Gary Sturgis is BookLocker‘s current best selling author, earning thousands per month in royalties. Learn how he does it! EPISODE 45: How to Earn Thousands Per Month in Book Royalties – PART 1 of 2

---

One of the questions I’m asked most often by other authors is, “How have you sold so many books?”

They’re usually surprised by my answer.

I never ask people to buy them.

That probably sounds like terrible marketing advice, but it’s worked really well for me. As the founder of the Surviving Grief community, I’ve learned that people don’t respond well to being sold to, especially when they’re hurting. They respond to people they trust.

From the beginning, I decided that every post I wrote, every article I published, and every email I sent would have one purpose: to help someone. If I can make one grieving person feel a little less alone that day, I’ve done my job.

Notice I didn’t say my goal was to sell a book.

The books came later.

Instead of treating social media like a giant billboard, I treated it like a conversation. I answered comments. I replied to emails. I shared stories from my own grief journey. I wrote the kinds of posts I wished someone had written for me after my loss.

Over time, something really interesting happened. People started asking me if I wrote a book. I wasn’t telling them I did, but they started looking for one.

They wanted more than a 200-word Facebook post. They wanted something they could hold in their hands and read whenever they needed some support. So the book became a natural extension of the relationship that already existed.

That’s a very different dynamic than constantly seeing a post saying, “Buy my book.”

Even today, most of my posts never mention my books. They just offer encouragement, practical advice, or hope. When I do mention a book, it’s usually in the context of, “If you’re looking for more support, this might help.”

People can tell the difference between someone who’s trying to help them and someone who’s trying to sell them something.

Another lesson I’ve learned is that your readers often become your best marketing team. When someone finds comfort in one of my books, they tell a friend, recommend it in a grief support group, or buy copies for other people. That kind of word-of-mouth is way more powerful than anything I could write in an advertisement.

Does this mean you should never promote your book?

Of course not.

People can’t buy a book they don’t know exists. But I believe promotion works best when it’s built on a foundation of generosity. Give away your expertise. Share your knowledge. Solve problems. Be authentic. But build relationships first.

Then, when you do tell people about your book, it feels like you’re offering another resource instead of making another sales pitch.

In my experience, readers don’t buy books because they are pressured into it. They buy books from authors they’ve come to know, trust, and appreciate. So build the relationship first.

The sales will often follow.

RELATED

• How to Organically Grow Your Social Media Following – by Gary Sturgis
• EPISODE 45: How to Earn Thousands Per Month in Book Royalties – PART 1 of 2 – In this episode, international bestselling BookLocker.com author, Gary Sturgis, shares his secrets for book selling success!
• EPISODE 46: How to Earn Thousands Per Month in Book Royalties – PART 2 of 2 – In PART 2, international bestselling BookLocker.com author, Gary Sturgis, shares more of his book marketing secrets!
• What’s a Flagship Book? And How Can You Use It to Sell Your Other Books? – by Gary Sturgis – International Bestselling Author of SURVIVING GRIEF – 365 Days A Year
• The Book Wasn’t the Product. The Community Was. – by Gary Sturgis
• The Importance of Finding YOUR Author Community Online – by Gary Sturgis – Bestselling Author of: SURVIVING GRIEF – 365 Days A Year
• Why Authors Should Cheer Each Other On (And Mean It) By Gary Sturgis – Bestselling author of: SURVIVING GRIEF – 365 Days A Year
• When Trolls Show Up, You’re Doing Something Right! – by Gary Sturgis, Bestselling author of: SURVIVING GRIEF – 365 Days A Year
• Reel in Book Buyers! How a Hook Can Boost Sales for Your Self-Published Book By Gary Sturgis
• Building a New Career from Your Book By Gary Sturgis

Gary Sturgis survived the greatest loss of his life and now works as a Grief Specialist, Bereavement Facilitator and Speaker, guiding and supporting others in their struggle with grief. He finds it an honor to help those that are grieving a loss navigate their way through the maze of grief in a very personal and meaningful way. He lives by the ocean in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Contact Gary directly RIGHT HERE. Gary’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SurvivingGriefGarySturgis

CONTACT GARY:

• The Surviving Grief Community on Facebook. Grief and Healing – A Facebook community facilitated by Gary Sturgis, the International Bestselling Author of: SURVIVING GRIEF – 365 Days A Year. “A gentle companion for the days you don’t know how to get through.” – NY Times
• Gary Sturgis’ website

GARY’S OTHER BOOKS:

• The SURVIVING GRIEF Workbook: Exercises For Working Through Grief – This is the companion workbook for SURVIVING GRIEF – 365 Days A Year
• SURVIVING: Finding Your Way from Grief to Healing
• GRIEF: Hope in the Aftermath
• WHAT FEEDS YOUR SOUL?: Finding Light in the Shadow of Grief
• SURVIVING GRIEF During the Holidays
• SURVIVING GRIEF: A Group Companion for Grief Group Facilitators & Those Sitting in the Circle
• A Life Ring for Katie: Finding Hope After Goodbye

HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?

Angela is not only the publisher of WritersWeekly.com. She is President & CEO of BookLocker.com,
a self-publishing services company that has been in business since 1998. Ask her anything.

ASK ANGELA!

>>>Read More WritersWeekly Feature Articles<<<