The Money Pit
Last weekend, I had lunch with my son-in-law, one of my grandsons, and my daughter’s fiancee. During the meal, part of the conversation revolved around the fiancee’s progress on restoring an old pickup truck. Whenever he thought the end was near, something else would come up. For example, he changed from drum brakes to disc brakes. As a result, he had to change out the rims, and the new rims required new tires.
It reminded me of the old movie The Money Pit (The Money Pit (1986) – IMDb) with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long renovating an old house. The renovations went on and on with no end in sight. The truck renovation is not nearly as involved as the house in the movie, but it made me think about my experience as a self-published author.
Marketing and Sales
Over the last several months, I have written about the trials and tribulations of a self-published author struggling with book sales,(Book Sales and Marketing Is Work), not knowing how to market, and the ongoing expenses. Lately, I have explored different marketing avenues. I had an Instagram book blogger review my book. (Buck Jones (@buck.jones.507) • Instagram photos and videos) This resulted in a lot of interest with nearly 700 likes and comments on the post, and it nearly doubled my Instagram following. However, the bottom line is it resulted in zero sales and a deluge of other bloggers wanting to post about my book for a fee.
I contacted book marketing companies that promised a minimum 200% return on investment. But the packages they offered ran from $1500 to $6000 with a significant payment upfront. This was over my current budget. I will continue to struggle through various free and lower-cost options, especially since I have already contracted with an editor on my second book, which I hope to publish later this year.
Final Words
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You can buy my book Salvation and Doom directly by using this link: Buy Salvation and Doom:The Cathardi Prophecy (ingramspark.com)