You Will Never Sell That Book

BY IN authors, book marketing, marketing, promote a book 2 COMMENTS , , ,

“You will never sell that book.” Those words rang out in my soul. I was so hurt. The storeowner went on to describe why my book was not going to sell. He said my cover looked bad, the book was over priced and he went on to insult me further and said I have people with books in my store that sell for half the price of yours and look exceptionally better. I was crushed. Here I was just starting out trying to sell my book and this was not a good message to hear. Of course I felt the total opposite about my book. I thought my cover was fantastic. I thought the pricing was perfect. I felt that my book could compete with anything he had in his store.

Those words stung me like a hornet. I found myself reeling from the poison that came out of his mouth. Deadly dream killer. I could barely hold back my tears. I found the strength to say my book would sell. He laughed. For the first few days after that encounter I was flustered. His words kept echoing in my mind. I could not turn them off. I had been blindsided and the pain was searing.

I began to question my skills. I began to have doubt about my book project. I wondered should I just start over? I began to think, is my book really that bad? Then it dawned on me all he said were words. I began to see the power of words in an entirely different light. Words can cripple and kill your book. You can condemn your own book or you can allow others to condemn it. I wonder how many good writers are out there whose dream of writing was destroyed by someone else’s critical words?

I remember the moment I recovered. I said to myself, I am going to sell those books. I am not going to change the price. I am not going to change the cover. He will eat those words. Then I went to the bookstore chain that his store was a part of and went on a mission to get my book into their stores. I did not change one thing about my book. You want to know what happened? The very thing that he said I was not going to be able to do, I did it. Several stores brought my book in. They liked the book so much that they set me up to be paid every 30 days for book sells. Then the book began to get picked up in places that I had not supplied them to. It was amazing.

I hated the experience of hearing that storeowner condemn my work, but to this day I thank God that he did. What he meant for cruelty God meant for good. His words caused me to gain determination. That is what I needed to get the book in stores.

What I want you to take away from this message is that in life there will always be critics. People’s words can empower you or destroy your dream. How you perceive yourself will determine the impact those words can have. My perception of myself is a positive one. I believe that I will succeed in everything that I do. That is why I was able to combat his words with positive action and watch it succeed. If you are prone to lack of self-esteem the words of a critic can be destructive. Learn to believe in yourself. Don’t allow any one to shape your world by their words. You will sell that book. Gain determination, and rock your world.

About the Author: Linda Leon loves helping authors and writers learn to have a writing career and market their books. If this is you and you would like to learn more about what it takes to shift from the role of frustrated writer to writing for income, then check out this new report where she shows you how to get started selling books and start a writing career. Feel free to contact her at www.bookmarketingprofessionals.com.

 

 

 

2 Comments

  1. Danielle Forrest |

    This is one of those situations that can be easy to take the wrong way. This is the same as seeing a really negative review on, say, Amazon. The way I see it, you have to think of it without emotion. Are his comments valid? Would a better book cover help? Have you researched similar books to see how the book prices compare? What do other people think on the matter? If you have done your research and have had enough feedback, you can quickly dismiss hateful comments, confident you’ve done the work needed.

    Every piece of criticism is an opportunity for growth, but to succeed without getting your heart trampled, you have to be able to step back and look at it objectively to decide what is and is not useful commentary.

    I applaud you for overcoming his comments without letting it get to you too much and congratulations on your successes. That’s awesome.

    Reply
    • Linda Leon |

      Thanks for your comment. I agree constructive criticism is an opportunity for growth. I think the way that it is presented determines how well it will be received. If a person has your best interest in mind it won’t come across as cynical, nor will it be hurtful. It might sting, but it won’t hurt you. The only way I was able to test if his comments were valid was to test before others. I was willing to take that risk. In his case his comments proved to be unfounded. I am glad that I took the risk. I am also glad he was a part of my life journey, because it called me to action. Again, thanks!

      Reply

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