Q –

Lots of people (42 on one) liked my book promo post but still I see no sales. Why?

– L.

A –

Having 42 “likes” on social media but no sales is not at all unusual. Friends and family like to support authors with “likes” and “retweets,” etc. but they rarely go so far as to order a copy of the author’s book if it’s not something they’re truly interested in. You should not take it personally. Many friends and family members even lie to authors about buying their books so as not to hurt their feelings. You can read more about that unfortunately phenomenon here:

AWKWARD HOLIDAY GATHERINGS! When Relatives Say They Bought Your Book (But They Didn’t)

If you purchased an ad on social media, there are a few reasons why it might not have generated any sales:

1. People must usually be exposed to an ad multiple times before they will actually purchase the product. With social media, you never know who is seeing the ad, nor how many times they’ve seen it.

2. The ad may have been too plain. Perhaps it wasn’t tantalizing enough, or the graphic wasn’t eye-catching.

3. I don’t know how many people actually saw your ad but 42 likes isn’t that much, and certainly not enough to expect a sale. A mere fraction of those who see an ad actually buy the advertised product.

4. Lots of people on social media click “like” on a variety of things with no intention of ever buying any of them. Heck, some people click “like” on every post they see just because they want to be nice and make friends.

Spending a few dollars on a social media ad isn’t going to sell many books. You need a well-rounded marketing campaign, which is actually very easy to do yourself if you have the right tool. Please see:

90+ DAYS OF PROMOTING YOUR BOOK ONLINE: Your Book’s Daily Marketing Plan

RELATED:

BOOK MARKETING E-SERIAL PART 1

Reader Comments = Marketing Blurbs!

The Biggest Marketing Mistake New Authors Make!

What’s a Book Marketing Cheat Sheet?

How to Go Broke AFTER You Publish Your Book! (Hint: Buy your publisher’s worthless marketing products and services…)

More Q&A with Angela!

The Do-It-Yourselfer's Guide to Self-Syndication

Practical resource outlining the self-syndication process, step-by-step. Packed with detailed information and useful tips for writers looking to gain readership, name recognition, publication and self-syndication for their column or articles.

https://writersweekly.com/books/4693.html

 

90+ DAYS OF PROMOTING YOUR BOOK ONLINE: Your Book's Daily Marketing Plan by Angela Hoy and Richard Hoy

Promoting your book online should be considered at least a part-time job. Highly successful authors spend more time promoting a book than they do writing it - a lot more.

We know what you're thinking. You're an author, not a marketer. Not to worry! We have more than a decade of successful online book selling experience under our belts and we're going to teach you how to promote your book effectively online...and almost all of our techniques are FREE!

Online book promotion is not only simple but, if you have a step-by-step, day-to-day marketing plan (this book!), it can also be a very artistic endeavor, which makes it fun for creative folks like you!

Yes, online book promoting can be EASY and FUN! Let us show you how, from Day 1 through Day 90...and beyond!

 

BOOK PROPOSALS THAT WORKED! Real Book Proposals That Landed $10K - $100K Publishing Contracts - by Angela Hoy

Peek over the shoulders of highly successful, published authors to see how they landed publishing contracts worth $10,000 to $100,000! An enticing yet professional book proposal is the key!

BONUS! Successful ghostwriter, Anton Marco, shares his secret for landing ghostwriting clients. Don’t miss Anton’s real ghostwriting contract at the end of this book! It provides an example of what he charges and the payment terms he requires from each client.