5 Questions That Expose Why Your Book Isn’t Selling (Yet)
What to fix before you try anything else!
Most nonfiction authors don’t have a marketing problem.
They have an honesty problem.
They keep collecting ideas, tools, and platforms, hoping one of them will unlock momentum.
It won’t.
More tactics won’t fix confusion.
More visibility won’t fix hesitation.
These five questions do more than clarify strategy.
They expose avoidance.
Not the loud kind.
The quiet kind that looks like “research,” “preparation,” and “staying open.”
Answer them without flinching.
1. Do I want this book to work, or do I want to feel validated?
Because those are not the same thing.
One asks, What result do I want this book to create?
The other asks, Will people like it?
Validation feels safe.
Results require decisions that make some people uncomfortable.
If you’ve been waiting for applause before committing, that wait may be the thing holding you back.
2. If this book only reached one audience, who would I fight to keep it for?
Not who could read it.
Who should.
If your answer is “everyone,” your message has nowhere to land.
Clear books travel further than flexible ones.
Focus doesn’t shrink your reach.
It sharpens it.
3. Where do those people already trust voices that aren’t mine?
Every audience already listens to someone.
Associations.
Leaders.
Events.
Communities.
The question isn’t how to get louder.
It’s how to show up where trust already exists.
If you’re still trying to build attention from scratch, you may be working harder than you need to.
4. Which part of my book gets traction every time I mention it?
There’s always a pattern.
A chapter people ask about.
A story that sparks questions.
An idea others want to use.
That’s not favoritism.
That’s feedback.
Marketing works faster when you lead with what already resonates instead of insisting everything gets equal time.
5. What will I stop doing for the next 90 days so something can finally compound?
Momentum doesn’t come from variety.
It comes from repetition.
Focus feels dangerous because it removes options.
It also removes excuses.
Nothing compounds until you give it time to.
Sit with your answers.
Not to judge them.
To use them.
Most authors never do.
These questions reveal the issue. The paid section shows you what to do next.
New Year’s Greetings and all good wishes for 2026
Don’t miss out on more good stuff that’s waiting for you in the Paid Section.
If your book isn’t selling, it’s not the book. It’s the marketing.
Let’s fix that.
If you’re done playing small, click here to brainstorm some simple and practical bookmarketing ideas.
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