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What's Your Biggest Challenge with Your Book?

I'd be interested to learn what authors/publishers on this network think their biggest challenges are with their book. I wonder if there's any common, pervasive challenge we all face.

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I think the biggest challenge is promoting the book and locating new people who are sales opportunities. I'm always seeking new methods to sell and promote books and Ebooks. I will be experimenting on many different fronts.
I am almost certain that we are facing the same challenge when it comes down to Marketing !!! It does not matter how good our books are if no one knows about them and I am positive that is our biggest challenge. I have a saying...."writing is rewriting and publishing is marketing." Finally, I am also certain that with there being so many published authors out there, if we were to pool the resources that we have and our intelligence, marketing would become less of a problem.
Don Atchison

There is a lot to what you say. Our market is never going to be other self published authors and there are so many phony ways to give our work, certificates, recognition, prizes etc, that many readers do not trust these award and recognition statements. One of the best ways to judge a book is, ..... and I will let you figure that out.

I have found that by building a satisfied reader base I get better results than anything else. Each satisfied reader is a marketing person for my book and even though the process is slow, by keeping tabs of readers and offering them a place to meet, you will sell more good books. Number one, is to have something to sell that people want.

The book industry is not what it used to be, but believe it or not, I like the way it has become. There is so much worthwhile information hidden away in each individual that we are now able to hear a lot more, which is much more interesting to me, than some of the biggest names in the business.

Good luck to you. Find a way to market what you like to do best and let the rest of us know what works for you.
Marketing can be fun if the writer sees it as a challenge or a game. I try many things, including EBAY. The following are a couple of links to my ads. The one with the flash drive I think makes better sense than buying a Kindle.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180424190666...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180424639390...
Good points, Don. I've seen statistics that people who look for jobs in groups have better success than people who go it alone. I'm not sure of the "why?" of that, but I've got to assume that it's much more motivating to go with someone else and you'll probably look longer and harder if you're with a friend.

I've kept up with a couple of people who were publishing about the same time as me. We've kept each other up with our marketing efforts and have learned a lot from each other. Also, forums like this one encourage me and let me know what's working and what's not.

Would love to see you regularly on this forum to encourage each other and share ideas.

Love your saying. May I quote you on that?
I've joined five other professional authors and we started a group in May of 2009 naming us "Authors Without Borders." We offer services to schools, libraries, businesses and bookstores; Workshops, Speaking Engagements, Readings, Panel Discussions, Book Signings.

I do talks on Spiritual Changes and Alcoholism, I run workshops "Bring Your Manuscript to Publication" and another author teaches "How to be Your Own Publisher", another "How to Do Press Releases" and one talks about writing Poetry and another with Fantasy.

We are just getting our names out there. We have a library in the Boston area that has numerous branches that want to interview us. We were on a Cable TV show with a Discussion Panel and it was taped; we got a copy. We gave it to another Library Division and they are in the process of talking to us.

We charge nothing to the libraries or bookstores because so many are closing. We just want to be able to introduce ourselves and sell our books.

Our next direction is visiting Universities and Colleges.

Our site is www.awb6.com. It's just being put up. We'll be offering reviews and interview. Hopefully, by the Spring, we will be going strong.

It's a direction we wanted to try. So I do understand Don saying maybe groups work better. I'll let you know in six to eight months.
The biggest challenge in today's market is the price of books. As a relatively new author, and an unknown author it's difficult to compete with the mass market prices of best selling authors, or even the discount prices of hardback books of best selling authors. In a declining economy I see this as a major problem for all authors.
I would have to opine that the largest challenge I see is "How to be seen?" in a world that will at some point host a billion websites.

When huge advantages become easy to attain (internet presence) the law of diminshing returns seems to step in, and show us that. "An advantage to all is an advantage for none."

Best of luck to you all.
But isn't that where "the long tail of the Web" comes to play? In other words, for me to try to sell a novel that competes in a genre that is "owned" by myriads of best-selling authors may be difficult.

But to sell a thriller that involves snakes to reptile enthusiasts might get easier and easier for the person who's willing to explore and participate in specialist Websites and get reviewed by the reptile enthusiasts.

Don't you think?
Hi K Patrick,
Call your local cable TV shows. I was on the Cranberry Country Journal Cable TV show three months ago. I called and they are planning to book me again.

November 5th, I go on the WCTV Comcast, channel 9 or Verizon channel 30.

Last week, I just was on the WVBF Radio Station for a full hour.

I had a public talk on "The Affects of Alcoholism on the Whole Family" at a library and personally invited editors from the surrounding newspapers. One came that handled two newspapers and put a beautiful write-up in them with my picture and quoted a lot of my talk, audio taped it, and put pictures of my husband and daughter who died from this disease in the article. She said she wanted the readers to relate to seeing who died. I've built a great relationship with this editor. I gave her my book autographed with a personal note of thanks.

These are all free things. My book isn't rushing out of the online stores. It came out June of this year. Put, I'm being seen with write-ups and with talks. I work at least four times a week on contacting people.

I hope this has helped you. What I need is to see growth with all this. Those signs will be with my royalties showing the book is selling or my phone rings off the hook with someone wanting me to talk.
LInda,
You're right on the price. My publisher has no price on the back of our books. Mine went from $19.95 to $24.95. That is so high for a soft cover book. It's a shame when you're own publisher is killing you!
HI K. Patrick,

Call your local cable TV stations. Three months ago, I went on the Cranberry Country Journal Cable TV show (my interview is at www.youtube.com, key my name Alberta Sequeira). Last Thursday, I was on for an hour at the WVBF Radio Station, and November 5th, I'm schedule for two hours on the WCTV station.

I had the talk "The Affects of Alcoholism on the Whole Family" and personally invited editors from newspapers. I had one come and she audio taped it, put a beautiful write-up and a picture of me on her two newspapers she covers on the front page. She added a picture of my husband and daughter who died from the disease. I've built a great relationship with this editor and it's paying off.

These are all things that are "free." My book isn't rushing out of the online stores but it came out this past June and I can only hope this helps me. When I see my royalties going up with sales and my phone is ringing off the hook for invites to talk, then I'll see the growth. Until then, I keep trying.

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