One of the scathing comments often made about self-published authors is that “only friends and family” will buy your books. In fact, that is why you are not good enough. So, I would ask a question of anyone reading this: in being so dismissive, how many dreams have been burnt to ashes?

I make no bones about it myself. I write my books. They are for sale via Amazon and Smashwords, and I have produced it as a ‘print on demand’ paperback via CreateSpace. A recent discussion in another group asked the question of what was needed in order to consider your book ready for sale. The advice varied from starting with the e-book format, to having the paperback ready as a print on demand to the suggestion that the absolute essentials were to have the e-book, paperback, hardback and audiobook, and be prepared to spend at least six months doing a book tour to independent book shops, having sent posters and mailshots out first.

Whoa, horsey! My husband’s opinion that latter plan was that the list was all very well, but only if you had both time and money. Let’s face it, most budding authors who choose to self-publish have neither. In their absence, you may well have family and friends.

In this day and age of social media, that is how most of us will start things moving. Yes, in an ideal world, you score that big publishing deal, and they do all the promotional stuff for you. And, don’t forget, they take their cut. Even if you were paid an advance, the hard side of business interferes: you will have to sell at least that amount in books before you will receive any more money from your publisher. Think about that. If you received an advance of, say, £5000, that is the value you will need to sell before you are paid again. If you don’t look like you will make money and if your publisher decides that they were wrong about your potential for a return on their investment, you will be dropped. Simple business economics.

In reality, you will be working at least one job, perhaps part-time, but if you have a family to support, then it will be full-time. You have to do your own promotional activities, and that means using all forms of social media, but being able to balance, build up followers and post information on your books without falling foul of the social media spam filters. This is something that has to start before you are ready to publish. You need to build a presence.

So the importance of family. My favourite author, Sherrilyn Kenyon, has a fantastic quote on the subject in her Dark Hunter series.

I have my parents. I have my siblings. I have my husband and son. But then beyond that, I have my co-authors, Tracy Andrews and Donna DeBoard. Then there are others. There is a girl in Dubai, who is a friend of my son. She is the ‘daughter of my heart’. I have other close friends. I have colleagues.

Is it using people to ask them to talk about your book, about your dream? It can be, if suddenly, having not spoken to them in months, suddenly you start talking about your book, about your writing. Even the least cynical person would look in askance at the request that they spread the word.

What we write serves another purpose. It teaches us what is important in life. As Ms Kenyon’s words have encapsulated. Family is more than the ones to whom we are born. Before it is too late, before the only reason for you making contact with those who matter to you is to have them promote your work, start building those bridges.

I would like to sell more books, but I have learnt something very important to date. If I do make more sales, then well and good. I am fortunate in that my books are my dream which I am able to realise. I am fortunate that I don’t have to sell my books to make a living. I am fortunate that I can look at how successful authors like Ms Kenyon, like JK Rowling and all the others have built their words and their stories and learn from them how to write a better story and how to perhaps generate a larger following. But I am even more fortunate because I have found out that my ‘family’ matter even more to me that the sales. And, remember, that family is not just those to whom we are born.

LINKS TO THE BOOKS BY JO PILSWORTH & THE HUNTER’S ARROW LTD

Amazon.co.uk: £3.05 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01KB20OL6
Amazon.com: $3.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KB20OL6#nav-subnav
Smashwords: $3.99 https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/660156