In Part 1 of this article, I discussed and invalidated two of four stumbling blocks that stand in the way of authors marketing themselves and their book. Namely, the lack of time and the lack of money.
Now let’s examine the next two challenges and how to quash the need to justify them. In other words, using them as an excuse to avoid massive positive action.
Lack of marketing and sales expertise and lack of confidence due to fears and insecurities
3. Lack of Marketing and Sales Know-how.
The clarion call I frequently hear from authors is that they consider themselves “writers, and not marketers.” This may well be the case. However, if this is your excuse or justification, you have a serious decision to make.
If you want to spread your message to the people who need what you have to offer, you can choose to sit at your desk and write, hoping and praying people will miraculously discover you. Alternatively, you can use a carrier pigeon to spread the word. Guess who plays that role best? Yes, it’s you and only you!
However much you want to shift that responsibility onto others, no one other than you has the real ability to convey your message the way you can.
Perhaps you’ve developed a formula or blueprint which you believe offers the right solution for a particular situation, it’s your passion and enthusiasm that help set the wheels in motion. When you help people get what they want, this strategy far outweighs ever trying to convince them to buy something.
How do you do that? There are multiple proven techniques marketing and promotional channels you can use to get noticed. From lead magnets, to press releases, from joint venture partners to email campaigns. You need to find strategies that fit your comfort level, especially starting out.
By the way, the more you target a niche market, the more effective and efficient your marketing becomes.
4. Lack of Confidence From Fears and Insecurities
Let’s be honest, we all have fears of one sort or another: be it fear of failure, success, being judged or looking stupid, fear of rejection, or inadequacy. Fears come in all shapes and sizes, and masquerade themselves in ways we often don’t recognize.
When it comes to marketing and promoting your book, is your fear, rejection?
After all your hard work, perhaps you feel inadequate to parade your masterpiece to the marketplace.
This article isn’t about psychology, yet the way you approach every aspect of writing, and marketing your book speaks volumes about you, your mindset, attitude, and fears.
If you’re holding yourself back with excuses, I invite you to look deeper to uncover what inhibits your progress.
If it’s a lack of marketing knowledge, then do your due diligence. Read articles, books, take an online course, or find a coach who will hold your hand and guide you through the process. There’s no lack of information, or experts when you start to delve into a subject. So much so it’s easy to get overwhelmed and sucked into buying umpteen tools that promise miraculous results.
Before you go in search of the miracle cure to your marketing conundrum, I recommend you take a look inside of yourself and ask if there are one or multiple fears that stand in the way of your success.
When I started in the speaking business, I developed a fear of success. It took me a while to figure out what was holding me back. On reflection, I realized that I had witnessed many of my speaker colleagues throw themselves into their work, only to upset their family situation, which often ended in divorce.
Since family is paramount in my life, I feared that would happen to me if I immersed myself in my business. So, I consciously held myself back doing just enough to make a decent living.
Knowing this about myself, I’m on alert for any excuses I hear myself make or delay tactics when it comes to finishing a project. It’s then time to question, “what am I afraid of?”
How about you?
What holds you back?
What are your underlying fears?
The better you know and understand yourself, the easier it is to find ways to face and fight those fears. Your goal is to combat them and not allow them to get the better of you.
Chances are that no matter who you are, or where you live in the world, at some point in your life, you’ve had a few or multiple unwelcome visits from an inner voice, better known as your inner critic. But that’s a subject for another article.
