Give And Your Book Sales Will Follow

How did you feel the last time someone complimented you on your writing? What was it like when she or he said, "you know when you wrote that one scene where…"? It's certain it didn't turn you off or make you never want to associate with that individual again. No, it gave you that warm toasty feeling. You started thinking this person is great, they're kind and generous. You may have began to think, how can I help them or what can I do to make them feel good too. Maybe you gave a compliment in return or maybe you went out and purchased their book. It's likely that you recommended them to the next person you met. And so that person received a great blessing just for thinking of someone other than themselves.

This is an example of the universal truth in action which says, "give and it shall be given to you". Now, granted, it rarely returns to you from the person you give to (and that should always be remembered), but the goodwill you share will come back to you in one form or another. But just think how much greater your life will be and those around you, if you spent more time giving to others and not simply thinking, how can I get people to buy my book.

It's better to build relationships and offer helpful advice and tips to your fellow writers rather than always focusing on what you can say to convince them to purchase from you, while they're doing the same thing in return. You could direct them to where they can purchase a website or set up a free one. You could give them a nice list of review sites to send their book to. Perhaps you know of other promotional tools and tricks to offer. As you share and give of your knowledge and life lessons with others, they will begin to see that you are the worthy individual that you are—talented and worth reading. Your reputation will grow as the person to come to for readers and authors alike. How much better is that impression to make than to be the pushy author that keeps trying to snag sales?

Now, let me stop here and say I do not intend to advise you to hand out insincere flattery. You should be warned that people can see through this from miles away. But as I've heard said, there is always something good one can say about another. I can hear someone saying, "you don't know my sister-in-law". And I say think about it. Maybe she's got nice hair, beautifully dyed? Anyway, there is something.

This doesn't mean you have to give compliments to everyone you meet and every time you meet them. That could get old too. It means take on a positive outlook that says your aim will be to lift someone higher, help them to stand if they've fallen. You'll encourage them, give them advice when they ask, and generally be a giving person. It means you will be shaping yourself into a person you can be proud of and doing a little good in the world. There is no doubt, your book sales will soon follow.