I’ve
been thinking about The
Rule of Seven and how it affects those of us who are published by small
houses, as well as those who-opt to self publish. The
Rule of Seven says that potential buyers have to be exposed to a product that
number of times before they opt to spend their money. This doesn’t apply to me, for the mere fact
that I only have to see and/or investigate a book a couple of times before I decide whether or
not I’m going to spend money on it. That
said, I still wish I had known about this adage years ago.
I was
ecstatic when I got an offer for two of my novel in 2009 and then shocked to
discover that I was basically on my own when it came to marketing. The publisher did have a teleconference with
a group of us, in which she gave pointers as to how to sell books. Like many
other authors, I found that reality quite different from the pipe dreams I had
of my work being snapped up by a book buying market that was primed for the release
of my novels.
I’ve also
discovered that in the same way that I show up to write every day when my story
ideas are bubbling, I must do the same thing EACH AND EVERY DAY on the
publicity end. Yes, I was shouting there for a bit, but it’s the grim reality
of us minnows in the ginormous pond that is publishing.
I was
reading an article the other day that said many self-published writers give up
when the sales they’re expecting for their book do not materialize. Currently,
there is more than enough information on the web to clue writers in to what to
expect if they opt into publishing. Matter of fact, a serious writer never
stops researching both story material and information on the marketplace.
Now
given what you know of your buying patterns, do you buy according to the
Rule of Seven, and if you are published, what are the best marketing/publicity
tools that have worked for you?
