Do 5 Things a Day: Step 4 of 7, Creating a Sustainable, Income-Generating Author Life You Love
One of the first mantras of book promotion I heard when I started as a publisher almost three decades ago is still the hands-down best advice
Do five things a day, every day. It was one of the first mantras of book promotion I heard in my first years as a publisher, learning the business from publishers of all sizes and stripes on the 800-member pub-forum internet discussion list in the mid-1990s. And I’m not sure I’ve heard or seen anything simpler, as flexible and customizable, and effective since. It came from John Kremer, author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Book. The book’s sixth and last edition came out sixteen years ago in 2006, and it’s probably still worth the $35 price tag for what you will learn about how to think about book marketing from reading it. Those one thousand ideas still have tremendous value too.
Years before there was James Clear’s Atomic Habits and before we all heard of Jerry Seinfeld’s practice, Don’t Break the Chain, there was this basic nugget of book promotion from a master. We practiced an amped up version of it as a publishing company and did everything we could to pass on its wisdom to the authors we worked with. Very few took it to heart — at least literally — but I think we did a reasonable job of instilling the spirit of the message in many if not all. The creativity, variety, and consistency of our collective publisher-author book marketing and sales work became the hallmark of my first company’s 25-year run.
How did the “5 Things” of yesteryear become the “5–10 servings of optimal author business health,” which I’m touting here? Two reasons:
The industry, attention, economic, and technology changes of the last three decades suggest that we need a little more oomph, hustle, smarts, everything to have the same impact.
The rise of social media since then makes it easier to feel like we’re doing book promotion with interactions in those spaces — and we are, with every post, reel, photo, Tweet, etc. — but those efforts also take up less time and require greater repetition for optimal impact.
So, what are some of the pillars of this optimal author business health that come with 5–10 daily servings of book promotion?
Commitment. The discipline of committing to 5–10 actions daily on behalf of your book/s is the foundation of all good things that follow.
Betting on Yourself. Spending the 15–60 minutes (as you decide!) a day to fit these servings of book promotion is a demonstration of betting on yourself. You are deciding that you and your book and your work matter and are backing that up with visible activity that will resonate with others.
Identity. Committing to book marketing on a predictable schedule and betting on yourself help refine not just your identity as an author, but as an author with staying power, and as a reputable author and businessperson who works and plays in this arena.
Integration. Over time, the habitual nature of a discipline like 5–10 servings a day smoothly integrates with both your schedule and your identity and they reinforce each other.
Variety. An ongoing need to commit to 5–10 book marketing items a day inevitably leads to variety. Keeping a running list of things to try. Curiosity about what else works. Variety for the sake of mixing it up.
Data. Promoting your book daily as a matter of course and trying new things inevitably leads to data. What works and why? What works better than other things? What works better under which conditions? What works better for you, your life, your book/s, and your customers?
Sustainability. In the end, this simple, flexible, customizable, and effective practice is your best shot at building a rewarding and sustainable author enterprise you love.
Before we go to Step 5, we’ll take a small detour. The next post will cover just what sort of activities might counts towards your 5 (or 10) things a day.
Are you already interested in building an income-generating, sustainable author life with likeminded others? Join our private FB group, A Profitable Author Life You Love, and get inspiration, ideas, and support daily.
If you’re in the Chicago or Milwaukee areas, please consider joining one of our in-person Profitable Author Life You Love workshops, on 2/17 and 3/9. And, please attend one of our Ask a Publisher Happy Hours, 2/2 and 3/1, for beverages and light snacks, and to ask all your book publishing, book industry, author, agent, self-publishing, traditional publishing, author business, and book marketing questions.
Would you like to learn more how to get published and how to keep on publishing? Join me for a free virtual panel with the Society of Midland Authors, February 13.
Thanks for reading. If you like what you’ve read, please subscribe!