I wrote my first book, Get Organized, Stay Organized in 2008. I was so excited, I envisioned selling out of the books in months. I would be the next Peter Walsh of organizing, have my own show and help thousands of people.
Nine years later, most of the 500 books I paid to have printed are still languishing in my basement.
And in the intervening years, I've written five more books, publishing each of the dutifully on Amazon, twiddling my fingers for a few days or weeks, then shrugging my shoulders and moving on to the next book.
And then I picked up Write, Publish, Repeat and got all excited.
I just need to write MORE I thought and got to work.
And then it hit me.
I had already written SIX books, FIVE of which were hanging out on Amazon and doing absolutely NOTHING.
Write, Publish, Repeat didn't have it wrong - I was on the right track, I needed to create multiple book funnels and I had done that, but I had missed a crucial second step.
Marketing
The reality is this - you HAVE to market your writing. Whether it is here on Steemit and you are driving folks back to your website or encouraging them to sign up for your email distribution list by offering them freebies - as I have below.
I woke up, and promptly earned over $100 in just a handful of weeks, more than I had made all year, just be promoting TWO of my five published books.
Lesson learned, I'll be marketing plenty from now on!
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I write about everything from gardening and community, to education, the writing process, DIY, and more. I maintain four blogs, write fiction and non-fiction books, and I am a community educator.
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