ASP 79: 5 Lessons Learned from #1 Overall Paid Book on Amazon

“The harder I work, the more luck I have.”

 – Thomas Jefferson

Barrie’s book sold 2,900 copies in a 12-hour span.

How did it happen?  Amazon randomly sends out push notifications on IOS and Android phones to promote books.  You CAN’T plan for these things OR even apply. It just happens if they think your book will sell.

"It seems the harder I work, the more luck I have." -Thomas Jefferson

Here are FIVE lessons to be learned from this event:

1. Take Many Shots

Barrie has been publishing for almost five years now.

“The more I do this, the more I realize that you can’t plan for when a book will take off.  You can do your best, but sometimes a book will start to sell well.”

  • Don’t write one book and expect it to take off.
  • Get as many assets into the marketplace as possible.
  • Sometimes a book will become a bestseller. Other times a book will be niche-specific, appealing ONLY to your audience. But they ALL help generate visibility on your catalog.

2. Have Your Properties in Place

Barrie was able to maximize this unforeseen event by having LOTS of properties in place:

  • Email List
  • Audiobook
  • Print book

Being prepared led to a few thousand sales of audio and print combined.  It’s important to have these because when you don’t want to scramble if something takes off.

STEVE: I now make it a point of ONLY publishing when I have a completed print book, audiobook, and FULL email funnel.  In fact, I’m basically sitting on a completed book for the next month (“Novice To Expert”) until all the extra components are completed.

3. Launch with a Bang!

Popularity attracts more popularity.  Agents scour the bestseller lists, looking to strike deals or for possible translations. The key to generating any interest on a book is a great launch.

Check out the following episodes to learn about how to plan for a great book launch:

4. Keep Marketing Your Book

Don’t assume the book launch is enough.  If you see a book is gaining traction, then continue to promote it.

AFTER the launch, Barrie:

Solicited reviews from Amazon reviewers, using Debbie Drum’s review software.

Run Amazon Marketing Ads

You want to keep promoting your book because you NEVER know when the right person comes across your content. Put yourself in a position to make it happen by continuously pushing your content.

5. Network and Make Connections

Relationships TRULY do matter. Help others without asking anything in return. Make it a habit of connecting with one person each day.

Final Thoughts on Lessons:

You’ll never know when something will “strike gold.” But if you practice these fundamentals, you’ll increase the likelihood of it happening.

Important Links and Mentions:

Turn your idea into a bestselling book!

Download your free copy of The Bestseller Checklist at APChecklist.com. Learn the 46 steps we personally follow when self-publishing our bestsellers.

Looking for a supportive community of writers and authors?

Be an Authority and join the Authority Self-Publishing Facebook group.

Thanks for Listening to ASP!

We appreciate you taking the time to listen to the Authority Self-Publishing show.

Did you enjoy this episode?

If so, please do one (or all) of the following:

  1. Leave a comment on this page or ask a question if you need us to elaborate on the topic.
  2. Use the social media buttons to share this episode with your friends, family, and contacts.
  3. Go over to iTunes or Stitcher to leave a rating/review and to subscribe to the podcast.

We appreciate you taking the time to check out ASP! And we look forward to providing you with more content in the next episode!

Subscribe to the Authority Self-Publishing Show:

[one_half_first] Authority Self-Publishing on iTunes [/one_half_first][one_half_last]Authority Self-Publishing on Stitcher[/one_half_last]

2 thoughts on “ASP 79: 5 Lessons Learned from #1 Overall Paid Book on Amazon”

  1. Number 4 is a big one. Marketing begins before the book is even published and never really ends. Continue to promote your book and your author brand as long as you want to earn money from your books.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.