My second tradpubbed book sold 12 copies (preorders, for the first run)

[Anonymous No.22672209]

Should I give up on being an author? Book 1 sold 40 copies. Because many were signed special editions, that made me about a thousand bucks. Book 2 is likely to make only a small fraction of that, at least during the first print run, though I can't imagine why there would be a second. I'm feeling pretty demoralized. My publisher didn't do any promotion, but put it all on me, as I understand is increasingly standard for small publishers. You're just expected to already have a newsletter and a following so you can market to them. I don't know what to do, but I'd sooner lie down on some railroad tracks than resort to a vanity publisher.

[Anonymous No.22672817]

>>22672209
Write because you need to, not because you want attention for it.
I've had a dozen articles published in actual magazines and professional journals. But I never published my memoir; I wrote it as therapy, to get it out, then decided I didn't want to make it public

[Anonymous No.22672843]

Your experience is typical, if that helps.

[Anonymous No.22672856]

>>22672209
Literature is now a relatively small market. Most readers are women and people of colour, so you need to market to those groups primarily. It's absolutely possible to be a successful author.

[Anonymous No.22672867]

>>22672209
I'd retweet your book but I only have 135 followers anyway

[Anonymous No.22673047]

>>22672209
Don’t give up anon.

[Anonymous No.22673074]

Seems like advertising doesn't work either.

[Anonymous No.22673105]

that's 12 more people who likely liked your first book so much they wanted more! isn't that exciting

[Anonymous No.22673116]

>>22673074
>millions on a fucking book
wut

[Anonymous No.22673136]

>>22673074
This seems like a joke

[Anonymous No.22673265]

>>22672209
I'm a professional editor. Do you want me to fix it?

[Anonymous No.22673290]

>>22673136
It very obviously is

[Anonymous No.22673305]

>>22673265
PM me here if you're interested

https://www.fiverr.com/matthewg42

[Anonymous No.22673716]

What do you write? Is it literary or genre fiction?

[Anonymous No.22673768]

>>22673305
>Aaron Sorkin teaches screenwriting
Masterclass gives certification?

[Anonymous No.22673798]

>>22672209
This doesn't make any sense. An author with a customer base of <40 people selling "signed special editions"? And what publisher would take a chance on a guy whose last book only sold 40 copies, did you write some sort of once-in-a-generation masterpiece?