Training Authors with CJ and Shelley Hitz

We help Christian writers of all genres write words that will outlive you.

  • Home
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • About
    • Support
    • Media Room
    • Legal Information
  • Resources
    • Free Training for Christian Writers
    • Blog
    • Podcast
    • Read Our Books
    • Recommended Outsourcers
  • Member Login
    • Member Login
    • Support
  • Join Our Academy

Case Study: Book Marketing is a Marathon Not a Sprint

August 18, 2020 By Shelley Hitz 2 Comments Click here for a FREE book marketing training

ShareTweet

So many times we give up too soon.

Have you seen the popular meme that has circulated on Facebook that shows the miner giving up just before discovering gold?

That’s what I think often happens to authors as well.

We give up too soon.

I read this in the book, “The Miracle Equation” by Hal Elrod and thought it might encourage some of you with your marketing. I’m not necessarily endorsing the book but wanted to share this book marketing case study with you.

This is not meant to be a blueprint or suggestion that you should do exactly what Hal did. But, instead notice that he had a specific strategy that he developed specifically for his book and his audience.

This is a direct quote from his book:

“When The Miracle Morning was published, I had very few resources beyond what the average person would have to promote the book. I didn’t have a platform or a big email list. And I didn’t know anyone else who did. So I asked myself what the best way to promote my new book would be.

After speaking to a lot of authors and doing online research, I decided that the fundamental strategy I was going to implement was being interviewed on podcasts.

I surmised that the type of person who listens to podcast interviews is the same type of person who invests in personal development. It’s also a very cost-effective strategy since being interviewed on a podcast costs nothing other than your time.

I have since done more than three hundred podcast interviews plus produced more than two hundred of my own Achieve Your Goals podcast episodes.

It took me eighteen months of interviews just to sell again what I had sold in the first month after the book was released.

The graph below shows the value of remaining committed to your process for an extended period of time, regardless of your short-term results.

book marketing case study

That was eighteen months in which I saw very few sales in proportion to the amount of time and effort I was investing in securing and conducting podcast interviews. As you can see by looking at the graph on the previous page, I didn’t sell many books from December 2012 through June 2014, which means my effort wasn’t paying dividends in the short term. Had I been emotionally attached to my short-term results, I never would have made it.

But I believed in the book and knew that it would change people’s lives, so I stuck to my process and remained focused on the big picture.

Ultimately, my commitment to my process paid off. As of today, The Miracle Morning has surpassed over one million copies sold, half of them here in the United States and the other half spread across more than a hundred countries around the world—further evidence that although achieving significant goals often takes longer than we might want or expect, when we maintain Unwavering Faith and continue to put forth Extraordinary Effort over an extended period of time, we can create miracles.”

Action Steps:

  1. Have you ever felt discouraged with your book marketing efforts? If so, journal about it and what you think worked well and what you think didn’t.
  2. Marketing is a marathon and not a sprint. Are you willing to invest the time needed to market your book? If so, commit to weekly business meetings with God to receive strategy and direction from Him.

One of my favorite verses for business is Galatians 6:19, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” (NLT)

If you are willing to keep going and not give up, let me know in the comments below.

Share this post: on Twitter on Facebook on LinkedIn

Filed Under: Marketing Minute

About Shelley Hitz

Join Our FREE Facebook Group: Kingdom Writers Community Group

Together, CJ and Shelley Hitz are passionate about equipping and empowering Christian writers of all genres to share their unique gifts with the world. This website is filled with spiritual encouragement as well as prayers to help you overcome the resistance you face as a writer. Your story matters! Our online community, Christian Book Academy, is where we help you write, self-publish and market your books. We invite you to join our community of Kingdom Writers! 

  
Get our FREE training for writers here and shop our tools and templates here.
 

Comments

  1. Gracevera says

    August 30, 2020 at 9:57 pm

    Hi
    I am willing to keep going. There’s so much I’ve yet to know but I keep writing as the inspiration comes. Thanks

    Reply
    • Shelley Hitz says

      September 2, 2020 at 10:24 am

      Great! We are cheering you on!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome!


Meet CJ and Shelley Hitz

As mentors to writers inside our online membership, Christian Book Academy, we help writers of all genres write words that outlive you, self-publish books that fulfill your calling, and reach more readers with your message. Join our community of Christian writers here.

Move Forward in God’s Call to Write


Want to see God move in even greater ways through your writing? If so, get your copy of our book, Kingdom Writers here.

Get Your Book Out of Your Head and Onto Paper


Get your book out of your head and onto paper using our 3 proven book writing formulas...and then create a writing plan to finish your first draft in our 90-minute workshop here.

Book Marketing Templates to Save You Time and Money


Get your social media posts for the next month done in just 90 minutes so that you can reach more readers with your book (without being pushy or salesy) in our 90-minute workshop here.

Subscribe to Our Podcast

author audience podcast
Subscribe to the Podcast:
 iTunes |  Stitcher |  RSS

Connect With Us Online!



Follow us on Instagram

Click here to follow us on Instagram

Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel



Get Email Updates from the Blog

 Subscribe via RSS

Subscribe by Email

Join Our Community of Kingdom Writers



Find out more here: www.christianbookacademy.com







































[footer_backtotop]

Contact Us | Legal Information | Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy | Terms of Service



Copyright © 2023 Training Authors, a division of Body and Soul Publishing LLC - All Rights Reserved. Log in


Disclosure: Some of the links in the page above may be "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."