Don’t be afraid to do the scary thing
Let me tell you a story. It’s a story about how you weren’t afraid to do the scary things. You released your thing into the world. The thing that you’ve been working on for so long. The thing that you’ve poured your heart and soul into. And for a while, because it’s new and maybe a little different from what’s out there, it’s doing well. This could last a few days, weeks, months, or even years. But at some point, the sales and downloads and views trickle off to nothing. No matter how hard you try, you can’t get it to move anymore.
We all reach a place in our careers when all efforts have failed. Things go well for a while, but then there comes a time that it stops, and no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you do those things you’ve always done, you can’t get it to work anymore. I’ve been there. I understand your frustration, anger, and despair. I do. I’m going to share with you one of the things that I’ve learned in the last few years that has helped me to get over this hump.
For a few years, my marketing tactics were working very well. I was posting to Facebook and Twitter, and I was moving e-books. I was having Facebook events and doing takeovers religiously, and I was gaining new followers and readers. And then, everything changed. The algorithms changed and my posts weren’t being seen. My sales completely dried up. No amount of trying made anything change. No amount of posting, sharing, taking over other pages worked anymore.
Fast forward a few years. TikTok is on the scene and authors are taking off. They’re making a killing. They’re getting book deals just because they have massive followings. The authors who are willing to show their faces on Instagram, do the stupid TikTok dances, and follow the trends are the ones who are making it big time. It seems like good writing and a captivating story no longer matter.
The authors who aren’t willing to make videos and do stupid things on the internet for perpetuity are not doing so well. So, I decided to bite. I got on TikTok, and I started making my little videos, trying to keep up with the trends and do the things that I thought would promote my books. And it worked. I didn’t stick with it long enough for them to take off, but I gained followers faster than I ever have on any other platform. That’s where I learned this little nugget.
There is a limit to what some people are willing to do to achieve their goals. Those who are willing to go the extra mile and step out of their comfort zones to try something new are the ones who get the pay off. They’re the ones who reach the heights we’ve been striving for. There are limits that we should never cross, and then there are limits that limit us.
I know some of you are thinking “we aren’t in competition with each other. We should be helping each other succeed.” You’re right. This isn’t about competition. It’s about standing out in the crowd. This is why TikTok took off for authors.
You’re going to have to find the courage to step out of your comfort zone and do things that others aren’t willing to do if you want to succeed.
You have a book, a product, or a service and it’s not doing well, right? I get that. I have a whole backlist of books that aren’t doing anything right now and it’s frustrating. You’re probably here because you’re looking for advice to get started, well, I’ve got advice for you.
Do what others won’t.
I know. You’re looking for actionable advice, and I will give you that actionable advice, but this is where you start. You have to set your precedent first. Are you going to do what it takes, spend the money necessary, give up the things that you enjoy temporarily, step out of your comfort zone and do things that might be a little uncomfortable in order to get where you want to be?
I first stumbled across this idea a few years ago. I was going through a season where, every time I made a move, someone close to me would come behind me and do the same thing. It was less flattering and more annoying than anything. It felt like my identity, and with it my energy, was being drained from me. I felt like I had to hide who I was and what I was doing so I could be some semblance of me.
So, I started looking for ways to save my sanity. I realized that there was only so far that some people are willing to go, and if I was that easy to copy and emulate, then it was time for me to grow. So, I started making changes, small but uncomfortable. Upgrading to a new planner here, using a new social media platform there, doing things that took more effort than they were willing to make, but things that were also making me stand out and improve myself. And it worked! I eventually got to a place that they were not willing to go, and as a reward, I had grown. I found that I was capable of so much more than I ever thought I could be. And I was able to keep my identity and my sanity as I became a better version of me.
So, I decided to apply that to my book sales. There are authors who are only willing to go so far, whether they allow fear to hold them back or whatever the reason. There is only so far they are willing to go to get that sale (and you should absolutely have limits and boundaries in place. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t). But if you want to be the one on top, if you want to take your sales to another level, you must be willing to step out of your comfort zone, get a little uncomfortable, and grow.
So, what does this look like? Well, for me, the first step was moving into a new planner. I started using a bullet journal so I could customize my layout and have enough room to write down everything I needed to make sure I got done. Creating on TikTok boosted my visibility and sales quite well for a while. I even spent a little money on some lighting in hopes that it would make my video quality better. I’ve also started running ads to some of my books to get more visibility.
For you, this may look as simple as posting more often to your socials or as big as going to events and conventions to meet readers and get physical book sales.
Don’t let fear keep you from reaching the heights that you’ve always dreamed of reaching. Be willing to get uncomfortable and step out of your comfort zone. Take baby steps, but make sure that you’re growing with each step that you take.
What is one move that you could make today that will set you up for growth tomorrow? It can be as simple as setting a timer to make sure you get your work done, or as easy as getting a better planner, or maybe as big as setting aside money each month to start running ads. Leave a comment and let us know what move you’re going to make today.
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