Admit it, the green-eyed monster hits every now and again.
You’re scrolling through your Facebook status updates and you see another
author friend announce a book deal with a major publisher, or maybe they’ve hit
the NYT best seller list, maybe they have gotten a super five-star review,
whatever the case, you’re now sitting there a mix of feelings. On the one hand,
you are so happy for your friend. You know all the hard work that goes into
book creation. And on the other hand, you’re thinking, “Hey… where’s my
success?”
It’s a rough spot to be in when you feel like you deserve
more and are not getting it. But, maybe you’re looking at things wrong.
It’s said that lucky people make their own luck. Hard to
believe when you’re having the crappiest day possible, but I do think there is
some truth to that statement. It’s not that they manufacture their own luck,
but that they look for the good in things rather than focusing on the negative, and find ways to draw that good to themselves.
Instead of worrying about where your success is, why not
take a look at what you have. Read through your book reviews. Have you had any
new ones recently within the last month? I’ll bet you have. Especially if you’ve
been promoting your book and making your presence known online. Why not share
that review with your facebook friends (just like other authors are doing).
That “sharing of your success” might just spark a new friend to read your book
and could turn into another good review down the road. See, you just made your
own luck.
Have a look at your sales ranking on Amazon. Have you hit
any categories lately? Maybe you’re in the top 100 of something. Even if it is
obscure (I’ve been in the top 100 in Plays for some unknown reason), share that
with your friends and readers. That can also invite new people to buy. You’re
book is “special.” If it hasn’t hit a category, why not try to make it hit one?
Put the call out to readers stating that is a goal and if you can just reach X
amount of clicks/sales/whatever, you might get there. People love to help you
reach a goal or take on a challenge. It might just work for you. And again, you’ll
have made your own luck.
None of those ideas working? Well, You can always drum up
more interest by offering a contest. Why not offer up review copies of your
book on your facebook or twitter pages. And the first ten people to send back
confirmed reviews will win a prize. That prize could be more free books, could
be an amazon gift card, etc… you make the rules.
The point here is, to make yourself
some success rather than feeling less than stellar about not having any. The more you focus on your books, the less time you have to worry about anything else.