“When Friends Become Fans: The Surprising Truth Behind Their Book Purchases”
Have you ever sat around with a cup of coffee, contemplating why your friends seem to take a rain check on your literary endeavors? I mean, every time I hear of authors who sell their books to eager friends and family, I can’t help but wonder… am I missing out on some secret handshake that grants access to this kind of support? The truth is, for years, I felt a bit left out of the “friends-and-family sales club” that many writers seem to rely upon. Whether it was through traditional publishing or self-publishing, my writing often flew under the radar of those closest to me. However, there’s a glimmer of change—now that I’ve published seven books, some of those long-forgotten friends are starting to come around. What changed? Is it the number of books, or maybe something even deeper at play? Join me as I dive into this evolving scene of literary support, where even the smallest gestures can feel like monumental victories. If you’re curious, you can LEARN MORE.
Why this seems like the ultimate of accomplishments
For most of my writing life, I’ve heard that other writers relied on initial sales from friends and family to boost their books’ momentum.
Many authors talked about building a solid foundation of sales this way, their connections eagerly purchasing and spreading the word.
But that never happened for me.
Whether I was traditionally published or self-published, my friends didn’t buy my books. I never understood why.
They might have asked me about them in passing. If they did, I would mention the latest project I was working on and then let the conversation move on. I didn’t want to bore them and certainly didn’t want to sound like I was bragging.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel neglected when they offered no real support. I was always happy to talk about their interests, but I felt my friends were more than happy to let this subject of “writing” disappear into the ether.
It seemed unfair. I told myself they had busy lives, and buying my book was not on their to-do lists. But I couldn’t help but feel left out, as if, somehow, I was doing something wrong.
So many other authors seemed to be relying on their friends for support.
Why couldn’t I?
Recently, however, something shifted. Now that I’ve published seven books, my friends have started to buy them. Little by little, the sales are trickling in.
Just the other night, a fellow musician in the symphony purchased one. She is around the fifth person from that group who has begun supporting my writing career with actual purchases.
This got me thinking: Why is this changing? Why now?
The long road to a friend’s support
I have a long-term writing friend whom I’ve known for over twenty years. In the late 1990s, I helped her get a job as a writer for the corporation I worked for. She remained until she had her first child, after which she decided to stay home as a full-time mom.
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