The global book publishing industry releases over 4 million titles each year. China leads the pack with over 444,000 titles annually. Second is the US, followed by The United Kingdom with about 186,000 new titles each year.

So, what does that mean for readers?  Lots of choices.

And for authors, it means there is an immense amount of competition out there.

What to do about it? Authors need to do their best to submit quality work at a competitive price.

But, that’s not all.

We must market our books in order to get noticed—and advertising is expensive. In fact, it can cost authors more than $100 just to offer their books on free promotions. That’s right. You pay a marketing website a hefty fee for your right to give your books away!!!

Many of these opportunities are with companies that do a great job of promoting new titles. That’s why they are used so often.

I have received literally hundreds of emails from advertisers/ marketers over the past ten years. I have used very few. I was pleased with some. Not so happy with others.

My best advice is to spend a few hours on the internet looking at various websites and get the opinions of your peers before you plunk down the cash.

Whether you self-publish or publish “traditionally,” you are responsible for most of your advertising. So, don’t miss this crucial step in the writing process. 

Without it, your book will only be one out of 4 million this year.