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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/39935
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/39935
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

The problem with your plan is you are assuming every step of this works. What do you do when your (1) youtube videos get no views, or get bad ratings?

Why do you think (2) critics and media persons will watch your videos because you email them? (Instead of sending them to spam with the other twenty they got that day).

How do you (3) "make a buzz?" I mean, exactly, what makes people start talking about a book, from an unknown author, that they have never read?

In (4), why do these "highly select" bookshops even take a book from an unproven author? You have to prove to them you can bring bodies into the store, they aren't going to give you prime selling space for nothing.

All of this is a plan for a famous author that shops already trust to make them money, and critics and reviewers already trust to write a good story. That isn't you, and you are not going to trick them into treating you like you are famous.

Both shops and critics are fully aware that they have the power to sell books (or by giving them a bad review, prevent sales of books). You are not respecting that power, you are expecting them to perform this valuable service for you without any assurance it will work out. A reviewer seldom bothers to read a book that doesn't come with some assurance from somebody that it is worth reading. The "somebodies" in this formula are publishers, agents, and history (an author with a track record of success that is releasing a new work, but that contact is usually handled by their agent as well).

There is at least **some** trust with these people that they won't give them a ridiculously bad book; publishers and agents have already filtered out 95% of books, and an author that has published decent books will tend to write more decent books.

Learn to write query letters for agents and try to get them to read your book, and represent you. If your book isn't good enough, try to understand why and rewrite, and try again.

There are several instructors out there to help you self-market from being an unknown; Nick Stephenson and Mark Dawson come to mind (I haven't used either of their courses).

The biggest problem for unknown authors is getting heard, by customers, by critics, by bookstore owners, by media, by anybody. All of the professionals have strict filters in place because all the unknown amateurs think if they shout enough they can get something valuable for free; that critics and shop owners and the media are NOT concerned about their reputations and will promote anything. They won't.

Just like the agents, they act as filters to let only the good stuff through. Or in the case of critics, to make sure their audience doesn't spend money on books that aren't worth reading. The critics job is to improve the odds of being satisfied.

Try the traditional route. Your plan is for an author that is already a best seller.

Original score: 3