I just finished a great interview on my Blog Talk Radio Show, Page Readers with author and publisher Quinn Barrett of Wise Bear Books.
As we spoke, she said a few things that really stuck with me – one thing being that when you’ve written a book, that book becomes your business. And if you can run a household, you can run a business.
But you have to START where you’re at and keep at it. Keep your eye on the goal and take the steps necessary to get to where you want to be.
We all have big dreams and goals. No matter what it is, it takes time, effort and energy to reach the goal. In order to reach our goals we have to keep trying, keep working at it every day to make it happen. But we all know how hard that can be, life has a way of getting in the way and our dreams are pushed aside.
So many people, authors, business owners, people with a product, think that if you “build it they will come.” Well, unless you’re Apple, that’s kind of a crazy thing to think. You have to have a plan, even if it’s a very simple one, that must be worked every day in order to reach your goals.
The bottom line is that if you’ve got a product – a book, a service, whatever – you have to make sales in order to be successful. No matter the price, you have to sell the item. In order to make those sales you have to have an audience. Which leads to my next question -
Are you building your list?
“What list?” you ask? Your mailing list. The list of people who are, or could be, interested in what you have to sell. And not just people who are doing the same thing you do, but people who are really interested in what it is you’re selling. Without those people – that audience – you have no chance of making sales.
So, how do you build a list, especially if you’re starting from zero? You start making connections where you’re at – if you’re on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn then invite your connections there. If you’re not, then where are you? Where do you spend your time? Connect with the people around you and invite them to join you. Then keep at it, one connection at a time.
Another thing Quinn said, “Author Collectives.” Here’s an idea for you: Ask your author friends about their lists. Would they be willing to share your book to their list? What would you give them in exchange for this exposure?
Collaboration is the key to success in any venture. You can reach your goals if you keep working at it every day and you help as many people as you can do the same. Working together, we can all succeed!
