There are so many independent authors who have written and self-published their books, you can find them on Twitter, on Facebook, on Google+, on LinkedIn, or just about any social networking site you can name or have participated in over the years. Many of them are there to promote the books they've published others are there to promote the company or blogs they write on. They all seem diverse. They all seem to have countless tweets or comments, or followers.
What most writers don't look for is the similarities between this diverse group. One can argue 'they want to be seen.' This is true, we all want and need attention, but there is something more that makes them paradoxically, unique and common. They are fighting against a glass ceiling of self-publishing. It's not everyone who is a bestselling author, nor is every writer earning millions of dollars on their books. What there is is a glass ceiling where only so many writers have a chance to make money. As much as writers like to say they are different from others, the reason they aren't is more compelling. They understand, although they might not agree, they are in direct competition with others, from independent writers, freelance writers, self-published authors, independent authors, and the list goes on. The law of averages about self-publishing still holds true. What is the law of average? I'm not suggesting your book is average, I am talking about a law of averages. On average, most authors sell 41 books outside of their immediate network. This network includes family and friends and they will, in general, be supportive of your efforts when it comes to your books. This means if you have a reasonably large circle of family and friends you will sell some books. On to the next network. These are the friends of friends. They will not buy your book simply because they know you. They probably don't. It will take a bit more effort to get them to buy your book, or your e-book. It is this larger networks the law of averages holds true. This is the glass ceiling, and it's a hard one to crack. On average it takes longer to connect with these people. Not to mention the world. The next two or three networks are what most writers tend to think about: the strangers, the people whom you will never meet, the Internet. These are the ones who will help you grow your book sales. Writers know this. Writers understand they need this support. However, they are competing against millions of others who are doing the same, and this net result is lack of book sales. If this is the case, how can you improve your chances? If you have a properly edited book, a great cover, a good team of people around you, then your chances for success will improve. They won't be sky high, but they will make a difference. The biggest difference comes in the form of marketing yourself. It comes in the form of marketing your book, and getting it out there to your readers. This won't break the glass ceiling of self-publishing but it will crack it. When the next book is published, there is already momentum on your side. Keep on writing and expanding your networks, but also know that there are many others out there doing the same, so aim to go to every network you can and grow from there.
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