharing your book with their social networking contacts. It’s all about exposure. Oftentimes, people have to hear a name many times before it starts to register, “I need to watch that movie,” or “I need to buy that book.” We tell our authors not to get discouraged if you don’t sell as many books as you had hoped. Remember, it’s all about process, not outcome.