Ads about selling billions of books.

[indianroads]

Google / Facebook knows that I write, so I get a ton of advertising on FB and email about systems / methods to promote and sell books.

Awhile back, I was told that the only books that sell on the scale promised are the books making those promises. Maybe true, I dunno.

Has anyone tried these systems / techniques / campaigns and found some that actually work? If so, which one(s)?

[Madchap]

There are techniques to riding what's called the, "Amazon Wave".

You can basically self-publish, work with review sites and allow the book to be free for a while it scales in downloads. Then you set the price and the algorithms sees that too. Downloads, purchases, reviews. Eventually, Amazon can start promoting the book themselves since it's profitable for their business.

If anyone promises you golden halls and all that, it can be truth to it but probably overly priced? It's a business after all, I think most people should just be looking at YouTube for this stuff. There's plenty of self-publishers who buy ghostwritten books, then market them. Thing is they're great at it, so they sell their books for several thousands of dollars per month.

You can PM me if you want the sources I've been looking at.

Best,
Madchap

[Olly Buckle]

Billion has two definitions, a thousand million, more common nowadays, a million million the traditional British definition, dated now.

Google says, English (1,132 million speakers)20 Dec 2019

I'm not sure how many are illiterate, but don't believe anyone who says they sell billions, not even Webster's dictionary would come close

How to find out who is good at selling books? I would look at which are the best selling books in your genre and then at who sells them. Of course the quality/price of the book is going to have some effect, is there anyone selling lots of average sort of books expensively? Apart from Readers Digest that is

Mark Twain started out by selling door to door, how many would you have to sell for that to be worth it? Of course it would also advertise it to others in time if the book's good enough. I am trying the YouTube route to advertising myself (see below).

[Moose.H]

A word of wisdom. However you publish you need to retain a level of control and a level of responsibility for marketing. Each marketing agent has to make a living and maximize sales and whether you are helping them or prevent other books taking the sales person's attention you should be involved.

Marketing of a book is a daily slog,,,,

[apocalypsegal]

Surely you know those get rich quick/easy money/passive income things are scams? The biggest thing in self publishing is selling stuff those those too ignorant to know better.

The chances of selling millions of books is so slim as to not be worth bothering about. Especially if you try those methods most of the ads promote. Almost all of them will be something illegal or unethical, and likely to get your publishing account terminated.

Most will sell maybe a hundred copies over the life of the book. If you're one of the few, you might make some part time money from writing. One of the fewer yet, a full time income. Rarest of the rare, maybe five figures a year. It won't be easy, fast or cheap. The best bet is to write books people will be eager to buy, and tell their friends about. How to do that is still mostly a mystery.

[Paularo]

Try YouTube ads, they are more direct and people are literally forced to watch your videos cos of the pandemic.