The title of this blog today is imperative and I really need to address this. I’m going to be honest but also blunt about life as a writer and author and this is coming from someone who has been in this for over 10 years as I write this. I’m not going to sugarcoat any of this because I feel now I’m at a place where I can talk about everything and come from a place of truth and what I’ve learned.
I’m not going to write all of the fluff before I get to the crux of all of this. Let’s address the elephant in the room, “book marketers.” I’m not trying to toot my own horn but I do get inundated with emails from these people “daily.” I’m talking a minimum four to five times a month from different people.
One thing I’m not the greatest at is responding back to emails. Unless it’s an email that is important or I’m working with someone where it’s required I do it. I’ve made an investment into someone outside of these book marketers and I know they’re going to produce results.
I’m going to tail off topic for a few sentences and use an example of this. I’m currently working on getting myself on platforms where I can talk about certain books I’ve written and published. I found someone who has her own company and she does all of the legwork to get you on podcasts based on your book, your content and what you do.
With this young woman, it’s necessary for me to respond to her. The next component of this is, she has raving reviews and “results.” If I don’t see results and I don’t know you from a can of paint, you will have to prove yourself even more before I invest a dollar into you.
Now, back to these, “book marketers.” I don’t care to exchange a myriad of emails, it’s a waste of time, energy and productivity (at least for me). I’ve been in Corporate America long enough and have to answer emails and do different tasks so one thing I’m not trying to do is answering tons of emails from someone I don’t know from a hole in the wall.
I don’t know who you are, and the irony of it is, they email me these biographies about a specific book and they write all of this jargon. Guess what? I don’t need all of that, you want to work with me and you want my money. I read through all of the fluff and get to the core of what you really want from me.
If there’s six paragraphs in that email, I’m only reading two of them (the first and last one). I don’t have time to read your biography when I do everything on my own (brainstorming and outlining the book, writing, editing and proofreading, book covers, price setting, posting on book platforms, writing blogs, recording podcasts, recording audiobooks). That’s scratching the surface of what I do in my life with writing. Let’s not forget I have a full-time job, I workout six days a week, reading books, and taking care of all the things required of an adult. The last thing I want to do is read the jargon of my book. I know. I wrote the book, I wrote the blog and recorded the podcast on how I wrote the book (yes I’m being facetious but not cocky and conceited).
After a while of getting inundated with all of these emails on top of the fake recruiters regarding jobs, it gets tiring and old. I’m very old school and I was the last generation of people born before the internet exploded (80s kid). I’m old school, I need to see your face on a Zoom call, I need to look you in the eye and see what you’re really about.
It doesn’t help that I’m Italian and I don’t take much from people and can spot BS from a mile away. It’s easy to write emails and make things sound good on what you can do for my book(s), it’s harder to look me in the eye and articulate what your intentions are.
The next component of this is how much money these people think authors should spend to promote their books with “them” specifically. I’ve gotten emails with anywhere from $700 to $900 dollars. I literally laugh at this stuff because people don’t think about the economic climate, inflation and people working to make it.
As soon as I tell them no, they immediately write back and give me a lower price. The question becomes, why didn’t you come with the lower price in the beginning? Read the room, read between the lines, look at the world and where we are. Authors also have no results of what you’ve done but you expect them to invest a large sum of money into you? It boggles my mind and I’m quite sure it’s boggling yours as you read this, I know.
The next component of “book marketers” is the lack of attention to details. If you see my book on a specific platform and you notice it’s not available for sale on there, why would you email me stating you can do ads and help me on there? As a matter of fact, why don’t you ask me why my specific book isn’t available on the platform you saw it on?
But remember, people are so scripted with their pitches, they become repetitive salespeople who can’t see beyond what they’ve done or know. So I have to waste my time clarifying that my books aren’t available on these specific platforms (basically telling them, you just wasted your time emailing me because you’re not getting a penny from my pocket).
Nothing annoys me more than people who don’t pay attention to details. It means you lack awareness and I could never invest into you. Which only concerns me about what you do in Corporate America environments or have done if you’re not in it anymore.
Next are the “book marketers” who email you constantly if you don’t get back to them in a certain timeframe. Especially when you’ve already told them you have things going on. Once again, lack of awareness, wanting a person’s money badly and having anxiety. No your email didn’t lost in the shuffle, I have a life, your email isn’t a priority to me at the moment and you want my money, it boils down to those three things.
These are the reasons I reject these “book marketers” who claim they can “help you” get your book(s) noticed. The reality is, the internet is congested and convoluted full of content all day, everyday. People aren’t going on social media platforms to look for books, they go on there to be entertained. Unless people are involved in book groups or utilize websites where they get emails for specific books they like, they’re not paying attention to your posted content. I understand that I’m an unknown author, even after self-publishing 60 books, I’m still a nobody.
I’ve literally had to decline book marketers because they’re emailing me if I don’t answer them within a few hours. I’ve also rejected a book marketer because after I gave them a time and day to discuss their plans to market my book, they didn’t send me a zoom link and they chose to email me the day of the meeting asking me if I’m still on for the meeting after I specifically gave a day and time.
We’re grown adults, I don’t have time to waste with unnecessary emails. People bailing on you and not owning up to their part of the bargain has nothing to do with me. I’m a man of my word and if something comes up or changes, I reach out and communicate, it’s who I am, it’s how I operate.
One thing I learned from a former manager when I worked in retail in my late 20s was, “work smarter, not harder.” Meanwhile, I’ve exchanged 16 emails in a week’s time and to me, that’s a waste of time, energy and productivity as stated earlier in this blog.
Book marketers, here’s a message to you, “do better.” Take the time to look at my website, the work I’ve done, get to know me and who I am before you pitch me your jargon that I will end up denying. There’s only one Jamell Crouthers in the world (trust me, I researched it) so typing my name in any of the search engines that are out there, you’re bound to find my website. Do the extra work, go the extra mile.
Before I had a one on one zoom call with a podcast host so she can get a feel for me and if I fit on her platform and podcast, I did some research, took some notes and listened to her most recent podcast and brought it up in the zoom meeting. Her podcast was 20 minutes long, researching and reading took 10 minutes. That was 30 minutes of time I took to understand her, her platform and guess what? Now I’m interviewing with her on her platform.
Book marketers, do the work, stop pitching before understanding the author and what their intentions are. I’ve been in customer service for over 15 years and I went to school for media and communications. I know how a lot of this works and I’m still learning people, their behaviors and how they operate.
To finish this long blog, authors be wise in who and what you invest into. Don’t worry about the money and fame aspect of this. Build your platform, make small and smart investments. Think of the longevity of this, don’t feel pressured to do something you don’t want to do. If something feels off, your intuition is telling you something, follow it.
Also, as my mother told me early on in my journey, “the old school, old-fashioned ways of business will always go far. Word of mouth, face to face conversations and not all of this internet stuff.” After 10 years of this journey, I’m happy to say…she’s right. Book festivals, getting book reviews from people who have websites and platforms and being on podcasts that fit what you do go a long way.
That’s my blog for today, thanks for reading, be good and go accomplish your goals!
Jamell Crouthers
Aquarianmind
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