Confronting 'Failure': What to Do When Your Book Isn't Selling

It's a familiar scene:

You poured your heart into your book, and you dreamt of it flying off the shelves, the glowing reviews stacking up, and readers sharing their love for your story. But now, reality has set in - sales are slow, reviews are sparse, and that “bestseller” dream feels like it’s slipping away. It feels as though your book is headed for the vortex of literary oblivion.

Take a deep breath.

Publishing a book, no matter the outcome, is an incredible achievement - one you should feel great about. Even if your book isn’t the success you hoped for, it’s certainly not the end of your writing journey. Let’s explore what to do when your book isn’t selling as planned and how to reframe your thoughts around what might feel like a failure.

Reframe: It’s Not Failure, It’s Feedback 💡

Every book, whether it’s a commercial hit or not, teaches you something valuable. Instead of seeing slow sales as failure, think of it as feedback: What worked? What didn’t?

Ask Yourself:

• Did the cover design and blurb resonate with your target audience?

• Was your marketing strategy effective? How could it be improved in the future?

• Did you accurately identify your audience? How did you cater to them?

Analysing what didn’t work doesn’t diminish your effort - it makes you a smarter, more strategic writer moving forward... And it's a place all professionals find themselves from time to time! Trust the process.

Celebrate the Milestone 🎉

Writing a book is an accomplishment that many dream of but few achieve - if writing a book were easy, everyone would do it, right? Regardless of how it’s performing, you did something extraordinary: you created a tangible piece of art.

Celebrate These Wins:

• You developed a story and brought it to life.

• You learned valuable skills during the writing, editing, and publishing process.

• You’ve connected with readers, even if it’s a smaller audience than you hoped.

A “bust” book doesn’t erase the courage, creativity, and hard work it took to get there. It's another step along the much longer-term journey.

Revitalise Your Marketing Plan 📣

If your book isn’t selling, it might not be the content - it could be how it’s being presented... In fact, this is often the case. Consider how you can refresh your marketing efforts and explore new ways to connect with potential readers.

Strategies to Try:

• Update your book blurb or cover design to better align with your genre.

• Run limited-time promotions, such as discounted prices or free Kindle giveaways.

• Engage with niche communities related to your book’s themes or genre.

Sometimes all a book needs is a fresh push to reach the right audience.

Take a Break and Refocus 🛌

Feeling discouraged is normal, but dwelling on disappointment can stifle your creativity - give yourself permission to step back, recharge, and refocus on what excites you about writing. Consider using the down-time in the following ways:

• Dive into a new story idea that inspires you.

• Read books in your genre to reignite your passion.

• Connect with other authors to gain perspective and support.

Taking a break doesn’t mean giving up - it means prioritising your mental and creative well-being, so you can pick yourself back up again, and recover the situation.

Build Relationships with Readers 🤝

Even if your book isn’t a bestseller, it may resonate deeply with a smaller audience, and that can be worth so much more to many creatives. It's about finding your tribe - in fact, many experts argue that you need only a few hundred true fans for real, long-term success. Focus on building genuine relationships with the readers who do connect with your work.

Ways to Build Engagement:

• Interact with readers on social media and thank them for their support.

• Host a Q&A or book discussion to deepen connections.

• Offer exclusive content, like a free short story or behind-the-scenes insights, to your mailing list.

Remember, a loyal audience grows over time, and one engaged reader can lead to many, many more. Focus on building a tribe that believes in your work! They say word-of-mouth marketing is the best kind, and you'll need people (even just a few) to engage so fully with your work that they want to spread the word, organically.

Embrace the Learning Curve 📚

Every successful author has faced setbacks, and grown. Start looking at the books you write that don’t quite take off as stepping stones to the ones that will. Use this experience to refine your craft and business acumen as a writer.

What You’re Learning:

• How to navigate the publishing process.

• How to better target your audience.

• How to persevere and adapt as a storyteller.

These lessons are invaluable and will serve you well in future projects.

Reframe Success: It’s Not Just About Sales 🌟

While it’s natural to equate success with numbers, true success as an author is about more than sales: it’s about creating something meaningful, connecting with readers, and continuing to grow as a writer.

Ask Yourself:

• Did your book teach you something about yourself or your craft?

• Have you grown as a storyteller through this process?

• Did your words resonate with even one reader?

• What sort of legacy have you created through your writing? What impact have you had?

By reframing your definition of success, you’ll see that your efforts weren’t wasted - they were part of a bigger journey.

Start Your Next Project ✍️

The best way to move forward is to keep creating, and starting to write your next book can certainly help reignite your passion and build momentum for your career. Every book you write is an opportunity to grow, experiment, and connect with a broader audience.

Final Thoughts 💭

If your book isn’t performing as you hoped, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed - it means you’re in the middle of your writing journey, not the end. Every story you write adds to your growth as an author, and every setback teaches you something valuable. Keep writing, keep learning, and remember: success isn’t a single moment - it’s the culmination of your efforts and persistence over time.

Remember, some of the most successful authors faced slow starts. The important thing is to keep going! ✍️✨