My author journey: How I sell books and grow my community

[@marketingbyshelby]

Share your journey with me in the comments - I'd love to hear from you! And if you'd like to join my marketing community & work together, I'd love to have you! marketingbyshelby.com/club

[@DanRenaudJax]

Comments are off

[@DanRenaudJax]

Comments are off

[@marketingbyshelby]

​@@DanRenaudJaxI'm not sure what you mean. You just left a comment - they aren't turned off!

[@olivia-dv7zm]

I just published my first book this month and it has been totally crickets (even though I've been talking about on my social media) and so this video was absolutely what I needed. It is really reassuring to hear that this is a long-term investment into our careers and that it's not the end of the world if our book is not a huge sucess the minute it comes out

[@marketingbyshelby]

I am soo glad!! Congratulations on your book!

[@tallaaron1115]

Hey we are supposed to promote ourselves right? So what is the name of your book? I would love to take a look and see if it is for me. If it is not, I know tons of readers that might like it. Worth a shot right? Us authors need to look out for each other.

[@olivia-dv7zm]

@@tallaaron1115 aaah that's so sweet! but i'm actually brazilian, so my book's in portuguese lol but thank you so much for the comment!

[@jshorter3303]

Thank you soooo much for this!! I needed to hear this.

[@marketingbyshelby]

You are so welcome!

[@nickjonesthenova5928]

Your videos make me so excited to release my book next month

[@marketingbyshelby]

Thank you and congratulations!!

[@tallaaron1115]

Thank you, I needed this pick me up today. I just released my second book, editing my third book and working on my fourth book but sales have been slow. Not giving up but I have had what is the normal (from what I am told) panic attack about things not going well. As crazy as this sounds though, due to my social form of autism facebook and other places like that scare me to death. I will look into your program in the hopes that it helps me get over that personal hurdle. Once again, this is much appreciated and I wish you all the best in your writing career.

[@marketingbyshelby]

You're welcome! Congrats on your books thus far. Thanks for sharing

[@1trueloveforever]

Thank you Shelby for this wonderful insight. I sincerely appreciate it . I was going to give up but I think this was the inspiration I needed because with 30 sales I was thinking of doing so. Appreciate you.

[@marketingbyshelby]

Aw I am SO glad to hear that!! Thanks for sharing 🫶

[@jonathanbaumler]

Hello Shelby! This video is awesome! THANK YOU! ☺️ I’m currently working on my sequel to my debut novel, WISTERIA. I released WISTERIA at the end of May (2024), and the initial release was a success. That first month or so, I had a decent amount of people interested, and orders, however, it’s definitely declined since then. I’ve been getting author copies of my paperback, and putting them in different little libraries around my neighborhood/state, to help spread the awareness of the story. Thats where I’m at, currently. I have created trailers, and teasers, etc. I should probably check out more of your videos. 😆

[@marketingbyshelby]

Thank you for watching and sharing! Congratulations on your debut - that is huge. Totally normal for a decline after a launch but keep promoting and bringing your energy and excitement and things will pick up as you test and experiment more 🥳

[@tallaaron1115]

I have been pushing out author copies to neighborhood libraries myself. Have you ever gone back to check to see if your books ever show back up? I found that my books have disappeared and may never come back even after 6 months. Both exciting and scary, makes me wonder if they are collecting dust somewhere. Thank you for sharing your book name, I will look it up right now. Keep pushing, you got this.

[@tishspirationstation2845]

Hey Shelby. I have been on the same trajectory as you with self-publishing. I have 3 books out. (Pen name: Tish MacWebber) I started in 2016 and published my first book in 2018. I am a multi-genre author, which can confuse readers, but I am writing what I feel I need to write. I have just recently looked into starting an anonymous pen name, and I will go through the hoops to ensure my privacy with it. I have everything thought out for marketing for the new pen name, but it got me thinking about the current dilemma I am in. The multi-passionate person needs a common thread throughout the multi-genres to make it make sense for my readers. In my first book, I write a memoir narrated by cats. It is in honour of a friend who said, "There should be at least one talking cat in every book." So I made them all talk. Since then, under that pen name, I have added a talking cat somewhere. And I think that is the common thread. I will be rebranding the pen name to include this in my new marketing strategy, so the readers know to be watching for the talking cats. I think this makes it more cohesive. In regards to your thoughts on not giving up too soon, it is correct. I did a run for Amazon Best Seller for the first book in 2022, and it peaked at 22 in one category. So it can be done. I need to follow your advice and get onto my author platform and start really sharing about these books, and what I am working on now. Besides the new top-secret book, and I am firm on it staying that way, I am writing 3 other books, in 3 different genres. Aiming for a fantasy trilogy, a continuation in the author how-to books for self-publishing, and a Christian fiction book. I have started all 4, and I can talk openly about 3 since the current pen name is not a secret. Thanks for asking us to share our stories with you, and thanks for sharing yours.

[@marketingbyshelby]

Thanks so much for sharing your journey - it sounds amazing so far and I'm glad you're feeling inspired to work on your author platform as well!

[@jeanshelbybooks4154]

Thank you for this video! I think I’ll copy the theme for a video for my channel if that’s ok. 😊 I started self publishing in 2021 and don’t have any traction with sales. The up side is that I had a zero social media following and now have about 2,500 across three platforms. It’s not a lot but it’s not 0 anymore either. I appreciate your story, your presence, and your sweet softness to this industry. 🤩

[@marketingbyshelby]

Thank you so much lovely! Sure, that's totally fine :) Your growth is wonderful - keep going!

[@tallaaron1115]

Fellow authors need to look out for each other. What is the name of your book? I would love to take a look at it and pass the word around.

[@jeanshelbybooks4154]

Thank you so much! My book is ‘Welcome to Garden Valley.’ My next one comes out in November, and then I have a Valentine’s Day one coming out in January. ☺️ If you have a book out, please let me m ow.

[@tallaaron1115]

@@jeanshelbybooks4154 This looks like a wonderful read and reminds me of my mom when I was growing up but she was a single mom. It is always hard to put out a book and remember you are one of the very few who do (since everyone says they want to write one). I technically have two books out but it is a series. 'Ruins of Ivy: The Aurora Project' is my first book out. Please only take a look if it grabs your attention, way too many good books out there to waste on books that do not fit your interests. With the book purchased, I will jump into it today. I think I know a few people who would be into this so I will make sure to spread the word. Keep writing, you will make it for sure.

[@jamieb723]

Shelby - I needed to hear this today! Thank you!

[@marketingbyshelby]

So glad! Thanks for watching :)

[@ChristyLoveSinging7]

I really connected with what you said about your first book! I feel like there’s aspects of my first books that could have been improved, but I’m thankful that I put my work out there because I’ve learned and grown through the process. I feel like I continue to improve with each book. I’ve improved with my marketing as well, especially thanks to you. I feel like I’ve been consistent, but maybe not enough specifically with my books. I do it, but not enough. I want to keep making it feel fresh and I don’t want to give too much away (especially with my poems). There’s a lot that I have to keep track of. But I’m thankful for this video as a reminder to keep at it, even though my sales and reads are low lately. - Christina Vourcos

[@marketingbyshelby]

Thanks Christina! I am glad this resonated with you and thanks for sharing 🫶

[@ChristyLoveSinging7]

@@marketingbyshelby I ended up making reels today for the rest of the week. So this video really inspired me. Now they are all scheduled. So when you said do something for 10 days. I actually did it. Let’s see how it goes. - Christina Vourcos

[@agl5132]

❤👏🏼👏🏼

[@marketingbyshelby]

🥰🫶