Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion

Hello, fellow readers and writers,

I hope this message finds you well. I’m reaching out to share my current struggles as an author. Despite pouring my heart and soul into my book, I find myself facing challenges in gaining sales, reviews, and overall support from the community.

As someone who is passionate about storytelling, it’s disheartening to see my work not receiving the attention I hoped for. I know that building an audience takes time and effort, but I would greatly appreciate any advice, tips, or support you could offer.

If you’ve experienced similar challenges, how did you overcome them? What strategies worked for you in promoting your book? I’m open to any suggestions, whether it’s about marketing, connecting with readers, or simply getting the word out.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I truly value the insights of this community and look forward to your responses!

Hello!

I'd like to have something valuable to contribute here, but know that you're not alone. Self-publishing is one of the most Sisyphean tasks you'll come across as a person, and there are few and far books that will recommend a correct path. Your best bet, honestly, is to be yourself, continue to believe in your work, put in the time honestly, and develop rhinoceros skin.

Join Reedsy at https://reedsy.com/. I hired an editor for Singularity and it's done better than my other new releases since it came out on August 1. I also just hired a marketing advisor and have a video call with her in a week.

You do have to pay for these services, but I've discovered that the only way to "get out there" is to invest in yourself and your writing. It's hard to break through all of the noise out there, especially online, and you need help.

And the marketing advisor was cheaper than the editor, so if you're already published then that might be the way to go first.

I hope this helps. Reedsy has put me on a better track. I'm still building, so we'll see how it goes.