Hopping onto new things and perspectives has always been my positivity trope, and like every 25-year-old, I do have a knack for exploring new facts, figures, job roles, crafts, and learnings. 

For a lot of people, curiosity could be a crapshoot, but for me, it turned out into opportunities. When I was in sixth grade, I received my first prize in a writing competition, and by then I had managed to convince myself of the career I wanted to pursue. And yes, you are guessing it right, I wanted to be a writer, apart from any of the professional recallings I had as I grew up. 

Coming to age 22, I published my debut book, ‘I Will Win Without War,’ which attracted readers because of something unusual—not what you will find in chart-based books. 

I call them chart-based because some of the writers around the world are just doing to abide by the charts (unpopular opinion). 

The debut is about the story of ‘Sarah’, a woman belonging to a privileged family, never constrained about money issues, the real-time daddy’s little girl until life took an uneven turn and what comes ahead is unanticipated. 

You will read the book and cover the hidden parts (for the least to say). The book took a year and a half to be completed and published, and I made a few mistakes (actually more than a few) that I think should be known to all the debut authors. 

When I published the book, I was sure I was writing something that would not be a best-seller. 

You may ask why, and I do have the answer to that. “Mystery, thriller, and crime genre books account for 32% of fiction book sales, making it the most popular genre,” states Gitnux. ‘I will win without war’ is based on child abuse, precluding any of the genres. Put yourself on your toe and think about this: 

Who reads child abuse? Even as a writer and reader, I know not even one among five people wants to read the subject. Not because it is unworthy, but because a majority of us read books for pleasure. And my dear friend, you can’t read a sensitive topic like child abuse to fathom any kind of escapism. 

It will demand undivided attention, assiduity, wisdom, empathy, and more. 

So before I even began writing the book, I knew it would not become a best-seller (also because I did not have lakhs to spend on marketing). 

1. Distribution: Writing a book is the first step to entering the publishing industry because, apart from that, even though it is hard to chew, you will get nothing in terms of money unless readers know your book exists. 

If you publish with a traditional publishing house, you might look forward to getting paid for your hard work, but if you choose self-publishing, you will put it from your pocket. You should be okay with that. 

Self-publishing does not provide book distributions at retail stores, and when readers do not find your book at bookstores, they will question your credibility. Therefore, if you are a self-published author and you know your work has potential, hire a distributor who promises to place your books at airports, bookstores, malls, shops, etc. 

Visit bookstores, sign copies, share them on your social media channels, and sell yourself more than you sell the book. Because in the face-value world, they will buy your work only when they see you. 

2. Reviews: No matter what mode of publishing you choose, have a budget for reviews. The reviews you see on Amazon include both paid and unpaid reviews. While I did not opt for paid reviews and relied on the idea of letting people do as they wish, paying for reviews is another shot at increasing the visibility of your book. 

Prepare a list of reviewers, book clubs, and bloggers and ask them to review your book. Most of them charge a hefty amount, and your book gains visibility among the readers. What you should not do is pay the additional book cost the reviewers demand. 

Pay for the service they provide, not for the cost they ask to buy your book. Also, be aware of fraud. 

3. Book tour: I did not do a single book tour and relied on social media (not even that) to promote my book. Book tours are a great way to engage readers and persuade them to buy your book. Go to schools, colleges, book fairs, and cafes, and have author sessions to promote your book. Leveraging an offline audience is the best way to increase your book sales. 

Also, if you are a self-published author and willing to explore traditional publishing for your next book, you can check this. 

I am not guilty of anything that I did, because I wrote for a purpose, not the price. 

Writing books and selling them are two vast topics that could not be covered in a single article. However, abiding by the aforementioned points will help you have a foot in the publishing and writing world.