A book not promoted is a book forgotten

A book that is not promoted is a book that is forgotten! And this can determine the entire existence of the work.

According to UNESCO, an average of 2,2 million titles are published each year worldwide, 49% of which are self-published (data from 2019). However, according to Forbes, only 1% to 2% of books (out of 2,2 million) have an impact on the market segment they are intended for. In other words, although there is a considerable number of publications available, many of the titles do not fulfill the purpose of reaching readers so that, through reading, they can respond to their needs.

A very important fact

Before I go any further, I would like to point out that only a title that has an associated International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is considered a publication. The ISBN is the identification number of a specific book published by a publisher – even if it is an author’s edition – and in a specific language (in the same way that a civil identification number is unique to each of us).

Whether in ebook or paperback format, only a title registered by an ISBN Agency (in Portugal represented by APEL) is viable for statistical purposes of this nature.

Publishing a book can become a real odyssey, as the biggest challenge may not even be writing a book, but positioning it in the market so that it effectively achieves its objectives.

Following on from the previous statement, Brian Tracy assures that, in a publishing process, “5% is equivalent to writing the book and 95% to marketing”.

Although I believe that writing a quality book is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the criteria for the success of a work, it is necessary to ensure other points of equal importance. There are even professionals linked to book marketing, such as Andréa Albright, who argue that, before even starting to write a book, the author should do research. This includes researching the market to find out people's real needs, answering, for example, the following questions: What answers are readers looking for? What dilemmas do they want to solve? What topics and subtopics are most researched?

Personally, I know of books of extreme quality, but they do not sell for the value they have. It has nothing to do with literary quality, but with the way the author is willing to defend and promote his work.

A book not promoted is a book forgotten! Likewise, I have read books whose content I considered far below the expectations created by marketing.

Here's what I believe:

I believe that the best thing to do is to ensure a balance between the quality of the work and the marketing of the work. On the one hand, having a book written with quality, which creates a real impact on those who read it, is crucial to the purpose of the author and his work; on the other hand, bringing people to the work, in this case through marketing, is crucial for that same purpose to be achieved.

A book is not evidence when it is written and published. A book is evidence when someone reads it.

Writing a top-notch book without good promotion is not enough, just as doing good marketing without the work being top-notch is also not enough.

So, if you have ever thought about writing a book, or if you are already doing so, it is essential that you do it in the best possible way. As an author mentor, I can tell you that the way you develop your book is crucial to its success.

Writing a good book is not enough

As I have already pointed out, writing a good book is not enough. However, I want to share with you some questions that you can ask yourself if you really want your book to fulfill its purpose:

These are simple questions that will help you start or continue writing your book in the best possible way. It is important to be aware that many books are published every day, some of which are about your topic. What makes the difference is the way your book is written and the way you promote your work and position yourself as an author.