It’s a Sunday night, and I’m relaxing. About to go dive into Arwenna’s world and do some more work on book three, and final, book of The Raven Chronicles. We’re on vacation, you see. While the bulk of our traveling is now done, we’re taking all next week to do small things local to us. And for me to write.

Given that my alarm clock is beyond off (it’s actually unplugged), and tomorrow’s schedule’s pretty fluid, I chose to make my weekly post tonight just so I’d remember to do it and share the link like I normally do.

Today, I’m going to give you the secret. The one thing that will make you a successful author. Are you ready?

Promote your book.

It takes time to be a household name. No one is going to know KateMarie Collins from anyone else unless I promote. It’s not up to my publisher. It’s up to ME to make my name and books known to the world.

I’m going to be blunt right now, because it needs to be said. If you think any of this, you’ve got the wrong mindset:

1. My publisher will do all the promoting/marketing of my book

2. All I have to do is put it up for sale and I’ll sell thousands overnight

3. The hard part’s over once you get a contract. Everything else is their job, not yours.

4. There’s a magic trick to promoting that no one will share.

5. People wouldn’t lie to me and say they bought my book and not do it!

6. I’m going to make millions and retire to a cabin in the Rockies six months after it releases.

7. Other authors aren’t worth reading, or talking to, because they’re ‘stealing’ my sales.

8. Being rude, arrogant, demanding, a jackass, or screaming obscenities at my publisher is perfectly acceptable behavior. Just because I’m a new author doesn’t mean I’m not entitled to be a diva. My book’s going to make them rich, so they should learn to cowtow to my whims early on.

THERE IS NO MAGIC FORMULA! THE ONLY WAY TO SELL BOOKS IS TO PROMOTE THEM!!!

Even then, it TAKES TIME. I’ve been published now for just about 2 1/2 years. I’ve got 8 titles out. And I promote. During our travels, I leave business cards and personalized postcards for my books in hotel rooms. I spend time on FB and Twitter. I write this blog. I let people know what I do for a living. I’ve been known to slip in postcards into the folder at restaurants when we pay the bill! Or chat up a cashier someplace and give one to them. I’ve gotten good reviews. But I’m still averaging single digit sales each month. Why? Because people don’t recognize my name yet. They have no connection to KateMarie Collins as an author. They don’t know that ‘Daughter of Hauk’ is the first book of a trilogy. Or that ‘Fin’s Magic’ is both fantasy and romance. That ‘Mark of the Successor’ is the story of a girl who wanted nothing more than to escape one prison, only to find herself a pawn.

I don’t have the right to play diva yet. I am not my publisher’s best selling author. I am not going to be able to contribute substantially to the household bills in the next four months. Possibly even the next four years. 

So, I say this to you all. Either grow up, stop whining, and do the work to get what you want, or put the pen down. This is not a get rich quick business. It does not tolerate temper tantrums from people who are ‘certain’ their book is selling like mad two days after it releases. And it will chew you up and spit you out if you aren’t willing to pay your dues and put the work in.

BB