www.AndrewLamMD.com
In recent months
writers have asked the same questions at our workshops. How does one get a book
up and running? How does one get a newly published book into the bestseller
category? What are some of the secrets of learning how to be a writer whose
first book succeeds right from the start?
We asked first-time author
Dr. Andrew Lam who is one of our Irie Books top-selling writers if he would
share the secret of his success with Saving
Sight: An eye surgeon's look at life behind the mask and the heroes who changed
the way we see.
His response (below)
is candid, clear and correct as far as the procedure one needs to follow in
order to make a book into a success. Andrew's background is scientific and
medical, yet his approach to book marketing is creative and inspirational. He
is a retinal surgeon with a history degree from Yale and an assistant professor
at Tufts School of Medicine. Dr. Lam resides
in western Massachusetts
with his wife and four children.
HOW I MADE MY BOOK AN
AMAZON BESTSELLER
Eight months ago, Irie Books published my first book, Saving
Sight, which blends my experiences as an eye surgeon with the stories
of medical heroes whose inventions saved the sight of millions around the
world.
Since its launch, Saving
Sight has been an Amazon bestseller in its category (ophthalmology) and
sold thousands of copies. It won awards from the New
England and London Book Festivals. I was flattered when my friend
Gerry invited me to share the things I’d done to promote my book. I drew up
this list, which I hope may benefit some fellow writers out there.
1. It’s all up to
you.
From the start, my attitude was to take complete ownership
of the success or failure of my book. Yes, your publisher will help market your
book, but it’s useful to adopt the mindset that it’s all up to you. This keeps
you alert, engaged, and constantly trying to think of ways to get your book
into readers’ hands. Besides, no one is going to care about the success of your
book as much as you will.
So, if you’ve just gotten your first book published, give yourself
a brief pat on the back and then start learning the new skills necessary to
promote it yourself. Don’t waste time waiting for others to do it for you.
2. Marketable? It
better be.
Like a lot of first time authors, I loved writing my book.
There were no deadlines, no expectations. I wrote in my spare time and did it
because it was fun. I also knew I had a good, marketable idea, and I didn’t
think anyone else had the expertise or ability to write a book like mine.
My first idea was to write a nonfiction book profiling a
group of heroic medical underdogs—with my degree in history and familiarity
with the scientific literature, I was well-poised to do this. Later, I realized
my book would appeal to a far larger audience if I blended those stories with
exciting episodes from my surgical training—to show what it’s like to learn
LASIK and cataract surgery; to reveal how surgeons feel when they aren’t sure
what to do; to share the joy of saving someone’s sight; and to be honest about
what it’s like to fail, when failure can mean blindness.
No one had ever written a book like this. There was no
competition. And, even if it didn’t catch fire with the general public, I knew
there’d always be a niche audience of eye doctors and patients who would buy
it.
In short: the importance of having a ready audience for your
book cannot be overemphasized.
3. Write the absolute
best book you can.
Books sales grow from word of mouth. Readers recommending
books to their friends is a far more effective form of promotion than
advertisements, media interviews, or even book reviews. No one beyond your
circle of family and friends is going to buy your book unless it is actually
good. So do all you can to make sure your book is the best it can be. I spent
countless hours writing and re-writing my book. I showed it to a lot of readers
and took their advice. I listened to my agent's and editor’s suggestions and
took them to heart. If your book isn’t good, it won’t sell.
4. Make it look good.
Presentation. It’s important. And no one will care as much
about the presentation of your book, website, or Amazon landing page as you
will. I worked closely with my book designer to make sure the cover and layout
were as perfect as possible. I made sure to have a nice-looking, professional
website. When the book launched, I quickly learned to
navigate Amazon’s Author Central and “Look Inside” functions to make sure
everything about my Amazon landing page looked attractive.
5. Have an “all of
the above” promotion strategy.
When I sat down and thought about what I could personally do
to promote my book, I divided my efforts into three categories.
a. Personal Contacts – the first, and easiest, thing I did
was simply reach the people I knew. I tried to enlist as many of them as
possible to help me spread the word. Prior to the launch I invited family and
friends to read advance copies and asked them to leave an honest Amazon review
and share what they thought via social media. I used Facebook to announce the
launch and share articles and reviews. I also posted to Facebook groups
pertaining to ophthalmology, optometry, and patients with various eye
conditions. Think hard about how to reach groups that might be interested in
your book.
b. Local and Regional Media – I tried to saturate my local
region (western Massachusetts)
with news about my book. I gave numerous book talks at libraries in which I
donated the proceeds to the libraries. I did the same with Lions and Kiwanis
clubs. I priced my book inexpensively to encourage people to buy it—believing
that growing my readership was paramount and would lead to greater word of
mouth recommendations. I succeeded in getting articles about the book in local
newspapers, radio and television. I sought out book clubs to speak to. No group
was too small to talk to, no interview too insignificant. I sent a press
release to my hometown paper in Illinois.
Media exposure has a way of snowballing. The more you put your name and your
book out there, the more opportunities will come to you.
c. Professional Resources – Not everyone will have these
opportunities, but I was able to get articles and interviews in many
ophthalmology trade magazines and newsletters. I reached out to optometry
schools and medical associations. I made bulk sales to pharmaceutical
companies. I sent free copies to reviewers and influential leaders in the
field. In my practice, I am constantly meeting new patients who have an
interest in the subject of my book, giving me many opportunities to interact
with potential readers.
6. Never give up. And
have fun.
Like a lot of authors, I spent years writing my first books,
hoping they would one day be published, wondering if they would ever see the
light of day. Before writing Saving Sight,
I’d actually written a WWII novel called Two
Sons of China (recently released by Bondfire Books). It took two years for
my agent to land a publisher for my novel. While I was waiting, I wrote Saving Sight, and was chagrined when
that agent declined to represent it. “Too niche,” she said. I then secured
another agent for Saving Sight, who
struck out with the major publishers and gave up. But I didn’t. I got yet
another agent. I believed in my book. I didn’t know if it would ever “succeed,”
but I never doubted its quality and that it deserved to be published.
This multi-year journey was only tolerable because I was
having fun. I enjoyed writing. I was passionate about the history I wanted to
share, and the idea that people should know what their surgeons actually think.
And remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. There will
always be new opportunities to promote your book, even years after its release.
There are also many definitions of success. Doing what you love is certainly
one of them, no matter how many books you sell.