BUILDING AN AUDIENCE: ESSENTIAL ADVICE FOR ASPIRING AUTHORS

At Jewel Publishers, I often ask clients looking to print or publish their books: What are your social media handles?

With their responses, I go straight to their profiles to assess their online presence, especially how they engage with their audience. These findings shape the guidance I offer, particularly for writers aiming to meet tight publication deadlines.

For those with a limited online presence, I usually suggest they hold off on releasing their books—unless they’re planning a launch backed by a strong network that can offset their initial expenses.

However, great books shouldn’t be confined to readers who can immediately provide financial returns through personal networks. Instead, they should reach a broad audience, and the only way to achieve that is by dedicating time to building a community ready to engage with their work upon publication.

Allow me to share an example:

Recently, I read a review of Economics with Uncle Tunde by Tosin Adeoti on Facebook (Read the review here). Intrigued, I checked Roving Heights for the book, only to find it sold out—not just there, but in other stores too.

Next, I looked up the author, Babatunde Akin Moses, on LinkedIn and discovered he had over 50,000 followers and years of writing experience in finance. It became clear that even if he printed over 10,000 copies, they’d likely sell quickly. Inspired, I ordered 20 copies for our store, planning to donate 10 because it’s a truly fantastic read.

Writers, I won’t lie—I want your business. But I also believe in a win-win approach. We can certainly move forward with printing or publishing, but I recommend we work together to build a strong audience for you first. This way, you won’t end up with boxes of unsold books stacked around your home or office.

I hope this resonates. Let’s make your book a success, together.

Shalom ✌🏾

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