Sometimes the best book marketing begins with a conversation.

A recent conversation with fellow author Dawn Jacqueline Adams - author of Finding America Again, Art of Online Dating and Joyful Noise - got me thinking about what it really means to sell our books.

Dawn said:

“…stop worrying about selling your books. You don’t have to chase anybody down—your gift will make room for you.”

I loved that.

Because authors hear constantly that we need to sell, sell, sell.

Promote the book. Post about the book. Run the ads. Schedule the book signing. Do the podcast. Send the email. Ask for the review.

And yes, if we want people to read our books, we have to help them discover them.

But perhaps there is a difference between selling our books and chasing readers.

Sometimes You Just Have to Get Out There

Years ago, authors went on book tours. They sat at tables in bookstores, spoke at libraries, attended conferences, visited book clubs and signed books wherever readers gathered.

Those opportunities still exist, but today our “book tour” might also include a podcast, LinkedIn conversation, Zoom event, Facebook Live, newsletter interview or online author community.

The location has changed.

The principle hasn't.

Put yourself where conversations can happen.

Because sometimes someone buys your book not because you gave them the perfect sales pitch, but because they met you.

They heard your story.

They asked a question.

You made them laugh.

Something you said resonated.

And suddenly they wanted to know more.

Your Job Isn't to Convince Everyone

This may be one of the most freeing lessons an author can learn:

Not everyone is your reader.

We don't need to chase people down the proverbial street waving our books at them. 😊

Our job is to make it easier for the right people to discover us.

Show up.

Talk about the ideas behind your book.

Share stories.

Attend events.

Do the signing.

Accept the speaking invitation.

Carry a copy of your book.

Tell people you're an author.

And when someone shows genuine interest, don't be afraid to tell them where they can find it.

That's not being pushy.

That's opening a door.

One Conversation Can Travel Farther Than One Sale

A person you meet at a book signing may buy one copy.

But perhaps they recommend it to their book club.

Maybe they invite you to speak.

Perhaps they buy five copies for colleagues.

Maybe they tell a friend who tells another friend.

Or perhaps they simply remember something you wrote and carry it with them for years.

We tend to measure book marketing by the transaction:

Did I sell a book?

Maybe we should occasionally measure it by the connection:

Did I create a reader?

There's a difference.

And Then Dawn Inspired a Poem...

Her words stayed with me, and—as ideas sometimes do—they wandered off in an entirely unexpected direction.

Before long, I found myself writing:

Selling books to people you meet,
At book signings, book tours—even out on the street…

Apparently, this is what happens when you put authors together. Someone makes a comment and someone else turns it into a poem.

But the final lines captured what I believe most:

Because selling a book isn't merely a sale…
It's finding the reader who needs your tale.

Maybe that's what we should remember the next time book marketing starts feeling uncomfortable.

We don't have to chase readers.

But we do have to give them opportunities to find us.

So keep writing.

Keep talking about your work.

Keep attending the events.

Keep signing the books.

Keep having conversations.

Keep showing up.

And trust that somewhere out there is a reader who needs exactly what you've written.

Your Turn

Where is the most unexpected place you've ever sold a book—or met someone who later became a reader?

I have a feeling there are some great stories waiting to be told.

— Heidi Richards Mooney - Author of The Expectant Author