Introduction

If you are considering writing a book – self published or with a traditional publisher – then this is the book for you. In it you will find much food for thought as well as a few insider tips you won’t find anywhere else.

One of my authors just got his book to number 25 on the Amazon.com Kindle store and number 1 in his top level category. I was totally amazed, because he did it with a Niche book. He was already a switched on guy when I commissioned him. He built on that good foundation all the tailored advice I gave him. He laser focused his book’s contents along the lines of what I suggested, used the title I gave him. Then talented editors did their thing, and he wrote with total dedication, non-stop for weeks on end. I got involved again in the marketing phase, and again he brought a lot to the table that he had already learned himself. This book became one of the best-selling books for the Publisher I worked for.

But something went wrong with the Amazon launch. The author got all his marketing going prematurely before I gave him the green light, and as a result Amazon ran out of inventory. The book tanked on launch, and by the time we got more copies to the Amazon warehouses, the magic of a good Amazon launch had almost been lost.

I moved out of publishing. We lost touch. Two years later, I got an email from him asking my advice on some small aspect of book publishing. He said he was putting together another book – a sequel – and this time self published.

This time he did the Amazon launch right. Boy did he do it right. The book soared, kept going up in the rankings. One night I stayed up watching it peak, and I messaged him to remind him to savour the moment.

You see, I had nothing to do with the #25 book. This time I was watching from the sidelines, yet I savoured this success just as much as when it had been “my” book, “my” baby. I figured somewhere along the line I’d had some influence on the author that contributed to that success, and that was enough for me.

This author tried, failed, tried again, had some success, had the rug pulled, and then got back on his feet again. All the way along the road he sought the best advice and help he could, and in the end he did it by himself.

So this is why I’ve put into this book my last five years worth of writing about writing. I’ve had some success in Publishing, a little as an author, a fair bit as someone helping others to craft and market their books. Most of my advice to authors over the years has been on the power of finding your niche. The extraordinary mainstream success of that Niche author re-affirmed my belief in the benefits I know these techniques will have for you.

So now it’s your turn. Take the advice in this book, learn from your success and your mistakes, get up when you fall, persevere, and you too will become a successful book Author.