The most successful authors I know about recognized early on in their book writing journey that getting their book written, edited, and published represented a prelude to making fast friends with the process of marketing it. Believe me when I say that you can spend endless hours and countless dollars on marketing a book that might ultimately result in 2,000 book sales at a $6 profit each.

This is why I urge my book coaching and book editing clients to be very clear on Why they are writing their book.

If the purpose is to make money, then their writing, editing, publishing and marketing decisions all need to align with that goal.

If the purpose is to support an existing business and a speaking career, then that might result in different decisions all the way down the line.

If the goal is to lend prestige and authority to their reputation,  then we’ll be looking to make slightly different decisions yet again

It’s helpful to start this journey with the understanding that you are not quite ready for the future you are about to create. And I invite people, also, to pay attention to the fact that you might require guidance throughout your steady journey to success.  Be a lifelong learner who understands that you will always need to grow, learn, and improve, if you want to survive and thrive.

And be prepared to invest in yourself. Your book is a powerful statement about your reputation. You want that book to represent you at your best. Getting that book written, edited and published is, ultimately, an investment in your future.

I personally believe that becoming an author is a transformational journey that calls us up to a bigger version of who we are and who we are here to be. And I invite you to consider that this is a mission that might require that you be supported along the way!

This Speaks to the Issue of Mindset

It is said that Walt Disney was fired from his job at a newspaper because he “lacked imagination.” He went on to build a business empire based on a highly-creative string of movies, and to which he added theme parks and an endless supply of supporting products.

The first book ever written by now-famous children’s writer Dr. Seuss was rejected by 27 different publishers before it finally appeared in print, leading off a publication record that stretched to more than 600 million books sold.

Even famed physicist Albert Einstein started his career with a string of jobs at which he was apparently no raving success.

These people were determined to succeed at any cost!

When one of their efforts rendered the “wrong” results, they used it as information needed to get closer to their goal—rather than as proof they were failures.

Many people who failed generously before succeeding don’t look at these experiences as disasters, but rather as character-building exercises that helped them grow. What a great mindset!

Our mindset can support us to the learning of new skills, the completion of difficult tasks and the development of relationships with key people. Or not.

Stay tuned for Part Two in my series on Mindset and Book Marketing – and until then, I wish you every success!

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