Seeking Growth as a Self-Published Author

authorNew authors struggle with how to start building a productive and profitable self-publishing business. It is a real challenge to find our priorities, manage busy schedules, expand my mailing list, and the hundreds of other things recommended by all the author “gurus.”

Everybody needs a plan… here’s mine!

Let me describe the path I will be taking for this year. Right now, I have a total of ten books. A few of them, I don’t even try to promote because I’m not satisfied with those earliest efforts. I also have written books in four very different niches: getting out of debt, weight loss, Christian nonfiction, and self-publishing. Five of the ten books have been #1 in their categories, but I have a small income from them. I’m not satisfied. Are you?

A Single Niche

Here is how I am going to revise my strategy for this year. First, I am going to concentrate on just one niche: self-publishing. That isn’t because I’m an expert, but because I love to learn more and more about this rapidly changing field. It has become my passion. Saying this doesn’t mean I have no other interests or that I will never write another book in another area. It means that I will slow down and put these on the back burner until I am earning a full-time income from books related to being more productive and profitable as an author.

Greater Use of Permafree Books

It also means I will establish a permafree book in each of the niches immediately. I will use these permafree books in two ways. First, on Amazon, they will all link to the next book in a series or the next, most logical choice of books in my catalog. Second, I will use that same book as one of several lead magnet to build my mailing list.

Generate Lead Magnets in Various Formats

I will generate more free lead magnets in different formats to build my mailing list for PublishingPoints Newsletter. My goal is to double the subscription list every three months through this year. I will use social media to distribute the lead magnet offers. Later in the year, I’m going to try to figure out a system for rewarding subscribers who refer new customers.

Increase Use of Book Promotion Websites.

My personal finances are limited. I am retired and have a small fixed income. For that reason, I have seldom used paid book promotion sites. In fact, I have neglected using an aggressive program of website marketing at all. I now plan to conduct at least one major promotion each month, using upwards of twelve free or inexpensive sites to drive up my rankings. During these times, I will fill the front matter of these books with links to lead magnets and the next book in the series.

Prioritize Finances toward Growing as an Author

Although my income is now small, I will begin setting aside funds in a separate credit union account. These funds will be used carefully to improve book covers and editing, to expand book promotion, and to save toward getting some quality training next year.

More and Better Books

Beginning in the second quarter of the year, I will release one new book every four to six weeks. I will be trying to establish a brand through my logo and color themes on book covers. Since I cannot afford professional covers, I will go through fiverr for covers, but I will seek to get two or three designers to work on each one. I’ll buy the gigs and get started on them as soon as I have the title and can find cover styles that I would like to use.

Develop a Team

During the first three months, I will be seeking to collect a group of beta readers to read through manuscripts. I will also be seeking a good, but inexpensive editor, especially one that might be willing to work with Scrivener.

Take Charge of My Time

I am going to limit my time on social media and start deleting lots of email sources to save time for more writing. I’m also going to work on a writing schedule that will allow me to complete one chapter per day.

My Accountability Commitment to You

By this time next year, I will give a thorough accountability report for each of these areas. It will be brutally honest and will address changes needed to make things go better.

I hope you have a plan for how this year will be better than the last. If so, tell someone and ask for them to help you stay on track.